Dan Perrigan

Thanks, Dan. One of my personal variants goes along those lines too: 1 ½ oz Thomas Handy Rye 1 ½ oz Cynar ½ oz Cocchi Vermouth di Torino 8 drops Regan’s Orange (Garnish with three Luxardo Cherries on a bamboo pick) And it's rare that I'm in the mood for something this "Manhattany". Today, for example, called for Daiquiris Whoa -- I just re-read your recipe. You said DRY vermouth. That sounds more "Brooklyny". Hmm, might have to give one a try. Thanks again. Dan

My turn to chime in: Yes, there are classics that I hate. But there are classics that YOU hate, that I love. So let's see if I can fix that for you Vieux Carre: Yeah, I don't like it either. Aviation: One of my favorites, actually. But..... it has to be made exactly like this: 2 oz Plymouth Gin, 3/4 oz Lemon, 2 tsp Luxardo Maraschino, 1 tsp R&W Creme de Violette. Any other ratio or brand doesn't work. Sorry. Bronx, Monkey Gland, Blood and Sand: No. I don't like. It's possible that the Blood and Sand can be redeemed, but I don't know how. 20th Century: Another favorite. But, again, it must be made like this: 1.5 oz strong gin (Brokers, Beefeaters, etc), 3/4 oz Cocchi Americano, 3/4 oz Lemon, 1/2 tsp Bols Creme de Cacao. Yes, Bols... but only 1/2 tsp. You don't want it to taste like chocolate. Yes, I tried it with Tempus Fugit Cacao. It works better with the cheap stuff. Vesper: What's the point of mixing Vodka and Gin? To "smooth" the gin? I say use a smooth gin instead -- Citadel. So I make my "Archer Cocktail" (It's spy-related, ok?) like so: 4 oz Citadel Gin, 1/2 oz Cocchi Americano. Yes, it's a glass of ethanol. Tasty, tasty ethanol. Manhattan: Too sweet. I have a half dozen Manhattan variations that I play with. I try to make them as bitter as possible. It's hard to do. I'm open to suggestions. That's my two cents' worth. Cheers, Dan (the other one)

I just asked my computer screen the exact same thing

Just made a Floridita with the new Tempus Fugit Creme de Cacao and it's fantastic. 1 1/2 oz Lt Rum (Matusalem Platino) 1/2 oz Lime 1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth (Carpano) 1 tsp Grenadine (homemade) 1/2 tsp Creme de Cacao (Tempus Fugit) I tried the cacao in a Twentieth Century (one of my favorite drinks) last week and didn't like it there -- too much chocolaty-goodness for the drink. But it seems MADE for the Floridita. Dan

Hey! I just opened up my new replacement bottle of Averna and noticed that the label and cap were slightly different than my old bottle. This usually worries me. So I checked each label carefully and saw that the new label says 29% alcohol and the old one said 32%. I had about a quarter ounce of the old one in a jigger so I did a taste comparison. The new one is definitely sweeter and less complex. Please say it ain't so! Averna is (was) my favorite amaro. Damn. Dan

My current recipe (which is derived from a combination of the recipes in "How to Mix Drinks", "Imbibe", and "Punch", and feedback from this very thread) comes in at 2:1 water to spirits. (48 oz spirits, 64 oz water, 32 oz ice block). Actually it's usually less because I add about half the water, then the ice, stir, and taste. Then I add more until I decide it's right. Dan

Hi FrogPrincesse. The first time I made this I used the recipe that calls for three slices of fresh ginger to be muddled in the shaker (and 3/4 oz honey syrup and no extra ginger liqueur/juice). I've made it several times since then, searching for an "easy" way -- Canton, ginger syrup, etc -- and none have the same ginger bite as using fresh ginger. Without the fresh ginger, it just falls flat. I may need to run out and buy some today because this is sounding like an excellent choice for tonight... Dan

I am -- my 2nd time. I learned from last year, and will be getting in the day before the official opening. Can't wait. Dan

