campus five

I got a bottle of Zucca probably 16 months ago, but I never really new what to do with it. But, I recently dropped by a new branch of small chain-let called Settebello, which has certified authentic Neapolitan pizza. Unlike the other branch I'd been to (Pasadena, Ca), this one (Marina del Rey, CA)had a proper cocktail program by Proprietors LLC, aka Alex Day and Dave Kaplan. Not only was the cocktail really standout, but I finally gave me something to use Zucca in. Manhattan Beach (clever if only because the city of Manhattan Beach is a couple towns over from Marina Del Rey) 2 oz Bourbon 0.5 oz Cocchi Vermouth di Torrino 0.5 oz Zucca stir, strain, coupe, orange peel

That's how you can tell it's done.

D'oh. Sorry, I forgot this wasn't the Drinks threat.

Damn, I love a bitter mai tai. And while Los Angeles is barely registering what other people around the country would consider "fall", I'm firmly in the warming, fall/winter flavor palate. Been making a lot of Boulevardiers/Left Hands (2 Rittenhouse / .75 Campari / .75 Carpano, lemon peel). On the Campari yet winter profile, we an amazing Americano variation the other night at Big Bar (at the Alcove) here in Los Angeles. Old Man Winter - approximate ratios since I'm not sure exactly how big the glassware is. 1/2 Campari; 1/4 Cardamaro; 1/4 Nocino; rocks, top with soda, orange peel. I've been dying to find a really good application for the Cardamaro, and that means I have to go get some Nocino to make these at home.

I was in the mood for a night cap, but wanted to keep it on the small side. Ended up with this: 1 oz Willet 5 yr Rye (110pf) 1 oz Carpano Antica 1 dash Miracle Mile Candy Cap Bitters 1 dash Fee's Barrel Aged Lemon Peel Built in rocks glass, 'cause I'm lazy tonight. 1:1 with Antica is pretty rich, even with 110pf rye, and the Candy Cap bitters add even more bottom end. It'd be better 2:1, but it's still doing the job.

Los Angeles has dipped into the 60's, which means it's now fall. I went for a Manhattan, but swapped 1/2 the rye for some Apple Brandy. It was exactly what I was looking for. 1 oz. Rittenhouse 1 oz. Laird's BIB Apple Brandy 1 oz. Carpano Antica 2 dashes Miracle Mile Forbidden Bitters Lemon Peel. I could've sworn a 1/2 rye, 1/2 apple jack manhattan had a name. Oh well, it's doesn't need a name - it's just needs to be the right time of year, and this is it.

Waiting for some Indian food to be delivered, so I went with the most appropriate thing possible: a gin-and-tonic. I went with a Tanqueray/Fever Tree combo, topped with several healthy dashes of Peychauds on top, and a lime wedge that was more like a 1/4 of a lime than 1/6th. Bamn. Delicious.

Had shitty day at work, and couldn't even look forward to coming because I had a possible plumbing disaster waiting for me. But, everything worked out, and it was time for a cocktail. I decided on a suped-up Sazerac. Lo, and it was good. 2 oz Rittenhouse 1 bspn 2:1 gum syrup 2 dashes Peychauds 2 dashes Creole Bitters 1 dash Miracle Mile Candy Cap Mushroom Bitters rinse - Jade Edouard Nouvelle Orleans Absinthe lemon peel. It's amazing the depth of flavor that can be added without messing with the base spirit. Adding in the Candy Cap just adds this unidentifiable "bottom end" on the cocktail, similar to using a base spirit with a lot more age on it. And the Creole Bitters just seem like Peychauds on steroids - super spicy and vivid. All in all - it's a total winner.

My wife doesn't really dig aged rum, so I made a Bitter Mai Tai with Plymouth Navy Strength instead. It was delicious.

From the last month or so: Elijah Craig - Barrel Strength: It's very Stagg-like, but just not quite as good. Which is to say, it still awesome. Flor de Cana 4yr White - basically for Daiquiris during the summer. Oh, and it was on sale...for $7.99/750ml. I bought two bottles - it should last the summer. Campari - because we run out so quickly. Miracle Mile Candy Cap Bitters - the few times I've had a cocktail with these bitters, they were mind-blowing. I have this feeling, I'll be putting these to work very soon. St. Vincent Orgeat - http://stvincentsyrups.com/ - Made by a local Los Angeles-area bartender and available only behind the counter at Barkeeper. As I mentioned in the Drinks Thread, it's not shelf-stable, so it stays in the fridge. It's apparently responsible for there being a surge in Orgeat-containing cocktails all over Los Angeles bar menus. Based on the first cocktail I made with it, I'd say that's a fair conclusion.

