Drinks (2009–2011)

[haresfur]

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.

The pineapple water, whatever it is, gave a light taste, similar to my infused rum.

Sorry, I didn't think to check for any more details about the madiera. I'm pretty sure it isn't the $50/glass stuff Andina has on their desert menu, though.

[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.

The pineapple water, whatever it is, gave a light taste, similar to my infused rum.

Sorry, I didn't think to check for any more details about the madiera. I'm pretty sure it isn't the $50/glass stuff Andina has on their desert menu, though.

Yeah I figured, I just wondered what level of sweetness it had.

[eje]

[..]

"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.

[...]

Asked Mr. Shoemaker and he said their pineapple water is made in a similar way to tomato water.

[bostonapothecary]

i didn't realize a grocery store around the corner from me had sour oranges but a friend was kind enough to point it out...

1.5 oz. st. james

.75 oz. sweet vermouth (boissiere)

.75 oz. sour orange juice (it was near completely green)

flamed twist

the acidity of the sour orange is an excellent contrast to the low range sugar ethic of the sweet vermouth. the st. james elevates it all to epic...

[KD1191]

Just back from Mexico with an assortment of duty-free tequilas...made an old fashioned with Herradura Reposado, hibiscus syrup and fee's old fashioned bitters. I wasn't sure about the bitters at first, but I think I like the combination. The floral, earthy and spice notes of the tequila all present quite nicely.

[bjackson]

I'm drinking an 'autumn old-fashioned' made with 2.5oz of bourbon (Buffalo Trace), .5oz of Cinnamon Syrup (2:1 demerara with cinnamon sticks) and three dashes of angostura. De-licio-ous!

[jmfangio]

Had to make a Rob Roy tonight, as on this night in 1894 the operetta Rob Roy premiered on Broadway. So...

2 oz Scotch (Famous Grouse)

1 oz Italian Vermouth (Carpano Antica)

1 dash Angostura bitters

Stir, strain, garnish with maraschino cherry (homemade).

Nice. Very nice, indeed (but, truth be told, I still prefer a rye Manhattan).

[KD1191]

Much thanks, again, to Troy Sidle for this as yet unnamed flip:

2 1/4 oz Rittenhouse BIB

3/4 oz Angostura Bitters

1/2 oz Blis Bourbon Barrel Matured Maple Syrup

1/4 oz Demerara Syrup

Whole Egg

Freshly Grated Nutmeg Garnish

I'd asked for a drink with Blis maple syrup, as it's an ingredient I've been fascinated with. Was quite blown away by this, saying it was possibly the best drink of his I'd ever had. Even in my much less skillfully prepared iteration, the recipe produces one of the tastiest drinks I've had in a very long time.

Edited November 3, 2009 by KD1191 (log)

[haresfur]

Trying to use up bottles by faking Tiki drinks:

1 oz pineapple-infused Cruzan dark

1 oz Bacardi dark

3/4 oz Mt. Gay

1/2 oz Amaretto (since I don't have Orgeat)

1/2 oz Gran Gala

Stir with ice strain into highball glass and top with guava juice

Garnish with a parasol spiked into a homemade brandy-Bing cherry

I don't know much about Tiki drinks but I can't recall seeing any that use guava juice. I'm not a fan of the stuff straight but the rum is a big improvement.

[FireAarro]

KD1191: How do you fancy the flip would work with regular maple syrup? Would be difficult to get hold of the Blis where I live.

[KD1191]

KD1191: How do you fancy the flip would work with regular maple syrup? Would be difficult to get hold of the Blis where I live.

The Blis makes this a special cocktail, but I imagine it would still be quite good with another high quality maple syrup. There are much better applications for the rye if all I had was Hungry Jack, though.

