BennyAdeline

Weird! I just got back from Vegas and had the exact same drinks at the Vesper as you did. The Violet Femme was o.k, the sugar rim kind of steered things towards the violet candies I ate as a kid but it is very balanced. The Sage 75 was GREAT, very complex and refreshing after a walk down the whole strip. I also drank at Comme Ca and had a wonderful improved whiskey cocktail.

I've been meaning to ask about this. I have the standard metal + glass boston shaker combo. I'd like to go all metal but cant seem to find a set of them. What size goes into what size to make a good fit when it comes to all metal?

Have note seen it yet but it appears it is for sale in L.A. I will pick up a bottle soon and give it a go.

It seems like all Bulleit products are a bargain in SoCAl. Traders Joe's in West Hollywood has the bourbon for $19.99 and I can find their rye for about $22 anywhere I go. Old Overholt is a classic that I really enjoy and I can find it in L.A. for 12.99! Bevmo has Buffalo Trace for $18.99 right now and I am thinking about giving it a try. I got the best price on a bottle of Gin yet, free! I was given a bottle of Ballast Point Old Grove Gin from one of their sales guys and have been mixing mean basil Gimlets all week. Its very nice, a little citrusy and sweet for a dry gin but pleasant enough and mixing just fine.

Took it easy and made a ward 8 when I got home with fresh citrus from the hollywood farmers market, homemade grenadine and Old Overholt. Really tasty- I see why it's a classic. The ingredients all hold their own well with a sour snap from the lemon, savory tones from the orange, pomegranate sweetness (ever so slight) and the complexity of the rye. Fantastic.

I live 2 blocks from a K&L. Maybe I could be of assistance with this shipping issue.

As far as the whole orange peel thing. Orange slice? Do you mean like a wedge of orange with pulp in the drink? People do that? I used a flamed orange peel (not expressed or flamed over the drink) about 1 inch by 1 1/2 inch that I slide in between the ice cube and the wall of my old fashioned glass. I find that flaming it allows the oils to come out slowly. I do not stir or agitate after the peel goes in. My wife has been making what she calls a "Mount Fuji". Picture attached Mt Fuji: Sugar cube teaspoon water 2 dash Ang. Bitters Muddle well 2 oz bulliet bourbon 1/2 oz plum wine stir, add a big ass ice cube and slide a flamed orange in I'm a purist and I kinda gave her a hard time about the idea until I tried it. An old fashioned it's not, but man it's good.

El presidente: Cocktail hacker version 2oz white rum 1/2 oz pineapple juice (trader joes has a great 100% pineapple juice in cans, fresh is better though) 1/2 lime juice 1/4 grenadine Old school version (boozy) 1 1/2 oz white rum 3/4 dry vermouth 3/4 curacao dash grenadine Both are shaken, served in a coupe and garnished (optional) with an orange slice.

Hot out? Here's a nice refresher. Basil Daiquiri 2oz white rum 3/4 oz gomme 3/4 lime juice 3 leaves basil Muddle gomme, basil and lime juice add rum shake, double strain (or strain with hawthorn only to leave some basil pieces) serve up in coupe. Garnish by floating a THING piece of cumcumber You could add a a few oz's of soda to give it a sparkle

yeah, you get 4 drinks out of a small bottle of Ang. Worth it 100% though

I would suggest checking out the Ransom "Old Tom" gin if you can find it (about $35-40), and might work a little better than the standard brands in some of the drinks you mention. I had a bottle of Old Tom in my hands and the wife gave me the "Are you kidding" look. I had to put it back. Thanks for all the info everybody.

After having a drink at my local watering hole Harvard and Stone called the "Trinidad sour", I went on an internet search to find the recipe. It was crated by Giuseppe Gonzalez, a bartender at Clover Club in Brooklyn. The interesting thing is the recipe: Trinidad sour 1 oz Ang. Bitters 1 oz Orgeat 3/4 oz lemon Juice 1/2 oz Rittenhouse rye or other other high proof whiskey (Harvard and stone uses Root here, ratio unknown) Shakey shakey, strain into coupe, lemon peel, done-zo That's a lot of bitters! We also have the sweetener in direct proportion with the base. Make one right now, I'll wait........ Welcome back! Its pretty damn good, huh? Like really damn good. I find the fragrant profile tames the sweetness of the orgeat while allowing the almond to do its magic. I love it! My question: Does anyone know other recipes where we use a un-orthodox amount of bitters? I really want to explore using bitters as the base liquor.

