Drinks! (2007–2009)

[mkayahara]

Thanks, Katie! I did end up using a bit of the tangerine peel in the drinks last night, but I'm hoping to serve this as a punch at the party (if that doesn't break any rules of punch, a subject on which I am woefully undereducated). That's why I was thinking of infusing the peel into the syrup.

And thanks, too, for the spiced syrup suggestions. I'll have to give it a try. As Jamie Boudreau pointed out on his blog recently, whole star anise also make a stunning garnish.

[KatieLoeb]

Matthew:

If you're putting this all in a big bowl (the only criterion I have for something to be called punch, although academically I understand the rules are more stringent) you should leave out the sparkling wine. In a big bowl with that much surface area exposed, the punch will go flat over the course of the evening. Mix everything else and ladle that into your glasses and top with the sparkling wine to order. That way you can open fresh bottles as needed, and have each glass be as bubbly as the last.

[lancastermike]

This will add nothing to the inventive list of things folks here like to drink but tonight I looked at the liquor shelf to decide what to drink. I spied a metal horse on top a bottle and poured three fingers of Blanton's with one ice cube. My oh my, that's good.

I enjoy mixing and shaking and trying different things. But tonight, I was very happy just to sip my bourbon.

[haresfur]

Pineapple-infused rum and cranberry juice on the rocks with a couple of dashes of Fees orange bitters on top. Just what the dearly beloved ordered. I put some brandy in mine which wasn't really an improvement.

The pineapple upside-down cake made with rum-infused pineapple turned out pretty well, too.

[KatieLoeb]

...The pineapple upside-down cake made with rum-infused pineapple turned out pretty well, too.  ...

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Were you upside-down after you ate that? Sounds dangerously delicious!

[mkayahara]

Matthew:

If you're putting this all in a big bowl (the only criterion I have for something to be called punch, although academically I understand the rules are more stringent) you should leave out the sparkling wine.  In a big bowl with that much surface area exposed, the punch will go flat over the course of the evening.  Mix everything else and ladle that into your glasses and top with the sparkling wine to order.  That way you can open fresh bottles as needed, and have each glass be as bubbly as the last.

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Thanks for all your help, Katie! The cocktail was a big hit at the party, which was on Saturday. I ended up making a spiced syrup with black and green cardamom, cinnamon, allspice, clove, star anise, chili flakes and tangerine zest. I batched it with the tangerine juice and gin, and topped the drinks with prosecco to order. There was a little left over after the party, and I discovered that it worked just as nicely when topped off with club soda.

[KatieLoeb]

Matthew:

Sounds like all was a success. The punch sounds delicious. I'm saving your recipe for the next time I need a large format beverage for a crowd.

[RPMcMurphy]

Last night, we did some cranberry syrup and champagne. simple, easy, good.

[organicmatter]

I was just given a bottle of the new Hangar One spiced pear vodka, and despite not being a big vodka drinker, I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt to anything St. George Spirits produces. This was a huge success:

2 oz. Hangar One spiced pear vodka

1/4 oz. St. Germain (it would probably be good with up to 1/2 oz.)

2-3 dashes Angostura

Stir, strain up, smile.

Thanks to campusfive for the suggestion to pair pears with St. Germain.

Edited December 11, 2008 by organicmatter (log)

[RPMcMurphy]

a few nights ago....a spiced hot apple cider rum cocktail....

..last night

2x The Last Words (god I love this cocktail)

Fiance 2x Algonquins

[KD1191]

2x The Last Words (god I love this cocktail)

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I have you tried the Last Ward?

Take the last word and sub rye for gin, lemon for lime and yellow for green chartreuse. I find the maraschino plays much nicer with lemon than lime. You don't even need to switch the gin to rye to see this difference. I prefer my Last Word with lemon/yellow to lime/green, especially during the colder months here in the north where limes can be of less than optimal quality.

[RPMcMurphy]

2x The Last Words (god I love this cocktail)

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I have you tried the Last Ward?

Take the last word and sub rye for gin, lemon for lime and yellow for green chartreuse. I find the maraschino plays much nicer with lemon than lime. You don't even need to switch the gin to rye to see this difference. I prefer my Last Word with lemon/yellow to lime/green, especially during the colder months here in the north where limes can be of less than optimal quality.

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I have tried both but have been drinking a lot of rye cocktails lately, so wanted to break in my new bottle of plymouth! I never use yellow chartreuse as...well, I don't have it and many of the cocktails I make usually use green. Next time I'm at the bar, I'll give yellow yellow a try.

On friday, I went to the bar and had a few cocktails, nothing special:

Stone Wall cocktail with rye and a little lemon juice (it was on special, and great)

Rye Manhattan

last word (green green)

It was a long night...

corpse reviver #2

[bostonapothecary]

so i've been starving for something really exotic lately and have been unfortunately back to drinking wine... but john at Drink in southie came to my rescue with his own mezcal milk punch... it seemed to be in more of the preserved punch format. i think he boiled the milk to remove the fats. there was also pineapple and mace. the end result was amazing flavor contrasts. the recipe seemed to add up to alcohol of about 20% but the diluted mezcal brought awesome aromas with a particular smokiness that seems more fun with fruit than those of the scotches. the milk contributes a delicate "lactic" character that is definitely strange but alluring.

this was by far the coolest thing i've had to drink in a while...

