Snark

Excellent. Will look forward to it. Hoping busy at work will (maybe more in the future) lead to busy blogging, too... What's the cocktail competition about?

When do we get to see some content on "Manning the Bar," Adam?

I Am D.B. Cooper Douglas fir eau de vie (Clear Creek) 2 oz. rye (McKenzie, because I'm finishing up a bottle) ¾ oz. rosemary-infused maple syrup (Yum.) ¾ oz. lime juice 3 dashes Angostura Bitters Rinse glass with eau de vie. Shake and double-strain remaining ingredients into an Old Fashioned glass with large ice cube. Garnish with slapped rosemary sprig. http://www.sfexaminer.com/sanfrancisco/grab-a-db-cooper-cocktail-and-disappear-at-prospect/Content?oid=2597063 Very tasty, but the aroma of the garnish might be a bit overpowered...

I picked up a bottle of Yerlo today. Hmong rice liquor; 120 proof. I'd never heard of it, but I just moved to Madison, WI, and it's distilled just up the road (well: 184 miles up the road) in Sturgeon Bay, so... It's interesting. Nose definitely gives away the jasmine rice base; taste reminds me of a couple of the varieties of white whiskey that have become popular (including Death's Door's), thought without the tang of the corn; price is definitely higher than I'd pay if this wasn't a first-time curiosity. (I wasn't able to find a review anywhere online.) It reminds me of some baijiu I've had before, too... I'm not sure what to mix it with. I guess I could treat it like white whisky and see what happens. I'm tempted to open a bottle of Koval's jasmine liqueur I was given as a gift and see if jasmine on jasmine works... any thoughts?

I know you'd keep posting this sort of stuff here and on your site even without this sort of encouragement, but I wanted to let you know how much I enjoy reading (about) the research you're doing. Terrific stuff.

Pisco might work. I made two variants tonight. 1 oz Rhubarb Tea 3/4 oz Batavia Arrack or Rhum JM blanc 3/4 oz Averna 3/4 oz lime juice 2 d Bittermens Hopped Grapefruit bitters (one very full dropper) I'm probably just go 1:1:1:1 next time. I think the Rhubarb will still come through, and it would certainly make a more memorable recipe. Of the two variants, I preferred the agricole and my wife like the Batavia Arrack. This is a nice drink, but I have to say that like, rather than love, Rhubarb Tea. I look forward to hearing other recipe ideas. I'm not in love with the Rhubarb Tea either, but I'd still be interested to know people's thoughts if they ever mix this up: 1 ounce Rhubarb Tea 1 ounce Pisco (Encanto) 1 ounce Averna 1 ounce lime juice 2 dashes Bittermens Burlesque Bitters 2 slices cucumber 2 strawberries Muddle cucumbers and strawberries with lime juice; add booze and let sit for a minute or two. Add bitters, shake, and strain into coupe. Garnish with strawberry section or cuke slice if desired. I'm not at all convinced I've quite nailed it, but it's a decent enough spring drink, I think.

Thanks for the suggestions. Definitely more acid. I could try an agricole; I don't have any cachaca on hand (I have to work on that), but last night I was pondering how the Rhubarb Tea might work with Pisco...? Different flavor combo, of course, but maybe worth trying...

My batch of Amer Boudreau is very bitter, but I love it; I've been using ratios closest to the "Bartender's App" version listed above, though sometimes with even less maraschino (because of how overpowering that ingredient can be).

A friend brought over a bottle of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction's Rhubarb Tea. I'd never heard of it before, but after a little searching, I decided to make: Dan's Rhubarb Jimjam: 1.5 oz Rhubarb liqueur (Rhubarb Tea)1 oz Wray & Nephew Overproof Rum0.5 oz Averna0.5 oz Lime juice Shake, strain, rocks, lowball"Inspired by the Averna Jimjam. Something of a work in progress, but very good." I do like it, but the rum overpowers the drink some, and (even then) it's a bit sweet for my taste. Dan or other folks, have you tweaked this any further? And has anyone else found a good use for the rather-sweet Rhubarb Tea?

