TBoner
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This is really interesting, and I do my own coffee liquor that other's in the family beg to be offered a bottle.
Steep: 750 ml Everclear (or the highest proof grain alcohol that you can obtain) WHOLE coffee beans, a generous chunk of vanilla bean - Minimum of a week if you are in a hurry, but two weeks if you want to do it right. If you like the bitterness of Starbuck's espresso, then by all means use their espresso beans. The best results that I have personally had were using their Guatamala Antigua and most especially their Yukon whole beans.The bit of the vanilla bean puts the smoothness in, without adding any sweetness, to my taste buds. Your milage may vary, but I think that this is the secret.
Simple Syrup: I make mine with double strength coffee and sugar, one to one, rather than going the instant coffee route (one cup wet measure coffee, one cup dry measure sugar, bring to a boil, turn off and let cool). I brew the coffee from the same type of bean I have steeped. How much you make and cut the steeped solution is the ticket.
Final bottling:
Personally, and for the tastes of the people I prepare this for, they like it on the sweet side. So I do 4 cups of double strength coffee and 4 cups of sugar, cool it, and then combine with another 750 ml of 80 proof vodka, and the strained and filtered steeped solution. If I wanted a less sweet version, I would start with 1 cup of double strength coffee and 1 cup of sugar, omit the vodka, combine it directly with the steeped solution, and work up to my desired sweetness from there after it has had at least a week to combine and mellow. You can always add more sugar, but it is difficult to take it out without adding more booze or water or both. You can always do a 1 cup to 1 cup double strength coffee and sugar solution at a time. I would not add more booze until you have two cups of simple syrup to the solution. The only trick here is to remember that alcohol evaporates every time it is exposed to air.
My two cents, for what it is worth. And good luck in your quest.
I'm kind of picky about my coffee flavor. I want it strong, but not bitter.
Of the many recipes I've seen for homemade coffee liqueur, this one appeals to me most. My wife and I have given homemade liqueurs (limoncello, usually) as office Christmas gifts in the past, and given that two of her colleagues enjoy Kahlua drinks a great deal, we decided on a coffee liqueur.
As I said, the above recipe appealed to me, particularly the use of coffee syrup in addition to the coffee vanilla infusion. However, since there were no specific amounts for the coffee beans, I'm winging it.
I used 1 cup coarsely cracked French roast beans in a combination of 1L Everclear and 750mL vodka. 2 vanilla beans left over from the massive amount received at the beginning of my homemade vanilla extract procedure.
This solution has grown dark quickly and smells fantastic. I plan to taste at two weeks and decide where to go from there. I anticipate this will be enough coffee, but if I see any slowing of progress, I'll add to what's in the jug.
As I said, I will be using a coffee syrup as described above, and based on my previous liqueur experiments and what my wife's co-workers will probably prefer, I think I will aim on the sweeter side, say 3-4 cups of syrup (I may bottle 1-2 bottles at a lower Brix, as I don't enjoy sickly sweet liqueurs). I intend to cold-brew the double-strength coffee for the syrup, as I think that yields a strong flavor without bitterness. I'll report back with results.
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Well said, Sam. I think the argument is often made, not only regarding spirits or cocktails but regarding assorted disagreements about the use of language, that "we're just arguing semantics." But in fact the relationship between sign and signified matters as you argue above. The taxonomy is a valuable asset in identifying historical trends and in preserving not only tradition but knowledge.
I do agree with bostonapothecary's comment that ingenuity and frivolous novelty are needed, as in fact these are the forces that drive innovation and were responsible for the historical drinks we so often celebrate. Some classic cocktails appear truly odd on paper, and then work beautifully in the glass. I also feel that ingenuity and frivolous novelty are in fact exercised regularly by those who post here and other cocktailians. Witness some of the truly unique experiments discussed in this thread and the "Drinks!" thread. Certainly many, myself included, hew close to traditional drinks and variations thereof, almost to a fault. But ingenuity and novelty are alive and well. Where tradition exists, however, I think preserving in uncorrupted is valuable for tradition's sake and to ensure continued ingenuity (i.e., we don't want to keep unwittingly reinventing the wheel).
