brinza

I may have to try this over the weekend. I've got a little bit of Meletti left which I'll use in lieu of the Averna.

I love his book and his attitude. He doesn't pull any punches, but manages keep a bit of a sense of humor about it all. Even when I don't agree with his opinions, he makes me laugh. I love when he does the "Well this drinks sucks, but if you really must try it, here's the recipe." I didn't get the impression that he didn't like Scotch so much as he didn't think it should be used in cocktails.

If I could get El Dorado 3 white on a regular basis, I don't think I'd buy anything else.

The next time that I am able to acquire a bottle of each, I will try that. I've had both, but I can't remember if I had them both on hand at the same time. If I did, it didn't occur to me to do a side-by-side tasting.

Have you visited Dan's Kindred Cocktails yet? This is such an excellent cocktail database (not only in content, but in functionality), that I no longer even bother with any of the others. You'll find a lot of cocktails of the type you describe there, and once you've looked up one, check out the list of similar cocktails at the bottom of the page, and you'll soon be off on a journey of discovery.

I once mixed scotch with lapsong souchong tea. It tasted like a dirty dish rag. I kid you not. While trying to force Lillet Rouge to do something useful, I imagined that it should go well with brandy. The valuable lesson learned was that brandy is the last thing you want to mix it with.

And there's Don Q, which I don't even consider to be rum-flavored vodka, but "vodka-flavored" rum. (I put vodka-flavored in quotes because of what that phrase implies). Jimbo, I think you conflated my comments about Appleton with my comments about Brugal Extra Dry. I don't think Appleton white is a reach--in fact, I feel it's a pretty good white rum. I just didn't find it to be very "Jamaican." It could be that I don't know what white Jamaican rum is supposed to taste like. if W&N is the benchmark, I'll go with that.

The Mrs. got limes at Bottom Dollar the other day for $0.50 each. Jo, they have Bottom Dollar stores in NJ. Is there one near you?

The word "mixability" is always a red flag for me. At a spirits tasting festival, a Brugal rep said they are trying to appeal to vodka drinkers with their new Extra Dry white rum. Well, they succeeded in part, because it does not taste like rum at all. What I don't think they get, though, is why vodka drinkers would buy something that's not vodka, unless they want something that's not vodka. I understand trying to gain additional market share and all that, but if you're a rum producer, why not try to make a better rum and appeal to . . . rum drinkers! I did have a bottle of Appleton White and it was okay, but did not seem to have much of a Jamaican rum character. As a simply white rum, however, it's better than some, but I would not go out of my way to get more. I eventually used it in drinks that merely called for white rum. W&N, on the other hand, I'd definitely buy again (next trip to The Party Source perhaps).

All these Mai Tai variations encouraged me to experiment a bit this past weekend, using what I had on hand. 1 oz Appleton V/X 1 oz Pusser's 1/2 oz Brugal Anejo splash Lemon Hart 151 3/4 oz lime juice (generous, probably closer to 1 oz) 3/4 oz Gran Gala 1/4 oz orgeat I usually use 1/2 oz each of the orgeat and orange curacao, but I wanted to steer it in a different direction, while keeping the sweetness level about the same. I have to say that this was one of the best I've made yet. I reproduced it for my friend and myself the next day, and it was still good. Now I want another bottle of S&C so I can try it with that.

I think it's a novelty and a fad. They are simply taking advantage of buyers who don't know any better and think they're getting something unusual and special. It's definitely a low-cost/high-profit product, but it's not going to replace any distiller's flagship product line. People will get tired of it, and it will fade. I can't imagine that there are that many drinkers who love the stuff so much (and who are willing to pay the artificially high price) to keep it around as a competitive product in the marketplace.

