BillBuitenhuys
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Posts posted by BillBuitenhuys
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100% agave is only the first sign, right? Do they use traditional ovens/slow roasting or rapid pressure cookers? Tahona vs high efficiency commercial crusher? Slow fermenting yeast or commercial yeast with accelerators? Column vs pot stills, etc, etc....
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I do like to use blanco in a Margarita, similar to enjoying a white rum in a daiquiri. If you go with a good quality blanco (Ocho, Arette, Fortaleza, Azunia, etc), they are wonderful to sip as well. Repo doesn't necessarily mean it is better quality than a blanco. It is aged a bit so that changes the flavor profile, and it's typically more costly because of that, but more often than not I'd rather be sipping a nice blanco than a repo or an anejo so I can really taste and enjoy the agave flavor.
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It's a pretty fun place, isn't it? Good drinks made by really really good people.
While not quite the Stirred Bird, cocktailvirgin has this stirred recipe from Brick&Mortar (which I've made a few times) and is a nice Jungle Bird variant. Should give you some ideas on ratios.
Jungle Stirred
1 oz Plantation Jamaica 2001 Rum
1 oz Plantation Stiggins' Fancy Pineapple Rum
3/4 oz Campari
1/4 oz Velvet Falernum
1 dash Angostura BittersStir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with lime oil from a twist.-
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15 minutes ago, FrogPrincesse said:
For the fine strainer, I prefer the ones with a conical shape rather than a round shape. So like this one, not the OXO one. Much less mess.
Small spray bottles are a great idea. I use mine for absinthe, orange blossom water, Laphroaig, etc.
Good call on the cone shape!
Ohh, Laphroaig in a spritz is better than a Binaca Blast!
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I made this one last week and it was quite yum.
McKittrick Old Fashioned
(Lieberman, Milk&Honey, 2011, from cocktail virgin website)
2 oz Bourbon
1/2 oz Pedro Ximenez Sherry
2 dash Mole Bitters
Build in a Double Old Fashioned glass, add a large ice cube, and stir to chill. Garnish with a cherry.-
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Good list! Couple of other ideas
A small fine strainer to double strain those citrus drinks
Maybe a couple of 2oz bottles with spritzer tops? I love using these to spritz absinthe for Sazeracs or aromatic bitters for Old Fashioneds. (btw, a rum OF with maple syrup as the sweetener and a good aromatic bitters is pretty seasonal in my book).
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On 9/1/2016 at 2:20 PM, EvergreenDan said:
BTW the Contralto Bitter is very good. I haven't compared it side-by-side with Campari yet though.
Thanks for the heads up! I'll have to find this one!
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On 8/16/2016 at 5:55 AM, EvergreenDan said:
Peychaud's amaro. Anyone tried it yet? Similar profile to the bitters?
Not at all similar, IMO. To me, it tasted like very diluted Campari.
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I made a couple of Dos Besitos (Scott Teague) last night as the internet was filled with tequila-based drinks.
The recipe calls for both repo and blanco tequila along with pineapple, lime, agave syrup, and grenadine. I used Altos Olmeca blanco, Arrogante repo (reduced by 1/4oz), and added a 1/4oz of Del Maguey Vida to kick it up a bit. Very slurpable!
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We can't buy spirits from KL to be shipped to AZ but HiTime will ship spirits here.
I've used them many times and the $10/case shipping is very good. I know DrinkUp ships to here as well.
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Zombie time! This was pretty wonderful for a warmish AZ afternoon.
Donn Beach, c1934. Rums, falernum, lime, Donn's mix, bitters, Pernod, grenadine
And I'm totally enthralled with the funkiness of the Hamilton Jamaican rum.
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On 3/2/2016 at 7:44 PM, arcadiandj said:
Arizona-Phoenix area, but am in LA here and there.
Young's Market distributes Hamilton here in AZ but I haven't seen it on a retail shelf. Some bars/restaurants, like Cowboy Ciao, have a retail license and have been willing to special order.
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[Host's note: This topic is part of an extended discussion that grew too large for our servers to handle efficiently. The discussion continues from here.]
Seeing it's white grapefruit season in AZ, we've been drinking our share of Navy Grogs.
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A couple of weeks ago was Arizona Cocktail Week and as part of the Artisanal Marketplace we served up a drink to the masses that we called Waiting for Watube (recipe by Micah Olson). We made a batch for sitting in the backyard this weekend. Gotta love how Montenegro and pineapple play together.
