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Back on the first page of this thread it notes the classic story of Count Camillo Negroni but seems to suggest there may be some uncertainty.

Saturday night was a trip to Restaurant Eugene, the restaurant that led to the development of the Holman & Finch Public House, with some friends for dinner. In addition to way too much wine for dinner we had a couple of interesting libations before dinner. Everyone started at my house where we began with a Suppresor #7 as noted above. Then it was off to the restaurant where we arrived a bit early specifically to test drive the bar. And yes, we had a designated driver who doesn't generally drink anyway. That just meant more for the rest of us! First up was a "Crazy Diamond". Recipe included American Spirit white whiskey, Sandeman's Founder's Reserve port, Cynar, Aperol, Regan's orange bitters and an orange peel for garnish. Once again I am guilty of drinking a bit of it before taking the picture! Who could resist? Nice enough but not one that would have me wanting to track down the whiskey and port to try again. Next up was "the Slapping Incident" (I forgot to ask about the peculiar name). This one included Rittenhouse BIB Rye, lime juice, Fernet, Cocchi di Torino, Faretti Biscotti liqueur and cracked black pepper for garnish served in a Collins glass over ice. I chose it pretty much because of its interesting recipe but was pleasantly surprised with the results. Would be a fun if bracing spring/summery drink and I am going to have to get the full recipe which is available at the bottle shop since all I need to make this is the Biscotti liqueur. It was an excellent evening and although it is perhaps on the slightly higher price end for Atlanta I highly recommend the restaurant for a night out on the town.

Had a few friends over to sample some of the various bourbons I have acquired recently at my home on Saturday evening and then forgot about it until today after the excitement of the night out at Holman & Finch. The evening started with the Experimental Collection rice bourbon form Buffalo Trace and a taste of Elmer T. Lee bourbon. Of the two surprisingly the rice bourbon was better received. Aged 9+ years it is fairly smooth but admittedly did not have a lot of other distinguishing characteristics. The Elmer T. Lee was a good bit spicier, even a bit hot at 90 proof, and had a long finish too as compared to the rice bourbon. Would likely make an excellent mixer but not sure it would be a primary sipper for me. Next up were the two E.H. Taylor bourbons, the Single Barrel and the more recent Warehouse C Tornado Survivor, both at 100 proof. I missed out on the first bottling of this new line of Taylor bourbons which was the Old Fashioned Sour Mash. The Single Barrel proved to be a hit with everyone. A delicate whiskey with a nice balance of sweetness and a touch of spice. The Tornado was just that, a real whirlwind of taste. Not much subtlety here! I got lots of spice that seemed to really dominate. A splash of water helped but the Single Barrel was the winner here unless you like your bourbon with a little kick! Next we moved on to the three bourbons in the Antique collection, Eagle Rare, Stagg and Weller. The Eagle Rare was of course the only one below 100 proof, weighing in at 90. It had little aroma in the bottle and even pouring out a bit and letting it breathe in the glass did not demonstrate much in the way of aroma. It was smooth, silky and very easy to drink though it had only a hint of spice and ended with a long slightly sweet finish. The Stagg, at 142.6 proof, was surprisingly smooth but not something I could handle more than a sip of. It opened up quite nicely with a splash of water to bring it closer to 100 proof. much more full bodied and oily mouthfeel than the Eagle Rare but I noted what seemed like some similarities as well. I wonder just how different these two were when they started out. The William Larue Weller was next and as a wheater was quite different from the Stagg despite a similar high proof of 133.5 proof. Again it opened up nicely with a splash of water and proved to be silky smooth with almost a honey taste to it at the finish. We then closed the evening with a glass of the Pappy 20 year old which is bottled at 90.4 proof. Left out to "breath" for a bit the aroma was sweet with perhaps a bit of mustiness to the smell. It was delightfully smooth to drink with a bit of fruit character at the start and a longish but full bodied slightly smokey finish. Many similarities to me to the Weller once the Weller was softened with a bit of water. In the end in this little group of definite non experts the Stagg, Weller and Pappy were well received but everyone seemed to also go back to the E.H. Taylor Single Barrel bourbon as a real favorite. A bit of a surprise but there it is.