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Prince of Wales sounds a bit like a Seelbach: bourbon, Cointreau, champagne, and 7 dashes each of Peychaud's and Angostura. I don't have the book to see ratios on PoW, but the basic formula sounds similar. The Seelbach has become a favorite of mine lately, though I don't know that the Cointreau and Champagne are particularly appropriate for Repeal Day. It's just a damn good drink.
I agree that rye is a fantastic choice for Repeal Day, in just about any context. Personally, I plan to sip at a bit of straight unaged corn whiskey, too.
Those of you in New York are fortunate to have access to Hudson Baby Bourbon and Rye, which at their young ages (and from pot stills) may give some indication of what much whiskey tasted like before and during the first few years after Prohibition (discounting those distilleries that set aside whiskey for aging throughout the decade). Young whiskey can be a wonderful thing, and is at the very least a taste of history, given that at one time 10 or 12 year old American whiskey was unheard of, and much whiskey was bottled as soon as it was legal and/or drinkable. My friends on whiskey forums have had encouraging things to say about these bottlings. I am very jealous.
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I would say the comparison to WT Rye is similar to the comparison between WT 101 and Wild Turkey Russell's Reserve bourbon. The Russell's Reserve line is not visibly connected to Turkey anymore (the words Wild Turkey do not appear on the RR Rye label). The flavor profile is connected, but only loosely. The signature earth and cinnamon of WT Rye are present in the Russell's Reserve version, but age has knocked some of the fire out of the whiskey. So has a lower proof point. The result is a whiskey that is actually remarkably similar to the Baby Saz, though with less of Buffalo Trace's brown sugar signature. The first time I tasted it, I said, "Iced tea." It's endlessly drinkable, like iced tea. It's very refreshing. And, because of the cooling mint note on the finish, it would make a very nice addition to a glass of iced tea.
I love the regular WT rye (neat or in a cocktail, I think it's one of the best whiskeys in the market), so it's tough for me to say the Russell's Reserve is better. It's just markedly different. I don't think it would work in a Manhattan. It would definitely make a fine julep and a very good Sazerac. But it's probably best to just sip it neat. A good product, and an interesting direction for WT to move with its mid-shelf product line.
BTW, on a somewhat related note, I have it on pretty good authority that in just over a year, Beam is looking at putting a new product on the market for the first time in ages: a premium version of Old Overholt. Rejoice! More rye! (of course, they may reverse field, but I'm told they really want to compete with Baby Saz and WT for a market segment they didn't expect to exist).
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Excellent info, Rebecca. Thank you!
I am a homebrewer, so my spent grains are minimal and usually go into the compost pile. My late dog adored biscuits made with them, but they weren't great for his gastric output.
I'm hopeful that I can support your operation by sampling some of your products next time I'm in B.C. (not that I travel there frequently).
Thanks again for the information.
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So, a week or so ago I came across 2 bottles of the 12-yr Laird's Apple Brandy. $53. Hmm...the Calvados I use for mixing regularly (and occasional sipping) is just over half that price.
But, in reading through this thread, I see that the 12-yr was perhaps produced only once, for the holiday season, a few years back? If this is the case, my interest is piqued, because I'm a bit of a junkie for out-of-production liquor. Further, it may be my only chance to taste this product.
Regardless, I only collect to drink (eventually), so I'm wondering if anyone has any opinions to offer regarding the cost and relative merits of this stuff. If I spend $50 on a bottle, it's going to be for drinking neat, with maybe one or two occasional cocktails in the mix.
Any opinions or experience beyond what little is stated earlier in the thread?
EDIT: By the way, Erik, I posted in the Drinks! thread about a sort-of Vieux Carre variation with AJack and Benedictine. At first, I didn't know if the contrast between rye and ajack was significant enough, but with all Laird's the drink borders on cloying. The rye does its job well.
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The Sierra Nevada Harvest Ale is the best beer I've had from them. We get it on tap only in these parts, and always at the Flying Saucer, which is great in terms of selection but lousy in terms of atmosphere (the Ginger Man here in Dallas, OTOH, has been moving in the opposite direction).
I have had - and loved - Great Divide's take on Fresh Hop pale ale, and I anxiously await its annual arrival. All hail fresh hops!
