FrogPrincesse

I've never tried Laird's 12 apple brandy but the one without an age statement is pretty mediocre compared to most Calvados, in my opinion. I am pretty far from Normandy but I can get Calvados for very reasonable prices, whereas Laird's 12 is > $60 a bottle when I can find it!

@Craig EThat's a great one, although I never really cared for Laird's applejack, so I make it with Calvados. I also like the Drambuie variation (that I've named the Hastings).

The reason I bought my bottle of Montenegro in the first place was this great Manhattan variation called the Cobble Hill (Sam Ross). It's a lighter Manhattan with cucumber as an accent. I highly recommend it! Here it is with Rittenhouse rye and Dolin dry vermouth.

You are scared? I don't get it. Chocolate and Chartreuse is already a fairly common pairing. Coffee and Chartreuse isn't very far off.

That looks like the (current) French label to me.

Try it... you might like it too!

Oh yes. What kind of citrus do you have in the picture? Just curious... They are beautiful, like the drink.

I'd keep the beet vodka unless there was stuff growing in it. But the basil simple syrup I would definitely throw away after that amount of time.

Tiki of course. A favorite is Don the Beachcomber's Cobra's Fang. Jim's Special, which is rum & tequila-based, is quite nice too.

You probably do too without realizing it. 7.5 mL = 1/4 oz

@EvergreenDanThat sounds pretty amazing. Did the agricole play nice with the eau-de-vie?

Yes, obviously it's one of my... favorites. But most rhum agricoles are very good, including Neisson. While each one has its own character, they are not fundamentally different from one another. I use the same ratios (10:3:2 with rich 2:1 syrup) as with regular molasses-based white rums. It's a lot more flavorful than a regular Daiquiri, and the vegetal grassy notes are front and center. It's a beautiful thing if you are into these kinds of rums. I've converted a lot of people by serving them agricole Daiquiris. They are always so surprised to discover that a white rum can have so much flavor.

It's on the soft side but I eat it fast enough.

I often make ice cream with alcohol (using the first recipe in this link, under calvados ice cream). This one was made with Buffalo Trace bourbon. It's been fun to try different bourbons (or different alcohols) in this ice cream base and compare the flavor of the ice cream to the bourbon neat (here is the version with Blanton's). I really like it with Buffalo Trace. It's very rich tasting.

From Easter Sunday - a round of Daiquiris with La Favorite rhum agricole blanc, lime juice, simple syrup.

From last night, a classic - Kingston Negroni (Joaquin Simo) with Smith & Cross Jamaican rum, Campari, Cocchi vermouth di Torino. The Death & Co books says that only Carpano Antica can stand up to the rum, but I like it with the vermouth di Torino...

A French artillerist would be drinking Calvados straight, and would absolutely never dilute it with Champagne...

Classic Sazerac a la Death & Co. Rittenhouse rye whiskey, Landy cognac (subbed for PF 1840), demerara surup, Peychaud's & Angostura bitters, St. George absinthe (subbed for Vieux Pontarlier). No complaints here. It's delicious.

You are talking about general lettuce preference, right? I really love the more delicate types like French butter lettuce and little gem lettuce (sucrine). Delicious flavor, slightly sweet, and a nice crunch. Wonderful for salads.

For reference, there are eGullet threads on eau-de-vie, calvados (aged apple eau-de-vie) and cocktails with eau-de-vie.

Saz Who? (Brian Miller) with Denizen Merchant's Reserve rum, Williamine pear eau-de-vie, demerara syrup, Peychaud's + Berg & Hauck's bitters, Angostura bitters, St. George absinthe. I decided to use the Denizen because that's the rum I was in the mood for and I didn't want anything too sweet. There was a lot going on between the eau-de-vie and the rum. The first few sips were all over the place but this was nice in the end, very flavorful.

It's eau-de-vie, not a liqueur since no sugar is added. Fermented & distilled fruit. It will last forever in the bottle without special storage requirements. It's best drunk neat, typically at the end of a meal (or in the middle of a long one for a "trou normand"...). If it's too intense, you can pour it into a glass, dip a sugar cube in it, let it soak up some of the liquid, and eat the sugar cube. That is called a canard...

Thanks!

Typical equal parts ratios with a spray of absinthe?

Agreed. I've never ordered online from them but I have shopped there many times, and it's a good store.