Rafa

@Frog How'd you like the Dorothy Parker?

I am long overdue to showcase the très haut, très puissant grenouille's très generous gift of passion fruit bitters from boydrinksworld. Passion fruit happens to be one of my favorite flavors, and fresh, plentiful passion fruit is one of the things I miss most from my days in the tropics (along with readily accessible beaches that don't give me frostbite). My first use of these bitters was in a Mai Tai. Inspired by The Dead Rabbit's Jamaican rum mix, I used 1 oz El Dorado 15 to 1/2 oz each Smith & Cross and Cruzan Blackstrap. I don't recommend the ED15 in this mix; it gets buried. Nevertheless, it produced a very good, rather dry Mai Tai, with the accord from the passion fruit bitters and Creole Shrubb suggesting an exotic aromatic citrus fruit...calamondin maybe, or yuzu. 1 oz ED15 1/2 oz S&C 1/2 oz Blackstrap 1 oz lime juice (RIP affordable lime juice) 1/2 oz Creole Shrubb 3/4 oz orgeat (homemade, not very sweet or assertive) 1/2 dropper BDW passion fruit bitters (not yet commercially available; thanks, Obama) A very good Mai Tai, though rumwise I think I'll return to my preferred 1 oz S&C / 1 oz Barbancourt 8 Year combo. (Take note, JoNorvelle). I've since used the bitters in rum Old Fashioneds and other aromatic cocktails, always to good effect. Thank you, Frog, for the marvelous bitters, and sorry for the delay in getting back to you with what I've used them for. My sorry excuse is that I've been working on a very long, very involved project for work that has eaten up most of my time, and I have barely posted except to add some info or correct something, because my persnickety impulse is strong (thanks, male privilege).

Dammit, and I was all revved up to call you out on the agave spirits exception to the "no expensive white spirits" rule. I'm biased, though, as I too often pay too much for eaux de vie (pisco, pear, apricot, etc). I somehow draw the line at white dog, though, much as I enjoy it in the mixed drinks of artists like bostonapothecary (and also, like Checkersaurus above, on its own from time to time).

And Blume Marillen is delicious, with untapped cocktail potential.

Why not one catch-all thread?

Put W&N in now, and I expect to try it when I'm in DC in a few weeks.

Comparatively bland, but serviceable. Sweet and clove-y, without a lot of depth.

Any others you recommend? I'm thinking of heading there this weekend.

Abano is much less subtle than Nonino. It's got a unique profile. Nonino (or maybe Averna) + a bit of Blackstrap + a pinch of black pepper and cinnamon might get you close.

I have to imagine that they've been quietly aging some for a few years now, ever since the cocktail revival put the Mai Tai on a pedestal and elevated the old W&N Dagger rum to mythic levels.

Unrelated, beyond both being staples of Mexican cuisine. Bummer about the Hamilton rum, but yeah, not surprising. I'm much more excited about trying the gonzo-sounding dunderous new overproof from Lost Spirits–though if I recall, Hassouni, you've been skeptical about it on another forum. I share your general skepticism towards unnaturally dark young spirits, but my sense is that in this case that comes from extremely charred barrels basically soaked in sherry.

I've noticed batch variation among the bottles I've had but none has been anywhere near as smokey as Vida. I've only had a few, though. Agreed, first rate product.

It does work well with honey, but it tends to have a very powerful flavor of its own. Maybe cut the ratio of gin to honey and lemon? Edit: You could also cut the gin with vodka.

Haven't tried it, but it does sound like what you're looking for. The Gin Is In likes it, though it does describe it as "bold."

Dorothy Parker, G'Vine, or Barr Hill, the last of which already features a touch of honey.

Vodka is distilled to a very high proof, removing most of the impurities (i.e., flavors) and leaving a spirit that's very close to being just ethanol and water. Whisk(e)y and other flavorful spirits are distilled to a much lower proof, which is why white tequilas and rums taste like, well, tequila and rum, and not vodka. (Bacardi excepted.) Unaged spirits don't all taste like vodka, and oak-aged vodka won't taste exactly like whiskey, or Cognac, or aged rum. With whiskey white dog, you get a lot of the raw grain flavor of the mash, without years of oak contact to temper it.

Here's what The Coopered Tot has to say on the matter: A word about Pendleton 1910's labeling: Masterson's, Whistlepig, and Jefferson's all specifically state "Straight Rye Whisky" which in the USA means 51% plus rye, no additives, and at least 2 years in the barrel. Pendleton 1910 says something quite different: "100% Canadian Rye Whisky". I get the feeling that Pendleton 1910 doesn't comply with US legal requirements for Straight Rye Whisky - but I have no idea in what way. Given the dramatically different flavor profile I would guess that Pendleton's might be a blended Canadian product. I was rather struck, too, by the fact that I found Pendleton 1910 to be a high 4 star whisky when tasted sighted and by itself and a 3 star whisky when tasted in the presence of a bunch of other Canadian ryes. This points to the power of context and also of blind tasting. UPDATE: In conversation Davin DeKergommeaux (Malt Maniac, author, top Canadian whisky blogger and noted Canadian whisky authority) confirms that Pendleton 1910 is made from 100% rye - but crafted in a different way from the others - which accounts for its unique flavor profile.

I would exclude the 18th Century-style Potrero as the absence of charred oak aging makes it a very different beast, tasking closer to new make than the other Potreros and not much like the Taylor.

Canadian whisky is characteristically soft, smooth, and blended. Laws regarding Canadian whisky are lax compared to those around bourbon or Scotch, so Canadian whisky can feature undisclosed additives like brandy or even wine, and can call itself rye even when no rye grain is present in the mash. Exceptions are Forty Creek and Lot 40, and presumably others without 40 in the name. US-based straight ryes like Whistlepig and Pendleton's are actually Canadian in origin, probably originating as flavoring whiskys for blends. These are generally fruitier, more floral, and sweeter than high-rye whiskeys from the States (e.g., Bulleit, Templeton, etc), despite being 100% rye.

Oddly, I was about to propose the exact trade. Though I believe the DR book won't be ready for a few months yet—I'll check during my weekly splurge visit. I'm disappointed to hear that about the Canon book. The Dead Rabbit one promises to be more informative. Even their takes on the classics are revelations.

A Timelord is at home in any era.

You're looking rather dapper in that new photo, Leslie.

Inspired by this, I stirred an ounce each of El Dorado 15 and Redbreast 12 (two simpatico spirits) with a couple of dashes of Bittermens Xocolatl bitters. Lovely.

To answer your earlier question about Gosling's vs. Cruzan Blackstrap: the Blackstrap is basically industrial rum flavored with molasses; it's intensely molasses-forward, with a bit of a maple syrup as well, but not a lot of rummy depth to it. Gosling's is also molasses-y but more, well, rum-like in flavor, with brown sugar, vanilla, and fruit rounding out its profile. It's also got a bit of a root beer character that I don't find in the Blackstrap, or in most other rums. It is far less intense than the Cruzan. I substitute Gosling's for Blackstrap in a pinch, but I use more of it to make up for the lower intensity.

http://instantrimshot.com/ Or up to every five years if you're Plantes.