FrogPrincesse

Look in your Death & Co book. Several recipes call for poire eau de vie: the Hallyday, Coralillo, Vanderbilt. Also Rafa's California Widow.

I've used the same method to make pectin from green apples. I ended up with more than what she had specified (and used the leftovers in another jam). What you have is probably fine. I would just proceed and test as I go.

It's from the Bartender's Choice app. 2 oz rye, 0.5 oz dry vermouth, 0.5 oz Montenegro, 3 slices cucumber. Muddle, stir with ice, strain into cocktail glass. It's described as a summertime Manhattan which is quite accurate.

Chris,Have you tried Sam Ross' Cobble Hill (rye, dry vermouth, montenegro, cucumber)? That's why I bought my bottle originally. Good stuff. It is also great in small touches in an Old Fashioned. I've been going through my bottle pretty fast.

Dolly Dagger (Alex Day) with Smith & Cross Jamaican rum, Williams & Humbert dry sack medium sherry, lime juice, vanilla syrup. That one essentially tempered down the Smith & Cross with a load of sherry and a touch of vanilla. I think it's just a shame because S&C should never be tamed, and although the cocktail was well balanced, I could not get used to a swizzle that tasted like wine.

Personally I like Adam Elmegirab's recipe. It's pretty complex but it tastes wonderful and gets better with age. I keep it in the fridge and my current batch made in September is still going strong. See here for a review of published falernum recipes.

The Last Wynd (Sian Ferguson via Gaz Regan) with Havana Club añejo 3 rum, yellow Chartreuse, maraschino liqueur (Luxardo), lime juice, honey (local sage blossom honey, Mikolich family). I reduced the honey by half and it was still quite sweet. It would be better with less Chartreuse & maraschino.

The US version (labelled "dark" instead of "original blend") is 40%

I "cheat". I use a stick blender in the large tin instead of dry shaking by hand. Works every time; beautiful foam with no risk of leaks.

Dan - where is the mezcal? :-)

It's a nice app indeed, with a good collection of cocktails. Also it's being updated as new things are being published on Gaz Regan's website, which is nice. The PDT Cocktails app, also designed by Martin Doudoroff, just came out today. It has the recipes from the book plus a few new recipes and updates.

I thought for a second that you had gone to the dark side and made a powdered Art of Choke. Love the bitterness and metallic notes of that one. What did it taste like with a blocked nose?

New potentially interesting book: Cocktails on Tap by Jacob Grier, which covers the topic of beer cocktails.

The Emperor (Valdez Campos via Gaz Regan) with Del Maguey Chichicapa mezcal (Vida), Campari, Pierre Ferrand dry curacao, orange twist. Equal parts like a Negroni, but no vermouth so not technically a Negroni. Smokey and refreshing.

After the Bay City Roller, another one from the Sazerac variation section, Joaquín Simó's Latin Quarter . Vieux Pontarlier absinthe (St. George absinthe), Zacapa 23 rum (Havana Club añejo 7), cane sugar syrup (sirop de canne JM), house Peychaud's bitters (Peychaud's), Angostura bitters, Bittermens xocolatl mole bitters. A rum Sazerac which is just brilliant.

Cynartown (Phil Ward) with Beefeater London dry gin, Dolin sweet vermouth, Cynar, brandied cherry. This one has ratios similar to a Martinez (2 / 0.75 / 0.25) with Cynar replacing the maraschino liqueur. The ingredients are the same as the Cin Cyn (minus the orange bitters), but the Cynartown is lighter on the Cynar.

I hear you. But I was too tired to go to the store to buy tequila last night. Last night I tried Brian Miller's Bay City Roller with Monkey Shoulder scotch, Averna, simple syrup, orange twist. Simple yet impactful.

I use mine for absinthe, violet liqueur, orange blossom water, Laphroaig...

More ideas in the Aquavit Cocktails thread.

Very few cocktails call for aquavit, and even fewer for Linie aquavit. I did an aquavit tasting a while back, and Linie, which is aged and pretty mellow, is not interchangeable with Krogstad for example. Death & Co has the Great Northern; the Jesper Lind; the One, One, One; the Enemy Lines; the Meridian Daiquiri; and the May Fair (if you have both aquavits...).

Soon you will find yourself craving mezcal or Fernet for no particular reason...

Well, I was going to make one last night, but realized to my great horror that I was out of aged tequila... So I ended up making the Coin Toss with Monkey Shoulder blended malt scotch whisky. It was very nice. Much less rich than the Rittenhouse version; super interesting still.

Meh. Not a big fan of Brian Malarkey. I can't really think of good bars in these areas (other than my home bar!), but Noble Experiment, Bankers Hill, Fairweather/Rare Form, Sycamore Den, and Ironside are well worth the drive. Polite is fun but tends to be a zoo on weekends. Drinks on the sweet side.

Griffith Park Swizzle (Sam Ross) with Elijah Craig bourbon, lime juice, raw sugar, simple syrup, St. George absinthe, Angostura & Peychaud's bitters, mint. This one reminded me of a mint Julep, but the absinthe and Peychaud's added a certain je ne sais quoi that was magical with the bourbon.

From yesterday - Jeff Berry's Blackbeard's Ghost with light Virgin Islands rum (Plantation 3 Stars), Demerara rum (El Dorado 8), falernum (homemade), apricot brandy (Briottet wild peach liqueur), orange & lemon juice, Angostura bitters. The key in this drink is the falernum. I made the falernum some time ago and I think it's improving over time.