FrogPrincesse

Trader Vic's Eastern Sour from Beachbum Berry Remixed: bourbon (Wild Turkey 101), orgeat (walnut, homemade), orange juice, lemon juice, simple syrup. I was a little short on the orange juice so I may actually have made a St. Nick Sour, which is essentially the same thing with less juice. I've been making Eastern Sours regularly in the summertime. There is orange juice in there but it works because there is a bunch of lemon juice too to give acidity. It's a good tiki drink for people who don't care for rum (I have at least one such friend).

Bartenders always have these super cool tricks. Never ceases to fascinate me.

Cherry Mixture Cocktail (what an uninspired name) from the Savoy, which also makes an appearance in the Art of the Shim. In AoS it's recommended for someone in the mood for Manhattan "but really perhaps oughtn't", but of course with just dry & sweet vermouth, maraschino liqueur, and Angostura bitters, it's missing its main player. I went with Dolin for the dry and Margerum for the sweet (the book recommends a Noilly Prat dry and Carpano Antica combo, which is also what Erik had done). Unlike Erik, I did not put any ice because I wanted to avoid additional dilution. Not bad but a little too sweet. I may attempt again with Punt e Mes.

Continuing to play with my Bonal. Uffizi (Will Thompson) with Bonal, Cocchi Americano, white grapefruit juice, salt rim (I went with a thin half rim). It's a very nice lightweight aperitif. The Bonal and Cocchi Americano played well together, and even though there was a good dose of juice, it still tasted interesting. A good drink to start the weekend.

Last night, a Bottechia. The story behind this drink created by Kevin Burke was documented in this article (it's also in Gary Regan's Negroni book). I find it impossible to resist an equal parts drink with Fernet-Branca, Cynar, and Campari as the ingredients. I did not have a grapefruit on hand (for the discarded twist), so I used my friend BDW's grapefruit bitters. There is also a pinch of salt in there. I placed mine on the ice cube so it would gradually incorporate into the drink. It tames the drink considerably so you may or may not want to use it depending on your tolerance level for Fernet (mine is high now, I realize; I don't mind it neat). With the salt it's a surprisingly mild drink for something that has Fernet in the forefront. It has a good dose of caramel from the Cynar, and bitter orange from the Campari. Very tasty.

Indeed. I count on Leslie to bring the whole eG Spirits & Cocktails gang tonight.

Agree. It's great and a very original combination. Its creator Daniel Warrilow makes interesting stuff. The Lost Cause also by him is worth checking out if you have the ingredients (aquavit, Banks 5 rum, coconut, lemon, lime). Yeah, but you did not post a photo of your coupe! Regarding the falernum, when using homemade (Elmegirab's recipe), I reduce the amount a bit because it can be quite intense.

Glad you liked it. My favorite Daiquiri is always one with a white rhum agricole. There isn't an agricole that I have met but haven't liked. The aged ones have a completely different personality from the white agricoles though. The whites are grassy and green and full of fresh vegetal notes (which are fantastic in a Daiquiri), whereas the aged ones are more understated but still beautiful and interesting. You remind me that I have a bottle of Neisson Extra Vieux that I bought in Martinique years ago but haven't opened yet. Tonight may be a good night - it's my birthday.

Morgenthaler has spoken... He also seems to like the 30 cm CK teardrop stirring spoon. But he actually favors a multi-tasker that can also work as a muddler (he recommends this one).

I use a lot of olive oil, and grapeseed or sunflower oil when I need something neutral.

Good luck with your entry, Rafa! Here is last night's Negroni with St. George dry rye gin, Punt e Mes, and Campari. I have to say I love Punt e Mes in Negronis, and with the dry rye gin the drink has a briny quality that is very pleasant.

Martinez variation with Cynar, the Grand Street from Death & Co (mentioned upthread). Which, I just realized, is more or less the same thing as Chris Hannah's Amertinez. Gin (Beefeater), sweet vermouth (Punt e Mes), Cynar, maraschino liqueur, grapefruit twist. Ratios for the Grand Street (which will have to be confirmed once the book comes out): 2 / 0.5 / 0.25 / 0.25 Ratios for the Amertinez: 1.25 / 0.67 / 0.67 / 0.25. So it's much lighter on the gin, plus it has the orange bitters & orange twist. I liked it too, at least I am consistent. I tasted grapefruit followed by bitter caramel undertones from the Cynar.

A lovely Belgian-style Saison from Anchor, which incorporates lemongrass, ginger, and lemon peel for a Californian twist. Interesting and very refreshing. A biere de garde by The Commons Brewery in Portland inspired by the beer from Northern France. Subtle and a bit earthy.

Oops. S&C vs. Appleton - two completely different beasts of course... I am curious to see what tanstaafl2 comes up with over the weekend.

Leslie - flattery will get you everywhere... Back on topic - I could not resist an Army and Navy with my fresh batch of (walnut) orgeat. I used toasted pecan bitters to stay with the nut theme. Perry's Tot for the navy theme. Very nice, although I still prefer the Junipero - Angostura bitters version.

I tried it. The Bonal and lemon juice (I used 1/4 oz) managed to overwhelm the two beautiful rums I used (Saint James Hors d'Age and Appleton 12). So, I don't know, maybe someone should try with less Bonal and report.

$40 for WT101 rye? That's crazy. It sells for around $25 here but it's hard to find.

Here for the 100 proof: DrinkUpNY and BevMo.

$25.99 at my local BevMo, and $23.99 at DrinkUpNY...

Perfect. I know what I am having tonight!

The Runaway which is a fancified version of the Trinidad Sour, with Batavia Arrack. Not sure who came up with it butI found it on Buzzfeed of all places... Not surprisingly, Rafa had already entered it into the Kindred database. Angostura bitters, orgeat (walnut, homemade), batavia arrrack, rye (Bulleit), lemon juice, lemon twist. I think I like it more than the original. More complexicity thanks to the batavia arrack. It seemed more balanced overall.

Francis the Mule (Ted Haigh) which is very similar to the Revolver mentioned above, with the addition of orgeat and a touch of lemon juice. Bourbon, orgeat (walnut, homemade), lemon juice, strong coffee (House Spirits coffee liqueur), orange bitters (Regan & Fee). Lemon twist for that one. Pretty good. The lemon juice balances out the sweetness of the orgeat. A bit reminiscent of Erick Castro's Attorney Privilege but less sweet.

Here is a detailed guideline for APA. More hops, less malt, lighter feel for the American style compared to the English style. Quite different actually.

I was in the mood for dark flavors that night so it worked for me. You are welcome, and thanks for the tip. I am now scouting the Kindred Cocktails database for drinks with Pineau des Charentes so I can try them with Bonal...

Suze Bramble (Ira Koplowitz and Nicholas Kosevich ) with Suze, blanco tequila (7 Leguas), grapefruit & lemon juice, simple syrup, blackberries (Santa Barbara mulberries). The color was not as deep as the original drink with blackberries, but I really liked how the mulberries interacted with the tequila. And there was a nice bitter finish from the Suze. Good summer drink.