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On the Widow's Kiss, was that with Calvados or a different apple brandy? I find the throatiness (for lack of a better term) of even mid- to bottom-shelf Calvados stands up pretty well to anything. I have enjoyed the drink with both green and yellow chartreuse. Using Laird's bonded, though, it seems to want the yellow.
Your vermouth sounds interesting. You've mentioned it before. PM me if you'd like to talk more about it, as I'd be interested in hearing about your recipe (maybe a separate thread on homemade vermouth is due?).
Today, I started by looking at the Reveillon cocktail per Chuck Taggart's recipe in Imbibe. However, lacking the pear brandy, I knew I'd have to take it in a different direction. Enter the Vieux Carre. A hybrid of sorts:
1 oz. Rittenhouse bonded
1 oz. Laird's bonded
1/4 oz. homemade pimento dram
1/4 oz. Benedictine
1/4 oz. Punt e Mes
2 generous dashes homemade bitters (cardamom and cinnamon-heavy)
Garnish with cracked black cardamom pod
This is delicious. Sweet, an after-dinner drink to be sure, but the Punt e Mes provides backbone and keeps it from being cloying. Apple pie in the flavor, but with a decided smokiness from the Benedictine (and accentuated by the black cardamom). I want to have this after roasted rack of venison or perhaps some braised rabbit.
BTW, this is the first I've used my homemade pimento dram (after a month of aging).
I also bottled an Amer Picon replica (per the recipe in the same issue of Imbibe) and a batch of homemade orange bitters. And, while I'm bragging, I'll mention that I'm about to bottle a homebrewed mead (a melomel, actually: this one has honey, blackberries, dark cherries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and a handful of dried Zante currants). A good day.
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I asked about Calvados at one of my favorite local liquor stores, PlumpJack Wine Store, and they steered me in the direction of Calvados Roger Groult Réserve 3 years old. It's around $30 bucks and quite a bit nicer than the Morice, (which may head to the cupboard of misfit booze until a Calvados punch rears its ugly head.) It's got some of the hard cider funk; but, it is much more restrained and civilized. I'd say it is as sip-able as any of the American Apple Brandies I've tried with much more interesting apple character.
One thing that puzzles me about the Clear Creek Apple Brandy is that they brag on the bottle that it is made from "Golden Delicious Apples." Is there a single more pathetically flavorless and uninteresting apple than the Golden Delicious? I can't think of one. Why would you make anything using Golden Delicious apples? I mean, without question, it is a fine Apple Brandy; but, why use those apples?
This might be a bit of marketing fluff, too. Does it say that it is made only from Golden Delicious? If not, they may be mentioning that variety as it is a known quantity to many people. The average consumer may not know many varieties of apples, but everyone knows GDs. There may actually only be a small quantity used, or it may be the base for the distillation with the flavor coming from other varieties.
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re: Vieux Carre Variation
I tried one with Clear Creek Apple Brandy, Compass Box Asyla, Carpano Antica, Benedictine and Angostura bitters last night.
It was all right. For me there wasn't enough contrast between the flavors of the spirits for it to be truly interesting. Maybe a dash of stronger flavored Scotch?
Stronger-flavored Scotch might work. I think bourbon, rye, tequila, and rum have in common a more distinctly spicy sweetness from the barrels and/or the distillate themselves that yields an interesting contrast to the fruity assault of bonded Laird's. I actually think younger products are better in this case, too (though Asyla is not an extra-aged product). Maybe Talisker 10 or even a well-peated bottle of Glen Garioch 8? A pricier drink, then, to be sure (at least with Talisker), but it might improve things. Even the spice and burnt-sugar notes of Saz Jr. might be worth a shot.
All that said, as I mentioned upthread, I wonder if experimentation might need to evolve in a different direction. I have some homemade pimento dram that I think might do well with Laird's, a bit of Benedictine, and then...something else to counter the sweetness of the whole mess. I had considered dry vermouth, but that's likely too herbal. Maybe I'll play with a couple of recipes this weekend and see what I can figure out. Tonight, I have too much work to get done, but I think there has to be something great involving these two ingredients; just a matter of discovering it.