More like 9-11 weeks, overall -- I made the "batter" (see below) roughly a couple weeks before the party, which was on December 13. It has a ton of booze in it, but I was (still) worried, so I reserved a small amount of the batter in a separate container, and I taste-tested it each day leading up to the party. (I also put a large, bold warning sign out in front of the nog at the party.) But the stuff from December 14 through February 8 had the "fluff" added (since I just dumped the leftovers into sanitized glass milk bottles). A friend took about 32 ounces (again, batter+fluff) home with him, too, and also reported no problems drinking it through the end of January. We might've been lucky, though. I wouldn't serve the leftovers to guests (unless they absolutely insisted), and of course anyone at particular risk of foodborne illness should avoid this anyhow. Here's the recipe; I wish I could remember how I came across it. I might've tweaked something(s) I found... I made a double batch for the party. Ingredients (for roughly 1 gallon) 12 large eggs 4.0 cups good-quality whole milk (I used Oberweis) 2.5 cups good-quality, pasteurized heavy cream* (divided into two portions: 1.0 cups and 1.5 cups) 2.0 cups granulated white sugar Pinch salt Whole nutmeg (for grating/garnish) 1 liter bourbon (I used Buffalo Trace) 6 ounces brandy (I used Jacques A. Cognac) 4 ounces dark rum (I think I used Myers's -- this is the one brand specification I'm unsure about, because I didn't have to buy it before the party as I did the other booze for the punches) *I find I can tell a difference between pasteurized and ultra-pasteurized cream in ice creams I make; I don't know if I could've noticed any difference in this nog, but I didn't take any chances. I suppose, though, that using pasteurized rather than ultra-pasteurized cream may risk decreasing the refrigerated life of the nog still further. Method for "batter" Separate egg yolks and whites; store whites in freezer. Mix yolks and sugar by hand or in mixer until smooth. Add milk, 1 cup cream, salt, and booze. Stir. Transfer to clean glass container(s) and refrigerate. Method for "fluff" (and service) Remove egg whites from freezer and allow to come to room temperature. Beat room-temperature whites in/with mixer (or, if in need of workout, by hand) to form stiff peaks. Scrape whites into (large!) serving container. Beat 1.5 cups of cream in/with mixer until moderately whipped. Add whipped creams to egg whites in serving container. Remove batter from fridge; if separation has occurred, recombine. Combine batter with fluff gently, using a whisk and/or spatula. Grate nutmeg on top of full volume, and (if desired) over each individual serving.

OK, then: I used eje's "Chinese New Year's Punch" to very good effect at a 75-person winter party this past December, as a non-alcoholic or "spike-your-own" option alongside his "Great Pumpkin Punch" and a very boozy eggnog. (I can't remember where the eggnog recipe came from, but it included bourbon, brandy, and dark rum, and it just kept getting better and better the longer it sat in the fridge. Which was a very long time, indeed, as I misjudged how much eggnog 75 people would drink. Not 2 gallons, as it turns out. I finished it on February 8th or so.) The hit of the party was definitely the Great Pumpkin Punch; I made a double batch of it, and it did indeed render about 6 quarts, and there was absolutely zero left at the end of the party. (In fact, the only reason I got to try the punch-as-served was because my wife set some aside for me.) It was a lot more work than the "Chinese New Year's Punch," though... for that, I used a relatively cheap sparkling wine at the suggestion of someone at the local Binny's; I can't remember if it was one of the Segura Viudas line, but it well might've been, and it worked just fine for the folks we had. Edit: I am, coincidentally, drinking eje's Ashtray Heart right now. eje, if you're reading this: thank you. Chinese New Year's Punch Peel and Juice 4 Lemons 1 Cup Sugar 16 oz Pomegranate Juice 2 Teaspoons Green Tea 4 Whole Cloves 4 Green Cardamom Pods, crushed 1 Cup Water 1 Bottle Knudsen Sparkling Pomegranate, Chilled Oranges, sliced for garnish Ice Freshly grated nutmeg Method: Macerate the Lemon Peels in the Sugar until they release their oils. Boil water and combine with tea and spices. Steep for 6 Minutes. Strain hot spiced tea into sugar and peel mixture. Stir to dissolve sugar. Combine strained lemon juice with spiced tea syrup and chill your “Shrub”. Pour Shrub into punch bowl, add Pomegranate Juice. When guests arrive add ice and Sparkling Pomegranate. Garnish with orange wheels. Serve in small cups and dust with freshly grated nutmeg. Add booze to taste, if desired. Great Pumpkin Punch 1 Bottle Bourbon (Weller 12 Year suggested; Buffalo Trace used)1 Bottle Cognac (Landy suggested; Jacques A. VSOP used)
1/2 Bottle Batavia Arrack
4 Small-ish Sweet Potatoes, washed and roasted
4 Oranges, Zested.4 Lemons, Zested
4 Cloves
2 Sticks (Cassia) Cinnamon.16 oz Water.1/2 Pound Piloncillo1/4 Pound Pepitas (Pumpkin Seeds), crushed (I didn't roast these, and I wonder if I should've -- if eje's around, maybe he can weigh in)1 quart Whole Milk (Straus Family Creamery suggested; Oberweis Dairy used) Method:
 Zest citrus and add zest to Brandy, Bourbon, and Arrack. Juice Oranges and 2 Lemons, strain, and add to aforementioned liquid. Slice Roasted Sweet Potatoes and add to aforementioned liquid. Add Cinnamon and Cloves. Allow to infuse for at least 48 hours. Heat water and add Piloncillo and Pepitas. Simmer below a boil for 10 minutes and refrigerate over night. Carefully strain peels, Potatoes, and Spices out of Liquid, trying not to crush potatoes. Juice other two lemons and add to Flavored Booze Mixture. Heat milk to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Add to Flavored Booze Mixture. Allow to stand undisturbed for 30 minutes and filter through cheesecloth, removing milk solids. Filter Pumpkin Seeds out of Syrup, pressing to remove as much liquid as possible, and combine with Flavored Booze Mixture. Cool and allow to stand for a couple days. Rack liquid off of any accumulated sediment into clean bottles and chill well before serving. Makes about 3 quarts.

