EvergreenDan

Does Babbo have the Cyn Cin as shaken or stirred? I read shaken elsewhere, but I'd guess that was because of the unauthentic addition of the OJ. Thanks for your help. It's tough to get to the bottom of an authentic recipe sometimes.

Confirmed: Ponte Vecchio by Sam Treadway, Backbar, Somerville, MA 1 1/4 oz Fernet Branca 1 1/4 oz Cynar 1/2 oz Lemon juice Stir, double strain, straight up, chilled coupe, no garnish The Sloppy Possum from Lord Hobo, Cambridge, MA is essentially the same drink with Canton (although I like it even better with King's Ginger). I was surprised how the Cynar stood up to the Fernet.

I had a bad-ass cocktail at Back Bar in Somerville, MA. I asked for something bitter, and got Ponte Vecchio. I've e-mailed for the correct quantities, but I think it was 1 1/4 each Fernet and Cynar and about 1/4 to 1/2 lemon. I'm guessing 1/2 because it was quite tart. Shaken up, coupe.

Thanks, Sam. I guess I can't fight the authentic recipe (2:1/2:1/2 + OJ), but the Negroni-style is awesome. I reluctantly changed KC to the authentic version and moved the Negroni-style ratio to the variation. I made it two nights ago with Punt e Mes, which of courses messed up the cute name. Delicious.

I've also heard that called Gin-Cin-Cyn (like Rin Tin Tin, I suppose). But I see Cin Cyn discussed here: Sloshed I have made it Negroni-style, with equal proportions. It's a nice -- if obvious -- drink. Does anyone know the true creator? I only noted "Washington Post" as my source when I originally noted the cocktail (pre-Kindred Cocktails days).

I hope it was a formal affair so the Penguins didn't feel overdressed. Can you get Cocchi Americano, or is that impossible in Australia? It is quite nice all on its own (well, with a squeeze of lemon, or maybe a bit of seltzer if you're trying to stretch it out). I too like a Corpse Reviver #2, although I think I like the name even more -- even if the thought of a cocktail in the morning makes me pale.

Which Leap Year Cocktail? This one doesn't seem bitter at all: http://www.gumbopages.com/food/beverages/leap-year.html Perhaps she meant sour although Chuck's version looks a touch sweet to me. Telling me a drink is too bitter is like telling a 2 year old, "don't touch that!"

The package designer of the El Dorado 6 white bottle managed to make it look like flavored vodka.

Luxardo Bitter is very similar to Campari. IIRC, I found it a touch more floral. I'd happily drink it, and it's cheaper than Campari, but I prefer Campari. I did make a Right Hand with Smith & Cross using the recipe with 2oz of rum. First, 2oz of 114 proof rum is a lot. I'm lucky I can type. I'd go down to 1.5oz for sure. I also used Punt e Mes, which I realize misses the point of rum + vanilla. Those reservations aside, I loved the drink. So did my wife. Really, really good. But then I love Smith & Cross in general. It does need a long stir or some resting time to get the proof in check before it all comes together.

Hmmm, according my Bittermen's reference, Matusalem Gran Reserva was called for. I would have thought that El Dorado 12 would have worked. That said I could really see Smith & Cross working. Maybe I'll try it tonight with Punt e Mes (which would lack the vanilla, of course, but it's what I have open at the moment). Right Hand by Michael McIlroy, Milk and Honey, New York, NY 2 oz Añejo rum, Matusalem Gran Reserva 3/4 oz Sweet vermouth 3/4 oz Campari 2 ds Bitters, Bittermens Xocolatl Mole Stir, straight, straight up, cocktail glass.

I too love the Bittermens Xocolatl Mole bitters. They are subtly chocolate and assuredly bitter. I find that chocolate has juvenile associations for me, like the root beer flavor of Root. They both are difficult to use without evoking a "kiddie cocktail" association.

Do you like cachaca? Both make great batidas. 1.5 oz cachaca, 1 oz +/- of liqueur depending upon how sweet it is, 3/4 oz lime.

Had a Hemingway Daiquiri from PDT. No simple. Perfectly tart. I did use an agricole: Rhum JM white. Because, well, it's good.