I've been on a drinks-with-egg-white kick recently. So tonight it was the "Great Pink Lady and Clover Club taste-off". The recipes I used were: Pink Lady 1 1/2 oz Gin 1/2 oz Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy 1/2 oz Lemon 1/2 oz Grenadine (homemade) 1 egg white and Clover Club (Same recipe, except use 2 oz Gin and no applejack) Lots of half-sized drinks later, the results are: The Pink Lady needs a gin that is not too juniper-forward. Broker's was too much. Plymouth was just about right. The Clover Club was the exact opposite: Plymouth got lost in there. Broker's was very nice. The juniper goes well with the grenadine and doesn't have to fight with the applejack. Next steps (for another night) are to try each with a completely different gin (like Hendrick's) and with a Pisco instead of the gin. Dan

Hi Douglas. Here's my contribution. I don't know if this name has been used before, but for a Pisco-based tiki drink it was a name that was begging to be used: Bahama Llama 1 1/2 oz Macchu Pisco 1/2 oz El Dorado 15 1/2 oz Mezcal Vida 1 oz Coco Lopez 1/2 oz Fresh Lime Shake well with ice. Pour unstrained into a tiki mug. Garnish with 8 drops of Orange Flower Water. Enjoy, Dan Perrigan

Hi there. I ALSO made Fish House Punch for New Year's. While it's usually my Fourth of July standard Punch, this year my brother flew all the way across the country to visit me so I figured since he's here I'd go all out and make the best bowl of Punch ever. My formula is a mixup of the recipes in both "Imbibe" and "Punch" (they're slightly different), with a few tweaks: 2 cups Demerara Sugar (and I make an oleo-saccharum with the peels of three lemons) 16 oz Lemon 24 oz VSOP Cognac 12 oz Rum (8 oz Plantation Barbados + 4 oz Smith and Cross) 12 oz "Peach Brandy" (3 oz Mathilde Peche + 9 oz Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy) 64 oz or more Water + Ice This is pretty delicious. This year I discovered I was almost out of Cognac as I was mixing the Punch. I ended up using about 12 oz Cognac and 12 oz Lairds 7 1/2 Year Old Apple Brandy (which is more like Cognac than Applejack). It may have been even better this way. I've also made the version using Kuchan but I like the Apple Brandy (Jersey-style) version better. Dan

I don't know how Maks does it either (although I'd love to try one of his), but here is how Baker himself mixed it up. Note the full 2oz of 151 -- woo! Jockey Club Cocktail 2oz 151 Proof Demerara Rum Juice 1 small lime 1 tsp sugar or bar syrup 1/2 pony Maraschino 2 tsp Green Chartreuse Curl of Orange Peel Shake with big ice and pour into a crushed ice filled champagne or cocktail glass. Or strain into a sour glass, top with soda, and garnish with a few drops of Angostura bitters. Dan

I'm "the other Dan" now? Aw, man. In the name of Science, I just mixed up a New Red House (1:1:1:0.5 Rye/CioCiaro/Campari/Lemon) and Dan's 1:1:1:1 Rye/CioCiaro/Gran Classico/Lemon. Two tasty drinks -- very similar and yet very different. I actually tasted more sweetness from the 1:1:1:1 Gran Classico version, with a long lemony finish. I suppose my next experiment will be to try the 1:1:1:1 with Campari. Oh well, there's always tomorrow. Dan

Ok, here's my DrinkLab 9 tweak: 3/4 oz Rye (Rittenhouse 100) 3/4 oz Maurin Quina 3/4 oz Campari 1/4+ oz Lemon 1 ds Jerry Thomas' own Decanter Bitters My thinking was that the sloe gin might be fighting with the rye so I looked for something else with a bitter red fruit flavor. The Maurin Quina (to me) tastes of cherry/cranberry/lemon and quinine -- but it's also not the easiest bottle to find. The JT Bitters keep it from being too tart. They're also one of the "bitterest" bitters I know of. I do think the result was pretty nice. Anyone else want to play? Dan

Hmm. We might just need a separate Drinklab 9 thread for this. Can't wait to get started. (And my vote is to stay with Rye as the base and find ingredients that work with it. I'm always looking for a new yummy rye drink) Dan

Hi Dan. This sounds like fun. One of my own favorite creations is also a Paper Plane variation. Here it is in hopes that it might lend a few ideas to the Group Effort Cocktail -- namely adding a rich Amaro (or even subbing it for the Campari). (I'd also appreciate it if you'd give it a try as-is and let me know what you think) New Red House 1 oz Rittenhouse Bonded Rye 1 oz Campari 1 oz Amaro CioCiaro 1/2 oz Lemon (Shake and strain. No garnish) Anyway, I'll play with the Group Effort Cocktail and post my results. Sounds fun! Dan

