tanstaafl2

Thanks! We have had more than a few unplanned overnight campers after a party concluded so that won't be anything new. Many guest are in the neighborhood so driving won't be an issue for them. Walking may still be a problem though... Good idea to test the flutes. Was only planning on about 2 ounces of champagne for the French 75 variations but the Seelbach is pretty big. For early arrivers they will get glass flutes but that won't last long and the rest will have to make do with the plastic ones which as I recall are pretty big. Is it a bad sign that I already have lots of plastic flutes and don't even need to buy more??? I was planning on using the Kuchan Peach brandy in the punch which seems pretty dry. But it only calls for 4 ounces which seems a bit like whizzing in the ocean against the gallon and a half or so of other stuff! In fact I was thinking I might need to cut the recipe in half, at least to start with as that is a lot of punch. Caster/Superfine suger also proved to be a pain in the butt to find and damned expensive when I finally did! Who knew?

Looked like it would be interesting and I came across a bottle of Prunier Pineau des Charentes today whilst hunting for a demi-sec for my planned Soyer au Champagne cocktail. (Having troubled finding one that is not fairly expensive so may have to punt and go with something like an Asti. With all that ice cream in the drink can't imagine it will matter a lot though). Am curious to give the Pineau a try on its own and to try it in a cocktail. Found this recipe: The Pompadour 1 ½ oz rhum agricole vieux (Will probably use the Depaz rhum agricole which I don't think is a true vieux but hopefully will do) 1 ½ oz Pineau de Charentes ½ oz lemon juice Sounds like it would be tasty. But perhaps a bit like the punch though which is a sweet rum/cognac/lemon concotion too.

I think I have the tentative drink menu for our open house set! Might not end up making all of these. The Soyer au Champagne is still a bit of a question mark in my mind but I have wanted to give it a try since I got Doc Cocktails book. Decided to throw the Snowshoe in for a little change of pace. And I could still be persauded to add something else that sounds intriguing... Tanstaafl New Year’s Eve Open House Drink Menu Champagne Cocktail • Sugar cube • Angostura bitters (or Peychaud’s bitters) • Dry Champagne/sparkling wine • Lemon twist, for garnish French 75 • 2 ounces Tanqueray gin (or 1.5 Tanqueray/0.5 St George Dry Rye gin) • 1 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice • 2 teaspoons sugar • Champagne/sparkling wine • garnish: long thin lemon spiral and cocktail cherry Shake gin, lemon juice, and sugar in a cocktail shaker. Strain into a champagne flute. Top with champagne. Stir gently, garnish with a long, thin lemon spiral and a cocktail cherry. French 75 (St. Germaine variation) • 2 ounces Tanqueray gin • 1 barspoon (2.5ml) St. Germaine • 1 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice • 2 teaspoons sugar • Champagne/sparkling wine • garnish: long thin lemon spiral and cocktail cherry Shake gin, St. Germaine, lemon juice, and sugar in a cocktail shaker. Strain into a champagne flute. Top with champagne. Stir gently, garnish with a long, thin lemon spiral and a cocktail cherry. French 75 (cognac variation) • 2 ounces cognac • 1 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice • 2 teaspoons sugar • Champagne/sparkling wine • garnish: long thin lemon spiral and cocktail cherry Shake cognac, lemon juice, and sugar in a cocktail shaker. Strain into a champagne flute. Top with champagne. Stir gently, garnish with a long, thin lemon spiral and a cocktail cherry. Kir Royale (multiple variations) Classic – Dry Champagne/sparkling wine with 10-20 ml Crème de Cassis as desired Additional options: Cointreau, Grand Marnier, Rhum Clement Creole Shrubb, Marie Brizard Apry, Green or Yellow Chartreuse, Benedictine, Crème de Violette, Crème Yvette, Chambord, St. Germaine, Canton (and whatever else I can find hiding in the back of the liquor cabinet!) Negroni Sbagliato • 1 1/2 ounces sweet vermouth • 1 1/2 ounces Campari (or Aperol) • 1 1/2 ounces Prosecco Serve up: Add vermouth and Campari to a mixing glass filled with ice. Stir to combine and chill. Strain into champagne flute. Top with prosecco and stir again. Seelbach Cocktail • 1 ounce bourbon • 1/2 ounce Cointreau • 7 dashes (4.5ml) Angostura bitters • 7 dashes (4.5ml) Peychaud’s bitters • 5 ounces chilled dry Champagne Pour everything except the Champagne into a Champagne flute and stir. Top with Champagne, give everything a light stir, and garnish with an orange twist Soyer au Champagne • 2 Tbsp vanilla ice cream • 2 dashes (1/4 tsp) brandy • 2 dashes (1/4 tsp) curaçao • 2 dashes (1/4 tsp) Luxardo maraschino liqueur • 2 oz champagne or sparkling wine (demi-sec) • garnish: slice of orange, cherry Scoop the ice cream into a tumbler or cocktail glass. Add the brandy, curaçao, and maraschino liqueur. Top with the sparkling wine, garnish and serve. Snowshoe • 1½ oz bourbon • 1½ oz peppermint schnapps (Rumpleminze) • Cracked ice New Year’s Eve Punch (Fish House Punch)

