"The PDT Cocktail Book"

[KatieLoeb]

Been really grooving on the Eclipse lately, with a rinse of Ilegal Joven Mescal on the glass and a flamed orange garnish. I want to hate these guys, because they're geniuses. But I love these guys, because they're geniuses. This drink has just the perfect play of tension and balance. Damn them!!

Edited December 24, 2012 by KatieLoeb (log)

[choux]

Ok. I want to try the Rapscallion, but can't get Lustau Pedro Ximinez, but could get Alvear PX Solera 1927. Will it work?

It is so frustrating reading these threads and then not being able to find many of the ingredients in BC.

[ChrisTaylor]

I just used a Valdespino PX I had sitting around.

[johnder]

Ok. I want to try the Rapscallion, but can't get Lustau Pedro Ximinez, but could get Alvear PX Solera 1927. Will it work?

It is so frustrating reading these threads and then not being able to find many of the ingredients in BC.

Any PX sherry should work in that drink. You are really looking for something that has a lot of residual date like sweetness,

[FrogPrincesse]

The Hotel Nacional, a daiquiri variation from the namesake hotel in Cuba, made with the ratios from PDT. It's a daiquiri with aged rum (PDT lists Ron Pompero Aniversario; I used Plantation Barbados 5 year which is another nice sipping rum), pineapple juice and apricot liqueur, in addition to lime and simple syrup. I initially forgot the simple syrup and added it later, but honestly I don't feel that it was really need with the sweetness already imparted by the pineapple and the apricot liqueur.

It is a pleasant "beginner" daiquiri; with the rum I used it had undertones of coconut. I still prefer the crispness of a regular daiquiri.

[FrogPrincesse]

Another Daiquiri variation from PDT, another (slight) disappointment.

The Rust Belt (John deBary): Barbancourt 8-year rhum, vanilla, lemon juice, lime juice, homemade orgeat, Angostura bitters, egg white.

The recipe calls for 1/2 oz of vanilla liqueur to which I substituted vanilla syrup (and reduced the amount very slightly). Normally the Angostura is spayed over the top of the drink through a stencil. I added one drop and then decided after a few sips that it needed more, so I added two more drops.

First impression, the flavors were quite muted and I could mostly taste foam + citrus juices. I could not really taste the rum much. I was almost finished with my glass when the flavor of the rum finally came through. It was my first time trying the Barbancourt 8-year but I don't feel that this drink was properly showcasing it. I don't really understand the orgeat + egg white combo, to me it seems like overkill. I think that if the drink had not been described as a Daiquiri variation I may actually have enjoyed it more. The problem is, because the Daiquiri is one of my favorite cocktails, I had high expectations. It was better than the Hotel Nacional in any case.

I was intrigued by this cocktail because it reminded me of another Daiquiri variation that Eric prepared for us at Noble Experiment that also contained aged rhum agricole, egg white, citrus, angostura, + petite canne syrup and allspice (instead of the orgeat + vanilla in the PDT drink). I thought the allspice worked better in that case, with vanilla the drink fell a little flat.

[FoodMan]

I've been tinkering away on recipes from this book for a couple of months and this is the latest I tried, the Conquistador. I did use Flor de Cana instead of the Matusalem in there. I love slightly tart drinks with a nice foamy top, so this was right up my alley. It was delicious and refreshing.

[FrogPrincesse]

Nice foam. I like this one a lot too!

[FoodMan]

So a neighbor of mine has a kumquat tree full of fruit and was nice enough to offer me a couple dozen of them. I made a syrup with about half to use it in tonight's cocktail, the Kin Kan. It's very simple with gin, lemon juice and a St. Germain rinse (why on earth does this book not list any "rinse" in the ingredient list of any recipe?? Odd) This was a terrific drink. It's classy, elegant and the interplay of flavors between the kumquat syrup, citrus, the herbs in the gin and the fragrance in the elderflower liqueur makes this a regular in the rotation.

[johnder]

Hi FoodMan,

At the bar we just did a spritz of St. Germain from a little pump spritz canister. It was a lot easier and in the case of this drink, it was about the nose of the St.-Germain as opposed to really giving it a overpowering flavor.

[FoodMan]

Hi FoodMan,

At the bar we just did a spritz of St. Germain from a little pump spritz canister. It was a lot easier and in the case of this drink, it was about the nose of the St.-Germain as opposed to really giving it a overpowering flavor.

Thanks for the tip John. Forgive my ignorance about this, I still have a lot to learn when it comes to cocktails (both modern and classical), but do you basically spritz it after assembling, shaking and pouring in the glass?

[johnder]

Depends on the drink -- some are spritzed in the glass, others on top. A general rule of thumb is if it is a drink by Jim, 99 out of 100 times it will be a spritz in the glass. In the case of the Kin-Kan (my drink), my suggestion would be a spritz or two on the top of the finished drink.

