Czequershuus

Finishing off my bottle of Armada with a few flips Cream Sherry Flip (from Darcy O'Neil at The Art of the Drink log) 2.5 Oz Cream Sherry (Sandeman Armada Rich Cream Oloroso) 2 tsp Cream 1 tsp Simple Syrup 1 egg Nutmeg Garnish Dry Shake, then shake with ice and strain. (I did a 'damp shake' with a single cube, as it always works better for me) Rich and lovely, exactely what you would expect. A very nice way to enjoy sherry. Possibly the best way to enjoy sherry for breakfast. Bourbon Derby Flip (from the Eastern Standard, via Cocktail Virgin Slut) 0.75 Oz Four Roses Bourbon (OGD 114) 0.75 Oz House Rum Blend (Applecton V/X) 0.75 Oz East India Solera Sherry (Sandeman Armada Rich Cream Oloroso) 0.5 Oz Cinnamon Syrup 0.5 Oz Cream 1 Egg Dry Shake then shake with ice ands train into a cocktail glass. ( I added a nutmeg garnish, because why not?) I love how the cinnamon spice cuts through the richness. The mix of base spirits is spot on here, the rum and bourbon perfectly balance eachother here. A really nice flip. This saturday is turning out great.

Rittenhouse for the Rye, Kubler for the Absinthe. And I did my rinse with an aromatizer.

Sometimes a cocktail name just draws me as much as the ingredients - Growing Old and Dying Happy is a Hope, Not an Inevitability (by Maks Pazuniak) 2 Oz Cynar 1 Oz Rye Whiskey 1 pn Salt 2 Pieces Lemon Peel Herbsaint/Asinthe Rinse Stir first three ingredients without ice. Add one piece of lemon peel and ice and stir. Strain into an asinthe rinsed glass. Garnish with other lemon peel. Excellent cocktail. As my first foray into salt in cocktails, I would say there is a small but noticeable change in bitterness. The cocktail tastes mostly of the Cynar, but bolstered by the rye. The Absinthe rinse harmonizes is a cool way with the sweet, herbal Cynar, and contributes the aroma along with the lemon. An extremely well constructed cocktail, I am beginning to see a pattern in liking Pazuniak's cocktails; The Last Mechanical Art and The Arbitrary Nature of Time are already some of my favorites.

The Mai Ta-IPA is a huge favorite of mine, and you are right, a mash-up with the transatlantic might work very nicely, hmm, good excuse to go buy more beer, not that I ever need an excuse. Funny how for years the Mai-Tai was tortured beyond all recognition, with the addition of pineapple juice among other abominations, then mercifully restored to glory, only to once again be tortured by the craft cocktail movement. But I think our tortures are better

New Mai Tai variation tonight - the Transatlantic Mai, rom Jacob Grier,m which splits the spirit element between Rye and Genever. Far from the original, but the Mai Ta framework always seems to hold up. 1 Oz Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse) 1 Oz Genever (Bols) 1 Oz Lime Juice 0.75 Oz Orgeat 0.5 Oz Orange Liqueur (Cointreau) Shake, strain, rocks (crushed ice) Extraordinarily yummy. The Mai Tai really does stand up to variation, much in the way the Negroni does and the Martini does not. Spicy, sweet, sour, funky. The genever plays with the rye in a way similar to how an Agricole rum would play with the tamer rum in a normal Mai Tai.

Ha, didn't look to see who created it. I tend to copy and paste cocktails I find on the internet to personal to try file, often missing the creator. Well, cheers, it is an excellent drink.

Recently restocked on Bols Genever (at nice discount, no one here seems to buy it, I have seen the same 5 bottles at the store or months) and thought I would try some new stuff out. Skid Row 2 Oz Genever 0.5 Oz Ramazzotti 0.5 Oz Apricot Liqueur (Apry) 1 ds Orange Bitters (Regan's) Stir, strain, up, orange twist Not so sure about this one, just does not mesh for me. I love the funk of genever, but in most cocktails I like it tamed a it more. Here I get all the individual ingredients with no harmony. A disappointment from an exciting looking recipe. Elixir Alpestre 2 Oz Genever 0.75 Oz St. Germain 0.25 Oz Becherovka 1 ds Orange Bitters 6 drops Asinthe (2 spritzes) Stir, strain, up This one was better, the St. Germain really works with the genever. Not an amazing drink, but solid, interesting. I have never had aged genever, but I can picture that working well here. Occam's Razor Blade 2 Oz Genever 0.75 Oz Drambuie 0.75 Oz Lemon Juice 1 ds Peychauds 1 ds Orange Bitters 1 ds Orange Flower Water 2 Oz Soda Water Shake, strain, highball, rocks Now this one works! Drambuie has an excellent affinity with genever, the spice really reigns in the maltiness, like in a nice Rye Ale. The Peychauds gives it a beautiful color, and is also strangely sticks out in the final product. I really like this one.

