sbumgarner
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Posts posted by sbumgarner
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This provides a short summary of the agave vs orange liqueur issue in Margaritas:
http://seattletimes....appyhour14.html
Orange liqueur definitely has a place in a margarita as it's traditional and the preference and expectation of many people, myself included. That being said there's nothing wrong with agave from a taste perspective and if that's your preference there's no reason for semantics to be an obstacle to enjoyment. I sometimes add a small dash of agave my standard tequila/Cointreau/lime mixture when I'm not in the mood for something so bracingly crisp.
I don't know the ratio you use but I probably wouldn't call it a tequila old-fashioned, even with the addition of bitters, unless your margarita is almost all spirit, a scant touch of agave and just the tiniest hint of lime - if there is pronounced acidity (which to me is a must to call something a Margarita regardless of sweetener choice) even the most liberal definition of an Old-Fashioned probably wouldn't stick.
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Continuing tequila variations on other cocktails:
Qui' Punch
1 1/2 oz Anejo Tequilla (Kirkland - not having much to compare to, it seems pretty decent)
1 tsp agave syrup (cut in half next time)
a thin slice of lime (one of the interesting yellow sweet limes available at this time of year)
How is this different than a margarita? I build my margaritas this way -- skipping the triple sec and all that stuff -- with tequila, lime, and agave syrup. I do add salt on the rim, but I've always assumed the margarita is all about the balance between the sweet and sour.
He's skipping a significant portion of lime juice (only using a thin slice to get some essence of lime in the drink) and using an anjeo tequila instead of the more traditional blanco. This is a significantly different drink than a Margarita, just as an Old Fashioned with a touch of sugar and a swath of lemon peel is very different than a Whiskey sour.
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I have just bought some Bittermans Habanero Shrub. Aside from OF variations and Bloody Marys, what can I do with it?
I tried this from the Bittermens site, really good stuff:
The 700 Songs Gimlet
The Shanty at New York Distilling Company, Brooklyn, NY
1.5 oz NY Distilling Co. Perry’s Tot Navy Strength Gin3/4 oz fresh lime juice1/2 oz simple syrup1/4 oz cinnamon syrup5 dropsBittermens Hellfire Habanero ShrubShake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
I used Plymouth Navy instead and I assume another half-ounce could be added for a non-navy strength gin and it would still be good.
I also did a simple margarita variation:
1 oz blanco tequila
1 oz mezcal
1 oz Cointreau
.75 oz lime
Dash Habanero shrub
Shake, strain, coupe. Enjoyed that one as well.
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Speaking of Averna, did this a few nights ago, a little riff on Paul Clarke's Theobroma - http://www.cocktailchronicles.com/2009/05/03/3030-17-theobroma/
2 oz reposado tequila (I had Espolon on hand)
.5 oz Averna
.25 oz Cherry Heering
3 big droppers of Bittermens Mole Bitters (a scant 1/4 oz)
5 drops of Bittermens Habanero Shrub
Stir, strain over a big ice cube in an old-fashioned glass, no garnish. The Habanero added a nice kick on the back end to an otherwise rich but potent drink. I'd definitely make this again.
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This was one of the few recipes to have some quantities listed with a minus sign such as -1/2 oz Cynar. The book notes it uses "industry-standard vernacular" so I hope you will forgive this mere lay persons ignorance but does that just mean a "light pour" of that particular measurement?
My lay interpretation of this is that it means approximately 3/8 oz but given no one has that measure it's easier to say a scant half-ounce.
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Alex Day's Jalisco Trail from the now-closed Allen and Delancey was a great honey cocktail, never got the recipe but this is what I approximated after having it at the restaurant.
2 blanco tequila
.75 lime
.5 acacia honey syrup
dash or two of Angostura
Shake, strain into a coupe rinsed with Luxardo Bitter (or Campari, which is what I used). Even if this wasn't the exact recipe it is pretty tasty.
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Had been eyeing the DLB for quite some time, finally got around to it the other night:
1 Barbancourt 8 (I used .5 Barbancourt 4 and .5 ED 12 as I have no 8 on hand, no idea if that approximates the 8 or not)
.5 lemon
.5 fernet
.5 simple
.5 angostura
.25 angostura orange
.25 peychauds
Surprisingly more tart that bitter, the flavors just seemed to pop. Would definitely make this again.
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Yup, The Art of Choke is fantastic. If you love Cynar and have access to mint, you really must try this. Has anyone experimented with other rums? Smith & Cross or J Wray, maybe?
