Alchemist
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Posts posted by Alchemist
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That's sounds inspired!!! I love the idea of the foamy visual too.
How many drinks did that recipe make? I tend to use the Just Whites powdered egg whites. Raw eggs are too much of a liability issue.
I'll let you know when I'm making the trip to NYC. Would love to chat and have a cocktail.
This was approx. Six cocktails, with a bunch of little tasters. The foam really streches the portions. I forget the term used for ice cream (overfill maybe) but it's air pumped into the product. Dairy Queen as 100% overfill. One pint magicly turns into two.
Eggs a liability? Wash the outside, then drop them into booze. What bacteria will survive. It's risker to eat your eggs over easy at the local diner than to have a silver fizz at a good bar. We use only organic eggs, bought daily. Handled properly, the liabilty issue is moot.
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The QPS, is so named for the Angostura that crowns it.
Wasn't the QPS actually invented in Trinidad?
As I under stand it it is the house cocktail of the Queens Park Hotel in Trinadad.
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Yes naming it after a London park, due to the Gin. But come to think of it maybe name it after a New Orleans park because of the bitters. The QPS, is so named for the Angostura that crowns it.
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Alchemist - you are a true and creatively inspired cocktalian. I'd would love to have a drink with you sometime. We'd have a lot to talk about...
Love the technical terms.
Sure next time you're in town I'll buy you a drink @ Pegu.
So I tried the fizz in a bottle. Fan-tas-TICK! It was light and fluffy, like the Cucumber foam on the Pimms Pony @ WD-50. It went a little like this...
12 Oz. Plymouth gin
@ Oz. Plymouth Sloe gin
7.5 Oz lemon juice
7.5 oz. simple
3 egg whites
Combinr all ingrediants in Container. Charge with CO2. Carfully spray into rocks glass full of ice. let settle, top with more frothy goodness. No garnish to distract from the cotton candy pinkness.
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Very cool. How does one sighn up? Do we submit a recipie, or do we make them for the judges? Is it a blind tasting or not?
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There is a Hyde Park Swizzle. A decendant of the QPS. Sub gin for rum, and simple syrup for demerara. We couldn't think of another park in London, so if anyone has a cool London park name I'm all for re-naming this drink.
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I have to ask, are you The Alchemist (from hotwired fame)? I'm guessing no, but still curious.
regards,
trillium
I am the unfamous Alchemist.
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If you like the sidecar, and are looking for some thing with a little more oomph, give the ( pardon my french) Champs Elyesse. A killer winter cocktail.
2 Oz. Cognac
.75 Oz lemon juice
.75 oz simple (You can go closer to .70)
barspoon of green Chartruse
1 dash Bitters (I like the Peychaud, and since the name is french, because It mirrors the anise in the Chartruse, but I belive Angostura is classic)
Serve like a Sidecar, no sugar, flame that orange twist and give a little Haleluya for thoes crazy Carthusian Monks
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I have onr of thoes seltzer makers. I put pear nectar into it. Voila, sparkling pear soda.
Brilliant!! I'd have never considered such a thing but it makes total sense.
I'm always afraid to have those behind the bar because someone is always tempted to inhale the stuff out of the little canisters and keel over. (Note: I had friends when I was younger that used to suck the nitrous oxide out of the whipped cream cans at the supermarket and leave them all flat)
The idea of having the soda canister makes a whole lot of things possible. There are so many tasty juices and nectars out there waiting to be zapped with a bit of effervescence. Sounds like I have some research ahead of me....
Yes the clinical experimentation that makes our insurance companies heartily dislike us. Charles H. Baker Jr.
Yesterday I picked up some organic apple cider, charged it, and OH-MY-GOD... I was topping my applejack, calvados, rye, bourbon, poir, cocktails with it. It ROCKS, It doesn't dillute the cocktail any, it gives it a fresher ephervesence (When will we get spell check on this site?) and the bubbles are bubblier (yes thats a technical term). Plus it looks so cool.
