David Santucci

First off, I would recommend reading up on vermouths, and aromatic, fortified wines in general. Robert Hess has a nice primer on vermouth here. Lillet Blanc is considered a 'quinquina' - an aromatic, fortified wine with quinine as its primary bittering component. It is not completely dry either. Other quniquinas include Dubonnet and Cocchi Americano. As for vermouth brands, there is general agreement that Noilly Prat is the gold standard for dry (aka French) vermouth. In my book, Carpano Antica Formula is the way to go for sweet (Italian). It can be hard to find, though. For other brands, people seem to be split as to whether Cinzano or Martini & Rossi is best. I have heard mention of Dolin, but don't know anything about it personally. Hope that helps.

Having bought a pummelo a while back, and finding its aromatics just too good to waste, I dried some rinds (with a bit of pith attached) and tossed them in Everclear. I have started using this extract, undiluted and unadulterated, as a cocktail bitters. All by itself, it is truly spectacular: citrus aromatics galore at the front end and a good dose of pithy bitter flavor -- brilliant in a Maritni. I have decided to reserve half as-is and try to 'kick it up a notch' with the rest. So, today I added cinnamon, cardamom seeds and a tiny bit each of gentian, clove and Tonka bean. I'll report back on this in a couple weeks. I would, of course, be happy to have any feeback/suggestions from more experienced bitters concocters. In the meantime, here is tonights experiment. Very nice. No name yet, but I shall have to come up with one. 2 oz. gin (Junípero) 1/2 oz. Italian vermouth (Carpano Antica) 1/2 oz. lime juice 1/4 oz. simple 3 dashes (9 drops) Abbott's bitters (replica, homemade) 1 dash (3 drops) Pummelo extract

I agree. No reason you can't use single malts in cocktails. Frankly, I'm surprised the Highland Park wasn't a winner. I would try messing around with the proportions. I can say for sure that Glenfarclas can be used to make fabulous Bobby Burns and the like. Since I started messing around with single malts my bottle of Grouse has been getting very little use. I have also have success with McClelland's Islay, which is a cheap single malt (it's something like 5 yrs. old) and lends that peaty flavor to all the classics. It is considerably more subdued that something like an Ardbeg, however. You could probably make some cool cocktails with a whisky like that, but I would be inclined to use it as a flavoring agent rather than a base spirit.

I decided I should experiment a bit with my bottle of Aalborg aquavit, and figured I'd revive this thread while I was at it. First of all I aabsolutely aadore the Aalborg. I don't find it harsh. I picked it up in NYC last time I was up there and coincidentally picked up a bottle of Amaro Cora. First thing I tried with either was the two together, and this is absolute magic -- highly recommended. As for the experimenting, I tried lemon, which was pretty good, and Maraschino, which I thought canceled out the taste of the aquavit, and then Cointreau, which was a really nice complement. The drink I ended up with was this: 2 oz. Aalborg 1/4 oz. Cointreau 1/2 tsp. Unicum served old-fashioned style, with a lemon twist. Pretty nice.

perfumekev, you rule. I got a bottle of this and all I can say is -- best mint juleps ever! Bottle gets empty a little fast though...

It is indeed; I've been using it for a while. Not for sipping, though. ← This is exciting news guys! Any other suggestions in this area, Dave? I love brandy cocktails, but have yet to find a go-to brand; every time I try something new.

The recently-mentioned Leap Year, though the lemon juice content is minimal. Other than that, I guess the Harvard would qualify as noteworthy, though I admit I've never made one. Pretty much the same as the Gazette, but with bitters. In fact, the Gazette is the name of the Harvard paper, no? Could be a hint as to the origins of this one. Another good one with sweet vermouth and lime juice is the Jersey Lightning.

Hmm, perhaps I am using the wrong rum. It says here that Dave Wondrich recommends Neisson Rhum Agricole Élevé Sous Bois, a Martinique rum aged 18 months. That would, I'm sure, make a big difference. Sadly, I don't have anything like that lying about, so it will have to wait a while.

I dunno. I've tinkered a little bit with van Oosten, white rum, lemon juice, simple syrup and cardamom -- and nothing has come out even close to as pleasant as Carlshamns. I was hoping it'd work out too, as I've only got a 500ml bottle and it is going fast. I agree that Arrack is the primary flavor (along with sweet), but I think the Arrack they're using in Carlshamns is significantly different than the van Oosten. Or maybe my proportions are just way off. Anybody else tried this?

I dunno, but I'm guessing it won't be any better than just using fresh squeezed lemon juice, simple syrup and a twist.

I am NOT a fan of Cinelli's, though the Grandmother pizza is decent. My favorite is I (heart) Manhattan on 9th Street, but it is one of those places you HAVE to get it by the slice -- buy a pie and the crust is doughy, buy a slice and on the second time through the oven it gets nice and browned and crispy. I can't figure out why the place isn't more popular. My favorite is the spinach and tomato slice; the cheese and meat overload (my name for it, not theirs) are pretty good too. Skip the white pizza, though. Other than there, I like Amante's -- for their interesting combinations of toppings.

The best burger I've had in the triangle was at the James Joyce in Durham, but I have also had crappy burgers there, so I can't necessarily recommend it. I am dying to try the Raleigh Times bar...

