Czequershuus

I may have miscommunicated in post - I have ordered Punt from Drinkupny, and what I meant is it taste like a dream. However, placing these orders is really only in my budget once, maybe twice a year, and Sweet Vermouth is one of the bottles I go through most quickly. Antica recently showed up at my local store, so it is very convenient to purchase, especially as it is in the 375 ml bottles now.

I think Antica is great for aromatic cocktails, and utterly indispensable for Manhattans, but the vanilla notes can be overwhelming, particularly in sours. I honestly find M&R perfectly servicable for every day use, maybe slightly better than Cinzano. However, Punt e Mes is an utter dream, if only it were availible in my area.

I found this one browsing around Kindred Cocktails, and it is a real winner when one is a Campari sour mood. Ten Month Anniversary 2 Oz Campari 1 Oz Rye (Rittenhouse) 0.75 Oz Lime Juice Shake, strain, up, lime twist I just love the simplicity of this. And the ratios work so well, despite looking odd at first.

Finally got inspired enough to make the Honey-Ginger syrup needed for the Penicillin(read, finally remembered to buy ginger when I went to the store). I used this recipe Penicillin (Link) 2 Oz Blended Scotch( Ballantines) 0.75 Oz Lemon Juice 0.75 Oz Honey-Ginger Syrup 0.25 Oz Islay Scotch (Laphroaig) It really is a delightful drink. Not as medicinal as I expected, the Islay came through, but muted. Will have to remember this one when winter comes around again. And as a bonus the syrup is excellent, and will be very nice with ice cream.

Oops, forgot to post the name and link. Sorry for that oversight. It is called the One Eyed Jack and it is from the Chemistry of the Cocktail blog (Link) I have no idea it it would work with Yellow, as I have never actually purchased any, but I can imagine it would be a worthwhile experiment. The Spring Feeling is from the Savoy, and I found it via Erik Ellestad's Savoy Stomp.

Since it was time to finish off a nearly empty bottle of Chartreuse, and then a then time shortly after that to celebrate opening up a new one, I have had these to in the last few days: 1.5 Oz Applejack (Laird's Bonded) 0.75 Oz Rye WHiskey (Rittenhouse Bonded) 0.75 Oz Green Chartreuse 1 ds Angostura Bitters Stir, strain, up A very nicely balanced(and frighteningly strong) cocktail. I was worried it may be too dry, but it is perfect. This is one I will likely be repeating. And then, as I had acquired a new bottle(at the excellent price of 45 dollars), and since it is really starting to look like spring here, I made this Spring Feeling Cocktail 1 Oz Plymouth Gin (Dry Fly Washington Gin) 0.5 Oz Green Chartreuse 0.5 Oz Lemon Juice Shake, strain, up I really like the smaller size of this one, it is a shaken drink I can put in my nice small martini glasses. And it lives up to its name, calling up notions of spring.

Quite possibly. My bottle of St. Germain is also over 2 years old, so it may have mellowed as well.

I have to agree with these sentiments upon trying the Armistice tonight after a particularly trying day at work. An exceedingly well balanced, yet complex drink.

Oddly no, it blended with the St. Germain quite well, and the herbal quality was very much present.

Had a little more fun with my Buffalo Trace White Dog, mad this last weekend - The Deadline (Link) 1.5 Oz White Whiskey 0.5 Oz Benedictine 0.5 Oz St. Germain 0.75 Oz Lime Juice Shake, strain, up, lemon twist I continue to be impressed with this product. Something about the herbal/floral mixture in this drink brings out some notes of dried fruit in the whiskey. A really worthwhile combination.

Dry Fly might also be a good option, if you can get it.

That sounds fantastic! I wish the chances of it showing up at a local liquor store were better than they are.

Found this very interesting Cynar drink on Cocktail Virgin Slut. Joan Miro (Link) 1.5 Oz Cynar 1.5 Oz Dry Vermouth 0.5 Oz St. Germain 0.5 Oz Lime Juice 1 inch piece of Celery Muddle celery, add other ingredients and shake with ice. Strain over fresh ice into a rocks glass rimmed with celery salt ginger honey crystals(omitted, because who had time to make something that specific. Although it does sound yummy) I love this drink. The muddle celery really come through in the aroma. It fades into the back ground on the sip, where the Cynar takes over, though it is muted by the dry vermout. It is a very well balanced drink.