Because of the reduction in quinine in Lillet Blanc from the original recipe in Kina Lillet some have found that Cocchi Americano makes a better substitute in a Vesper and other recipes that used Kina Lillet as noted here. Of course if you don't have access to Cocchi Americano it doesn't help you much! I would be curious to know if there are a few good recipes formulated with the new Lillet that would work better than they might with Kina Lillet or Cocchi Americano. I am sure there are many. One I know of that I have enjoyed with Lillet blanc is the Fashionably Lillet. 1 cube natural sugar 1 orange slice, halved (divided use) 3 dashes aromatic bitters (I typically use Angostura but others would work) 1/2 oz rye or bourbon (I like Rittenhouse BIB for this) 2-1/2 oz Lillet blanc 3 oz soda water brandied cherries, for garnish Fill a highball glass with ice, arranging half of the orange slice among the cubes; set aside. In a mixing glass, muddle the sugar, half of the orange slice, and bitters together. Add the rye and the Lillet, and top with ice. Stir until well chilled, then strain into the prepared highball. Top with soda, and garnish with brandied cherries.

I see the Professor has weighed in on the Old Fashioned in his column on page 22 of the March/April issue of Imbibe. Coincidence? Well, yes probably so since this was likely written well before the recent tempest in a tumbler began. But given that part of the tumbler tempest was over the one true Old Fashioned defined by what constitutes the "original" Old Fashioned versus the "new fangled" Old Fashioned I did find it a bit amusing that the article makes the point that not only did the "cock-tail" not have muddled fruit in the beginning, it also did not have the bourbon or rye that step 4 on the Old Fashioned 101 website is pretty insistent about. Rather it likely began with either genever or cognac as the primary spirit. So there! I guess...

Gruet, maybe? The best New Mexican bubbly you'll find. (Actually, really good. Particularly good for cocktails.) Christopher Yep, that is probably it! Mind you I was 3+ drinks in at that point...

Last night I attended a drink making class at Holeman & Finch Pubic House hosted by two of the pubs partners-bartenders, Andy Minchow and Greg Best. H&F tends to get excellent reviews in the Atlanta world of cocktail geekdom. In addition to snacks during the 2 hour class we were treated to their house burger and 4 different cocktails while getting tips on tools to use, how to mix drinks and a bit of insight on creating drinks. This was the "intro" class and the plan is to have more detailed classes over time where bartenders from other Atlanta bars will be invited to offer their insights and make drinks. Started the evening with a fairly classic Sazerac using Rittenhouse BIB rye, Peychaud bitters, simple syrup and a Herbsaint rinse (actually an atomizer was used). H&F also adds a couple of dashes of Angostura to their house recipe for the Sazerac. No, the drink wasn’t this small! Quite the contrary actually. But I kept forgetting to take a picture until after I had tried the drink. Nearly finished this one before I remembered to take a picture! I thought it made for a very nice drink and did not find the Angostura to be a problem at all. Next up was an Aviation. H&F refers to it as an Aviation #1 and chooses not to use Crème Yvette or Crème de Violette. Otherwise it was a pretty straight forward recipe. Although their recipe card called for Aviation gin this evening they were using Beefeaters. Very well done but I confess I am an admirer of Mademoiselle Yvette and rather missed her presence. Next up was a new drink to me, La Paloma. Their recipe was as follows: 1.5 oz blano tequila (Cazadores I believe) 1 oz fresh grapefruit juice 0.5 oz fresh lime juice 0.5 oz simple syrup Splash of soda water and a pinch of kosher or sea salt as garnish Combine the tequila, juices and syrup in a Collins glass and stir vigorously (not shaken). Then add ice, top with soda water and gently stir again. Add salt and serve. Tasty but a very light and summery kind of drink. Of course it wasn’t really summery weather so this one perhaps deserves further consideration as the temperature begins to rise. The evening conclude with perhaps my favorite cocktail of the group. This was the Suppressor #7 and was created by Andy there at H&F. Apparently there was/is an effort to create a family of drinks that originate with the various bartenders across Atlanta and this was H&F’s submission. 1 oz Pommeau de Normandie 1 oz Cynar 1 oz sparkling wine - Not sure what they used. Might have been something like Gruyere but that of course is a cheese! Probably not a big deal as long as it is a nice dry sparkler. This was a fabulous close to the evening and since I have all the necessary ingredients one I hope to share with friends at some future gathering. All in all a very pleasant evening!

