Scotttos

Are the tasting menus they have now a recent addition or something they've always had? I don't remember reading any mention of them on the boards.

Ed Hamilton had a post on here somewhere with a similar point regarding rums. Whether you're using a pot still or a column still, it comes down to the source material and the distiller(s) using the tool appropriately. ← Point taken. So what I'm taking from all this is (for serious cocktails) proof and flavor and the competence of the distiller are more important than whether or not something comes from a pot-still.

Yeah that makes sense, their website says that Junipero starts out with a base of 100% neutral grain spirits, would there really be a point in producing such spirits with a pot still (if it's even possible)?

Great replies, looks like I should have subtitled this topic "why is it different" instead of "why is it better." Pot-stilled products have been spoken of with such reverence I figured it was naturally a "better" method of distillation. Now I understand why I was off in that assumption. "Imbibe!" mentions a few readily available pot-stilled whiskies (Old Potrero, Redbreast) and I know Junipero and Genevieve are pot-stilled, as well as some of the interesting products from the guys at Tuthilltown, but are you guys aware of any other stand-out products? I'd like to taste more pot-stilled products for comparisons sake. However in light of some recent comments it looks like regardless of distillation method the art of a truly great distiller will have significantly more impact all around. Interesting stuff.

I've been running into this term a lot recently and I'm wondering what the distinction is between pot-stilled spirits and spirits distilled by other means? Is it about authenticity since spirits used in pre-prohibition cocktails were commonly pot-stilled, or is there something else?

Scored some of the Ibis today and thought of a particularly poignant name for the puppy this eve: Ruffled Feathers 1 1/2 oz Scarlet Ibis Rum 1 oz Sweet Vermouth 1/4 oz Allspice Dram Lime Twist Stir, Strain, and squeeze lime peel over drink. There's a bit of an empty spot in the mid to late tastes and I can't decide if it's a feature or an imperfection. So interesting with the lime out front in the scent and the spice in the early and late flavors. You kind of think, oh did I miss something, maybe I should have another sip. Be curious what anyone thinks. ← Erik, I'll give this one a shot tonight and report back to you. Any excuse to use the Ibis . . . Cheers, Marshall ← Ditto, looks promising.

RE: Genevieve If you don't mind paying pretty high shipping costs. . . .. . https://www.vintagewines.biz/indivprod.cfm/sesurl/pid_10802 I ordered from here a few months back and it went off without a hitch. Looks like they are now limiting how many bottles for purchase per person (2). It's good (strong) stuff. I asked Dave what he thought about it at one of his astor center talks and he described it as "a little hot." Wasn't sure if that was an endorsement or not : ) It does however make a damn fine Improved Gin Cocktail, something unlike I've ever tasted.

I made a quick and dirty variation of the Airmail last night just to see how the dram would work with champagne (it followed an ill conceived varition of a lemon juice-less french 75...). Turns out it works quite well : ) Dram Mail 2 oz White Rum (Brugal) 1/2 oz Honey Syrup (3:1 following This Man's lead) 1/2 oz Dram Stir/Strain/Top with Champagne I'll fiddle around with it tonight to see if some lime juice can fit in there, but off the cuff as is it was pretty tasty. They honey and dram together smelled (but did not taste) a lot like butterscotch.

Looks like astor has it as well, it's online anyhow. Exciting!

You had me at coco lopez. . . . I keep two cans on hand at all times. Drinks like this bring back memories of sitting on the sea wall in Havana passing out plastic cups full of havana club, 7yr. . . they had the best coconut mix (if that's the right word) in cuba it came in a little box, it was similiar to coco lo but less sweet and more coconut'y. Everywhere I went people were using it in drinks. Amazing stuff. I'd be interested to know the ratios in your drink : )

