[Another player enters the sous vide field: Paragon Induction Cooktop]

@EnriqueB That type of device is very surprising and incredibly expensive compared to most circulators. Put it up next to the Joule and I'd be hard pressed to think of a reason to buy a rocook. Can you think of any real benefits?

["Death & Co: Modern Classic Cocktails"]

On 16/03/2016 at 8:06 AM, KK said:

 Is there really a difference between a drink made with D&Co House Orange Bitters (equal parts: Fee Brothers West Indian Orange, Regans' Orange, Angostura Orange) and a drink made just with Angostura Orange Bitters?  

Yes there's a noticeable difference. Cocktail bitters are a significant variable in the flavour profile of any drink and you can really change a drink dramatically with just a few drops, that's the point of them. D&Co's Orange bitters though? Honestly compared to making orange bitter from scratch to get the specific flavour profile you are after it feels a bit like the D&C guys just went for an easy cop out on how to have a more complex orange bitters. Fee bros is sweeter and far simpler than the other two, angostura is a bit synthetic, Regan's is the pick of the bunch if you had to just go with one for most drinks.

Honestly though the internet is full of opinions. Your cocktail game will improve out of sight once you start trying things side by side. Make the same drink twice and only vary the bitters, see if you can taste the difference, get your friends to sip them too and see if they can taste it. If you can then it's a real thing.

[Cocktails I'm supposed to like, but don't]

4 hours ago, Tzatziki said:

Something about cherry liqueurs rub me the wrong way (especially Cherry Heering, I swear it's cough medicine...). I swear they don't taste like cherries. 

Yes yes! It's so synthetic and sweet. It would be amazing to try a real sling recipe with some proper sour cherry infusion but alas no.

 

Also Hemingway's cocktail recipes are pretty much 100% abominations designed to get you a bit more "F"ed up than their original drink. Like Death in the Afternoon? Atrocious to drink but fantastic for capturing the horrific romance of a matador being gored to death in front of you.

[Beer in cans versus bottles]

On 06/02/2013 at 8:45 AM, flaminio said:

The reasons brewers traditionally go with bottles is a canning line is expensive, complicated, and takes up a lot of valuable space. Space that could be better used for beer brewing.

Hey late to this one but also I think a major reason a lot of craft breweries do bottles over cans is because so many of them were home brewers first. Is there anything more "home brew" than washing, disinfecting and drying used brown bottles for your own beer? It's impossible to be a used can home brewer but used bottles works and you get used to doing it that way. It always makes me chuckle when I'm helping my brewing mates bottling a batch because we're washing and sanitising new bottles just as we would used, a whole labour step that cans don't need.

[Cocktails with eau de vie]

On 12/03/2016 at 11:48 AM, FrogPrincesse said:

I would probably have a lighter hand with the eau-de-vie. 1/2 oz is already a lot. I would start with a few bars spoons and build things from there.

Or if OP likes the dry complex flavour then go all in. EDV can be 100% of the spirit component and not overpower a drink in the right context, especially when working with some of the better examples of that spirit.

 

Personal consumption not making it for customers right? Tzatziki go for a flavour uppercut and only trim it back if you want to, sometimes sweet or balanced is really overrated.

[Vermouth]

On 01/03/2016 at 6:31 AM, FrogPrincesse said:

I tried Maurin sweet vermouth for the first time a few days ago. It's very savory, with a lot of herbs such as thyme. Almost reminiscent of the seasonings in tomato sauce. Apparently it's a fairly new product made based on an old recipe. Maurin currently belongs to Anchor Distilling.

I used it to make a Negroni.

 

 

 

 

Good? Bad? Worth investigating or just stick with Dolin for basics and local interesting stuff for the others?

[Cocktails with eau de vie]

I really dig adding in fleur de bier in place of whisky in a Manhattan ratio. I know it's not really an eau de vie but distilled beer just has a really subtle layer of hop and malt character that balances really well with good vermouth.

 

Try a dry Remember the Maine. Swapping the heering for good quality kirschwasser really nails complex but not too sweet.

This was the last recipe variation I jotted down for it:

1.5 rye
0.75 sweet white vermouth (Dolin Blanc)
0.5 kirsch not cherry heering
Bar spoon of absinthe
Dash of angostura bitters

 

I've got more but the diary is in storage till the end of the month. Try any gin classics and split the gin 50-50 with a really good eau de vie, great starting place.

[G'day]

Yes a new member from Australia! Here to mispronounce virtually everything and see how many swear words can fit in a sentence without it loosing context. Nah I'm just another cocktail geek and amateur distiller/brewer/writer/cook. Love me some lazy food science but really love chatting to and interviewing craft producers.

 

Say hey some time!