shantytownbrown

← this begats one quick Off-topic "conversion" question....how much sugar(brix(?correct word use here?)-wise) is an equivalent amount of sugar (in this case a 1/2 ladle) vs simple syrup (assuming a 1:1 mix) ?? scott

Kir and katies french 75 variation are sitting at the top of the liist right now... also found a possible in a champagne and st germaine.. to anwer a few questions:1. not averse to a traditional french 75 at all, just proposed that OR a variation 2. will try to find out what apps are being made, then try to hone(sp??) down the choice i also need to figure out what glassware the host has... great advice, thanks, keep it coming

was invited to a dinner party first time for us at a "dinner club".... we were invited late and all courses are spoken for, so I would like to bring a cocktail... something i can mix up (for the most part) ahead of time and something that will serve around 20 folks...needs to have a french origin in some way... any good variations on a french 75 you can think of? something more creative? something with a good story...? definetly want something in the "classic" side or some variiation there of... figured i could pick your brains... party is in 10 days thanks in advance shanty

funny i just saw this stuff(the asian tea mix) in my grocery market the other day , and thought of using it for this type of drink, i have made something similar using Citron-Honey from Trader Joes and one with a combo of orange marmalade and english grapefruit marmalade...i think i got the original recipe from Food and Wine a few years ago I have used both rye and bourbon, and i like both (but thats just me) shanty

their website has it only in the UK if i am reading it correctly www.beefeater24.com would be interested to try, but fear a gin marketed for the vodka masses, please correct me if someone has tried and enjoyed...(besides i just picked up regular beefeaters(1.75L) for 23.99$(us) after $8 mail-inrebate..how can you beat that price point)

Glad to hear it all went so well! Fish House Punch is hard to beat. If you can locate Batavia Arrack and Seville oranges, Regent's Punch is perhaps the best contender. Unfortunately those are both relatively scarce ingredients. Still worth trying with substitutions. If you're interested in learning more about punch, definitely recommend you pick up a copy of the aforementioned Imbibe!, it'll have you clamoring for more (which is on the way). ← imbibe! is in my wish list cart on Amazon, will order soon... Batavia Arrak is available and relatively common around my parts (not sure why in particular, but have seen it almost anywhere)..but Seville oranges, not so much...tho..supposedly there is a market in the town where i am moving that will order ANYTHING you need..so when i move this summer...a batch of regents will be made!

In my experience, some people who are used to drinking vodka-ish things may be shocked initially at the amount of pure flavor in a drink like this, they are likely to describe it as "strong" in which they don't distinguish strong flavors from alcoholic potency. Usually I find if you can convince someone to tough out one cup of punch, by the end of it they want more. The nice thing about punches is that when made properly they have all the flavor of dark spirits with very little of the 'bite' that one often associates with them, making it a good gateway for neophytes. Next step is a Sidecar, before long they are hooked on Manhattans. Oh well a boy can dream, can't he? ← well, I am home from the gathering, thanking myself for stopping the imbibing early enough, as i had to drive through a DUI stop (sober of couse as my wife and daughter were in the car)... but the Philly fish House Punch(es) i made were a HUGE hit...everyone loved them, and loved both of them for different reasons...I am hoping that i will be able to have them over for sidecars before too long... they loved hearing some of the history behind this and were not aware of the growing "old school" cocktail scene and wonder if i have sparked some interest..(???)(see, we are stuck in the rural 'burbs of CT here) both couples want the formulas...! a good time was had by all... I look forward to my next punch adventure shanty

point well taken...i agree that BOTh variiations lack "richness" and a little mouth feel is missing as well...i think that the Gosling's is least lacking in both categories, and will play with this recipe over the summer months, i hope...and try different rums and different sugars...etc i am hoping that my guests don't find both to be "too much" for their tastes...i hope not...of course..they are old school cocktail newbies... shanty

