Craig E
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Posts posted by Craig E
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@Rafa's Dead Last, the Smith & Cross/Cappelletti/apricot liqueur/lime concoction mentioned upthread (before it had a name).
Used Rothman & Winter Orchard Apricot liqueur instead of the Giffard in the spec. I wonder if the Giffard (which I've never tried) is a little more subtle, because the R&W elbowed everything else out of the way. Apricot above all, and lime also prominent. I was amazed that the funk and burn of the Jamaican overproof rum was fully subdued, and the amaro was similarly gentle; both just added some nice complexity but were less noticeable than I expected.
Joins the somewhat similar Periodista and the Bitter Apricot among my favorite uses of apricot liqueur.
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Had friends over for cocktails and they contributed these piscos. First I've ever owned, in fact first I've ever tried.
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Just home from the polls, made this Allie Elizabeth Sleeping. With outstanding ingredients that immigrated from France, Jamaica, Spain, and Mexico. And happy to report that the orange bitters earned the smallest share of the drink by far.
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Tried Misty Kalkofen's Guadalajara.
2 oz Siete Leguas reposado tequila (Cazadores)
1⁄2 oz Fernet Branca
1⁄2 oz 1:1 agave syrup
2 dashes Bittermens Xocolatl Mole bitters
1 twist orange or grapefruit peel, discarded (grapefruit)This was a curious drink. As you might expect the fernet dominated, but combined in interesting ways with other flavors that I wouldn't expect would be natural partners for eucalyptus and menthol. The finish, driven by fernet and bitters, I experienced as a numb tingling almost like novocaine.
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Two nice drinks tonight.
First, Something Bitter This Way Comes. Rye, CioCiaro, sweet vermouth, Fernet Branca, xocolatl mole bitters, salt. The rye and vermouth I used (Bulleit and Dolin) were a neutral vehicle for the dominant flavors of the amari and bitters. A nice balance of the orange CioCiaro up front and the complementary fernet and chocolate finish thereafter. Good stuff.
Second, the Hoskins Cocktail. Gin base and maraschino sweetener, with multiple layers of orange: Amer PIcon (I used my homemade Amer Boudreau), Cointreau, orange bitters (I used Fee's), and a flamed orange twist. I liked this too. I wondered if the orange-on-orange would seem gimmicky, or would end up medicinal as many orange-focused mixed drinks do for me. But this worked well to me—even using Trader Joe's gin for the Plymouth called for in the recipe. Reminded me a bit of Hall's orange-flavored Vitamin C drops. Kind of a Martinez on steroids.
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- 2⁄3 oz James E. Pepper rye (Bulleit)
- 2⁄3 oz Cognac (Masson brandy)
- 1⁄2 oz Mancino Rosso Amaranto sweet vermouth (Dolin)
- 1⁄3 oz Campari
- 1⁄3 oz Luxardo maraschino
- 1⁄3 oz Averna
- Barspoon Green Chartreuse
- Lemon twist
Basically a list of many of my favorite ingredients, so the only thing that could go wrong here would be lack of balance, or too much going on. Neither was the case, and I thoroughly enjoyed this.
I don't know either of the brands specified for the rye and vermouth, so I'm not sure well my substitutions matched the original intentions, but they worked for me.
With seven bottles involved, I wouldn't want to be making this at a busy party, but if time or impatience isn't an issue this is a real winner.
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Equal parts Rittenhouse, Punt e Mes, and Campari, which Kindred tells me is the Cure (New Orleans) spec.
Feared it would be too bitter, but the balance worked well. The spice and heat of the rye sufficed to keep the drink from getting too candy-ish, and there was a nice complexity to the bitterness.
Bought a relatively ugly "juice orange" and it provided a great twist.
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Looking for something to do with some jalapeno-infused blanco tequila I made, I came across this recipe for the Lady Sniper: equal parts tequila, Cynar, and yellow Chartreuse, with a lemon twist.
I think as spec'ed I would've found the Lady Sniper too sweet, since I think of all three of its components as sweet. But I found the pepper in my tequila (which was considerably strong) held its own against the sweetness. I liked how, in the finish, the heat also stood toe-to-toe with the bitterness of the Cynar.
A successful experiment.
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Here's a better use of my PX sherry: The Pedro Suckerpunch I just found on the Punch site.
- 1 1/2 ounces Old Grand-dad bourbon (Evan Williams)
- 1/2 ounce Lustau San Emilio Pedro Ximenéz sherry (El Candado)
- 1/2 ounce Amaro Nonino
- 1/2 ounce lemon juice
- 2 dashes Caffe Borghetti espresso liqueur, plus an additional dash as garnish (Kahlua)
Had to sub brands for most ingredients. I'm sure the biggest compromise was the Kahlua for the espresso liqueur, not least because the "float" of the sugary stuff sunk right to the bottom.
Even still, this was enjoyable. The mediocrity of the PX Daiquiri I wrote about a few posts up which couldn't integrate its dark and light elements was no problem here: the lemon was a fresh and sour complement to the dominant palette of oaky bourbon, figgy sherry, spicy amaro, and coffee accent. This was essentially a complex twist on a whiskey sour.
