thirtyoneknots

If I may be so presumptuous as to answer for Mr. Amirault, I think what he is meaning to say is that what unfortunately passes for a Manhattan in many parts includes vermouth of questionable provenance while simultaneously excluding the bitters. While bitters could theoretically lose some of their zing over a very long time span, this would normally occur in a time period longer than most bars exist in.

I was thinking about all this earlier and recalled a variation I was quite fond of some time back in which a short dash of Absinthe is added to the standard formula. I was drinking a lot of these in the second half or so of last year, but I never did quite figure out if it had a preexisting name (wasn't trying very hard, either). Anyone know anything about that? I was pleased to see that that was included in the official recipe endorsed by our own Dr. Wondrich at the infamous Woodford Reserve promotion I wrote about over here. Good times.

Weller 107 is one of my all-time favorites but as I noted a few posts back I'm a bit concerned with the new label lacking an age statement. I haven't been able to conduct a blind test yest but it seems as if the newer stuff is a bit different. Hope it's my imagination but at any rate it's a great whiskey regardless. Works just about any way you please but I'm especially fond of this one over ice with lots of water. Great flask whiskey, too.

Oh, forgot to add--I think Boodles is actually my favorite Aviation gin. Something about it's up front florality and relatively short finish works so nicely with violette, which often tastes like something hard to place on the palate but lingers long afterwards.

$45 for Plymouth?! Holy cow, where does it cost that much so I know where not to move to? The increasing price of Plymouth is sort of insulting when you consider that it could be had for about $13 for a 750 just a few years ago. Locally it is now about double that and I drink a lot less of it than I used to as a result but at $45...well I'm not sure that you could make a dry gin I would pay that much for. Ridiculous. Beefeaters has become my go-to both at home and at work since it is highly versatile and reasonably priced still. And it does in fact make a lovely Aviation.

Based on very limited experience, my advice would be to avoid Leroux products if at all possible.

I've only done this once but I just extended the time a little when they didn't come off easy with a minute. Worked fine--a little tedious but not as bad as suggested from reports I'd read. Or you could of course buy them already blanched and peeled.

There is a difference, as the 100 proof spirit will, all things being equal, tolerate the addition of ice (and subsequent dilution) much better, giving a more flavorful drink in the end. The issue I'm looking into here is the difference between 100 proof, and in the case of something like George T. Stagg, 140 proof. There the difference is far more pronounced. Continuing to scale down the amount of spirit works to a point but in the few times I have tried this one can end up losing the distinctive character of the op liquor, which defeats a good deal of the point to the exercise. The Skin/Toddy/Hot Punch is a good one of course...Blue Blazer with William Weller would I'm sure be a thing of beauty. Zombie does indeed use a profilgate amount of OP rum but isn't very seasonal, even here in Texas we have been in the 40s for the past couple of weeks. I did make an unusual number of Mojitos last night though... I probably need to go get my Jerry Thomas and Harry Johnson down and have a look. Imbibe, too, of course.

So I wrote at length over here about my love affair with a Stagg Manhattan, perhaps the most profound cocktail I've ever had. At Veritas we're starting to get in some of the 2009 Antique Collection in preparation for a tasting in January and tonight I made a Thomas Handy Sazerac for the boss...another killer (I've done this before but it has been a few years). All he could say as he sat there with his glass was "so good, sooo good". It got me thinking about the kinds of cocktails that work with overproof whiskies (or other spirits). Conventional wisdom from just a few years back would have said stick with spirit-centric recipes like the Old Fashioned and Sazerac, and these are certainly wonderful that way, but the rediscovery of the 19th Century cocktail theory has shown us that Manhattans and such can be made to work as well. Punches and juleps would seem to be obvious directions to go...Some of my William Weller is destined for a julep at some point, and I'll probably break down and make an eggnog at some point with it too. So what else comes to mind? Any other successes with overpoof spirits?

Wait you're telling me there's an antibiotic out there that tastes like Bourbon?! I better call the doctor, think I feel a cold coming on...

Prohibition. I remember reading all that very interesting info you dug up on Bokers some time back but I guess I had forgotten that. I guess I was basing my speculation on the fewer times it was called for by name as time went on, but it seems probably that then as now more bitters became available as cocktails increased in popularity, offering more options. Edit for clarity.

