Drinks (2009–2011)

[eje]

Starting last evening with a Staggerac, not seeming like such a great idea today.

[Chris Amirault]

Toby Maloney's Sloe Gin Sour last night with really fresh egg whites: nearly perfect.

[KD1191]

Grapefruits are so good right now. I have a few different varieties, but the Rio Stars from Texas produce some beautiful juice, and were my inspiration tonight. I've been wanting to combine grapefruit and campari since having a dessert that featured the two last winter. I reached for the Wray & Nephew, and decided to riff on Sam Ross's Paper Plane:

Equal parts (1 oz each) Wray & Nephew Overproof Rum, Amaro Nonino, Campari & Rio Star Red grapefruit juice, shaken with faux draft cubes and strained into a chilled coupe. I squeezed a healthy swath of grapefruit peel over the drink.

Like the original, this drink packs a punch. But, at first sip it's also quite well balanced. Each ingredient gets its turn to shine...unfortunately, I think the W&N might just be a bit too funky for this application. By the time I got to the last 1/4 of the glass, it was all I could smell. I'm going to have to try some other rums and see what improves on the formula.

Edited December 20, 2009 by KD1191 (log)

[Chris Amirault]

Fiddling around with the rye/cognac combo and came up with this thing, which chef Matt Jennings (Society's stinkycheeseman) named The Bitter Yak:

1 1/2 oz rye

1 1/2 oz cognac

1/2 oz Fernet

3/4 oz Benedictine

<1/2 oz demerara syrup

stir; strain; orange twist or horse's neck

I used Landy VS cognac but think something fruitier and better would be a nice foil for my standard Rittenhouse BIB rye. But this is a tasty drink, and has a terrific mouthfeel after a good long stir.

[David Ross]

I didn't realize I had the makings for a delicious cocktail until I looked on the shelf and saw that the run I had made to the liquor store to stock up for the holidays provided me with:

Blood Orange Soda

Crater Lake (Oregon) Vodka

I'm sure blood orange juice and vodka isn't original, (someone can provide a name I am sure), but over ice and with a slice of lemon it was refreshing and delicious and even had the color of the season.

[campus five]

Just got an Isi Soda Siphon (and the jury is still out on it, I need to get some newer cartridges to be sure). I wanted to test it out for cocktails, so I made an Aperol Americano (Aperol/Dolin Rouge/Orange Bitters/Rhubarb Bitters/Orange Twist). Very tasty.

[thirtyoneknots]

Just got an Isi Soda Siphon (and the jury is still out on it, I need to get some newer cartridges to be sure). I wanted to test it out for cocktails, so I made an Aperol Americano (Aperol/Dolin Rouge/Orange Bitters/Rhubarb Bitters/Orange Twist). Very tasty.

OT but a tip on the siphon: fill it with water that is already fizzy, then charge it with a cartridge. Might seem sort of self-defeating, but you can still preserve the bubbles in your water for months unlike just opening a bottle. If you are starting with still water and trying to carbonate it it is going to take at least 3 cartridges to get any appreciable level of fizz, which can get expensive. I like to use Perrier but as an economy measure switched to a generic seltzer last summer and in a mixed drink the difference is not huge.

[John Rosevear]

3 more ISI soda siphon tips: Use COLD water, shake the thing vigorously for a minute or more after charging, and refrigerate overnight before using. You can get reasonable (not super-excellent, but usable) fizz with just one cartridge if you do those things, and no I don't understand the physics behind why they seem to work.

[judiu]

I didn't realize I had the makings for a delicious cocktail until I looked on the shelf and saw that the run I had made to the liquor store to stock up for the holidays provided me with:

Blood Orange Soda

Crater Lake (Oregon) Vodka

I'm sure blood orange juice and vodka isn't original, (someone can provide a name I am sure), but over ice and with a slice of lemon it was refreshing and delicious and even had the color of the season.

Um, Bloody Screwdriver?

[bmdaniel]

I use a glass soda siphon I bought (heard bad things about the ISI metal siphons) but use ISI chargers - I am not a connoisseur of fizzy water, but cold water, 15 mins with charger on, 15 mins with charger off before use seems to produce water as good as commercial (all per my soda chargers instructions).

Used it tonight to mock up some ginger beer (rich simple, muddled ginger slices, soda) for a gin gin mule - tasty if seasonally inappropriate.

[bmdaniel]

I think of W&N OP as a... rawer... product than even the Bacardi 151, and of course it's a very different animal from something like Lemon Hart Demerara. I can't remember if I've ever done a side-by-side of the W&N and the Bacardi, though. Might be educational.

I made the drink tonight with 2/3rds lemon hart 80 proof, 1/3 wray and nephew. Probably silly, but very enjoyable. Really wish I could find a way to get the lemon hart OP in texas.