I haven't yet but I could see a less-funky, aged agricole working in this drink, maybe I'll give that a try over the weekend.
I finally tried the Art of Choke with some aged agricole (Depaz) last night. Not as clean as the white rum version but some fruity notes jumped out with the agricole version that I don't remember in the white rum version. I still prefer the original but this was definitely an interesting variation worth trying.
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The Start and Finish
I am not sure I liked that one. I used 1/4 oz pastis instead of 1/2 oz absinthe because I don't have absinthe (and don't love it in large amounts). It was a little too "all over the place" for me, with strong - and not always harmonious - herbal flavors introduced by the vermouth, lillet, averna, with a strong anise finish.
Tried this one the other day, for the first sip or two I agree with the "all over the place" assessment but as the ice melts it came together for me. It sounds counter-intuitive, but once the drink mellows just a bit the hefty amount of absinthe is actually beneficial by serving as a dominant flavor for the other ingredients to complement and transform (not to mention giving a little backbone via the high proof). I could see a smaller amount of pastis just muddying the waters further.
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I use them and love them, I have never tasted any metallic flavors as a result.
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I'm thinking about doing a pineapple-sage mezcal infusion that I've seen on a few cocktail menus over the years. My original plan was to let the pineapple sit in the mezcal for 2-3 weeks (much like the Tequila por Mi Amante recipe) and then add the sage a few days before the end. Is this too long? I see a few people on this thread have done pineapples in overproof rum for only a few days, but with the mezcal at 80 proof it seems like I'd need considerably longer.
I was also thinking about doing the sage infusion via the Dave Arnold/whipped cream charger technique and then letting the pineapple infuse into the mezcal-sage infusion. I get a little nervous about herb infusions as the few I've done have gotten gross when not pulled out at just the right time, figured the NO2 charger might take some of the guesswork out.
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Yup, The Art of Choke is fantastic. If you love Cynar and have access to mint, you really must try this. Has anyone experimented with other rums? Smith & Cross or J Wray, maybe?
I haven't yet but I could see a less-funky, aged agricole working in this drink, maybe I'll give that a try over the weekend.
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Here is a cocktail on the spring list at The Violet Hour. It is the work of a very talented bartender there who goes by Kyle.
The Art of Choke
1 oz Appleton White
1 oz Cynar
.25 oz Green Chartreuse
.25 oz Fresh Lime Juice
.25 oz Simple Syrup
3 Mint Sprig
Glass: Rocks
Garnish: 2 Mint Sprigs
Ice: Chunk
Muddle 1 mint sprig dry. Add rest of the ingredients. Stir. Strain. Serve over fresh ice.
Not for the faint of heart. But if you like Cynar already this cocktail is mindblowing.
Toby
After years of reading about this drink I finally made The Art of Choke cocktail last night, mindblowing indeed. The new Beta Cocktails book lists the lime juice and syrup at 1/8 oz which seemed like the perfect balance to me (although they specified 2:1 demerara which may explain the discrepancy here). If you haven't tried this yet run to your nearest mixing glass.
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Skipped the egg white on your suggestion and had no Tiki bitters, but this is wonderful. I used Cointreau and about 1/2 oz of simple. I think 3/8oz would be perfect for me, or the egg white.
I also made a variation with Cynar (no egg white, no bitters, about 1/4 oz simple). Excellent. I would like to have the Bittermens Tiki bitters to try.
Thanks Dan, glad you enjoyed it. From your posts you seem to like your cocktails a bit drier than I prefer mine but I'd also like to try this with less simple; the original didn't feel cloying to me but given the bolder ingredients "self-regulated" more than I had envisioned the simple wasn't as crucial. A touch less could maintain balance and maybe let some other flavors through. I'll have to give the Cynar version a spin.
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Threw this together last night:
3/4 oz Smith and Cross
3/4 oz Fernet Branca
3/4 oz lime juice
3/4 oz 1:1 simple
1/4 oz Prunier orange
pinch of salt
half an egg white
Dry shake, shake w/ice, strain into coupe, add 3 drops of Bittermens Tiki bitters on top.
The S&C and pinch of salt filtered out much of the bold bitterness of the Fernet and left behind some periphery botanicals that really made this drink. Probably could have left out the egg white, not sure if it did much in this case.
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Fishs Eddy has some reasonably priced 5.5 oz coupes, which are perfect for cocktails.