Having some rather nice grapefruit, I decided to make the FM from Rowen at The Fogged in Lounge 2.5 Oz Barbados Rum(okay, I cheated, Appleton V/X) 0.75 Oz Creme de Cacao (DeKuyper, no Marie Brizard in my area without mail order, I don't us it enough to justify) 2 Oz Grapefruit Juice 1 Oz Lime Juice 2-3 ds Grapefruit Bitters Shake, strain, rocks glass, add ice. I was suspicious of this one for a while, as a previous experiment with chocolate tiki, the Pago Pago, had not produced enjoyable results. This, however, is quite nice. Deceptively light, drinkable cocktail. I do feel it could benefit from some spice though. Maybe a dash of Angostura in place of on of the grapefruit bitters dashed, or a rinse of allspice dram. Something to consider.

My stop the liquor store to restock some Tonic Water(Fever Tree) and Appleton V/X turned slightly more expensive(it always does) as I started to browse. Ended up also grabbing some Cinzano Rosso, which I surprisingly have not tried yet. Also a bottle I have been considering ever since I spotted it a while ago, Maraska Pelinkovac, an Croatian bitter liqueur often compared online to Jagermeister. Worth the risk or under 20. Tasted the new bottles, and they were both good choices. Cinzano strikes me as kind of between the flavors of M&R and Carpano. Less bitter than Carpano, less sweet than M&R. It has a nice balance. The Pelinkovac is awesome. Not much resemblance to Jager, (though I do like Jager) it is much less sweet, more on par with a drier amaro, like Averna, but it is not rich and spicy. It is deeply bitter, lots of flavor from the wormwood. It could really see this working in cocktails.

My joyful task tonight was to finish off rapidly aging but well preserved bottle of Lillet Blanc. Managed to do this at the same time as ticking off two cocktails that have been on my to try list for quite some time. Golden Dog (Gary Regan) 1.5 Oz Scotch - Talisker 10 (I used a blend here as it seemed my best option) 0.5 Oz Lillet Blanc 0.5 Oz Benedictine 0.5 Oz Apricot Liquer (original calls or R&W, I used Apry) Stir, strain, up. Lovely way to accent the honey notes of a scotch. A little too sweet for me, but very tasty. Self Starter (Savoy, but I cannot remember where I found this variation.) 2 Oz Gin (Beefeater) 0.75 Oz Lillet Blanc 0.25 Oz Apricot Liqueur (Apry) 2 ds Absinthe Stir, strain, up. A lovely sweet martini-esque drink. I wish there were more drinks which combined apricot and anise flavor, they really harmonize.

As Christmas draws to a close I find myself relax and sipping a Martinez for a Nightcap, utilizing one of my favorite presents, Boker's Bitters. 1.5 Oz Old Tom Gin (Haymans) 1.5 Sweet Vermouth (Carpano Antica) 0.25 Oz Maraschino (Luxardo) 2 ds Boker's Bitters Yummy. These bitter are far different that I was expecting. Much less spicy than ango, but more bitter. The flavor is closest to the Breckenridge Bitters(Potable) that I bought a while ago. Very nice, and plays super well with the Antica. It tames some of the vanilla notes that I often find overwhelming. Super excited to try these in other applications.

An Ancient Mariner tonight, based on the recommendation int he Mai Tai thread that Goslings may do in a pinch for a Demerara Rum Ancient Mariner 1 Oz Demerara Rum (Goslings Black Seal) 1 Oz Jamaican Rum (Smith & Cross) 0.25 Oz Allspice Dram (Homemade) 0.75 Oz Lime Juice 0.5 Oz Grapefruit Juice 0.5 Oz Simple Syrup Shake with ice and strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice. Very tasty. I love how the tiny amount of allspice shines through and ties it all together. Too many of those and a man might be liable to shoot an albatross.

