TBoner

Andy, Is it HFCS or is it glycerine? They specifically list glycerine, which can tend to yield a corn syrupy mouthfeel, as an ingredient on every type of bitters they make. At any rate, I like Fee's Old-Fashioned and Whiskey Barrel Bitters, and I think their orange bitters have a fair number of uses (usually in opposite places from Regan's). However, I do think they may need to rethink the bitterness of their other bitters, and dial down the emphasis on the fruit flavor and/or dense mouthfeel and sweetness. I haven't sampled their other products, but I do appreciate their customer service enough to eventually give those a shot. On the subject of Aquavit, I want to buy some, but I feel like there's probably as much or more variation in the flavors as there is in the world of gin, and I always wonder what the best all-rounder might be for cocktails. I've done some reading of old threads, and maybe I just need to do some more. Either way, it'll be a while before I buy a bottle, given the immense amount of liquor currently here and the several additional bottles I'll be picking up this week.

The Fee Brothers peach are...okay. I agree that they're a bit sweet and not all that bitter or nuanced. However, they work well with bourbon. In fact, a dash or two in a sweeter bourbon, neat, is a good drink. I also think that the Fee peach are decent in an Old-Fashioned (as long as a dash of Regan's or some Angostura make it into the glass, too). I like the champagne/prosecco cocktail idea. I also had a long drink of rum, ginger ale, and peach bitters last week that was pretty good, and rum cocktails, especially those employing dark rum, might be a good place to use peach bitters. But, their best application might be in cooking desserts. I'll have to play with that. All that said, I've been thinking about making some homemade peach bitters that are a bit less on the sweet side. Thing is, given the small number of cocktails I'd use them in (thanks for pointing out the list of peach bitters cocktails on CocktailDB, Andy), I can't justify making a very large batch for home use at this time.

Jeff, Good call on the Old-Fashioned. I use the Fee Bros. Orange in every other Old-Fashioned I make (the others usually contain Regan's). As for cooking, I haven't used the orange. I can tell you, though, that the Fee Bros. lemon bitters are great for finishing sauces. For instance, sear some rosemary-seasoned pork chops, deglaze with vermouth, reduce by 1/2 or more, add a couple of dashes of lemon bitters, maybe a tablespoon of butter. The lemon bitters aren't all that bitter, so they make a nice addition to cake icing or whipped cream for desserts, too. I'd guess the orange and peach, neither of which is particularly bitter (though the orange is more bitter than the peach), might do well in that context. Perhaps the orange would also enhance a spicy Asian sauce or a good barbecue sauce...hmmm... Other cocktails that the Fee Bros. orange bitters work in, for me at least, are Manhattans (where Regan's don't seem to work as well, IMO), Sidecars, and Ward Eights.

All well-said, slkinsey. I'll add that my favorite gin in a Pegu Club is Broker's. I can get this at a good price ($13.99) here in Dallas, it has an assertive character, and there's enough orange-citrus in the finish to match it with juices and curacao/triple sec. I use it in Aviations and Pegu Clubs (and sometimes Last Words). It'll do in other drinks, too, so it might fit the cost requirement. Otherwise, Beefeater's another great all-rounder, and not that much more expensive.

On the Scotch front, I like Famous Grouse just fine for a Bobbie Burns. Famous Grouse 12 (a vatted malt rather than a blended whiskey) is better. But my favorite has been with a homemade vatting of equal parts Bowmore 12, Dalmore 12, and Highland Park 12. The Bowmore smoke is there, but tamed by the other two, and the perfuminess of young Bowmore hides behind the cognac. Awesome stuff. I'd love to hear more about your handmade vermouth, perhaps in a separate thread. In fact, if anyone else has made vermouth, I'd love to hear more about it.

