brinza

When I first saw it, my reaction was, "Hmmm, they used to call that grenadine." Now they call it Pomegranate Liqueur and charge you $30. And yes, there are grenadines with alcohol; Jacquin's grenadine has alcohol (albeit only 2.5%). When I tasted it at a friend's house, I thought it wasn't bad, but I went home and poured some grenadine into a shot of vodka and it tasted the same. I don't see why it shouldn't work in a Jack Rose or a Scofflaw, however.

Wow, some of those comments following that article! Those people are nasty. If those are the kind of people you have to deal with, I wouldn't blame you if you poisoned their drinks. Geez. Too many people can't get that it's a two-way human interaction. Good service deserves an appreciative customer; a polite and patient customer should be able to expect good service. Pretty simple, really.

Following Chris's lead, I'd say this is an opportunity to say, "So, do you want Grey Goose, or do you want vodka.?"

You mean it's no longer "Seven Summers Old"? That is ominous. Last year I had someone bring me back a bottle Pikesville Rye from Maryland (I know it's not made there, but I figured that they should be able to easily find it there), and it's my understanding that it used to be aged 4 years, but this bottle is clearly marked "This whiskey is 3 years old." I don't think I like this trend. I hope distillers aren't rushing to get product onto the shelves and cutting time off the aging process.

I think I've mentioned before that I often turn to a reverse Martini as the perfect thing before dinner if I want more than an ordinary glass of wine but something not as strong as a full-on Martini on an empty stomach. If the vermouth is good, it can be a surprisingly enjoyable drink.

I've actually gained somewhat of a reputation among some of my friends and a few new acquaintances that I make really good Manhattans. Funny thing is, I don't really do anything out of the ordinary other than "to just make the damn thing properly" using the exact formula above. I suspect that a lot of people who have had Manhattans out have had been served cheap well bourbon (or--shudder--blended whiskey) and maybe a small dash of sweet vermouth, and no bitters. Therefore, they've never tasted a real Manhattan. My idea of a variation is to try different bitters or different vermouths.

A Negroni variation: Punt e Mes Aperol Gin (Quintessential) garnished with orange slice I was surprised that the PeM did not make it more bitter than a Negroni--perhaps the Aperol is a little sweeter than Campari. Anyway, it worked. It was delicious. The story: A week ago I had occasion to dine at a finer Italian restaurant not five miles from my house, but one I had never been to before. Our dinner arrangements included spending some time at the bar beforehand. The back bar was very impressive to say the least (who am I kidding, I was awestruck). When I saw the Campari, I knew I could at least get a Negroni here. I was especially intrigued when I spied a small shelf to one side crammed with an array of Italian bitters and liqueurs (strangely the Campari wasn't on it, but was in the main area), including a few things that, not only had I never tasted, but that aren't (technically) available in Pennsylvania. One was Aperol. I requested a glass of Aperol straight up so that I could try it, which was served in a snifter by Omar, the bartender. I hadn't realized that it was that similar to Campari, but it is much lighter. The big surprise was when he took the bottle of Aperol down from the shelf, behind it was Punt e Mes! After finishing the Aperol, I then asked for some Punt e Mes. Omar seemed to think I was nuts for wanting to drink that stuff by itself. He asked if I wanted in on ice. Well, it was not so much asking, as "You want that on ice, don't you? You want it on ice." Ice it is then. I liked it. I could taste similarities to Carpano's Antica Formula, but without any of the sweetness. With the idea of the Negroni still in the back of my brain, I said to Omar, "Here is what I would like next: Would you make me a Negroni with this (pointing to the PeM) instead of vermouth, Aperol instead of Campari, and you choose the gin." He obliged although he insisted (and I agreed) that it's not a Negroni. He suggested the name Schizophrenia. I wouldn't have called it that, but I suppose it kind of fits; it's a drink with an identity problem. At least this way, I can go there any time, and if Omar is there I can ask for a Schizophrenia and he'll know exactly what to make. And since that's something I can't make at home, it gives me a reason to go to a specific place for a specific cocktail that I can only get there. I'm sure I'm not the first to try that combination, but it was exciting how the circumstances enabled everything to come together the way it did. (sorry for the long-winded explanation)