So is everyone just using cheap(er) mezcal, then?

It looks as if you've got the food and libations covered; my only contribution, then, is to ask whether you really want to call her your girlfiend. I mean, if she's down with it, that's cool... (Heh.)

The Lustau Dry Amontillado might work for you as a dry sherry. I've been happy with it (most recently in Tonia Guffey's Teenage Riot, from rogue beta cocktails), and Astor carries it for $16, which doesn't strike me as unreasonable. Cheers!

Has anyone done any side-by-side comparisons of cocktails made with Maguey's Vida, next to the same cocktails made with more expensive mezcal (e.g., Maguey's Chichicapa)? I ask because some recipes (e.g., rogue beta cocktail's Black Cat) specifically call for a pricier mezcal, and I'm interested in whether folks that have feel the difference in price is worth the difference in taste.

This is an excellent idea, as well. Too late for my Mahattan and Negroni Tredici batches, but I'll try it out for whatever I age next, and report back on the results.

That's a good question. I haven't tried it with the Manhattan (largely because it's so delicious as-is), but I'll definitely try it with both that and the Negroni Tredici (once it's out of the barrel). And maybe that'll tell me whether the rogue beta Black Cat would be worth trying.

In case anyone else was wondering... 2 oz Tanqueray gin1 oz Carpano Antica sweet vermouth1/4 oz Campari1/4 Cynar13 drops Regans' orange bittersLemon pigtail twistAh, yes: sorry about that. So, I've got 2 liters of this stuff aging in a medium-charred oak barrel that I first used to age a batch of Rittenhouse BIB/Carpano Antica Manhattans. The Manhattans came out with their edges nicely smoothed, and with faint oak undertones (some smoke, heightened vanilla, some added tannicity [tannicness?]). I hadn't cured the barrel in any sort of fortified wine first, though, so I think the effects were likely more muted than, say, Morgenthaler's Manhattans in the Madeira-treated barrel. Now that the barrel has been steeped in Manhattans, though, it seemed perfectly set up for Tobey's Negroni recipe. I've been sampling it every couple days, and I think it's shaping up nicely. I was posting mainly to see if folks thought it'd be a waste of money and time, but I'm coming to the conclusion that it'll have been neither. The question is what to age next. I was sort of playing with the idea of aging the alcohol base of rogue beta cocktail's Black Cat: 1.00 ounces mezcal (Chichicapa recommended; I've used Vida) 0.75 ounces Lustau Dry Amontillado Sherry 0.75 ounces Punt E Mes 0.50 ounces Hayman's Old Tom Gin 0.50 ounces Ransom Old Tom Gin (For each drink, 3.5 ounces of the aged ingredients would be mixed with the recipe-specified grapefruit peel muddled in cane syrup.) My concern is that the barrel-aging might actually wipe out the great strength of the cocktail: the distinct, phased mix of aroma and flavors you get while sipping it. Maybe this is a drink that doesn't want its edges smoothed, and its essence unified? Thoughts?

Has anyone tried barrel-aging a batch of Toby Maloney's Negroni Tredici, by any chance?

Ack. Reading challenged today. Removed.