I use a small spray bottle for Absinthe rinses very similar to the one you mentioned, just a different generic brand I think. Originally meant for carrying liquids on planes. I suppose I had not thought of the safety issue, but I usually don't get concerned about those things. It has not affected the tasted, so what do I care? Several things in my life are bound to kill me before that. I have thought about getting more, for Laphroig and such, I just usually don't have those thoughts when I happen to be at the store. I think I am too attached to the idea of dashing bitters in to switch to aromatizers for that, though it is certainly logical

Reviving an old thread for the much neglected and maligned bitter digestif. I have always felt Jägermeister had more potential than was commonly acknowledge, at least beyond its reputations as a frat party quaffable. It is complex and herbal, if maybe a bit sweeter than my favorite Amari, but not overly so. And while I do like it on a rare occasions as a social shot, or mixed with good tonic and lime, I am always on the lookout for legitimate cocktail recipes that utilize it. Many I have tried before have been promising, but sub par. Since I recently got a bottle again, I thought I would explore some recipes I had found. This one popped out as really quite good. John Cleese (from Todd Yard of Concoctails, part of a collection of Spamalot inspired cocktails) 1.5 Oz Cognac(Ansac VSOP) 1 Oz Dry Vermouth(Noilly Prat) 0.5 Oz Jägermeister 0.5 Oz Honey Syrup 1 rinse Laphroig Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass rinsed with Laphroig. Very nice blending of flavors, maybe a touch to sweet, I would likely reduce the honey syrup to 0.25 Oz if I made it again. It showcases the Jägermeister without letting it take over, which it has a Fernetesque tendancy to do.

Had this drink and absolutely adored it last night: Ash Trey Heart(Erik Ellestad, Beta Cocktail, but I found it quite a while ago in the internet, maybe at KC) 1 Oz Smith and Cross Jamaican Rum 1 Oz Punt e MesSweet Vermouth (Carpano Antica) 1 Oz Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat) 1 rinse Mezcal(Vida) Stir and strain into a Mezcal rinsed glass. Garnish with a grapefuit twist(I used a dash of grapefruit bitters) I found this a truly remarkable cocktail. Extremely well balanced. I would love to try it with the original Punt e Mes, but this worked out super well.

Not quite mulled wine, but I just made some delicious English Bishop for my sister and her significant other while they helped decorate our parents house for Christmas. Super easy and delicious. I just studded an orange with a bunch of cloves(about 20), and baked it in the oven for an hour(I started at 400, but turned it up to 450 half way through) until it was mostly brown. Then I quartered it and simmered it with a bottle of ruby port for 20 minutes. It was a big hit, everyone had three glasses and polished it off in the afternoon. I have made mulled wine before, and this was provided a similar flavor for even less effort. Plus, it makes the kitchen smell glorious.

A Last Word variant tonight, the Slurred Word 1 Oz Jamaican Rum(Smith and Cross) 0.5 Oz Green Chartreuse 0.5 Oz Maraschino 0.5 Oz Lime Juice 1 Oz Pineapple Juice Shake with ice and strain into a rocks glass. A strange variant, certainly, with the rather major addition of pineapple juice, but the skeleton of the original is there. The result is rather candy like, not unbalanced but on the sweet side.

It's not replaced. Both are available now.Not in America, but in the only two stores that sold Noilly Prat in my area. Both places have moved exclusively to the Extra Dry.

Two bottles of Noilly Prat Original Dry, which seems to be being replaced by the Extra Dry everywhere. I have not tried the old/new Extra Dry, but loosing easy access to the Original Dry makes me nervous. Also a bottle of the much maligned Jagermeister, which I find I rather enjoy around Christmas.

Okay, finally got my finger out anf have decied to post the last set(for the moment) or drinks using my Sandeman Armada. It was been a good experiment so far. Right now my bottle is vacu-vined and sitting in the Vermouth/Beer Fridge, waiting for my experimental spirit to rise again(read, until it is the weekend and I am not lazy) The Old Bill (via CVS) 1.5 Oz Cream Sherry (Sandeman Armada) 0.75 Oz Luxardo Maraschino 0.75 Oz Appleton Rum (V/X) 2 ds Fee's Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange) 2 ds Angostura Bitters Stir, strain, up, orange twist. My instincts said 0.75 Oz of Maraschino was too much in this drink. They were correct. I love Maraschino, but when used is large amounts it has to be counter balances, as in the Last Word. This did not work. This was basically a glass of cold Maraschino. I could see it working if the Maraschino were reduced to 0.25 Oz. Poker Face(via CVS) 1.5 Oz East India Solera Sherry(Sandeman Armada) 0.75 Oz Brandy (Ansac VS) 0.5 Oz Lemon Juice 0.25 Oz Green Chartreuse 1 ds Angostura STIR, strain, up. A curious little drink, even in the small amount the lemon element it quite dominant, and although the sherry itself is sweet, plus the 0.25 oz of Chartreuse, the cocktail gives a bracing impression of sourness. Maybe on my palate the fact the sweet elements are so flavorful reduces their potency as balancing elements. Still, very enjoyable. Hampshire( via CVS) 0.5 Oz PX Sherry (Sandeman Armada) 0.75 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao(Cointreau) 0.5 Oz Aperol 0.5 Oz Lemon Juice Soda Build in a glass and add crushed ice. Orange Twist. Not having the Dry Curacao is clearly an issue hear. This drink is too sweet as written. I suppose it fits into the mold of an low alcohol drink, but without any base spirit this one just seemed to wander between strong, sweet flavor, never landing on something definite. Okay, so I may have put some of these off because the recipes were not as appealing, and I was sort of right. None of them were particularly bad, just not as dynamic as many of the previous ones.