After all these cocktails and a little bit of cooking, it was time to polish off the bottle before it spoiled, and I had just the right amount for two more cocktails. Made these last week, but have not had the time to write them up until now. First up was something nice and rich, and with a great name: Love in an Elevator (Link) 2 Oz Ron Zacapa Rum(Goslings) 0.5 Oz Dry Oloroso Sherry 0.5 Oz Benedictine 0.5 Oz Punt e Mes 1 ds Orange Bitters Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass. Garnish with a flamed orange twist(flame omitted) Dark rum and Oloroso seem to be a natural pairing, it brings out the raisiny quality in the sherry. The Punt e Mes and Benedictine add to the richness. I finished my Oloroso expectations off with: Animotion (Link) 2 Oz Bulleit Rye (Rittenhouse) 0.75 Oz Ramazzotti 0.5 Oz Dry Sherry Stir with ice and strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with an orange twist. A very nice Negroni/Boulevardier variation. I don't think I will ever become tired of Negroni variations, as nearly all of them are at least palatable. This one works very well, probably one of my favorite uses of Ramazzotti. Well, it very fun exploring that bottle of sherry. I have now tried cocktails with Fino, Manzanilla, Cream sherry, and Oloroso. Amontillado next I suppose. Probably have to wait a while for that, thought, until I know I have the time to get through a bottle.

I prefer Ceylon Cinnamon for cinnamon syrup.

Fooling around with my Buffalo Trace White Dog Rye, I decide on a simple whiskey sour as a first experiment. I did 1.5 Oz White Dog 0.75 Oz Lemon Juice 0.5 Oz Rich Turbinado Syrup (Fat, or a skinny 0.75) 1 ds Boker's Bitters I love the character of this whiskey. It reminds me of a milder genever, with some malty funky, but it has the fruitiness of a white rum. It worked great in this cocktail, more akin to a daiquiri than a whiskey sour.

I had no idea Pendleton was 100% Rye. Their marketing, at least in my area, seems to present them as a competitor to Crown Royal, kind of a younger, slightly cooler version of your dads whiskey, so I always assumed it was blended.

A car repair turned out unexpectedly inexpensive, so I stopped into a store to fritter away a part of this windfall. Walked out with a nicely discounted bottle of Cointreau (restock), and a 375 ml bottle of Buffalo Trace White Dog Rye Mashbill. This is my first foray in to unaged whiskey, and after a quick sample I must say I am impressed. The fruity, spicy character is so strong. I love assertive spirits, and this does not disappoint. Does anyone else get a strong hint of peach from this? Anyway, I am very satisfied with the purchase.

Mmm, the dryness of the sherry may have been part of the issue. The Oloroso I have is not particularly sweet, but neither is it as dry as a fino or manzanilla.

I was looking for a nice egg white cocktail the other day, and my eye landed on the Cynar heavy Two from L.A. Two from L.A. (Link) 2 Oz Cynar 1 Oz No. 3 Dry Gin (Beefeater) 0.5 Oz Green Chartreuse 2 ds Orange Bitters (Reagan's) 1 Egg White Dry shake then shake with ice, strain into a rocks glass and garnish with an orange twist. Exactly what I wanted. The Cynar is dominant, with the Chartreuse adding a pleasantly spicy tinge, and the Gin drying the whole thing out. The orange bitters are noticeable mostly on the nose. A smooth, creamy, bitter way to enjoy ones day off.

Are you bored yet? Anyway more Sherry adventures Kojo Cocktail(Link) 1 Oz Green Hat Gin (Dry Fly Gin) 1 Oz Oloroso Sherry 0.5 Oz Falernum (Velvet) 0.5 Oz Lemon Juice 0.25 Oz Simple Syrup 1 ds Jerry Thomas Decanter Bitters (Angostura Bitters) Stir, strain, up, lemon twist A very interesting gin based sherry cocktail that is not of the aromatic variety. It is the sort of cocktail to reach for when you want something a bit different. Richness from the sherry combines with the light, tropicality (not a word, but I want it to be) of the falernum in a fascinating way. Latin Trifecta (Link) 1 Oz Blanco Tequila (Lunazul) 1 Oz Cynar 0.5 Oz Oloroso Sherry 3 ds Orange bitters (Reagan's) Stir, strain, up, flamed orange twist. Hmm, I really wanted to like this one. I should like it. Cynar+Tequila=Awesome, Cynar+Sherry=Awesome, Tequila+Sherry=Awesome, Tequila+Cynar+Sherry=Not so Awesome. Something about these ingredients fought each other more than balances each other.

Well, I don't have an ice problem, but this post did remind me that this has been on my list ever since I acquired Punt e Mes. Wow, how to describe this. It smells like a leather bound book soaked in gasoline. It is important to note that this is not a bad thing for me. It tastes - beautifully medicinal. Not like modern medicine, no, this was devised to knock out a truly demonic prehistoric plague. The menthol from the Fernet is very strong, but there is so much else going on. I get cherry for some reason, and an odd sourness. I love the complexity here. It may not be something I have often, but when I am in the a contemplative mood and want to be smacked in the tongue with flavor, this would be one to go for.

