Drinks! (2013 Part 2)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I'm having what is becoming a favorite refreshment:

juice of one meyer lemon

1 oz orgeat

3 oz Appleton 12

couple dashes Angostura

Shaken, strained over fresh crushed ice in a mai tai tumbler. Garnished with a spent half meyer lemon. Since I have no Laird's in house, as an homage I've been calling this Autumn in Jamaica. I had been garnishing with mint, but in this drink I don't think mint adds much. And the mint color doesn't work.

[ChrisTaylor]

One of my first attempts at homemade bitters was bottled recently and I decided to get a little creative. Not terribly, so. The roots of this are, I think, obvious.

Die Bible and Die Rifle

Chill a serving glass, Sazerac-style.

Meanwhile, in your mixing vessel, combine some cane syrup (enough to form a film over the bottom of the glass), three or so dashes of homemade Boer bitters (heavy on the coriander and allspice), about three drops of Habanero shrub and a scant drop of liquid smoke. Combine this with two ounces of South African brandy: not the rotgut you'd mix with Coke but not the stuff aged to resemble liquid oak. Stir with ice and then strain into the chilled glass.

This is a work in progress but I am pleased so far. The smoke and chilli work nicely with the coriander notes.

[Czequershuus]

An Ancient Mariner tonight, based on the recommendation int he Mai Tai thread that Goslings may do in a pinch for a Demerara Rum

Ancient Mariner

1 Oz Demerara Rum (Goslings Black Seal)

1 Oz Jamaican Rum (Smith & Cross)

0.25 Oz Allspice Dram (Homemade)

0.75 Oz Lime Juice

0.5 Oz Grapefruit Juice

0.5 Oz Simple Syrup

Shake with ice and strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice.

Very tasty. I love how the tiny amount of allspice shines through and ties it all together. Too many of those and a man might be liable to shoot an albatross.

[Rafa]

3/4 oz Irish Whiskey, Redbreast 12

3/4 oz Palo Cortado sherry

3/4 oz cinnamon syrup

3/4 oz lime

Yum.

[Hassouni]

hard times call for hard liquor.

Killed off a bottle of Mount Gay Eclipse Black. Just like Mount Gay killed it off. What a shame.

[bostonapothecary]

.75 oz. tabasco aromatized gin

.75 oz. agavales gold tequila

4.5 oz. fresh 100% grapefruit squirt soda (carbonated 7 g/L)

this is really fun high ball stuff. the grapefruit soda is easy to make and wildly amusing. we always keep a handle of cheap 100% agave tequila in the house because we have to make so many drinks for people and somehow ended up with the scary gold version, but its totally enjoyable. you never really know until you are forced into it.

[cdh]

Playing with my crock of Diep9 oude genever and have found a tasty one:

1.5oz genever,

barspoon Ferrand curacao

barspoon Pineau des Charents

squeeze lime

stirred over ice

Edited December 20, 2013 by cdh (log)

[Plantes Vertes]

Bensonhurst was our Flatmas drink (we made the recipe below).

2oz Rittenhouse BIB rye

1oz Noilly Prat

0.25oz Luxardo maraschino

1bsp Cynar

Chad Solomon, Pegu Club 2006

I'm going to try the alternative formula another time; this drink was not exactly right for my taste to start off although it grew on me. Initially it struck me as a tiny bit aggressive and too piquant. Will use Dolin as recommended and see what transpires.

What is Flatmas, you all are dying to learn? That is our flat's celebration of domestic content. It falls just a bit before the other thing...

Edited December 21, 2013 by Plantes Vertes (log)

[FrogPrincesse]

The Bensonhurst looks really nice Plantes Vertes. I have no idea why I haven't tried that one yet; I tried to visit most of the Brooklyn neighborhoods, but missed that one apparently. Happy Flatmas to you, and Happy Festivus to the rest of us.

Apple Spice Mule at Luce, a local restaurant. Meh. Nice copper mug, but too much ginger beer and not enough bourbon. Their Gin Gin Mule rendition is better.

