Drinks! 2014 (Part 1)

[Rafa]

Host Note: See this topic for the last 2013 Drinks! posts http://forums.egullet.org/topic/145765-drinks-2013-part-2/

Happy new year!!!! /alcohol

[FrogPrincesse]

The cocktails were good; it's too bad that their bad menu is not up to par (fish and chips, mini sliders, etc).

Nice typo.

Department of Redundancy Department!

Also like the toothpicks-as-chopsticks on the garnish of the drink with Japanese whiskey

Thanks. This is just inspired by how Sam Ross garnishes the drink (except he uses crystalized ginger - I had to make do with a dried mango).

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I'm having another cold whiskey punch, again made with Black Barrel. Today the grocery store had no limes at all, not one. Which was a factor in my beverage selection for the night. They did have some of the prettiest mint I have seen in a while so I brought some home and am using as a garnish for my punch (along with the called for lemon slices) which is not traditional.

Also not traditional I skipped the "stem punch glass" and am using a 15 oz tumbler with a single two and one half inch round ice ball to keep it cold. I found the other night I could not drink the punch down quick enough to keep it cool. Very pretty. I'm sure Jerry Thomas or someone must have had the idea to carve out ice balls in the 1850's. And by that I'm not unserious.

I also used only one half lemon tonight, as this one was jucier. And I snuck in a dash of bitters, for better or for worse.

So, my conclusions: I like the iced drink better. (Even though there are several inches of snow and howling winds outside.) It is called cold whiskey punch after all. The stem glass is not as necessary as long as there is ice in the drink. Though I preferred, I think, the extra lemon of the other night.

I believe I'll skip the bitters next time, this was not the drink for them. One error I made: for the sugar I used a half teaspoon measure by mistake. I realized this at the first sip. I made up another half teaspoon sugar's worth of syrup and all was well. I must say it's convenient having a recipe that measures up in a cup measure so as not to get the jigger soiled.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I'm having another variation on the cold whiskey punch I've been making with Black Barrel. This time I used gum syrup rather than cane sugar, and I served in a daiquiri coupe -- since I'd just had a daiquiri. Why dirty two glasses? Juice of one half lemon, as specified. I reduced the spirits to two ounces of Black Barrel and a teaspoon or two of Appleton -- to accomodate the coupe...and because, well, I'd already had a daiquiri. The called for one and one half wineglassfulls of Black Barrel might have been excessive on my empty stomach.

For garnish I went with mint. The syrup gave the drink more body and a less rustic character. Mint works here better than I was expecting. The smaller coupe volume means for me ice is not as necessary (5 ounces vs. 15, though today's bitter cold may have something to do with that).

Tonight's half lemon was not generous, and I would have liked a bit more juice. However I must say this is very nice. All variations on cold whiskey punch that I have tried have worked. This drink lacks the pure brightness of a daiquiri but has a richer, more complex flavor. The 1852 newspaper article said aged spirits were necessary for cold whiskey punch to be at its best: "...to render it excellent."

Edit: actually the recipe calls for "wine-glassesful" but I believe "wineglassfulls" is more grammatically correct. Feel free to discuss.

Edited January 5, 2014 by JoNorvelleWalker (log)

[Hassouni]

in Lebanon at the mo, so that means:

Lots of arak (baladi, preferably, 1:2)

Lebanese beer (961 Red if available, other 961s if not, Almaza as the de facto standard if nothing else is available)

Lebanese wine (Lots of Kefraya Les Brétèches)

Beirut, as I found out rather to my annoyance, has developed legit-looking cocktail bars since my last visit six months ago* (to my annoyance because I wanted to open one and have first mover advantage), but prices are on par with DC if not more, whereas the aforementioned drinks are usually about half that.

I did, however, have a cracking Moscow Mule at a bar called...Moscow Mule...at happy hour prices, so only $3-4 or so.

On NYE I also indulged in a pour of Highland Park 12 at the shockingly outrageous price of 50,000 Lebanese Lira, or $33.33.

*A year ago, I had to teach a bartender here what an old fashioned was, and that yes you CAN use that dusty bar of Angostura for something...)

Edited January 5, 2014 by Hassouni (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

*A year ago, I had to teach a bartender here what an old fashioned was, and that yes you CAN use that dusty bar of Angostura for something...)

Wow, here in New Jersey Angostura comes in bottles, do you scrape off a bit into your drink?

For me tonight it's another Black Barrel "whiskey" punch. What almost got sent down the drain has become one of my favorites. Back to a full lemon, no ice, and sugar rather than gum syrup. All variations slightly different, all good.

[Hassouni]

D'oh! I meant dusty BOTTLE!

[Rafa]

Forgive me, mixological forefathers, for I have sinned: I have used bottled (yuzu) juice rather than fresh juice in a sour. In my defense, I am out of lemons, and it is cold as balls outside.

[haresfur]

It's good weather for sours, Campari, and tall drinks so I decided to revisit the Crab Malice. I modified it with a float of green Chartreuse which added some nice notes.

[FrogPrincesse]

Forgive me, mixological forefathers, for I have sinned: I have used bottled (yuzu) juice rather than fresh juice in a sour. In my defense, I am out of lemons, and it is cold as balls outside.

I am sure that it's ok given the extreme conditions... What kind of sour did you end up making (base liquor)?