My Sherry adventure continued! On of the sherry cocktails I had really been looking forward to did not call for Oloroso specifically, but simply dry sherry. It was the Chaplin (Link) 0.75 Oz Bourbon (WT 101) 0.75 Oz Sherry (Oloroso) 0.75 Oz Ramazzotti 0.125 Oz Cointreau 2 ds Orange Bitters (Reagan's) Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.. I really liked it, but not as much as I thought I would. I have always found mixing with dark Amari a bit hit and miss, and for me this misses excellence by just a touch. I love the flavor combinations, but next time I make this I may play around with the bitters. The next drink I made came from the very enjoyable Concoctails blog. Blind Hermit (Link) 2 Oz Old Monk Rum (1 Oz Appleton V/X, 1 Oz Goslings) 1 Oz Frangelico (Cut to 0.5 Oz. I am not that brave) 0.5 Oz Dry Oloroso Sherry 1 tsp Green Chartreuse 1 tsp Cinnamon Syrup 2 ds Coffee Bitters (Xocatl Mole) This worked out really well. A nut liqueur with sherry is an obvious pairing, but a great one. Everything really came together here, and the choice to sub chocolate bitters for coffeee worked very well. Rich, nutty, almost dried fruity. A but like drinking a proper Christmas pudding. As I was drinking this I had the inspiration to make a cocktail with similar ingredients, but very different proportions. I wanted to do something with sherry as the base. Here is what I have came up with. I have dubbed it the Spanish Grand Prix, in honor of the upcoming start of the motorcycle racing season (The Spanish Grand Prix is the motorcyle racings takes place at a circuit locate din Jerez) The Spanish Grand Prix 1.5 Oz Dry Oloroso Sherry 0.5 Oz Dark Rum (Goslings) 0.5 Oz Frangelico 0.5 Oz Cynar 1 ds Xocoatl Mole Bitters Stir with ice, strain in to a cocktail glass. It worked! It may need some tweeking, but I really like the based. I added the Cynar because I wanted some bitter flavors to add depth, and I loved the way my sherry played with it in the Sherry Duval. And the dark rum has the perfect flavors for balance here. To my mind one of my more successful creations. Still a bit more to come...

I have not, but it is certainly going on a list. I have yet to try an Amontillado, so that one is definitely topping the list when I decide to spring for a bottle. To continue with my sherry adventures, both from last weekend and the start of this one - Old Bill (Link) 1 Oz Oloroso Sherry 0.5 oz Aged Rum (Appleton V/X) 0.5 Oz Maraschino (Luxardo) 3 ds Orange Bitters Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. This one did not work for me. The Appleton was a bad choice here, it and the fairly delicate sherry were pummeled by the Maraschino. I think if I upped the rum and went down to 0.25 oz of Maraschino it may work better. Bread and Wine (Link) 1.5 Oz Scotch (Ballantines) 1 Oz Dry Oloroso Sherry 0.5 Oz Lemon Juice 0.25 Oz Maple Syrup 1 rinse Absinthe Shake and strain into an absinthe rinsed rocks glass. Add one large ice cube. I love the name, and the wya it plays with the ingredients. it is also a great description, as this is a cocktail that makes you think of a hearty meal. Not a blockbuster "WOW" cocktail, but a very solid tipple. The richness of the sherry really goes well with the slightly smoky scotch. I think it would likely be even better with a slightly more assertive scotch, but Ballantines was my best option at this time. Sherry Duval (Link) (Cocktail Virgin Slut has been a great source for Oloroso specific sherry cocktails) 1 Oz Oloroso Sherry 1 OZ Bols Genever 0.75 Oz Cynar 0.25 Oz Maple Syrup 1 ds Walnut Bitters(half a dash angostura, half a dash peach) Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Wow, that may be one of the top couple of sherry cocktails I have tried so far. Everything came together, and surprisingly the sherry was not lost amid the Genever and Cynar. A lovely little sipper. I am catching up with my notes on Sherry cocktails over the past 2 1/2 weekds, so there are still a few things to post about in future.

I have not tried Coruba, but between Goslings, Myers, and Cruzan Blackstrap, Goslings is my clear favorite. I really like it more than Myers, plus it is about three bucks cheaper around here. Blackstrap I agree has certain uses, but it is too agressive to work in most dark rum drinks. It really is best when the recipe has been designed with it in mind.