Drinks (2009–2011)

[db_campbell]

needed a refreshing drift after a big lunch...

1 oz. cognac (gaston lagrange vs)

1 oz. unaged cape verdean rum

1 oz. lemon juice

.5 oz. cape verdean orange liqueur

half spoonful of sugar

dash peychaud's bitters

i had recently had some havana club 3 year anejo. it was okay but just reminded me of bacardi silver with a splash of bacardi 8 in it. (not a bad thing. and bacardi 8 is spectacular rum for the money). anyhow i was wondering if i could create the same effect by juxtaposing two spirits to find an interesting overtone of flavors. pisco and cognac might be more appropriate but you'd swear the cape verdean stuff is made from grapes if you tasted it blind. the scant amount of orange liqueur adds its own tonal effect and the overall result is awesome. sometimes for me even a VS cognac in a sour is too mature and too rich. blending it down creates something my moods identify with better.

Following bostonapothecary's lead, I mixed up the following:

1.5 oz Kirsch (St. George)

1 oz Rum (El Dorado 15 yr)

1/2 lemon (~ 0.70 oz)

1 tsp. date syrup (Kassatly Chataura)

4 dashes, Peychaud's

2 dashes, Absinthe (Lucid)

shaken, strained, up.

I picked up the date syrup at a local Mediterranean restaurant today. While a Pisco-Grape Brandy formulation proved to be a Sidecar with darker fruit tones, this was a different beast altogether. The fruit of the lemon/date sour/sweet dynamic co-mingled with the dry cherry & demerara to create a bright/dark interplay of flavours that gives adequate approximation to a four-part choral harmony. The Peychaud's has a tendency to become somewhat lost amongst the darker fruit, while the Absinthe demonstrates surprising difficulty cutting through the other big flavours, though both seem to contribute almost 'invisibly' to the coherency of the amalgamative whole. I would definitely make again, provided sufficient supply of quality Kirsch, and it's worth a shot if you're a fan of structured yet wantonly excessive flavour contrasts.

[KD1191]

Made some more of that maple syrup and played around with the applejack again tonight, but the most unexpected pairing was with a newly acquired bottle of Wray & Nephew Overproof in something akin to a Ti' Punch.

1/6th of a lime squeezed into an old fashioned glass, the resulting husk run around the entire inside of the glass and dropped in.

1 oz Wray & Nephew Overproof Rum

1 oz Flor de Cana 5 Year Rum

Scant 1/4 oz Maple Syrup

2 Dashes Angostura Bitters

1 Dash Angostura Orange Bitters

Stirred with faux-draft cubes.

The maple plays the role of cane syrup well, but with some interesting spice in place of some of cane's funkiness...plenty of funk from the W&N, so I can't say the cane is missed at all.

[Troy Sidle]

My Friend Craig Schoettler just made me a flip:

1.5 Pear Williams Pear Brandy

.33 Fernet Branca

.75 Simple Syrup

3 Dash Lime Juice

1 Dash Orange Bitters (50-50)

1 Vanilla Bean

Shake (with 5 faux-draft cubes). Strain. Serve up.

Glass: Coup

Ice: None

Garnish: Lime Peel

It reminds me of the tropical eggnogs Mom used to make.

[thirtyoneknots]

My Friend Craig Schoettler just made me a flip:

1.5 Pear Williams Pear Brandy

.33 Fernet Branca

.75 Simple Syrup

3 Dash Lime Juice

1 Dash Orange Bitters (50-50)

1 Vanilla Bean

Shake (with 5 faux-draft cubes). Strain. Serve up.

Glass: Coup

Ice: None

Garnish: Lime Peel

It reminds me of the tropical eggnogs Mom used to make.

Did you omit an egg from the ingredient list? If not on what grounds would you consider it a flip?

Edited September 23, 2009 by thirtyoneknots (log)

[thirtyoneknots]

First cold front on the first day of fall, and the temperature finally goes below 80 after 3 months of highs over 100. Reading on the back porch with my pipe and test-driving my new Mole bitters in an Old-Fashioned made with Flor de Cana 7 yr rum. Delightful, and very fitting with the mood.