Tiki and the Pyrats (Michael Mas, ECC): Jamaican rum, lemon juice, falernum, Laphroaig, absinthe.

Another meh. The falernum tried to bridge the gap between the rum and the Laphroaig, but did not succeed. The absinthe (St. George) got lost in the mix.

Moving on to our maple series.

Starting with the inspiration, the Applejack Rabbit from the Savoy Cocktail Book (made with the specs from PDT, but I substituted Calvados for applejack). Calvados, orange and lemon juice, maple syrup. All the ingredients enhance the apple flavor from the calvados. Very nice.

For those of us who enjoy bitter things, Follow that Black Rabbit (Kristian Kramp): London dry gin, Fernet-Branca, orange and lemon juice, maple syrup. It's the digestif version of the above.

Lionheart: calvados, rye, maple syrup, allspice dram, Angostura bitters. Closely related to the American Trilogy and its applejack/rye combo. The Lionheart enhances the spice in the calvados rather than the apple. I feel that it would be better with an older calvados that can better stand up to the other ingredients.

Red Maple Swizzle: Smith and Cross overproof Jamaican rum, lemon juice, maple syrup, Peychaud's bitters.

Gorgeous aroma from the S&C, very drinkable... Delicious, as most things made with S&C.

Don Lockwood (Abraham Hawkins, Dutch Kills), an Old Fashioned with bourbon, Islay scotch, maple syrup, mole bitters, and an orange twist. I did not know that Dutch Kills had recipes printed on their menu; this is cool even though it's not up to date.

Anyway, I don't know what Islay scotch they use at Dutch Kills, but pairing bourbon with Laphroaig is not an easy task. This is a slow sipper for sure, because the Laphroaig overwhelms at first. Not bad, but I suspect that my choice of brands may not have been optimal.

I am still scratching my head about the name. It's Gene Kelly's character in Singin' in the Rain, but what is the connection? Maybe it's that glorious feeling...

Edited December 24, 2013 by FrogPrincesse (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

New to me today was a bottle of Mount Gay Black Barrel. I was attracted by the pretty bottle shape, and at the moment I am sampling a "small taste" of it neat, which gives the excuse to employ a lovely crystal port glass. No mistake on the naming. It sure tastes like barrel on the finish. Not like any rum I can remember. But not unpleasant in the slightest.

Black Barrel is fine for sipping, however I want to make something from it and I need suggestions. I don't think a daiquiri or a mai tai would work. Please help with ideas! In addition to rum I have on hand limes, lemons, Angostura, ice, orgeat, syrup, Cointreau (which apparently is owned by the same company as Mount Gay so maybe they mix well), Slivovitz, and not much else.

I'm begining to feel why Ben Franklin listed "Been at Barbados" as a proper synonym for "As Drunk as David's Sow".

[KD1191]

Tonight it was Tom & Jerry, of course. It's become a Christmas Eve tradition.

[lesliec]

New to me today was a bottle of Mount Gay Black Barrel. I was attracted by the pretty bottle shape, and at the moment I am sampling a "small taste" of it neat, which gives the excuse to employ a lovely crystal port glass. No mistake on the naming. It sure tastes like barrel on the finish. Not like any rum I can remember. But not unpleasant in the slightest.

Black Barrel is fine for sipping, however I want to make something from it and I need suggestions. I don't think a daiquiri or a mai tai would work. Please help with ideas! In addition to rum I have on hand limes, lemons, Angostura, ice, orgeat, syrup, Cointreau (which apparently is owned by the same company as Mount Gay so maybe they mix well), Slivovitz, and not much else.

I'm begining to feel why Ben Franklin listed "Been at Barbados" as a proper synonym for "As Drunk as David's Sow".

Jo, how about making your favourite Mai Tai and adding a float of Black Barrel? I've never had BB but a float of Gunpowder Rum is pretty terrific on my Mai Tais.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Jo, how about making your favourite Mai Tai and adding a float of Black Barrel? I've never had BB but a float of Gunpowder Rum is pretty terrific on my Mai Tais.