Some might think that Bombay Sapphire is over-hyped or over-rated, but it really is a delicious, low-juniper gin. They were one of the first (if not the first) to come out with a gin like that, and IMHO they really did achieve something special. It's got a wonderful mix of botanicals and a level of juniper that does not overwhelm a drinker who is not braced for an intense gin. Plus it's got a higher ABV than their dry gin and even though the flavor is subtle, it is not weak. It can easily be enjoyed straight (which I sometimes do). Definitely not a G&T gin, though.

I thought the sugared rim was only for the Brandy Crusta and not the Sidecar.

I'm glad others have mentioned that DeGroff's recipes tend toward the sweeter, because I've noticed that pattern, too, but I still love his books anyway. I wasn't aware that his recipe for the Jack Rose called for simple syrup, though. Wow. Perhaps I never really looked at it, because I used to automatically turn to the one in Vintage Spirits & Forgotten Cocktails, but I've since discovered that to make a nice Jack Rose where the flavor of the applejack comes through nicely, and the lemon and grenadine are well-balanced, the 8:2:1 ratio works best: 2 ounces applejack, 1/2 ounce lemon juice, 1/4 ounce grenadine.

Yes, it is. True (I was being facetious about Embury because he probably looked down his nose at most of the juice-laden tropical punches). And when you look at a lot of tiki recipes, it becomes apparent that the Daiquiri is the kernel of many of them.

The thinking behind Embury's ratio for sours is to ensure that you still taste the spirit. He referred to the other ingredients as "modifiers" which I think is very telling. His idea was that the liquor is what you're really drinking, so for a cocktail, you just want to augment it slightly, not obliterate it. I don't think David Embury drank a lot of tiki drinks.

Interesting that you made the comment about oregano, because I definitely get that with M&R, slightly with Dolin, and especially with Vya, but I don't taste that at all in Cinzano, which is actually my favorite everyday vermouth. I agree with you on Noilly Prat rouge. I've only had one bottle (a 375ml) and didn't care for it at all. I'd use Cocchi Vermouth di Torino more often if I could get it easily. I might have to try the Contratto before PA decides it's too good for us to have.

That is David Embury's recommended ratio for sours and it works quite well. I could never seem to get a Jack Rose to taste right until I used this ratio. (But don't use Don Q unless you want a Kamizake instead of a Daiquiri!).

The sign does also say, "or .29 ea"

I just bought a bag at Trader Joe's in Pittsburgh last week and I can't remember exactly what I paid, but it didn't seem out of the ordinary. Could be a different story the next visit, however. I'll have to see what Bottom Dollar is charging, if they have them at all.

Wow, that's quite an endorsement. Those are two of the best (if not the top 2). Thanks for the insight.

I wonder if there is cause to define a sub-class of cocktails that could be described as "Super Aromatics" which might use the Bijou as the base model. The sheer number of botanicals in a Bijou is staggering: the 130 from the Chartreuse, plus the dozen or two from the vermouth and the gin, and then bitters. Furthermore, the Bijou has no other additives (juice, syrup, etc.) to adulterate the purely aromatic mix. The base formula could be something like: an herbal liqueur, such as Chartreuse (either variety), Benedictine, Strega, or a genepi.vermouth, amaro, or quinquinaa botanical base spirit, such as gin, genever, or aquavitbittersMany of the drinks mentioned in this thread seem to follow this pattern.

Something does exist along those lines: https://www.wiglewhiskey.com/store/organic-ginever

Just now finished a Quin Quina Crusta, after having noticed it while re-reading the Bonal thread. When I clicked on the Kindred link I attempted to add it to my cocktail book, only to discover it was already in there, but for reasons unknown I had never actually made one. I'm glad I finally did, even after looking at the ingredient list with a bit of skeptcial eye. Wonderful drink. I skipped the "crusta" part, however, and made it up instead of over ice. BTW, I tried that Armistice, too after seeing Leslie's post. It's everything it says on the tin!

Exactly. To mitigate the extra 1/4 oz of Cointreau, a little more lime and and extra float of Lemon Hart over the top would take care that easily!