Drinks! (2004–2007)

[jsmeeker]

inspired by the cucumber "trend" and a drink I had in Las Vegas a few weeks ago, I set out to re-create that drink.

muddled diced cucumber with simple syrup and a tiny pinch of salt. added ice. poured in some Absolut Citron. then a small squeeze of lemon. Shake. strained into a cocktail glass.

Seems like it came pretty close to what I had in Vegas. Pretty tasty.

Now, what else to do with this diced cucumber. Something with gin? Tequila??

[Mayur]

Muddle it before adding the mint, lime juice, and simple for a Gin-Gin Mule. I also have long enjoyed something similar to a cocktail that PDT has on their menu: the Pimm's Rangoon. Mine goes like this:

Strawberries (optional)

4-6 one-inch dice of cucumber

0.5 oz lime juice

scant 0.5 oz simple syrup

6 sprigs mint

1.5 oz Pimm's No.1

1 oz gin (Hendrick's for the full effect, but pretty much anything works)

1 oz plus a little homemade ginger beer

Muddle cucumber (and strawberries if using) thoroughly in mixing glass. Add lime juice, simple, and mint and muddle just enough to bruise mint. Add Pimm's, gin, and ginger beer and shake with ice. Strain into collins glass over ice. Garnish with wheel of cucumber (or cucumber wheel and strawberry).

Pimm's and cucumber are a natural marriage, and one can theoretically vary these sorts of recipes infinitely.

Another nice use for cucumber is juiced and in a savory drink. I made quite a few variants on "Tastes Like Salad" cocktails with fellow eGulleteer and best buddy cdh last summer. Cucumber juice, gin, lime juice, some muddled green chilies, chopped cilantro, and some tomato water is nice. One nice variant is some cucumber, salt, lemon and lime juice, egg white, heavy cream, salt, gin, and chili powder (or better still a green chili-infused gin); chuck a few fresh summer tomatoes in their and you have alcoholic raita (tasty)!

[EDIT: Either of the latter recipes should work just fine with tequila. Thanks to Phil Ward at D&Co., I have been reminded of what a fine and versatile set of spirits may be found in tequila.]

Edited July 26, 2007 by Mayur (log)

[bostonapothecary]

On the Scotch front, I like Famous Grouse just fine for a Bobbie Burns. Famous Grouse 12 (a vatted malt rather than a blended whiskey) is better. But my favorite has been with a homemade vatting of equal parts Bowmore 12, Dalmore 12, and Highland Park 12. The Bowmore smoke is there, but tamed by the other two, and the perfuminess of young Bowmore hides behind the cognac. Awesome stuff.

I'd love to hear more about your handmade vermouth, perhaps in a separate thread. In fact, if anyone else has made vermouth, I'd love to hear more about it.

←

i like that homemade vatting idea. we have talked about it at our bar many times but our clientelle is too lame to make it worth our while....we were basically just blending rye, cognac, and appleton to make a house brown spirit taste really good and be really easy to pour....i wanted enough flavor depth to make jerry thomas proud....

i'm gonna try and duplicate that vermouth this weekend. if it works i will give out the recipe....

[thirtyoneknots]

Now, what else to do with this diced cucumber. Something with gin?  Tequila??

←

Cucumber is pretty tasty muddled into a gin sour (not too much, mind you), esp if you use Hendrick's. I have several regulars who like to come in and have these with the Sashimi. The cucumber takes what would already be a light and pleasant enough drink and makes it fairly lethal, but also very food-friendly. A rinse of Sake does no harm for a change of pace. As far as other uses for Hendricks, I find that it works very well indeed mixed in wet-ish Martini fashion with sake in lieu of the vermouth. Very interesting indeed. The cucumber sour is also a great drink for those unfortunate people who don't know they like gin yet.

-Andy

[Nathan]

Perry Street does a nice cocktail for gin novices based on the natural marriage of gin and cucumber...I think they just essentially squeeze/muddle some cucumber with a bit of lime and the Hendricks.

[jsmeeker]

Perry Street does a nice cocktail for gin novices based on the natural marriage of gin and cucumber...I think they just essentially squeeze/muddle some cucumber with a bit of lime and the Hendricks.

