FrogPrincesse

Homemade falernum? It's one of the keys I think.

White Lyan does not use any juices or perishables. They use acids for sours (malic, citric, tartaric, etc).

There is a huge trend with pre-mixed cocktails, both for products available in stores but also in bars. The White Lyan in London, which is mentioned in the article, has this philosophy behind the bar, where everything is prepared in advance. Cocktails are pre-mixed and pre-chilled, and all the bartender needs to do is dispense and garnish. The result is that the quality and consistency of drinks is improved. Also this allows the bartender to focus on the customer rather than complicated drink preparations. I would consider buying pre-batched cocktails as long as they are not something I can easily make at home (for example something using ingredients I don't have access to, or barrel-aged cocktails as Lisa already mentioned). They would make a great gift for sure. White Lyan's Manhattan mix is really excellent and I would not mind having it again, although at £50 for 500 mL, it's probably not something I would buy for myself.

I had to try this one because of its name and because it contained Fernet. The Trainspotter (Thomas Newcomb via Gaz Regan) with Dickel rye (Willet 2-year rye), St Germain, cherry heering (Luxardo cherry liqueur), Fernet-Branca. It's a clever way to sneak in Fernet into a cocktail, although it seems like such a crazy idea to combine Fernet with St Germain. Someone thought it tasted like cherry-flavored cough syrup, but I respectfully disagree. It does not really taste like Fernet either; everything meshes together really well, with the rye front and center. It's described as a twist on the Brooklyn cocktail and it has a similar vibe, a bit rich and aromatic.

The Williamsburg (Clif Travers via Gaz Regan), which is described by its creator as a cross between the Greenpoint and the Red Hook. Old Weller 7-year bourbon (Elijah Craig 12-year bourbon), Dolin dry vermouth, Punt e Mes, yellow Chartreuse. I thought it was a bit too herbal for my taste but it was well received by its Manhattan-loving recipient.

I finally tried Paul McGee's version of the Three Dots and a Dash on Sunday, to celebrate Don the Beachcomber's birthday. My rum combo was pretty outstanding with La Favorite vieux rhum + El Dorado 8. The dry curaçao was very nice indeed. It's such a great cocktail.

Downgrading?

Most of the flavor of the bacon comes from the fat so I would considering fat washing - render the fat from the bacon or the rind, mix it with your base alcohol (bourbon, vodka, whatever), place the mixture in the freezer to separate the vodka from the fat, fine filter as necessary.

Speaking of the devil, here is the Devil's Soul (Ted Kilgore via Gaz Regan) with Rittenhouse rye, Vida mezcal, Averna, St Germain, Aperol, flamed orange twist. Boozy with smoke and orange undertones, and a hint of St Germain at the very end. Very enticing.

A white Negroni variation last night, also found through Gaz Regan's 101 Best New Cocktails app. Tthe Citrine (Jake Sutton) with Sipsmith London dry gin, Suze, Dolin/Vya sweet vermouth (Cocchi vermouth di Torino), stir/strain/up (rock), lemon twist. I love the Sipsmith gin (very crisp/bright flavors), and the VdT paired really well with the Suze. Very happy.

A recent Greenpoint (Michael McIlroy) with Rittenhouse rye, Margerum amaro, yellow Chartreuse, Angostura and Regan & Fee orange bitters

Red Ant (Thomas Waugh) with Rittenhouse rye, Del Maguey Chichicapa mezcal (Vida mezcal), Massenez kirsch (Etter 1998 kirsch), cherry heering (Luxardo cherry liqueur), homemade cinnamon bark syrup, Bittermens xocolatl mole bitters. This one tasted awfully tannic to me, but the person who ended up finishing it thought it was perfectly fine. Strong cherry notes from the cherry liqueur and the kirsch, smoke from the mezcal (hence the name?). .

Here is another iteration prepared 50:50 with the Son of a Bourye again, and Boker's bitters. Really great, but now my bottle of bottle is officially finished.

Cobra's Fang (Don the Beachcomber) for Valentine's Day, with Lost Spirits 151 Cuban-inspired rum, B.G. Reynolds' passion fruit syrup, homemade falernum, lime & orange juice, St George absinthe, Angostura bitters The banana in this rum is insane. Banana-passion fruit smoothie.

I tried the Bonal & Rye a while back. It's much improved without the Cointreau! It does not need that extra orange flavor (and sweetness). With just Bonal the flavor is much more mysterious and interesting.

It's very good. I purge the bottle with inert gas before storing in the fridge.

Does it have a name yet? Just tried it with 2 oz of High West Son of a Bourye, 1.5 oz Bonal, and a few dashes of Abbott's bitters (I have Boker's too, but grabbed the wrong bottle). Delicious. The only problem is that I am almost out of Bonal. :-(

Not a purchase - this was a gift (I have great friends). DrinkUpNY has this note about Kings County bourbon and this one about the Van Brunt. It was close enough for me. I was happy with the end result in any case. It would have been hard to tell in a blind test that there was maple or Montenegro in there, and I guess that's what I liked about the drink. The final flavor was unexpected and did not taste like the individual ingredients.

Thank you. The Libation Goddess herself approved (via Twitter).

A Negroni made in San Diego (and a riff on Gaz Regan's Rosita) - the Jalisco Stroll by Eric Giger of Noble Experiment, with 7 Leguas tequila blanco, Campari, Dolin dry vermouth, salt solution. I forgot to try it without the salt. With the salt it's great. the Campari is toned down enough to fully enjoy the tequila. Some chocolate in the finish.

This one was a tad sweet but still very enjoyable. Jubilee Street (Richard Boccato) with Van Brunt Stillhouse American Whiskey (Kings County bourbon), amaro Montenegro, maple syrup (scant barspoon; I would use 1/2 barspoon next time), St Elizabeth allspice dram. Replaced one semi-obscure boutique Brooklyn whiskey with another. Roasted chestnut, chocolate, spice. It reminded me of another old-fashioned/sazerac variation with Montenegro I had at Craft & Commerce a while back - their DiMaggio cocktail with rye, Montenegro, demerara, absinthe. Also this one in the same vein. Montenegro is surprisingly versatile. My bottle is half gone already.

Thanks for the detailed answer, Hassouni. I am tempted to order one but already have three, so it's a little hard to justify (Oxo, AG Hawthorne, and Bonzer 2-prong) Last Sunday with good friends. Audrey Saunders' Old Cuban with Havana Club Añejo 7 Años, lime juice, cane syrup, mint, Angostura bitters, champagne (Kirkland). Also 10:3:2 Daiquiris with La Mauny rhum agricole, and plenty of champagne.

Racines cake that I served with eggnog ice cream. I forgot to take a photo after it came out of the oven.

Everything looks fabulous. Is that the new Cocktail Kingdom/Don Lee-designed strainer in the last picture? How do you like it?

Franci - it's a very solid book, quite comprehensive in its coverage of the different regions of France. I don't think you will be disappointed. Here is the easier madeleine recipe. I believe you read French... I bake them at 180C/350F.