I have fond childhood memories of maple syrup. First, my mom would sterilize glass jars -- the kind with a wire bale holding the glass lid on, with a rubber gasket. We'd take them to the sugar shack. There a horse team would pull a sled through the woods, with a tin tank in the sled. They would empty each tin bucket from the tree. The sap from the tank would go into a big enclosed boiling tank, fired by cord wood. The guy would take the jars and fill them with boiling syrup from a tap. We would also get some maple cream and maple candy. I remember the billows of steam and the smell of a nice campfire. The jars would go in the "fruit cellar" in the basement. They often formed a little mold on top, which we'd scrape off before use. The supply would last the year. In later years, plastic tubes replaced the buckets and sled, and gas replaced the firewood. It wasn't the same.

Maple grades date from with the best maple syrup has as little maple flavor as possible, imitating neutral cane sugar. I like grade B, too. It has the advantage of getting more maple flavor into the cocktail without adding so much sweetness.

One of my best originals in recent months. I'm sure others have made this combo, but I didn't find a name searching on-line. Worth tweaking and refining. 1oz Scotch (Balvenie Doublewood) 1oz Cynar 1oz Dry vermouth (Boissiere) 1d bitters (Jerry Thomas') 1tw lemon peel (expressed) Stirred/down (or up if you prefer). The clove/pie spice in the bitters holds it together, but others may be even better. Kind of like a Perfect Rob Roy. My wife who generally doesn't like Scotch loved it. Similar to a beer-based cocktail I made for Thursday Drink Night some months ago: Choke Let Malt

Recommended reading by Darcy O'Neil, Art of Drink, on the topic of tobacco infusions. It's "sobering."

And vacu-vin. Sugar hides a lot. Dry vermouth goes off way, way faster than sweet vermouth. I keep about 8-10 bottles open, some for quite a while. They don't seem to go off in the evacuated and in the fridge. I agree completely with Andy. I do try to limit things somewhat, so I might finish my Bonal before opening a Cocchi Americano, for example. My wife and I something have "a little something" after our evening cocktail -- often a Duplex of Punt e Mes and dry vermouth or similar. This uses up the aromatized wines.

Mukki -- Nice looking cocktail. Try reducing the amount of Allspice Dram that a recipe call for, especially if using St. Elizabeth's. It is quiet a bit more potent than homemade variations, apparently. You need to adjust recipes accordingly. I agree totally with you. Any more than about 1 tsp in a cocktail just takes over. I do enjoy the flavor when you get it just right -- lingering in the background. You might enjoy Nocino. I've only had the Nux Alpina brand, but it shares a similar spiciness with Allspice Dram, without taking over as much. I sometimes substitute it when I'm afraid that allspice dram will be too dominant.

I tried a straight forward sour: 1 oz Kronan 1 oz Smith & Cross 1 oz Rhum JM, white 1 oz lemon 1 d sugar-cane based bitters (homemade) Excellent, although I wish the Punch were a little more forward. To keep the sugar balance, I'd have to do something like 1.5/.5/.5/1.5, which might be worth trying. I used lemon to try to get the punsch to stay "visible".

It occurs to me that a truffle made with a smokey Islay scotch would be incredible. Smoke and dark chocolate seem good to my imagination. If you're making these professionally, the market would be smaller than for bourbon truffles, though. Bowmore Legend is reasonably priced. Since you hate whiskey, I'm sure lots of us here would be happy to serve as marketing consultants. As a courtesy to you, of course.

I enjoyed this, although at the price of Blume Marillen it's an expensive drink. The apricot dominated, with just a touch of juniper peaking through. The punsch lended complexity in a fairly subtle way.

Not the most creative combo, but: 2oz Rye (WT101) 1oz Cynar 1/4oz Dry vermouth 1 dash earthy bitters of your choice (I used homemade) twist lemon On the rocks. Very nice blemished Manhattan. Blemished? Not quiet perfect I might dial back the Cynar to 3/4 oz next time to raise the proof a bit and dry it out a touch. Andy might want to put in an extra oz instead

The term "cordial" confuses me. It seems to be routinely used as a synonym to liqueur both in common usage (signs in liquor stores) and on the web. Yet non-alcoholic Rose's is called a lime cordial. I assume you are referring to a non-alcoholic cooked sweetened black currant juice? How does that differ from black currant syrup (similar to the sour cherry syrup that I buy at the middle-eastern store)? And how does the flavor of this black current cordial differ from creme de cassis (other than having some alcohol, obviously). Less oxidized / fresher? From your other thread, have you tried them with rum, rhum agricole, or cachaca? I'd think they would go well, although maybe these spirits are expensive in Australia

That would be cool. FWIW, I found it aplenty at Cambridge Wine & Spirits by Whole Foods Alewife, Cambridge, MA, should you be inclined to buy a bottle.