Some hints. Put the charger in the fridge an hour befor filling it. Make sure the liquid you're going to use is cold. Shake the cannister hard every time, and squeeze a little off into the sink before hitting your drink.
I feel like a dork that I haven't taken advantage of this before. Duh! I have been fighting the Neferious Dillution for years. I'd brought my soda portions down to the little side of nothing, whittled down to a fine point. My Fizzes had gone from the kissing cousins of Sours to more like their fraternal twins. Well no more.
Wait, epiphiny, what would happen if you put cold gin, and lemon, and simple syrup in the cannister, and charged the whole shabang? Maybe it smacks of pre-made cocktail, but everything would hit the ice cold, and sooo fizzylicious (another technical term) that the flavors would really pop.
I know that water content is key in a martini, but how important is it in a collins? I can feel the insurance companies quaking in their wingtips.
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Best cocktail city in the states? They have last call @1:30!
I'd go loggerheads with any S.F bartender.
How does one judge whom is the best?
Is there a Milk and Honey in S.F.? Is there an Angel Share? A Flatiron? E.O.? Pegu? Little Branch?
I'd like a list of the quintessential list of S.F bars.
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While at Harry's New York Bar in Paris, the barkeep there informed me that he had recently been to “La Bodegiuta del Medio”, and was informed that Angostura bitters were also added to the Mojito. I've tried this with nice results. I haven't been able to make myself try it with Fee's Mint bitters though, (perhaps tonight?).
I also like to use raw sugar cubes when muddling the mint and lime, so as to extact more oils. I guess the fact that I am adding a ton of mint makes the flavor still stand out.
The double strain is a nice method, as it makes the drink look better, and prevents the ladies from doing the "mint grin" after their first sip.
PLEASE STEP AWAY FROM THE MINT BITTERS. They turn the best cocktails into mouthwash. Yikes!
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I know that it's not classic but my Negroni has half the amount of campari as sweet vermouth. It makes for a smoother, less biting cocktail. it's also better for the people who don't know they like gin yet.
2 oz. Plymouth
1 oz Sweet Vermouth
1/2 oz Campari
This is very good (I was inspired to make one with Tanqueray, Vya and Campari) but are you sure we can still call it a Negroni? Once we start going 4:2:1, it seems like we're getting very far away from the 1:1:1 original -- perhaps to the extent that it's a different cocktail altogether, despite being made with the same ingredients. Gary Regan apparently came to that conclusion with his 4:1:1 Negroni variant, which he calls a Valentino in his Joy of Mixology book. Your formula strikes me as closer to a tweaked Valentino than a tweaked Negroni.
Philip Ward (of Flatiron, and Pegu) Just made me a Valintino but with Punt e Mes in lieu of sweet Vermouth. YUM, earthier, mo' bitter, but delictiably complex.
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Just came up with a Spiced Pear Sangria-tini drink for a Spanish menu. Dry white wine, spiced simple syrup, pear nectar and Belle de Brillet Cognac. Very delicious.
The Belle de Brillet Cognac has to be the most delicious stuff I've ever tried. Not inexpensive, but marries the best of both a fine Cognac and Poire Williams together smoothly. Mmmmmmm...Yummy!
I have to go buy myself a bottle of this to have at home.WOW, that sounds awsome, may i borrow the Belle & Pear idea and turn it into a fizz with egg white and sparkling pear nectar? Maybe a whisper of Vietnamese cinnimon. Winter Wonderland.
Absolutely! Just let me know what you came up with in case I want to borrow it back.
Have you tried the Belle de Brillet yet, or are you going out to try it now? I'm curious what others think of it. I think it's insanely delicious.
I like your idea for the Fizz. Is there such a thing as sparkling pear nectar or will you add club soda? I just use the Goya canned pear nectar. Actually all of the Goya and Jumex juices are delicious and excellent for mixing.
I have onr of thoes seltzer makers. I put pear nectar into it. Voila, sparkling pear soda.
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Rye is the new Gin, and Gin was the new vodka. All kowtow to Rye, it's genteel dryness and sublime complexity make it a joy to work with. And we are now in the season of the brown liquors. Oh, joy!