I'm sure I've posted this before, but this is the Drinks! thread, right? It's that kind of whether, and *this* is my kind of Tiki Drink. The Bitter Mai Tai 1.5 oz Campari 0.75 oz Smith & Cross 1 oz Lime Juice 0.75 oz Orgeat (Los Angeles' own St. Vincent brand) 0.5 oz Curacao (Ferrand Dry Curacao) Crushed Ice / Mint Sprig It's the first drink I've made with the St. Vincent Orgeat, and it makes a huge difference over the Torani I've had in the cabinet for a while. It's not shelf-stable, so it has to be refrigerated, which I don't mind at all.

Rittenhouse BIB would be my first choice of the non-spendy stuff, with Dickel being a close second. Most of the rest of the low- to mid-price ryes seem really "one note" to me, including Bulliet, Redemption, etc. The standard LDI 95% rye just doesn't move me unless you do something special to it - the Dickel being a complete surprise, because it's from the same stock, and yet somehow..... I used to love WT, until they lowered the proof (I'm still pissed about that). Sazerac 6 would be third, I guess. As an upgrade, the Old Scout 6 yr Rye was quite good at ~$40 a bottle, and the EH Taylor BIB Rye was the next best thing to the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection at around ~$70. At this point the Antique collection was virtually ungettable, and what little there was ended up being priced around $130. Boo. That said, not as good as the Old Scout, but something I've always particularly enjoyed was WT's Russel's Reserve Rye. It used to be in the $25-30 range, but is now in $40 range. At $40, I'd buy the Scout, but I still enjoy the WTRRR when I end up buying a bottle. The Willet stuff was great since it was high proof, but it has also jumped by about $10 from the $25-30 range to the $40 range. Also, the various batches and ages it been released at have varied quite a bit.

Cooks Illustrated ranked a pretty cheap Kuhn Rikon vegetable peel as their top pick, and while it cuts very easily, it doesn't really get a thick enough peel to properly express the oils. The OXO Y-Peeler is my favorite for getting peels to "pop" on top of a cocktail. That said, I try (and usually fail) to replace it regularly, because when it gets dull, it can start to be a safety hazard.

When I need something celebratory, there seems to be nothing better than a 2:1 Manhattan, with Antica, Miracle Mile Forbidden Bitters, big fat lemon peel, and some kind of extra special whiskey: Stagg, Handy, Saz 18, Van Winkle, or that bit of Red Hook Rye I still haven't finished. I've found the newish EH Taylor Rye to be the next best thing, and the Smooth Ambler Old Scout Rye a notch below that. If I'm celebrating and I've got some permutation of the above formula, there is no better cocktail in the world at that moment.

I have two go-to "easy" punches, meaning they don't required that many idiosyncratic ingredients, and don't need particularly high-end spirits: 1. - Dave Wondrich's "Martell Cognac Punch Royal" - which I simply make with WT101 or Old Fitzbonded instead. You could probably use Old Grandad to good effect here as well. Recipe here: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/dailydish/2010/11/david-wondrich-celebrates-punch-at-hemingways-plus-a-recipe.html Martell Cognac Punch RoyalFrom: David WondrichNote: To make a 1-quart block of ice, fill a cleaned 1-quart milk carton with water and place in the freezer. When frozen, peel away the carton. The peel of 3 lemons, each cut in a 1/2-inch-wide spiral with a vegetable peeler 6 ounces (3/4 cup) superfine sugar6 ounces (3/4 cup) fresh-squeezed, strained lemon juice25 ounces (one 750-milliliter bottle) Martell VSOP Cognac12 ounces (1 1/2 cups) Sandeman Founder's Reserve Port24 ounces (3 cups) cold waterNutmeg Muddle the lemon peels and the sugar together and let sit for at least 20 minutes. Then muddle again and stir in the lemon juice. Add the Cognac, Port and water and stir. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. To serve, pour into a 1-gallon punch bowl with a 1-quart block of ice and grate nutmeg over the top. 2. Marcos Tello's adaption of David Embury's "Brandy Punch" - which I either use Paul Masson VSOP (which Wondrich recommended here: http://www.esquire.com/features/drinking/best-cheap-liquor-0209), or the aforementioned bourbons. I've also made both with Rye, back when WT Rye was still 101 and pretty cheap, and it was also delicious. Here's the recipe: http://tastingwithtom.com/node/198 Brandy Punch (The Edison, Los Angeles)• 3 thin-cut peels of three lemons• 3 Heaping Barspoons of Sugar• 3 oz. Simple Syrup• 2 oz. Cointreau• .25 oz. Orange Bitters• 5 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice• 4 oz. Fresh Orange Juice• .5 oz. Monin Pomegranate Syrup• 16 oz. Cognac• 16 oz. Soda WaterMuddle the lemon peels with superfine sugar. Add rest of the ingredients, except for soda water, and stir until sugar has dissolved. Add Ice and stir again. Strain over a large block of ice and top up with soda water. 10-12 servings.History: Recipe adapted from one originally published in The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks by David Embury, 1948.They've both been hits at numerous parties. Hope that helps.