Marvin, I would say a good place to start might be by contacting the Scotch Malt Whiskey Society of America. They can probably point you to people in your area who are experienced or knowledgeable enough to lead a tasting. Heck, with the size group you're talking about, they may in fact put together a tasting for you and/or set you up with a nearby tasting. I'm not sure how likely it is that a distillery would sponsor your tasting, but even if you find one to do so, it's likely that you'll only be tasting products from that one company. This is not necessarily a problem, since multiple distilleries are often owned by one company, but it does limit what your group can taste. It might also be on the expensive side. Getting someone who has no particular affiliation is a crapshoot, I would say. I have no professional knowledge or experience with beer, but I have run beer tastings. My knowledge is based on reading, homebrewing, tastings I've attended, and lots of drinking. I'm articulate, and I teach people for a living. I felt like I did a good job with the tastings (and the group invited me back to do more), but it was not an ideal experience for me or the group (pacing was tough, providing the appropriate amount of knowledge was difficult - I felt I vascillated between saying too much and saying too little, etc). I would guess this would be true with any spirit or beverage. So finding someone with experience and/or affiliation with a group like SMWSA would help a great deal.

Inspired by your experiments, bostonapothecary, this evening begins with a Vieux Carre variation of sorts: 3/4 oz. Laird's bonded apple brandy 3/4 oz. Old Forester bonded bourbon (this is a bonded bottle from the 80s: very fruity, especially cherries and oranges; also floral as heck) 3/4 oz. Cinzano sweet vermouth 1 tsp. Cherry Marnier (because I just got some and want to use it, because cherry and apple seemed right, because the brandy base links it vaguely to Benedictine, and because it echoes some of the fruit in the Old Forester) 2 dashes Peychaud's 2 dashes homemade bitters (in the vein of Hess' House Bitters, with a couple of minor tweaks) I flamed a large piece of orange peel over the glass, but I think lemon might work better This is a terrific cocktail, very autumnal in a sense (might work well for Thanksgiving). I like Laird's a lot, and the symmetry of two bonded products appealed to me. I think Benedictine would be quite nice here instead of the Cherry Marnier, but I wanted to take this in a more experimental direction. Changing either that or the twist as mentioned above would be worth playing with.

I've been mostly using 1.5 oz. scotch 1.5 oz. sweet vermouth .5 tsp. Benedictine (seen recipes with 2-3 dashes up to 1/4 oz., but I like it on the lower end of that scale) I tried one or two with Drambuie, but it didn't seem to add as much dimension as the Benedictine. Haven't tried one with pastis (I think it's the Robert Burns generally that calls for pastis, which is not to say it wouldn't work in this drink). I have also pushed that Benedictine as high as 1/4 oz., which I felt was a bit much. However, at about 1 tsp., it was really nice, a great after dinner drink. I've pretty much left the Scotch and sweet vermouth in equal quantities, because I haven't found any reason not to. Most recipes I've seen call for a 1:1 ratio on those ingredients, but I don't think there would be a problem with some variation. You could go 3:2 or 4:3 without creeping into Rob Roy or Robert Burns territory. Let me know what you think. Oh, and thanks for your comments on the Vieux Carre. I've had a couple recently, and I'm inspired by your posts to try out some variations and riffs on the basic recipe.

I'm enjoying a Martini made 3:1 w/Tanq Malacca and Vya dry vermouth. Dash and a half of Regan's. I've had several of these recently, and it's hands down the best martini I've had. I have also been playing with some Scotch cocktails recently, and have fallen in love with the Bobbie Burns. I think I may try subbing in some Dubonnet Rouge instead of Cinzano, per bostonapothecary's good experience with a Vieux Carre variation using single-malt. Incidentally, my preferred Scotch for this drink right now is a homemade vatting of Highland Park 12, Dalmore 12, and Bowmore 12. A nice interplay of smoke, sweetness, and sherry. I also enjoy Famous Grouse in my Bobbie Burns and other Scotch cocktails, but this vatting just works in this drink. Not many cocktails work with a cigar, but the Bobbie Burns seems to be an exception.

I guess they were a popular patent medicine for a period. I'm unaware of any cocktail use which has yet been devised. I've intended to make them one or something like them one of these days. ← Erik, Interesting info. I have read in homebrewing resources that the absence of any sugars in the boiling liquid will interfere with the extraction of bitterness. I'll check the sources for more info. At any rate, I do know that hops and hoppy beers tend to stimulate the appetite. Thanks for the information. Let me know if you make some one of these days. Tim

I checked on that liqueur - it was, in fact, Bierschnaps. The product is an 80-proof eau de vie distilled from SNPA, so some hop character carries over. I've read varying opinions as to how much, but I didn't shell out $45 to find out for myself. The sorbet sounds interesting - what hop variety did he/you use? I would imagine there are several varieties that would work nicely besides citrusy American varieties. And, now that we're on the subject, I wonder if a homemade hop liqueur is a possibility. I would think the way to go would be to make a hopped simple syrup, as extracting bitterness from hops requires boiling. Additional hops added to the spirit base and steeped for aroma, perhaps? Maybe no bitterness is required if you're just looking for the aroma and a hint of flavor... I think this warrants some experimentation. I'll probably wait until September and get fresh hops from this year's harvest.

