thirtyoneknots

Nice list! I'd definitely like to see rum split up into more categories. Second. Rum is so complex and diverse a category that it requires similar treatment to the way whisk(e)y is being handled to really do it justice. Too many drink recipes call for rum only by color while ignoring the tremendous variation in styles that are independent of that aspect. I'm sure I've been guilty of this myself. Dr. Wondrich, as in so many areas, has shown us the way since at least Killer Cocktails.

Seems like an awkward delineation. If the goal is to include only cocktail-appropriate brands then most of the entry level stuff is going to be about the same price with a few detours for categories like rum and American Whiskey. I would think most categories aren't going to have a "budget" brand that you really want to drink regularly...Why the placement of a lot of blended Scotch at the $20ish price point as 'budget' but Bowmore Legend is 'everyday' and less than $5 more? The incremental price gaps are sort of all over the place, gin in particular is puzzling. A more useful approach to the novice might be to just list recommended brands in approximate order of price without trying to break them down into arbitrary categories. Even better would be if each spirit brand was a link to a brief explanation of why that brand is recommended, and for what applications. Of course even that is arbitrary to some extent but maybe a better starting point. Might also be useful to list brands that are not as useful for cocktail application. Again, very abritrary. Personally I'd be listing Bombay Sapphire and Bulleit there, though I'd face a lot of disagreement on this very board. The task you've set for yourself is considerable. ETA: the (unique) tag seems to be rather haphazardly applied as well...Goslings and Myers's are no more unique than Tanqueray and Beefeaters. Which is not to say that they aren't, but rather that all the good brands are. If the spirit isn't unique on some level, why list it at all?

Ah, but at $200 a bottle and with it available only once a year for about three hours, this will have to remain sipping territory for me... maybe I'll add a touch of sherry to my PC8 instead Don't limit yourself to thinking the more precious the spirit, the more "pure" your experience has to be...on the contrary, this is your rare opportunity to try a truly transcendent cocktail. These types of whiskies just beg to be mixed, though carefully. Minimal treatment is key. I wouldn't advocate this if the liquor couldn't hold up to it; we're not talking about old fashioneds made with AH Hirsch 16 here.

Better than either is a 50/50 mix of the two. Then proceed with Peychaud's, absinthe, etc.

Brizzard is quite good, but honestly I don't think there's anything wrong with using DeKuyper in something like a 20th Century. Wouldn't drink it straight, but I doubt a change of brand would make me want to do that.

With an OXO measuring cup, it's easy to estimate the 1/3 and 2/3 oz, or use 2 tsp and 4 tsp, if you prefer. Normally a 3:2:1 ratio drink would be 1.5 oz : 1 oz : 1/2 oz = 3 oz. But this drink has two more ingredients, and I didn't want it to become a huge 4.5 oz drink. Without substantially changing the flavor of the drink, I'm not sure what other option I had. Once nice thing about metric measurements is that there are a lot more convenient ratios with centiliters. Heh I'm so used to trying to make recipes smaller my original thought was "why doesn't he just do 3/4:1/2:1/4...etc?" Point taken on metric jiggers, though I don't often assume that Americans are using them. If I'd been writing a recipe like this for my own purposes, it would have read "two bsp" and "scant 3/4 oz". Less absolutely precise, maybe, but more practical for the working (US) bartender.

Named for the 4 orange colored or flavored ingredients. Small back story I'm often perplexed by measurements like this so I thought I'd take the opportunity to ask: What gives with the 1/3, 2/3 oz measurements?

This may or may not be useful, but the grapes used in making Champagne are the same ones used in making Burgundy. It seems that a Marc de Bourgogne would probably be an appropriate substitute, and undoubtedly much easier to find. I'm not even close to being a marc/grappa expert, but my hunch is that the recipe's specifying of Marc de Champagne is probably for the luxury connotations that famous region has to a general audience. As for the age, again my knowledge is limited on marc specifically but as a rule the more something is aged in a barrel the more it takes on a mellow character but less of the fruitiness (and roughness, in some cases) of the raw distillate. It would seem a younger one would be more desireable for truffle making but I'm even less of an expert on candy making than I am on marc. Good luck with your search! Edit to add: What bostonapothecary said.

I may be able to do you one better...my difficulties with the requests for 'Apple Martinis' at my last job led me to this: Eve's Redemption 1 oz Vodka 1/2 oz Laird's Bonded 1/2 oz Berentzen Apfelkorn 3/4 oz lime 1/2 oz simple 1/4 oz grenadine Shake, strain, up, etc, lemon twist, apple wings, whatever garnish you want for this. NB our grenadine was extremely thick and flavorful, the use of simple tones it down a bit, but you may want to adjust this based on the grenadine you are using. The sharp-eyed will notice that this is closely related to the Jack Rose, which I always wanted to recommend to "Apple Martini" drinkers, but the woody sharpness of the Laird's was usually too much for them. Stretching and moderating it with the vodka and Berentzen makes a sort of on-the-fly apple liqueur with a much more honest yet approachable flavor for neophytes. I found that, once I started cautioning people that they were about to get more of a red vs green apple flavor, people were extremely receptive to this one.

If it has all of the liquor (about 6 cups), and the dissolved oleo-saccharmu (about 3 cups) and that's it, then it should be shelf-stable. If I am misunderstanding the nature of the mixture you have here then it may need to be refrigerated but if there is any signifcant amount of spirits in it it shouldn't need to be frozen (nor, in fact, would it).

I only don't drop the twist in when I feel like the very subtle bitterness it can impart would interfere with the drink. I long ago stopped dropping it into Sazeracs, for example, but I always put it in a Martini or Manhattan because I find the extra citrus and slight bitterness pleasing. As for not putting it into drinks that someone else has ordered, well I suspect most folks wouldn't believe it had been deployed if it wasn't sitting there in the drink.