That is annoying when recipes mix parts with absolute measurements. I hate that. OTOH, I do prefer ratio formulas to fixed measurement formulas because it's much easier to scale the drink up or down. I've noticed that David Embury uses parts for his recipes and then follows that up with "a dash of [bitters/liqueur/etc] to each drink. (italics mine) He assumes that the reader is likely going to make a batch of drinks, not just one, thus the parts. But he makes it clear that you understand that the dash of bitters or whatever is one per drink, not one per batch. I suppose that just prior to pouring your drinks, you would decide how many servings you are going to divide it into, then add the appropriate number of dashes. And yes, since most of his ratios are 8:2:1, the "parts" are most certainly not jiggers or ponies unless you're making a lot of drinks. The thing I dislike the most is when recipes actually say jigger or shot, because you really don't know what the author has in mind, unless they state it up front (I have at least one book that does that). My personal preference is 1.5 to 2 oz of the primary spirit and everything else proportioned accordingly. When I see a recipe that calls for something like 3 oz of the primary spirit, I almost always scale it down. If following an 8:2:1 formula, I usually assume the "part" to be 1/4 oz, thus the 8 becomes two ounces. I could also specify the part as 5ml so that that 8 parts would be 40ml, just shy of 1.5 oz.

Taught a course on gin last night and several in the class chose to make Aviations (2 oz Damrak gin, 1/2 oz lemon, 1/2 oz Luxardo Maraschino). People added a range of amounts of R&W CdV, and by general consensus about 3/4 teaspoon was the right amount. Less than that makes it all silvery and nice, but you don't get enough of the liqueur to change the balance in the drink. My problem is, with that amount of Maraschino, I would never taste that amount of CdV. For me, the Maraschino just seems to stomp all over the CdV and I need to use just a dash of Maraschino and perhaps a tsp or so* of the CdV. My only experience is with R&W; maybe other brands are more assertive, I don't know. *"or so" as in nearly a scant 1/4 oz, without getting too enthusiastic, mind you

The one thing I'm bothered by the most in bars (and maybe this is just my problem--no one else seems have trouble with it) is when every stool is occupied and it is nearly impossible to approach the bar to order a drink. You have to squeeze in somewhere between two people (often receiving annoyed looks), reach over someone's tip money/ash tray/drink/snack, etc., then hover there until the bartender can take care of you. I find this whole process to be very intimidating. Every bar has a server's station, so I don't see why there couldn't be one more slot without a stool for walk-up orders. I can't imagine the one fewer stool would make that much difference in sales.

I agree; I was very surprised to see that that one didn't make it into the 2nd edition. My other nominations would be the Weeper's Joy that Mr. Wondrich has reintroduced to us and the KCB Cocktail (Savoy recipe only).

Another book worth mentioning is The Book of Classic American Whiskeys by Mark H. Waymack and James F. Harris. While it gives an enlightening history and analysis of bourbons and Tennessee whiskeys, it does not discuss rye at all. In fact, the authors pointedly and deliberately chose not to include rye. The book was published in the mid-90s and they apparently felt that rye was on the brink of disappearing altogether, so why talk about it? From the preface: Rye whiskey not a "classic" American whiskey? Are they serious? These guys completely missed the boat and a chance to be way ahead of the curve and extol the virtues of rye whiskey. Instead they chose to dismiss it. Epic foresight fail.

I like Averna and also Zwack, which PA just recently began selling. However, I just learned that the product labeled as simply "Zwack" is not the same item as "Zwack Unicum" which supposedly is somewhat more bitter. The quest never ends . . .

Anthony Dias Blue's The Complete Book of Spirits is a good one. The Book of Gins and Vodkas by Bob Emmons, though limited in scope, has a lot of interesting details.

I'd go with either the Angostura or the Regan's. It's an aromatic cocktail all around, so probably best to keep with the theme. I'd say start with one small dash and adjust from there. One thing about Embury is that he plays fair. He'll go on about how stupid and pointless it is (in his opinion) to make cocktails using champagne or Scotch or genever, and then proceed to provide a collection of recipes for such, taking just as much care in presenting the recipes as any other, even to the point of making them sound tempting, right after trashing them! That's one of the many things that makes his book truly unique among cocktail guides and so much fun to read.