When I first started playing with rum I focused hard on pre-prohibition rum cocktails. In my internet searching I ran into the Waikikian. At first I rolled my eyes at the whole tiki drink thing but I made one while I was bored. BOOM! Delicious! I have found that my omakase abilities have gone through the roof since getting a better understanding of tiki drinks. I highly recommend that you add a little tiki in while exploring rum. Waikikian: 1 1/2 oz lemon juice 1oz G. Marnier or curacao 3/4 oz orgeat 1 1/2 oz white rum 1 1/2 oz dark rum Get everything except the dark rum into a large tumbler or highball glass. Fill with finely cracked ice and stir well for 45 seconds. Float the dark rum on top and go nut with the garnish (Orange slice, luxardo cherries, canned pineapple pieces). Careful, it is potent and way to easy to drink.

If you like malty beers (we call them malt bombs), you should try Scotch ales, old ales, brown ales and bocks of all sorts. Some of these style are boozy which may take awhile to get used to but when your palate adjusts you really get the bready sweetness. The best malt bomb of the year was Samuel Smiths Yorkshire Stingo. Bitter and sweet are not the only flavors a beer can have. Try sour beer like a straight Lambic (no fruit) or a gueuze. Try a funky saison or wild ale . Try a salty gose. All these beers are fantastic and complex. Problem with getting into beer is that most people give you light stuff or fruity stuff to make you "like" beer. These styles tend to get a little boring quick. Challenge you tastbuds and you will find yourself loving some very complex beers.

I made my first Daily Mail last night. 3/4oz Benedictine 1 1/2 oz Aviation Gin 3/4 oz Lemon Juice 1 dash Grand Marnier 1 dash Ang. Bitters It was o.k I guess, a little dull but seeming balanced. Reminded me a lot of grapefruit juice. Anyone have a suggestion on how to liven this up or is it usually a pretty mellow cocktail? I'm thinking I should try a more Juniper forward and higher proof gin.

Of course, the Hario V60 is, by any other name, the same as a Melitta drip filter. Same concept, but I truly believe that the V60's big aperture allows me to control the process more via grind size, agitation, speed of pour and timing. I've got mine so dialed that I feel like it is an extension of me. Hopefully, you have the Hario Buono kettle and are using Hario filters as well. More importantly than any of those 3 though, are good water and good coffee, freshly ground. And I'll stack my Melitta drip and Capresso water kettle against the Hario any time. I bought them all in one shot to replace my clever dripper. I agree on the water and coffee. I use filtered water only and buy my beans weekly from a local roaster. 12 days is the max I will go from roasting to brewing. I grind no more than 15-30 seconds before I start dripping for my bloom. Looks Like I am going to have to fly out to NYC for an east coast vs west coast throw-down. Pick your beans wisely. In all honesty I've had amazing cups from the Melitta and most other manual brewers. It seems to really be a matter of personal taste and style. I'm just glad we got past the Clover phase.

Cognac/Brandy: A lot of the recipes I find call for on or the other with the author sometimes calling to substitute one for the other as well (Imbibe does this a bit). I figured there was some subtle difference. Dark rum is mostly for Tiki Drinks when it gets hot. I've been using pussers 15 year.

I'm going to make this concoction this weekend and just follow whatever you do. I'm amped to try this.

Of course, the Hario V60 is, by any other name, the same as a Melitta drip filter. Same concept, but I truly believe that the V60's big aperture allows me to control the process more via grind size, agitation, speed of pour and timing. I've got mine so dialed that I feel like it is an extension of me.

I'm sure a google search could help me with this but I rather have the advice of people who drink similarly to how I do as opposed to trade reviews on the web. I've got to save up for my wedding anniversary and my booze cabinet is getting low! The wife's savings plan involves me cutting back on what I spend on booze with the exception of bourbon and rye (God bless her). I never drank spirits before I got into craft cocktails so I don't know how the cheap stuff tastes. I still want a little quality. I need a gin (is beefeater good?) a Santa Cruz style rum, a dark rum, a cognac, and a brandy. My drink profiles are usually citrusy or boozy pre-prohibition cocktails. I love aviations and am stocked on luxardo and creme de violette. I had a cocktail get together literally the day before she sprung this on me. I drained all my micro-distilled spirits. oops. Help!

The Hario Skerton works great.It creates a little invigorating workout in the morning as well as a nice ritual. I ditched my high-end automatic drip and moved to the Hario V60 funnel paired with the Hario Bouno Kettle. I am enjoying my coffee 100x more now.

Using St. Germaine instead of vermouth in a Manhattan is godly. I know, I know, it's insane to say that but I believe it.

I made an eastern sour out of blood orange and it was terrible. Something just did not click. For my orange drinks I hit up the farmers market and try one of each variety. I try to use sweeter one for my tiki drinks (if it's summer) and more interesting and bold oranges for my classics. If i find a weird or strange one, I go amakase with it.

Hario V60 for brighter roasts and the Abid Clever Dripper for deeper, dark roasts. Delish every time.

...How could he not? Sounds great!