Drinks! (2013 Part 1)

[haresfur]

An exercise in design so measurements aren't dialed in.

2 oz reposado tequila

1 oz Stones ginger wine

1/2 small lime

a little Murray River pink salt

shake strain.

and a late addition of a small splash maybe 1/4 tsp pimento dram.

The dram made all the difference.

[Plantes Vertes]

[snip]...it's more heavily Pernoddy than anything else I've ever enjoyed...[snip]

That is a superb neologism!

[Adam George]

Edited May 11, 2013 by Adam George (log)

[Plantes Vertes]

This special word needs a drink named it, Adam. Although I understand it might not be that popular...

Edited May 11, 2013 by Plantes Vertes (log)

[haresfur]

A single serving in the spirit of ti' punch. Named after a French island of the east coast of Canada with a long and noble tradition of smuggling liquor.

Miquelon punch

Muddle a ~4 cm piece of lemon peel and 1/2 tsp of fine sugar in the bottom of a rocks glass

Add 1 tsp water and stir to dissolve

Add 1 1/2 oz VSOP Cognac

[Hassouni]

1934 Zombie courtesy of Beachbum Berry's Tiki+ App (thanks Frogprincesse for hyping it up, it's a great app!)

Used Appleton Extra for the "dark Jamaican", Barcelo Imperial for the "gold PR" [because I don't have anything gold and Puerto Rican besides Barrilito 3 star, which is too good and rare for cocktails, nor any Flor de Cañas/Brugals/other comparables).

For those unfamiliar, the recipe is:

3/4 oz lime

1/2 oz Don's Mix (10ml grapefruit juice, 5ml cinnamon syrup [homemade])

1/2 oz falernum (homemade)

1.5 oz dark Jamaican rum (Appleton Extra)

1.5 oz gold Puerto Rican rum (Barcelo Imperial)

1 oz Lemon Hart 151 (RAGE!)

"6 drops Pernod" (a small dash of Lucid absinthe)

1 dash Angostura bitters

1 teaspoon grenadine (homemade)

What an absurdly strong yet utterly delicious drink. It should be called "Danger: Bad Decisions in a Glass"

[Adam George]

1934 Zombie

What an absurdly strong yet utterly delicious drink. It should be called "Danger: Bad Decisions in a Glass"

Sounds perfect.

[Hassouni]

Yeah, it basically is. That was my "aperitif" drink (if you can call a drink with nearly 4 shots of booze in it an aperitif), having a Jet Pilot now for dessert - the latter is certainly nice and fun, but it doesn't quite have the subtle balance of the original Zombie

[lesliec]

I have to try one of those! Got a good recipe for cinnamon syrup, Hassouni? (I'm sure Mr Google knows one, but while we're all here ...)

I'm out of falernum, but it's on my list of things to do next weekend.

Edited May 15, 2013 by lesliec (log)

[Hassouni]

Yep, 2 parts sugar, 1 part water, (I had a bit less than 2 cups sugar, so I went off that), 3 sticks cinnamon smashed into small fragments in a mortar and pestle. Bring to the boil, stir constantly, and let it boil for a couple minutes. Take off the heat, let it cool and steep for 2 hours, then strain into the container you plan to use.

[FrogPrincesse]

Hassouni -Your Zombie looks great. I am intrigued by the Barcelo Imperial. I see that it has a great review by Matt Robold and seems reasonably priced (less than $30) so now it's on my wishlist (even though my rum collection is already out of hand...).

Edited May 15, 2013 by FrogPrincesse (log)

[FrogPrincesse]

Last night I made a simple French 75 with Beefeater and Crémant de Bourgogne for the sparkling wine. Don't skimp on the gin, I think that's the key.

[Hassouni]

Hassouni -Your Zombie looks great. I am intrigued by the Barcelo Imperial. I see that it has a great review by Matt Robold and seems reasonably priced (less than $30) so now it's on my wishlist (even though my rum collection is already out of hand...).

I think I got it for about $20, so I have no issue using it in complex drinks. It's just kind of...boring on its own. I'm sure it's been doctored up with caramel and sweeteners and maybe other flavors. It's a perfectly pleasant and inoffensive rum but nothing overly compelling.