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Just came up with a Spiced Pear Sangria-tini drink for a Spanish menu. Dry white wine, spiced simple syrup, pear nectar and Belle de Brillet Cognac. Very delicious.
The Belle de Brillet Cognac has to be the most delicious stuff I've ever tried. Not inexpensive, but marries the best of both a fine Cognac and Poire Williams together smoothly. Mmmmmmm...Yummy!
I have to go buy myself a bottle of this to have at home.WOW, that sounds awsome, may i borrow the Belle & Pear idea and turn it into a fizz with egg white and sparkling pear nectar? Maybe a whisper of Vietnamese cinnimon. Winter Wonderland.
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Having spent quite a bit of time at Pegu I have never seen Septuple flips behind the bar. Occationaly things are dropped Behind every bar in the world. When dealing with wet, icy metal, and glass impliments (which circus folk don't have to contend with), in the chaotic, fast paced world of a cocktail lounge, sometimes things will succumb to the laws of gravity. And with the rubber mats on the floor nothing "clatters" when it hits the floor.
I can assure you that this will not happen again, since most Pegu employees read this sight. The bartender is probably mortified that this small slip has been brought to the attention of his bosses. I'm sure he will be properly taken to task before his next shift. Thank you for helping to keep the gestalt intact. I'm sure that everyones experiance will be better now.
I agree that "cocktailesque", flair bartending is an abomination. If you watch the movie you will see that it takes two guys three minutes to pour one drink. I have never seen that happen at Pegu. As I understand it any spins or flips are for the pourpose of getting any acess moisture out of the tins, so the cocktails will be as pristine as possible.
I once saw a flamed twist fizzel and not ignite. To avoid future embarrassment, I say, no more showmanship. Let the bartenders of NYC, stop any flim-flam. Make the drinks, and present them to the customer. No more, no less. Wipe those tins out with a bar towel. Muddle, with intent and pourpose. Show no joy in your craft. If a bartender wants to be on stage let them do Shakespear. If a customer wants to be entertained, let them drink at TGI Fridays. At a serious bar Everything should be serious.
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This little Cocktail is a blantent riff on the Queens Park Swizzle, or QPS, I thinks is different enough, that I can, with modestly down cast lash, call it my own.
1 Oz. Light Rum
1 Oz Aged Rum (I like Cuban Style Methuslem)
.5 Oz Thick, rich demerara syrup
.75 Oz. fresh lime
7 sprig of mint
Bruise mint in Highball glass. With muddler massage inside of glass with essential oils from mint. add rum, lime and demerara. Let sit for a couple of minutes. the mint will start to infuse the rum. This is the time to crush the ice, and gather coasters, a must since you will soon be able to drive a Zamboni on the outside of your glass. Fill glass full of ice. Swizzle, (For a good teqnique go to Pegu Club.com and visit Ethos, there is a Ti punch being swizzled) top glass with more crushed ice. add three drops of angostura, A dropper bottle works best. Then one dash of Peychaud. Let sit one minute, Oh the will power this takes. Once glass has developed a good layer of ice, spank some mint above the glass, add two thin straws. Feel the ocean breeze in your hair. I would call this the Prince Parker Swizzle If I could get away with it.
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not "supposedly cause flames"...definitely cause flames. It's a great show, and imparts a fresh burnt orange flavor to the drink. Rub the burnt orange around the rim before tossing it in the drink.
I have found that is you hold a Quarter size twist of orange about two inches above your flame source for about 3 seconds, before releasing the essential oils across the cocktail, you get better flame. I'm not sure if this is due to warming the oil, or getting rid of any excess moisture, but it helps.
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Just last night I used some to make Dave's Tombstone cocktail (which is more or less Jerry Thomas' Whiskey Cocktail). As I made it, it's 3 ounces of Wild Turkey 101 proof rye whiskey, 1/4 ounce of 2:1 demerara simple syrup and 2 big dashes of aromatic bitters stirred with cracked ice, strained into a chilled class and garnished with a fat twist of lemon.