My recent haul: The Mathilde Poire is beautiful. Like drinking a pear. I haven't played with the Amere Nouvelle much yet, but it's very tasty on its own. I really love the Amer Savauge. I've been plugging it into as many recipes calling for Suze as I can find. The White Negroni and the Two Cups of Blood are the best I've found so far. The Citadel Gin is delicious. I don't know if "creamy" is a valid description for a London Dry Gin, but it's the first thing that comes to mind. Or maybe "silky". Maybe I need another sip. Finally there's the Great King Street. Well, I definitely have a new mixing Scotch. Nothing else compares. The real haul, though, came after I took this photo. I visited one of my local liquor stores this weekend and noticed a bottle high up on the shelf behind the register that must have been staring me in the face for years without me realizing it. A 2008 bottle of George T Stagg Bourbon. The 141.8 Proof one. At $68 too. Jackpot. Poured myself a sip today, uncut. Man, that's delicious stuff. Dan

Hi Katie. I'd love that recipe for the Spiced Simple, too. It sounds delicious. Thanks, Dan

Found these on Saturday. Any idea how old each are? The tax stamp on the Bols puts it before 1985, right? Thanks, Dan

Resurrecting an old topic... I've been playing around with Pisco quite a bit since acquiring a couple bottles recently and have come up with a couple drinks I'm quite proud of -- so I wanted to share them with the group. I welcome any comments. Silver Lining 2 oz Pisco (used La Diablada) 1 oz fresh Lemon juice 1/2 oz Cocchi Americano 2 tsp Vanilla Syrup (homemade) (Shake. Strain into chilled coupe) City of Gold 1 oz Pisco (used Macchu Pisco) 1/2 oz Lairds Bonded Apple Brandy 1 oz Cocchi Vermouth di Torino (or sub Carpano Antica) 3 drops Scrappy's Grapefruit Bitters 8 drops Bittermens Hopped Grapefruit Bitters (Stir. Strain into chilled coupe. Grapefruit twist) Cheers, Dan

I was just about to reply to the Bonal question and saw I was beat to the punch. So I decided to just mix up a Cortez the Killer for myself. Built to spec, it was good -- but it seemed to be begging me to add something. I grabbed my newly-acquired bottle of Bittermens Hopped Grapefruit Bitters, saw that the label recommended "...adding a dash to stirred cocktails containing tequila...", and threw in 8 drops. Nice. The best I've tried so far from the book. By the way, I pondered on the Brigadoon some more and decided I like the Cameron's Kick better. I also tried the Laissez les Bon Temps Rouler last night but didn't care for it. If I'm going to stir 2oz of Rye into a drink, it's going to be a Sazerac or an Improved Whiskey Cocktail (although I'm always up for trying something new) Dan

My copy came in the mail yesterday. I've already read it cover to cover. What a great book! For my first drink I chose one containing scotch -- since scotch cocktails always intrigue me. Brigadoon 1 tsp Orgeat 1/2 oz lemon 2/3 oz apricot brandy (I used R&W) 1 1/2 oz Glenmorangie scotch (I used Compass Box Spice tree since that was the least peaty scotch I have on hand) Shake, strain, orange twist. This seems to me a modified version of a Cameron's Kick -- with all scotch and no irish whiskey, and with the addition of apricot brandy. When I first tried a Cameron's Kick I had no idea what to think. I wasn't sure whether I liked it or not. The only thing I knew was that I wanted another sip. Pretty soon the glass was empty and I found myself making another one. This drink is similar -- hard to decide on the first sip. I'm near the end of the glass now and I've decided I do in fact like it -- although I'll make the next one with Ardbeg 10 or Laphroig and see how it works with the extra peat and smoke. Dan

Just ordered mine. Looking forward to participating. Dan

From what? I use 3/4oz of each for 3oz into the tin. Doh! From 1oz. (I likes my Corpse Revivers to be SuperSized) So if you're using 3/4oz as your base, try 1/2oz for the lemon. Dan

With regards to the CR #2, I usually scale down the lemon to 3/4 oz in mine. And if you can get your hands on Cocchi Aperitivo Americano to use in place of the Lillet (since its more pronounced quinine flavor is more in line with the original formula Lillet) then you'll have yourself a terrific Corpse Reviver. Dan