Without having to buy another bottle of gin I guess that would mean regular Tanqueray for me. It is probably the most juniper of the bunch milling about in my liquor cabinet. A quick inventory of the liquor cabinet, not counting the genevers, finds that in addition to the previously noted Plymouth, Bluecoat, Citadelle and Tanq Rangpur I have these options. Most of these were purchased because they offered a bit of something unusual: Aviation Cadenhead’s Old Raj, 110 proof Citadelle Reserve 2010 Hayman’s Old Tom Hendrick’s Leopold Brothers Magellan Ransom Old Tom Rusty Blade Single Barrel St. George Dry Rye And of course the Tanqueray "house" gin which is probably the most cost effective junipery option. So Tanq it is! Try adding a bit of the St. George Dry Rye along with the Tanqueray (maybe a 25/75 mix). I thought it was an excellent twist, particularly for anyone who might usually prefer theirs with Cognac. If it doesn't get too hectic I will give your suggestion a try. Sounds interesting. I was also considering trying the Boomsma or Bols genever or maybe Genevieve instead of gin and/or perhaps the Ransom Old Tom for a drink that has a different flavor profile. I would think when the French 75 first came along after WWI that some bartenders might still be using a genever instead of a London dry gin.

I had a little taste comparison last night with a bottle of Infinium and a bottle of DeuS. Not really much of a comparison as the DeuS is in a class by itself and is more deserving of the comparison to champagne. A very light and clear straw color as compared to the darker hazy appearance of the Infinium. The Infinium was more a really effervescent ale as noted above and while OK did not warrant its high cost in my opinion. Fun to do the tasting but wouldn't likely seek out the Infinium again given the cost while the Deus might be worth the occasional splurge despite the even higher cost.

Gave the Veuve du Vernay brut a try last night and was rather impressed, especially considering the price tag. Seemed like it would work well in champagne cocktails and not bad on its own in my opinion.

Tried out the cranberry concoction noted here (not sure of the name or if there even is one) using Calvados and Leopold Bros New England Cranberry liqueur. Seemed to be a hit and I quite enjoyed it myself. I think perhaps a change to orange bitters and perhaps a twist of orange peel would be good to make it a bit more like a cranberry sauce dressing. Received a new bottle of the Single Oak Project for Christmas (#31) so I look forward to giving that one a taste! Not really spirits but also did a comparison of the 2011 Infinium from Samuel Adams/Wiehenstephaner to DeuS. Not really much of a comparison as the Infinium was kind of a bubbly ale while the DeuS was a light and delicate beverage that was unique for a beer and good deal closer to champagne. Don't think I will look for the Infinium again at the current price but the DeuS, though very expensive, was sufficiently unique and tasty to consider an occasional splurge. And speaking of champagne I gave a bottle of the Veuve du Vernay sparkling wine from the Loire region a try and it seems to be a very nice and VERY inexpensive alternative to champagne for the New Year's Eve celebration.

