thirtyoneknots

Not exactly the same as above, but in the same vein. Incidentally the article also mentions this device and says it's bunk, while giving some due to the other process mentioned. How to make cheap wine taste like fine vintage. I still think the above comments regarding starting with good fruit quality, etc, would hold true, but the results given are kind of interesting. -Andy

Last night by way of celebrating a personal victory, I broke open my newly-obtained William Larue Weller and shared with some friends at work who I thought would appreciate it. I'd never actually heard of this one til I saw it while trying to buy Stagg on Thursday, but the concept intrigued and I'm glad I got it. The pour is a rich reddish color, cedar-like, extremely attractive. On the nose a marvellous butterscotch and sawdust character, with eggnog spices peeking in and out. Hot, as might be expected at 125.3 proof, but a tiny piece of ice added about 2 tsp of water and cooled it a bit, and was all that was needed to extinguish the heat and bring out more of the spices. On the palate, rich and mellow as befits a wheated bourbon, though not especially light in body and certainly not in flavor. Hints of tangerine peel and dried berries maybe(?) The buttery texture is confirmed as is the singed sawdust aspect (reminds me a bit of the Cruzan Single Barrel in this regard). The finish is extremely long, dry, and pleasant, with the rummy character lingering. This is some of the most beautifula and elegant whiskey I've had the pleasure of tasting in a long time. I plan on picking up another if I can make it over there before they run out. All whiskey enthusiasts should be seeking out the Antique Collection.

I think Gary Regan might disagree with you here, in fact he seems to think this is the best way to learn drinks, if Joy of Mixology is any indicator. Not saying I agree or disagree.

My "trick" is to use the handle of the spoon instead of the bowl, in fact, especially at home, I use the business end of the spoon very little.

That's usually reason enough for me, I actually can't imagine that a mesh strainer doesn't yield superior results, although (sadly) I don't actually own a Julep strainer, so I couldn't really tell you.

Oy, well if you're not using either arrack or W&NOP then yeah I guess you might want some orange bitters. Really though, you need something a little bit funky in that particular recipe. Why omit the W&N? It's not terribly expensive.

I know this is a long-ish shot, but anybody have any clue when the Haus Alpenz line is going to make it to Texas? I know we're sort of at the end of the pipeline on the cool stuff, but I figured I'd check and see if anybody knows anything.

Tried out the Irish Pirate with different brands tonight after work and can endorse it as just the thing. Still curious about what that Grandmas Tinksure (tincture?) is.

I'm beginning to get the impression that the drinking public isn't being given enough credit for it's willingness to experiment with eggs.

Yes, I feared that would be the case - but will the resulting damage be less than repeatedly opening a large bottle, rather than this procedure of opening once and then resealing? Is using a vacuvin or similar a possibility, or is that pointless, too? ← I'm not so sure that just opening and pouring the vermouth will affect it in the way that it would to table wines; vermouths are fortified and (as I understand it) slightly oxidized, both of which have preservative effects. In the absence of specialised corking apparatus, I would say that pouring your Carpano Antica into smaller bottles, sealing them best as possible (eg with a vacu-vin) and/or perhaps putting a squirt of argon on the top, then refrigerating them until ready to use would probably have a decent chance of retarding the spoilage of the vermouth. While it's not a good as opening a fresh bottle, Antica Formula only comes in liters (right?) and so minimizing the exposed surface of the wine is better than just using the bottle otherwise. Now on the other hand, if you think you can use it in 2 months or less, then I doubt you'll see any appreciable degradation for home use so long as it is kept sealed and refrigerated. Of course I've never actually had Antica Formula

The staying power of the bubbles is underrated; you can mix them in a pitcher without killing it; I've done this several times with punches involving sparkling wine.

Great list, but pray tell what is ? Also here to report that there is absolutely nothing wrong with the Snowshoe from Dr. Cocktail's latest Imbibe column, even with cheap DeKuyper Peppermint schnapps a friend gave you a few years ago when he was moving away. Mmmm. ETA: Nothing wrong with the Schnapps so long as it's 100 proof, that is. I guess the same goes for most spirits.

Well, I've been known to have as many as 15 to 17. But those were 8 hour nights. ← Truly you are in need of a poet to record your mighty deeds!

Even without the Seville Oranges, the Regent's punch doesn't strictly need the orange bitters. Not that it will ruin it -- it's lovely either way -- but you shouldn't feel obligated to track down orange bitters just to make this punch (though you should have some anyway ). It is worth making though, a great crowd-pleaser.