[KatieLoeb]

I was asked by a local publication to come up with an absinthe cocktail that would be simple enough for the average home bartender to prepare without any hard to source ingredients or complex preparations. This is what I came up with (complete with directions and sources for the amateur):

Absinthe Martini 101

.5 oz. (1 Tablespoon) Vieux Carre Absinthe (distilled right here in Philadelphia)

2.5 oz. Gin or Vodka of your choosing

1 oz. Lillet Blanc (a French fortified wine that is similar to vermouth)

1 Tablespoon roughly chopped fresh mint leaves

1 dash orange bitters (Fee Brothers or Angostura Orange bitters available at DiBruno Brothers)

Optional (for a sweeter drink): 1 teaspoon simple syrup (equal parts water and sugar dissolved together) or Agave nectar (available at Whole Foods)

Garnish: Fresh lemon twist

Pour absinthe into a cocktail/martini glass and carefully rotate to coat the inner surface of the glass without spilling and pour excess into an iced cocktail shaker. Add remaining ingredients (except for the garnish) and shake vigorously. Strain through a fine strainer into the coated glass. Remove a long strip of peel from a lemon with a vegetable peeler, taking care to remove only the yellow peel and none of the white pith. Point the twist over the glass, peel side facing the drink and fold the peel in half lengthwise, spraying the surface of the drink with oil from the peel. Rub the rim of the glass with the peel side of the twist and drop twist into the drink. Drink, rinse, repeat.

I much prefer this drink made with Plymouth gin, but of course had to include the vodka option just because. The Vieux Carre absinthe is a bit more herbal forward and less anise forward than most absinthe I've tried, so I thought the inclusion of the mint would play up those flavors as well as give the mojito drinkers something to hang their hats on. It's pretty tasty when finished, and hopefully a good entry level cocktail for the absinthe neophytes.

[bostonapothecary]

1.5 oz. tequila (el tesoro reposado was laying around)

.75 oz. grand marnier (seemed like a good idea)

.75 oz. lime juice

spoonful of pineapple syrup (i was making it at the time i needed a drink)

"smoked" salt rim (salt rubbed with ground lapsang souchong tea)

flamed seville orange peel ('tis the season)

a simple interesting drink. the pineapple adds very little but was in front of me. the idea was to create a smoky mezcal-like experience but on a budget. even without licking the salt, the aroma is a fun contrast to the other elements. easy enough to whip up the salt that i'd do it again...

[KatieLoeb]

Why not just buy smoked salt instead of using the tea which I suspect might add a bitter/tannic component to the rim? My local Whole Foods has Alderwood Smoked Sea Salt that isn't even that expensive for a small container. I've experiemented with it in cocktails and on rims and it's quite an excellent addition to the repertoire. And less work.

[bostonapothecary]

Why not just buy smoked salt instead of using the tea which I suspect might add a bitter/tannic component to the rim? My local Whole Foods has Alderwood Smoked Sea Salt that isn't even that expensive for a small container. I've experiemented with it in cocktails and on rims and it's quite an excellent addition to the repertoire. And less work.

the salt didn't pick up any bitter or tannic components. i'd buy the salt if the price was right but everything i had was bought and paid for.

[bostonapothecary]

an attempt at a collage.

.5 oz. boissiere sweet vermouth

.5 oz. la cigarrara manzanilla

.5 oz. hiram walker kirshwasser

.5 oz. del maguey chichicapa

.5 oz. plymouth sloe gin

.5 oz. cape verdean licor de canela (cinnamon)

similar to stuff i've made before and enjoyed but with the new addition of an awesome cinnamon liqueur. complex and eerie. every ingredient is about as unrelated as i could get them but add up to a manageable structure.

[KD1191]

The "Warning Label" from Rogue Cocktails...or whatever they'll be calling themselves now.

Cynar, Punt e Mes & W&N Overproof with a Campari rinse.

I didn't have the grapefruit bitters that were called for, but I still got some unmistakable grapefruit notes from this combination. Will make this again. I did not expect to enjoy it nearly as much as I did.

[vice]

Doesn't it call for overproof demerara? Would end up a very different drink, I imagine.

[KD1191]

Yes, not entirely true to form, but it says Bacardi 151 is an acceptable substitute if OP demerara isn't available...I assumed the W&N OP was a step up from the Bacardi, in quality at least if not in proof. The recipe suggests letting the drink cook longer than normal due to the volume of high proof booze, which I did not exactly do...so, I'm hoping it all came out as a wash.