how much? start small and add to taste? i assume in place of the confectioners(from the F&W recipe)..? and would i then still need the water, i would guess no...? scott ← Water is a crucial element to punch, The most successful punches in a bowl I've made have had a final abv in the finished product of between 12% and 15%, so I think it's a good idea to get the pocket calculator out and figure out how much water to add. Not enough dilution and it's definitely going to have an interesting (and not necessarily desireable) effect on the party. The rules for punch are different than the rules for cocktails. ← if i use simple syrup (deremera) in place of the confectioners, do i count that water in the calculation? ← You can, though you're really going for a total volume thing. For the record, an ounce of 1:1 syrup contains about 2/3 oz of water, 2:1 syrup about 1/2 oz per oz of syrup. If you're making an actual bowl-sized recipe, many old punch recipes call for the infusion of the sugar with some lemon peel oils, nowadays accomplished by peeling some of the lemons (minimize the amount of white part) and muddling them with the sugar. If you're starting with syrup you already have on hand of course you would probably have to skip this step. ← this sounds all great..love learning this stuff... unfortunately i ran out of time in prep'ing for this stuff, so i had to use what i had on hand, which meant following the magazine's recipe..(i am the worst procrastinator) I mad two versions, one with some OJ (fresh squeezed of course) with some lemon, and the other one, the other way 'round (taking ms loeb's suggestion above) i also made one with the sailor jerry despite someones mild protest...and one with gosling's 80...i had to add a bit more water than called for for both as they were both too hot at base recipe... both are great..the gosling's is sharper and more tart (as it had more lemon) and the SJ was tame and a bit sweeter...even with my sampling it hit me a bit... should be a good bbq..hope the guest appreciate it I would like to in the future make this with the demerera syrup as i can sense exactly what it would bring to the party, and that level of taste is missing on the F&W recipe thanks again for the suggestions shany

how much? start small and add to taste? i assume in place of the confectioners(from the F&W recipe)..? and would i then still need the water, i would guess no...? scott ← Water is a crucial element to punch, The most successful punches in a bowl I've made have had a final abv in the finished product of between 12% and 15%, so I think it's a good idea to get the pocket calculator out and figure out how much water to add. Not enough dilution and it's definitely going to have an interesting (and not necessarily desireable) effect on the party. The rules for punch are different than the rules for cocktails. ← if i use simple syrup (deremera) in place of the confectioners, do i count that water in the calculation?

how much? start small and add to taste? i assume in place of the confectioners(from the F&W recipe)..? and would i then still need the water, i would guess no...? scott

I have Sailor Jerry's already in the cabinet, just added Gosling's 80 today, and while browsing for something to replace the "peach schnapps" I found something called "Mathilde Peach Liqueur" and was hoping this may fit the flavor profile i should be looking for. My shop guy said it is sweeter than Peach Eau de Vie but much less than Peach schnapps... any thoughts? also, should i go for the goslings or use the Sailor J in this punch variiation. (i am not a big apricot fan, so unlikely Apry, as good as it is, will ever make it into my cocktailian repetoire--its just me)

landy makes an decent but not great sidecar..i was sold this before i discovered this site and its knowlege base... unfortunately Laird's bonded seems not available to me, or my shopkeeper doesnt know where to find it in his "book"... I think I can also only get gosling's 80, which i planned to buy anyway as summer and Dark and Stormy time is coming any alternate rum advice for this mix... oh and what do you make of the black tea in this version thanks for the link to art of drink site

I recently read about this punch in Food and Wine january issue i had misplaced and recently browsed... I am going to a dinner party, and wanted to bring a cocktail, and thought this would be a good idea... need to scale for 6 folks two drinks apeice http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/philly-fish-house-punch how does this version stack up? would you reccomend another variation? what rum and what brandy would you use for this? I have a bottle of Landy VS in the house...would this work? (I am in the market for new light and dark rum for my shelf as it is) thanks in advance shanty

Thanks. The store at which I bought all this stuff had little signs about this and that, and unless it seemed dangerous I grabbed it. By the time I reached yohimbe, I had inhaled three-quarters of the several hundred items, so who knows what the yohimbe sign said. ← FYI-Yohimbe was the drug Viagra replaced a few years ago...for the same said purpose.. btw..anyone know where in Connecticut (or Boston, cause i'll be there next week) that I can by gary regans orange bitters "over the counter"..(meaning not internet)...? thanks sb

i'd rather have it that way than how I am usually served manhattan's locally at a bar...shaken to death, watered down, cloudy messes.... so i often will ask for e'm just as you got it..and they'll even screw that up, like by again shaking it to death and pouring it in a collins glass over more ice...(well at least the last place threw in some angostura bitters)....ugh.. i'll still vote for Mitcher's (4 yo) and Sazerac I havent seen R1 around connecticut yet, but i will sheild my eyes when i do

