"The PDT Cocktail Book"

[mkayahara]

Matt, I seem to remember a transfer across a APdC table of a certain mezcal bottle in 2012.... Perhaps that would aid your case....

Absolutely, Chris, and I'm looking forward to remaking it with that bottle!

[FrogPrincesse]

I am with Matt on this one. The thing is, there is just too much mezcal in that recipe. See, even with a decent tequila + mezcal combo, the tamarind syrup which was intense and deliciously tart on its own (I think I could drink the stuff neat) disappeared in the drink. The good thing is that I now have this excess tamarind syrup that I can play with.

T&T with Don Julio tequila and Del Maguey Vida mezcal.

[mkayahara]

I'm curious, how did you make the tamarind syrup?

Coincidentally (great minds, and all that), and at Chris' prompting, I made the T&T again last night with Del Maguey Chichicapa mezcal and Casa Noble tequila, and I still found the tamarind got a bit lost. That said, it was orders of magnitude tastier than my prior attempt.

No leftover tamarind paste for me, though; I used the rest in the Pad Thai I made for dinner last night.

[FrogPrincesse]

I'm curious, how did you make the tamarind syrup?

Like you - I have a large brick of tamarind pulp so I cut off a chunk, boiled it with some water (~ 1:2 tamarind paste to water), and sieved it.

[FrogPrincesse]

Is anyone following the PDT Project at Umami Mart? There were attempting to make all cocktails in the PDT Cocktail Book and have gorgeous photography. However they are only at the letter "B" and there haven't been new posts in a while, so I think that we are still way ahead of them...

Anyway, here is a new one that I hadn't tried due my lack of enthusiasm for all things St. Germain. But I made an elderflower cordial a few weeks ago and have been revisiting St Germain cocktails since then. In PDT there is El Puente, a cocktail designed by Jim Meehan to bring together tequila and mezcal. With white vermouth and elderflower, I was a little concerned that this would be a very busy cocktail and I even thought twice before using my favorite tequila (as you may see from the photo, I reduced my risk by only making a 1/2 cocktail)...

But I was wrong and it turned out wonderful, like a delicate and floral take on grapefruit. Next time it will be full scale!

[FrogPrincesse]

I bought a bottle of Siete Leguas tequila añejo and a new bottle of Lillet and knew right away what I wanted to try. Jonny Raglin's Nouveau Carré (añejo tequila, lillet blanc, benedictine, peychaud's bitters), a twist on the Vieux Carre created as an homage to New Orleans after hurricane Katrina.

Very good. Lillet makes it light without rendering it sweet. A hint of smoke at the end which is nice.

[FrogPrincesse]

Finally got around to making a La Louisiane last night. There was no good reason why I waited so long. It's in the Creole/Vieux Carré family and it's very good. Rye, sweet vermouth, Benedictine, absinthe, Peychaud's.

[FrogPrincesse]

Another Old-Fashioned variation, Nate Dumas' Nth Degree with rhum Clement VSOP, calvados (the original calls for bonded applejack), green Chartreuse, demerara sugar, and Fee Brothers whiskey barrel aged bitters.

This one was not completely successful in my view. The 1/2 oz of green Chartreuse overwhelmed the other flavors of the drink, including the beautiful rhum agricole, which is a shame. Also it tasted too sweet. It should work better with less Chartreuse. Too much of a good thing...

[FrogPrincesse]

Powering through the backlog.

Here is the Eclipse Cocktail by Leo Robitsheck: añejo tequila, aperol, cherry liqueur, lemon juice, mezcal rinse.

There is some orange flavor from the Aperol. To me it tastes a bit like a smoky and slightly bitter margarita.

[tanstaafl2]

Another Old-Fashioned variation, Nate Dumas' Nth Degree with rhum Clement VSOP, calvados (the original calls for bonded applejack), green Chartreuse, demerara sugar, and Fee Brothers whiskey barrel aged bitters.

When you say "bonded applejack" do you mean Laird's bonded apple brandy? That would be closer to the calvados although still probably a little different. Applejack is a blend with NGS while the bonded is the 100 proof young apple brandy.

Rhum and apple seems like a good match so perhaps as you note cutting back on the chartreuse will make this better.

[FrogPrincesse]

Another Old-Fashioned variation, Nate Dumas' Nth Degree with rhum Clement VSOP, calvados (the original calls for bonded applejack), green Chartreuse, demerara sugar, and Fee Brothers whiskey barrel aged bitters.

When you say "bonded applejack" do you mean Laird's bonded apple brandy? That would be closer to the calvados although still probably a little different. Applejack is a blend with NGS while the bonded is the 100 proof young apple brandy.

Correct. That should have read bonded apple brandy.