Additionally, nearly all the blends I've seen are bottled at either 40 or 43% abv. I find it interesting that such whiskies have become the standard for Rob Roys, Bobby Burns, etc., whereas for Manhattans and the like the 40% abv Ryes are held in much lower esteem than the 50% Rittenhouse BIB or the 50.5% Wild Turkey. It goes without saying that if you want a Whisky in the 50%+ range, you'd better look toward the malts. FWIW, I made a Bobby Burns once with the 59.6% Aberlour A'bunadh and it was fantastic. ← Macallan cask strength makes a powerful Rob Roy. I treat myself to one every once in a while. I agree that mixing with single malts is complicated and you have to attend to their characteristics. I think the problem with Asimov's statement is that he says, in a pretty dramatic fashion, that single malts will "never" be found in a mixed drink. This is demonstrably untrue. ← Except for the all-important "almost" which I still think makes the statement true, overall.

I've been waiting all day for someone to seize upon that nugget. ← I think it's a pretty accurate statement, really. When you get outside of the brains of the most creative people working in the most avante-garde bars in the best cocktail cities in the world (or the people reproducing their successes elsewhere), single malt scotch is something that isn't really found in cocktails. The drinks using them that we know are often excellent, but when one considers how many Single Malt cocktails there are, versus even the modest number that are possible with even other challenging to use spirits like blended scotch or tequila, then it really shows how difficult it is to use properly, to say nothing of a comparison with something like Rye Whiskey or Dry Gin. The presence of single malt scotch in cocktails is more a testimony to the creative genius of their inventors, rather than some sort of versatility or mixability on the part of the spirit in question. That's how I see it anyway.

Wow that's frustrating, hopefully I can get a case of old formula before the switch hits locally; finally a reason to be glad cocktail ingredients trickle slowly to Texas!

I agree with Mr. Kinsey's thoughts on the progression towards a purer form of art, but more than other types of art, cocktails are so much more preference-driven, I think, than other things. I think that at least in the context of a board of enthusiasts like this, there is some agreement on what the platonic ideal of a cocktail bar would be, but the picture painted by books like Imbibe! could lead one to think that the "sporty" crowd that popularized the fancy drinks that we revere today had more in common with the crowds that shoot Jaeger and chase it with Red Bull than those of us who own more than 3 types of bitters (or more than one, for that matter). I'm not sure if there's a lesson in that beyond the already stated idea that this is supposed to be fun, but of course fun is what you make it. I think the thing that makes people like Jerry Thomas, Harry Craddock, or Dale DeGroff legends is that they were as comfortable making Fancy Cock-Tails, Martinis, or Anejo Highballs as they were making Pousse-Cafes, Alexanders, or Pina Coladas. DaVinci didn't just draw, and Jefferson wasn't just a politician. These and more were Renaissance Men, able to encompass a wide variety of talents, and excel at all of them. So it is with the giants of the bar. And one of those talents was to allow people to enjoy themselves, wether that means contemplating the relationship between rye and bitters, or to slurp down enough jello shots to go dance with the cute girl across the room. To each his own.

This, in my opinion, is how to make very good pomegranate syrup into extraordinary grenadine.

I would normally characterize funk (if forced to elaborate on it beyond that term) as a vegetal, peppery, or (I almost just typed funky, hah!) nutty character that is difficult to pin down and, more importantly, is an alien flavor from what is expected in spirits. I don't know if I would quite see it the same as the earthy character in Old World wines, but that may be more reflective of my affinity for those types of wines, vs the long and sometimes painful courtship I underwent with things like Maraschino, grappa, and tequila before I learned to appreciate them. I do agree that there is a degree of je nais se quois involved in the 'funky' label, talking about it (or any other flavor or smell attribute) is like trying to describe what "red" looks like.

Second the Whisky Skin Add to that de la Louisianes, Sazeracs, Widow's Kisses, probably East Indias as well... more or less any dark spirit cocktail with some richness.

That's more or less the canonical recipe, streamlined for bar service (omitting all the business about using a second serving glass to mix the drink in). The only part that I might disagree with there is that most sources would have you use 1/2 to 2/3 that amount of sugar (or even less), especially in an all-booze cocktail with rich syrups where it makes a drink really sweet, really fast. Remember that 2:1 syrups are approximately the same sugar content as an equal amount of loose sugar. Of course this type of minutiae is what discussion boards are for. Me? I like something between 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp of rich syrup, trending to less for most cognac or milder ryes like Sazerac 6.

I haven't seen one from Beefeaters, but Seagram's makes one, listed for $11.54 from Spec's. Sounds weird.

The vodka analogy is apt, I think...lots of slickness to compensate for the lack of substance. With the price pushing into the realm of the Antique Collection, why wouldn't you want to just buy some Thomas Handy instead? Given these reports, I'd much rather have 2 bottles of Handy vs 3 bottles of Ri.

ummm? Vermouth?