thirtyoneknots

That's pretty much it, just be sure that the ice you're using is crushed ice. You want the drink to be as cold as possible. -Andy

I use a vegetable peeler instead of a paring knife when I have one handy; it only takes the peel and doesn't expose the flesh of the fruit, making it easy to juice once you've made all your twists. As far as the twists themselves, I definitely prefer the broad, flat type, which is easier to do and yields superior results than the long thin spiral which, while attractive, adds little to the flavor of the drink. -Andy

In the interest of science, I tried the Filmograph Cocktail from Vintage Spirits... but to the original recipe (which the book does not recommend). 2 oz Brandy (1 oz Hennessey VS) 3/4 oz Lemon Syrup (1/4 oz Monin Lemon Syrup) 1/2 oz Kola Tonic (1/4 oz Rose's Kola Tonic) Stir/strain/up; no garnish used but a twist of some kind would have worked well. The book recommends using lemon juice instead of syrup, which I tried a few months back with interesting, if underwhelming, results. The drink was decent but not exciting enough to make regularly. For some reason I got to thinking about it the other day though and decided to try it again with the lemon syrup I had acquired in the meantime. The final verdict, I think, is that with the sweeteners cut way back, the addition of a dash of bitters, and the use of a more muscular brandy like Martell, this could be quite an interesting cocktail, somewhat in the vein of a Japanese Cocktail, for after-dinner consumption. -Andy

Herbs and/or fruit and fruit peel has long been an essential ingredient in a host of classic drinks, most famously mint in drinks like Mojitos and Mint Juleps, and sometimes fruit shows up in drinks like an Old Fashioned, although Basil, Thyme, citrus peel, apples, and cherries can and have also been used just to name a few. A muddler is an efficient way to extract the flavorful essences from these ingredients for incorporation into cocktails. It really opens up a new demension of what flavors and layers of texture are available to add to drinks, but like all trends it is very prone to abuse. -Andy

At work we have wooden (unvarnished) muddlers and plastic ones, and while I don't know if there's a real reason behind it, the plastic ones just feel wrong. It could just be the traditionalist in me, but I don't like them. Also they appear to be of cheap manufacture and the bottom is somewhat uneven where the casting marks are. -Andy

Tonight the roommate and I had Old Fashioneds with the Thomas Handy Rye. It was a very unique experience, made with Muscovado sugar and Angostura bitters. I can't wait to try it again after I make some Abbott's this summer. -Andy

I got one of those for my dad last Christmas to go with shakers, strainer, spoon, jigger, etc he asked for. It is very comfortable to use and unvarnished. I nearly traded it out for one of my old ones; it's very nice. -Andy

My understanding is that the use of Bokers is sort of a tell that the recipe came from Jerry Thomas. What I do not know is if he uses this almost exclusively because it was his favorite, or because it was more widely available. I think in general different brands of aromatic bitters are more or less interchangeable according to preference, although they will sometimes yield drastically different results (though not necessarily bad results). -Andy

When I tried it a couple of months ago, it went through and I got a confirmation and it charged me and everything, but when I checked the status on my order (thinking it too good to be true) it said out of stock or something like that. When I sent a query as to when it would ship they came back saying that they cannot ship to the US for customs reasons, and my money was promptly refunded. What we need is a similar site in English without as much concience about smuggling. Evidently this site was working in 2004. As far as the cost goes, if I recall correctly, I ended up paying about $20-25/bottle when I ordered two (with shipping and everything). Expensive, but hardly exorbitant. -Andy

This seems like as good an opportunity as any to re-ask: Is there still no online source for real Swedish Punsch? -Andy

Bottled oj works decent in a Monkey Gland, and its a nice intro to real cocktails for the uninitiated.

I didn't even think I liked Bloody Marys, but I've been fooling aorund with them the past few days at work and came up with one using black pepper-infused vodka and basil muddled in with it. Aside from that, fairly basic: tomato juice, lemon juice, worcestershire, tobasco, salt. The basil really makes it something special and the pepper vodka gives it an intense heat from an very unusual direction. It's a flavor I love but have in the past found it difficult to incorporate without creating grit in the bottom of the glass.

At work today I test-ran a julep very similar to this, it was wonderful. Used Covoursier XO and Appleton Extra. I don't know how else to differentiate this from a modern Bourbon Julep, so I like to call this one a 'Planters Julep'. Thanks for the recipe; this may make the summertime list. -Andy

When I find myself in situations like that I have a kit to take with me. It includes a bottle of Wild Turkey Rye, a dasher of 2:1 syrup, and a bottle of Angostura. Also a lemon and peeler if i have time/room. I can drink Old Fashioneds til the cows come home with that stuff :-P -Andy

I also did a recipe from Dr. Cocktail this time around, one that has intrigued me for some time; the Soyer au Champagne (Silk with Champagne): 2 dashes brandy (1 tsp Hennessey VS) 2 dashes Maraschino (Luxardo) 2 dashes curacao (Brizzard) 2 dashes pineapple juice Pour into parfait glass (or large cocktail glass for me) and top with Champagne (or Freixenet Brut Cava) and carefully place a tablespoon or so of vanilla ice cream (Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla ) Serve with at least a straw, spoon might help as well. This was decent but the acidity of the wine clashed somewhat with the ice cream, I think it would have been even better with a slightly sweeter sparkler like Dry or Extra Dry, and a heartier brandy like Martell would not have been amiss either. This is also essentially a Champagne Float, and I think it would work well that way, tripling or more the entire recipe, although the richness would require that it be shared. All in all, a decent drink, and worth trying, but not one I'm rushing to make again. -Andy

