Drinks! 2014 (Part 1)

[lesliec]

I think they probably just called it steam back then.

 

The best I can come up with so far is the Black Cat, which you posted in Kindred yourself, sir, in the distant past.  And, no doubt due to some temporal paradox, it's remarkably similar to what we've been discussing: mezcal, gin(s), sweet vermouth, amontillado, ...

[mkayahara]

I did include the bitters, Rafa, and felt that it really did tie the room drink together. Clearly it's a flexible drink.

 

Leslie, I've been a big fan of the Teenage Riot for a while. I think I scared the bartender at Flatiron Lounge in NYC last year when I geeked out over the fact they listed it on their menu. (Though I then proceeded to order something else entirely, for other reasons.)

 

As far as the Poe challenge, wouldn't the easiest answer just be to buy a cask of Amontillado and be done with it? 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

After much reflection, even with the help of wikipedia, I could find no liquid ingredient particularly associated with Toledo.  Sad.  So I guess I'll have to come up with another Poe allusion.  Why could he not have written:  "The French army had entered Jerez"?

 

But I tried, Rafa, I tried.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Yum.  An allen is a nice change after aviations.  Too bad the author spelled his name wrong.

[Rafa]

I think they probably just called it steam back then.

 

The best I can come up with so far is the Black Cat, which you posted in Kindred yourself, sir, in the distant past.  And, no doubt due to some temporal paradox, it's remarkably similar to what we've been discussing: mezcal, gin(s), sweet vermouth, amontillado, ...

 

Ah yes, good catch. I had failed to associate that one with Poe. It's a good drink, although flavorwise quite different from what we've been discussing; the Punt e Mes really dominates that one, and the gins give it a different feel.

 

I made a variation on Prime Meats' 15 Second Punch this weekend, drying it out with rosé and Cava, adding extra lemon and lime, and substituting Cocchi Americano for the grapefruit juice. It proved popular, but partly due to my Cocchi substitution it kind of just tasted like elevated jungle juice to me. Nice, but not a classic.

 

Unrelatedly, I've been told I'm doing a halfassed job of promoting my entry for this Broker's Gin/Tales of the Cocktail contest, which for marketing reasons is partly determined by votes/Facebook Likes, so this is my somewhat more assed attempt to remedy that. Should you be inclined to trade your vote and dignity for the e-tactile pleasure of clicking a "vote" button and a pound of your personal data, you can do so here. The rest of you can enjoy a recipe next to a photo of my hat-accented entry and my own unfortunately preserved expression. You can also vote for my friend Eric Witz, who wisely skirted the contest's "your face must be in the photo" rule by only showing his jaw, but he's currently in first place in our bracket and probably doesn't need the votes (cheers, Eric).

Edited May 28, 2014 by Rafa (log)

[FrogPrincesse]

Good luck with your entry, Rafa!

 

Here is last night's Negroni with St. George dry rye gin, Punt e Mes, and Campari. I have to say I love Punt e Mes in Negronis, and with the dry rye gin the drink has a briny quality that is very pleasant.

 

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Today's weather in New Jersey feels more like fall (after several days of daiquiri temperatures) so of course I made an Autumn in Jersey:

 

3 oz Laird's Bonded

3/4 oz orgeat

1 1/4 oz lemon juice

2 dashes Angostura

 

 

I love this combination.  The roughness of the bonded which spoils it for me in some other Laird's based drinks does not get in the way here, possibly because of the orgeat.  Fire, apples, nuts, and cinnamon.

[Hassouni]

Out of the 12 year?

[JoNorvelleWalker]

The 12 year old -- as much as I enjoy it -- is only 88 proof and does not taste as much like fresh ripe apples. Fear not, I have a good supply. Autumn in Jersey really calls for the bonded.

 

Dinner tonight is pork (sous vide) and applesause so I mixed another Autumn in Jersey. (For which I had to pop another bottle.) Every time I follow an Autumn in Jersey with something else I am disappointed. Autumn is my favorite season.

[mkayahara]

In the spirit of the above proceedings, I really wanted to name a drink "Forgotten Lore," so I threw something together last night. In keeping with the theme, I started with a base of Amontillado, then added some Scotch and some of my stash of Perique. It ended up looking like this:

 

1.5 oz Amontillado (Lustau)

0.75 oz blended scotch (Bell's)

0.75 oz Perique

dash Regan's orange bitters

barspoon maple syrup (to cut some of the astringency, and because sherry and maple go so nicely together)

 

It turned out as a pretty tasty drink, rather along the lines of a glass of sherry with some added depth and nuance, and a touch of smoke. It's amazing how quickly the Perique can get overtaken, but it still brings some subtlety to the glass. I'd love to try this combination again with a lighter sherry... say, the bottle of Valdespino Inocente I have tucked away in the basement.