[haresfur]

Blinker highball

2 oz rye (Sazerac)

1 teaspoon raspberry syrup (Torani)

stir with ice and top with Izze sparkling grapefruit juice

I don't keep regular grapefruit juice around and had bought some Izze to try. Figured it was a good way to experiment with some recipes and the Blinker seemed to fit the bill.

The first taste is all grapefruit - more than the straight juice. Then the rye comes through. A bit strange but not bad.

[thirtyoneknots]

Blinker highball

2 oz rye (Sazerac)

1 teaspoon raspberry syrup (Torani)

stir with ice and top with Izze sparkling grapefruit juice

I don't keep regular grapefruit juice around and had bought some Izze to try. Figured it was a good way to experiment with some recipes and the Blinker seemed to fit the bill.

The first taste is all grapefruit - more than the straight juice. Then the rye comes through. A bit strange but not bad.

Sounds like this could also be read as an interpretation on the Roffignac, which would use more syrup and plain soda instead of the grapefruit. It's an odd drink, and quite rich.

[Troy Sidle]

My Friend Craig Schoettler just made me a flip:

1.5 Pear Williams Pear Brandy

.33 Fernet Branca

.75 Simple Syrup

3 Dash Lime Juice

1 Dash Orange Bitters (50-50)

1 Vanilla Bean

Shake (with 5 faux-draft cubes). Strain. Serve up.

Glass: Coup

Ice: None

Garnish: Lime Peel

It reminds me of the tropical eggnogs Mom used to make.

Did you omit an egg from the ingredient list? If not on what grounds would you consider it a flip?

Oh yes. And a whole egg.

[mkayahara]

I'm sitting here drinking a Starry Night. It's a remarkable drink, with the flavour of the pear eau-de-vie coming through loud and clear while also marrying with the Chardonnay and the maraschino. Beautiful.

Edited September 27, 2009 by mkayahara (log)

[KD1191]

Still on an old-fashioned kick, but I gave the applejack a rest tonight, deciding that I needed to use up some of the ginger syrup I made recently.

2 oz Ransom Old Tom

1/4 oz+ Rich Ginger Syrup (2:1 Sugar/Ginger juice)

12 Drops Habanero-Lime Bitters

4 Drops Angostura Orange Bitters

Combined and stirred with faux-draft cubes.

This is a tasty, if somewhat abrasive, cocktail. There is the somewhat familiar pairing of ginger and juniper, but the funky whiskey-like features of the Ransom become almost fruity in the presence of the spice and heat of the bitters. The cardamom notes and Angostura Orange are pretty much a match made in heaven.

The habanero-lime bitters were a gift from a friend several months ago, and I've had a devil of a time working them into any cocktails, though they do make a fantastic addition to ginger beer. This is the first cocktail I've tried them in that I'd consider a success. Anyone else have ideas for their use?

[jsmeeker]

Right now, a Bennett Cocktail is hitting the spot. Beefeater Gin, Lime juice, simple, and some angostura bitters.

[vice]

Either they've just appeared or my eyesight has been going, but however they've slipped under the radar for a couple years, white grapefruits are finally readily available at the farmer's market, and what a difference they make. Given California's cool weather of late, I've turned to whiskey and have been enjoying them in Blinkers - for the time being - but there are others I can't wait to revisit with this paler pal to the ruby red.

Tonight, however, a fresh bottle of Punt e Mes, and this:

3/4 oz Los Danzantes joven mezcal

3/4 oz Punt e Mes

3/4 oz Tequila por mi Amante

stir, strain over rocks, orange twist

The oily, smokey mezcal is a nice foil to the tpma, bringing complexity with the Punt e Mes to the one-note strawberry. I still think it could use a little something else like a dash or so of curacao.