[Shamanjoe]

Last night was testing recipes from the Tiki+, and Flip N Drink applications for my iPhone.

Trader Vic's Mai Tai

1 oz fresh lime juice

1/2 oz orange curacao

1/4 oz orgeat syrup

1/4 oz simple syrup

1 oz aged jamaican rum (I used Appleton Special Gold)

1 oz aged Martinique rum (I didn't have Martinique, so I used Gosling's Black Seal)

Aviation (from Flip N Drink)

1.5 oz gin (Plymouth)

0.5 oz maraschino liqueur (Luxardo)

0.5 oz Creme de Violette (Rothman and Winter)

0.5 oz fresh lemon juice

The Mai Tai's were excellent, we ended up making them quite a few times. The Aviations were ok, but a little too dry for my taste. Maybe a touch less Creme de Violette?

[vice]

The Mai Tai's were excellent, we ended up making them quite a few times. The Aviations were ok, but a little too dry for my taste. Maybe a touch less Creme de Violette?

Too dry or too sweet? I would imagine the latter with those proportions. Scaling back the violette would help.

[helenas]

Speaking of Creme de Violette. I have a whole bottle that i hardly use. Now i wonder - is it possible to infuse it with some orange peel and vanilla bean for a sort of Parfait Amour approximation?

[John Rosevear]

Shamanjoe, I generally like Gary Regan's recommendations, but in this case I think that's waaaay too much Violette. Try your next Aviation with just a teaspoon or so.

Re the mai tai, it really shines with the right rums -- Appleton V/X and Saint James Royal Ambre are good reasonably-priced options. Martinique rums tend to be dry, almost whisky-like; the Gosling's is more like a Jamaican-style rum. If you'd like to experiment, try making a batch of simple syrup with a little bit of vanilla in it and using it with that recipe -- works beautifully.

[Shamanjoe]

Shamanjoe, I generally like Gary Regan's recommendations, but in this case I think that's waaaay too much Violette. Try your next Aviation with just a teaspoon or so.

Re the mai tai, it really shines with the right rums -- Appleton V/X and Saint James Royal Ambre are good reasonably-priced options. Martinique rums tend to be dry, almost whisky-like; the Gosling's is more like a Jamaican-style rum. If you'd like to experiment, try making a batch of simple syrup with a little bit of vanilla in it and using it with that recipe -- works beautifully.

John, I agree completely. I think the reason it tasted so dry was the taste of the violette itself. I've noticed that it has a very dry flavour by itself (Have you ever tried violet soda? Same thing).

As far as the Mai Tai's go, I went to CocktailDB to see what a good substitute would be for a Martinique rum would be, but it wasn't very helpful. I wanted something dark, and the Black Seal was right in front

Bacardi Superior

Myer's Platinum White

Pyrat

Mount Gay

Appleton Special

Captain Morgan Private Stock

Gosling's Black Seal

Lemon Hart Demerara

Myer's Original Dark

Bacardi 151

edited to add the following rums:

Flor de Cana White Rum

Flor de Cana Gold Rum

Tortuga White Rum

Tortuga Gold Rum

Those are the rums that I have in my collection. You can see why I wasn't sure what to use. It came out great though.. I'll try it with the St. James if I can find it, I know the main flavour profile is the balance of the rum styles, it will be interesting to see how this plays out.

Edited December 25, 2009 by Shamanjoe (log)

[thirtyoneknots]

I think of W&N OP as a... rawer... product than even the Bacardi 151, and of course it's a very different animal from something like Lemon Hart Demerara. I can't remember if I've ever done a side-by-side of the W&N and the Bacardi, though. Might be educational.

I made the drink tonight with 2/3rds lemon hart 80 proof, 1/3 wray and nephew. Probably silly, but very enjoyable. Really wish I could find a way to get the lemon hart OP in texas.

Where in Texas are you? If you are in or around Houston I could possibly direct you to some...PM if interested.

[bostonapothecary]

made quite a few drinks the other night trying to use some dusty bottles from the shelf. these were the ones i remember...

a drink structured like a negroni with a subtly sweet and bracingly bitter direction...

1 oz. del maguey "chichicapa"

1 oz. campari

1 oz. villardi liqueur of jabuticaba

i wanted a liqueur that could elegantly overshadow the smoky aggression of the mezcal and jabuticaba does it well with its foxy grapiness. the structure was familiar and the contrasts were wild... this was probably the favorite of the night.

1 oz. 1990 plantation guyana

1 oz. stock dry vermouth

.5 oz. "china martini" (amaro from martini & rossi)

.5 oz. canton ginger liqueur

this was pretty cool and follows the "alto cucina" template i like to make. i'm always afraid of using liqueurs that have vanilla because it overshadows the nuances of delicate spirits so i don't think the rum contributed anything special. i kind of wish i used bacardi 8 year or glen fiddich. the strange amaro and the ginger liqueur were awesome together. china martini has a menthe-like character that coupled with ginger made the drink "botanically refreshing" in a way akin to fernet but not so intense and with different contrasts. the china martini has sat around for quite a while but now i think it will go fast...

the last memorable drink put to use the batavia arrack.