Unfortunately I just saw this after my daiquiri preparation was well under way. However after reading up on Gunpowder from their website, Gunpowder seems to be a dark, sweet rum -- which Black Barrel is not. I would say Black Barrel is dry and tannic, although it is a little fruity.

The Black Barrel daiquiri is not undrinkable, but for a daiquiri rum Busted Barrel works much better. To bring out the best in Black Barrel I think I'll need a different type of drink.

Edit: rather than clutter up the daiquiri topic -- for comparison I made up a daiquiri with the last of my Barbancourt 5 star. As good as or better than the Black Barrel in my opinion. Probably the Barbancourt and Black Barrel will not be replaced. Both are OK (but not wonderful) for sipping, although I don't know what else to do with them.

I'm really hoping for more suggestions on Black Barrel, as I have a lot of it to get through. I'm sure it must be good for something.

Edited December 26, 2013 by JoNorvelleWalker (log)

[Czequershuus]

As Christmas draws to a close I find myself relax and sipping a Martinez for a Nightcap, utilizing one of my favorite presents, Boker's Bitters.

1.5 Oz Old Tom Gin (Haymans)

1.5 Sweet Vermouth (Carpano Antica)

0.25 Oz Maraschino (Luxardo)

2 ds Boker's Bitters

Yummy. These bitter are far different that I was expecting. Much less spicy than ango, but more bitter. The flavor is closest to the Breckenridge Bitters(Potable) that I bought a while ago. Very nice, and plays super well with the Antica. It tames some of the vanilla notes that I often find overwhelming. Super excited to try these in other applications.

[lesliec]

Jo, how about making your favourite Mai Tai and adding a float of Black Barrel? I've never had BB but a float of Gunpowder Rum is pretty terrific on my Mai Tais.

Unfortunately I just saw this after my daiquiri preparation was well under way. However after reading up on Gunpowder from their website, Gunpowder seems to be a dark, sweet rum -- which Black Barrel is not. I would say Black Barrel is dry and tannic, although it is a little fruity.

The Black Barrel daiquiri is not undrinkable, but for a daiquiri rum Busted Barrel works much better. To bring out the best in Black Barrel I think I'll need a different type of drink.

Edit: rather than clutter up the daiquiri topic -- for comparison I made up a daiquiri with the last of my Barbancourt 5 star. As good as or better than the Black Barrel in my opinion. Probably the Barbancourt and Black Barrel will not be replaced. Both are OK (but not wonderful) for sipping, although I don't know what else to do with them.

I'm really hoping for more suggestions on Black Barrel, as I have a lot of it to get through. I'm sure it must be good for something.

Well, Gunpowder is certainly dark, but I wouldn't call it sweet. It's really not a sipper either, unless you have masochistic tendencies; the chilli tends to grab one's tonsils on the way past. Your description of Black Barrel as 'fruity' again leads me to suggest a Mai Tai float. Go on - what could it hurt?

[Hassouni]

Aberlour A'Bunadh! Christmas dram, first taste of it.

Such sherry. Very intense. So malt. Wow. Much delicious

[scubadoo97]

 

Afterward, a pour of Four Roses Limited Edition Single Barrel (2012 Edition)...I used to say this was the best bourbon out there that no one really talked about, but that's certainly changing.

Do you know the ABV and recipe of the 4R bourbon?

I do love my Four Roses single barrel selections. Jim Rutledge is a great master distiller and a hell of a nice guy

 

 

The 2012 was OESK. Out of town at the moment, but I believe it's in the neighborhood of 110 proof.

