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Czequershuus

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Everything posted by Czequershuus

  1. So long since posting, I feel rather guilty. Been playing around with an interesting bottle I had, and thought it was worth noting. The bottle is a spanish Moscatel, a rather pleasant dessert wine - not quite a Sauterne, but very nice and well priced. I had some left over after sharing with family, and thought I would play with some cocktails. Moscatel Experiment 1(A sour) 1.5 Oz Gin (Beefeater) 0.75 Oz Moscatel 0.5 Oz Lemon Juice 0.25 Oz Simple Syrup This was very nice, balanced and superb. Moscatel Experiment 2 (Simple aromatic) 1.5 Oz Gin (Beefeater) 0.75 Oz Moscatel 2 ds Bittermans Elemakule Tiki Bitters This was simple, but also enjoyable Moscatel Experiment 3 (Complex aromatic) 2 Oz Gin (Beefeater) 0.5 Oz Moscatel 0.5 Oz Bittermans Amere Nouvelle 0.5 Oz Becherovka 2 ds Lemon Bitters Spritz of Absinthe as Garnish Not quite a success. The lemon bitters may have been a mistake, they have dominated the drink, likely in collusion with the Amere Nouvelle.. Fun to play around with this - still about an ounce left, may have to try more. Probably a hard bottle to track down, but do seek out Primitivo Quiles Moscatel if you can - great value dessert wine, and fun for mixing.
  2. Tax refund time means I get to restock my liquor cabinet! No picture this time, but in addition to many restocks I picked up some Corze Reposado, High West Double Rye, and a special treat, Goslings Family Reserve. The High West was great choice, the Corzo is nice but over-priced, but the Goslings is classic.
  3. I will second both of these. Drinkupny has been particularly good for me.
  4. I know, way up there. I am asking for my personal bar but also because I am now an assistant manager of a liquor store, and I am considering bringing this in, but I would not at the price unless it is stellar. This site is honestly the best resource anywhere for unbiased opinions by palates I trust.
  5. Has anyone tried Amer dit Picon from Golden Moon distillery yet? Curious if it works in classic cocktails calling for Amer Picon, or if the other subs work better.
  6. Gave into temptation and purchased a bottle of Amaro Lucano today. It is very nice, reminds me a lot of Ramazzotti, but a touch less sweet and less bitter at the same time.
  7. What do you think of the Solveig? There are so many new Minnesota gins that have come out in the past few years, and this is one I have not gotten round to.
  8. Made regents Punch for the first time today. I was torn between using the one in Wondrich's bookm Punch, and the one of Esquire, which Mr. Wondrich of course helps with. In the end I used the online one here, but I did make an oleo-sacchrum first. I used Raynal VSOP for the brandy (my favorite inexpensive choice), and a mix of Goslings, Smith and Cross, and Batavia Arrack van Oosten for the rum. Will add Freixenet brut at the part tonight. I smells great already, I cannot wait to try it.
  9. Playing with the bottle of Stranahan's whiskey my lovely wife gave me for my birthday. On it's own it is a lovely tipple - fruity, yet dry as a scotch. Decided to try an old -fashioned patterned cocktail. I used 2 Oz Stranahan's Whiskey 0.25 Oz Cherry Heering 1 dropper Bittercube Cherry Bark Vanilla One of the rare times when what I worked out in my mind's tongue actually turns out well. This is awesome, bursting with lively berry flavor with a lovely background of bitter woody tones. These cherry bark vanilla bitters seem made for this whiskey, despite them coming for very different parts of the country.
  10. A few new acquisitions. The scotch and vermouth were purchases, the gin a gift from a thoughtful boss. The Ransom is some gorgeous vermouth, very like my favorite Noilly Prat but with even more herbal depth. The Highland Park is really good, utterly moreish, a really nice combo of honeyed and smokey scotch characters. The Aviation is cool, a solid juniper flavor with a lot of spice as well. Also, better lighting for my picture this time
  11. Playing with my new yellow chartreuse tonight. Where else start with this bottle but a Widow's Kiss.This was a lovely, mild, autumnal herbal cocktail. Nothing earthshaking, but very pleasant. Then I tried an Auteur Cocktail from Bittermans website. This is a blockbusters. I can taste all the ingredients, and none of them. Very smooth, utterly complex, I could drink these all the time.
  12. Picked these two new bottles up today. I have had much green chartreuse in my time, but finally decided to explore the yellow. Just opened the Sonoma rye, and boy is it interesting. There is a strong dry maple character, and some odd, rum like funk, I would almost say hogo, if you can have that in a whiskey. It tastes a bit young to me, but overall very likable.
