thirtyoneknots

I believe that ice machines that create bubble-free ice do so by vibrating the trays as they freeze. -Andy

The Abbott's literature that I have implies that the product was produced by a method something like this: Infuse ingredients in grain alcohol, cut with water, age in barrels (or perhaps swap the last two steps). Barrel-aged grain alcohol is more or less whiskey (I know it's not really, but close enough), so starting with a base of whiskey produces an even more complex end result without the need for barrel-aging yourself. After all, why not let someone else do it? Planning on trying the recipe verbatim this summer when I get some money saved up. Like I said upthread, why be afraid of cumarin here and not in the original? And I do plan to use my old-school Abbott's one day. -Andy

Hey all, I normally post in the Cocktail forum and lurk over here, but this thread was too good to miss out on. I tend bar in a restaraunt that is mostly wine-centric, and while I've always enjoyed wine, most of what I actually know about it I have learned since working here (open about 2 months). Granted, this is a relatively small town for such a concept, and I try not to intimidate or make fun of people who are new to wine and want to learn, but I freely ridicule (though not to their faces) people who don't have a clue but make up for it with pretentious airs. I have seriously never heard people talk out of their ass so much than when working around wine. And if it's something I can detect, you know it's bad (my expertise, such as it is, is definitely in spirits). So a few weeks ago, these two gentlemen came in early and sat at the bar. They were very friendly, though one of them clearly wanted it to be known that he was someone with a great deal of knowledge and taste regarding wine. I believe it was while pouring him his second glass of Merlot that I reached the end of the bottle I had open and opened a new one to finish his serving. As I was about to begin to pour again he stopped me and said that this wine needed to breathe before pouring it and would I let it rest a bit (this despite the fact that I was pouring it into the enormously tall glasses perfectly suitable for swirling, etc. Would love to know what these are called if they have a name). So I set the bottle down near where they were sitting, letting it areate over a surface area perhaps the size of a quarter. Perhaps two minutes at most had passed when he impatiently called me back over to pour the rest of his wine. I overheard him lecturing his companion (who didn't really seem to care) on the importance of letting wines breathe, etc. Oh well. Makes a fun story, sort of. -Andy

Fundador is available here and at $17 a bottle is within my price range. Have you tried that? ← I got a bottle of Fundador recently and like it fine as a mixer. It's character is somewhat different than Cognac, but so far nothing that affects mixability in a significant way, though with the weather turning warm I haven't been drinking as much brandy. I would be interested to hear the findings of others though. -Andy

I've been on a bit of a beer drinking kick lately, actually, but last Saturday I was able to snag a bottle of the Thomas Handy Rye from the Sazerac company and so I poured me an ounce in a glass with an ice cube last night. This is seriously great stuff. It's bottled at barrel proof (mine is 132.7 proof) but it's ridiculously smooth. The bottle says limited edition, so next time I'm in Houston I'm definitely going to try to snag another bottle or two (if they have it). Right now it's strictly a special occasion sipper, but stay tuned for absurd mixology featuring it in the future (Sazeracs when I get some absinthe and someday, Manhattans with Carpano Antica and Abbott's Bitters). Btw, does anybody know if this truly is a limited edition or whats up with that? -Andy

In my rather limited experience with grappa, it's character is not something that strikes me as being a good mixer in the way that Cognac, etc is.

Wonderful notes, thanks so much. I'll definitely be ordering some TBT lemon in the near future, their orange is already my favorite. -Andy

It's hard to guage if my palate has become more aware or the recipe has changed (I strongly suspect the former) but Fee's bitters lately seem so glycerine-heavy as to add an unpleasant and destracting texture to cocktails. I really want to support this company, with their fantastic customer service and unique product line, but I wish they'd tweak the recipes a bit to get rid of those aspects of their bitters. Anybody able to do a comparison with Bitter Truth Lemon Bitters? -Andy

I saw Rangpur a week or two ago and wondered what exactly it was. Odd that Tanqueray would make another light juniper gin even with No. 10. If that's what it's like though, I'm partial to DrinkBoy's Bloomsbury. It's a tiny bit on the sweet side, but not so much to make it unsuitable for before dinner. The original recipe calls for Tanqueray 10, but I have had success with other lightly junipered gins like Bombay Sapphire and such. Shame Tanqueray didn't see fit to bring back Malacca instead. Dr. Cocktail sez its the bomb diggity :-P -Andy

Amen

Thank goodness!