Tasted the 17 yr Eagle Rare tonight for the first time (I think the current, ie 2010, release). Found it quite forgettable, no bite and a hollow midpalate. A rare miss from the folks at Buffalo Trace.

I would urge everyone making Daiquiris to try it sometime with the sugar cut down to about 1/6 the volume of the lime, eg 2 oz rum, 1/2 lime, and 1/2 tsp superfine. Sounds overly tart but it really isn't at all, just dry. Transforms the drink from a pleasant but simple rum sour to a bracing and complex set of flavors to rival the Martini (or just about anything else).

Made a version of this last night with EP Angostura (no grapefruit bitters at the bar), Zirbenz, Cynar, and Appleton 12. I've never had the Scarlet Ibis so I don't know if the Appleton is appropriate, but I combined the other ingredients first and, from what we had behind the bar, it seemed like the best choice. Fascinating drink; definitely in the Rogue/Beta camp. Orange twist? Missed the grapefruit bitters for sure. Had the entire front and back talking.... By the way in case anybody was still caring, I think I've settled on calling this a 'Brave Ulysses'

Good, I hope? Very tasty -- thanks. Great idea. Cynar: the new bartender's ketchup. Maybe the Bartender's Sriracha...too intense for some, but if you like it you can't get enough.

Made a version of this last night with EP Angostura (no grapefruit bitters at the bar), Zirbenz, Cynar, and Appleton 12. I've never had the Scarlet Ibis so I don't know if the Appleton is appropriate, but I combined the other ingredients first and, from what we had behind the bar, it seemed like the best choice. Fascinating drink; definitely in the Rogue/Beta camp. Orange twist? Missed the grapefruit bitters for sure. Had the entire front and back talking.... I've subbed several different base spirits here enough to more or less conclude that the magic is in the zirbenz/cynar play. Ransom Old Tom is my other favorite but it makes the drink quite a bit more intense. If I were going to try to sub something from the Appleton line for Scarlet Ibis, I'd probably go with the V/X. or maybe half v/x and half...Mt Gay, maybe? Hard to say. The reason I didn't do an orange twist was merely to avoid adding extra richness to the drink, and I figured hey, lemon...artichoke...no brainer, right? Not the kind of drink I make for everybody, but it gets well received by the right crowd. Glad you're in that crowd.

After tasting the 2010 (my first Stagg), I really needed to find a bottle of the 2009 (which received even more rave reviews). Today was the day...spotted for $90 on the shelf of a specialty liquor store. Amazingly, there were two in stock, but I couldn't bring myself to buy both. A quick search to confirm the proof (141.4), and we were off. Tasted in the same fashion as above, there's butterscotch up front, fading to roasted nuts & hickory. Noticeably sweeter than the 2010, but less aromatic. Just might be my favorite sipping whiskey ever. It is a good day. Don't miss this in a JT-style 50/50 Manhattan. Divine.

My exact initial impression. Mixing it may change your mind.

Maybe a half oz of Barbancourt and 1/4 oz of Smith & Cross could sort of sub in for the Scarlet Ibis. The drink may be just fine with other rums or even spirits, but if you're trying to recreate the profile of Scarlet Ibis it may be tricky. Dan, I would imagine that the addition of citrus is what kills the Cynar flavors and brings out the pine. Maybe just a squeeze (bsp or so) would be better, help alleviate sweetness and brighten the flavors without adding excess acidity.

I've really enjoyed the drinks I've had with SI, but more recently I've been having similar thoughts about the Banks 5-Island Rum. Tried it? No, sadly, tho I keep hearing it's excellent. Unfortunately my budget for personal consumption is tight at the moment so apart from staples and old stuff I'm mostly getting to play with the stuff at work now. For all I know Banks isn't even available in TX yet, but I haven't looked. It would be consistent with how the distribution normally works out though.

You of course could but it would be a rather different drink, I think. My opinion of Scarlet Ibis improves as I play with it more. My first impression was that it was rather ordinary tasting and undistinguished. I'm gradually coming to the opinion that it may well be the ultimate cocktail (as opposed to punch like S&C) rum. I think the reason it comes acoss as unexciting on its own is because it sort of splits the difference between so many other rums...or maybe I'm just still wrapping my mind around it. Another tasty combo: Cruzan Single Barrel and Bonal. I just tasted on the rocks the other day while trying out different flavor combos. Going to look into it further when the opportunity presents itself.

Equal parts Scarlet Ibis, Zirbenz Stone Pine, and Cynar, with dash each of Angostura and (homemade) grapefruit bitters. Up, I think I used a lemon twist. Made this Sunday, but I havent been able to stop thinking about it. Not exactly garden-variety ingredients, but if anybody out there has all the stuff I'd love to hear some other thoughts on it.

+1 for lard, it makes things crisp up like nothing else can. If I could, I'd never deep-fry in any other fat.

I didn't work on it very long, so it's quite possible that one could work around this, but my experience working with cranberries is that they are more tannic than tart (though they certainly are tart) and that's a dimension that isn't often found in cocktails. Not to say that you can't make it work, I just got bored with it quickly and abandoned the project.

I didn't get to drink it myself apart from a couple of straw tastes, but I did make a Martinez for a favorite regular visiting from out of town tonight. I'm sure this is sort of old hat to some of you out there, but Ransom Old Tom is only very recently available here in TX (perhaps as recently as last week, when I first saw it). 1.5 oz Ransom Old Tom 1 oz Carpano Antica 1 bsp Luxardo Maraschino 2 dashes "Abbotts" Something in the Abbotts replica combines so very marvellously with the Ransom. I'd buy that for a dollar.