  13. Picked up some St. George Absinthe today. I have only had a few basic Absinthes before (Pernod, Kubler, Lucid), but this one blows them all out of the water. Cannot wait to start using it in cocktails.
  14. I was in the mood of a Smith and Cross drink and stumbled across this little beauty. I had to make a few modifications to suit what I had. My final recipe was 1 Oz Smith & Cross 1 Oz Evan Williams Single Barrel 1 Oz Cherry Heering 0.25 Oz Breckenridge Bitters 3 ds Bittermans 'Elemakule Tiki Bitters Just what I was in the mood for. The S&C and Cherry Heering go together very well, the funk from the rum takes some of the edge of the sweet. And the spice of the tiki bitters drew this together like I hoped.
  15. This is just an awesome combo, but I cannot help but wonder how someone figured it out. Only thig I would add to this thread is the enormous affinity between Campari and both passionfruit syrup and peach syrup. Both can yield awesome results.
  16. My fairly recently recently acquired side job at a liquor store has actually been mostly detrimental for spirit purchases (mostly because I have been purchasing far too much craft beer and old world wine with my new discount, and my bar was well stocked with liquor). However, I recently bought (on awesome sale) a bottle of Knob Creek Single Barrel. The barrel was actually selected by the GM of the store I work for, and you can only get the whiskey for this particular barrel in two stores owned by the same people in my town (pretty cool porgram, actually). It is a fairly awesome bourbon. The regular Knob Creek has always struck me as overpriced, bu this version is amazing. 120 proof, very vanilla and caramel forward, but not too sweet. Really coo little bottle.
  17. I was playing around with fresh herbs in cocktails the other night, and I think I may have hit on a winner with this one. 1.5 Oz Mezcal (I used Illegal) 0.75 Oz Lemon Juice 0.5 Oz Cointreau 2 ds Fee's Rhubarb Bitters 8ish leaved of fresh basil. Did not bother muddling, as I feel a solid shake with ice does the tricky quite nicely. Something about this combo worked really well.
  18. My wonderful wife, on the morning of our wedding, surprised me with a bottle of Chichicapa I had been eying for months. She knew I would not spend the money on my own, and wanted to get it for me. Can't think of a better way of her confirming she knows me well. I am tasting my glass now. It is absolutely fantastic. The rich, mineral quality is really cool. I think my Vida will still be a go to for cocktails, but damn, this one sips well.
  19. I prefer mine without the tomato/clamato, just some fresh lime juice, salt, and lots of spice. I light lagers really aren't my thing, so I use Negra Modelo, which gives the drink a little more body.
  20. You could also maybe try infusing with vanilla, and then just use it as a vanilla liqueur. Many tiki drinks call for vanilla syrup, and this strikes me as a use for the overly vanilla-y and sweet Morgan.
  21. I recently acquired some celery bitters, and first tried them out in this Cynar heavy tipple: The Sanny. Really lovely drink. The celery bitters accent the herbal notes that I love in Cynar. I have been on a beer kick lately, but this is the kind of drink to remind me what cocktail can be.
  22. Tried this monster of a drink, the Elephant Flip tonight. Lost of stuff going on. I was really hoping to love it, but it was a bit to busy for me in the end. the IPA was just a list overkill on top of the other ingredients. Still nice and interesting but not something I would repeat.
  23. I must admit, I find cocktail pairing with food to be tough. Unlike beer and wine, cocktails are short, sharp shocks of intense flavor that either dominate food or are overwhelmed by it. The best cocktail to go with food are often those that have a wine base, things with vermouth or sherry. I find boozy, stirred cocktail almost never pair well with food. Sours can work, but only if the additional ingredients are not too assertive.
  24. As you play more with vermouth, you will find your own lines. Personally I have a hard time with dry vermouth that has been open more than two weeks, and I really only find it Martini acceptable for 5 days. Sweet vermouth keeps a long time, especially Carpano Antica. I once left about an ounce in a bottle of Antice and left it at room temperature for 6 months. Still did not taste off to me. Thankfully, vermouth is cheap. Also, with things like Sherry, I always save up recipes I might want for a particular bottle, and commit myself to those before buying something which spoils quickly.
  25. Deeply enjoyed the Corpse Reviver riff The Mourning Cadáver. I subbed Ouzo for the Pastis rinse. My other option was an Absinthe sub, but since I am very low I used the Ouzo. Fun drink, bright and refreshing. The Cocchi tames the rough edges of the Mezcal, but keeps the overall effect. I also recently tried the Hazy Asset. Way to sweet as written, I upped the lemon juice to 3/4 ounce, which was still to sweet once made. If I made it again I would cut all all the liqueurs to 1/3 ounce and go with 1 ounce of lemon juice. The flavor is nice though, it makes me think of an English Christmas Pudding.
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