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And, just under the wire, my entry for this month's Mixology Monday (MxMo CXII). This month's theme is Mashups. My idea: combining two classic Scotch cocktails.
The Rob Roy is essentially a Manhattan made with Scotch, marrying it with sweet vermouth and bitters. The Rusty Nail pairs the spirit with Drambuie, the Scotch-based liqueur with strong honey and herbal tones.
The Scotch they have in common would be the obvious base spirit of my mashup, and since the vermouth and Drambuie serve analogous sweetening purposes, I used them both in smaller quantities. In my experiences with Rusty Nails the honey flavor of Drambuie can be excessive, so I went heavy with the bitters and lemon twist that are often finishing components of a Rob Roy, to counter the sweetness and brighten things up. And I added a home-brandied cherry to top it off.
- 2 oz. blended Scotch
- 1/2 oz. sweet vermouth
- 1/2 oz. Drambuie
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
- lemon twist and brandied cherry garnish
This turned out very palatable, and to me more complex and thus more interesting than either of the classic drinks on which it's based. A gorgeous amber color. I'd be curious to see if bitter Punt e Mes in place of my more neutral Dolin Rouge would make it even more winning, but alas I'm out of Scotch.
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Chantal Tseng's PX Daiquiri:
- 1 1⁄2 oz Rhum Agricole, Damoiseau Blanc rhum agricole (Clément)
- 3⁄4 oz Gonzalez Byass Nectar Pedro Ximénez sherry (El Candado)
- 3⁄4 oz lime juice
- Garnished with fresh grated nutmeg
I've been meaning to try this drink I found on Punch for a while. I was always curious about this as a mashup of bright and cool drinks (daiquiri) and what I think is a much darker and moody ingredient (figgy PX sherry). Instead of a synthesis of opposites, in my tasting the combo pulls apart: the sherry is just enough darkness to make you want a bass note that isn't there. I guess I want a good fish or a good fowl, and this was neither for me.
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@Rafa's Blood Simple with my new bottle of Clément Première Canne.
Only fully understood his "float a halo of bitters" instructions after I dashed it on and saw it settle around the ice.
This is like a Ti Punch with proportions pushed away from the rhum, and honey in place of cane syrup, and the bitters contributing some cherry/wood/spice aromas and flavors.
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Campari's a restock, others are new brands to me.
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6 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:
...and?
I'd imagine after five Ti Punches it might take her a while to recover the ability to post.
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I think the Silver Nail is a pretty good little-bit-of-citrus stirred drink: 1 oz. each blended Scotch, gin, and Drambuie, 1/4 oz. lemon juice, on the rocks with a lemon twist.
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On 6/12/2016 at 11:46 AM, J_Ozzy said:
Just noticed that Regarding Cocktails (Sasha Petraske) is getting a late October release.
Definitely going on my required reading list.
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Franky Marshall's Eleventh Hour:
Linie aquavit (Tattersall), Don Julio Reposado (Cazadores), Sombra Mezcal (Sacrificio), Yellow Chartreuse, lime juice, cane syrup.
Herbaceous, appealing.
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Do you like non-citrus contributors of tartness/sourness/acidity (e.g. shrubs, cassis, passion fruit)?
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4 minutes ago, FrogPrincesse said:
That looks interesting, Craig. What is your coffee liqueur of choice?
Embarrassed to say I'm still working down an ancient bottle of Kahlua, and I've never even tried another.
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Tonight I made my second Early Bird, a Kyle Davidson daiquiri with muddled cherry and a coffee liqueur rinse.
This time I tried it with Flor de Cana extra dry 4, and two home-brandied cherries instead of fresh. The flavors got a bit muddy perhaps (my cherries were soaking in a mix of brandy and maraschino if I remember right), but it was an appealing mix. My wife nailed it: it reminded her of li hing mui, intensely tangy dried plums that she knew from Hawaii.
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11 hours ago, lesliec said:
But that aside ... Craig, how would the above be as a base topped up with dry Prosecco (or Champagne, should the budget run to it)?
That's exactly what I was imagining with my Sbagliato pondering. The next time I have a bottle open I'll try to remember to give it a try and report back.
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Tried the Charlatan, a room-temperature cocktail which adds Campari, Cherry Heering, orange bitters and orange oils.
This had a tangy quality that lasted throughout from the fruity front to the bitter back. I liked the flavor quite a bit, but it had a lip-coating syrupiness that got no mitigation from the cold or dilution that ice would provide.
I'd be curious to see if it could be lengthened into something worthwhile (a cherry-inflected Sbagliato or Americano).
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I guess the sticklers will say make a "Bourbon & branch" with water from whatever local creek was used by the distillery, but I'd start with any decent water.
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Stenton, also by @Rafa. Scotch, CioCiaro, Punt e Mes, Cherry Heering, orange juice, mezcal rinse, garnished with orange peel (lemon peel) and brandied cherry.
Cherry Heering dominated the first sip, sweet and fruity. Then the complexity of the amaro and vermouth enter in. Shifts from fresh fruit to dry fruit. This seems like it's going in a bunch of directions but it holds together well. In the finish I got a strong Tootsie Roll flavor.
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Thanksgiving cocktails
in Spirits & Cocktails
Posted
I'm doing Mother's Ruin this year.