Drinks! (2013 Part 2)

[Hassouni]

I'm a fan of that version as well, though I tend to prefer a touch of demerara syrup to a sugar cube if I have some handy. I need to try the St. George absinthe in a Sazerac.

Demerara syrup always. A scientifically measured small puddle.

I use Rittenhouse, and no soda. I chill the glass first, and do the absinthe rinse after dumping the ice and right before straining the rest into the glass. I also don't throw out the leftover absinthe.

[FrogPrincesse]

I'm a fan of that version as well, though I tend to prefer a touch of demerara syrup to a sugar cube if I have some handy. I need to try the St. George absinthe in a Sazerac.

Demerara syrup always. A scientifically measured small puddle.

I use Rittenhouse, and no soda. I chill the glass first, and do the absinthe rinse after dumping the ice and right before straining the rest into the glass. I also don't throw out the leftover absinthe.

A little bit of water or club soda is needed if you use a sugar cube so it can be fully dissolved; obviously skip it if you use Demerara syrup.

I think that I just like the ritual of the sugar cube. It forces me to slow down and concentrate on what I am doing, and I enjoy the process. If you are in a hurry though, or don't have the energy, using syrup is best.

[Rafa]

If I could easily acquire demerara sugar cubes I'd probably go with that.

[Rafa]

I chill the glass first, and do the absinthe rinse after dumping the ice and right before straining the rest into the glass. I also don't throw out the leftover absinthe.

I tend to just add a dash of absinthe directly to the mixing tin, unless I'm putting on a show for a crowd, and then I, erm, attempt the whole tossing-glass-while-shouting-"Sazerac!" thing.

[Hassouni]

I chill the glass first, and do the absinthe rinse after dumping the ice and right before straining the rest into the glass. I also don't throw out the leftover absinthe.

I tend to just add a dash of absinthe directly to the mixing tin, unless I'm putting on a show for a crowd, and then I, erm, attempt the whole tossing-glass-while-shouting-"Sazerac!" thing.

That doesn't achieve the same effect. You want to coat the glass so that the aroma hits you before you even take a sip. I suppose one of those Absinthe atomizer things would work just as well.

[Adam George]

I'll chime in with my Sazerac since we're all measuring dicks.

1.00oz Rittenhouse Rye

1.00oz "What VSOP Cognac Is On Offer" when at home or Armagnac in the bar.

0.75oz 2:1 Demerara Sugar Syrup.

5 Solid dashes Peychaud's Bitters

2 Dashes Angostura Bitters

Stir over ice, strain into chilled, absinthe rinsed rocks glass.

Lemon twist.

Discard.

The discard is important. And over this drink I don't molest the glass with it or anything. Just spray and throw.

[Hassouni]

By discard do you mean drink?

[Plantes Vertes]

Discard the lemon peel, I think...

[Hassouni]

Yeah, I know....

[Adam George]

Can't explain..... I'm... choking....

[Chris Amirault]

Ted Kilpatrick runs a killer program at No. 9 Park in Boston, and this drink of his is one of my favorites. Parentheses indicate adjustments using on-hand ingredients; I subbed in the rich Clement Creole Shrubb bc the Ardbeg has less body and caramel than the Talisker:

Scotland the Brave

2 1/2 oz Talisker (Ardbeg 10)

3/4 oz sweet vermouth (Carpano Antica Formula)

3/4 oz Fernet Branca

1/2 oz Mathilde orange XO (Clement Creole Shrubb)

Stir; strain over a fresh rock in a highball glass; orange twist.

[ChrisTaylor]

It's maybe a little impressive to see that maybe one dash too many of Peychaud's bitters is enough to dominate Tennessee whiskey, cynar and smoked maple syrup that's only marginally less smoky than a bottle of liquid smoke.

[FrogPrincesse]

2:1 Martini last night with Plymouth and Noilly Prat Extra Dry, Regan's and Fee's orange bitters, lemon twist.

Sadly, no caviar to be found.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I caught the eye of a Parisian Blonde, and sort of I wish I hadn't.

1 oz Busted Barrel (smoothest rum I have)

1 oz Cointreau

1 oz heavy cream

Shaken and strained. As stated the result was pretty vile. I stirred in a little syrup, which made it better, but still, not something that I care to make again.