Average price in the US $70. If you can find it! Probably not a lot easier to find here in Atlanta than it is in Australia. Generally have to know somebody that knows somebody to get on the list when they are released each year. That said, it is a shame they jack the price up that much on you as it is a lovely whiskey. I was able to get the whole Buffalo Trace Antique Collection for not much more than that.

The purpose for this product, for me, is because I'm a curious S.O.B. Yeah, I suffer from that same disease!

Yeah, but if you're easily entertained like me, the panel with the ship in it is actually just a blank clear panel. The ship is actually on the back of the bottle. Unless you look at the panel from within the right viewing area, you can't see that there's a ship at all. It is interesting that Ed Hamilton in his review here suggested that this is lighter in taste than the El Dorado 3yo and would be a good rum to introduce to vodka drinkers. Indeed, he seemed to suggest that if he did not know it was rum he might think it was something else (like a flavored vodka perhaps?). Those comments start at about 7:15 in the video. I suppose there is a purpose for this product (rather like "botanical" gins?) but if I wanted to drink rum I think I would want it to taste like rum and if I were adding it to a drink it would be for the rum character it would brink to the drink.

Good to hear a "local" perspective! I will keep it on my list of items to look for. While at the store recently discussing Irish Whiskey the staff suggested The Irishman 70 and Irishman Single Malt whiskeys as good options to consider. Could just be the sales pitch but some reviews I have found seem encouraging. Apparently the source of the whiskey is something of a secret but the 70 uses 70% malt and 30% pure pot still (still not sure I know exactly what that means other than use of a pot still and a mix of malted and unmalted barley). Seems to be that the Bushmills Distillery is a source for at least some of the whiskey but perhaps the pure pot still portion comes from Midleton? Currently has a $10 off coupon so it isn't a big expense. I may give it a try just out of curiosity. Just have to decide between the blend and the single malt. Or both...

I agree with Zachary; there are both excellent examples of rhum agricoles. I love them both with a slight preference for La Favorite. As do I! I think the Neisson Rhum Réserve Spéciale is even better and perhaps more similar to the Barbancourt 8yo in being an rhum vieux if a good bit more expensive. I tend to drink and mix with Depaz Blue Cane rhum agricole just because it is what I have on hand and I like it well enough although not as much as the Barbancourt. But to me they definitely taste a bit different from one another so I was mostly curious about his choice of the Barbancourt to represent the "standard" of the style of Rhum Agricole. Not that his choice is necessarily wrong. Or right. Just his choice! Although to be fair the Cap'n did mention Clément Cuvée Homère as his first choice even if it is not one that is as readily available or as affordable. I suspect it is a bit different from Barbancourt as well but have not tried that one so I certainly can't compare it. Selecting a standard of anything is always more than a little subjective anyway and certainly is the case when it comes to liquor.

Ah! A scroll down to the post "Ministry of Rum: Unplugged" seems to have answered my question. Edited to add link.

So is Barbencourt 5 star truly a good standard for Rhum Agricole style? From other posts here it has been suggested that it is a bit different from the traditional Martinique/Guadeloupe style of Rhum Agricole. The fifth style, Demerara, (Thought it might be but I peeked to be sure) is perhaps my favorite of all with the El Dorado 15 leading the way. Indeed it seems I have four of the five "style standards" if we count the Barbencourt while the very recently arrived Havana Club Anejo Reserva fills in as the representative for the Cuban style of rum in my liquor cabinet.

