Dan Perrigan

My wife bought me six of these at a local antique shop. They're the best cocktail glasses ever. They have a perfect weight in your hand, they're comfortable to grip, and perfect for sipping a nice Aviation (or Daiquiri or Corpse Reviver or ...) Dan

Went to Yerba Buena yesterday (in East Village, NYC). In addition to having amazing food, I had an amazing cocktail: the Poquito Picante. The usual suspects of Gin, Lemon, and Cointreau, plus jalepeno, cucumber, and cilantro. Perfectly balanced, and a little spicy -- just as advertised. I figured I'd have to spend weeks trying to reproduce it at home, but a search turned up the exact recipe: Piquito Picante. By Artemio Vasquez. 6 to 8 cilantro leafs 2 slices of cucumber with skin 3 slices of seedless jalapeño ¾ oz fresh lemon juice ¾ oz simple syrup ½ oz Cointreau 2 oz Tanqueray gin Directions: 1. Muddle cilantro, cucumber, and jalapeño with lemon juice, pressing gently. 2. Add remaining ingredients. 3. Shake well and strain twice. 4. Garnish with a dry chili pepper. (I made three of these today) This is an amazing drink. Now I can't wait to try his Desert Rose...

Hi there. I'm a huge fan of Plymouth -- which I believe is essential for a proper Aviation. But since it's expensive, I'm always on the search for the perfect mid-range mixing gin. I usually use Tanq, Beefeaters, or Brokers and when it runs out, choose the next bottle based on what's on sale. Last week I found myself in Pennsylvania at one of the larger state-run liquor stores and saw the giant ("Family Size"?) 1.75L bottle of New Amsterdam gin for a whopping $18. I figured that for $9 per 750ml I'd give it a try. Well... It's Really citrusy, and not very "ginny". I can barely detect any juniper. In fact, it's practically an orange-infused vodka. So my question is this: Has anyone found a good use for this gin? I figured the orange notes would be helpful in a Satan's Whiskers, and it seemed to have tuned out nicely...until I mixed a second one using Beefeaters so that I could compare them. The Beefeaters one was noticeably better -- the gin was noticeable (and yummy). The New Amsterdam one tasted like a Screwdriver (with lots of orange bitters) by comparison. I'm sure there have got to be some recipes that will work with it (at least I hope so -- I have 1.749 liters left of it). Any suggestions? Thanks, Dan

If you like a serious ginger kick, try Blenheim's. They have their original extra spicy (pink bottlecap) and a newer less-spicy one. The original spicy is fantastic in a Moscow Mule. They're hard to find in stores but I've seen them on the Kegworks website. Dan

A Martinez. Man, that's a nice drink. And I don't even need to cut fruit. Does a Perfect Martinez work? (half sweet / half dry vermouth). I think I'll give it a try...

Has anyone else had North Shore Sirene Verte? I tried it in Chicago side by side with Kubler (in a drip) and liked it better than the Kubler, but these are the only two absinthes I've tried -- so I don't know where it stands next to many of the others. Thanks, Dan

Northern New Jersey (I just added it to my profile). Actually, after writing that, I searched again and did find a store not too far from here that has it for $25 for 750ml. Thanks, Andy, for the Boodles suggestion. And KD1191, for the Leopold's. I'll keep an eye out for them. I haven't seen Broker's around here yet, but remember seeing it in Chicago when I was there last. I've been wanting to try it, too. Dan