Chris, I got my copy of the book right around the time you started this thread and having been meaning to comment. This is a fantastic book. It would be a valuable resource whether someone is new to making cocktails at home or has been doing it for some time. His highly opinionated editorializing is priceless. (I find myself agreeing with him more than I would like to admit.) I intend to post some other comments, particularly concerning his favored 1:2:8 ratio and how it led me to discover long sought-after adjustments to certain cocktails that I just wasn't "getting", but for now I just want to comment that I tried his recipe for the Hollands Pride cocktail: 2 parts genever (Boomsa Oude - with the understanding that this is not typical of the style) 1 part Italian vermouth (Stock) dash absinthe (Kübler) dash simple syrup dash orange bitters (TBT) Amazing cocktail. I found myself "chain sipping" it. I did not want to set the glass down. Lightly aromatic and flavorful. I purposely went very easy on the three dashed ingredients. Thus, is was only slightly sweeter than, say, a Manhattan or a Martinez. I want to try an Improved Holland Cocktail, but having reread the entire Genever thread, I realize that Boomsa is not the best choice for that one. A friend who returned from working in NYC earlier in Sept brought me back the Boomsa and a bottle of Carpano Antica Formula. I'd bet that the Hollands Pride would be out of this world with the CAF.

I'll second the mention of White Horse. A great mixing Scotch for well under $20. I like it because it has just enough oompf to not get lost in a cocktail with other strong flavors.

Has anyone here ever made Atholl Brose? I'm curious as to what it's like, what people think of it, and recommended ways to make it. Probably more of a dessert than a cocktail, per se, but the idea is intriguing nevertheless.

I found a very agreeable brand of Maraschino cherries at my favorite gourmet store while picking up some ginger beer. They're made by Tillen Farms in Sunnyside, WA and called Merry Maraschino Cherries. Their selling point is that they are made with only natural ingredients. (Label says: Cherries, water, sugar, vegetable and Fruit Concentrate (color), natural flavor). I was a little skeptical but was surprised by how good they are. They were about $6 for a 14 oz jar. They seem to provide a happy medium between the grocery store junk, the pricey Luxardo cherries, and making one's own.

I know this is going to sound horribly petty - but the best way to avoid this situation is just not to purchase bitters that contain glycerin (or artificial flavors). Yes, it does sound horribly petty, in a "Get a MAC" sort of way that is an inevitable response when any PC/Windows question is asked anywhere on the internet, which, of course, offers no help to the problem being discussed (sad to see that type of thing occur on a forum like this). It wasn't all that long ago that, in the U.S. at least, the only bitters that were widely and readily available were Angostura. When people starting finding out about Fee's they bought them sight unseen, not knowing what they were made of. A lot of people are still learning what is good and bad about different kinds of bitters and that they have more choices than they might have first thought. Please enlighten us as to why some bitters manufacturers would use glycerin in the first place and why it is undesirable. Is it just a cheaper neutral base than alcohol?

Does anyone else have the problem of the labels on their Fee Brothers bitters bottles becoming damp and not drying? Fee Brothers bitters have a high glycerin content, particularly the fruit-flavored ones which apparently have no alcohol. It seems that if some of the bitters drip down onto the bottle's paper label, the glycerin remains in the paper and continues to absorb moisture from the air, resulting in a damp spot that continues to grow rather than dry up. And it's not just Fee's. I have also noticed that the sticker on the neck of my bottle of Angostura Orange is perpetually damp. Angostura Orange also contains glycerin and is lower in alcohol than standard Angostura. Is there a recommended way to get these labels to dry out?

I was making two, so I was able to hit the 1/4 mark on my Oxo angled 2 oz measure without a problem. When making one, I usually use a bar spoon or fractions thereof for anything less than 1/4 oz. 1/8 oz is 3/4 tsp, so you could measure out three 1/4-tsp measures or do what I do and use a 1/2-tsp measure, filling it once and winging it for remaining bit.

About 61 for me. The only one of those 61 that I didn't make myself was the Zombie. While some require uncommon ingredients, ironically, it's the simpler ones that I seem to have passed by, like the Americano. I make Negronis all the time, but never seem to bother making an Americano. One that I would definitely add to the list would be Dale DeGroff's Anejo Highball. That is an almost perfect drink. If anyone reading this thread hasn't tried that one . . . what are you waiting for? My dying drink, however, would simply be a bottle of Lagavulin.

I like experimenting with Pimm's. Recently I came up with this: 1 1/2 oz. Pimm's 3/4 oz. gin 1/2 oz. Zwack 1/2 oz. blood orange juice dash Maraschino My first attempt used lime juice, but it didn't seem quite right, so my friend who helped me road-test the drink suggested using orange juice instead and that was a significant improvement. We decided to call it a Blackheart but I think that there might already be a drink with that name. If not, then that shall be its name.

Chris and plattetude (or anyone else who's tried it), can you give us an assessment of TBT's Lemon Bitters? I only know Fee's Lemon Bitters, which are rather one-dimensional (though they have their uses). I'm not even sure who else makes lemon bitters.