thirtyoneknots

I kind of gave up on this a while back, the Martini in all it's forms ceased decades ago to become a drink and is instead for most people a religion, and people don't take kindly to being confronted about their religion. So instead of being confrontational about the drink, I simply make them to a more or less standard model and let them confront me if they are paying attention while I make it. More or less I add a dash of vermouth, probably about 1/4 oz or so, and always stir the drink. If you do that it gets people to engage you about it, and the opportunity to tell them that you'll gladly shake the drink if they desire, but that stirring produces colder drinks, etc etc. If you're feeling frisky, try a dash of orange bitters. Any time the customer engages the bar staff about their drink it's easier to educate them, rather than the other way around where they may not be responsive to whatever the bartender has to say. With any luck, folks will start coming back to your place because you have "the best vodka martinis" and it may turn in to other things. At the very least, you can have the pride in knowing that you've made a "proper" vodka martini for the folks (assuming for the sake of argument that such a thing exists). Not everyone will take to this stuff, and they will berate you until you have made the drink "their way" which may include anything up to a half a jar of olive brine or whatever, in the end people have to be fundamentally willing to try new things and not everyone is, especially in regards to religion.

It's based off the Brooklyn due to the subbing of Punt e Mes for the Amer Picon. Punt e Mes happens to combine vermouth and aperitif bitter in one bottle (an admittedly blurry line at best). It's not closely related in flavor, but the drinks are related structurally so I think it fits.

I'll have to disagree with you, Ms. Loeb; no reason grenadine can't be as complex as Orgeat or Falernum in it's own way. I do in fact like to add both OFW and vanilla extract, about 1/3 as much vanilla as ofw, so I put perhaps a jigger of orange flower water and a tablespoon of vanilla extract when I make very large batches of grenadine, somewhere between 3 and 4 quarts finished volume. It's pretty perfumey, but I think it balances nicely off of the fruityness of the pomegranate. In drinks it comes across pretty subtle. Here's what I've been making with it lately to fight the good fight against the 'Cherry Vodka Sour' fad: Cherry Daisy 1.5 oz Beefeaters .5 oz Grenadine .5 oz Cherry Heering .75 oz lemon Shake briefly with ice and strain into OF glass with fresh ice, top with a short splash of soda. Not half bad and it gets people to try something new (sort of).

What's your basis for this? I've always been given to believe that the primary source of ice in the pre-prohibition period was a large block of ice that was carved or chipped to order. Certainly this would have been the case before mechanical refrigeration became widespread, no?

The question then becomes, given Taylor's status as an industrial wine producer (the Catawba itself comes in a magnum), is it any good? Hard to say, as it's the only one I've ever had. Prof. Wondrich is quite right in comparing it to White Zin, though. ← I've been told by those in the know that the biggest difference between off-dry rose like White Zinfandel and Catawba is that White Zin lacks the trademark 'foxy' character of Vitis labrusca, of which Catawba is a varietal. I wonder, though, how critical that character is to the punch, or if it is actually desireable at all (could have just been working with what they had, right?)

Good to know it worked out, the Cruzan Blackstrap could also be a component in a recession-approved Fish House Punch, especially if this Paul Masson Brandy is as good as advertised.

Regarding the brandies, in my experience the majority of cocktails calling for brandy need the mellow and suave character of the French products to really shine. There are exceptions, and others may disagree, but once I went French for cocktail brandy it was hard to go back. Presumably the Masson has this character. Regarding the punch, I do have a snazzy new (used) pewter punchbowl I got for a song (and if you've heard my singing you know what a deal that is) but I'm afraid my associates may be a little wary after the quantities of punch consumed here of late. Or they may be rarin' to go...only one way to find out, and it involves the peach brandy

Well I guess, to me it tastes too much like molasses and too little like fermented molasses. And it runs roughshod over anything else I've put it in. ← I've had this problem too. I bought it because it was cheap and came recommended, but when I've used it the results were not so good. How do people use it? ← It's a little rough around the edges and somewhat tricky to use where you might put a Jamaican, for example, but I can't imagine it not being awesome in a bowl of punch. Anybody able to vouch for this? Am I going to have to make a bowl of punch just to find out?

What did you use in place of the Catawba Wine? Or do you have a source for such a thing? I would imagine that the availability of that is the primary thing keeping most punchophiles here from making it.

Yeah if you like swizzles, something white and either overproof (Wray & Nephew) or agricole-ish (10 Cane is your best bet in Texas, afaik). I don't think of Goslings as a particularly "medium" style of rum, if I were to have only one it would probably either Mt. Gay Eclipse or Cruzan Single Barrel. Here's where you run into problems inherent to rum choices though: a taste of them, it doesn't even have to be side-by-side, will reveal pretty radically different characters. Personally I keep both on hand (and many others) and would, broadly speaking, use the Mt. Gay for a recipe in a Jeff Berry or Gary Regan book, and the Cruzan in any appropriate recipe from Imbibe! (for example--it makes an epic milk punch) I might give the Cruzan an edge for being so wonderfully sippable, but if you're serious about rum (and why wouldn't you be?) you can't really substitute them. Unfortunate, but that's my $.02

You forgot the 2 parts NyQuil and the twist. The twist is essential. No wonder you're still sick

Somewhere along the way it became acceptable, and not just for those who work in liquor stores. You couldn't become a chef in a halfway decent restaraunt without knowing how to make, for example, a set of sauces that are considered indespensable. It's damn rare to find a bartender in the same kind of place who can properly make an Old Fashioned or Sidecar, or explain the difference between Bourbon and Scotch.