←

I'm thinking that gin with some lime and cucumber would be my next move. Of course, I don't have Hendrick. Just some Tanquerray. Unless that's really going to be offensive, I'll give it a whirl tonight.

I also like the idea of a gin sour with cucumber. Maybe even something like a Tom Collins with some muddled cucumber? That might work.

[thirtyoneknots]

Perry Street does a nice cocktail for gin novices based on the natural marriage of gin and cucumber...I think they just essentially squeeze/muddle some cucumber with a bit of lime and the Hendricks.

←

I'm thinking that gin with some lime and cucumber would be my next move. Of course, I don't have Hendrick. Just some Tanquerray. Unless that's really going to be offensive, I'll give it a whirl tonight.

I also like the idea of a gin sour with cucumber. Maybe even something like a Tom Collins with some muddled cucumber? That might work.

←

I had actually originally tried to make it a tall drink, with champagne, then soda. It's not bad with soda, but the flavors aren't really intense enough for that kind of dilution. It's much better served up. Of course the addition of sparkling wine just clobbered everything.

Edited July 26, 2007 by thirtyoneknots (log)

[Nathan]

Perry Street does a nice cocktail for gin novices based on the natural marriage of gin and cucumber...I think they just essentially squeeze/muddle some cucumber with a bit of lime and the Hendricks.

←

I'm thinking that gin with some lime and cucumber would be my next move. Of course, I don't have Hendrick. Just some Tanquerray. Unless that's really going to be offensive, I'll give it a whirl tonight.

I also like the idea of a gin sour with cucumber. Maybe even something like a Tom Collins with some muddled cucumber? That might work.

←

well..the point of doing it with Hendrick's (is it not available there? I thought it was pretty widely distributed) is that Hendrick's is pretty distinctly cucumber flavored...

doing it with a more juniper-forward gin is going to give quite different results.

[jsmeeker]

Perry Street does a nice cocktail for gin novices based on the natural marriage of gin and cucumber...I think they just essentially squeeze/muddle some cucumber with a bit of lime and the Hendricks.

←

I'm thinking that gin with some lime and cucumber would be my next move. Of course, I don't have Hendrick. Just some Tanquerray. Unless that's really going to be offensive, I'll give it a whirl tonight.

I also like the idea of a gin sour with cucumber. Maybe even something like a Tom Collins with some muddled cucumber? That might work.

←

well..the point of doing it with Hendrick's (is it not available there? I thought it was pretty widely distributed) is that Hendrick's is pretty distinctly cucumber flavored...

doing it with a more juniper-forward gin is going to give quite different results.

←

I don't know if it's available here or not. I just happen to have something else on hand and figured I would try to craft something with that I had on hand instead of running out to the liquor store and spending more money on more booze.

Not that there is anything wrong with that. It's just that I like the idea of trying to use what I already have.

What's the worst that can happen with something else? I'll muddle up some cucumber, add in the gin I have and if I taste no cucumber?? Oh well. No loss. I'll know that Tanquerray is not a good match and will use it for something else.

[KatieLoeb]

Tonight's project - refining a recipe for the Ultimate Cocktail for a Cure competition. I only have a few days left to get this right. Hendrick's gin, Pama liqueur and Easy Leaf Argento Fino edible silver leaf are all required ingredients. I won't reveal my exact recipe as I still have a bit of tweaking to do, but this contains all of the required ingredients as well as a few other alcoholic and non-alcoholic mixers. I was shooting for the look of a night sky.

Starry Night

It's a lousy cell phone pic, but my digital camera is giving me grief at the moment. What do you think??

[jsmeeker]

it sure is blue!!

but shouldn't it be pink??

Edited July 28, 2007 by jsmeeker (log)

[KatieLoeb]

but shouldn't it be pink??

That thought occurred to me as well, but I figured it would either look like a Cosmo or Pepto-Bismol, niether of which seemed either original or pleasing. The Argento is really pretty floating in the drink - which is actually more violet than it appears...

[bostonapothecary]

last night started with a marconi wireless....