Off-topic to the point at hand, but this gave me a thought on the Bokers. I haven't tasted them but assuming they are an accurate facsimile of Bokers, I wonder if that could be a clue as to their decline in popularity while Angostura was on the rise: Whiskey became more and more popular as a cocktail ingredient after the Civil War, and Angostura works just dandy with gin as well as Bourbon or Rye. Pure speculation of course but I'd be curious to know how they work with Cognac, the other popular spirit of the antebellum cocktail scene. From the recipes that have been suggested, seems like it would work quite well.

I really don't know and am just speculating but wouldn't runny egg yolks pose some salmonella threat as well? No one worries about it though which means that either A) I am completely wrong (it could happen) or B) it falls under the category of acceptable risk, which would also seem to apply to cocktails. How hot does the yolk get on a sunny-side up egg?

Let's just say that whatever compound imparts a peachy aroma withstands the stresses of the GI tract quite well.

The Old Fashioned works well of course but if you want to try them all with a clean palate, just try dashing a tsp or so into a glass of soda water. Also, taste them straight! you learn a lot about bitters by doing that, and while it will be something of a surprise the first time, eventually your palate will become accustomed to the intensity.

The probability of a given egg having salmonella is not directly comparable with probabilities of death from other factors. Apples and oranges. I'd be curious to know what the incidence of death from Pisco Sour is. Any truth to the notion that the inclusion of alcohol helps with the salmonella issue? I'm not really worried but occasionally you get weird looks from the other side of the bar when cracking eggs and it would be nice to have more statistics to comfort people with.

Macallan Cask Strength kick ass. I bet that drink owns.

Yeah CAF is pretty incredible stuff, though my first intriduction to it in a Manhattan was with Rittenhouse BIB and while very nice indeed I sort of felt like the vermouth overpowered the rye (and this was presumably at 2:1). AF is kind of a bully of a vermouth, and I'm now firmly convinced that it needs to be paired against an equally potent spirit or used in what would otherwise appear to be fairly small amounts, as in your example. If/when I can get some, Thomas Handy is next in line. In fact, dream cocktail of the moment is a Vieux Carre with Thomas Handy, Force 53 (dont have any of that either), and Carpano AF. That would be Money as well, I bet. Off-topic question: Does anyone know of a Cognac bottled at normal proof they consider quite assertive? Pierre Ferrand Ambre sort of comes to mind but it's assertiveness is quite a relative thing, imo.

The one in Imbibe! works quite well...read through the notes on FHP for the tweaked version. I hope I won't get kicked out of The Club for saying that the Dekuyper Peach Brandy (NOT 'schnapps') works pretty good too, in fact I may prefer it (though when using it I go with about 5 oz vs 3 of Brizzard. Some of the side effects of consuming Brizzard Peach can be...unsettling.

Thanks for the lead, I might send a friend over there to snag me one.