Seems Doudoroff's enthusiasm for what he believes an Old Fashioned should be has at least one persons nose outta joint! I first read about this a couple of days ago on the Chuck Cowdery blog. It would seem Kevin Kosar takes some exception to Doudoroff's claim that an Old Fashioned should be the original recipe. I personally don't buy Kosar's argument. The more recent variation on an Old Fashioned may well be a lovely drink but it should be called something else. Old Fashioned #X or "New Fashioned" perhaps. Even DeGroff, who Kosar sites extensively in his response to Doudoroff, notes in The Essential Cocktail on page 40 that his version of an "Old Fashioned" is different from the original that he calls the "old fashioned" Old Fashioned. DeGroff no doubt made them that way because for the bulk of his career that is what his patrons expected to receive I suspect. So I suppose I am in the Doudoroff camp on this one. Edited to note that Kosar has responded to the Cowdery blog since I first looked at it. Seems he doesn't care for Doudoroff's "high-handedness and snobery". I think I am still in the Doudoroff camp. The current version of the Old Fashioned is fine but it should have a different name so that one can have some control over what you get when you order one. I suppose you just have to find a good bartender who will let you describe what you want! Or make 'em yourself...

Dusting off this older thread to see if others in the US are getting an opportunity to experience the seeming resurgence of pure pot still Irish Whiskey . I have enjoyed the Black Bush blend, which I presume is not pot stilled since it is a blend with grain whiskey (not entirely clear on the various distinctions!), and the Jameson Special reserve 12yo which is also a blend but heavy on the Midleton distillery pot still whiskey and have had the Redbreast 12yo in the past which I also found quite nice. So I was interested in trying the Green Spot, Powers John's Lane (different from the popular Powers Gold Label which is now a blend) and Redbreast Cask Strentgh 12yo pure pot still whiskey. Of those apparently only the Redbreast CS has started showing up in the US although no joy so far in the Atlanta area despite my efforts to pester my local retailers. Anybody else seeing the Redbreast CS locally? This blog, in the comments, suggested the Powers might also make it to the US eventually. Might have to add some of these to my growing list of things to look for whilst in London this summer! Edited to note that Boston (big surprise!) seems to be the one area where stores seem to have it in stock that I can find.

Had to pick up a couple of bottles of wine and whilst at the store I learned that the latest bottle of the Colonel E.H. Taylor bourbon, the Warehouse C Tornado Surviving BIB, had just arrived. A quick run through some reviews led me to conclude I should acquire it as well! Buffalo Trace Press Release At another store I found that they had just started bringing in BG Reynolds syrups so I picked up a bottle of Passion Fruit syrup since I just recently got the Beachbum Berry Remixed book along with the PDT Cocktail. book. Spring is coming and I feel some tiki coming in my future! Since Dave mentioned Grade B maple syrup was pretty common I popped by the nearest grocery store on the way home and sure enough, hidden in a back corner gathering dust, there was a bottle of Grade B syrup (Canadian source again). It was the only one of the 5 or 6 brands available that was Grade B but it was there. And as noted a little cheaper than the others which is always a plus! And finally I couldn't find it on the way back from Argentina but a friend returning from South Africa was kind enough to "smuggle" in a 1 liter bottle of Havana Club Añejo Reserva to further help me prepare for tiki season! All in all a pretty good days work.

I need better grocers. I only seem to see more than one brand/type of maple at the ritzier places. Was planning to make a pass by Whole Foods here in Atlanta to see if they have it. But if it is fairly available I might look in the Publix or Kroger first to see. Don't recall a Grade B but I never really looked that close before. Usually just bought the least expensive pure maple syrup I could find. Even then it isn't exactly cheap!

Turns out that although it is a Canadian sourced maple syrup it is listed as US Grade A Dark Amber rather than using Canadian grades (I guess because it is sold here in the US?) so I suppose it will do in a pinch. In the meantime I will look around for a locally available Grade B syrup to try just out of curiosity. 4 drinks called for it and I hadn't even gotten past the Betula! An ingredient index would have been a nice addition. Of course that is the case with most cocktail books, at least to me.

