Ginger

[FrogPrincesse]

None but the Brave: cognac, lime, allspice liqueur, ginger beer.

The recipe in the Bartender's Choice app called for homemade ginger syrup with soda water but I just used Bundaberg ginger beer. A little tikiesque with the allspice but curiously ginger + allspice is not a combo that you see very often.

Edited May 28, 2013 by FrogPrincesse (log)

[FrogPrincesse]

"Moonshine" Highball: corn whiskey, lime, ginger beer. The corn whiskey was from King's County Distillery, a nice present from a friend. I added a touch of simple syrup which was probably a mistake as the drink was already quite sweet from the corn whiskey. The corn whiskey tasted great in the drink; it reminded me a little of cachaça or rhum agricole with its raw edge and grassy notes. I need to try it neat too before this tiny bottle (only 200 mL - less than 7 oz) disappears.

[FrogPrincesse]

Last night was an attempt at reverse-engineering a cocktail I really like at the Lion's Share, The Federal Buffalo Stamp (Has Mahmmod). It's an addictive whiskey sour variation with ginger and maple syrup.

Here it is with its candied ginger garnish, from a recent visit.

The menu lists it as bourbon, lemon, ginger root, maple syrup. I am pretty sure that they use a homemade ginger syrup but 1) I was feeling lazy last night and 2) I have a bottle of Canton ginger liqueur that I hope to get rid of one day to make room for bigger better things, so I just used that instead.

I went with 2 oz bourbon, 3/4 oz lemon juice, 1/2 oz maple syrup 1:1 syrup, and 1/4 oz ginger liqueur. I am missing the ginger garnish but otherwise it was spot-on and filled my craving. The bourbon-ginger-maple combo just works.

[FrogPrincesse]

This one was odd on paper, but sometimes it pays off to take risks. Promissory Note (Daniel Hyatt) with 1 oz Canton ginger liqueur as the base (!), 3/4 oz reposado tequila (7 Leguas anejo), 3/4 oz dry vermouth (Dolin), 1 barspoon honey (Japanese dogwood), absinthe rinse (St. George), expressed lime peel, radish slice (omitted) and cinnamon garnish.

 

 

It was successful in the sense that the combination created something new and interesting. I am not sure that I liked it though; it tasted woody and vegetal, like some kind of wacky Martini. It would have been hard to guess what was in it and the tequila was not very prominent.

The ginger liqueur and French vermouth pairing is interesting though, and might be worth exploring further.

Edited June 13, 2014 by FrogPrincesse (log)

[FrogPrincesse]

Very similar to the Federal Buffalo Stamp discussed upthread, here is Rafa's Bear Trap with bourbon (Buffalo Trace), Smith & Cross Jamaican rum, ginger (B.G. Reynolds) & honey syrup, bitters (Miracle Mile forbidden). Warming and potent.

 

[Hassouni]

Very similar to the Federal Buffalo Stamp discussed upthread, here is Rafa's Bear Trap with bourbon (Buffalo Trace), Smith & Cross Jamaican rum, ginger (B.G. Reynolds) & honey syrup, bitters (Miracle Mile forbidden). Warming and potent.

 

 

I was at Rafa's bar on Sunday. I wish I had known about this!

[FrogPrincesse]

A ginger Gimlet, the Ginger Cocktail (Sasha Petraske) with Dorothy Parker gin, lime juice, BG Reynolds ginger syrup, candied ginger garnish.

 

 

Next up on my list of gingery things to try is the Gershwin from Little Branch.

 

[Craig E]

Ah, that looks like a good solution to what is a perennial problem for me--how to present a candied ginger garnish. Keeping it up out of the drink keeps it from becoming wet and slimy.

[FrogPrincesse]

Or use two wooden toothpicks like in this article about Sam Ross and the Penicillin.

[FrogPrincesse]

The Gershwin from the Bartender's Choice app, which is the lemon version of the Ginger Cocktail above, with a touch of rosewater. I reduced the simple syrup to 1/8 oz and it was perfect. It's interesting how the ginger teases out the herbal flavor from the gin. It almost felt like this cocktail contained a small amount of Chartreuse.

 

Gershwin (Becky MFalls) with Beefeater gin, lemon juice, B.G. Reynolds ginger syrup, rosewater.