I've never noticed such a thing, but then again I haven't been looking for it, either. Peach brandy does turn up in a lot of early drinks, though. When well aged, it was highly prized (we're talking about an aged eau-de-vie here, made with fruit and pits, not the sweetened liqueur we know now). ← This is the second time I've seen this product mentioned in your posts and have always been fascinated by this concept; it sounds delicious. Whatever happened to it? -Andy

I'm not arguing that point, just trying to use the comparison as a way to further my understanding of what a cobbler is (and what a julep is, for that matter). I did not mean to suggest they are the same thing, just that they have a few similarities. -Andy

I've been reading all this with much interest but not much to contribute except this one question: When you start adding things like juices and pineapple slices and strawberries and so forth to a julep, what then distinguishes it from a cobbler? -Andy

Just yesterday the Gumbo Pages posted a mail order source for Hermes Bitters: Hermes Product Page Though for general purpose use I think I personally prefer the marginally more available Bitter Truth Orange Bitters. -Andy PS: Hermes Violet purportedly available soon at above link. PPS: Any word lately on the Angostura Orange Bitters?

i always made my coffee cocktails with equal parts cognac and port.....and because i am me sometimes i like two yolk but only when they are small. it can be a very invigorating drink when you are tired but make sure it is super cold.... i became a big fan of raw eggs after trying all of "leo's specialties" at the end of leo engel's bar book.... ← Yeah I've seen them that way too, notably here, which also includes a rather unorthodox dash of bitters. I used the recipe from Dr. Cocktail's book for no better reason than that I am trying to make every drink in it. I've got about ten left to go, which doesn't count recipes with the Swedish Punsch I have had no luck in obtaining. Of course I'll probably revisit some of the ones I've made before as well. -Andy

Had the afternoon off and cause enough to celebrate so I took the opportunity to try some new things: While perusing this very thread I came across an interesting-sounding one called the Violet Femme: 2 oz gin (Plymouth specified, and used) .5 oz Parfait Amour (Brizzard, natch) 2 sugar cubes (.5 oz simple specified, presumably 1:1) 1 oz lemon grapefruit peel (My directions) Muddle peel with lemon juice and sugar, add other ingredients and ice and shake; strain into chilled cocktail glass. This is a fascinating drink, mostly a showcase for the PA (as its flavor is so strong). It works nicely by accenting the flavor subtly though, esp by the grapefruit peel. Worth making again, but probably not anytime soon. Next, an Income Tax Cocktail a la Dr. Cocktail: 1.5 oz Gin (Bombay Dry) .75 oz R. Vermouth (Cinzano) .75 oz D. Vermouth (N-P) dash Angostura juice of 1/4 orange (or a little more, the orange wasnt very juicy) shake/strain/up Pretty good, rather different than other gin + oj drinks out there, worth another go, but I want to try the Bronx (basically the same sans bitters) first, though I'll probly use the Esquire Drinks recipe, which ups the juice and scales back the vermouths a lot. Then it was a Bebbo, also from Vintage Spirits... 1.5 oz gin (Bombay Dry -- trying to use it up) 1 oz lemon .5 oz honey (1 oz honey syrup, 1:1 honey and water for easy mixing) 2 tsp orange juice shake/strain/up Once again, pretty good, but I dont think I'll be having another one tomorrow or anything. I'm trying to use the Bombay which I had a lot of, but I think it would work better with another gin. Then came dinner -- pan-fried venison cutlets with mashed potatoes and gravy, accompanied with a bottle of '04 Mouton Cadet (one of the best values in wine I've had, it was marvellous and under $10). Followed that with a glass of Warre's Warrior (ruby port). Then I decided to have one last one so I went with one that has intrigued me for some time: the Coffee Cocktail: 1 oz Cognac (Martell recommended and used) 2-3 oz Port (3 oz Warre's Warrior) 1 tsp sugar (1 tsp 2:1 simple syrup) 1 whole egg Shake well and strain into small goblet. I found this to be as unusual as I envisioned, but in other ways. Unlike using egg white, which can lighten a drink, using a whole egg adds a rather heavier texture and a hint of very eggy flavor. This is interesting at first, but becomes more unpleasant and destracting as the drink warms (and it will, it's a rather large one). On the whole I found this drink to be more academically interesting than tasty. As an aside, the drink came out purple, very unlike any description or photo I have seen. How peculiar. -Andy

I think he's referring to the variations with maraschino and such, not the original rum + lime + sugar. Recent discussion on the Drinkboy forums leads me to believe that the lime shell business is derived from Trader Vic's writings. -Andy

My previous post wasn't meant to be an authoritative claim on flavoring and distillation, though upon rereading it does more or less come off that way. I just can't imagine any other way to add a flavor element that also has color and then come out with a clear product.

I disagree; I think that triple secs are a type of curacao, not the other way around. To me, only clear products can be 'triple sec' since the term itself implies that the distillation wasdone after the inclusion of the orange flavor (or even as the means of including it). Of course being nitpicky about such minutiae is the fun part of this disease we call 'Cocktailianism' :-P -Andy

Grand Marnier also says 'Triple Orange' right there on the label, which I always found curious. Is this to capitalize on a real or imagined public association of the word 'triple' with orange liqueurs? In my mind, 'triple sec' has a very definite meaning, even if I sometimes have trouble articulating what that is, and Grand Marnier does not fall under that heading. It's also interesting to note the brands requested most (around here anyway); I rarely have customers specify Cointreau in a Margarita (although I always use it if they have called better than well tequila), but frequently have people call for Grand Marnier, which to me seems to heavy to use in a Margarita. This is also a good opportunity to note that the Margarita is a great contender for most bastardized and abused classic cocktail (aside from the 'martini'), which probably contributes to this phenomenon, but that is for another thread. -Andy