So I have been thumbing through my recently arrived copy of the PDT Cocktail Book the last few days in anticipation of making a few of the many drinks listed (Have been battling a cold so not much cocktail-ing occuring at the moment). I noticed more than few seem to use Deep Mountain Grade B Maple Syrup. Do I need to go out and track down a Grade B syrup? My understanding is the grades reflect the color as much as anything. I have lots of real maple syrup (not likely to find the specific Deep Mountain brand here) but most of it is Grade A (probably medium but not sure at the moment). Deep Mountain uses the Vermont grades which apparently are a bit more dense (slightly more sugar). But in addition to being darker it seems to imply that Grade B also imparts more maple flavor. So I suppose I need to go out and find a Grade B syrup (Vermont grade or otherwise) to best approximate the intended drink? Or can I use my scandalous Grade A syrup? Edit: on further review I see on page 27 it notes that Grade A Dark Amber will do in a pinch. Odds are I don't have that either...

Wasn't aware Whitley Neil no longer had a US distributor. I think I saw some on the shelf at my last visit. Might have to pick up a bottle just out of curiosity. There are about 50 gins listed in the "Dry Gin" section of the Compendium (of the 75 or so in the book) that include both classic London Dry like Tanq, Beefeater and Bombay and the newer "Western Dry Gin" as the book describes it. Whitley Neill is listed. Perhaps 75% of the 50 or so dry gins are newer gins like Aviation and Bluecoat. But the book seems a bit limited to me as it has only a few real reviews by the author or other people. Most pages about the various gins are comments from the distiller. I find it less helpful than I thought it might be and if a new edition came out in this format I probably would not seek it out. YMMV!

You could perhaps batch all but one ingredient (maybe the Cio Ciaro) followed by the twist so that it looks like you are mixing something and the Cio Ciaro probably looks a bit exotic to most people I would think and that way perhaps strike a balance between ease and a bit of "flair". Not sure if or how that might effect the drink. No doubt some testing would be in order!

I found the liquor selection at the duty free in Ezeiza airport in Buenos Aires to be rather depressing. The usual brand name stuff but not much in the unusual spirits. Couldn't even find Havana Club which surprised me. Wine selection was decent although you can get a lot of Argentine wines in the States these days so I went with the Familia Zuccardi Malamado port style malbec dessert wine. Can be found in the States I think but may take some effort. Had it in a lovely puertas carradas and rather enjoyed it. So after settling back in on my return from BA and points rather farther south I noted I had a voice mail and emails from my friendly neighborhood liquor store consultants. Decided I needed to pop in and indulge some impulse buys! First was a bourbon from the Buffalo Trace Experimental Collection that was made with rice. Now there is something different. Not necessarily good, but certainly different! There was also a version using oats. Reviews seemed rather down on the oat version and just so so on the rice and it was obscenely expensive but what the hell, isn't that what an impulse buy is for??? Also on offer was the 2010 Summer release of Kilchoman, the newest Islay single malt whisky distillery, and apparently the first released in the US. Very young so a bit fiery without the smoothing out in sherry casks as was the case with past releases and reportedly full of peat but the reviews seemed encouraging so I added it to the collection. Got a wild hair and wanted to try some grappa so I picked up a bottle of Romana Carlo Grappa di Dolcetto on the recommendation of the staff as a good place to start without busting the budget, like it wasn't busted already. And for good measure decided to get a bottle of Mathilde Framboise liqueur for use on some homemade vanilla ice cream and whatever other things I can think of. I have lots of Chambord but thought I would try something different as a comparison. Tonight I think it will be a bit of grappa followed by ice cream topped with framboise liqueur. The rice bourbon and scotch will have to keep until another time! Maybe tomorrow...

Pushing the envelope a bit on that one I think! I suppose both Mango and Allspice are now cultivated in subtropical regions to some extent (on the warmer edge of them I suspect) but neither is native to subtropical areas. Dey need dat warm sunshine, mon!

Has anyone tried any of the new Kilchoman releases yet? It is a new distillery on Islay that has started putting out a bit of whisky recently. I was offered a bottle of the Summer 2010 release (I think. Might be the Autumn release). Not that big a scotch whisky drinker but a bit intrigued given the fairly postive reviews which suggest it is mature well beyound its relatively tender young age.