Drinks! (2004–2007)

[slkinsey]

We can perhaps explore this more in the Pegu Club Cocktail thread, but most recipes I have seen assume Marie Brizzard orange curaçao -- which is unfortunately almost impossible to find in NYC retail stores. I have found that one must balance towards more curaçao and less lime if using something like GranGala.

[eje]

What gin are you using? 

If you haven't already done so you may want to check out this Pegu Club thread from early last year.

[...]

Also, I'm not familiar with Creole Shrubb

[...]

←

Kurt,

Thanks for pointing out that thread. For some reason it seems I missed it last year.

I use Plymouth gin, unless a recipe specifies otherwise. I know I should get a proper London Dry gin like Beefeater. I just really like Plymouth.

Clement's Liqueur Creole Shrubb is a rum based orange liqueur from Martinique with some spice elements. For some reason I found it quite commonly available in Boston and Providence (RI), but, haven't seen it here in CA. I like it. Its flavor profile is a bit more complex than Cointreau. Though, like Cointreau, it's not exceptionally sweet and it's 80 proof, so it has a bit more kick than some of the other triple sec.

I'm also using mexican key limes. I guess I should have mentioned that. They are a bit tarter than the usual persian limes. I get a big bag of for a couple bucks at hispanic stores. You get about 1/4 ounce of juice per lime. I find more than that, in a typical 4-5oz "up" drink, gets a bit sharp.

~Erik

[elixirofthetropics]

The Aberlour 15yo Whiskey neat.

[KatieLoeb]

I was shopping at my local Lebanese market for some Rose water yesterday and was surprised to find some other ingredients with cocktail potential so I went ahead and purchased (in addition to the Rose water) a bottle of Orange Flower water, a bottle of Apricot puree/syrup, and a bottle of Marco Polo Sour Cherry Syrup

Tonight's effort was:

The Ricardo

2 oz. Gold tequila

1 oz. Marco Polo sour cherry syrup

4 oz. Trader Joe's Organic Lime Soda

Squeeze of a fresh lime wedge

Quite refreshing and tasty!

[freshherbs]

treated myself to two 1608 cocktails last night...courtesy of Gramercy Tavern's Jim Meehan.

1 oz Bushmills

1 oz Lemon Juice

1 oz English Mead

2 dashes Peychauds Bitters

Shake first three ingreients with ice.

Serve up with lemon peel. Float Peychauds on peel.

First cocktails since having a baby two weeks ago. LOVED it at 8 pm. not so hot at the 3 am diaper-change

[slkinsey]

Rock on. Jim is very talented. I've been meaning to get over there and try some of the drinks he's created for GT. Unfortunately, I'm still recovering from sinus surgery and alcohol makes the nose swell. Soon!

[freshherbs]

Rock on.  Jim is very talented.  I've been meaning to get over there and try some of the drinks he's created for GT.  Unfortunately, I'm still recovering from sinus surgery and alcohol makes the nose swell.  Soon!

←

[eje]

Underhill Special

2 oz bourbon (Weller 12 yr.)

1/2 oz dry vermouth (Noilly)

1/2 oz sweet vermouth (Noilly)

1/4 oz Chile Chocolate something or other (Not sure about substitution. Are there any not painfully sweet bittersweet chocolate liqueurs available? Black Mozart liqueur?)

Stir to chill in an iced cocktail shaker and strain into glass. Twist lemon peel over glass, scent rim, and discard.

Has anyone else thought of putting a bit of bitter chocolate in a manhattan-like bourbon cocktail? At least in this application, you can't really taste the chocolate, per se, it just adds a richness and depth to the cocktail.

I really recommend it.

edit - add instructions and substitution.

Edited May 13, 2006 by eje (log)

[birder53]

Tonight was an Algonquin. We've been trying out our newly found ryes.

ALGONQUIN

2 oz rye

1 oz dry vermouth

1 oz pineapple juice

Shake with ice and strain into chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a maraschino cherry.

We used Old Overholt. The drink looked good but didn't really taste like much. We tried adding more pineapple juice, but it didn't help or hurt.

[raxelita]

The chef challanged me to make up a drink with some leftover anise-hyssop syrup. So I mixed:

five muddled anise-hyssop leaves

1 1/2 count anise-hyssop syrup

1/2 count lemon

1/2 count lime

splash oj

5 count Bombay

shaken, served up.

