Cocktail ideas with very limited ingredients

[Nathan]

I'll be spending this weekend in a house with a bunch of heavy drinkers but of the vodka and red bull type.

past experience has shown that there will usually be lots of vodka and a few other things...southern comfort, tequila, triple sec and maybe something random (someone once brought Pimm's Cup, bless her heart).

there is an icemaker at least.

I'll be bringing a shaker, gin and lemon/lime juice for sure. I'll probably whip up some simple when I get there (here's hoping there's sugar somewhere...on second thoughts...I'll bring that too). I was thinking I should bring a bottle of white rum and I have some near empty bottles of parfait amour and maraschino liqueur. the key part here is that I have to travel light...so that's about all I can do.

I need ideas...I guess I'll check cocktail db and my recipes for starters (margaritas and daiquiris are kind of obvious)...but would like to make things they'll enjoy (think sweeter...).

edit: the point is...although I can make an aviation for myself...I can't count on them liking it....hmmm...I bet rum and red bull won't be awful awful...the same with parfait amour, vodka and lemon juice...they might like that...

Edited April 18, 2007 by Nathan (log)

[Fat Guy]

An updated vodka gimlet is easy to make by the boatload and tends to please a wide variety of customers -- especially non-aficionados, a group in which I include myself and most guests we have over. Vodka, Rose's lime, fresh lime (or a mixture of lemon and lime) sweetened with a little sugar, ice, shake, you're all set. You'll have to determine the exact ratio by taste because the strength of the fresh juice varies a lot.

[eje]

If you've got Maraschino, the Floridita Daiquiri has always been very popular when I've made it for parties.

la Floridita Daiquiri (cocktaildb link)

I always get comments like, "Hey, this is like a rum margarita," or, "I thought Daiquiris were girly drinks."

[Chris Amirault]

I second the Floridita idea and, if you have bourbon or rye, suggest you use that Maraschino for crustas. Very fun presentation and a big surprise for the gang. You'll need lemons and bitters, both worth bringing along, I think.

[thirtyoneknots]

When I find myself in situations like that I have a kit to take with me. It includes a bottle of Wild Turkey Rye, a dasher of 2:1 syrup, and a bottle of Angostura. Also a lemon and peeler if i have time/room. I can drink Old Fashioneds til the cows come home with that stuff :-P

-Andy

[petite tête de chou]

Are blue drinks cool with the Red Bull crowd? What about a simplified Blue Hawaiian?

Pineapple juice, Blue Curacao, rum.

[Nathan]

the Floridita would be a great idea...except that I almost certainly won't have grapefruit juice (if I do then....)....I probably will have access to cartoned OJ.

I am well stocked with rye, bourbon, etc. at home....but I simply can't drag a bunch of bottles of liquor with me first to the office and then to the train (for the non-NY'ers...we don't drive here).

there's no juicer at the house...so I'm stuck with bottled lemon or lime juice (ugh!).

if I was only planning on making drinks for myself I'd just make Aviations til the cows come home...

I think the vodka gimlet makes a lot of sense. I suppose I'll also do a fair amount of experimenting when I get there.

[daisy17]

Well, I can't condone vodka in a gimlet (although before I was properly educated I was known to drink them from time to time) but if you go that route, or you bring the gin, you can bring a small bottle of pomegranate molasses and make pomegranate gimlets. Easy and delicious and good for people who don't know they like gin yet (or who drink vodka and red bull).

[thirtyoneknots]

Bottled oj works decent in a Monkey Gland, and its a nice intro to real cocktails for the uninitiated.

[DrinkingDev]

Hey guys,

 

I am a Software Engineer with a taste for cocktails but sometimes I find that my bar or friends bars aren't well equipped enough. So I made a little web app to help me in finding cocktails I can make from the ingredients that I have.

 

It is no substitute for a good knowledge of mixed drinks and can't handle missing unimportant or alternative ingredients so well, but it's better than nothing if you're in need of inspiration.

 

Anyway, I post it here in case it is of use to any of you. http://cocktailsbyingredient.com/

 

If you have any questions/comments/criticisms then just let me know

[weinoo]

Aren't there many apps which already accomplish this?

[gfron1]

In our house we already use two different apps, but neither has extensive enough libraries of recipes to accomodate our bar. I want more options for input and more options for output. 

[DrinkingDev]

Hey guys,

 

there are a bunch of other apps already doing this. My problem was that they were either slow or had a bad interface. The main goal in my app therefore was to make something that gave instant results while you're adding ingredients, so you have to spend as little time as possible interacting.

 

At the moment I think the library is still limited and a lot of the recipes are not so good. But as I said, it's a WIP.

 

@gfron1 can you be more specific on what you mean by more options for input and output?

 

Also, to add, the ordering of the recipes at the moment is just set to show recipes with the most ingredients first. So as you add more ingredients you get more complicated cocktails at the top. There is definitely room for improvement there too.

Edited February 26, 2015 by DrinkingDev (log)

[gfron1]

by options I mean that I have boozes that aren't options for input. I wonder if there isn't a way to have a db cull online liquor store's databases to have a broader spectrum of options.

[Craig E]

My issue with the versions of this I've encountered before is that the database is built with all emphasis on quantity of recipes and zero emphasis on quality of recipes. (Just because you can make something doesn't mean you should!)

[Fernet-Bronco]

Why didn't this app derail get its own thread? I got excited about the first posts, and then sad and confused when I saw they're really old. I'm going to reply anyway!

 

I think the Floridita/Hemingway daiquiri is a really good idea. Rum makes a great liquor in this situation because it is easy-drinking, has wide appeal, and is a good value (quality to cost) liquor compared with others. When I am in this situation, I always make a batch of regular daiquiris in advance--measure out liquids by the cupful, pour right into big delivery soup cartons, stir together well, and then shake individually or in twos with ice when ready to serve. Will keep in the fridge for a day or so, assuming they even last that long, if you're in a "party house" type situation on vacation. People are always impressed with this and, beyond squeezing the limes, it's super easy.

 

P.S.: Does the world really need another cocktail/recipe app?

Edited February 26, 2015 by Fernet-Bronco (log)

[FrogPrincesse]

In our house we already use two different apps, but neither has extensive enough libraries of recipes to accomodate our bar. I want more options for input and more options for output. 

 

by options I mean that I have boozes that aren't options for input. I wonder if there isn't a way to have a db cull online liquor store's databases to have a broader spectrum of options.

 

Have you tried Kindred Cocktails? The ingredient database is pretty extensive and it's free.

 

There are many other cocktail databases discussed in the cocktail software thread. Personally, I recommend the Bartender's Choice app. It's extremely well curated and a good number of options.  

Edited March 3, 2015 by FrogPrincesse (log)