Apologies in advance for the long story. ***** Mine is also a Manhattan, but there's a story (of course--isn't there always?). So in late September I got a notice from one of my liquor reps about a Woodford Reserve contest/promotion happening in Houston in early October. I entered the contest but of course did not get selected, later learned my ingredient list was too exotic (included of Bianco Vermouth and Clear Creek Douglas Fir EdV). Against my better judgement I made the drive to Houston for the promotion, rushing out immidiately after my last class of the day. Event was at the wonderful Houston Museum of Natural Science, and since I could bring a guest and the fiancee was busy taking care of horses or some such nonsense I invited my good friend who many years ago first piqued my interest in cocktails. He is now in software sales but retains a fascination with mixed drinks and is a good drinking buddy anyways so we arrived a little early and were eventually admitted within, after a thorough examination of some extremely large geodes. The drinks served were Manhattans, allegedly prepared according to a highly seductive-looking formula created by none other than our own Dr. Wondrich (I must admit that some part of my willingness to drive two hours to engage in this foolishness was in hopes that he might be there--his name was mentioned on the invite--but sadly this was not to be). The profile of these drinks, being prepared in huge batches, was not quite gelling with the printed recipe, but they were agreeable enough especially when one considers the price. The rationing system was based on tickets handed out upon admittance, 3 per person, and there were other, quite suspect, drinks available for those who did not care to go the Manhattan route. My friend, however, soon realised that one of the fellows dispensing beverages was not actually very diligent about collecting ticket (told you he was a good drinking buddy). Long story a little shorter this involved us each having about 7 Manhattans and then deciding that a visit to Anvil was in order. Well we arrived there in short order, one way or another, and ordered off their excellent menu, which had been updated since I had been there. We gleefully indulged in our cocktails, while visiting with Justin, an off-duty Anvil bartender who had been a judge at the aforementioned contest (the entries do not bear repeating). For our second round my accomplice returns to the menu. I am, however, in dire need of something that will reconfigure my worldview. If there is anywhere in the Lone Star State I can do that with a potable, I am there. The immense wall of liquor sits silently as I contemplate it. Then I see the tall, slender, brown bottle. And I know just what I need. Normally I do not order cocktails or even by the glass wine when I go out. Typically I stick with Bourbon on the rocks or with water, or beer. On the rare occasions I bother with anything more complicated than that I am extremely explicit about what I want. Not at Anvil though. There, I am content to let these artists perform their craft and take what comes. The drink I am ordering now, though, will not allow for deviation or improvisation. My world is hazy but my goal is clear. The drink I need now must be made to exacting specifications. Bobby comes over to us. "I need you to do me a favor...I need a Manhattan--" My friend, hearing me order, is incredulous: "Are you serious, we just drank our weight in Manhattans!" I start again, "I need a Manhattan, Jerry Thomas Style," I say, not at that time able to recall exactly how JT specifies his Manhattan--though vaguely aware that by the time that recipe appeared in his book he was dead. "I need half George T. Stagg, and half Carpano Antica, up. You choose the bitters...but Angostura would be nice," I quickly add. The inclusion of Carpano Antica is clutch. I have plenty of Stagg at home, but precious little of AF comes to Texas, and much of it ends up at Anvil. I passed up my one chance at a bottle of it some time back, thinking since it was there it would be available with some regularity. Mistake. Shortly I am presented with a glass. My anticiaption builds. Moses receiving The Law from God could not have been so excited. I bring the glass to my lips and inhale. The scent is both familiar and unfamiliar. A sip. Yes. This is a cocktail. The fact that my next (and final) round was wasted on me says some about my state at the time, but mostly is a statement about the Manhattan I had, since the next drink included the soon-to-be-legendary Smith & Cross Rum. The drink was very nice indeed...but nothing could follow what I'd just drank, not if Harry Craddock himself mixed it. I later was told that that exact formula is served at PDT, though I can't verify that myself until I am next in NYC (Honeymoon, perhaps!) As it stands, this was the single greatest cocktail of my life. Better than the XO Sidecars. Better than the VSOP punches. Better that the Weller 107 Juleps. Even better than the Thomas Handy/Jade Edouard Sazeracs. Carpano Antica Formula is now my life's pursuit, and no one touches (wastes?) the Stagg until I can find some*. The story of the next morning is at least as long as this one, but suffice to say Bacchus smiled upon me that day and not my friend, and I made it back to CS in time for my first class of the day. Not much worse for the wear, but even through the relatively mild overhang unable to focus on much of anything. Except that Manhattan. And that, my friends, is a Money Cocktail. *Preferably without obscene shipping charges. Edit to add apologies for length. Hopefully worth the read.

Agreed that's a fine drink though if the vermouth in question is that fresh and that good I'm more likely to go the Bamboo route or maybe even just on the rocks with a twist. I drank a frightful amount of vermouth on the rocks this last summer, and didn't regret it one bit.

Best part about 1:1 Martinis is the ability to have several of them, without any danger of becoming involved with either the table or the host. And with some fresh Dolin or 'Heirloom' N-P it tastes pretty damn good too.

Always heavy on the lime and generous (4 or so) dashes of orange bitters. Sometimes though you have to go straight for the absinthe, and toss in a half-barspoon or so. The more pungent the better. I have dashed in violet liqueur before as well, but it doesn't work for everyone.

Last couple of times I made grenadine at work I actually used Monin Pomegranate which is labelled as a concentrate. The flavor is great and I've found it somewhat easier to work with than POM juice. I've been adding sugar over a double boiler to retain a fresh flavor, which works quite well though takes a bit longer of course. I must say though that my favorite thing about using that stuff over the POM is that it achieves a concentration of color that is impossible with straight pomegranate juice, wether fresh or bottled. So much so that we have had to reformulate several recipes where the syrup is included solely for color--going from a generous barspoon to a scant dash--and still getting a darker color.