So this arrived today: http://www.amazon.com/Negroni-gaz-regan-Notion/dp/1907434356/ I haven't a chance to really go through it, but it looks like a fun read.

I don't think I ever put this up here, but on my last visit to Seattle in May 2012, we visited Murray at Canon. He made us a flight of manhattans. All three were 2:1 rye to vermouth, 2 dashes ango, lemon peel. I can't remember what rye, but the vermouths were carpano antica, dolin rouge, and bonal. Without knowing what was what, I picked the bonal one as the clear favorite. And Antica (or Cocchi di Torino) is generally my favorite in everything. Gonna have to try the rye/cynar/bonal combo next. I've also dug the "rope burn" which is 1:1:1 smith&cross/aperol/bonal - grapefruit peel. delicious.

It's delicious. It has a very similar flavor to regular Cocchi, that is if the orange notes in Cocchi were replaced by berry. 3 oz, rocks, with a splash of soda, with a big, fat lemon peel - perfect for a spring afternoon.

FP - Have you tried a Left Hand, ala Sam Ross? - 1.5 / .75 / .75 + 2 dash mole bitters / up with a cherry

Man, good call on the WT101 Rye. I was so bummed when I saw they lowered the proof on it. There was a WT Rye shortage in Los Angeles preceding the change-over, so the shelves were already picked clean. Boo! Was at one of my favorite bars in LA and ended up doing an impromptu rye-tasting. Rittenhouse still stood out as the favorite to me. Perfectly balanced, 100pf, and reasonably priced. Definitely beat out the Bulliet, the current WT rye, Templeton, Knob Creek. They were experimenting with a blend of KC and WT, which to my surprise smelled and tasted overtly "corny." My guess on blind tasting it was "Mellow Corn", Heaven Hill's bonded 100% corn whiskey. There's a "peanut-y" note that I associate with high corn content. That's exactly what I got out of the new WT/KC blend, as well as the KC straight. The Bulliet, Templeton and Willet all had a similar "high floral" note that I associate with things that are overtly "rye." The Bulliet and templeton were similar, but the bulleit seemed even more one note, and the templeton seemed more balanced and a bit more mellowed due to age. The Willet seemed far more balanced, while still having a strong "rye floral" note.

And you know what, watch the video here: http://www.smallscreennetwork.com/video/781/morgenthaler-method-egg-nog/ It's worth it just to see how easy it is.

www.jeffreymorgenthaler.com/2009/egg-nog/ Makes a little bit less than a 750ml. It's even better after a day or more in the fridge. And it's easy - no eggs to separate, nothing to whisk - just blend the ingredients in order, and pour into an empty bottle. Done. I'd seen the recipe back when it was first posted, but never made it. I recently had it at a friend's house and was blown away. It's really delicious. Should you need to scale it up in future years, there's a much bigger batch on the small screen network.

Here's what I made tonight at home for Repeal Day Sherry Cobbler 4 oz sherry (1 oz. Lustau 'los arcos' dry amontillado / 3 oz. East India) / 2 orange slices / .5 oz Ferrand Dry Curacao / crushed ice Manhattan (from the Manhattan variation thread) 2 oz Van Winkle Rye / 1 oz Cocchi Vermouth di Torrino / 2 dashes Miracle Mile Forbidden Bitters / Lemon Peel And for the wife Aviation (basically PDT book spec, with just a touch more violette) 2 oz Plymouth / .75 oz lemon / .5 oz maraschino / .33 oz R&W Violette Probably gonna sip on a little amaro to close things out.

Among tonight's repeal day libations, perhaps the best Manhattan specification I've ever had: 2:1 Van Winkle Rye / Cocchi Vermouth di Torino 2 dashes Miracle Mile Forbidden Bitters Lemon Peel

Inadvertently stayed up past midnight writing some stuff for my blog, and since it's now Repeal Day, I decided to pour myself a little something to celebrate before hit the sack. ~0.75 oz Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy 1.5 oz Rittenhouse BIB 0.5 oz Becherovka 0.5 oz Apry 2 dashes Miracle Mile Forbidden Bitters Very "Fall" flavors. I meant to use an ounce each of Laird's and Rittenhouse, but the bottle ran a little short. Kind of cross between a park slope and an american trilogy and... something with Becherovka.