[Adam George]

Those Parisians are always a gamble...

[FrogPrincesse]

I caught the eye of a Parisian Blonde, and sort of I wish I hadn't.

1 oz Busted Barrel (smoothest rum I have)

1 oz Cointreau

1 oz heavy cream

Shaken and strained. As stated the result was pretty vile. I stirred in a little syrup, which made it better, but still, not something that I care to make again.

Believe it or not, it looks like this monstrosity originated from the Savoy Cocktail Book.

Thank god I am a brunette, otherwise I'd be pretty upset.

[Rafa]

I made a gin version of the Toronto discussed above. Pretty good. Very woodsy.

I'm also playing around combining Cynar and Pedro Ximénez sherry with different spirits. Those two are made for each other.

[FrogPrincesse]

Toronto with gin. Sounds interesting. What gin did you use, Rafa?

For now, here is just a glimpse of my legendary backlog - last night's Negroni variation with St. George dry rye gin and Dolin rouge.

Really, really good. The dry rye gin changes the feeling of the drink quite a bit. It feels a bit crisper/lighter/drier. The gin has tons of juniper and also some pepper and caraway. The resulting Negroni tastes a bit malty, almost briny/savory, and then the botanicals and bitter finish take over. It's different from the classic Negroni but it's great in its own right. Will do again, for sure.

I think next I want to use this gin in an old-fashioned.

[Rafa]

I used Broker's, simply because it's what I have around at the moment. I imagine the drink could work better with a more herbal gin like St. George Terroir or Edinburgh. I was inspired by a sparkling, unsweetened version of the same drink called Bitter Herb.

I'm very curious to try the dry rye gin, as well as its aged version, which St. George charmingly calls "reposado." Unfortunately my preferred local liquor store isn't taking any special orders until the holiday season's through.

Edited November 12, 2013 by Rafa (log)

[mkayahara]

I think a Toronto made with Anchor's Genevieve could be stellar.

And I agree that Cynar and sherry generally are a very good combination!

[Rafa]

I'm having Dan Chadwick problems lately where almost everything is too sweet for my palate, but somehow dark flavors like sherry and amari get an exemption.

[Adam George]

I've got a couple of drinks to post.

Speaking of Genever I finally made an Improved Holland Gin Cocktail

I used about three parts Bols to one part Ketel One, a spoon of Curaçao and Maraschino with Angostura and Absinthe Bitters*

And to right the wrongs at The American Bar, a White Lady

2:1:1 with Beefeater, Cointreau, lemon and a couple of dashes of Absinthe Bitters*

* Absinthe Bitters

Inspired by the recipe in The Employees Only book.

Roughly 3:1 Absinthe : Chartreuse Vegetal Elixier, with Angostura, Peychaud's and Fernet to taste.

Rather than use Fee's Mint Bitters, I steep fresh mint in the mixture.

Edited November 13, 2013 by Adam George (log)

[Rafa]

Gorgeous shots. I need to get a camera.

I recently rediscovered this drink, and think it's great, and deserves a spot in my (and perhaps others') regular rotation:

The Doe's Path

by muse of doom, feu-de-vie

1 oz Rye, Dad's Hat

1 oz Dry vermouth, Vya

3/4 oz Cynar

1/4 oz Bénédictine

1 spg Rosemary (as garnish)

Stir, strain, coupe, garnish. Roll the sprig between your fingers to wake it up.

Delicious. Made with ri(1) and Vya.

--

Kindred Cocktails | Craft + Collect + Concoct + Categorize + Community

Subtle, complex, spicy, and dark, the flavors perfectly integrated and congruent. Structurally, I suppose it's a forest-y take on bostonapothecary's Alto Cucina.

[Adam George]

Cheers mate.

Still working mine out. It's good fun, though.

Doe's Path is a good looking drink. I'll try that one out.

[FrogPrincesse]

Indeed these are beautiful shots. Worthy of a book, for sure.

A question for you, Adam - for your Improved Holland Gin Cocktail, you said that you used a mix of Bols genever and Kettle One vodka (3:1).

Why not use straight genever?