FrogPrincesse

Until fairly recently, Picon Biere was by far the most common in France and it was quite hard tracking down the other versions. Now Picon Club and the fairly new (2012) Picon Citron also seem to be available in most supermarkets.

(from the Drinks! thread) Hey, don't put words in other people's mouths! All I have is Picon Biere, but I am in the US and will share if asked nicely. Here it is with Dolin dry and BDW grapefruit bitters (and a grapefruit twist). Does it have a name and who is the creator, so I can credit him?

I also first read about it from David Wondrich I think, tried it at the time and didn't care for it. Tried it again at Bar Agricole a couple of years ago and still didn't get what the fuss was about (here is their version below in the front, and a little write-up about how the drink represents their philosophy about ingredient sourcing). Wayne Curtis previously wrote about this cocktail in 2006. Maybe it's time to revisit, although I have a fear of grenadine.

Eric Johnson joined Richard Blais' Juniper & Ivy as bar manager a couple of months ago, replacing Jen Queen (new cocktail menu here), while Christian Siglin joined Bracero as a bar director, Javier Plascencia's new restaurant in Little Italy which should open any time.

I've had it, but not side by side. These guys did a comparison and here were their impressions:

I made the Green Mile from Death & Co again this weekend. Such a beautiful drink that accents the vegetal qualities of a good white agricole with fresh basil, green Chartreuse, and absinthe. I used a mix of La Mauny and Neisson rhum agricoles.

Martini with Sipsmith London dry gin (not one of their recommended gins, but I like it in Martinis), Dolin dry vermouth, Death & Co orange bitters mix (aka Regan/Fee/Angostura orange), lemon twist, Death & Co ratios.

Cocktail nibbles: "flagrant seed" dried sausage from local company Meat Men, olives and mixed marinated vegetables, Parmigiano Reggiano Stravecchio, Manchego; another tray with Iberico de bellota ham and some grapes (everything was from Trader Joe's, except for the dried sausage). I also served homemade gougeres, and little onion tarts from Trader Joe's with a green salad. We ended up making a meal out of this, with mini chocolate ice cream cones for dessert.

Also from this weekend - Trader Vic Mai Tais with Denizen Merchant's Reserve rum, lime juice, Clement Creole shrubb, homemade orgeat, simple syrup. This rum is really great when I don't want to make my own mix for Mai Tais. I finished my bottle of Creole shrubb and decided to replace it once I realized I could get it for $25.

Last night's Don the Beachcomber 1934 Zombie from the Zombie Challenge 2015 with Plantation Barbados 5, Appleton 12, Lost Spirits Cuban-inspired 151, lime juice, homemade Don's Mix and falernum, Angostura bitters, St. George absinthe, and grenadine. High octane for sure. Did a little impromptu 151 tasting in the process. The Lemon Hart has richer/deeper caramel notes and is smoother than the Lost Spirits, which is high on banana notes (think bananas foster).

And to be more complete... here is the video that Ed Hamilton and Martin Cate did when the new Lemon Hart 151 was released.

Here are the various labels for reference (photo by aphonic/Eric Witz). I stocked up on the yellow label before it switched to the red. I still have a couple of bottles left.

(From the Sazerac thread) And here is the Armagnac version, which is equally as delightful. For this one I used Bas-Armagnac Delord Napoleon, Pierre Ferrand dry curaçao, demerara simple syrup, Angostura/Fee/Regan's orange bitters, Angostura bitters, St. George absinthe. The Delord Napoleon is so-so on its own (especially compared to the 25 year...), but works great in cocktails.

Chowhound is doing Death & Co as their cookbook of the month. Lots of great-looking drinks!

One, One, One (Thomas Waugh) with Krogstad aquavit, Beefeater gin, Dolin white vermouth, Regan's orange bitters (no garnish). A play on the Martini, with the caraway and anise notes from the aquavit shining through.

I've had that one before. Same gin and same exact ratios too. It's good.

Sipsmith is a traditional London dry, with juniper and citrus as you'd expect. There is some sweetness in the beginning (coriander, almond) and floral notes (orris root), and a juniper/peppery finish. It just tried it side-by-side with Beefeater which has more pronounced juniper and lemon. What I like with Sipsmith is that it has a lot of flavor but also restraint; it's not wild like New World gins. It's good to sip on and makes a fabulous Martini. Gorgeous label too. Regarding the rhum agricoles, La Mauny is not as amazing as La Favorite or Neisson, but it is only 40%. It's a bit less flavorful and the flavor is less deliciously vegetal, with more burnt rubber notes. I would still take it any day over most molasses-based white rums.

Revisiting the classics. 10:3:2 Daiquiri with La Mauny rhum agricole Sazerac with High West Double Rye, gum syrup, Peychaud's and Angostura bitters, St. George absinthe Sipsmith Martini à la Death & Co with a 2.5:0.75 ratio and Dolin French vermouth, Regan/Fee/Angostura orange bitters.

Lindsey's Whimsy Shim (Lindsey Baird in the Art of the Shim) with sherry, dry vermouth, amaro Montenegro, Benedictine, allspice dram, Angostura bitters. Despite all the modifiers, the sherry still dominated the drink. It was not bad but I can't say I am a huge fan.

Craig - Very impressive. I made myself a Nolita last night with Beefeater gin, Campari, St. George Nola coffee liqueur, Cocchi vermouth di Torino, Regan's orange bitters. Coffee, chocolate, and orange. I don't like the St. George coffee liqueur as much as the House Spirits one, but it worked great in this cocktail.

What is everybody doing for Negroni Week?

Craig, Cocchi vermouth di Torino is a regular sweet vermouth. The Torino style is actually the most common style of sweet vermouth; see Martin Doudoroff's vermouth 101 for more info. To me, Cocchi VdT feels a little more subdued than other sweet vermouths I tried, but still has a great amount of complexity. Its chocolate notes work great with Fernet for example (it's fabulous in a Hanky Panky). Diffords has pretty detailed tasting notes here.

A very simple Manhattan variation where I substituted part of the sweet vermouth for Byrrh. The rationale is that Willet 2-year + Cocchi vermouth di Torino is a little austere and I wanted a small burst of (slightly bitter) fruit. The Byrrh has bright red berry notes. 2 oz Willet 2-year rye, 3/4 oz Cocchi vermouth di Torino, 1/4 oz Byrrh, 2 dashes Miracle Mile forbidden bitters, brandied cherry.

A Man About Town (Victor Pelegrin via Fred Yarm) with Willet 2-year rye, Aperol, amaro Montenegro, Dolin dry vermouth, Regan/Fee/Angostura orange bitters. A bit sweet at first and then a lot of interesting flavors develop (saffron, orange, etc), with the rye dominating the finish. That one was gone in no time.

Fred Yarm of cocktail virgin slut merged the recipes for the Manhattan and the Sazerac, two of my favorite cocktails, in his Merchants Exchange Manhattan. I made my rendition with Willet 5-year rye, Cocchi vermouth di Torino, Peychaud's bitters, and St. George absinthe.