FrogPrincesse

I decided to finally crack open my bottle of Sipsmith London dry gin to celebrate Repeal Day yesterday. I tried it neat and it was love at first sip. Very flavorful but restrained at the same time. Juniper, lemon, some coriander in the finish, almost sweet. Overall really smooth and harmonious. I considered having more just neat, but ended up with a Gin Fix: gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, persimmon garnish. I panicked for a moment thinking that I would need to go all the way to London to buy more once this bottle runs out. But thank god it's available in the US (HiTimes and DrinkUpNY both have it in stock). I notice though that my bottle has red wax and a dark blue label, versus the green label & wax on the website. I wonder what that is all about. Maybe it's just the duty free version of their packaging (I got it in Heathrow). The only bad thing to report about this gin is that the closure has a quality issue - the top piece detached from the artificial cork right away.

I'm in. Grabbed the last spot.

Last night was an attempt at reverse-engineering a cocktail I really like at the Lion's Share, The Federal Buffalo Stamp (Has Mahmmod). It's an addictive whiskey sour variation with ginger and maple syrup. Here it is with its candied ginger garnish, from a recent visit. The menu lists it as bourbon, lemon, ginger root, maple syrup. I am pretty sure that they use a homemade ginger syrup but 1) I was feeling lazy last night and 2) I have a bottle of Canton ginger liqueur that I hope to get rid of one day to make room for bigger better things, so I just used that instead. I went with 2 oz bourbon, 3/4 oz lemon juice, 1/2 oz maple syrup 1:1 syrup, and 1/4 oz ginger liqueur. I am missing the ginger garnish but otherwise it was spot-on and filled my craving. The bourbon-ginger-maple combo just works.

My cocktail last night was the Bitter Giuseppe. Less bitter than I remembered. This is the version published earlier this year in Imbibe magazine, which differs from the one in beta cocktails with an increased amount of sweet vermouth (1 oz vs. 3/4 oz), orange bitters (6 dashes vs. 2), and lemon juice (1/4 oz). This updated version is also included in the Art of Shim. Stephen Cole uses Carpano Antica Formula, but it's very good too with Cocchi vermouth di Torino, which plays well with the chocolate notes in Cynar.

I was at Bar Agricole earlier this year and got a chance to try the Leopold maraschino liqueur. I did not realize at the time that it got developed in part due to Bar Agricole's idea to source small-batch craft liqueurs (article here). In any case, it is indeed more subtle than Luxardo but it still has the profile of a maraschino liqueur. It has plenty of character. Some people use low amounts of maraschino in their Hemingway Daiquiris because the maraschino tends to take over. I think the Leopold would be good in such a case. Bar Agricole uses the maraschino in the Turf Club cocktail (gin, dry vermouth, maraschino liqueur, absinthe rinse, orange bitters). Note that Leopold also makes a cherry liqueur, but that's a different product which is more similar to cherry heering.

Blether's cake looks delicious. I wish I had a slice with my tea! A very rustic tart with Granny Smith apples. I had pastry dough in my freezer (I typically make a double batch and freeze half), so this did not require much effort.

A Moment of Silence (Maks Pazuniak): rye, apricot liqueur, Averna, Angostura bitters, apple brandy, Campari rinse. For the apple brandy, the recipe calls for Lairds bonded; I substituted calvados. I find that the taste of Rothman & Winter apricot liqueur can be candy-like and unpleasant in cocktails when used in large quantities. In this cocktail, it disappears and blends harmoniously with the other ingredients. (Note that the original recipe specifies Marie Brizard which is what I plan on buying when this bottle is empty.) I got a very pleasant bittersweet orange flavor from the cocktail, with a great "bite". Tons of interesting flavors from the Averna and Angostura, without a heavy feel. Great drink for a contemplative mood.

I think it's just a ploy to get our addresses. I expect a knock on my door any time now. Better hide my good stuff asap.

Probably right. The rationale for the name was that it was based on another drink called the Diplomat. They substituted Pimm's for the sweet vermouth, making it a British Diplomat.

I tried another light-weight cocktail from the Art of Shim; this one failed to wow me. British Diplomat with dry vermouth, Pimm's No. 1, maraschino liqueur, and aromatic bitters (I used Boker's). It was very much dominated by the French vermouth (I used Noilly Prat extra dry), with subtle undertones from everything else. I upped the bitters but the drink was not that interesting.

