GarethLangston

While I'm sure this is not original, it was kind of made up on the spot and surprisingly worked well. Equal parts Aquavit, punsch, lemon juice & chartreuse. We've taken to referring to it as "The Senast Word", due to its Swedish ingredients.

In a local restaurant here, I was served a Negroni in a cocktail glass. It was one of those oversized cocktail glasses you would receive a strawberry Daiquiri in, and had the tiniest lemon twist. We were just laughing about the unexpected presentation between ourselves, when the waitress asked if it was OK, and explained this is how it looked in their cocktail book.

I have a spray bottle for mescal and another which contains a tincture of pickled onion monster munch, which I use instead of onions in a Gibson. Shamelessly stole the idea from the talented Mr Fox, although theirs is a distilled spirit.

I'm not sure this is the best idea if you value the shaker, but I filled an old stuck shaker with water and popped it in the freezer until the lid was forced off by the ice.

Yesterday was a little trip around East London. peg + patriot for a "tunnocks tea cake" Martini. If you haven't eaten a tea cake, it's got a biscuit base, marshmallow top and is coated in chocolate. This managed to taste like a Martini and a teacake. Next up was whistling shop, where I had a firebreather, which was kind of a grapefruit margharita with a side serving of scotch bonnet "beer" which I could have drank all by itself. This is something I need to try and replicate at home. We finished off at white lyan, where we enjoyed everything served but my memories of the details are a little hazy. .

My girlfriend is incredibly supportive of my "hobby", and while I'm on a year long freeze on further purchases, she's offered to replenish those bottles she's most adept at emptying. ( Maraschino & chartreuse, FYI) I expect she sees the level of storage required as a fair trade off for getting to enjoy the drinks.

That's fantastic. I'd be worried about knocking things off the floating shelves though. I'm moving soon and hoping for a utility room attached to the kitchen for something very similar. My set up at the moment is much more like the early pages of this thread, I actually ordered two more sets of shelves yesterday as it's getting too much.

This is a 1ltr cask. I'm not sure 6 months would be that kind to it.

The Manhattan I put in the cask was left for almost three weeks without any attention because I was travelling, I intended to check it after a week but there wasn't an opportunity in the few hours I got to spend at home between trips and this week has been a killer. I'm not convinced on the results of this experiment so far, the punt e mes was probably a little oxidised before it went in and I've ended up with a lot of sweetness, there's certainly a raisin flavour coming in from the rum and it's interesting but the bourbon hasn't really survived the process. I really wish I had some rye to put in there, as I've aged a rye manhattan with good results before, albeit in steel containers and I think it would have come out better here. In hindsight, I could have made a better choice on what to put in after the rum, or thought further ahead to get the right ingredients. I think I'd like to put in something like a white negroni next, with Suze, Gin & Dry Vermouth, but maybe that's another bad decision. The fun is in the experimentation I guess.

Death's Door Gin w/ Q Tonic St George Terrior Gin Old Overholt Rye Templeton Rye I'm a little annoyed that I let the store clerk convince me to buy a more expensive bottling of the standard LDI Rye when I was happily purchasing a bottle of Dickel. I'm hoping duty free will have another couple of treats before I head home.

Follow up question. Is there anywhere in Orlando that stocks Clear Creek ( or more specifically, their douglas fir eau de vie ) ? Alternatively, anywhere online that could ship to orlando within a few days?

Thanks for the tips, there's a total wine relatively close to where we are staying. I am based in the UK, yes.

Heading to Orlando next week so I'm interested in this too. Also, where would be the best place to shop?

Terrible picture but you can see the colour of the W&N now. It could have come out a little earlier I think. I've put a litre of Woodford Reserve & Punt E Mes in the cask now, as it was what I had on hand.

I've been on the Gin Journey with shake rattle and stir. I would recommend it, although I think it is of more benefit to those with an extroverted personality as you will be drinking with strangers.

The W&N is in the cask now. Time will tell whether it's a waste of W&N or a stroke of genius. I've also got to decide which cocktail is to replace it in the cask when I take it out.

Not from the liquor store but from Waitrose Cellar, thanks to a 10% Waitrose Card discount and £15 off a first order. The Ocho, hidden at the back there, might just be my favourite tequila.

How has this project been going? I've got a 1ltr oak cask that's been charred and filled with water and a 1ltr bottle of W&N waiting to be poured in. Any advice before I start?