thirtyoneknots

Thanks for the insight gentlemen, I think I'll make the stuff tomorrow but it's nice to know that if for some reason this punch doesnt get consumed (long story but the schedule isn't even set in soap yet) then the stock will still be useful. I sort of intend to make a compromise/inclusive recipe, using both the liquor and fruit from some maraschino cherries I made a while back, as well as both the rye and strawberries. Together with lemon pulp and pineapple chunks, thats a lot of fruit solids--presumably not all of it is supposed to be strained out(?) I doubt there is a residence in Texas that has a room cool enough to age punch in in August but I am glad to finally have a use for those sheets. And of course it's always a blast to try new kinds of punch... I've already got a wine here to use but I'm curious if anyone has found any source for authentic catawba, or failing that if there is any specific wine that works better than others. Just for future reference.

So my best friend since 6th grade is getting married next weekend and one of the other guys and I are naturally providing punch. Fish House Punch is almost de rigeur for parties around here by now, but I also like to try new ones and it just so happens that I have on hand all the ingredients for the Savannah Artillery Punch from Imbibe! (subbing some mild but funky Aussie rose for the Catawba). The question comes from the admonition that the "stock" for that punch should be aged...the question is how long? The recipe recommends two days at minimum but I was thinking of making it perhaps tomorrow to sit a whole week, refrigerated of course. My only concerns were a) fruit solids in the stock making it go 'off', and b) the lemon juice losing its acidity in the intervening week. Does anyone have experience with aging punch like this? I know Mr. Kinsey has mentioned in passing several times that his family ages Fish House Punch for a long time (a year?). Is this with the lemon juice already included? What effect does this have on the acidity/balance? When I've done FHP in batches for parties or caterings I've always mixed everything a few days ahead except for the lemon juice and part of the water, juicing the lemons the day of. I'm sure it'll be pretty good either way, I'm just looking for some insight here. Thanks in advance.

If I recall, the Monteleone Competition was won by a drink combining those two items as well. I have to admit that was my first (or maybe second) reaction to tasting the Domaine de Canton: "This needs flowers" I infused some ginger into Paul Masson VSOP a while back and it is awesome on the rocks with St. Germaine, and also made into a tall drink with the ginger brandy, St. Germaine, lemon, and soda. Such a neat contrast of flavors.

That is an excellent point. My impression is that these types of devices were meant to dispense just plain spirits--I would also be very wary of putting juice of any kind into it. You could perhaps get away with a more spiritous cocktail like a Manhattan but your entire crowd may not appreciate it in the same way.

Since the term literally refers to clandestinely produced liquor, ie by the light of the moon so the smoke from the still is not visible, then in my mind once it is being produced legally it ceases to be moonshine. If any unaged funky distillate qualifies then grappa, Wray & Nephew Overproof, all manner of snaps and eau de vie, pisco, etc would qualify. In other words, No. On a related note, had the priviledge to samepl Makers Mark 'white dog' recently. Fascinating stuff, if it were available for sale I could see myself craving it on occasion. Smells like a mix of grappa and creamed corn (which I guess it sort of is).

This list calls into question the meaning of the qualifier 'classic': Does it mean Old Drinks That Are Worth Drinking, or does it mean Indespensable Drinks (seems to be Shalmanese's working definition)? The list above is full of the former (though I might give several of them a pass) and short on the latter. Personally I think Toby might be on to something Or it's naught but a coincidence, which I take to be Mr. Kinsey's point.

Cleaning speed pours is a cinch, just toss them in a tub of very hot water for a few minutes and that should do the trick. Make sure the water isn't too hot though, or you can melt the plastic part. No need to ask me how I know this.

Aka'd as 1 1/2 or 1.5 oz I assume?

While making ginger ale syrup the other day at work I had a thought when I grabbed the bag of jalapenos that were on top of the box of ginger, so I got two of them, sliced and seeded them, and made a syrup with them. About every third person who tastes the syrup loves it, and everyone else finds it strange to a fault. Made a drink with 1/2 oz syrup, 3/4 oz lime, and 1.5 oz Blanco Tequila and it was not the drink I was looking for by a mile. The regular who was letting me experiment on him loved it though. I have to say if I'd been making it for myself it would have gone down the sink. The 'Cock-tail' made with bourbon and the Jalapeno syrup was pretty neat though...sort of a jalapeno cornbread effect.