The news finally got out : P

Despite Andy's warning to the contrary, I went with Erik's suggestion and made a 2:1:1 version, changed and upped the bitters (1 Regan's, 1 Fee's), but kept all other ingredients as he listed. I can see the possibilities of Boodle's here, but, boy, this is a remarkably great drink. Another nice twist is to sub in yellow chartreuse for green, dry vermouth for sweet. At that point it really isn't a bijou anymore but it's a pretty great drink. When I first made a bjiou I mis-read the recipe and used dry vermouth. I made about a dozen of 'em that way before I went back and realized my mistake. It's obviously totally different without the sweet vermouth, haha, but still mighty tastey. The green chartreuse comes on a bit strong when using dry vermouth (still delicious) but when you sub in the yellow the thing starts to sing. I made it with equal parts. 1 oz Gin (plymouth) 1 oz Dry Vermouth (noilly prat) 1 oz Yellow Chartreuse 2 dashes Regan's Orange Bitters Garnish: Lemon Twist Stir/Strain

I know this is off topic but....good beer, green chartreuse, and sports? Amazing. What bar? I've lived in Williamsburg for a while and this place has totally skipped my radar.

Agree 100%, these are the glasses I purchased, got them through amazon.

amazon has some really nice 4-5 oz coupe glasses, pretty cheap, but as someone remarked above you have to buy a case of like 36. I just got a buddy to split the case with me and just gave away a few glasses to clear the shelf : )

You were great at the Astor Center tonight Dave. So much fun. I was the guy who asked you about Genevieve : ) All the drinks were knockouts.

Please someone tell me this isn't true http://nymag.com/daily/food/2008/01/sign_o...o_bre.html#more

Since it's a party I'd take the opportunity to make one of the many delicious punch drinks. They are pretty straight forward and besides requiring some fresh fruit and syrups you can whip up a big bowl right away. The pisco punch is one of my favorites, and the brandy punch...boy, it's almost ridiculous how good it is.

What about egg drinks? They gonna stir my pisco sour : )

Eje's thread is pretty damn influential, I have to say. I'm stealing his idea as well and working my way through "Imbibe!" made my syrups last night and will be cranking out some punches over the course of the weekend and into christmas.

Wow that Last Word sound mighty delicious also....with the VEP is it still the traditional equal parts? And of course the staggerac just sounds evil in all the best ways.

The book is getting a lot of attention. It seems everyone I talk to has heard of it. Even my folks, when they were in my apartment for thanksgiving they spotted it on my makeshift bar and my mom mentioned something about hearing about it somewhere. To put a point on that, my folks live in South Carolina.... Anyway. I'm bundling copies of "Imbibe!" with copies of "Killer Cocktails" and bottles of Peychaud's, Regan's Orange, and Angostura Bitters for christmas gifts this year. I'm hoping to spread the word near and far.

In addition to the Baby Bourbon and the Rye they have a really interesting Corn Whiskey, which is the unaged base for the bourbon. It's not particularily tasty or anything and I'm not sure what use it would have in a cocktail, lol, but it's really interesting. This along with the baby bourbon and the bottle of rye I have from Tuthilltown taste very unique compared to even the youngest whiskey's I own. It's really very cool, but does take some getting used to. I hope they keep it going, I've also heard good things about the rum they're putting out there....

After missing the boat several times already I finally got my hands on a few bottles of the Van Winkle Family Reserve 13yr Rye. I wasn't actually looking for it when I found it but I'm very glad it caught my eye. They are from the "I" bottling and are very, very good. I asked the owner of the liquor store when he got them and he said just recently and that they were a pain in the ass to acquire. So head's up Van Winkle is out there again and it's pretty spectacular.

Well, not really. First off, other than the somewhat incongruous inclusion of Jim Beam Black, the other recommendations leaned heavily towards "sipping whiskey" with higher proofs and more age. Represented were Pappy 20 years at 90.4 proof, Vintage 17 years at 94 proof, Knob Creek 9 years at 100 proof, W.L. Weller 10 years at 100 proof , A.H. Hirsh 16 years at 91.6 proof, Evan Williams Single Barrel years at 86.6 proof, Blanton's Single Barrel 10 years at 93 proof, Basil Haydon's 8 years at 80 proof and Woodford Reserve at 90 proof. Wild Turkey is a little wild and funky for some tastes, although I love it. Maker's Mark, on the other hand, is perhaps a little bland to really stand out. (ETA quote, since Eric beat me to the punch with the list.) ← Point taken about Maker's, but still, with so many really good bottlings of WT out there, I don't know, I guess I was a little dissapointed.