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FWIW, eje,
I have made some fine (though not exceptional) variants on the Vieux Carre that used both Benedictine and Laird's bonded. The best of these were one using Laird's and a bonded bourbon (an old Old Forester) and one using Laird's and an anejo tequila (with Bianco vermouth instead of sweet). I would say experimentation may need to go in another direction than the Vieux Carre to yield something truly brilliant, though. YMMV.
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On the issue of a "house drink:" Fall in the Midwest makes me think of the apple harvest (I miss living in northern Illinois). That leads me to Applejack. Some drinks in that direction might have too many ingredients that would be unusable elsewhere. However, a nice Vieux Carre variation would require only what you already have on hand (whiskey, vermouth, bitters), a bottle of Applejack, and a teaspoon of a good, distinctive liqueur (Benedictine is the Vieux Carre standard, but I think amaretto, Apry, cherry brandy, or anything else brandy based would work).
If that veers too close to a Manhattan, since you've already got juice for sours, you could consider a Jack Rose. Applejack, lime juice, grenadine. Grenadine is cheap to buy, but easier to make on your own: pomegranate juice and superfine sugar. Leaving some homemade grenadine behind for your hosts wouldn't be necessary, since you could base your recipe on how much you need, but if there's some leftover, it's not a big deal.
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Jeff,
I do some part-time work going into the high-end steakhouses here and buying drinks for folks. There are a couple that make a good Manhattan, and some that don't even have bitters. It's a crapshoot. But Manhattans are at least a place to start. Most customers at the steakhouses seem to be either dining at the bar, in which case they order wine, or drinking vodka tonics, in which case they may be hopeless
. I am specifically trying to promote whiskey, and it's difficult. If whiskey gets ordered, it's usually whisky (Scotch), which doesn't lend itself to as much variety in cocktails.I've been to places with great back bars (Louie's on Henderson stocks 4 different ryes and at least 15 bourbons, a rarity here) that don't seem keen on cocktails; I've been to places that do some classic/hip cocktails (Libertine on Greenville makes a poor Aviation and a fair Pegu, or used to, at least) but are in the wrong part of town with the wrong clientele to make a go of it.
Fickle is the right word to describe the Dallas drinker, and it's a shame. I know this: several good bartenders (at Bob's on Lemmon, at Louie's, and a couple of other places) have been happy to make drinks to my specifications if it's slow (I don't ask if it's busy). I've gotten a couple of nice Vieux Carres, a decent Sazerac, and an effort at a Seelbach without complaint. So, when in doubt, go to a place you frequent, and when the bartender has a minute, ask for what you want. Several folks sitting near me got very interested in the Seelbach, and when I explained that it was sort of like a champagne cocktail variation, they tried them. And thus were 3 converts made.
So maybe what makes a city good for cocktails is having some vocal lovers of good cocktails perpetually requesting favorites.
But, yeah, Dallas...sigh...?
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Well, Sonny Bryan's is probably the "classic" choice for barbecue in Dallas. The location on Inwood is the original. I've not had a bad meal there.
I'd say you can't go wrong at Craft, but York Street is unique to Dallas and very, very good.
There are other options in both categories, but those are the two things that leapt to mind immediately.
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I agree with everything you listed, but there must be some other element, because Dallas has all of the above, and while I may just be going to the wrong places, I don't see this as a great city for cocktails. Perhaps some sense of history is necessary on the part of the consumer? Or at least a willingness to drink brown liquor? Here in Dallas, it seems many bartenders and patrons alike don't know or won't try bourbon, rye, brandy, etc. A bartender at a place I frequent said she thinks one strike against Dallas is that it is a "skinny city." Not that the people here are actually thin, but that there is a superficial sort of standard of svelteness that our residents are after, and that they perceive liqueurs, brown liquor, sugar, etc. as standing in their way. Thus, vodka and soda or vodka and sugar free Red Bull are the standard drinks...
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I made a Liberal today with Rittenhouse and (unfortunately) some of the current Amer Picon. It was good, but...I wish I could taste it with the older recipe.
My Amer Picon replica has a ways to go, as I've got another full month of steeping the dried orange peel in vodka. I think I should've gone with an adaptation similar to the one eje posted in another thread.