2 oz. batavia arrack van oosten

.5 oz. cape verdean cinnamon liqueur

.5 oz. taylor's velvet falernum

1 oz. lime juice

2 dashes peychaud's bitters

float of lemonhart 151

my standard style of elaborated sour drink... i'm in love with the cape verdean canella. its completely like a low art version of yellow chartreuse. i've also tasted a lot of cinnamon in my day and the tonality of this stuff in pretty incredible. they aren't just making it over there... they are making it well. its not like eating a "red hot" candy, its aromatic but not overly tannic or obnoxiously spicy. they must use some thoughtful extraction techniques. i wish that i used .75 oz. of cinnamon liqueur and only .25 of falernum because the drink would be more fun with lopsided contrasts. mezcal might also be cooler than top notes of guyana rum. an acceptable drink but it just doesn't live up to its emotional potential. too "balanced", kind of boring, needs a better sense of direction... will remake when my metabolism catches up.

[Chris Amirault]

Can you say more about the Cape Verdean canella liqueur? Photo would be especially nice, since I can hit a liquor store on the way home that will probably have it.

[plattetude]

Thanks to the NY Times recent "Shaken and Stirred" column on Benedictine, my New Year's Eve cocktail list included the Monte Cassino. Based on the Last Word template, it's equal parts rye, Benedictine, yellow Chartreuse, and lemon, and good lord it's fantastic. I thought the Benedictine and Chartreuse might be overkill together, but they play together very nicely, each playing off the honeyed aspect of the other. I believe it's the brainchild of our own MisterDyer. Good stuff!

Christopher

[Shamanjoe]

While not nearly as well-thought-out as bostonapothecary's experiments, I came up with a quick drink on New Year's Eve, mostly to save a friend who was trying to improve her cream soda with a healthy dose of Jameson's..

1oz passionfruit vodka

1oz mango rum

.5oz Cointreau

Cream Soda

Shake the alcohols with ice, and strain into a pint glass filled with ice. Add the cream soda to fill, and give a quick stir.

This had a wonderful fruity smell and was undeniably sweet. In other words, a huge hit with my target audience and immediately labelled as "dangerous" due to its smooth taste and sweet aroma. We were making it with A&W Vanilla Cream Soda because that's what we had, but I really think it would be better with Jones Soda's Cream Soda. The only problem here is that the Jones is hard to find.

I'm going to tinker with the recipe and refine it more, maybe make it an actual cocktail instead of just an on-the-fly mixed drink, but I'm having trouble coming up with a name. Any suggestions?

[judiu]

While not nearly as well-thought-out as bostonapothecary's experiments, I came up with a quick drink on New Year's Eve, mostly to save a friend who was trying to improve her cream soda with a healthy dose of Jameson's..

1oz passionfruit vodka

1oz mango rum

.5oz Cointreau

Cream Soda

Shake the alcohols with ice, and strain into a pint glass filled with ice. Add the cream soda to fill, and give a quick stir.

This had a wonderful fruity smell and was undeniably sweet. In other words, a huge hit with my target audience and immediately labelled as "dangerous" due to its smooth taste and sweet aroma. We were making it with A&W Vanilla Cream Soda because that's what we had, but I really think it would be better with Jones Soda's Cream Soda. The only problem here is that the Jones is hard to find.

I'm going to tinker with the recipe and refine it more, maybe make it an actual cocktail instead of just an on-the-fly mixed drink, but I'm having trouble coming up with a name. Any suggestions?

Tropical Passion?

[Shamanjoe]

Tropical Passion?

There's already a couple drinks with that name. Can I be super impossible and want a name that doesn't exist for any other cocktail?

Thanks for the suggestion though.

[John Rosevear]

First Mai Tai in months -- it's a nice reminder of summer. Appleton Estate Extra, Clement VSOP, Brizard curacao overpoured a little because the lime was kind of tart... good stuff. Needs mint, but my mint patch is buried under snow.

[KatieLoeb]

Working up some new ideas with my cohort behind the bar. My best effort tonight:

Newton's Law

2.0 oz. Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy

1.0 oz. pineapple juice

.5 oz. sweet vermouth

scant barspoon or 3 dashes absinthe

1 dash Peychaud bitters

1 dash Angostura bitters

Build over ice in a rocks glass. Roll a couple of times to mix and garnish with a lime wedge.

Pretty interesting how the apple brandy, pineapple and absinthe play together. Fruity in a good and not too sweet way. Lime wedge to dial it back if you disagree. Hopefully this one will make it on to the menu soon...