maks_p

I did a variation of the Champs Elysee Cocktail with Meyer Lemon Juice and Navan once: 1 1/2 oz. Navan Vanilla 3/4 oz. Meyer Lemon Juice 1/2 oz. Yellow Chartreuse 3 dashes Aged Whiskey Barrel Bitters Shake and strain.

i love the "funk" in cocktails - maraschino, cachaca, genever, arrack, rhum agricoles, are all some of my favorite spirits to work with (also why i dislike certain cachacas, like sagatiba, which lack the "funk"). one of my favorite lesser-known funky cocktails is the fancy-free cocktail (per chuck taggert): 2 oz. bourbon or rye (i prefer rye) 1/2 luxardo maraschino 3 dashes aromatic bitters (angostura work fine, but whiskey barrel aged seem to work better) 3 dashes orange bitters (i like bitter truth) Shake and strain...... i also think the basic capirinhia (2 oz. cachaca, 2 tsp sugar, 1/2 lime quartered, muddled and SHAKEN) is one of god's gifts to humanity, so i may be in the minority here.

2 oz. Appleton V/X 1/2 oz. lime juice 1/2 oz. yellow chartreuse 1/2 oz. St. E Allspice Dram Still playing with the proportions a little, but I like the combination.

Messing around with some local satsuma tangerines (down here in New Orleans): 1 oz. satsuma tangerine juice 0.5 oz lime juice 0.25 oz. maraschino 1.5 oz. gin (blue gin) 2 dashes peach bitters I'm a big fan of maraschino - love the funkiness. i thought this worked.

Yeah I saw that, I'm just wondering if that applies when you make and sell them only in-house. I know of at least one store where you can buy house-made bitters, and I doubt that they are going through the TTB. I guess its analogous to making and selling cookies in a store, versus producing them to ship to other retailers? I'm pretty sure that the laws that govern those two activities vary......

I have a question: Can a grocery/liquor store sell house-made bitters? I know bars can make their own bitters and use them in cocktails, but can a small grocery/deli/liquor make their own bitters and sell them in dropper bottles?

I made up a drink, though I can't honestly say that nobody has done it before. 1.5 oz. Goslings .75 oz. Pimms .75 oz. Lemon Juice 1 Dash Regan's 1 Dash Angostura Shake and strain into cocktail glass, top off with ginger ale. I was pretty happy with it. Refreshing with some nice depth to it.

what type of glassware does everyone use at home? I just keep buying cheapish glasses at Crate & Barrel that keep on breaking.....any better ideas?

Which cocktails should every home cocktailian be able to mix perfectly (without needing to consult a book) on account of their "essential" nature? Criteria should include taste, history, classical qualities, complexity. Here is my list, but I don't have a tenth of the experience and breadth of knowledge of most here. 1) Sazerac 2) Gin Martini 3) Manhattan 4) Last Word 5) Aviation Cocktail 6) Sidecar 7) Old Fashioned 8) Margarita 9) Mai Tai 10) Ramos Gin Fizz I thought this would be interesting both to get a sense as to which cocktails y'all believe are most "important", as well as to get some new ideas. My honor roll includes the mojito, vieux carre, french 75, corpse reviver no. 2 and the clover club. PS. I searched for a similar thread and couldn't find anything - apologies in advance if this is redundant!

Its amazing how volatile those prices were - i assume liquor stores only make something like 30% gross margins on liquor - a range from $10 to $22 is out of control! What does a bottle of Rittenhouse cost a typical liquor store?

Had a bad day so I made a premium Manhattan: 2 oz. Elijah Craig 12yr 1/2 oz. Carpano Antica Formula 2 dashes of Fee Bros. Aged Whiskey Barrel Bitters This was awesome. As good as it gets (if you're the type that doesn't mind bourbon in their manhattans.....). Wanted to try something new as well, so tried a variation of the "Far Eastern Gimlet" from the Merchant Hotel: 1.5 oz. Hendricks Gin 1/2 oz. St. Germain's 1/2 oz. Lemon Juice Dash Angostura Bitters This is a good cocktail, but I'm getting too much St. Germain. Another 1/2 oz. of Gin may have been necessary. If you really like St. Germain it might be perfect though, I guess it's a matter of taste. The Merchants version doesn't have bitters in it, and they use a homemade elderflower cordial - I'm sure its far superior to this....

Tried the Ardberg 10 recently (since it got Jim Murray's Whisky of the Year award and all) and really enjoyed it. The citrusy tones were new to me, though I'm by no means a scotch aficionado. I've also always liked the Oban 14.

I've had an excellent night trying some new ones (for me): The La Louisiane Cocktail (from Robert Hess' uncovering or adaptation) 3/4 oz rye whiskey 3/4 oz sweet vermouth 3/4 oz Benedictine dash Peychaud's Bitters dash Absinthe stir with ice strain into glass A little on the sweet side for my taste, but nonetheless I enjoyed it. And the Champs Elysee's Cocktail (from CocktailDB): 1 oz Cognac 1/2 oz Yellow Chartreuse 1 oz fresh lemon juice 1/2 tsp sugar 1 dash aromatic bitters I used just a pinch of sugar, and Fee Bros Whiskey Barrel Aged bitters and am thrilled with this drink - it is as refreshing and tart as a sidecar but with a little more depth.

Angel's Share in NYC had (or has) a cocktail built around Sherry Vinegar which was either very good (imo) or amazing (in my girlfriend's opinion).