Nowhere. Just one of the MANY things I am not able to get here, including Old Forester Signature, Laird's Bonded, Pueblo Viejo, Carpano Antica, Amaro Ciociaro. Overall, quite disappointing. To answer Andy: you could try Witty's or Shopper's Vineyard, or just see what you find with Google Product Search. ← Many thanks. Now at the top of my 'to-order' list.

Anybody have a mail-order source for this handy?

More or less, yes, but in the case of Irish Whiskey, it's not necessarily a bad thing; in fact, it's the norm. Irish Whiskey that isn't blended is relatively rare, my understanding is that the prevalence of blends in Ireland vs. malts in Scotland represents two historically different approaches to dealing with English liquor taxation.

Ezra Brooks is slightly more expensive in Texas than Evan Williams (around 13 vs 9ish -- sad because it used to be 7). I've seen the White Horse recommended before but around here it only seems to be available in a 1.75 liter bottle. Try as I might I can't find it in anything smaller, and I'm hesitant to buy such a large bottle to try. I tried the regular Paul Masson brandy back when I was first getting in to mixing and was as yet unwilling to spend money on real cognac. I recall it being better than the E&J I had been buying (which is pretty bad) but nothing to jump up and down about. Presumably this 'Grande Amber' is better, I'm definitely going to try and dig some up.

He mentioned it elsewhere, but I noticed today that Mr. Wondrich's Esquire article on good cheap booze is online here. The prospect of a $13 brandy that tastes good is awfully exciting. An aside for the author, if he's out there: I've tried the Raynal VSOP on your recommendation and found it to be pretty good for what it is, I've used it when I had to make punches and such on the cheap and it works great. How would you compare the Masson VSOP to the Raynal VSOP? I'd also like to get opinions from anyone else who may have had both.

No less an authority than the great Trader Vic himself had this to say on the subject, from his 1946 Trader Vic's Book of Food and Drink: Now I'm not quite so codgerly as all that, but I came across this today and couldn't help but share. And of course when the choice is between recklessness and codgerliness, at least in the realm of mixology, I like to side with the codgers.

this is exactly what i do with the stuff, a modified rusty nail, as it were...??Kentucky nail?? that and when i want a little desert i will drink a wee dram in a lowball with one ice cube, as i occasionally do with Drambuie. Honestly, tho, I have only owned one bottle (1/2 done) and i will not likely purchase more...its good, but I'll stick with Drambuie for a sweet whisky based drink. Now that I own a bottle of Laird's applejack maybe i should try a mix of that and the American Honey..."Apples and Honey"...(perfect for the Jewish New year, eh?) I'll have to try that tonite... ← In the Spirit of the Derby may I humbly suggest "Horseshoe Nail"? ← love the name!!! btw, just poured me a 1:1 WTAH with Lairds Applejack, my so called "Apples and Honey" and it works quite well..i poured it over some crushed ice, but think i will try larger "rocks" or stirred up in a coupe next time... any modifications welcomed ← No idea how complex the stuff is, but if it has any herbal character at all perhaps it could stand in for one of the liqueurs in a Widow's Kiss, with the Laird's subbed for the Calvados?

The standard mo for mixing sweet, strongly flavored liqueurs like this (haven't had the stuff but thats the impression I always got from it) is to cut it with a measure of the spirit it is based on. For Drambuie, one mixes blended scotch (or single malt, if you're a heretic like me) to make a Rusty Nail. With Benedictine, an equal amount of Cognac makes a B&B. I suspect a similar approach would work well here, at least as a starting place. Start with equal parts American Honey and Wild Turkey on ice with a twist. If you want it sweeter, add more AH. If you want it drier, add more WT. Another option I would imagine would be to use it in hot drinks, adding it to coffee (hopefully not your morning coffee ), toddies, etc. Defnitely though, if you find it too sweet, orange juice isn't going to help with that. Beyond that, not having tasted the stuff, I really can't say more. Hope this helps you get started!

Was reminded of the Artist's (Special) Cocktail today while discussing the Savoy with a friend and realised I now had all the ingredients due to my recent acquisition of quality Sherry (Sandeman's Character). The whiskey was Sazerac, as per eje's recommendation and the Groiselle syrup was of my own manufacture, made from some perfect puree samples we had at work. This drink has some serious mojo in the flavor combo. With some tweaking (or maybe none at all) it could have serious legs. The redcurrant syrup does present a problem, unfortunately, especially since the perfect puree products are so expensive (though excellent). At any rate, if the expense involved isn't too great it's worth the effort to make the syrup just for this drink. Yum. Maybe my favorite Sherry cocktail yet, right up there with the Bamboo.

Agreed on the family reserve, though I'm not sure it's worth $65 for me. Matt, you have any opinions on the 151?

← It's good no matter what, but that drink really begs for Calvados I think. Also, imo, it should be made as a 2 oz drink but drank in the same time as a 3 oz drink, to better contemplate the flavors. Not something to drink when you are in a hurry.

So I've since discovered that the stuff has been around a while, but I only recently found the Gosling's 151 on a store shelf. Unlike other 151s I've seen around here, it is an aged rum like it's more common partner. I love the regular Goslings, seems like this would be a good candidate for a punch bowl rum, since equal parts 151 and 80 proof will result in a 115 proof rum, which was recommended by no less than Mr. Wondrich (I know he was specifying the Inner Circle, but that stuff appears to be very rare). At any rate, the regular 80 proof Goslings makes a beautiful bowl of Fish House Punch, I can assure you.

That's a drink worth making twice; the subtle bitterness from the dubonnet matches oh so nice with the orange notes in the Sherry (Sandeman's Character was what I used). Tastes are reminiscent of a sweet [vermouth] Martini with Orange Bitters. And how could you go wrong with that?