Without having to buy another bottle of gin I guess that would mean regular Tanqueray for me. It is probably the most juniper of the bunch milling about in my liquor cabinet. A quick inventory of the liquor cabinet, not counting the genevers, finds that in addition to the previously noted Plymouth, Bluecoat, Citadelle and Tanq Rangpur I have these options. Most of these were purchased because they offered a bit of something unusual: Aviation Cadenhead’s Old Raj, 110 proof Citadelle Reserve 2010 Hayman’s Old Tom Hendrick’s Leopold Brothers Magellan Ransom Old Tom Rusty Blade Single Barrel St. George Dry Rye And of course the Tanqueray "house" gin which is probably the most cost effective junipery option. So Tanq it is!

In addition to the punch and the obligatory champagne/sparkling wine I am planning to do a few options for champagne cocktails. Besides the classic sugar cube/angostura recipe I will probably have a Kir Royale option of sorts (I plan to use Chambord or possibly Creme Yvette). I was thinking of adding the venerable French 75 to the menu. Anybody have any opinions on the gin to be used? I have typically used Plymouth which I borrowed from Robert Hess on his small screen show. But I was thinking some of the other more "botanical" gins might be a good option as well. Bluecoat and Citadelle are both in the cabinet (along with a dozen or so others) and I thought perhaps one of them would work well. Tanqueray Rangpur has been hiding in the back as well and this might be a good opportunity to make use of it. Anybody have any thoughts on the best type of gin for this drink? In addition to gin I also have St. Germain that I can add to the recipe. I thought it might make another easy option to create a bit of variety. Other relatively easy variations on a champagne drink I can add to the menu?

A little pre test of the Fish House Punch. Seemed to be a solid punch and should fit the bill if not the most dramatic of drinks I've ever had. Decided to cheap out with the Myers since I already have some and can pick up a 1.75L for the cost of a 750ml of Appleton 12yo. But I thought it handled itself well. Should make a solid but simple to make punch that should keep everyone adequately lubricated for the evening!

I don't know anything about that Loire sparkler, but I assume it's all chenin blanc right? If so, for cocktails the richness of chenin blanc doesn't dry up a drink as much as a typical champagne might. So if you're making a drink recipe that depends on the sparkler to dry up the drink, you might have to tweak it. Try making something like a French 75 and see if you need to adjust it if the sparkler you have is fruitier. That will provide you a nice baseline to get a feel for how the wine will work in drinks and it will show you some things about the wine you might not notice otherwise. While the extra fruit might be less apparent when tasted neat, for instance, it can really throw off the balance of a drink. I think it is a mix of Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay and other white wines from the region since it is classified as a Blanc de blanc but I suspect you are right that it may not be as dry as most champagne despite being classified as a brut. The Rose definitely has a little more sweetness to it. I will have to play with a bottle as you suggest and see. But at about $8 a pop that is easy enough to do! One small correction. The website says: Colombard 40%, Sauvignon Blanc 40%, Chardonnay 20%

For a largish party I was recommended the Veuve du Vernay Brut and Brut Rose. A pretty remarkable price at under $10 a bottle. Has anybody tried this French sparkling wine from the Loire region? It would be served on its own as requested as well as mixed in various champagne cocktails. The online reviews have generally been pretty positive. Haven't tried it myself yet but hope to test drive a bottle over Christmas.

