FrogPrincesse

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.

Thanks for the background on this Hassouni. I am a little behind with my Buzzfeed reading apparently. Yes, American Pale Ale (APA) is considered a distinct style in the US, and it's a popular one (see list here). Recent examples I've had - Stone Pale Ale of course, Green Flash 30th street pale ale, Publican by Societe.

Shower beering? New concept to me. Now I understand why you don't post photos. Dogfish Head 60 min IPA. The head disappeared a few seconds after I poured. It's actually not that bitter (60 IBU). I mostly got citrus and some pine.

Rhythm and Soul (Greg Best). A Manhattan leaning in the direction of a Sazerac, described as having "the rhythm of a Manhattan and the soul of a Sazerac". Rye (Bulleit), Averna, sweet vermouth (Margerum amaro), Angostura bitters, absinthe verte (St. George), lemon peel, served Sazerac-style.

L'Iguana by Rafa, with 1 oz each Smith & Cross, Cynar, Bonal, 1/4 oz lemon juice and a pinch of salt, swizzle-style. It's bitter and slightly winey. Lots of caramel from the S&C and Cynar.

I'm guessing Pierre Ferrand cognac (rather than dry curacao).

Hmmm... Phrasing? (Where is Rafa when you need him)Personally I am perfectly content with 30 cm.

In your list I would go for the Neisson. It makes a memorable daiquiri. I don't think I had a chance to try the Diplomatico or the Plantation 3 stars. Nailed it. I just got a bottle and this buttery flavor took me by surprise the first time I tried it. It's good but I prefer the grassy flavor of a white rhum agricole. I also recommend Flor de Cana if you find it eventually. Really nice and cheap too.

My take on Seven Grand's Islander, which is more or less the Rum Crawl from Bourbon & Branch but with scotch as the base. Scotch (Highland Park 12), falernum (homemade), ginger syrup (Canton ginger liqueur), lime juice, bitters (Angostura + Fee whiskey barrel-aged). The finish of the cocktail was a little off. The Bowmore that they use at Seven Grand is a better fit than Highland Park in this drink, although in their version they use a fresh and very pungent ginger syrup that makes the scotch almost completely disappear (shame). I guess more tweaking will be in order once I get a bottle of the Bowmore. For reference, the Seven Grand version is pictured below on the right. I was told that the red stuff was Angostura bitters, but there is just no way. The drink on the left (Scarecrow) was like a Japanese cocktail with Scotch, orgeat, cocoa bitters. It could have made a decent dessert drink, I suppose. For my second drink, I played it safe and got a glass of Willet rye (5 years). The cocktail on the right was a Rob Roy twist called Lawyers, Guns, & Money (Autentoshan, Barolo Chinato, Drambuie, cacao bitters) which was actually quite nice. Our bartender became more chatty once an adjacent group left. I watched in amazement as they downed 6 or 7 cocktails a head in less than an hour (they were heavyset Americans, but still...). I guess they were making sure to take full advantage of happy hour...

Firestone Opal Saison. Pretty hoppy and high in alcohol (7.5%) for a saison, but nice and refreshing nonetheless.

Is there a cocktail named the TMI? If not, I think we need one asap. Last night, an unremarkable cocktail, falsely advertised as a Negroni alternative. The Un-Usual Suspect with gin (Perry's Tot), grapefruit juice, lemon juice, Drambuie, honey syrup, (not enough) Fernet-Branca, Angostura bitters. At the least the gin was good, but there was way too much juice in there.

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Not like it's a bad thing.