FrogPrincesse

A few ideas for this challenge in the pineapple thread. I agree with Dan that pineapples tend to be very sweet, and can therefore be tricky in cocktails. Usually they work better in tandem with lime or lemon.

A pretty book and an excellent training aid/reference, then. Have you learned anything new? (I am sure I am going to end up buying it, I am just making a vague attempt at delaying the inevitable outcome by convincing myself I don't need another book in my collection!)

This could be your entry for the MxMo pineapple challenge! What kind of pineapple juice do you use by the way? I've used the canned pineapple juice from Trader Joe's in the past and it's not horrible but not great either. I tried making my own but it was a huge mess, and mostly fiber.

I was in the mood for a Mai Tai last night and still had homemade orgeat on hand, so I tried the white rhum agricole and Smith & Cross combo that Adam suggested a while back. Potent stuff. Very different mood from my usual Appleton 12 + La Favorite aged combo. La Favorite white has a HUGE aroma - you can literally smell it from across the room as soon as you start pouring. So it was not a surprise that it dominated > 75% of the drink; then the S&C made a somewhat timid appearance. The resulting Mai Tai is punchy and strong as opposed to the smoothness of the other combo (which still has plenty of funk thanks to the agricole).The finish was lacking something, it felt a bit "hollow" and did not have the satisfying richness I am used to. But what an amazing flavor overall. The lime was more present in this version and the orgeat less noticeable. Still a perfectly excellent drink. Maybe I will try half S&C and half Coruba with a slightly less intense rhum blanc next time. (Now I feel I am turning into Jo with her endless quest for the best Mai Tai!) Also I am thinking of making Mai Tais for an event and if so will explore cachaça and dark Jamaican rum options. How does everyone like Pierre Ferrand dry curaçao in Mai Tais? That's what the new Jeff Berry "Total Tiki" app recommends now.

You are using Taylor's, right? That stuff doesn't have a lot of flavor, mostly sugar and a bit of clove. If you use homemade, it's a different story.

$30 for the 3 year old - a decent deal, but I can get the VSOP (4 years) for $30 too, and it's great in a Mai Tai...

I watched this presentation by Arielle Johnson yesterday, which is interesting if you are curious about the chemical makeup and sensory analysis of cocktail bitters.

Sure, he even did a foodblog at some point. Here it is. It's a fun read (as most foodblogs).

Yeah, too bad he doesn't hang out on eG anymore...

Oh, the Negroni Police! ;-) They call it an amaro, but to me it tastes like a slightly bitter sweet vermouth (think Punt e Mes), and I use it as such. Mr Margerum created it for his dad to use in Manhattans. [Host note: This topic continues here, Drinks! 2014 (Part 2)]

Last night's Negroni with Junipero gin, Margerum amaro, and Campari. A lot of dried fruit in the Margerum which went well with the juniper-heavy Junipero.

I just had to try this Mai Tai-inspired drink with gentian liquor as the base, the Frog Splash, a creation by Morgan Schick of Trick Dog that Fred of cocktail virgin slut unearthed for last month's MxMo nut challenge. Avèze gentian liqueur (Suze), Smith & Cross, orgeat (homemade, walnut), lime juice, mint garnish. Flavor-wise, the Mai Tai reference was obvious, and the Smith and Cross worked surprisingly well with the Suze (I am therefore concluding that S&C is the new bartender's ketchup - improves every drink). The taste verged on being overly vegetal which muddied the overall impression, but was consistent with the name I suppose.

Beware of the pirate in gentleman's clothing... Back on topic, my thanks to Adam & Co for recommending the Plantation 3 Star. It does make a great Daiquiri. And as a bonus, it's quite cheap (I paid $16.99 + tax for 1 liter). Here is last night's rendition with Difford's 10:3:2 ratio. I want to say that the flavor of this rum is not very far apart from Flor de Caña, maybe a little fuller/richer when the FdC is a bit more grassy/coconut-y, although I no longer have a bottle of FdC to compare against.

Thanks for the tips PV. Clearly you are more experienced than me. I always manage to get a few flecks of wax inside the bottle, which is really infuriating...

Spröcketbier from Stone (Spotlight Series), a black rye Kölsch. Surprisingly low bitterness for something coming from Stone. Good level of malt/coffee, some fruit and spice, clean dry finish.

Too much stuff, from Bar Keeper, a really cool store in Silverlake in LA, and Hi-Time in Costa Mesa (which doesn't need an introduction, but I am in awe at their inventory every time I go). Liquor cabinet(s) capacity far exceeded. + (not pictured) Cherry bark vanilla bitters from Bittercube, purchased last week. The window display at Bar Keeper was fun and very fitting - It's all chemistry.

Time to take the Hattori Hanzo out of storage then...

The Neisson Extra Vieux was a pain to open (I hate these wax-sealed bottles. Is there a clean way to open them?), but otherwise no complaints. It's really really good with banana, pepper, and cocoa undertones. Homemade chocolate walnut brownie on the side.

This was a 1/2 recipe, so it ended up being just a little squeeze of lemon. That does not bother me - I just wrap the lemon in plastic wrap and I use it in another cocktail the next day, or in some dish that I am cooking.

Great minds...

To Hell with Spain (Ira Koplowitz and Nicholas Kosevich): Cynar, cherry liqueur (Luxardo), rye (Rittenhouse bottled in bond - bottle is nearly empty, the horror..), lemon juice, cherry bark vanilla bitters (Bittercube), absinthe (St. George). (Thanks Rafa for having already added it to the database! You're fast.) Like a slightly bitter maraschino cherry. It's a lighter/aperitif version of Remember the Maine with Cynar as the main player. Good stuff.

I think you are right. The recipe just says "iris" but most likely they are referring to the root, which is also used to make gin.

By artificially colored, I meant that the color had been added and was not from the flowers themselves. R&W gets its color from a mixture of FD&C blue # 1 (E133, aka brilliant blue) and FD&C red #40 (E129). Does Tempus Fugit only use cochineal (which is carmine red)? They would also need a blue dye to get a purple color. Or try changing the pH to basic, cochineal is supposed to turn violet at higher pH.

Based on a quick search in google books, creme de violette used to be distilled from irises and artificially colored with cochineal and indigo blue. This is from a French book published in 1866.

Just a note that the specified rum mix for the 1934 is gold Puerto Rican, amber or dark Jamaican, and 151 Demerara. The white rum in the link is atypical. Oh, and you don't really need a blender. I have one but I just do what you do - shake with fresh ice, and strain over crushed. Works great.