I'd be up for it but we'd better get started soon. Shipping stuff internationally during the holiday season can easily take weeks.

Tonight I had a Bicycle Thief, a Manhattan variation & close relative of the Little Italy, with rye (I used Rittenhouse 101), sweet vermouth (Cocchi vermouth di Torino), Cynar, and Bonal. Great showcase for the Rittenhouse rye, with a lovely bitter orange flavor, plus caramel and herbs in the finish. I did not do a side-by-side, but purely from memory, I think I may prefer it to a Little Italy.

Thanks Rafa, I try.The recipe was from The Art of Shim by Dinah Sanders. 1.5 oz Bonal 1 oz Dolin dry vermouth (I used Noilly Prat) 0.5 oz calvados Dash aromatic bitters Lemon peel

Today for lunch I got to finally try a new restaurant in my neighborhood, Luce. Comfortable & unpretentious place. I had a refreshing Gin Gin Mule with Plymouth gin which balanced some of the richness in my lamb shank tacos. AleSmith nut brown ale in the background. Tonight: something bitter for me, a Hanky Panky (Ada Coleman) (Beefeater, Cocchi vermouth di Torino, Fernet-Branca) ...and something sweet for him, a Corpse Reviver No. 1 (PF 1840 cognac, Daron calvados, Cocchi vermouth di Torino, Angostura bitters, brandied cherry).

Plantes Vertes,Nice work. Our tastebuds are alike - my favorite in a Martini is the Terroir too. The dry rye is great for Negronis.

Fish House Punch earlier today before the big Thanksgiving meal. Currently enjoying a digestif. My glass is on the right.

Here is the Fish House Punch, which I have decided to store undiluted to take up less space in the fridge. I will dilute it 1:1 with water before serving it tomorrow.

A few more things I forgot to post earlier. (French) American Trilogy with rye, calvados, simple syrup, orange bitters. I've always liked this one and jump on any excuse to mix with Calvados (Michael McIlroy & Richie Boccato's original recipe calls for bonded applejack). Another autumn classic, the Lion's Tail. A couple of Old Fashioneds with gum that I used for my MxMo Resin entry. First, a Whiskey Old Fashioned with Buffalo Trace bourbon, gum syrup, Angostura bitters, lemon peel. Really great with the gomme. Rye Gin Old Fashioned (Thad Vogler) with St. George dry rye gin. Instead of the cherry bitters I used Fee's old-fashioned bitters which have a vague cherry note to me. This one had some crazy flavors. The touch of maraschino liqueur seemed to reinforce the aroma of the gin. It's not for the timid. And lastly, this great little thing from The Art of Shim. Craig Lane's Rhum Dandy Shim with sweet vermouth as the base, white rhum agricole, lime juice, cane syrup, absinthe, lime zest. Packed full of flavor.

After Czequershuus and lesliec, I too tried the Tia Mia. I was intrigued when I found out it was Ivy Mix's creation. Not really surprising, because she is really into mezcal. I used Appleton 12, Vida mezcal, Pierre Ferrand dry curaçao per the original recipe, and homemade orgeat. I went with the ratios from the original recipe and 1 tsp of simple syrup instead of sugar. I figured that I could always add more, and it was fine as is. The mezcal is great is this drink. I did not find it overpowering but you can definitely taste it. It's complex, smoky and funky. Oh, and I was going to forget - I followed the advice of pros, and poured it on fresh ice instead of lazily shaking and dumping. I am a convert now.

You are welcome. To get everything out I added the lemon juice to the bag, and transferred the contents into the mixing bowl.

Dan - Jennifer Colliau (eG member feste) sells various syrups, including a gum syrup, at small hand foods.

Nutella works very well too!

I think she is on her way already.

Plantes Vertes, My drink of the night was an Airbag, which may or may not have saved my brain during a bad accident a few years ago (you will be the judge). It was bitter, smoky, acidic, metallic. Reminded me of the chemical smells when the airbag deployed. Very good. And I cannot believe that Rafa forget to mention the cherry bomb garnish. Shame on him!!! After all this html code I think I need another drink...

Yeah. Unable to post anything coherent at this instant, so please give me a minute or two. :-)Plus the iPad interface for eG really sucks, just saying. Not cute smiley faces or any other fancy option.