I'm a fan of the E low rye mashbills and a big fan of the OESO but then again they are all quite good

[bostonapothecary]

1 oz. lime juice

1 oz. cocchi aperitivo americano

1 oz. der lachs danzig goldwasser

1 oz. portuguese grappa

swizzled with rock candy swizzle stick grown in rose water

a delicious sour. these swizzle sticks have been sitting around for quite some time so I thought I'd give them a try. previously I had been growing them in alcoholic solutions like Campari or Chartreuse and found that the alcohol hung on to much if not all of the aroma. when crystals grow they essentially purify things but I thought there might be a chance a non alcoholic solution like rose water might give up some aroma. eh not so much. I guess you have to systematically work your way through these things and this one is another #fail. there is one experiment left and that is to do it with trehalose and not sucrose which has half the sweetening power of sucrose and weird fixative abilities to reduce volatility during evaporation/dehydration. trehalose is the sugar that allows the desert to bloom after 50 years of drought and its in scorpion's blood and prevents them from dehydrating to death in sun. crystal growth is not evaporation but who knows what will happen and it will be nice to experience rock candy that isn't so sweet.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Jo, how about making your favourite Mai Tai and adding a float of Black Barrel? I've never had BB but a float of Gunpowder Rum is pretty terrific on my Mai Tais.

Unfortunately I just saw this after my daiquiri preparation was well under way. However after reading up on Gunpowder from their website, Gunpowder seems to be a dark, sweet rum -- which Black Barrel is not. I would say Black Barrel is dry and tannic, although it is a little fruity.

The Black Barrel daiquiri is not undrinkable, but for a daiquiri rum Busted Barrel works much better. To bring out the best in Black Barrel I think I'll need a different type of drink.

Edit: rather than clutter up the daiquiri topic -- for comparison I made up a daiquiri with the last of my Barbancourt 5 star. As good as or better than the Black Barrel in my opinion. Probably the Barbancourt and Black Barrel will not be replaced. Both are OK (but not wonderful) for sipping, although I don't know what else to do with them.

I'm really hoping for more suggestions on Black Barrel, as I have a lot of it to get through. I'm sure it must be good for something.

Well, Gunpowder is certainly dark, but I wouldn't call it sweet. It's really not a sipper either, unless you have masochistic tendencies; the chilli tends to grab one's tonsils on the way past. Your description of Black Barrel as 'fruity' again leads me to suggest a Mai Tai float. Go on - what could it hurt?

Sometimes when trouble shooting one has to try advice that at first glance does not seem reasonable. In this case the float of Black Barrel certainly does not ruin the mai tai, but nor does it add much to it either (except of course for a lot more alcohol). So I have to say "not bad but why?"

The recipe was:

1 oz W&N

1 oz Pusser's

1/2 oz Cointreau

3/4 oz lime juice

1/4 oz orgeat

Garnish of spent half lime and float (maybe 3/4 oz) of Black Barrel. I'm pretty sure my tongue can detect the tannin. Tannin and tiki are not things that go together in my mind. At least not in this stage of my education. And for a float to be effective I think it should be a different color, which Black Barrel is not. I could see maybe using Lemon Hart...

I thank you very much for the mai tai float suggestion though. As I'm getting towards the bottom of the glass the tannin is getting more assertive. Like a young red wine that was meant for laying down. It was a mai tai that started well but ended not so good. Probably any other rum I have would have done better as a float. I think on the whole the Black Barrel worked better in last night's daiquiri, though I'm sure I can do better. However please keep the suggestions coming.

Black Barrel might work for a drink designed for rye or bourbon.

Edit: After careful thought I made and am enjoying a Busted Barrel daiquiri. I know I said I was going to purchase only one desert island rum, but I lied. I had to go back tonight and get something that I liked (batch 3, bottle 66):

2 oz Busted Barrel

3/4 oz fresh lime juice

1/4 oz feste's syrup

Wonderful!

Edited December 27, 2013 by JoNorvelleWalker (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

1 oz. lime juice

1 oz. cocchi aperitivo americano

1 oz. der lachs danzig goldwasser

1 oz. portuguese grappa

swizzled with rock candy swizzle stick grown in rose water

a delicious sour. these swizzle sticks have been sitting around for quite some time so I thought I'd give them a try. previously I had been growing them in alcoholic solutions like Campari or Chartreuse and found that the alcohol hung on to much if not all of the aroma. when crystals grow they essentially purify things but I thought there might be a chance a non alcoholic solution like rose water might give up some aroma. eh not so much. I guess you have to systematically work your way through these things and this one is another #fail. there is one experiment left and that is to do it with trehalose and not sucrose which has half the sweetening power of sucrose and weird fixative abilities to reduce volatility during evaporation/dehydration. trehalose is the sugar that allows the desert to bloom after 50 years of drought and its in scorpion's blood and prevents them from dehydrating to death in sun. crystal growth is not evaporation but who knows what will happen and it will be nice to experience rock candy that isn't so sweet.

