[Mai Tai Recipes]

A couple of types of Gosling are available in my local store, though I have never seen Gosling that well reviewed. If not in a mai tai, in what would you use Gosling?

Smith & Cross should be available to me if my merchant would make the effort. But so far he has not. It was hard enough to come by Clement. Unfortunately in this state we are not allowed to order alcohol from the Internet.

Lemon Hart 151 was my only rum purchase prior to last summer. And that was in the 1970's. I recall I rather liked it actually. But not enough to buy another bottle. Lemon Hart was rather hard to get down neat. I never realized other rums were different.

Since W&N seems to go well with everything (and is cheap) that will probably be my choice. Hmm, I may have a sip tonight.

I'm in Jersey too, DrinkUp NY (www.drinkupny.com) will definitely ship liquor to NJ, but they're pretty much the only ones I've found.

[Drinks! (2013 Part 2)]

I wasn't a fan of that Pouring Ribbons drink—it just tasted like pineapple and anise to me. Nowhere near as complex or fun as the book it's named after.

Yours seems more interesting. What's in your shrub?

I used this recipe http://mymansbelly.com/2012/07/06/pineapple-cocktail-recipes-get-serious-when-its-a-shrub-cocktail/ - I didn't have cilantro on-hand so I omitted and substituted apple cider vinegar for the coconut vinegar. I've used it a lot more than I thought I would, for instance it makes a good Jungle Bird offshoot ()

[Drinks! (2013 Part 2)]

Inspired by the aged Aquavit/tiki flavors combo used in a drink I had recently at Pouring Ribbons (Infinite Jest), I tried to incorporate an unaged Aquavit into a somewhat-similar-but-not-really experiment last night:

1 oz Krogstad aquavit (I wanted some of the anise flavor, and this is the only aquavit I currently have)

1 oz reposado tequila (I used El Jimador)

.75 oz lime

.5 oz homemade falernum

.25 oz pineapple shrub

.25 oz PF dry curacao

2 dashes Bittermens tiki bitters

Shake, strain over a big ice cube.

Really spicy and flavorful. A little simple syrup might be nice depending on your mood, but this one hit the spot for me last night.

[The Punch Topic]

I'll have to the give this ziplock bag technique a try. Sam's suggestion up-thread to use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment is my current go-to when I want to spare myself the tendonitis, but I see the merits of this too, especially for doing thing ahead of time.

[Drinks! (2013 Part 2)]

My first attempt at a White Negroni using some new purchases: 1:1:1 Cocchi Americano, Suze and Tanq. I wonder if a more boisterous gin--a genever--might work better here. Suze and Cocchi don't fuck around.

I've found that 3-2-1 gin-Cocchi-Suze works a little better for me in that drink, the Suze can definitely be a beast.

[Drinks! (2013 Part 2)]

Isn't crème Yvette a bit different from crème de violette though? From what I read, it's more berry and vanilla-forward and may not be a good substitute. See for example kindredcocktails and imbibe magazine.

Most definitely - for better or worse depending on the application, Creme Yvette is much subtler with the violet. You can use a lot more Creme Yvette without overwhelming the cocktail, where as is most cases more than a quarter ounce of creme de violette turns your drink into perfume.

[Whither "Perfect"?]

I've never been a huge Perfect Manhattan fan, but I'm really enjoying the bottle of High West OMG silver rye and thought a lighter variant might be nice.

2 oz High West OMG silver rye

.5 oz Cocchi Americano

.5 oz Dolin dry

dash of Ang orange

Stir, strain, lemon twist.

This was good. The silver rye has a lot of dry fruity notes, played well with the floral notes of the Dolin.

[Drinks! (2013 Part 1)]

sbumgarner - how do you like the Depaz blue? I have heard mixed reviews.

As a sipper I enjoy it, the agricole funk isn't overpowering and it has some good complexity. It's drier/spicier than other aged rhums I've tried, which leads to mixed success in some cocktails calling for the category. In the Mai Tai I made I think those qualities worked in it's favor, cutting some of the sweetness while not trying to compete with the Smith and Cross flavor bomb. Apparently they water it down to 90 proof for export, would be interested in trying the 100 proof at some point. I can get it for under $40 near me, at that price it's worth taking a flier on.