[KD1191]

It's good weather for sours, Campari, and tall drinks so I decided to revisit the Crab Malice. I modified it with a float of green Chartreuse which added some nice notes.

I'd missed the Crab Malice when it was originally posted, but will have to give this a try. With the Green Chartreuse added, it evokes the Magnolia Tree, which is probably my most frequently made Rogue/Beta Cocktail.

[Rafa]

Forgive me, mixological forefathers, for I have sinned: I have used bottled (yuzu) juice rather than fresh juice in a sour. In my defense, I am out of lemons, and it is cold as balls outside.

I am sure that it's ok given the extreme conditions... What kind of sour did you end up making (base liquor)?

Just a whiskey sour, no egg white, with Old Grand Dad. Hence wanting to use something at least somewhat lemon-y, rather than my last lime.

I've used the bottled yuzu juice for aromatics/acid in cooking before, but had never tried it in a drink. Unfortunately, the preserved juice gave cooked notes that threw off the drink's flavor, though it was still palatable enough that I finished it. Lesson learned.

[haresfur]

It's good weather for sours, Campari, and tall drinks so I decided to revisit the Crab Malice. I modified it with a float of green Chartreuse which added some nice notes.

I'd missed the Crab Malice when it was originally posted, but will have to give this a try. With the Green Chartreuse added, it evokes the Magnolia Tree, which is probably my most frequently made Rogue/Beta Cocktail.

Yeah, a Chartreuse rinse would probably be better than a float. With all respect to Eric, the original needed a little something.

[Plantes Vertes]

Today we drank a Hanky Panky

2oz gin

1oz red vermouth

1/4oz Fernet Branca

Orange peel garnish

Stirred

And yesterday an Amertinez

1 1/4 oz gin
2/3 oz Cynar
2/3 oz sweet vermouth
1/4 oz Luxardo Maraschino
2 dash orange bitters

Orange peel garnish

Stirred

I go in for these radical changes of style from time to time...

Edited January 8, 2014 by Plantes Vertes (log)

[Plantes Vertes]

Forgive me, mixological forefathers, for I have sinned: I have used bottled (yuzu) juice rather than fresh juice in a sour. In my defense, I am out of lemons, and it is cold as balls outside.

Drink ten Hail Maries and sin no more.

For future reference

Mortal sins (deprive the soul of sanctifying grace)

Eating your sled dogs

Cannibalism

Failure to consume your five-a-day

Venial sins (only a partial loss of grace)

Over-cooking your penguin

Running out of Champagne

Employing bottled yuzu juice in a sour

Edited January 8, 2014 by Plantes Vertes (log)

[Rafa]

Drink ten Hail Maries and sin no more.

Ours is a cruel and merciless God.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Forgive me, mixological forefathers, for I have sinned: I have used bottled (yuzu) juice rather than fresh juice in a sour. In my defense, I am out of lemons, and it is cold as balls outside.

Two daiquiris for me tonight, and but one lorn lemon and no limes at all till I make it out to the store. Assuming that by now they have any limes for sale. However I did learn what lime juice does to cracked skin.

Rum is a wonderful beverage that will cool one down on hot summer nights and warm one up in bitter cold! My question: how does it know?

[ChrisTaylor]

Bought some JM Rhum and made a mojito: about .75 oz worth of demerara syrup to 2 oz r(h)um shaken with some muddled mint and half a lime. Poured over fresh ice and topped up with soda water and garnished with more mint and more lime. Workable.

[EvergreenDan]

Rafa has much to answer for, the bounder. Last night we had his The Man Comes Around again. It was so good we then had to have another one ...

Trifecta of spousal abhorrence: Mezcal, Spanish brandy, Fernet Branca. We're having it tonight....

Hey, we're famous.

http://drinks.seriouseats.com/2014/01/what-alcohol-do-you-hate-bitter-fernet-becherovka-mezcal.html

[Adam George]

Lots of non drinkers on Serious Eats, it seems.

[Rafa]

Rafa has much to answer for, the bounder. Last night we had his The Man Comes Around again. It was so good we then had to have another one ...

Trifecta of spousal abhorrence: Mezcal, Spanish brandy, Fernet Branca. We're having it tonight....

Hey, we're famous.

http://drinks.seriouseats.com/2014/01/what-alcohol-do-you-hate-bitter-fernet-becherovka-mezcal.html

A big fan of your advice way at the bottom of the comments there. If only the preceding 70 or so Serious Drinkers would heed it.

The Problem of Orange Juice is a topic for another day.

[Hassouni]

be that as it may, fernet is fucking vile. and I ain't no non-drinker.

[Chris Amirault]

Vile? Really? Why? I've never really understood that vitriol.

[EvergreenDan]

fernet is fucking vile

You say that like it's a bad thing.

Maybe try a Hanky Panky or Bitter, Bitter, Bitter, Bitter or Eeyore's Requiem?

Edited January 10, 2014 by EvergreenDan (log)

[Rafa]

Or try it with training wheels in the form of Branca Menta.

I can't agree that it's vile, but I see why it's such a difficult taste to acquire for so many people. Heavy menthol + strong bitterness + marijuana dankness isn't a formula that's going to appeal instantly to many people, and the combination of syrupy body with little to no perceptible sweetness does Branca no favors with the uninitiated. Nevertheless it remains popular in Italy and Argentina and among bartenders, and Branca clearly sees potential for growth in the US; the NY subway system is currently blanketed with ads for Fernet.