The Manhattan can have a much different character depending on the selected components. You can probably use a little more M&R vermouth than you could with Noilly or Vya which are a bit bolder. But Carpano is my favorite choice when I have it. Many recipes have it as 2 parts spirits to 1 part vermouth. Also would depend on the spirit you use. Bourbon is a bit sweeter than the the traditional rye. For me it is not truly a Manhattan without the bitters and I like a nice orange bitters. But angostura works well as do others depending on your mood. I typically prefer a good long stir of 20 seconds or more rather than shaking it. I also like a luxardo cherry if I can get it or perhaps even better a nice homemade brandied cherry. The neon red grocery store cherry will do in a pinch I suppose! Of course there are more variations on a Manhattan than there are people on the island so you can experiment to find what you and your guests like. Gary Regan has a nice article on Manhattans here. One of my favorites is the "perfect" Manhattan: 2 ounces of bourbon or rye (I always prefer a nice spicy rye) ½ ounce sweet vermouth (preferably Carpano Antica) ½ ounce dry vermouth (Dolin or NP both are nice) 2 dashes of Regan orange bitters Luxardo cherry for garnish. Stir the liquid ingredients with ice for at least 20 seconds and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with the cherry. Enjoy! Yes, I know that doesn't help you much with your New Year's Eve plans.

In the history of the universe, no one ever regretted adding Sweet Vermouth to their bar. Ok, maybe 3 people, but that was just after Lincoln was shot and they were upset about that no doubt. No one since then. I'm absolutely positive. Ah, but is it truly a Manhattan if you don't get some nice rye to compliment that sweet vermouth and relegate the Makers Mark back to the depths of the liquor cabinet? It is not only a bourbon but a wheated bourbon to boot! But I can certainly second the notion that it is useful to make up some batch cocktails unless you want to spend the whole night behind the bar. I tried to make a half a dozen different cocktails to order for guests at one of my gatherings not long ago and never seemed to stop squeezin', shakin' and stirrin'! One reason why I am strongly considering the Fish House Punch for New Year's.

I presume Brandymel is available because of the large Portuguese population in the Boston area? Not something you see in these parts that I am aware of. But is it really a Vesper without the vodka? Seems a bit like calling a Margarita without tequila a Margarita. Or is this brandy of brandymel one of your homemade centrifuged vodka and honey combos? You do have a quite a bit of interesting stuff! I just can't usually replicate any of it.

Given the quantities involved, with the exception of the peach brandy, you could potentially buy what you need and fill a punch bowl so that you would not have any leftovers and thus no extra bottles lying about for the rest of the year. Assuming a punch for New Year's appeals to you. I think I might include it on my list of beverages for our New Year's Eve open house though I might try to cut it down to using 750ml size bottles of rum and cognac. Shouldn't be that hard to do and I already have the peach brandy anyway.

A punch sounds like an interesting option. I always wonder how hard and fast one should try to stick to specific types of liquor in a recipe. So is Myers or perhaps Coruba dark rum adequate here? Appleton I tend to think of as more of a "gold" rum unless you get to the higher end stuff like the 21yo which I probably wouldn't want to put in a punch anyway! Are there other "Jamaican" dark rums I should consider for this punch that are reasonably available? Or perhaps a dark rum that isn't necessarily Jamaican would do?

Sometimes, yes. Although sometimes I prefer to control the amount of water I add and still keep the drink a little bit cool, especially on a warm day. So I add a specific amount of water for, say, a barrel proof bourbon, and then want to keep it cooler than the outside temp of 90+ degrees. Non melting "ice", such as it is, would seem the way to go.

Last night I attended a "rare whiskey" tasting at Prohibition (not much to see at the website but a couple of pictures here), Atlanta's version of a PDT type "secret" speakeasy. If you enjoy drinking well made albeit spendy drinks while smoking your favorite cigar then I suppose this is the place for you. I can do that for the most part at home (OK, I may not make the drinks as well but I try!) but it would be a place I might take like minded guests who want to go out on the town I suppose. The "menu" for the evening featured a selection of Buffalo Trace products to include Elmer T. Lee, Thomas Handy rye, Sazerac 18yo rye and George T. Stagg bourbon. I never really thought of the Elmer T. Lee as being all that rare but perhaps it is (there are a half dozen bottles on the shelf of my favorite adult beverage establishment as of yesterday) while the other three are certainly fairly hard to get hold of. Oddly enough the Elmer T. Lee was the only one I don't have in my own liquor cabinet. I went out of curiosity to see the bar and hear what the local experts, led by Tom McGuire (one of the bartenders in residence. Not sure if he is the head bartender) had to say about them. I also wanted to ask how he might suggest I order the different whiskeys I have in my own collection when I hold my own little tasting. I invited my father to join me and a good time was had by all. The unfiltered barrel proof whiskeys proved to be distinctly different as was expected and both bloomed quite nicely with a splash of water. Hard to pick a winner as I enjoyed them all and it wasn't a blind tasting but both the Handy and the Stagg were quite good. The 18yo Saz was perhaps my favorite by a slight margin though and the Elmer T. Lee seemed to be a cut below although at less than half the cost retail it was a fine whiskey in its own right. May have to add the Elmer T. Lee to my liquor cabinet given its reasonable price as part of my ongoing effort to keep the Sazerac Company and its Buffalo Trace distillery in the black.

