FrogPrincesse

Variation on a Theme 2 oz Hayman’s Old Tom gin 1/2 oz cherry liqueur 1/4 oz Campari 1/2 barspoon Maraschino liqueur 1 dash Regan’s orange bitters Stir, strain Orange twist garnish Hayman's Old Tom gin may not work in Chris' Lindbergh's Baby, however it is great in this drink. This cocktail is a beauty of balance (and restraint). Cherry and orange flavors intermingling in harmony. I really like it. As a side note, I could not find it in the book but it was on the Beta Cocktails website.

I was actually wondering about the taste of the cocktail itself, but maybe it is also hard to describe. In any case, thanks for the detailed tasting notes on the Ransom gin. I am intrigued. It looks like everyone is very passionate about it!

Thanks Chris. What does the cocktail taste like, when made properly?

Indeed, that's your problem right there. I see. I did not realize that Ransom was a different style of Old Tom gin with, based on what I just read in the Old Tom Gin thread, strong botanical and malty flavors. I will know for next time. The baby *almost* ended in the sink but I finished my glass out of respect for Chris!

Yikes. I'm scared, although you seldom steer me wrong, Chris. Corriander, orange, apricot, juniper, grapefruit, pie spice, oh my. That's a pretty advanced cocktail for a fundraiser. How did it go over with mere mortals? They loved it -- the first drink we ran out of that night. (Not so with another drink of my concoction, FWIW...) I think this libation is one of my best, a favorite for me and many guests. I loved it too! Had one at Teardrop Lounge here in Portland tonight! I was a little scared too but ended up trying Lindbergh's Baby the other night. I used Hayman's Old Tom gin, Cocchi Americano, Rothman & Winter orchard apricot liqueur (about 3/8 oz), grapefruit bitters made by a friend, and Jerry Thomas decanter bitters. I am sad to report that I did not care for it. It was too sweet and had a weird candy flavor from the R&W apricot liqueur and Cocchi Americano combination. I was expecting something elegant and aromatic. The original Charles Lindbergh cocktail from the Savoy Cocktail Book, reproduced below with Erik's tasting notes for reference purposes, only has a small amount of apricot. But I recognize that the Ransom Old Tom gin may be quite different from Hayman's, which may be the source of my problems. Also, although I like R&W as a subtle accent, I don't care for it in larger amounts. I added a grapefruit twist after tasting, in an effort to add some acidity. I also boosted the bitters a little bit but the cocktail still did not come together for me. I haven't tried the original but seeing it described as a "girly drink" is not very tempting to me!

Another Daiquiri variation from PDT, another (slight) disappointment. The Rust Belt (John deBary): Barbancourt 8-year rhum, vanilla, lemon juice, lime juice, homemade orgeat, Angostura bitters, egg white. The recipe calls for 1/2 oz of vanilla liqueur to which I substituted vanilla syrup (and reduced the amount very slightly). Normally the Angostura is spayed over the top of the drink through a stencil. I added one drop and then decided after a few sips that it needed more, so I added two more drops. First impression, the flavors were quite muted and I could mostly taste foam + citrus juices. I could not really taste the rum much. I was almost finished with my glass when the flavor of the rum finally came through. It was my first time trying the Barbancourt 8-year but I don't feel that this drink was properly showcasing it. I don't really understand the orgeat + egg white combo, to me it seems like overkill. I think that if the drink had not been described as a Daiquiri variation I may actually have enjoyed it more. The problem is, because the Daiquiri is one of my favorite cocktails, I had high expectations. It was better than the Hotel Nacional in any case. I was intrigued by this cocktail because it reminded me of another Daiquiri variation that Eric prepared for us at Noble Experiment that also contained aged rhum agricole, egg white, citrus, angostura, + petite canne syrup and allspice (instead of the orgeat + vanilla in the PDT drink). I thought the allspice worked better in that case, with vanilla the drink fell a little flat.

Thank you for the nice words, Marmish and Kate! I am still cooking frequently from this book. I really like the flavor combinations in general, and Suzanne's attention to detail. I can't wait for her new book!

Regarding Crafty vs. Crappy.... This video from Parks and Recreation reminded me of this thread! "The wrong way to consume alcohol"

Good idea - I just revived the White Dog thread.

Time to revive this thread... I was gifted a small bottle of white dog (King's County Distillery) and was wondering how to best enjoy it. Should I give it the old-fashioned treatment or would it be best to use it as an accent? I would love to hear your ideas. Thanks!