And Sam--that's a hell of a Tombstone! (I make mine with a mere 2 oz whiskey.)
Wow, that is A Tombstone that would put hair on the chest of the grim reaper. I make my tomb stones with 2 Oz. and then (in professional lingo) Shake the &!%# out of it. I get a good amount of H2O content which I Find openes up the Rye, and the Temp is cold as the grave. There is a slang phrase in spanish bien muerta, meaning really really cold. Thats how I like the first third of my Tombstones.
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You should try the "41 Jane Does" It's half calvados (or apple jack if that is your druthers), half Poir Williams, its dryer abd has an almost gritty texture that resembles biting into a fresh pear.
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mbanu, I think fortification does extend the shelf life of a vermouth compared to regular wine. But that doesn't mean that the shelf life is extended indefinitely. I also don't think it's accurate to call the vermouth process one of controlled oxidation, any more so than this is part of the normal winemaking process. Noilly Prat ages its wines for a year in oak casks outside in the open air with the snow, rain, summer sun, etc. That's kind of unusual. But I wouldn't characterize this as controlled oxidation like I would, say, making sherry.
I'm not sure that I agree 100% with Alchemist that vermouth is inherently delicate, although it is delicate, I suppose, compared to bourbon. I've kept bottles of very high quality vermouth (Vya) sealed with "Wine Saver" corks in my refrigerator for months without any detectable drop in quality compared to a fresh bottle. But part of Alchemist's point (I think) is that this is not the way vermouth is stored in a professional setting -- it's just not practical. The best vermouth in the world isn't going to keep very well unrefrigerated and open to the air with a speed pourer stuck in it. Any bottle of booze maintained in this condition for a long period of time will eventually decline -- but vermouth will decline a lot faster than vodka.
Last night i opened a fresh bottle of sweet vermouth Which had been kept in the fridge since it's purchase. I tasted it next to a bottle that had been opened a week earlier, and there is a difference. i can only describe it as pop or edge but a fresh bottle smells like fresh mushroom pizza, and herbs and old vermouth dosn't have the same depth.
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Vermouth is delicate. It should be bought in the smallest bottles possible, and kept in the fridge unless you are in the process of making a cocktail.
See, to me these are all signs of a poor-quality vermouth. A good vermouth is not only a tasty vermouth, but a durable vermouth. Quick international shipping and constant refrigeration weren't constants back during vermouth's 19th century heyday, afterall. Good vermouth should be fortified to a proper strength, and the wine and botanicals should be processed in such a way that there is no danger from oxidation or contact with light. Hell, if I wanted a "delicate" vermouth, I'd buy a bottle of ordinary wine and stick the herbs in myself.
In cocktails just like food fresh is better(unless you're talking Kim Chee) And a freshly opened bottle of vermouth tastes better than one that has been opened a month, and has been sitting on a hot back bar or on a shelf above your stove. Wine has a love hate relationship with oxygen.
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Yep. Navan has wide availability these days. Not nearly as versatile from a cocktail standpoint as Grand Marnier, I'm afraid.
I agree. But I think Liquor "43" is more versitile than Navan. I'v tried to make a Silver lining with Navan, and it just isn't as intense a vanilla (And no real honey flavor) punch as "43"
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Sad... I'd hoped to go before it became packed to the gills. That doesn't look likely now.
As I understand it the doorman is for controlling volume of people and not doing the velvet rope thing. They know that the labor intensity of the drinks is a bad match for three deep at the bar. And the vibe would be ruined be hordes of hooting patrons.
(Not So) Simple, Flavored, & Spiced Syrups
in Spirits & Cocktails
Posted
I have found using dried additives, the shelf life is much longer and the syrup is more intense because you aren't introducing extra H20 into your simple. I haven't tried it with mint, but I will be giving that a whirl soon. For fall I am planning on infusing some simple with dried apricots, some clove and nutmeg and then throwing in a bit of rye.