[bostonapothecary]

satan's whiskers

.5 oz. gin (seagrams distiller's reserve)

.5 oz. dry vermouth (stock)

.5 oz. sweet vermouth (boissiere)

.5 oz. curacao (cape verdean)

.5 oz. orange juice (seville sour)

dash orange bitters (hermes)

stirred... (i'm happy with the resultant texture)

a killer drink. quite the alliteration of orange elements. i really wanted to use sour orange juice versus something sweeter and more conventional so i went with a sweeter than triple-sec orange liqueur to add up to a more manageable sugar ethic. this doesn't have a lot of alcohol or even a high cost basis but it is quite satisfying. unique structure, contrasts, and tonality. i'd love to try it again with st. james ambre instead of gin...

Edited November 12, 2009 by bostonapothecary (log)

[John Rosevear]

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.

[thirtyoneknots]

satan's whiskers

.5 oz. gin (seagrams distiller's reserve)

.5 oz. dry vermouth (stock)

.5 oz. sweet vermouth (boissiere)

.5 oz. curacao (cape verdean)

.5 oz. orange juice (seville sour)

dash orange bitters (hermes)

stirred... (i'm happy with the resultant texture)

a killer drink. quite the alliteration of orange elements. i really wanted to use sour orange juice versus something sweeter and more conventional so i went with a sweeter than triple-sec orange liqueur to add up to a more manageable sugar ethic. this doesn't have a lot of alcohol or even a high cost basis but it is quite satisfying. unique structure, contrasts, and tonality. i'd love to try it again with st. james ambre instead of gin...

Most things are worth trying with that substitution actually. I haven't been drinking much of it lately but St. James Ambre has got to be one of the most interesting and intense spirit for the dollar out there.

[eje]

satan's whiskers

[...]

Any reason you did equal parts of all ingredients in the Satan's Whiskers? To make up for the Sour Oranges?

The Savoy recipe is one of the odder ones in the book:

Satan’s Whiskers Cocktail (Straight)

Of Italian Vermouth, French Vermouth, Gin and Orange Juice, two parts each; of Grand Marnier one part; Orange Bitters, a dash. Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

I made this last night 1/2 oz of It. Vermouth, Fr. Vermouth and gin. A quarter ounce of Orange Juice, "Sour Lemon Orange" juice and Grand Marnier/Curacao. Found it much more enjoyable (curled or straight) than I had previously.

[bostonapothecary]

satan's whiskers

[...]

Any reason you did equal parts of all ingredients in the Satan's Whiskers? To make up for the Sour Oranges?

The Savoy recipe is one of the odder ones in the book:

Satan’s Whiskers Cocktail (Straight)

Of Italian Vermouth, French Vermouth, Gin and Orange Juice, two parts each; of Grand Marnier one part; Orange Bitters, a dash. Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

I made this last night 1/2 oz of It. Vermouth, Fr. Vermouth and gin. A quarter ounce of Orange Juice, "Sour Lemon Orange" juice and Grand Marnier/Curacao. Found it much more enjoyable (curled or straight) than I had previously.

i already tried it with the st. james and it was quite good.

i took the recipe ("curled") from dr. bamboo's blog which seems to have gotten it from "vintage spirits and forgotten cocktails". i was attracted to the proportions because i really don't like uneven measures. i guess i didn't follow the bitters measure to the tee but that much extract is not my thing but who knows how intense orange bitters used to be. i really think you would have to do equal parts to make up for the acidity of the orange juice. i also differentiate curacao and triple-sec by sugar and alcohol content. triple-secs being higher in alcohol and lower in sugar. grand marnier is a strange product. i've gotten the sense that it may have started as a curacao but now is a triple-sec.

[Yojimbo]

Saw a post for a Japan Cocktail over on Saveur, have been on a bit of an orgeat kick recently, and came up with this variation on the Applecar:

1 1/2 oz. Laird's bonded

1/2 Cointreau

1/2 Amararetto

1/2 capful orgeat

2 dashes angostura

the resulting drink was too sweet, but the addition of a healthy squeeze of lemon (1/2 oz.?) balanced it out.

I'm calling it the Autumn Leaf