Any opinions on Buffalo Trace out there? What little I hear seems to be good. -Andy

I must add that my favorite sipping Cognac I have ever tasted was definitely Martell Cordon Blue. It's a bit beyond my price range (around $80 I think) but luckily my boss is always willing to let us taste stuff we carry at work, which often ends up being a normal pour oops -Andy

The Esquire Drinks Database appears to be down the past few days. Hopefully this is just temporary, it's one of my favorite online resources and a great companion to the Esquire Drinks book. Mr. Wondrich, or anybody else know anything about this? -Andy

I have tried the Chatelier, also on the recommendation of a Spec's employee, and did not like it at all. I have not had Remy Martin VS, and don't care much for Covoursier (any bottling I have tried) but I do like Martell -- in some things. Martell is a brand that to me does not work in everything, but in the places it does work, it really shines. For most other applications I like Henessey VS, though Fundador is pretty good too. The nice thing about getting a decent cognac like Henessey or Martell is that they can do double duty for sipping in a pinch, but they are not so expensive as to make you cringe to mix them. I found the Claude Chatelier VSOP to be very hot and alcoholic tasting with little character, but aside from Fundador I have not tried any of the other brands listed here. -Andy

I guess I wasn't necessarily saying the crust was optional to define the drink so much as it was sort of pointless, at least from a flavor standpoint (I personally rarely use sugar rims unless requested by customers). If I understand your statement, if you add bitters to a whiskey sour (or lemon juice to a cock-tail) and serve it in a sugar-rimmed glass, it's a crusta. I am completely willing to believe that in the context of 19th century barspeak, this is true. But what, then, is the drink called without the 'crust'? In my mind, it could still be a crusta, which is distinctive flavor-wise because of the citrus and bitters. Or is it then an 'improved cock-tail'? -Andy

Check out Shoppers Vineyard. I don't know what the shipping to TX will be, but at $12.99 for a bottle of 100 proof it might be worth it. Rich ← Thanks for the lead. Looks like they also have Marie Brizzard Curacao, which even Mighty Mighty Spec's doesn't carry (yet; working on them). Will definitely be placing an order soon. -Andy

Thanks for the history, I've always thought that Dubonnet was more interesting than delicious, but this one has the same strange charm as the Pompier and Americano. It also will help use up the bottle faster, thus keeping it fresher. -Andy

Speaking of Rittenhouse, I've never seen it in Texas, and when trying to get Spec's to special order it, it came up in their computer as like $300/bottle or something obscene like that. When I told the guy I had read about it typically going for under $15/bottle he had a really good laugh (at the computer). And I still have never had any Rittenhouse

I think the blended may be a better choice for people who might not normally drink brown spirits, since it has a much lighter flavor and the apple-ness is much more up-front. We finally got a bottle of the blended at work yesterday (good luck finding bonded in this town; I have to go to Houston for it) and one of the other bartenders wanted to taste it neat for some reason, which we did. She actually enjoyed it, and she is definitely in the vodka/redbull/tequila shots crowd. So while I rarely use the stuff at home I think this blended stuff and Jack Roses made with it could be a nice "gateway drug" to get people to drink brown spirits, and eventually there may be a demand for the bonded. Sort of like the way the first whisky I drank was Crown Royal, and now I drink more straight rye than all other whisk(e)ys put together. -Andy

Mainly because I have a mostly-full bottle of it :-P Edit: "It" being The Bitter Truth OFW

I don't want to stray too far off-topic, but I did want to add something re Crustas. I know that the crusta name stems from the 'crust' of sugar, but this is presentation, and therefore has little to do with the taste of the drink. In my mind the real thing that sets the crusta apart is the inclusion of both citrus juice and bitters, which gives a unique flavor profile. I have always thought that if the crusta category had survived as more than an archaic concept, drinks such as the Pegu Club would have fallen under it. Just my own little hairbrained musings. -Andy

No, no, no! The Bitter Truth orange flower water is terrible! Stick with the Monteux brand. It is by far the best. ← Terrible? I'm not necessarily doubting you so much as asking for qualification on that. I have heard high praise for it elsewhere and it certainly works well enough for me, even has a convenient dasher bottle. Of course I may not really know what OFW is supposed to taste like enough to catch any nuances or whatever. -Andy Edit to add: 1.5 oz is going into 3 quarts of finished product, not much higher per volume than 3 drops on your drink.

When I have made this I used the Monteux brand of OFW, though when that is gone (soon) I'll probably move to The Bitter Truth. You definitely want the European style vs the Middle Eastern style. Sorry for not specifying. -Andy

To put Cynar in the same sentence as Limoncello is just not right. Cynar is without question the foulest of the foul libations available for sale. Who in their right mind drinks the stuff? And for what reason? Surely not because of it's taste. ← <Raises Hand>