Thanks for the report, Chris. I am glad that you enjoyed Cafe Chloe. We need more places like that, with solid unpretentious food. On the hand, regarding Cowboy Star, I could never understand what the hype was about. My friends dragged me there a few times. Overpriced is correct, with unremarkable food and substandard cocktails... Like most places in the Gaslamp, unfortunately.

Welcome to eGullet! Fennel goes great with citrus. Orange wheels (blood oranges are in season here) with sliced fennel and some mint, for example. Olive oil/lemon juice dressing.

Exactly my thoughts. It does not seem that they have done much research.

Nice selection, and welcome to eGullet from another Negroni fan! From the photo, it looks like you already made a dent in your supplies! What cocktail(s) did you make with the white dog? I have a small bottle that I haven't used yet.

Anybody ever tried crossing Batavia Arrack with S&C plus other assorted ingredients? Seems like that would be a better representative for a drink called "Both Indies". Of course it also sounds a bit like Banks 5 Island rum... It looks like Dan had a similar idea with his Shining Path cocktail (batavia arrack as the base with a float of S&C). I haven't tried this combo personally but it sounds like it should work.

This thread continues to be an amazing source of inspiration. Between Prawncrackers' beautiful crab dishes, Paul Bacino's beef porn, scubadoo97's pork belly, Brown Hornet's handmade pasta with oxtail, and so many other beautiful dishes... WOW

The Eater published a solid list of 38 Essential Restaurants in San Diego, many of which have been discussed on this thread including Cafe Chloe, Blue Ribbon Pizza, Carnitas' Snack Shack, FarmHouse Cafe, Sushi Ota, George's, Cucina Urbana, Nine-Ten, Whisknladle. On the other hand, Zagat just released their 2013 San Diego guide but their selection seems hit-and-miss, and just out of tune in general. It never not looked like they put much thought into their San Diego guides in the past (which are not updated frequently), and maybe this time more than ever. Here is their top 5 list for food: Sushi Ota (29), Tao (28), Market (28), Tapenade (28) and Pamplemousse Grille (27), followed by a bunch of steak houses (Ruth's, Donovan's). Quite puzzling.

Treviso with roquefort, walnuts and saba I substituted roquefort for gorgonzola that the original recipe calls for. Great interplay of bitter (treviso), acid (the dressing is quite zingy), salt (roquefort), sweet (saba), and even umami (roquefort). The walnuts add a welcome crunch and another layer of flavor.

After an unremarkable daiquiri from the PDT cocktail book (see the Hotel Nacional here), I tried the Winter Daiquiri from the current issue of Imbibe Magazine. I was a little nervous to use vanilla syrup thinking that it would be another overly sweet daiquiri. It's a creation from Mindy Kucan (from Hale Pele, the relatively new tiki bar in Portland owned by Blair Reynolds) and it has aged rum (I used Plantation Barbados 5), lime juice, vanilla syrup, allspice dram, and angostura bitters. Lovely spice and the balance is right, the vanilla is there as an undertone but does not overwhelm the drink. Very well done.

Rope Burn (Ron Dollete, aka LushAngeles). Equal parts S&C, Bonal, Aperol. Flamed grapefruit twist (discarded). It is described here as a Negroni variation. It does not have the intense bitterness of the Negroni though, but you get a ton of crazy aromas from the S&C and Bonal combo.

Amber ale from Mission Brewery (Dusseldorf-Style Altbier). Crisp and quite light with some burnt caramel, honey.

Nice. What else did you use in the soup?

I made this Manhattan for my husband last night while I was enjoying my Cynar drink. Blanton's single barrel bourbon, Dolin sweet vermouth, Fee Brothers whiskey-barrel aged bitters, brandied griotte (morello) cherry. It was quite smooth with a hint of spice from the bourbon, but I think my drink was more fun.

I tried this cocktail last night which reminded me of the Little Italy. Slippery Slope (Tona Palomino) 2½ oz rye whiskey 3/4 oz cherry liqueur 1/2 oz cynar There is an illusion of sweet vermouth in the drink with the cherry and cynar combo (I used Luxardo's cherry liqueur). It's just the right amount of bitterness/bite for me.

My margarita ratio was 1.5/1/0.75 tequila/orange liqueur/lime. I never liked Grand Marnier in margaritas but my husband thought he did - not anymore after this.