[sadistick]

Still doing lots of experimenting while I get my bar built back up, and while I'm trying new ingredients. Here are two recent ones that worked

2 1/2 oz Gin (Tanquerray)

1/2 oz Dry Vermouth (NP)

2 dashes Grand Marnier

scant dash Fernet Branca

Nothing more than a Martini variation, but a good one. This could become my new house Martini.

2 oz Gin (Plymouth)

1/2 oz Bianco Vermouth (Martini)

1/2 tsp Dry Vermouth (NP)

1/2 tsp Maraschino (Luxardo)

1 1/2 tsp Anejo Tequila (Cuervo RDLF)

Flavors really melded nicely in this one, even the oak and agave. The less-assertive gin was key, as was keeping the level of Maraschino low.

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Using an amazing bottle of tequila as a mixer!?

[db_campbell]

Still doing lots of experimenting while I get my bar built back up, and while I'm trying new ingredients. Here are two recent ones that worked

2 1/2 oz Gin (Tanquerray)

1/2 oz Dry Vermouth (NP)

2 dashes Grand Marnier

scant dash Fernet Branca

Nothing more than a Martini variation, but a good one. This could become my new house Martini.

2 oz Gin (Plymouth)

1/2 oz Bianco Vermouth (Martini)

1/2 tsp Dry Vermouth (NP)

1/2 tsp Maraschino (Luxardo)

1 1/2 tsp Anejo Tequila (Cuervo RDLF)

Flavors really melded nicely in this one, even the oak and agave. The less-assertive gin was key, as was keeping the level of Maraschino low.

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Using an amazing bottle of tequila as a mixer!?

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Depending on where you live, that's only $0.80-0.90 worth of RDLF. Having mixed this one up myself, I can attest it does make the drink sing.

[KD1191]

Finally picked up some Crème de Violette, so I've been enjoying Aviations and Hush and Wonders. This evening, I did a very minor riff on the Aviation that will (for now) be know as the Pisco Flower.

1.5 oz Pisco

.75 oz Lemon Juice

.5 oz (scant) Crème de Violette (Rothman & Winters)

.25 oz Maraschino (Luxardo)

I like the additional sweetness the Pisco brings to the party, and the fruitier floral notes blend nicely with the other side of the violette that the gin sometimes ignores.

[bostonapothecary]

so very popular at the bar lately is a riff of the half sinner half saint. i've put down quite a few.

1.5 oz. chamberyzette (replica)

1.5 oz. dry vermouth

floated spoonful of absinthe

lemon twist.

the chamberyzette, relative to a standard sweet vermouth adds some serious fruit to contrast the absinthe. a nice, easy to metabolize treat.

we have also been drinking lots of single malt vermouthy cocktails

"alto cucina"

1 oz. balvenie 15 (ninety something proof...)

1 oz. dry vermouth

.5 oz. st. germain

.5 oz. cynar

orange twist.

or with glenmorangie (to get rid of it), dry vermouth, canton and vergano's "americano". this has gone over really well with many people doing three rounds of it and variations. we are pouring something like two bottles of dry vermouth to every one of sweet.

are there any other great amaro & liqueur duo's that i should be sweetening cocktails with?

[eje]

After enjoying a couple Jack Rose cocktails at Alembic the other night, Mrs. eje requested something similar for tonight's before dinner drink for our Arizona Christmas.

Desert Rose

1 1/2 oz Fine Calvados Cardinal

3/4 oz Prickly Pear Syrup

1/2 oz Lime Juice

Splash Pom Pomegranate Juice

Shake, Strain, Cocktail Glass.

Was quite surprised at how shockingly pink this turned out.

Tasty, though, and met with approval on all fronts. Even Mom and her new boyfriend.

edit... And I'm drinking Vermouth Cocktails with heavy bitters and a stick (Saz Jr.) after dinner. Nice digestiv.

Edited December 26, 2008 by eje (log)

[RPMcMurphy]

fiance and i have been trying to finish up a bottle of antica formula vermouth so it was manhattans with baby saz.

I had a bijou and she made herself a clover club too.

[KatieLoeb]

After enjoying a couple Jack Rose cocktails at Alembic the other night, Mrs. eje requested something similar for tonight's before dinner drink for our Arizona Christmas.

Desert Rose

1 1/2 oz Fine Calvados Cardinal

3/4 oz Prickly Pear Syrup

1/2 oz Lime Juice

Splash Pom Pomegranate Juice

Shake, Strain, Cocktail Glass.

Was quite surprised at how shockingly pink this turned out.

Tasty, though, and met with approval on all fronts.  Even Mom and her new boyfriend.

edit...  And I'm drinking Vermouth Cocktails with heavy bitters and a stick (Saz Jr.) after dinner.  Nice digestiv.