[Drinks! (2013 Part 1)]

Basic Mai Tai last night, I usually play around with different rum combos but last night's was a real winner in my book.

1 oz Depaz Blue

.5 oz Smith & Cross

.5 oz Appleton Reserve

.75 oz orgeat

.75 oz lime

.5 oz Creole Shrubb

I've tried using 100% S&C for the Jamaican rum portion before and while it was pretty good, cutting it with a richer/smoother Jamaican seemed to elevate the drink.

[Drinks! (2013 Part 1)]

A Weeski with Redbreast and Cocchi. Wow. I feel short-changed in life for not trying this until now.

[Drinks! (2013 Part 1)]

Tried this last night:

1 oz Krogstad Aquavit

1 oz Junipero

.75 oz lime

.5 oz grenadine

.25 oz Averna

.25 oz 2:1 simple

4 drops absinthe

2 dashes celery bitters

pinch of salt

Shake, strain into ice-filled Collins glass, top with ~1 oz of club soda.

Eh. Next time I definitely would cut the simple. It wasn't awful and has potential, but I'm not sure what else is needed to get it there at the moment.

[The Daiquiri]

Haven't had it in a daiquiri yet but tried it as part of a tiki class at Holeman & Finch pub this past weekend. Had it in a Planters Punch as well as neat. As I recall it was a molasses based Panamanian rum bottled in the States (California perhaps?). A 3 yo filtered slightly off white rum, it seemed serviceable as a mixer but not one I would count on to carry the show by itself. Didn't seem at all like an agricole (We were "studying" JM rhum as well) but then I didn't really expect it to be.

Don't recall thinking it was that much different or better than Flor de Caña 4yo but I didn't have that available to compare side by side. Probably costs more though hard to say for sure since it is a liter.

The grassiness of it spurred my agricole comment, but it certainly did not have the accompanying richness and funkiness a JM or La Favorite would have. After doing some reading it looks like the point is to simulate pre-Castro Bacardi, and it does have a taste in the same neighborhood of something like Havana Club white. To me it tasted significantly more flavorful than my memory of FdC 4, but a side-to-side would be good. I was happy with it though, I think between the Cana Brava and Banks 5 Islands I could easily cover all my white rum needs.

[The Daiquiri]

2 oz Cynar

1/2 oz Smith & Cross

1/2 oz Lemon

It's just like a Daiquiri, except that it's bitter, funky, lemony and nothing like a Daiquiri. But it's damn delicious.

Enjoyed one of these last night, outstanding.

[The Daiquiri]

Has anyone tried a Daiquiri with the Cana Brava rum yet? I tried it straight for the first time at Death and Co. the other night, I was impressed with agricole-like flavors, but curious to hear if anyone has mixed with it yet. It seems to be a good value, a liter for under $30.

[The Daiquiri]

Last night's variation:

1.5 oz Wray and Nephew

1 oz lime juice

.5 oz 2:1 raw sugar simple

Came off very buttery, which although is not the first description you'd usually associate with a Daquiri really did it for me in this instance. Never mixed with the Wray and Nephew before but had some left over from a batch of falernum, time to buy some more.

[Drinks! (2013 Part 1)]

Kinda sorta did a Jungle Bird-inspired drink the other night:

1.5 oz Smith & Cross

.5 oz pineapple shrub (http://mymansbelly.com/2012/07/06/pineapple-cocktail-recipes-get-serious-when-its-a-shrub-cocktail/ - I didn't use cilantro leaves and used apple cider vinegar in place of the coconut vinegar)

.5 oz Cynar

.5 oz lime juice

dash of angostura

Shake, strain over rocks.

Bitter and tiki-type flavors is one of my favorite combinations (I want to be buried in Bitter Mai Tais), so I liked this.

[Cocktails with Bénédictine]

I, like most people on the Spirits and Cocktails board, don't have much use for vodka when it comes to mixing, but the Gypsy is a great way to both highlight the flavors of Benedictine while softening it at the same time.