I have at least 2 dozen rums now, most of which are very distinctive and deserve their place, but when the Barcelo is done I think I'm going to replace it with the even more economical FdC 7.

[FrogPrincesse]

Thanks for the info Hassouni, boring is not good. Maybe the Barcelo Imperial is meant to be more of a sipping rum?

I recently finished a bottle of the 4-year Flor de Cana gold which I found boring as well and was hoping to replace it with something more interesting for my Puerto Rican-style rum.

[Hassouni]

It's definitely a sipping rum, given how smooth and mellow it is. I just prefer more funk and character (I'll sip S&C and WN overproof with a splash of water). Rumdood and Capn Jimbo give it decent marks, and given an infinite budget and infinite shelf space it has its place, but it's just not distinctive enough for me to warrant a repurchase when it's finished. If I had to compare it to something, I'd say it's fairly close to the Matusalem Gran Reserva, which is also very nice, but not something I'm crazy for.

Flor de Caña 7 is supposed to be the one to get for PR/Cuban. The Montgomery County Temtpation Store has it on sale this week for $15....and I told myself no frivolous purchases this week....but...I also an out of Campari....

Edited May 15, 2013 by Hassouni (log)

[FrogPrincesse]

A couple of classic cocktails last night. I was in the mood for a bitter Martini so I made myselt a White Negroni (up): Plymouth gin, Lillet, Suze, lemon twist.

For him I made a Manhattan with Templeton rye, Dolin rouge sweet vermouth, Fee Brothers whiskey barrel-aged bitters and a couple of French brandied cherries.

[bostonapothecary]

aviation.

.75 oz. lemon juice

.25 oz. parfait amour

.5 oz. paolo lazzaroni & figli maraschino liqueur (25% alc.) ("imported in the USA by Laird & Co.")

1.5+ oz. bombay gin

I had heard of this maraschino but never seen it before and somehow it ended up on my kitchen counter. I think my room mate bought it at Cirace in the north end whom does a lot of their own importing but the label does say Laird & Co. its pretty bland stuff. very little aroma. I'm really unimpressed.

the drink is okay. nice and tart but not exactly memorable.

lately I've just been drinking and serving whatever is around without being particular. sort of in the prohibition spirit I guess. de-emphasizing brand and bottle choices and emphasizing other things. well, never de-emphasize your maraschino.

[Plantes Vertes]

lately I've just been drinking and serving whatever is around without being particular. sort of in the prohibition spirit I guess. de-emphasizing brand and bottle choices and emphasizing other things. well, never de-emphasize your maraschino.

Understood

May I ask what the other emphasized things are?

[FrogPrincesse]

well, never de-emphasize your maraschino.

Some bars (for example the Varnish in LA) use Maraska maraschino liqueur. Any thoughts on Maraska vs Luxardo?

[Czequershuus]

I had a minor stroke of Genius tonight. I recently bought a bottle of cream sherry on impulse. Despite its maiden aunt image, it is quite nice stuff - fairly sweet but nice. Certainly more approachable than dry sherry (which I also enjoy).

The problem becomes that once the bottle is open, I feel the need to use it up fairly quickly. I know with the extra sugar it will last longer than fragile fino sherries, but I still don't want to waist the money. While I have been happy having a small glass occasionally, I had the feeling that it should work in cocktails. However, I found very few decent cocktails calling for cream sherry. I had a notion it might work in place of sweet vermouth, so I tried it in a Manhattan. Wow was that BAD! I mean truly horrid. I tired adding lemon juice - nope. Down the sink.

That was last week. Tonight I stuck on two solutions. The first was a Old-Fashioned style thing, with healthy dahses of Angostura, which worked well. But the second was the true inspiration. What cream sherry is missing is acidity. I happen to have a nice blueberry shrub in the fridge that I made just a bit ago. Free pour a little shrub in with the sherry (no measuring unfortunately), and bang - fantastic. This is a combo that is sensational.

[Snark]

A friend brought over a bottle of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction's Rhubarb Tea.