Thanks Dan, I think I have searched sherry before, but it has been a while, and the number of worthwhile libations as significantly proliferated. Well, the holiday may have delayed me, but here are my notes from a second round of sweet sherry cocktails. Transatlantic ( via Cocktail Virgin Slut) 1 Oz Rye (Rittenhouse) 1 Oz White Rum (Angostura Reserva) 0.75 Oz Pedro Ximenez Sherry (Sandeman Armada Rich Cream Oloroso) 1 bsp Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao (Cointreau) Stir, strain, orange twist. I was surprised by this one. Having tried a basic Manhattan thing the previous time a happened on a bottle of sweet sherry, I was not optimistic. However, the lightening effect of the rum, plus the very different kind of sweetness coming from the orange liqueur made for a rich, balanced drink. Ponce de Leon (via CVS) 2 Oz Ragged Mountain Rum (Appleton V/X) 1 Oz East India Solera Sherry (Sandeman Armada) 0.5 Oz Licor 43 1 ds Orange Bitters (Reagan's) Stir, strain, lowball, flamed orange twist(omitted) Hmm, a little off to start. It definitely harmonizes better when it warms up. I think something of the spice in the Licor 43 does not mesh for me with the Sherry. But it was quite nice by the end. If you make it, let it sit for a bit and I think you will be happier. Lankersham Fizz (via, Cocktail Virgin Slut - anyone notice a pattern? Most of my recipes seem to be from here or Kindred Cocktails.) 1.5 Oz Gin (Beefeater) 0.5 Oz PX Sherry (Sandeman Armada) 0.5 Oz Simple Syrup 0.75 Oz Lemon Juice 1 Egg White 2 Oz Soda Dry shake all but soda, and shake with ice. Strain into a collins glass containing 2 oz Soda water(or top with if you forgot that step). Garnish with a lemon peel, and add a straw. Nice and refreshing, but nothing spectacular. If you want a Royal Gin Fizz with sherry flavors, this is your drink. Well, there is still plenty left in the bottle. More to come!

Seeing a long holiday weekend in front of me I thought it was the perfect opportunity to experiment with a newly acquired bottle of sherry. Specifically a bottle of Sandeman Armada Rich Cream Oloroso Sherry. I have to admit that when I bought the bottle I missed the rich cream part of the name, having been to excited about finally seeing a sherry with Oloroso in the name in a local liquor store. Not a totally loss, though, as some research soon revealed it would be a good substitute for East India Solera Sherry, which I had seen in a number of recipes on Cocktail Virgin Slut. So, on to the experiments from lat night. And what to try first? Well, with sherry it must be a cobbler.I found a recipe on CVS for a cobbler made with a PX sherry. and as mine was quite sweet on the first taste, with a lovely nutty, slightly oxidized taste, this made sense to try 2 oz Sherry 1 bsp Demerara Syrup 17 drops Bittermans Xocoatl Mole Bitters Stir with ice and strain over pearl(crushed) ice. Hmm, nice, but maybe to sweeyt. I love the interplay of the sherry and mole bitters, but the cocktail seems to lack depth overall. So next I decide to try the Sherry Cobbler recipe II had used for previous sherry experiments, and that had yielded a pleasing large format drink for a party some years ago. 4 Oz Sherry 0.5 Oz Simple Syrup(Rich Turbinado) 2 Orange Weges 2 ds Bitters (To match garnish or sherry, I went with one of Angostura, one of Mole) Shake with ice and stran over crushed ice(Iw as lazy an pored out of the strained) Much nicer. The shaken orange wedges impart an orange oil that I find works very nicely with sherry. Not complex, bot a lovely sipper. I would try this again, maybe with 0.25 Oz of syrup and a new bitters combination. Finally, I thought I would try a sour cocktail, and found the recipe for the Spanish Union in my to try file. Also from CVS, it looked very interesting. 0.75 Oz Tequila 0.75 Oz East India Solera Sherry(Sandeman Armada) 0.75 Oz Lime Juice 0.75 Oz Cinnamon Syrup 1 ds Bittermans Xocoatl Mole Bitters Wow, this was fantastic, and a fantastic use of Cinnamon syrup, and just a lovely cocktail in general. The spice is the dominant flavor, but never overpowering. The sherry and tequila harmonize excellently(a combo I need to explore) and the lim juice balances amazingly. A perfectly constructed cocktail. I do love experimenting with sherry, and since a bottle only keep so long, there will be more to come!