I tried variations with orange bitters, a glass coat of pernod, cointreau etc., but this recipe won hands down. We served as a special all night.

[eje]

The chef challanged me to make up a drink with some leftover anise-hyssop syrup. So I mixed:

[...]

←

I was on the lookout for the similarly flavored Korean Mint (Agatache rugosa) for my herb garden and cocktail endeavors; but, after reading about all the benefits of Anise Hyssop, I might have to give it a try instead!

Anise Hyssop

Its main use is for respiratory disorders - colds, flu, bronchitis, upper respiratory catarrh. It contains the bitter component, marrubiin (also found in White Horehound), which has expectorant properties. It may be used for fevers, as it promotes sweating. It has also been used for sluggish digestion, mucus congestion in the intestines, and for throat infections. It can be useful for the cold sores of the Herpes simplex virus due to its antiviral activities. Externally, it is beneficial for burns, bruises, wounds, and infections.

[slkinsey]

Hey, an alcoholic drink that inhibits the herpes virus! You might have really stumbled onto a gold mine there.

[freshherbs]

The chef challanged me to make up a drink with some leftover anise-hyssop syrup. So I mixed:

←

Eben Freeman concocted this cocktail for a project we did on Ciroc vodka:

1.5 oz Ciroc vodka

3/4 oz fresh lemon juice

1/4 oz simple syrup

2 drops Pastis

2 Anise Hyssop leaves, torn

shake hard and strain

simple, delicious...

[sadistick]

Jose Cuervo Reserva de la Familla hit the spot tonight.

[Pirate (510)]

Fernet Branca and Boylan's Black Cherry Soda. Mmmmmm!

The licorice/listerine assault of the Fernet melds surprisingly smoothly with the Boylans into a pleasing beverage. It's still an acquired taste, but we're defintely acquiring it, especially as its stomach-soothing properties are much appreciated by she-of-the-delicate-digestion.

First post, BTW. Hi, everyone.

[Ktepi]

Sort of a TGIFriday's version of an Aviation:

1 1/2 oz Tanqueray gin

1/2 oz Luxardo maraschino

juice of 1/2 Meyer lemon, with rind rubbed thoroughly around the rim of the glass

Topped off with Polar Half and Half soda (a grapefruit soda from their "Mixers" line, which I used to drink as a kid not knowing it was meant to be drunk with alcohol).

Really tasty. I'm going to have to try maraschino with fresh grapefruit juice next time I have some -- maybe in a Greyhound or Salty Dog.

[ludja]

Fernet Branca and Boylan's Black Cherry Soda. Mmmmmm!

The licorice/listerine assault of the Fernet melds surprisingly smoothly with the Boylans into a pleasing beverage. It's still an acquired taste, but we're defintely acquiring it, especially as its stomach-soothing properties are much appreciated by she-of-the-delicate-digestion.

First post, BTW. Hi, everyone.

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Sounds wild. Thanks for mentioning this, Pirate (510), and welcome!

[Snowy is dead]

Tonight was an Algonquin.  We've been trying out our newly found ryes.

ALGONQUIN

2 oz rye

1 oz dry vermouth

1 oz pineapple juice

Shake with ice and strain into chilled cocktail glass.  Garnish with a maraschino cherry.

We used Old Overholt.  The drink looked good but didn't really taste like much.  We tried adding more pineapple juice, but it didn't help or hurt.

←

I enjoy the Algonquin with Vya dry vermouth and Old Overholt. Gives it a fuller flavor, IMHO.

[slkinsey]

It's interesting about certain rye cocktails and the rye you use. I find that Dave's Tombstone (just rye, 2:1 demerara simple and bitters) needs a 100 proof rye to work, and in fact really works better with Wild Turkey's slightly rough profile compared to Rittenhouse's suaveness. On the other hand, I've found that the Blinker only seems to work with Old Overholt.

[birder53]

Tonight was an Algonquin.  We've been trying out our newly found ryes.

ALGONQUIN

2 oz rye

1 oz dry vermouth

1 oz pineapple juice

Shake with ice and strain into chilled cocktail glass.  Garnish with a maraschino cherry.

We used Old Overholt.  The drink looked good but didn't really taste like much.  We tried adding more pineapple juice, but it didn't help or hurt.