I agree with pretty much everything Rafa wrote, and because of the "Scottish" flair to your drink, I would love to suggest naming it the "Last Rites" -- but apparently that's already taken.

Sounds interesting. I'll have to get my hands on enough Peychaud's that I'd be willing to give up 2 oz in one shot though. It's not easy to get where I live. Oh, Canada. You appear to be in Ontario; if the Toronto Institute of Bartending isn't too far a schlep, maybe you could get them there?

Oh gosh, yes. This. I am not a fan of cucumber, bell pepper, jalapeno, or any other vegetables in my cocktails, up to and including Blood Marys. The one exception I will make is the Juliet and Romeo, which is delicious. I like the Juliet and Romeo. I also like the Kentucky Maid. Those are the only two with cucumber I've tried but if they represent what cucumber does in cocktails in general, I'm good with it. You should try Rogue Beta Cocktail's Gunshop Fizz. I've made it for, say, a dozen people now, and every one of them has loved it. I will say that I had a hard time finding Sanbitter nearby, but a local supermarket carries Stappj, and that seems to work just fine as a substitute. Elsewhere on eGullet, folks have suggested Campari & soda as a substitute -- which, as they note, will up the proof in what's a relatively low-booze drink.

I know that in Chicago, Sable, The Violet Hour and Aviary will all get creative with non-alcoholic drinks if asked. I don't know that Toby's still around and providing recipes, but... (Also, Next has worked up some very creative non-alcoholic pairings for its menus; the drinks for "The Hunt" menu, for example, got great reviews from a number of folks, including my wife and me. I don't have any of the recipes at hand, and they were often as complicated as Aviary's cocktails -- but some Googling might yield results?)

The opposite problem seems to me more annoying, as a customer: servers and bartenders reacting poorly when the drinks described by their over-aspiring bar menu don't meet those descriptions' promise(s). For example: I'm at a restaurant in Denver with friends a few nights ago. At first blush, it doesn't strike me as a cocktail sort of place, but it's got a list of house specialties, and none of them end in "-tini." In fact, though none of the specialties really speaks to me, there's some creativity with ingredients. I settle on the margarita, which the menu lists one as "Patron Silver, Cointreau, fresh lime juice, agave nectar." I order one, asking the server to ask the bartender to please go easy on the agave nectar, or even leave it out altogether if that's easier. Five minutes later, the server comes back with a big grin and the margarita, in a Collins glass, on the rocks. My first instinct is, "My fault; should've asked for it up." Then, as he puts it down, he informs me, "Sorry, but the sour is premixed, so the bartender couldn't do anything about the agave nectar." I smile, trying my best to look überfriendly as I ask, "I thought the drink was made with fresh lime juice and agave nectar?" He replies, "Oh, I don't think the lime juice is fresh. Why did you think it would be?" I point to the description on the menu. He ponders that. "Maybe the mix is made with fresh lime juice?" "Do you think it is?" "No," he says. "Ah. Then why does the menu say it is?" "Well," he responds, "our menu says a lot of things that aren't quite the case in reality. I know how all the food is made, and I can tell you if you're allergic to onions, you shouldn't order the mac-and-chicken dish, because the sauce is full of them. But the menu doesn't mention that." I nod, take a sip of the drink, and wince: there's nothing but the taste of very sweet sour mix. I try a little light sarcasm: "Right, and if you're susceptible to hyperglycemia, you might want to stay away from the margarita, eh?" He says, "Margaritas are always sweet like that." I smile and offer to mix him a decent margarita one day. He raises one eyebrow and repeats, "Decent margarita?" "Yes," I say. He leaves the table. When he comes back to take our food orders, the margarita is still sitting there, untouched since my first sip. After two friends order glasses of wine with their food, I order a draft beer along with some baby-back ribs. "The sauce on those ribs is pretty sweet," he smirks. "You might want to stay away from them." "Thanks for the warning," I say. "I'm sure they'll be fine." (Aside: they are.) He leaves the table again, and comes back with the beer and wine. I thank him and take a sip of the beer. It's good. He looks at the margarita, still untouched, and then around the table, asking, "Is anyone going to drink that margarita?" Negatives around the table. He stands there for a bit, and then asks me how the beer tastes. "It's good," I reply. "Isn't it?" he asks. "Yes," I say. "OK." He stands there a bit longer. "Well... how 'bout I take that margarita off the table and your check?" "That'd be very nice," I say. We get along great after that, and I leave him a nice tip.