2 oz vodka (I used Sobieski because $11 is about as much as I want to spend on vodka)

1 oz benedictine

Dash of Angostura

Stir, strain, coupe, lemon twist

[What did you buy at the liquor store today? (2013–)]

Astor still has 15% off all tequila and mezcal for the rest of the day. They deliver to most states. They've got Ilegal joven for $40!

That definitely helped take the sting off a $50 bottle of mezcal, wish I could have stocked up on more.

[What did you buy at the liquor store today? (2013–)]

Los Amantes Joven Mezcal

Amaro Sibilla

I'm contemplating starting a campfire in my mouth to round it all off.

[Everyday mixing Bourbon]

I generally use Elijah Craig 12 if I want a softer expression of the bourbon (a Paper Plane is an excellent example of a drink that shines with EC 12) and Buffalo Trace or bonded Old Granddad for something more assertive. If I could find Old Weller easier that would slip into the mix as well.

[Drinks! (2013 Part 1)]

Last night I felt like a Daiquiri but not a Daiquiri, so I did this:

1 oz Banks 5 Island

1 oz El Dorado 3

.75 oz lime

.25 oz 1:1 simple

.25 oz Luxardo Maraschino

scant teaspoon PF Dry Curacao

scant half-teaspoon Hum

Shake, strain, coupe

A lot going on but to my surprise everything played it's part - a little funk, a hint of orange, and the Hum is so powerful that even in tiny amounts you can taste the spices and aromatics in the background (unfortunately that has rendered Hum as my largest, most expensive bottle of bitters). Cutting the rum 50/50 with the ED3 added some richness that seemed more appropriate in a drink like this rather than a classic Daiquiri.

[Cocktails I'm supposed to like, but don't]

I like the Boulevardier fine, but agree that the 1794 is a much better drink.

I've been making my Boulevardiers as per this link anyway.

http://cold-glass.com/2010/09/15/1794-cocktail-the-boulevardier-comes-to-manhattan/

I was vaguely aware it wasn't the most historically accurate version and right now I've know idea where I discovered it, but was happy and never bothered to try another.

My favorite Boulevardier variant (and better than the original in my opinion) is this one from Kindred Cocktails:

Boulevardier Riff (Fred Sarkis)

by Fred Sarkis, Sable Kitchen & Bar, Chicago, IL

1 1/2 oz Bourbon, WL Weller

3/4 oz Cynar

3/4 oz Bonal Gentiane Quina

1 pn Salt (small amount)

2 ds Orange bitters

Stir, strain, straight up, cocktail glass

It moves pretty far away from the original but damn it's good.

[Drinks! (2013 Part 1)]

KD1191, on 24 Feb 2013 - 16:16, said:

Building off the Paper Plane template, today it was an Island Hopper

3/4 oz Lemon Hart 151

3/4 oz Noilly Prat Ambre (Cocchi Americano would probably be good here)

3/4 oz Campari

3/4 oz Grapefruit Juice

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This is excellent (I did have to use Cocchi), the bitterness from the Campari and grapefruit was rounded off nicely by the LH151.

[Drinks! (2013 Part 1)]

I had an excellent drink at Dram a few weeks ago that included rye, Meletti, Suze, sherry and absinthe so a few nights ago I used the Meletti/gentian combo in another experiment:

2 oz reposado tequila (I used Baluarte)

.5 oz Meletti

.5 oz Salers

barspoon of PF Dry Curacao

Stir, strain, coupe, no garnish.

I was pleased with this one, the Meletti/gentian combo seems to be a winner. A dash of Mole bitters to play off the Tequila and Meletti might have enhanced the drink a bit.

[Drinks! (2013 Part 1)]

I used a Negroni template last night to come up with something I would definitely repeat:

1 oz reposado tequila (I used Espolon)

1 oz Meletti

1 oz Cardamaro

Stir, strain into coupe. Orange twist.

It obviously didn't have the bitter bite of a Negroni but the acidity of the Cardamaro combined with the peppery tequila was offset nicely with the rich chocolatey notes of the Meletti, with enough overall bitterness to round it all out.