2 oz. applejack

1 oz. my own sweet vermouth

lemon twist was the nearest thing at hand....

no extra bitters....

it was midnight and had finally cooled off.... perfect imbibing weather.... sophistcated and long lived in the mouth with that forgotten summer flavor profile.... (stone fruits)

then i escaped work and went to eastern standard. the kitchen was closed so i ordered a cocktail with a whole egg in it....

colleen bawn....

1 oz. rye (rittenhouse 100 proof) next time i will try lemonheart 151 demerara....

1 oz. yellow chartreuse

1 oz. benedictine

one whole egg

some add simple....but i'm sweet enough

that is some serious medicine....cured my hunger and thirst....got me slighly buzzed i felt so much better.... = )

i learned the drink at the green street but they probably learned it from the cocktial chronicles....its my current default egg cocktail.

they have those martini glasses modeled after the breasts of helen of troy.... i need to get some of those....

[thirtyoneknots]

Bostonapothecary's recent adventures with the Vieux Carre formula got me thinking about violet liqueur last night and I pondered it all day until trying the following today at work (rare items in question imported to the restaraunt in my pockets):

2 dashes Peychauds

2 dashes Jade Edouard

tsp Creme de Violette

1 oz Plymouth Gin

1 oz Noilly Prat

1 oz Rum*

Build on ice, garnish with twist.

Quite a bit going on here, the powerful flavors are not for everyone. Only the bar manager and I liked it, but later another bartender was hanging around after a meeting and I made another one for him and he loved it as well. Its a lot like drinking a mouthful of flowers, and the color is quite nice as well. The primary formula here is a great groundwork for complex drinks that will evolve tremendously as the ice melts. It could use a little more tweaking, but I'd make it again.

*Used Barbancourt 5 start the first time and Flor de Cana white the second time. It was fantastic both ways but the FdC is very floral and so blends a little better maybe. I'd also like to try it with some Pisco, a funkier white rum like 10 Cane, and/or a mild blanco tequila.

-Andy

[bostonapothecary]

2 dashes Peychauds

2 dashes Jade Edouard

tsp Creme de Violette

1 oz Plymouth Gin

1 oz Noilly Prat

1 oz Rum*

Build on ice, garnish with twist.

Quite a bit going on here, the powerful flavors are not for everyone. Only the bar manager and I liked it, but later another bartender was hanging around after a meeting and I made another one for him and he loved it as well. Its a lot like drinking a mouthful of flowers, and the color is quite nice as well. The primary formula here is a great groundwork for complex drinks that will evolve tremendously as the ice melts. It could use a little more tweaking, but I'd make it again.

*Used Barbancourt 5 start the first time and Flor de Cana white the second time. It was fantastic both ways but the FdC is very floral and so blends a little better maybe. I'd also like to try it with some Pisco, a funkier white rum like 10 Cane, and/or a mild blanco tequila.

-Andy

←

wow, that seems like my kind of thing.... i need some of that violette liqueur.

i really wanted to try "old raj" as the gin for my vieux carre blanc recipe. has anyone spent any time with it? something that is nice besides rum to really contrast the gin is a fruit eau di vie....

[jsmeeker]

not today, but last night..

picked up some Fee Bros. Orange Bitters at the liquor store Saturday afternoon. ued it to makea Pegu Club (my first ever!).

Nice cocktail.

[Mayur]

Okay, here's one for Andy and bostonapothecary:

2 dashes Peychauds

2 dashes Blanche de Fougerolles

1 dash Verte de Fougerolles

1/2 tsp creme de Violette (my latest homemade is pretty strong, about equivalent to the Benoit Serres but using a grappa base; if you have Hermes, I'd go up to 3/4 tsp)

1 oz Plymouth

1 oz Herradura silver tequila

1 oz M&R bianco vermouth

1 dash gomme syrup (2:1 simple heated with a bit of extra sugar to super-thick stage and then ice-cooled)

Lemon twist

Carve ice down to size of glass, add bitters, absinthe(s), and violette, and stir briefly. Add gin, tequila, vermouth, and gomme syrup, and stir again vigorously until cold. Garnish with lemon twist.

