shantytownbrown

I would like to bump this thread, as I would like an update as to any new "Sipping" rums as erik had asked for 2 years ago... I am also new in to the sipping rum world, and just finished my second bottle, I have enjoyed both and would like to try something new along the same taste lines.. I have had Ron Zacapa 23 (before Diagio purchased) and Zaya; I enjoyed the deep flavor and brown sugar sweetness of both, with what i got as a very sublte charcol (i assume from the charred barrel??). But it was the brown sugar and the thicker mouth feel that i liked the most of these two... can someone steer me toward another to try...? (under $40/750ml please). My availability is limited here in my part of CT, but may be able to order something else or use the internet. oh and btw is the Zacapa 23 "solera" the diagio version any different? thanks shanty

I'm having trouble with this because of the scotch..blended for cocktails and single malt for sipping, but if we are only talking about cocktails, then i'd live without the scotch (I only make three or four mixed drinks with it) as long as my single malt does not count toward the 10 or 12...still musing on the rest...

darn

type of ice question: I am moving to a new home in the next few months, the current owner did a major kitchen upgrade within the last year and installed sub-zero refig/freezer (no idea what model). It has and ice maker, their site does not show pics of cubes... anyone have any idea what type of ice i will have with this unit? thanks in advance shanty(scott)

To me obsello is kind of in the same vicinity of Lucid. Decent and well priced traditional style absinthe. Not outstanding, but quite good for the price. You can definitely spend more for much worse absinthe. Actually, Obsello is usually priced a bit better than Lucid, so it kind of gives it the leg up there. ← thats good to know, Lucid and St George and occasionally kubler I have seen in my loacal shops...unfortunately, by the time St Geoge's gets to the east coast and sits on the shelf, the bright green has gone off as the chlorophyll browns from light exposure....does this affect the taste profile...? Obsello i'd have to mail order, so which of the other three I have available would you rec. first for an absinthe neophyte...?

Has anyone tried Obsello?

I just batched my first attempt at homemade cherries...I had wanted to do more that one "type", however i misjudged how much liquid i needed for each jar, and measured out the whole 1.5c of Maraschino liquor into my simple syrup, and wound up with twice as much as i needed, so in the fridge i have "cooking" 2 Ball jars of JP's Cherries Clickie made with Luxardo Maraschino... I took two steps at preservation, I borrowed from Alton Brown. One from his beer episode, where he cleaned all his equipment in a dilute bleach solution, another where he dipped his herbs in a similar bleach solution for 5 seconds prior to maxing herbed vinegar (rinsing in water prior to bottling). I did this with my clean jars and with the cherries...(i am a bit microbe paranoid, as i have never canned before) also i used my own 1:1 simple syrup and I couldn't find sour cherries around here, and used bings...will repeat when i find sour's and will make smaller jars with different liquors... i will report back in a few weeks (how long for max enjoyment?) shanty

i have the same question.. also from a previous posting question i had made, it seems that poaching the cherries may make them loose some of their "crunch"/crispness if heated, and loose color, is this true? i bought a jar of Trader Joes Morello cherries in hopes of replacing or combining its syrup with maraschino liquor, but i found the cherries to be quite soft if not mushy at baseline to be eventually used in a cocktail, they were also washed out of color. shanty

I found Highland Park 12 yo to be a great chocolate accompaniment (or is it the other way 'round?) ....really brings out something in the whisky... just my humble opinion shanty

a. i think my wife would be happy if i made only two jars as it is..(though i'd love to try the eight you did!!) so yeah, we can spare fridge space.. b. will you ship to connecticut?

i am looking to make a few different versions(brandy, maraschino, bourbon), or at least a few different jars in one batch, so i can use fresh cherries and use them through the year, how can i assure shelf stability until next summer's batch...while maitaing the cherry "crispness" we all so love for our cocktails i guess i have some canning literature to read...

thanks for the book/webstie advice all.. just to answer my curiosity..why not heat if going in alchohol...my cooking science mind wants to know..

do any of you heat the cherries in the syrup before jar'ing...? i read this method in a chow.com recipe for homemade cherries... should you rinse the cherries in a dilute vinegar to kill any potential "badness" that may be lurking? ( i read of doing this to herbs before flavoring oils with them) and can someone refer me to a good canning saftey link/book/source, so i donrt poison myself or friends in making these babies...

