FrogPrincesse

"FrogPrincesse: encouraging you to drink not so responsibly" Encouraging you to drink socially... Invite a couple of friends and compare your impressions!;-)

For reference, the ratios for the XYZ above were 3:2:1 with 1.5 oz aged rum, 1 oz Cointreau, and 0.5 oz lemon juice. I'd say make all three and report...

2:1 Martini last night with Plymouth and Noilly Prat Extra Dry, Regan's and Fee's orange bitters, lemon twist. Sadly, no caviar to be found.

The first one is Chris McMillian's End of the Road. The other one looks good too. Thanks for sharing.

With caviar, I would just go with (gin) Martinis.

Sorry for the unbearable suspense. I loved it. With Scotch and Drambuie, it's more complex than the bourbon version. I wonder if that is why they put the more easily approachable/mass-appealing bourbon version on the menu at the American Bar.

I tested two very similar Manhattan variations this weekend. I wanted to recreate Erik Lorincz's Norman Conquest at home, inspired by a recent visit to the American Bar. The Noman Conquest is a Manhattan with bourbon and Calvados. At the American Bar they use Woodford Reserve and Martini Rosso, at home I used Buffalo Trace and Dolin rouge for a more assertive mix. My Calvados is Daron. Norman Conquest (Erik Lorincz): 1 oz bourbon, 1 oz Calvados, 1 oz sweet vermouth, 1 teaspoon simple syrup, 3 dashes Angostura bitters, rocks, orange twist garnish. Then I remembered that I had tried a similar Manhattan variation with Calvados in the past (it's actually upthread), Sam Ross' Grandfather. I made it side-by-side for comparison purposes. He calls for applejack but I used Calvados. Grandfather (Sam Ross): 1 oz bourbon, 1 oz applejack, 1 oz sweet vermouth, 2 dashes Angostura bitters, 2 dashes Peychaud's, up. The differences are minor - the simple syrup and orange twist in Erik Lorincz's version, the Peychaud's bitters in Sam Ross's version, Calvados vs. applejack. With such minor differences they are both very good. I ended up staying with the Grandfather as I thought it was more flavorful and interesting (others may say, more rough). Erik Lorincz's version feels slightly more restrained and elegant. As a side note, the version of the Norman Conquest that was published calls for scotch and not bourbon, more like a Rob Roy, which actually makes more sense given the name of the cocktail. I think I would like to try that version too.

Italian Heirloom (Maks Pazuniak) with Cynar, blended scotch (I substituted Glenfiddich 12), Laphroaig, pinch of salt, lemon peel. This one has the particularity of using the oils from multiple lemon twists. After the shock of the first sip (sweet, bitter, smoke, gasoline...), it grew on me, and I enjoyed the herbal notes of the Cynar with the essential oils from the lemon.

Demerara syrup always. A scientifically measured small puddle. I use Rittenhouse, and no soda. I chill the glass first, and do the absinthe rinse after dumping the ice and right before straining the rest into the glass. I also don't throw out the leftover absinthe. A little bit of water or club soda is needed if you use a sugar cube so it can be fully dissolved; obviously skip it if you use Demerara syrup. I think that I just like the ritual of the sugar cube. It forces me to slow down and concentrate on what I am doing, and I enjoy the process. If you are in a hurry though, or don't have the energy, using syrup is best.

I remember that you mentioned that one a while back on your eG blog. I am thinking that this could be a good use for my new bottle of St. George dry rye gin.

I go with the Bartender's Choice version. Chill a glass with crushed ice and ~ 1/4 oz absinthe. Meanwhile, muddle 1 white sugar cube with Peychaud's (I used 3 or 4 dashes) and a barspoon of club soda in a mixing glass. Add 2 oz of rye, add ice, stir, strain into emptied glass. Lemon peel.

Great suggestion. Hit the spot. Thanks. Rafa - Glad you liked it. It's a good one for sure. Speaking about good stiff stirred rye drinks, I ended up with a Sazerac tonight. With Bulleit rye and St. George absinthe, it was nothing short of spectacular.

A Toronto.

You are confusing me. Are you saying I should shake with ice first, then whip with the stick blender (after straining the ice I imagine?). Sorry it's Monday and I am a little slow.

My favorite punch for these types of events is the Fish House Punch, which is also described in the Punch thread. The base is dark rum + cognac. It's delicious, can be made in advance, and leftovers keep very well.

I would also look at the balance between the sour (lime juice) and the sweet (curacao + orgeat + simple). Several of these recipes seem to be on the sweet side.

Aware of this strategy but it seems like way too much trouble and my cat would definitely be upset if I repurposed his toys. :-) I suspect that the age of the eggs is more critical than these little gadgets. With fresher eggs I get a much thicker foam with the same amount of effort.

Yep, and a prolonged/energetic one too. I really tried my best, but with older eggs I think this is bound to happen.My Koriko tins separate by themselves almost every single time; occasionally I have to wait a few seconds. In the rare case they don't, a gentle tap at the spot where they start to separate takes care of it.

White Lady last night with Beefeater gin, Cointreau, lemon juice + egg white in a 3:2:1 ratio. Really good, although I need to work on my egg foam technique. The texture was thick throughout but it was missing a nice thick layer of foam on top, despite my best efforts. Next time I will just go for the stick blender, especially with older eggs.

Really? Never had an issue with mine.

I had to find something worthy of my hosts who went out of their way to make my visit special.

You are more than welcome. I had a feeling you would appreciate it.

Too much orgeat overpowers the drink, especially with high quality/homemade orgeat. I tried all orgeat instead of half orgeat half simple in the past out of sheer laziness, and the Mai Tai was still decent but on the verge of becoming a creamy almond smoothie.

Excellent. More international cocktail adventures in my future!