Not surprisingly this kind of company naming and advertising is not limited to Denmark or to beer. A recent radio ad for a new "energy" product called a "sheet" seems to be playing off the tendency to make sheet for some accents sound the way people here say something else. Click on the commercial link for an example.

That's what my bottles says on the back, but my bottle is at least a year old since it took me a while to get around to opening it. It would appear that Vergano Americano is not licensed for sale in Georgia yet so no local opportunity to try it that I know of. It was suggested that Cocchi Vermouth di Torino might be a decent sub. I have that but without the Vergano to compare to it is hard for me to say if that is so. Anyone have any thoughts on that?

True, and a bit disappointing at least to me. I find the 12 yo Lairds to be much more straight brandy in nature and the 7 1/2 yo to have more apple flavor. Not sure I would drink Laird's Applejack neat with any regularity but I think it still has a place as an ingredient in certain drinks.

The Eagle has landed. And best of all he brought friends! Got the final missing member of the Buffalo Trace collection. While there I was offered a bottle of the Colonel E. H. Taylor Single Barrel Bottled in Bond bourbon. Who could say no? Missed out on the Sour Mash version this spring that got so well reviewed as the first bottle in this new experimental line and this one seems to have those who love it and those that don't. Supposedly a bit of smoke in this one in a couple of reviews which seems a bit odd for bourbon. We shall see. Also still wanted to try this cranberry concoction by KC Dan. No luck finding the Clear Creek Cranberry liqueur, although they had a number of other flavors, but I did stumble across this lone dusty bottle of Leopold Brothers Cranberry liqueur so I decided to use it as a sub. Not exactly "spirits" but I happened to see the 2011 version of Infinium Ale from Sam Adams/Weihenstephan so I picked up a couple of those as well just for fun. May open those at Christmas and compare to a bottle of DeuS that I have in the cabinet

In addition to refrigeration I also try to keep open bottles in better shape for longer with a vacu vin seal. My Carpano, Bonal and Lillet are all stored that way currently. The gas system mentioned above may be much better but I don't know if it is as easy or affordable to do having never used one. Some appear to be as simple as squirting the gas into a bottle after each use. But even with refrigeration and a vacu vin it won't last forever and 6 months at most might be a good rule of thumb. I too am curious to know what others think. I don't store Aperol, Velvet Falernum or other amaros in the fridge either even though Aperol is only about 11% ABV which is less than Carpano Antico. Perhaps I should...

Apparently the ration of Pappy for this area hit the stores yesterday and I got a call last night to see if I was interested in any. Well, OK I guess I will since they asked! As a result I brought two new soldiers home to take up the fight for the complete and total subjugation of my liver! It will be a long hard battle but one might as well use the best weapons you can find... And so a bottle of the Pappy 20yo bourbon (complete with fancy shmancy red velvet bag) and the Family Reserve 13yo rye are the newest shock troops to join the battle. Will probably sit on these until Christmas unless an appropriate occasion presents itself beforehand. Interesting that the rye seems the darker appearing of the two. While there are also picked up a bottle of 2007 Turley "Ueberroth" Paso Robles Zinfandel for my father for Christmas since he is a zinfandel fan. I know less about wines than I do spirits and my tastes tend to drift toward Alsace whites anyway but I am told this is a excellent specimen of Zinfandel so we shall see.