This is about as well-balanced as I could get this, as I hate drinks that taste too much like violette. The bianco works awfully nicely in this drink, though.

[Mayur]

wow, that seems like my kind of thing.... i need some of that violette liqueur.

It is available in the US under the Rothman and Winter marque. If you can't get that, feel free to PM me.

i really wanted to try "old raj" as the gin for my vieux carre blanc recipe.  has anyone spent any time with it?  something that is nice besides rum to really contrast the gin is a fruit eau di vie....

←

I love Old Raj... by itself, in a martini with a slight dose of an interesting vermouth (homemade or Vya can both be good bets). The vieux carre family of cocktails is actually not quite to my taste in general; it tends to be more of a "how hard can I make my favorite bartenders work" drink for me. (Sorry guys!) That said, if you were going with Old Raj, I might suggest the following fun things to mix with it:

-Vya white (Old Raj is pretty much the only gin I've ever found that matches up perfectly with the Vya white aromatics without overwhelming it)

-Jade Edouard or one of the Czech absinthes (you need a highly aggressive licorice or vegetal quality IMHO)

-lime or grapefruit bitters

-Siembra Azul blanco tequila (the right pairing for this in that it has a *slight* lime peel/green chili undertone IME)

-Something North African or North Indian spiced; my initial thought is to substitute a dash or two of Carpano Antica vermouth for the Peychauds in the above formulation, since that has the cinnamon/cardamom accents that I think would marry well with the Old Raj's saffron. Another interesting option might be a sprinkle of Aleppo pepper or a drop or two of garam masala-infused neutral alcohol.

-A half ounce of a nice, spicy Gewurztraminer

[EDIT: Added wine suggestion. Maybe not to everyone's taste... ]

Edited July 31, 2007 by Mayur (log)

[bostonapothecary]

-Vya white (Old Raj is pretty much the only gin I've ever found that matches up perfectly with the Vya white aromatics without overwhelming it)

-Jade Edouard or one of the Czech absinthes (you need a highly aggressive licorice or vegetal quality IMHO)

-lime or grapefruit bitters

-Siembra Azul blanco tequila (the right pairing for this in that it has a *slight* lime peel/green chili undertone IME)

-Something North African or North Indian spiced; my initial thought is to substitute a dash or two of Carpano Antica vermouth for the Peychauds in the above formulation, since that has the cinnamon/cardamom accents that I think would marry well with the Old Raj's saffron. Another interesting option might be a sprinkle of Aleppo pepper or a drop or two of garam masala-infused neutral alcohol.

-A half ounce of a nice, spicy Gewurztraminer

[EDIT: Added wine suggestion. Maybe not to everyone's taste...   ]

←

wow. those are some serious ideas that will take me a week to drink through.... =) i love the equatorial exotacism.... that is my style lately....

hopefully no bartender is working too hard mixing anything like a vieux carre and most are consumed by bartenders or home mixologists working for themselves.... i am just a flavor addict always looking for the most interesting thing i can get my hands on....

[KatieLoeb]

Tonight I'm drinking a watermelon caipirinha, made with the '06 batch of Mae de Ouro. Most refreshing.

Last night at work I played with a strawberry-basil cocktail I'd been mulling in my head for a while. Muddled chiffonade of basil in about a half ounce each of simple syrup and fresh lemon juice. Added about an ounce of strawberry puree, twice as much Bluecoat gin and lots of ice. Shaken vigorously and strained into a Pernod rinsed glass, garnished with a lemon twist. It was really good. The chef was fond of it, as was my coworker who swore he hated gin. "I shouldn't have doubted you", he said. One of my prouder moments.

[bostonapothecary]

Tonight I'm drinking a watermelon caipirinha, made with the '06 batch of Mae de Ouro.  Most refreshing.

Last night at work I played with a strawberry-basil cocktail I'd been mulling in my head for a while.  Muddled chiffonade of basil in about a half ounce each of simple syrup and fresh lemon juice.  Added about an ounce of strawberry puree, twice as much Bluecoat gin and lots of ice.  Shaken vigorously and strained into a Pernod rinsed glass, garnished with a lemon twist.  It was really good.  The chef was fond of it, as was my coworker who swore he hated gin.  "I shouldn't have doubted you", he said.  One of my prouder moments. 