Having noticed there was not thread devoted to Sherry cocktails (please merge if I am wrong moderators), I thought it was an area worth exploring. The use of Sherry in cocktails seems to have increased dramatically, even in the short time I am been following the scene. I find it a challenging ingredient, because of the quick spoilage times associated with it, especially drier sherries. This holiday weekend I have been experimenting with a bottle of Sandeman Aramada Rich Cream Oloroso Sherry, and I thought I would share. THis first post is copied from one I posted in the Drinks thread, but I thought perhaps sherry deserved it's own discussion. So what Sherry drinks is everyone experimenting with? What brands and varieties do you like?

Seeing a long holiday weekend in front of me I thought it was the perfect opportunity to experiment with a newly acquired bottle of sherry. Specifically a bottle of Sandeman Armada Rich Cream Oloroso Sherry. I have to admit that when I bought the bottle I missed the rich cream part of the name, having been to excited about finally seeing a sherry with Oloroso in the name in a local liquor store. Not a totally loss, though, as some research soon revealed it would be a good substitute for East India Solera Sherry, which I had seen in a number of recipes on Cocktail Virgin Slut. So, on to the experiments from lat night. And what to try first? Well, with sherry it must be a cobbler.I found a recipe on CVS for a cobbler made with a PX sherry. and as mine was quite sweet on the first taste, with a lovely nutty, slightly oxidized taste, this made sense to try 2 oz Sherry 1 bsp Demerara Syrup 17 drops Bittermans Xocoatl Mole Bitters Stir with ice and strain over pearl(crushed) ice. Hmm, nice, but maybe to sweeyt. I love the interplay of the sherry and mole bitters, but the cocktail seems to lack depth overall. So next I decide to try the Sherry Cobbler recipe II had used for previous sherry experiments, and that had yielded a pleasing large format drink for a party some years ago. 4 Oz Sherry 0.5 Oz Simple Syrup(Rich Turbinado) 2 Orange Weges 2 ds Bitters (To match garnish or sherry, I went with one of Angostura, one of Mole) Shake with ice and stran over crushed ice(Iw as lazy an pored out of the strained) Much nicer. The shaken orange wedges impart an orange oil that I find works very nicely with sherry. Not complex, bot a lovely sipper. I would try this again, maybe with 0.25 Oz of syrup and a new bitters combination. Finally, I thought I would try a sour cocktail, and found the recipe for the Spanish Union in my to try file. Also from CVS, it looked very interesting. 0.75 Oz Tequila 0.75 Oz East India Solera Sherry(Sandeman Armada) 0.75 Oz Lime Juice 0.75 Oz Cinnamon Syrup 1 ds Bittermans Xocoatl Mole Bitters Wow, this was fantastic, and a fantastic use of Cinnamon syrup, and just a lovely cocktail in general. The spice is the dominant flavor, but never overpowering. The sherry and tequila harmonize excellently(a combo I need to explore) and the lim juice balances amazingly. A perfectly constructed cocktail. I do love experimenting with sherry, and since a bottle only keep so long, there will be more to come!

My first Fogcutter today. Made as per the Trader Vic recipe, recommended on the old Kaiser Penguin Blog. 2 Oz Light PR Rum(Angostura Reserva) 1 Oz Brandy (Ansac VSOP) 0.5 Oz Gin (Beefeater) 2 Oz Lemon Juice 1 Oz Orange Juice 0.5 Oz Orgeat(BG Reynolds, generous) 0.5 Oz Sherry (as a float, Sandeman Armada Rich Cream Olorosso) Shake with ice and strain into a tall glass filled with crushed ice. Float Sherry on top. Add straw. Well, I think that drink perfectly fits the description of dangerous - Very moreish and strong. I chose this after looking through several recipes, and seeing as Kaiser Penguin's reasons for thinking this one best aligned well with my drink preferences I chose it. The two ounces of lemon juice makes it bracing, but it needs that to temper the orange juice, which has a tendency to leave cocktails to watery for me. My experiments with the bottle of sherry shall continue!