At any rate, I've been drinking Scotch and Manhattans almost exclusively, so I was due for something different. Up next, it's on to a Bairn variation:
2 oz. homemade Scotch blend (includes varying amounts of Highland Park 12, Macallan 12, Dalmore 12, Bowmore 12, and Famous Grouse)
1/2 oz. Ramazzotti
1/4 oz. Cointreau
dash orange bitters
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Never had that amaro, but I've certainly looked around here. I have a replica recipe going and snagged a liter of the current stuff a couple of weeks ago. I'd like to have some of the original to taste, but I doubt much of it ever made it to TX, let alone survived this long.
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Apry, ginger, and bourbon...sounds terrific.
1/4 oz. Apry seems to do well in the Slope. Maybe would work here, too, to reduce the sweetness. A dash of peach bitters would help point up the flavor of the Apry as the amount used goes down.
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Sounds terrific, Katie. I have way too much basil in my garden right now, so perhaps a trip to buy a watermelon is in order.
As for me, I've been drinking Improved Holland Gin Cocktails recently, and last night had a nice riff on the Vieux Carre:
1 oz. 1800 anejo tequila
1 oz. Flor de Cana 7yo
1 oz. Cinzano Bianco
1 tsp. Ramazzotti
2 dashes Regan's orange
2 dashes Angostura
Flamed orange twist
I'll be making this again.
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How does it differ from Esquire Drinks? I was planning on buying it, but should I just wait for Imbibe instead?
You should definitely get both. On any given day, Esquire Drinks is my favorite drink book to use. It's fetching obscene prices for used copies right now on Amazon but if you find a good deal, grab it. And just to be safe you should probably get Killer Cocktails, too.
-Andy
Wow! You aren't kidding. I hadn't looked at the Amazon price on Esquire Drinks previously. Glad I snagged a used copy for $1 this week (it was marked $3, but they gave me an additional discount at the register).
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Jim Meehan, a bartender at Gramercy Tavern and the Pegu Club in Manhattan, has been working for more than a year on a subtle variation of his own that is infused with lime and lemongrass. He believes there is room behind the bar for more than one tonic water.
Interesting. I recently tried a bottle of the lemongrass Dry Soda, and my first thought was how well it would go with gin.
It does. A really unbelievable combination. Recommended.
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I recently picked up some dried gentian with an eye to making up a batch of my own bitters, but now I have a question: when a recipe calls for an amount of gentian by volume (say, 3 teaspoons), is that powdered? The stuff I have is in small pieces, ranging from the size of, say, a peppercorn to the size of a cardamom pod or bigger. Will this work, or should I run it through my coffee grinder?
I've used mine in the same form, tiny pieces of dried root. It's been perfect in both aromatic bitters and - from what I can tell - the orange bitters I have going right now.
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Found some current (actually, early 1990s) Picon today here in TX. $10/L. I bought it, even if it is only 42 proof. It'll give me at least some point of reference when my replica recipe of the old stuff is finished.
I tried a Brooklyn today with Overholt, Vya dry, Luxardo, and the Picon. Very good drink, and I can't wait for the replica to be ready. Alas, two more months!
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Went simple tonight.
Whiskey sour made with fresh lemon juice, homemade 2:1 demerara syrup, and Overholt.
Now having a small pour of some mid-1980s Old Forester Bottled in Bond. Terrific, gutsy American whiskey. The rye comes across as both floral and spicy, with just enough oak to tame the fire. I love this bottle, and it's nearly empty, with no replacement in sight.
Sigh.
Dry-Aged Beef in Dallas
in Texas: Cooking & Baking
Posted
I was in the Whole Foods on Lemmon yesterday and noted some dry-aged steaks at the meat counter. They were a little pricey ($23/lb for NY Strip) but not out of line with WF's other meat. It's the first I've seen of this at a grocery store in Dallas, though perhaps I haven't looked hard enough, or maybe I've missed something obvious. My usual grocery shopping is done at Fiesta, but I get to CM Dallas and WF Lower Greenville somewhat regularly. Are there other grocery stores and/or butchers selling dry-aged steaks on the east side of the Metroplex?