[bostonapothecary]

cafe colada

.5 oz. coffee liqueur (kahlua)

.5 oz. coconut cream ("coco real" brand)

1 oz. lime juice

.5 oz. kirshwasser

1.5 oz. st. james amber

stir in a glass (iceless) to mix then simply pour over crushed ice.

i'm supposed to come up with drink using kahlua for a sponsored event. this is pretty cool and the structure is really nice. a refreshing amount of lime juice contrasted with a enough sugar to be a crowd pleaser. but coffee liqueur just seems to be a flavor black hole. its over shadows everything in its wake so its all or none.

i feel like its too easy to like this drink for its tart structure and miss the point of an interesting and challenging to create coffee flavor contrast therefore i'm wasting precious martinique rum.

[bostonapothecary]

cafe colada

.5 oz. coffee liqueur (kahlua)

.5 oz. coconut cream ("coco real" brand)

1 oz. lime juice

.5 oz. kirshwasser

1.5 oz. st. james amber

stir in a glass (iceless) to mix then simply pour over crushed ice.

i'm supposed to come up with drink using kahlua for a sponsored event. this is pretty cool and the structure is really nice. a refreshing amount of lime juice contrasted with a enough sugar to be a crowd pleaser. but coffee liqueur just seems to be a flavor black hole. its over shadows everything in its wake so its all or none.

i feel like its too easy to like this drink for its tart structure and miss the point of an interesting and challenging to create coffee flavor contrast therefore i'm wasting precious martinique rum.

so i tried this again by changing the st. james and eau de vie quotient to:

1 oz. overholt rye

1 oz. kirshwasser

if your crushed ice is handy this style of drink can be created with almost punch style efficiency. tasty stuff.

[vice]

searching over the bottles i haven't picked up in a while, i came up with this:

1 oz cognac (dudognon)

1 oz fino sherry (lustau)

1 oz sloe gin

dash peychaud's

stir, up, lemon twist

i like what the sherry and sloe gin are doing together, but the cognac is somewhat lost and bitters with a bit more spice would be an improvement. all in all, needs work but not a total loss...

[thirtyoneknots]

Had a plain cock-tail with some of my stash of old (green bottle) Bols Genever tonight, using Peychaud's supplemented with a few drops of Angostura. I think I may have actually been setting out to make something more Sazerac-y but forgot the absinthe...oh well.

Drank that while deboning a whole duck for a friend's colinary project (some kind of duck/rabbit sausage...I have no idea) and decided that sauteeing the liver in butter and snacking on it with some Kelt VSOP might be a good idea. I was right.

[bostonapothecary]

cafe colada

.5 oz. coffee liqueur (kahlua)

.5 oz. coconut cream ("coco real" brand)

1 oz. lime juice

.5 oz. kirshwasser

1.5 oz. st. james amber

stir in a glass (iceless) to mix then simply pour over crushed ice.

i'm supposed to come up with drink using kahlua for a sponsored event. this is pretty cool and the structure is really nice. a refreshing amount of lime juice contrasted with a enough sugar to be a crowd pleaser. but coffee liqueur just seems to be a flavor black hole. its over shadows everything in its wake so its all or none.

i feel like its too easy to like this drink for its tart structure and miss the point of an interesting and challenging to create coffee flavor contrast therefore i'm wasting precious martinique rum.

so i tried this again by changing the st. james and eau de vie quotient to:

1 oz. overholt rye

1 oz. kirshwasser

if your crushed ice is handy this style of drink can be created with almost punch style efficiency. tasty stuff.

variation of the theme.

1 oz. lime juice

.5 oz. green chartreuse

.5 oz. coconut cream (coco real)

1.5 oz. gin (laird's five o'clock)

.5 oz. kirshwasser

float of cognac to contrast the pungently aromatic chartreuse

served over crushed ice

so chartreuse and coconut is pretty cool.

[KD1191]

Hadn't made a shaken drink in awhile, and I've got some good eggs...

2 oz Hendrick's

1 1/4 oz Lime

3/4+ oz Hibiscus Syrup (1:1 Hibiscus Tea*:Sugar)

1 Egg White

Dry shake, wet shake, strain. Top with 1 drop of rose water and 4 of Angostura orange.