[Rafa]

Though a lot of bartenders / bar books still say "bonded applejack" for the Laird's 100 proof, or take "applejack" to mean American apple brandy—as far as I know applejack didn't come to mean Laird's blend of NGS and apple spirit until long after prohibition. And at least one contemporary producer refers to its apple brandy as applejack.

[FrogPrincesse]

I was in the mood for gin last night and made myself a Cloister cocktail. It has the structure of a classic cocktail but apparently appeared for the first time in Playboy's Host & Bar Book in 1971.

1.5 oz gin (PDT specifies Tanqueray; I used Junipero), 0.5 oz yellow Chartreuse, 0.5 oz grapefruit juice, 0.25 oz lemon juice, 0.25 oz simple syrup, grapefruit twist.

I really liked the crispness of the cocktail and how it let me appreciate the botanicals from the gin and chartreuse. It was a little bit like a lighter version of the Last Word. The Junipero worked very well.

[mkayahara]

After returning from the cold and snowy slopes last night, I needed a hot toddy of some form. Fortunately, I had recently been perusing the PDT book, and noticed Le Père Bis, with chamomile tea, Ardbeg 10-year-old Scotch, elderflower liqueur and honey. Seemed like it would do the trick! It's a pretty impressive balance of flavours, even with the off-brand of elderflower liqueur I'm using at the moment.

[FrogPrincesse]

That sounds really good. For those who don't have the book, the recipe was published online on the James Beard Foundation website.

What would be an acceptable substitute for the Ardbeg 10 years? Laphroaig maybe?

[mkayahara]

I'm far from an expert on single malts, but I would think any Islay would work in this. Personally, I find Ardbeg to feel a bit "leaner" than Laphroaig or, say, Lagavulin, but I doubt that a little extra richness would hurt this drink.

[FrogPrincesse]

Last night's libation was the 212 with aged tequila (the recipe calls for reposado, I used añejo ), grapefruit juice, aperol.

I was a bit skeptical at first. Why is it that aperol or campari are so often paired with grapefruit; it becomes so predictable (same goes with chartreuse and pineapple - enough already).

 

The drink was pleasant but a little flat. I added a few drops of grapefruit bitters and it all came together.

 

 

This cocktail is on Difford's list of 30 of the best cocktails invented since 2000 that we discused a while back.
 

[FrogPrincesse]

Another tequila drink, this time for Cinco de Mayo. Lindsay Nader's Resting Point with 7 Leguas añejo tequila (substituted for reposado tequila), yellow Chartreuse, Punt e Mes, lemon juice, agave syrup, muddled strawberry. It was interesting to make this shortly after trying the gin-based Bloodhound, where the Punt e Mes + strawberry combo was also very successful.

 

It looks like a girly drink but really it's not. With the aged tequila the cocktail is smoky and robust. And the strawberry was not that big, it's just that my cocktail glass was really small!

 

 

 

[FrogPrincesse]

Last night's cocktail was a Chien Chaud (a litteral translation of "hot dog" into French), a creation by David Wondrich with rhum agricole blanc (Neisson), coconut water, yellow Chartreuse, and Angostura bitters.

 

I am always a bit protective of my rhum agricole but I decided to give it a try. It's wonderful. The various elements complement the rhum very well, and it's a great summer drink. It's in the same vein as Charles Baker's Coco de Agua, with the agricole making everything more interesting.

 

 

Edited June 27, 2014 by FrogPrincesse (log)

[FrogPrincesse]

John Deragon's Death Bed with Appleton 12, El Dorado 3, cherry liqueur, lime juice, pineapple juice. (I took some liberties here. The book called for Pampero Anniversario + Barbancourt Blanc.)

 

Actually I don't feel THAT bad for a Monday.

 

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

FP, is that a liter bottle of Appleton 12?

[FrogPrincesse]

It's the regular 750 mL size, and it's practically empty!

[JoNorvelleWalker]

In the picture it looked like a rectangular shape to me, that's why I asked.  You better do something about the "practically empty" part.

[FrogPrincesse]

The Old Flame (Cervantes Ramirez) with Plymouth gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, green chartreuse (I used regular green but VEP is specified). It is a variation on Toby Maloney's Neptune's Wrath, sans absinthe.

 

 

 

I set the chartreuse on fire before pouring it, although it's pretty hard to see on the photo. Of course it extinguishes as soon as it hits the foam. It's something to do in the dark for best effect.

 

[Rafa]

Tonight I tried Gerry Corcoran's #3 Cup (Cognac, ginger beer, curaçao, sweet vermouth, Cherry Heering, lemon juice, mint, cuke, orange). It tasted like a kale smoothie.