great link, in the video he mentions using "the highest vodka you can find", I assume he means "highest proof", as the print recipe says you can use grain alchohol (in connecticut we can get graves 190)... do you use the high proof for preservation purposes? light corn syrup...without starting another discussion on syrups and sugars, is light corn sryup the better sugar for this, as a few of you mentioned above that sugar may be the key to keep the fruit from blanching out...? i have read in one recipe to add some aromatics (star anise, cinnamon) the they simple syrup mixture...anyone tried this? when is sour cherry season, i am only seeing bings right now, they arent that sweet, but i wouldnt quite call them sour either... shanty

my guess it has more to do with the following quote from wikpedia, speaking of a street in London: "Pall Mall is best known for being the home to various gentlemen's clubs built in the 19th century and early 20th centuries. These include the Athenaeum, Travellers Club, Army and Navy Club, Reform Club, United Services Club (now occupied by the Institute of Directors), Oxford and Cambridge Club and Royal Automobile Club" just a thought, but interesting that you would get tobacco invocations from this given the Creme de menthe.. funny that my grandmother smoked Pall Malls, the loose tobacco in the bottom of her purse would mix with her Wint-o-green lifesavers, so today if i have that flavor lifesaver, i can still taste the Pall Mall tobacco...so maybe i'd like this drink too.... sb

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but there aren't a whole lot of Scotch Cocktails and I can't think of any that use Maraschino liqueur. Might have to think up a new name! ← I dont know why this came to mind, but... since an Aviation is gin and marashino and this is scotch and maraschino, and a Jimmie Stewart movie about a plane crash in the saharah (see the Blood and Sand/aviation connection here) is called "The Flight of the Phoenix", maybe we could come up with a name out of this? just a thought...

no, no flair, i avoid the vegas flair as much as possible, in fact i (for the most part) find vegas the commercial cocktail/liquor capital...while some bars have quite a selection of ingredients, very few know how to put a proper drink together...this is why this particular restaurant's drink menu caught my attention...no granted the bar manager got the b&s wrong by name, he made a drink way above the expectations of the average vegas cocktail consumer, and you have to give him props for effort, and he did adjust the drink so it would work with the ingredient he chose... so is there a name in existence for what was created?

no, i can find it, we have it here in CT, at least i saw it on the shelf 6 mos ago... i realise i can sub these other things for cherry heering/cherry brandy, but my point was for the blood and sand. if this is what you are all talking about, then i accept your points. i clearly see there is a difference in the two products, but for those of you who have had this particular drink both ways, how do you feel it makes the drink different..., i would like to hear from those who have made both versions...will i really enjoy the drink that mush more?

i assume you mean "in general" it is not a sub for each other... or, specifically this drink? maybe then i did not experience a true B&S the other nite, but i did enjoy what i had none-the-less, so for me it worked here, but again maybe i would enjoy the real version more..

resurrecting an old thread, as i had my first blood and sand in LV this week at Michel Mina's Nobhill at MGM.. first off i was excited to see a drink menu in vegas that had classics (Moscow mule, cablecar(sidecar mod) and the blood and sand, plus a few others who's name escapes me at the moment. I wanted to pick your collective minds as to the use of Luxardo Maraschino in place of the cherry heering in this drink, thats what our bartender used (i was sure to ask and observe, also used cinzano sweet vermouth)...i believe he said his proportions were 1 oz jw-black, 3/4 each of the rest, and they did use fresh squeezed juices. I thought it all worked quite nicely together, and was rather an enjoyable cocktail and paired well with my braised short ribs in a Worcestershire reduction.... i think a flamed orange twist is in order for me to try once i make this at home, and would Punt e Mes work? how about Famous Grouse? i imagine Antica fromula (when i can get my hands on it) will make it even nicer...

would you ever sub Domaine de Canton Ginger Liquer for the ginger syrup or would it be too "strong" alchohol %-wise these all sound great as is...tho

i have always wondered this, now i can apply this in more than one place, so here is my next question...if i use 1:1 simple, in a premixed drink that wont then be shaken with ice, the extra 33% water should effectively take care of the dilution issue?? yes/no? i will ask my merchant today..thanks..

I almost always prefer to use a hgh quality Black Currant Syrup instead of Creme de Cassis of any brand. And in many cases, without modification of the recipe. ← such as...?? and why??

all sounds good, still trying to find out the apps menu, will likely be a few days, then we can narrow the selection a bit.. a cassis and Aligote question... a. how do i look for Aligote? will it be labeled as such? my familiarity with french wines is they dont state the varietal (which i assume Aligote is) on the bottle....can you hint me something to look for...?? as for the cassis..so far all i find is Cassis de dijon and some garbage (i assume) Hiram Walker stuff...anyone know what is available to me in connecticut? or other brands other than Giffard to look for.... and whats the difference between Creme de Cassis and "blackcurrent liqueur"? (i can get matilde brand here... shanty (scott)

this sounds quite good.. for either this or a Kir, is it "safe" to mix a batch ahead of time and chill, say in an old wine bottle???