[FoodMan]

I was not sure if I wanted a Benton's Old Fashioned or a classic Negroni, so I did a hybrid, adding a splash of Campari to the Benton's and used Peychaud bitters. It was very nice.

A question to those who have made the bacon flavored bourbon, I was not sure if the bacon fat listed is by weight or volume, so I used weight. What did you all do?

[FrogPrincesse]

A question to those who have made the bacon flavored bourbon, I was not sure if the bacon fat listed is by weight or volume, so I used weight. What did you all do?

I eyeballed it.

[johnder]

Fat is by volume.

[FrogPrincesse]

Hemingway Daiquiri with the PDT ratios (for other ratios see the Daiquiri thread). The hint of spice in the Banks rum was a great match with the maraschino liqueur. I used the juice from an Oro Blanco grapefruit. Excellent. The only strange thing is that the recipe yields a little too much for a standard coupe so there is a slight excess, but who is complaining...

Hemingway Daiquiri (PDT)

2 oz rum

3/4 oz lime juice

1/2 oz grapefruit juice

1/2 oz maraschino liqueur

[FoodMan]

Hemingway Daiquiri with the PDT ratios (for other ratios see the Daiquiri thread). The hint of spice in the Banks rum was a great match with the maraschino liqueur. I used the juice from an Oro Blanco grapefruit. Excellent. The only strange thing is that the recipe yields a little too much for a standard coupe so there is a slight excess, but who is complaining...

Hemingway Daiquiri (PDT)

2 oz rum

3/4 oz lime juice

1/2 oz grapefruit juice

1/2 oz maraschino liqueur

I was eyeing this recently, but shied away fearing it might be too sour with no sweetener in it at all. I take it was not too harsh for your taste?

[FrogPrincesse]

Hemingway Daiquiri with the PDT ratios (for other ratios see the Daiquiri thread). The hint of spice in the Banks rum was a great match with the maraschino liqueur. I used the juice from an Oro Blanco grapefruit. Excellent. The only strange thing is that the recipe yields a little too much for a standard coupe so there is a slight excess, but who is complaining...

Hemingway Daiquiri (PDT)

2 oz rum

3/4 oz lime juice

1/2 oz grapefruit juice

1/2 oz maraschino liqueur

I was eyeing this recently, but shied away fearing it might be too sour with no sweetener in it at all. I take it was not too harsh for your taste?

It was just right for me. I liked the fact that it only used 1/2 oz of maraschino liqueur (which acts as the sweetener), as it can easily overpower the drink. But note that the Oro Blanco grapefruit that I used (technically a pomelo and white grapefruit hybrid) may be sweeter than a regular white grapefruit. I would recommend trying the cocktail as is, and adding a little bit of simple syrup if you find it too tart.

Edited January 29, 2013 by FrogPrincesse (log)

[FoodMan]

Yeah, the Hemingway is a bit on the sour, astringent side for my taste. A .25 oz or so of simple syrup is probably a good idea

[emmalish]

I'm jumping on this bandwagon. Just picked the book up. Will spend a few evenings browsing before I decide which to ttry first.

[ChrisTaylor]

To the people that figure the Hemingway is too sour: do you use ruby or white grapefruits? I use rubies as, summertime and all, they're the most readily avaliable to me. I don't find the drink too sour.

[Tri2Cook]

To the people that figure the Hemingway is too sour: do you use ruby or white grapefruits? I use rubies as, summertime and all, they're the most readily avaliable to me. I don't find the drink too sour.

I always use white grapefruit unless a drink specifies otherwise. But I'm a fan of tart/sour flavors.

[FrogPrincesse]

Hugo Ensslin's Chrysanthemum with the ratios from PDT. A nice change of pace with dry vermouth as the base. The anise from the absinthe (or pastis in my base) blends with the other flavors and doesn't dominate. Very aromatic with a long finish.

[Darcie B]

To the people that figure the Hemingway is too sour: do you use ruby or white grapefruits? I use rubies as, summertime and all, they're the most readily avaliable to me. I don't find the drink too sour.

I use ruby and I don't find it too sour at all. This is probably my favorite rum drink so far.

[FrogPrincesse]

Still playing with my recently aquired bottled of Benedictine, I made the Junior cocktail which is an old recipe that was re-discovered by David Wondrich and slightly adapated by PDT. Rye, lime juice, Benedictine, Angostura bitters.

Rye and lime pairings don't seem very frequent but this one worked really well. A little tart and spicy, refreshing and complex. It reminded me a little of another favorite, the Brooklynite (Jamaican rum, lime juice, honey syrup, Angostura bitters).