I've been there several times and would give it high marks. It is not in the same league as restaurants like Four Square or Nana's but it is not trying to be. It is a neighborhood bistro, with a lot of Southern specialties and variations on Southern specialties. I would say about half the dishes I've had there have been excellent, and half good. Best of all was the Krispy Kreme bread pudding. The people are very nice too, which is important to me. We usually sit at the bar, but have sat at a table once, for brunch. Actually, the service was not quite up to snuff, but the brunch was fantastic -- the majority of the people at the table declared it the best brunch place they had been to in Durham. Also, they are open late, which is huge, in my book.

I think you could go either way. I cut back a little. Used a little bit from a bunch of different bottles without really measuring, so its hard to say exactly, but I would say I used about 20 ounces of each. I started with less and tasted as I went. The final product was significantly mellower, of course. I think if I went the full 750 it wouldn't have been too strong, but it was plenty potent with the 600 or so I used.

I made Xalapa Punch, from The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks, for New Year's Eve, and it was excellent. So I am wondering if any of you cocktail historians know how it came by its name. Xalapa is the capital of Mexico's Veracruz state, and, as far as I know, has no particular association with tea, wine, rum or applejack. Here is the recipe. I do recommend it highly. The flavors blend nicely, and the tea and wine bring out the caramel and spice of the rum. It's a crowd-pleaser, to boot. 2½ quarts hot, strong tea zest of two medium lemons 1 pint simple syrup 1 bottle claret 1 bottle aged rum 1 bottle applejack 1 large lemon, sliced very thin Pour tea over lemon zest and leave 10-15 minutes. Allow to cool, then add sugar, wine and liquors. Let rest 1 hour or more for the flavors to mingle. Add lemon slices and serve with ice.

After a big meal, my go-to drink is the Negroni.

Man, I was just there on Wednesday and they were out of the Fee's Whiskey Barrel plus all the Bitter Truth bitters (which were the main thing I had gone for). It was my first time making it out there, and, apparently, Christmas shoppers had cleaned them out of a LOT of things -- the place was full of their sad little "Sorry, out of stock" signs. Y'all need to stop buying up everything and let some of us poor Southern folk buy some too

I replaced my last bottle of Trimbach with a bottle of F. Meyer. Haven't really noticed any difference in terms of quality of drinks, good or bad. So, at $24/fifth in NYC and DC, Trimbach seems to be a great value. Says Embury: He goes on to say it is less sweet than Swiss, French and Danish Kirschs, that it has a "lingering, delightful aftertaste", and that is it made from cherries from the Black Forest region of Germany. Well it appears that Zwach Kirsch can be found on these shores, and at a reasonable price ($16! at Hitimewines, for example), so maybe that would make a good next purchase?

How does the 12 yo compare to the 7.5?

Or you could just leave out the brandy and have a perfectly delicious Bobby Burns. The Vieux Carré is one of those cocktails that has a cool name but just really doesn't live up to it. Probably there is a combination of whiskey and brandy that could work, but your time might be better spent on something that starts out with a recipe that is as good as or better than its name. Like the Fine and Dandy -- horrible name, good cocktail.

Seems to be more in the $35-40 range most places, unfortunately. Some things are just a lot cheaper in NYC (e.g., Lagavulin, which is $80 here, $50 there). I can definately say that Cour de Lion Calvados Christian Drouin ($30) is AWFUL. I got excited when recently NC started selling it and bought a bottle. It is extremely rough and has ruined every drink I've tried it in.

any chance you've compared the two head-to-head and can give us a little idea as to how they differ? ← No, sorry. I had the Kecskemeti a long time ago in a bar and remember it being great. I've only found the Pescetes in stores, though, so that is the one I have at home.

If you like your drinks on the dry side, as I do, I would recommend seeking out Laird's "Old Apple Brandy". It is 7½ years old and bottled at 80 proof. For cocktails with lots of sweet and/or sour, the bonded stuff is fine, but if you're going to mix a cocktail that mostly applejack, the extra few years of aging really make a difference in the final product.

Damn, Toby, those ARE really impressive videos. I agree with everything slkinsey said about the technique. Until now I always kinda thought of 'flair' as a dirty word. With a little more light on your face and better sound, you are ready for the big-time! Two technique questions: 1. Why gently bruise the mint with the muddler when you are going to go ahead and shake it with ice? 2. Why use big ice cubes for shaking, rather than cracked or crushed? And one recipe question: Does the generally-accepted recipe for a smash include citrus? It was always my impression that a smash was a "julep on a small scale".

What a fantastic project! I hope you will report your results often! (Perhaps even start a thread?) Are you going to also try some of the recipes with reposado tequila? I find it often works better. Of course, the difference between brands could be bigger than the difference between a blanco and a reposado. I tried some experiments with making a dry, Martini-esque tequila cocktail, and came up with the combination of tequila and Scotch, rather than vermouth or sherry or what have you. I call it the "Los Altos" (which is a Tequila-producing region, and translates to "highlands"). It is is a bit tricky to balance, but could be a lot of fun to try because of the huge range of personalitites in both tequila and Scotch. I found 4 parts El Tesoro Reposado, 1 part Glenfiddich Solera Reserve and a dash of Regan's Orange Bitters to do the job nicely. Good luck in your explorations!