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That prickly pear syrup turns things a shockingly neon shade of fuschia, but it's so pretty in the glass, everyone wonders "what was that?!?" when it goes by on a tray and wants to order one. And it's pretty tasty too, which doesn't hurt...

This cocktail sounds like a keeper. Will most definitely test it out when my prickly pear syrup arrives in the mail.

[bostonapothecary]

tonight was sort of slow so i fit in splitting some cocktails with the host...

the first drink came out of an arguement towards whether yellow chartreuse was superior to strega... because my budget doesn't allow both i'd take yellow chartreuse any day of the week and say they are less comparable than you'd think... anyhow...

1 oz. glen morangie (almost done with the bottle!)

1 oz. stock dry vermouth

.5 oz. strega

.5 oz. stock maraschino (we are in a recession...)

orange twist.

well this was very tastey and brought out all the minty flavors buried in the strega. a higher proof scotch and it would be a formidable drink... the strega-maraschino combo was far more amusing than i expected.

we then invented a hot drink and practical method of serving it for our poor logistics... we added the booze to our 2 cup loose tea pots, added boiling water and served as so in very tiny glasses. this really seemed to keep things warmer than any of our other methods.

1 oz. balvenie 15

1 oz. op anderson aquavite (caraway!)

.5 oz. melati di bosco alpine spruce tree honey liqueur

3 spoonfuls of MEMs spiced hibiscus flower tea

1 cup 5 oz. of boiling water

the relative strength of this isn't really high but the flavors really seemed to balance perfectly. lately i love single malts and this particular aquavite.

then i wanted an egg so i made.

1.5 oz. cask strength glen livet "nadurra"

1 oz. "boston" bual madeira from the rare wine co.

.5 oz. simple syrup

1 egg minus most but not all of the whites.

grated nutmeg

this was super tastey, but you might be able to maximize the awesomeness by subbing some of the simple syrup with benedictine. i keep tasting lots of flip style drinks that seem too watery. IMO they either need higher proof spirits or two egg yolks to be really good.

[bostonapothecary]

tonight i had some guests that wanted to drink a million variations of something i had on the list as "alto cucina". i liked this variation and drank one at the end of my shift...

1 oz. bookers

1 oz. stock dry vermouth

.5 oz. cynar

.5 oz. primi frutti fragola (strawberry)

stirred with no garnish...

this was really interesting with some serious intensity. for some reason the cynar tasted more bitter than other versions of this i had made before but not in any way that was unbearable... more like alluring... these primi frutti products are really interesting. they are not as sweet as other liqueurs and seem to have the same sugar ethic as a sweet vermouth. this one also discloses that it uses grape skin extract to color it... (a.k.a. the evil yet natural wine additive "mega purple"). i've found that strawberries are harder to get color from than you would expect so i guess you can't blame them.

i would even say that if you tracked this particular strawberry product down that you could mix it with bianco vermouth in such a way that could probably replicate chamberyzette quite well...

[KatieLoeb]

Out and about on my day off today, I was close by my favorite Mexican market, where the fresh limes are cheap and the selection of juices is enviable. Once the seed was planted in my head, I just had to make myself a caipirinha or two. Actually the seed had been planted on Christmas day last week, when a dear friend's dad, and convivial host of my annual Christmas repast had asked me about the bottle of cachaca that his friends that had recently returned from Brazil had gifted him with. "What do I do with this?" "What is it?? I explained the differences between rum and cachaca, and tried to explain the process of making a caipirinha. He still needs to go out and buy a muddler, or perhaps I'll send him one. But nonetheless, the seed was planted and I'd been thinking of caipirinhas for days. I finally fed and watered that seed tonight.

So my stop at the Mexican market yielded some fresh limes and a can of Jumex Coconut-Pineapple juice. I sliced up a lime and put half into my shaker and covered it with Sugar in the Raw. I muddled away and added a couple of tablespoons of fresh lime juice I already had in the fridge. I muddled some more, put a bunch of ice in the shaker, added a good healthy glug of some Mae de Ouro cachaca and shook the hell out of it. Dumped it all into a tall glass and topped it off with some of the Coconut-Pineapple juice. A stir, a big sip and equilibrium was restored. I just finished my third one. A delicious reminder of warmer days and the well balanced cocktails of summer.

Edited December 31, 2008 by KatieLoeb (log)

[bostonapothecary]

last night i made punch for NYE that looked something like this...

2 750's mango wine i made myself back in the spring. (structured like a spatlese)

1 cup lemon juice

1 cup simple syrup

1 quart green tea

1 pint gin

1 pint jamaican rum

2 750' cava

mango-y and interesting. i didn't add too much lemon juice and sugar because of the intense structure of the wine. the fermented mangoes have a lot of mango fruit but also a chardonnay like quality. i would have rather used a more intense gin and rum st. james... there will be next time!

[willr]

Apologies if this sounds too basic to mention, but I just had the tastiest Old Fashioned. Somewhere between the proper and fruit salad variety:

1tsp sugar

2 dashes Angostura

2 dashes Angostura orange

Peel of half an orange

Maraschino cherry

All muddled and left to sit for a while, before adding Woodford Reserve, ice and stirring...