←

i've had something like that but we used aged balsamic instead of pernod....

[bostonapothecary]

last night we made a cocktail a couple different ways and shared it among our tired weary selves....

"le bugne" (the name of hillside in the veneto)

we wanted to reproduce some of the flavors of our favorite wines...

2 oz. bookers barrel proof.

1/2 oz. elisir gambrinus (marasca flavored liqueur)

1/2 oz. alpenz creme de violette

1/4 oz. espresso

dash of reagans bitters.

then we tried it again.

1/1/2 oz. bookers barrel proof.

3/4 oz. elisir gambrinus (marasca flavored liqueur)

3/4 oz. alpenz creme de violette

1/4 oz. espresso

dash of reagans bitters.

the first version was the more popular. it was stiff. slighly less sweet than a manhattan. the creme de violette is less sweet than sweet vermouth. gambrinus might be the same brix as sweet vermouth.

the flavors all worked together. all agreed they would readily do it again....

i really wish that i had barrell proof rye. i've seen the mictchers 100proof. but is there anything stronger available?

lately lemonheart 151 is my favorite stuff. an ounce powers a whole drink but it isn't as classy as whiskey....

[eje]

[...]

i really wish that i had barrell proof rye. i've seen the mictchers 100proof. but is there anything stronger available?

lately lemonheart 151 is my favorite stuff. an ounce powers a whole drink but it isn't as classy as whiskey....

←

I'm not over fond of the Michter's Rye.

Prefer the Wild Turkey 101 Rye.

If you really want to go up-market, there's the Thomas Handy Barrel Proof Rye from Buffalo Trace. 130 or so, I think, and really nice stuff.

Sold out in many places, I imagine, by now; but, there should be a new batch of bottles (hopefully!) when the antique collection is released again this fall.

I'm not sure what proof the incredibly expensive Rittenhouse 21 is bottled at. Anyone know?

edit - It appears the Rittenhouse 21 is bottled at 100 proof. Is the Handy the only barrel proof rye?

Edited August 6, 2007 by eje (log)

[TBoner]

[...]

i really wish that i had barrell proof rye. i've seen the mictchers 100proof. but is there anything stronger available?

lately lemonheart 151 is my favorite stuff. an ounce powers a whole drink but it isn't as classy as whiskey....

←

I'm not over fond of the Michter's Rye.

Prefer the Wild Turkey 101 Rye.

If you really want to go up-market, there's the Thomas Handy Barrel Proof Rye from Buffalo Trace. 130 or so, I think, and really nice stuff.

Sold out in many places, I imagine, by now; but, there should be a new batch of bottles (hopefully!) when the antique collection is released again this fall.

I'm not sure what proof the incredibly expensive Rittenhouse 21 is bottled at. Anyone know?

edit - It appears the Rittenhouse 21 is bottled at 100 proof. Is the Handy the only barrel proof rye?

←

Yes and no. Handy's not quite the only one. LeNell's two bottlings (which aren't really regular enough to be called "annual") have been barrel proof. Also, KBD bottled an independently-selected barrel (that's right, one barrel) of a 22-year-old rye at barrel proof a little over a year ago. It was sold as "Willett's Rye." I picked up a bottle, which I expect I'll get around to opening at some point. There was another bottling produced very recently, but with only a little over 200 bottles coming out of each barrel, there's not much of either bottling (as in none) floating around. Both of those ryes (LeNell's and Willett's), by the way, purportedly come from the same stock as the 21-year-old Rittenhouse. At any rate, the only barrel-proof with a truly regular release schedule (even if it is limited-edition) is the Handy. Next-highest proof of a regular release is the WT (BTW, 101 is very close to the barrel proof of Wild Turkey's products, which typically enter the barrel at 110).

[eje]

Thanks for the information, TBoner!

Yes, one of these years I need to splurge for the LeNell's.

By the way, I was talking about the Michter's US-1 Straight Rye. I haven't tried their 10 year offering.