- 1 oz Plantation 5yr Barbados
- 0.5oz Hamilton Gold Jamaica
- 0.5oz Montenegro
- 0.75oz lime
- 0.75oz pineapple syrup (1:1 fresh pineapple juice and sugar)
- Quick shake with crushed ice and dump all into glass
- 4 dashes aromatic bitters (AZBL Mi Casa) floated on top
- dehydrated lime wheel garnish
[Host's note: this topic is part of an extended discussion that became too large for our servers to handle efficiently. The discussion continues here.]
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Just received Bitterman's Field Guide to Bitters and Amari.
It contains reviews (scores for aromatic level/bitterness/sweetness, descriptions, and recommended usages) for 500 bitters, plus 50 amari, a handful of recipes for homemade bitters and recipes for bitter/amari-based cocktails, savory dishes, and desserts, bitters history, and ingredients. I've only just skimmed through it but so far it's been both an enjoyable read and informative. He definitely doesn't hold back when he doesn't like something! Kudos for such an encompassing snapshot of the world of bitterness as it is today.
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Just got this book as well and at first glance was pretty dismayed that I couldn't make more than a handful of drinks with what I have at home. But as I read it more, I'm getting extremely inspired with the flavor combinations that they are using throughout. Time to start macerating!
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Can't say for Deathy recipes, but here's a ton of Apricot Liqueur recipes. It is used quite frequently. If your tastes run toward the bitter and complex, the Averna Jim Jam is wonderful:
http://www.kindredcocktails.com/cocktail?summary=1&ingredient=Apricot%20liqueur&rating_average=4
that is a great drink! Just made a Yarm riff on the Jim Jam called Sooner or Later (bourbon, averna, apricot, lemon, bitters, soda) that is also splendid.
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Browsing through the new version of Wondrich's Imbibe reminded me of one of my favorite classic families, the "Improved {base spirit of choice} Cocktail":
2oz base spirit, 1/2 tsp simple, 1/4 tsp Maraschino, dash absinthe, 2 dashes aromatic bitters, expressed lemon.
Last night I made one with Hacienda De Chihuahua Sotol anejo and it was quite lovely.
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Most older Nikka such as the Yoichi 15 yo, Miyagikyo 12 yo, and Taketsuru 17 and 21 yo are keeping their age statements for now although they will likely get rarer and more expensive (isn't everything?). Only the Taketsuru 12 seems to be going away for now.
I've read conflicting reports including this one that says the Yoichi and Miyagikyo aged line is going away too.
http://www.nonjatta.com/2015/06/The-Nikka-Shock.html
A spirits friend recently in Japan heard the same thing as well and found very few stated age bottles on the shelves or at the distilleries. Whatever the timing is, it's likely to happen sooner or later which isn't a good thing.
I think I'm more disappointed with the Hibiki 12 going away as it looks like the Harmony doesn't have the umeshu element but has Mizunara oak instead.
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Three dusty twelves ended up in my cart today after finding them hiding behind some boxes in a locked case...at a local car wash/gas station.
The Taketsuru 12 is pretty much extinct, as are nearly all age statement Nikkas.
The EC 12 has the year statement moved to the back label these days.
And Hibiki because Hibiki.
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Yesterday, I wanted to make a rhum dandy shim, courtesy Fred Yarm's cocktail virgin site, but this ended up being a very good rum dandy shim. Much different presence than it would have had with agricole but very refreshing all the same.
2oz Dolin blanc
1/2oz rum agricole (I'm out of agricole (what?!) but used Diplomatico reserva)
1/2oz lime
barspoon of cane syrup (Clement)
2 dashes absinthe
Build in OF glass, add crushed ice, garnish with grated lime zest.
drink credits: From The Art of the Shim book, recipe by Craig Lane, Bar Agricole (2010)
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Benny and the Jets
adapted from Ryan Lotz via cocktail virgin
1oz Pierre Ferrand 1840 cognac (Decourtet)
1oz Smith & Cross rum
1/2oz Benedictine
1/2oz demerara syrup
1/2oz oz lime
3 dashes Ango (Mi Casa bitters)
1 dash absintheGarnish with lime, cherry, mint.
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Made a 2:1:1 & orange zest with Maker's Cask Strength last night. The bourbon definitely had the lead roll here with a nice bittersweet backbone.
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Pretty low scale, yes.
There are two makers that show up in AZ: Hacienda de Chihuahua and Don Cuco, and there is a significant difference in approach and taste.
HdC uses more modern techniques like steaming the pina, column stills, and French oak leading to a very clean, elegant sotol
DC uses traditional fire pits, copper pot still, and American oak for a much more pronounced earthy, vegetal set of products.
Both good and certainly worth trying.
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Blanco, Reposado or Anejo?
in Spirits & Cocktails
Posted
Drink what ya like is the way to go!