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You could try a vodka version of the Bramble:
1.5 oz vodka
.75 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice
.5 oz simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water gently heated together until combined)
Shake all ingredients and pour over a glass filled with crushed ice. Take .75 oz of Creme de Cassis and slowly pour over top of the drink.
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Recently picked up some Luxardo Amaretto, only bottle of Amaretto I've ever owned but from what I hear it's considerably better than most else out there. Made this last night:
1 oz Bacardi 8
1 oz Luxardo Amaretto
.75 lemon juice
.5 cinnamon syrup
.25 Del Maguey Vida
Shake, strain into coupe.
Looks potentially over-sweet on paper but in the glass it really worked for me, kind of like a smokey apple cider.
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Do the xanthan and locust bean gum powders have to be emulsified in hot water and then mixed into syrup like the gum arabic in Chris' recipe mentioned earlier in the thread or can the powders simply be emulsified into the warm 2:1 syrup?
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I'm also keen to try the Mozart chocolate spirit. I would be cool if that plus simple made Creme de Cacao. That way you could use it in cocktails and control the sweetness independently. I've yet to find it in the Boston area.
I made a chocolate liquor out of a Paul Clarke article a few years back (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/09/27/FDLV19N3J7.DTL&ao=2)
1/2 liter Cruzan or other 151-proof rum
1 vanilla bean
1/8 cup cacao nibs (I used roasted cacao nibs from Taza)
Instructions: Split vanilla beans lengthwise. Combine all ingredients in a large jar or bottle and let macerate for 3 weeks, shaking the mixture daily. Strain before using.
It's been awhile since I bought a bottle of Creme de Cacao (and it was DeKeuyper or Hiram or something along those lines), but when I mixed two parts simple with one part of the unsweetened chocolate liquor it makes a nice substitute in drinks like the 20th Century. It's brown, not clear, so it will throw color slightly off. It also is a great substitute for vanilla extract in various baked goods.
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I believe this is the recipe for the Ft Washington Flip, courtesy of http://cocktailvirgin.blogspot.com/2011/01/fort-washington-flip.html
1 1/2 oz Laird's Apple Jack
3/4 oz Benedictine
1/2 oz Vermont Maple Syrup
1 Egg
Shake without ice and then shake with; strain into a wine glass. Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.
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A friend of mine is currently experimenting with making orgeat using different types of nuts. He gave me a sample of some roasted pistachio orgeat and thus gave this a try:
1.5 Bacardi 8
.75 Cynar
.5 grapefruit juice
.5 roasted pistachio orgeat
.25 lime juice
dash of Bittermens tiki bitters
Shake, strain over ice cubes in a rocks glass. Swizzled crushed ice might be a better approach.
The roasted pistachio plays nicely off the subtle bitterness of the grapefruit and Cynar, and the Bacardi 8 provides just enough weight and lushness without wondering into syrup-y territory. Most of my experiments range from "ehh" to "hide the women and children", but I was pretty happy with this one.
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Thanks - as soon as I posted that last night I decided I needed to make one as well. Tried adding 2 dashes of mole bitters to change it up a bit, turned out to be a very pleasant addition.
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I love the bitter mai tai, but i think proper dilution is key to bring the flavors completely together.
I believe it was intended to be served over shaved ice, and I think it makes a big difference.
The Bitter Mai Tai might be one of the best drinks I've had all year, but Campus Five is right - it needs some extra dilution to help tame all the aggressive, rich flavors going on. Another excellent drink to try with Smith & Cross and Campari is the Kingston Negroni from Death and Company - equal parts S&C, Campari, and sweet vermouth, stir, strain into rocks glass over ice, orange twist. Perhaps I have a weird predilection towards that that combo, but that drink also really does it for me.
Drinks! (2012, part 2)
in Spirits & Cocktails
Posted
I was in the mood for something a little bitter last night, gave this a spin:
1.5 oz El Dorado 12
.5 oz Smith and Cross
.5 oz Averna
.5 oz Cio Ciara
.25 oz Nux Alpina Walnut
2 dashes Scrappy's Chocolate bitters
Stir, strain over large ice cube, orange twist.
I originally was going to go with 2 oz of El Dorado but I'm glad I decided to cut it with a little Smith and Cross, without it the sweetness would have overtaken the drink, with it the bitterness and sweetness balanced pretty nicely. I could imagine even going 50/50 with the ED12 and S&C.