I use trehalose for making ice cream. I can't wait to hear of your results!

[bostonapothecary]

1 oz. lime juice

1 oz. cocchi aperitivo americano

1 oz. der lachs danzig goldwasser

1 oz. portuguese grappa

swizzled with rock candy swizzle stick grown in rose water

a delicious sour. these swizzle sticks have been sitting around for quite some time so I thought I'd give them a try. previously I had been growing them in alcoholic solutions like Campari or Chartreuse and found that the alcohol hung on to much if not all of the aroma. when crystals grow they essentially purify things but I thought there might be a chance a non alcoholic solution like rose water might give up some aroma. eh not so much. I guess you have to systematically work your way through these things and this one is another #fail. there is one experiment left and that is to do it with trehalose and not sucrose which has half the sweetening power of sucrose and weird fixative abilities to reduce volatility during evaporation/dehydration. trehalose is the sugar that allows the desert to bloom after 50 years of drought and its in scorpion's blood and prevents them from dehydrating to death in sun. crystal growth is not evaporation but who knows what will happen and it will be nice to experience rock candy that isn't so sweet.

I use trehalose for making ice cream. I can't wait to hear of your results!

do you use it because it is less sweet than sucrose or for any of its super powers?

[haresfur]

1 oz. lime juice

1 oz. cocchi aperitivo americano

1 oz. der lachs danzig goldwasser

1 oz. portuguese grappa

swizzled with rock candy swizzle stick grown in rose water

a delicious sour. these swizzle sticks have been sitting around for quite some time so I thought I'd give them a try. previously I had been growing them in alcoholic solutions like Campari or Chartreuse and found that the alcohol hung on to much if not all of the aroma. when crystals grow they essentially purify things but I thought there might be a chance a non alcoholic solution like rose water might give up some aroma. eh not so much. I guess you have to systematically work your way through these things and this one is another #fail. there is one experiment left and that is to do it with trehalose and not sucrose which has half the sweetening power of sucrose and weird fixative abilities to reduce volatility during evaporation/dehydration. trehalose is the sugar that allows the desert to bloom after 50 years of drought and its in scorpion's blood and prevents them from dehydrating to death in sun. crystal growth is not evaporation but who knows what will happen and it will be nice to experience rock candy that isn't so sweet.

You might try growing the crystals quickly so they trap the aroma in fluid inclusions. Of course this means you will tend to grow smaller crystals. Maybe start with nice crystals grown on your sticks then put them in a supersaturated sugar-rose water solution. You also might try fructose or glucose but I'm not sure if that would help or hurt.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

do you use it because it is less sweet than sucrose or for any of its super powers?

Because it is less sweet. But still gives freezing point depression. So far no scorpions in my kitchen.

[lesliec]

Nothing wrong with being gay. Had one of my Mai Tais tonight (with Gunpowder) and my head is ever so slightly spinning, so nothing constructive to add.

[ChrisTaylor]

A Manhattan made with Punt e Mes, High West Double Rye and Boker's bitters.

Initially I was leaning in the direction of the ultra simple: a gin and tonic. Then I considered a Negroni. Finally, I settled on this. A workable drink for a summer's night. I think the High West shines through the Punt e Mes. Given that it's my go-to vermouth and I've probably tried more whiskies with it than I have actually bought other sweet vermouths (there's something sickly sweet about M&R and Cinzano), it's nice to find a whiskey that announces its name so clearly through what is a very robust apertif. I think this is now my go-to Manhattan formula, altho' I reckon it'd be nicer with the peel of an orange cut into some bullshit twirl that'd likely put me in the ER.