Hi All. It's been about a year and a half since the last post, and I figured this thread needed a bump -- for several reasons: 1. R&W Creme de Violette is widely available now. (and I believe they modified their formulation a year or two ago). 2. The Gin situation has changed (new gins, certain ones becoming more expensive) 3. It's my favorite drink. and 4. Being a brand new member, I never got a chance to participate in the original discussion So here we go again: I first heard of this drink a couple months ago (in Ted Haigh's "Vintage Cocktails") and knew I had to try it. I found Luxardo Maraschino nearby and then went on a quest for Creme de Violette. I finally found some at Astor Wines in NYC, rushed home, and mixed up a proper Aviation. Woops. Too sweet. Then I scoured the net and found some blogs -- and also found eGullet -- and tried the ratios I've seen posted here: 2 oz Plymouth Gin 1/2 to 3/4 oz lemon juice 2 tsp Luxardo 1 tsp R&W Creme de Violette. I was instantly in love. With these brands and these proportions, this is a perfect drink. Each ingredient reveals itself (sometimes several different times) from smell, to sip, to swallow, to luscious aftertaste. (Mmm, I'm getting thirsty...) So now I'm hooked. But Plymouth is up over $45/Liter, so I've been testing different gins out. Here's what I've found: Bluecoat: This is a delicious gin, and makes the best martini (4:1 or 3:1, Noilly) that I've ever had. But it went completely flat in an Aviation. Tanqueray: Good. But not great. Something is missing. Gordons: Also kind of flat and, well, gray. The drink equivalent of going from color to black and white. Beefeater: Almost, (but not quite), as good as the Plymouth. If I wasn't tasting them side by side, I MIGHT not have noticed. I still haven't found a perfect substitute yet. With Plymouth, this drink SINGS. I'm still trying different gins, as bottles run out. So now (I hope) the discussion is on. What recipes are you using? What gins have you tried (and what did you think?). Also, for anyone lucky enough to get their hands on a bottle of Creme Yvette, how does that compare in an Aviation? Cheers, Dan

Thanks for all the suggestions. Yesterday I mixed up a bunch of one-quarter-sized Old Fashioneds to test the various bitters combinations. (1/2 oz Eagle Rare 10 yr, 1/4 tsp simple, 1/2 dash bitters, orange peel). While I was able to learn the effects that different combinations and ratios of the various bitters have on that drink, end the end I (re)discovered that the best combination for an Old Fashioned is simply 2 dashes (in a normal-sized drink) of Angostura. Chris: Good idea. I think I'll try the Martini test next. Sampling them with Gin sounds like it will reveal a whole different side. Also -- The day I received them, I did try a few drops of each of the bitters straight up. Also very informative. Thanks again. If you have any more suggestions, I'll try them too. Dan

Hi All. Santa brought me a mixed grab-bag of bitters yesterday: Angostura Orange, Regan's Orange #6, Peychaud's, Fee's Lemon, and Fee's Peach (to go along with the Angostura Aromatic and Fee's Old Fashioned that I already have). I've searched this board for the following question but couldn't find anything related (but please forgive me if this has already been discussed over and over). So here goes: Does anyone know of a good drink (or drinks) that highlight the differences in the different bitters? I'm thinking of making one drink in several tiny portions and then trying different combinations of bitters. I'm pretty sure I'll have to test the Lemon and Peach in a separate drink, since they're so different than the aromatic and orange bitters. A related question would be.. For each bottle of bitters, what is the best drink to show off its best qualities? Thanks, Dan

Has anyone else tried Ransom Old Tom Gin? I bought a bottle in Chicago (the gin is from Oregon) and it's very good. You can sip it straight. I haven't tried Hayman's and wonder how they compare. Anyone tried both? Dan

Thanks, Kent. I just mixed up a Scofflaw and am drinking it right now. You're right. Lots of grenadine goodness, while allowing the Rye to shine through. I also picked up a bottle of Laird's Bonded yesterday and made myself a Jack Rose. Also amazing. Thanks again to everyone. Neither drink would have been possible without your help. Dan

Hi All. I just made a batch of grenadine using this recipe. Wow. This stuff is amazing. I immediately mixed myself a Monkey Gland to test it out. It was good, but I need to try it again with blood oranges. Besides the Jack Rose (I don't have any Laird's Bonded handy), are there any other cocktails you'd recommend that showcase a good grenadine? Thanks! Dan Perrigan