←

I enjoy the Algonquin with Vya dry vermouth and Old Overholt. Gives it a fuller flavor, IMHO.

←

Maybe the Martini & Rossi vermouth was the problem. It overwhelmed the taste of the other ingredients.

[eje]

My Mom used to make something every spring from the year's first rhubarb, which she called "Spring Tonic". It was stewed rhubarb, orange peel, and enough sugar to make it edible.

I think there is a good drink there; but, have only been able to find crap rhubarb this year (don't get me started about actually paying for rhubarb).

Anyway, finely chop up a bunch of rhubarb stems, sprinkle with sugar, and let it sit in a non-reactive pot until it starts to release juice. Cook until soft and puree in a blender. If you can only find flavorless rhubarb you might have to add a little lemon or lime to perk up the cocktail.

Spring Tonic

2 oz Amber Rum (Santa Teresa Gran Reserva)

2 bar spoons rhubarb puree

1/2 oz Orange Liqueur (Gran Gala)

(1/4 oz lime juice)

Shake in an iced cocktail shaker to chill and strain into a cocktail glass.

Edited July 2, 2006 by eje (log)

[Sneakeater]

I've been making Fitty-Fitties cuz they're (a) easy, (b) refreshing (surprisingly for something so strong), and © delicious!

1.5 oz. Junipero gin

1.5 oz. Vya dry vermouth

Shake or two of Regans' Orange Bitters No. 6

Orange peel

Ascend to heaven.

[Sneakeater]

Fernet Branca and Boylan's Black Cherry Soda. Mmmmmm!

The licorice/listerine assault of the Fernet melds surprisingly smoothly with the Boylans into a pleasing beverage. It's still an acquired taste, but we're defintely acquiring it, especially as its stomach-soothing properties are much appreciated by she-of-the-delicate-digestion.

←

For the little it's worth, one of my very favorite cocktails is Il Piano, which used to be but no longer is on the menu at Franny's in Brooklyn. (I was the very first person ever to order one, and I have reason to suspect I was the only person who ever ordered any.)

It consists of Fernet Branca, Seven Up, and maybe that's it.

If you ask the bartender, I'm sure she or he will make you one.

[KatieLoeb]

Sort of a TGIFriday's version of an Aviation:

1 1/2 oz Tanqueray gin

1/2 oz Luxardo maraschino

juice of 1/2 Meyer lemon, with rind rubbed thoroughly around the rim of the glass

Topped off with Polar Half and Half soda (a grapefruit soda from their "Mixers" line, which I used to drink as a kid not knowing it was meant to be drunk with alcohol).

Really tasty.  I'm going to have to try maraschino with fresh grapefruit juice next time I have some -- maybe in a Greyhound or Salty Dog.

←

Tequila, Sour cherry (Marco Polo Croatian sour cherry syrup) and grapefruit is my latest axis of evil for summer cocktails. I'm a big fan of Fresca or Wegman's Wedge grapefruit sodas as mixers. I'll have to see if I can find Polar Half and Half and give it a whirl. I'm going to try some Maraschino in this as well.

Ruby red grapefruit juice, a splash of simple syrup and club soda stands in admirably too.

[Ktepi]

Tequila, Sour cherry (Marco Polo Croatian sour cherry syrup) and grapefruit is my latest axis of evil for summer cocktails.  I'm a big fan of Fresca or Wegman's Wedge grapefruit sodas as mixers.  I'll have to see if I can find Polar Half and Half and give it a whirl.  I'm going to try some Maraschino in this as well.

Ruby red grapefruit juice, a splash of simple syrup and club soda stands in admirably too.

←

Oh wow, I wish I knew where to get sour cherry syrup here -- sour cherry anything, but that's another grumble.

The Half and Half is really nice. I'm not sure how wide Polar's distribution area is, but here it's very cheap, just a step above supermarket-brand. The Half and Half has become a staple for me, especially for "it's not really a drink" drinks like Half and Half with 1/4 ounce or so of maraschino ... something I can drink for lunch without feeling like I'm, you know, drinking for lunch.

Right now I'm waiting for the gin to get cold to make something that I'm hoping will be amazingly good so it'll justify the name -- the Mile High Club: an Aviation with passion fruit juice.