Hmmm...well, I truthfully wasn't all that attentive to what I was looking at (I'd been out for some hours hunting up bottles). I do seem to recall the term "BierSchnapps", which I found in a Google search just now. Apparently, the SN BierSchnapps was a product from the early part of the decade, distilled from SNPA, supposedly. So, more likely, you're right about it being a beer eau de vie. Don't know why I had hop liqueur in my head. I'll check the store again soon just in case. If it's a dusty bottle, I may not be able to resist.

Just curious if you're familiar with Sierra Nevada's hop liqueur? I saw a bottle this week, but didn't pick it up ($ went to a dusty bottle of Cherry Marnier and a new bottle of Benedictine instead). At any rate, the hop variety isn't specified on the bottle that I could see, but assuming it's a grapefruity hop such as Cascade, as that's mostly what SN uses in their beers. Could be a worthy addition to your experimentation (or mine when more funds are available).

I've had the same experience with fresh Bigfoot and Old Foghorn on tap. Your explanation on price points for a glass vs. a bottle makes sense, Malkavian. I wonder if it also has to do with labeling laws. For instance, here in TX, anything over 5% ABV has to be labeled as ale, even if it's a lager, and anything over (I think) 9% has to be labeled malt liquor. Don't quote me on the exact percentages. My point is that I've seen doppelbocks labeled as ales and a Belgian quad labeled as malt liquor here in town. The ale label isn't an issue for most Belgian brews, but putting a malt liquor label on tripels and strong darks has to be a pain. Not to mention costly. And not that appealing to the upscale customer. Some microbrews are unavailable to us in TX simply because the brewers won't (or can't afford to) label a lager as an ale. This issue may be skirted with kegs (then again, it may not...I'm not that familiar with the laws regarding keg labeling). Which brings up another point. Bottling lines and labeling are major costs for small-scale brewers, and anything they can do to save on time and $ packaging their beer is to their advantage. Especially since they can reuse the kegs. I know other states have odd labeling laws, too, which may contribute to the decision to just use kegs.

Junipero (for something with a real juniper wallop), Kensington (may be too expensive), Damrak (for historical and taste reasons), or Vya dry vermouth (because if I've got a lot of good gins, I'd like a stellar vermouth for martinis). Others with more gin-drinking experience than I have may chime in, but those would be my choices, which cover a pretty wide taste spectrum and a reasonably wide price spectrum, too.

jsmeeker, I did notice the Fee Bros. at Goody-Goody, and promptly bought everything but the Mint bitters. At $2.75 a bottle, how could I not? As far as local bars, I asked a bartender, and he said most folks don't notice the difference, and it doesn't make sense to have them on your bar unless people start asking for them. I did. He has them now. But most places I've been have them; it's just that they don't all add them unless you request it. I even went to a bar last monthwhere the bartender asked how much sweet vermouth I wanted. She said many patrons just want a splash, like they do with dry vermouth in their martinis. The best Manhattan I've had here is at Bob's Steak and Chop House. Well-made, attention to detail, and a healthy three dashes of Angostura without any request (though they're willing to vary the amount if you ask). I'm sure other places do them well, too. And now that I've gone completely off topic, I guess I don't know the answer to your question: what gives? Maybe just a question of ignorance on the part of the consumer to the point where anything with whiskey and sweet vermouth will do?

Homebrewed saison after mowing the lawn. This was great when it was fresh. It's good now after six months in the bottle, but I need to finish it off soon. Bell's Kalamazoo Stout with dinner. Picked this up in Minnesota last month. First one I've poured, and it's fantastic. Rich, long finish, and the brewer's licorice revealing itself only in the initial sweetness and that neverending finish. Really nice stuff.

slkinsey, Thanks for the reply. I actually found 4 bottles of Malacca, so I think I'll give a G&T a go at least once. But I understand what you were getting at. Most of my gin of any stripe goes into martinis, though I enjoy a variety of gin-based cocktails. I really just threw the G&T suggestion in there because I figured the tonic water wouldn't overpower the flavor of the gin. I'll definitely use the stuff sparingly, and report back on my results. Thanks again.