My guess is that it has to do with the fact that many of the available absinthes are produced on a smaller, "artisinal" scale, and with the already limited demand for the product (in the grand scheme of liquor marketing) it's hard to justify the expense of a separate bottling apparatus that would likely be required to do a different size bottle. It would probably require getting a new label approved (with the different quantity listed), which I would bet is the least fun thing anyone making or importing Absinthe has to go through. It would be nice though, I agree. Good approach might be to go to a bar with different labels available and try them in a single serving before buying a whole bottle. Big markup of course but still cheaper than spending $60-$150 on something you don't particularly care for.

I like about 2:1 blanco:bianco, with a dash of orange bitters. I have taken to calling this a Bianca. I need to get some good strawberry syrup/liqueur. And some creme de cacao, which also goes pretty nicely with Tequila. ← The double infusion of TPMA sounds like it would serve as a liqueur. You could base it on some other spirit as well if desired. Wray & Nephew Overproof would provide a funky contrast and help keep the proof high.

Finally following up on the TPMA/Bianco Vermouth discussion upthread today, while cooking a big pot of Jambalaya I wanted something to drink. Not having really dipped into the infusion yet this summer I poure 1 part of the Tequila to 2 parts of M&R Bianco over rocks. A touch of sweetness but holy moly it hit the spot. When my guests began to arrive I ended up making 3 more. With some tweaks this has major potential to please crowds.

Shame, it's been on sale for $17/btl quite a bit lately at Specs in Houston. ← Enjoy the St. James products while you can. It's my understanding the brand has lost its distribution in the US. ← Oh Hell! Wish I had stocked up on Hors d'Age when it was $27.

Shame, it's been on sale for $17/btl quite a bit lately at Specs in Houston.

I think the point is to get some of the pepper contrasts that only agave spirits can offer. Rum will work of course but I would be surprised if molasses-based rums can offer the same interesting contrasts. Now St. James Ambre might be another story...

I would imagine it might be more suceptible to degradation now, unless the increased sugar is going to make a big impact. Barring that I would expect to see some degradation in flavor after about a year, but I recently polished off some that was nearly three years old (single infused) and though the flavor was faded and perhaps more reminiscent of dried strawberries, it was still tasty.

I think as their blog post illustrates, the sad state of affairs outside of a few select enclaves is that these are in no way self-evident. Nobody expects the guy in a dive to stir a Manhattan, and frankly those ordering Manhattans in dives deserve what they get. However if every place with pretense to serve alcohol in a stemmed glass would just teach rules as simple as these, the state of drinking in this country would be far better than it is. The truth is that Mojitos are still state-of-the-art in most places (not that there is anything wrong with a properly made one), never mind an Aviation. And I think it's fair to say most folks on this board don't even consider an Aviation to be a particularly exotic drink. Classic, sure. Indespensable maybe even. But 3 years ago it was the toast of the cocktail revival and now it's almost passe. And not one in a thousand people in the community I live and work in have heard of it.

I think Imbibe! would fit this category: the book is indespensable for anyone who frequents a board like this, but no one is going to recommend it as a first cocktail book.

Worst part is that there are at least two different 'sweet tea' vodkas on the market that I know of. When samples were brought for us to try the main selling point was that it didnt even taste like alcohol! Oh boy!

Not exactly standard fare here in Texas but we did know these well in Boy Scouts as "One-Eyed Jacks". For all I know this came out of a BSA cookbook and is not a regional term.

Very cool info about the roses, thanks! I had no idea the rose was affiliated with Texas A&M, which is right here in beautiful and exotic College Station, and also happens to be my own erstwhile house of learning as well.

A while back my fiancee got a rose called a 'Peggy Martin' which she found cool since it happened to be her grandmother's name. It is a very pale pink color, perhaps there is a connection with Peggy and roses or pink colors.

I didn't mean to say I don't like them, merely that there are others that are better. Lucid is what I use at work for any application but at home I stick with the Jades, which I value for their increased pungency. The lack of overt pungency in Lucid is actually sort of a plus in the context of my work, since getting people to try new things is often more than enough challenge...subtle Absinthe can help get them to try it in a cocktail. In a drip or Frappe, I like Lucid and St. George just fine, though the more culinary flavors of the St. George make it mix in a somewhat peculiar way. Haven't gotten the opportunity to try any others yet apart from the 3 verte Jades and the two mentioned above. Trying to ease up on the Absinthe habit a bit lately

Good call, and in keeping with the compare/contrast theme it may also be instructive to let taste 'real lemon' and 3 day old lemon/lime juice as well to better understand why fresh is important. Lemonade or something similar made with these might also help to illustrate concepts about freshness, etc as well.

I thought that would make it a 'Draque'