Is it a Pink Lady? Is it an eggy Southside? Whatever it is, it's just delicious.

*Dried hibiscus petals I found at a market in Chinatown steeped in hot water then strained.

Edited October 17, 2009 by KD1191 (log)

[KD1191]

Moving right along...I found a book called "The Standard Bartender's Guide" at a used book sale last weekend. It's by Patrick Duffy, but what piqued my interest was that it was "revised and enlarged" by James Beard. While flipping through the pages, I found this:

Ping-Pong

1/2 Sloe Gin

1/2 Crème d'Yvette

Juice of 1/4 Lemon

I have been neglecting my bottle of Rothman & Winters Violette, and the idea of pairing it with Sloe Gin was appealing. What I made was:

1 1/2 oz Plymouth Sloe Gin

1 1/2 oz R&W Crème de Violette

3/4 oz Lemon Juice

Shaken and strained.

My god if that isn't a glorious color...and the taste blew me away. I've seen many people disregard the R&W Violette as overkill at 1/4 oz, and until I tried this I generally agreed. But, this is really good. The overwhelming flavor I get is raspberry, like real freshly picked rocky mountain raspberries.

Edited October 17, 2009 by KD1191 (log)

[KD1191]

Trying to replicate something fellow eGulleter Troy Sidle put together for me earlier this week...it's bitter & brown, not sure if it has a name.

1 oz Cynar

1 oz Averna

2 oz Carpano Antica (I used 1 oz M&R Rosso and 1 oz Punt e Mes, as I've found in most cases this does not produce a particularly noticeable difference.)

Stir, flamed orange peel.

I omitted the flaming citrus and topped with a dash of Amer Picon. This was fine, but not an improvement.

[haresfur]

Made it to the Teardrop Lounge in Portland. Very nice. Started with a High Hat: 4 roses bourbon, house sweet vermouth, house amer, pau d'Arco bitters (forgot to ask what they are), and green Chartreuse. Beautifully bitter and complex.

Second was the Other Side of Summer: Clement agricole, Blandy's maderia, pineapple water, kirsch, lime, demerara syrup. A touch sweet with a very strong sequence of flavors hitting the tongue in succession. But very nice.

That was plenty to get me ready for a trip through Powell's books.

[John Rosevear]

Right now I'm drinking a Wibble, which was created by Dick Bradsell to promote Plymouth's sloe gin:

As I made it:

1 oz Plymouth gin

1 oz Plymouth sloe gin

1 oz grapefruit juice

1/4 oz lemon juice

1/4 oz creme de mure (I used Massenez)

1/8 oz simple syrup

Shake and strain into a cocktail glass. Very nice knife-edge balance of tart and sweet.

[thirtyoneknots]

Second was the Other Side of Summer: Clement agricole, Blandy's maderia, pineapple water, kirsch, lime, demerara syrup. A touch sweet with a very strong sequence of flavors hitting the tongue in succession. But very nice.

Any idea what pineapple water is? Also curious as to what kind of Madiera is being employed here, if you happen to know. One of my favorite beverages.

[eje]

My guess would be that "pineapple water" is just fresh pineapple juice.

"tomato water" is where you chop tomatoes and then leave them in a bag for the clear juice to drain out slowly just via gravity. Could do something similar with pineapples.

On the other hand, it could be pineapple agua fresca.

I will try to find out.

[tsg20]

Trying to replicate something fellow eGulleter Troy Sidle put together for me earlier this week...it's bitter & brown, not sure if it has a name.

1 oz Cynar

1 oz Averna

2 oz Carpano Antica (I used 1 oz M&R Rosso and 1 oz Punt e Mes, as I've found in most cases this does not produce a particularly noticeable difference.)

Stir, flamed orange peel.

I omitted the flaming citrus and topped with a dash of Amer Picon. This was fine, but not an improvement.

Just made one of these - very good. Reminded me a bit of the Trilogy cocktail (4:2:1 Carpano Antica:Cynar:Fernet Branca), which I believe is also one of Mr Sidle's.