the uniqueness of the color is something that fascinated me and attracted me to the Old Raj... i'd put it as my favorite gin, i keep it as my personal "top shelf" but keep one mid-shelf and one well in the cabinet at home..(Juniper green, beefeaters, bombay...Junipero)

also makes an interestingly good Martini, was turned on to this gin in 1999 at Gramercy Tavern(NYC), and I've kept a bottle in my cabinet since (not the same one mind you).. So i'll put in a second on this one, but it is in the super-premium price range ($60/750ml) here in the states, and be warned is a very high proofed gin... they do make a lower proofed version, but i have not seen it available in my area...and dont know what the price difference would is... sb

The formula of spirit, Cointreau, sour is a classic combination which forms the foundation of many of the greatest classics as well as familiar modern cocktails. For example... Sidecar: cognac, Cointreau, lemon Margarita: tequila, Cointreau, lime Between the Sheets: rum and cognac, Cointreau, lemon Cosmopolitan: citrus vodka, Cointreau, lime (touch of cranberry) And so on... ← are these all made in the 3:2:1 combo...? I will look into JoM by Gary Regan..i need to build a better library...

bacardi eight year with its "rum oil" sort of character... (and it doesn't break the bank!) other heavy spirits have too many stuck flavors like vanilla or caramel. ← just to clarify..not just rum...what about other spirits brown or white... and the "names" if any exist...

can someone tell an amateur like me what happens to the cocktail name when you change the spirit of a sidecar without changing the other ingredients or proportions... I imagine you do not order a "rum sidecar"...?? or do you? and what spirtis work best to sub for the brandy? I like to mix it up a bit at times...

Went gin shopping this weekend to replace my bottle of Beefeater's...(tried again as concensus from this thread) wanted to again try something new from the lower price points as I often keep multiple gins in my home cabinet... I picked up "Juniper Green Orgainic" at $22/750 it was only $3 more than Beefeater's or Bombay, and have to say i was pleasaantly suprised. Yes, it has up front Juniper, but i thought it to be quite smooth and not so biting as the beefeaters. Some of the other herbals not so detectable, but there was some other subtle flavors present...(my palate not yet refined enough to tel you what tho...) I wanted to ask what others thought of Bombay (non-sapphire) as its been quite a while since i've had it.... and also if anyone has tried Greylock Gin from the berkshire's in massachusetts..?

i have a bottle, and used it on a ginger lemon semolina cake that I saw Ming Tsai do on his cooking show, the cake was awseome, the drinks i have experimented with it have also been good. their website has some suggestions (www.dominedecanton.com) I made a negroni variation as well... 1oz domiane de canton, 1 oz sake 1 oz campari on the rocks... (great with sushi) (i had posted it here a while ago but it got missed by the masses.. http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST...post&p=1631800) and a "black ginger" as suggested on their site which is a rusty nail substituting this for the Drambuie 1 oz each J/W black scotch and domiane de canton served on the rocks in a lowball/rocks glass its been fun playing with this liqueur

I have had two of Glenrothes whiskies... i am farily sure the first was the "Select Reserve" and I happened to enjoy it, esp the value it was at its price point. Most recently I am finishing a bottle i bought myself for my 30th Birthday.."1987" it says on the bottle, and would have to say it is in the top two for favorite whisky I've tried this year, and falls somewhere in the top ten of whiskies I have tried over the last 15 years or so... sadly i have only one wee dram remaining... for $25 I would certainly invest in a bottle...worth a go...

I learned the hard way that you need to make a lighter syrup from it by dissolving it with water first, much like honey. Trying to add a barspoon of straight Lyle's to a stirred drink is a surefire way to end up with a cloying, syrupy mess stuck to your spoon and strainer, and a very, very, very dry drink. As for recipes that it works well in, I never got far enough with it to find out. ← yeah, and for this matter, and for what i am finding out over in the baking thread, i am going to take it and my receipt to the grocery store and return it unopened.. a) i'll stick with my homemade S.S b) for baking, corn syrup will do just fine the cost of this stuff, for little gain (and in cocktails loss plus effort), is not worth it