Gin & Tonics with Malacca?! That's a real waste of this gin. Once it's gone, there won't be any more to be had. Why not make it with something where you can really taste the gin? ← So, any suggestions to go with the chastisement?

Bumping this because I found some Malacca this week. I'll be making pink gins with it, of course, and trying it out in G&T and martinis. But what other recommendations do you folks have to make this stuff really sing? I'm thinking some cocktails, particularly with citrus juice, such as Aviations and Last Words may be the wrong answer based on what I've read. I see Alchemist's mention of Pomegranate gin. How'd that go over? I'm looking for input to maximize my enjoyment of the stash I found.

slkinsey, You may be right. But it seems odd to me, then, that Jim Beam, which has made its name with bourbon, would have gone out of its way to label their bottles of Distiller's Masterpiece as a "spirit" rather than a bourbon or a straight whiskey. There may be an implied exclusion of the process of finishing in non-new or non-charred oak in the statement that bourbon must be aged in new charred oak. In other words, the word "only" may be implied. I'm not a legal expert, but as I said, multiple distillers with more venerable names and/or greater standing amongst bourbon drinkers (Beam and Buffalo Trace) have produced similar products and not labeled them bourbon. Given the market for the product, I don't understand this decision if it isn't purely a legal one. Regardless, Woodford's pot-stilled experimentation with the standard WR and their 4-grain bourbon, while admirable for being unique and for advancing the cause of wider experimentation in American whiskey-making, have not impressed me. I doubt I'll pay a premium for this.

I don't think they can call it bourbon. The Beam products mentioned in the article and the Buffalo Trace products in their "experimental collection" are not allowed to be labeled as bourbon. Note the use of the word "whiskey" instead of bourbon in several places where the latter would make sense in the article. I'd be very surprised if this (and a bit put off) if this were labeled bourbon when it's released. Also, as far as favorite bourbons, I'm on the non-fan side regarding Maker's. The Weller products are far superior wheaters IMO. Additionally, the Binny's Buffalo Trace differs significantly from the regular release, which is much earthier and has a wonderfully long, bittersweet chocolate finish. I like the Binny's release, but prefer the standard bottling. That said, the earthiness of BT's rye-based bourbons (including Blanton's) is not for everyone. I agree that Knob Creek is a great choice, as are the Wellers and Old Charter 12 (still a bargain IMO even after the recent price bump). Eagle Rare (the least earthy BT whiskey I've had) is good, but not like any other bourbon I've had in its intense fruitiness and brandy-like finish.

Most whisky I take neat. I will occasionally dilute cask-strength with spring water, usually only about 80:20. I actually find that three drops of water (seriously, no more) opens the nose of Laphroaig CS without diluting, and makes it more approachable. It's good with more water, but not as good. Some notable exceptions: I enjoy many of the better blends with water or club soda at about 60:40 or 50:50, especially JW Black (Green is neat only) and Famous Grouse 12. I like Aberlour A'bunadh and Macallan Cask strength at about 70:30. I find that the sherry finish in both of these is overwhelming (and the whisky a little hot, but not unpleasantly so) at cask strength. I really like Cask Strength bottlings, as they allow me to choose my proof within a wide range.

I don't have access to much variety in terms of (good) cachaca here in the Dallas area. Ypioca, Toucano, 51, and Pitu have been just about it for quite a while. Recently, Leblon and Agua Luca showed up. I know that several here have a low opinion of Leblon for the price, and based on the one small sample I've had, I'm inclined to agree (though it's a good bit better than the others mentioned above). But what about Agua Luca? I don't see any definite opinions upthread. Is it worth the $25 being asked? Or should I hold out hope that MdO makes it here soon?

I need to get a new digital camera so I can post pics. In the meantime, text only: Today was a fritatta with just-blanched sea beans and some fresh basil from my garden. Shaved pecorino on top. Homebrewed hard cider (dry and very crisp).