I'd never heard of it before, but after a little searching, I decided to make:

Dan's Rhubarb Jimjam:

1.5 oz Rhubarb liqueur (Rhubarb Tea)

1 oz Wray & Nephew Overproof Rum

0.5 oz Averna

0.5 oz Lime juice

Shake, strain, rocks, lowball

"Inspired by the Averna Jimjam. Something of a work in progress, but very good."

I do like it, but the rum overpowers the drink some, and (even then) it's a bit sweet for my taste. Dan or other folks, have you tweaked this any further? And has anyone else found a good use for the rather-sweet Rhubarb Tea?

Edited May 18, 2013 by Snark (log)

[EvergreenDan]

I agree: that doesn't look like enough acid. Rhubarb Tea (man, Rhuby was a much better name) has a floral character not evident from the list of ingredients. It doesn't stand up to large quantities of other bold flavors.

I might try cachaca or an agricole for the rum -- grassy rather than hogo. With that much 80 proof Rhubarb Tea, it doesn't need additional overproof backbone. And I'd go with more lime -- maybe 3/4 oz to start.

Another idea: try it in an Aviation variant, with gin, Maraschino and lemon, perhaps with a big dose of actually-bitter citrus bitters, like Bittermens Hopped Grapefruit.

[Adam George]

I have to thank Rafa for the inspiration here.

I lengthened his drink with Soda to create a super complex Americano twist.

Correction, I inverted the Cynar and Punt:

35ml Cynar

25ml Punt e Mes

5ml Maraschino

Soda

Orange slice

Edited May 18, 2013 by Adam George (log)

[Tri2Cook]

I had a minor stroke of Genius tonight. I recently bought a bottle of cream sherry on impulse. Despite its maiden aunt image, it is quite nice stuff - fairly sweet but nice. Certainly more approachable than dry sherry (which I also enjoy).

The problem becomes that once the bottle is open, I feel the need to use it up fairly quickly. I know with the extra sugar it will last longer than fragile fino sherries, but I still don't want to waist the money. While I have been happy having a small glass occasionally, I had the feeling that it should work in cocktails. However, I found very few decent cocktails calling for cream sherry. I had a notion it might work in place of sweet vermouth, so I tried it in a Manhattan. Wow was that BAD! I mean truly horrid. I tired adding lemon juice - nope. Down the sink.

That was last week. Tonight I stuck on two solutions. The first was a Old-Fashioned style thing, with healthy dahses of Angostura, which worked well. But the second was the true inspiration. What cream sherry is missing is acidity. I happen to have a nice blueberry shrub in the fridge that I made just a bit ago. Free pour a little shrub in with the sherry (no measuring unfortunately), and bang - fantastic. This is a combo that is sensational.

I don't know if it's the authentic choice (I've read varying opinions) but I like cream sherry as the float for a Fog Cutter.

[Rafa]

Well thank you Adam! I'll have to try it your way; sounds perfect for the season. I've been having fun pronouncing the drink's name as British-ly as I can.

I had a minor stroke of Genius tonight. I recently bought a bottle of cream sherry on impulse. Despite its maiden aunt image, it is quite nice stuff - fairly sweet but nice. Certainly more approachable than dry sherry (which I also enjoy).

The problem becomes that once the bottle is open, I feel the need to use it up fairly quickly. I know with the extra sugar it will last longer than fragile fino sherries, but I still don't want to waist the money. While I have been happy having a small glass occasionally, I had the feeling that it should work in cocktails. However, I found very few decent cocktails calling for cream sherry. I had a notion it might work in place of sweet vermouth, so I tried it in a Manhattan. Wow was that BAD! I mean truly horrid. I tired adding lemon juice - nope. Down the sink.

That was last week. Tonight I stuck on two solutions. The first was a Old-Fashioned style thing, with healthy dahses of Angostura, which worked well. But the second was the true inspiration. What cream sherry is missing is acidity. I happen to have a nice blueberry shrub in the fridge that I made just a bit ago. Free pour a little shrub in with the sherry (no measuring unfortunately), and bang - fantastic. This is a combo that is sensational.

I don't know if it's the authentic choice (I've read varying opinions) but I like cream sherry as the float for a Fog Cutter.

Cream sherry usually works in recipes that call for Pedro Ximenez, so you may want to seek those out.