[Rafa]

That sounds great. I need to get some Perique. I much prefer your take on "The Raven" to Lou Reed's (RIP).

[Hassouni]

Sooo, I was in St Michaels, MD (a pretty and well-heeled maritime town on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay) over the Memorial Day weekend and lo and behold, there's a new rum distillery operating there! Lyon Distilling Co has been open about 6 months and produces rum from a 50/50 mix of organic molasses and Florida Crystals cane sugar, all in mini pot stills. I bought some of their white spirit, which is like a mix between agricole and hogo-less Jamaican. Very distinctive, but very high quality.

 

 

So of course I had to make a Daiquiri with it

 

 

8:2:1 ratio, with 2:1 SS. I have to say, as interesting as the rum is neat, something about it doesn't really work in the Daiquiri. It's not molasses-y enough (like S&C/Pusser's, etc) to work as a Jamaican Daiquiri, and not clean enough to sub as an Agricole Daiquiri. Of course, I think the best Daiquiris are still made from column-stilled Cuban style rums. I'll try it in a Mojito and a few other classic white rum applications next.

 

 

 

Having half a (cheap! juicy!) lime left*, I made my first ever Crafty and Elusive Elk (a rare KC drink that Rafa has no involvement in whatsoever  ). Followed the recipe more or less exactly, except I have Camarena Reposado for the tequila, and Fidencio Classico for the mezcal. And Kaiser P's falernum recipe, since someone (Leslie?) said it blows Velvet out of the seas.

 

 

This, ladies and gents of the spirits forum, is one hella ballin' drink. Highly highly recommended.

 

 

 

 

*Limes are back to 30 cents a pop at H Mart, and this one had 1.5 oz of juice in it! Score!!!)

Edited May 30, 2014 by Hassouni (log)

[Tammi Townsley]

Oh I am jealous Hassouni. I love going to St Michaels. How would you use the rum in a cocktail or straight?

[Hassouni]

It's pretty good neat, it might make a good 'Ti Punch, too. I haven't tried it in any cocktails besides the daiquiri, though. Definitely check Lyon out next time you go to St Michaels, it's as tiny an operation as you can get, and the distiller, Ben Lyon, does everything by hand on a micro-scale and is ultra-passionate about it. They only put out about 100 bottles a week, available for purchase only on site.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Since I have an approximation of all the ingredients, except for blanco tequila, I had to try the crafty and elusive elk:

 

1 oz Patron anejo

1/2 oz tobala (the possessed bottle that the cork keeps popping out of)

1/2 oz falernum

1/2 oz maraschino

3/4 oz fresh lime juice

2 dashes Angostura orange

 

 

Great stuff.  Recommendation seconded, but Hassouni, my coupe is prettier!

 

For my taste I think I would cut the falernum in half.  I would test but I had a mai tai a bit ago, and you know how that goes.  Now I'm wondering what this would taste like with no falernum at all?  Maybe Poe has a name for it...

 

Did I ever mention tobala is such amazing stuff??

[JoNorvelleWalker]

They only put out about 100 bottles a week, available for purchase only on site.

 

A hundred bottles a week?  I think I read del Maguey puts out only 600 bottles of tobala a year.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

It is too close to sunrise for something strong, so (having some lime juice to use up) I made myself a Neisson daiquiri.  Neisson blanc is different from but right up there, in my opinion, with W&N.  Flavorful stuff.  Not something I would start someone out with for a daiquiri.  It took me a bit of getting used to.

 

I look forward to trying some of Neisson's older product when I can afford it, even though I might note W&N is still the better bargain.

[Plantes Vertes]

(a rare KC drink that Rafa has no involvement in whatsoever  ).

 

Traitor.

[brinza]

Came across the Two Blushing Pilgrims in KC yesterday.

 

1.5 oz gin (Bombay Dry)

1 oz Aromatized wine, Lillet Rosé (M&R Rosato)

0.25 oz Campari

0.25 oz Aperol

0.25 oz simple syrup

4 dr rose water

 

The M&R Rosato worked just fine in this in lieu of the Lillet Rosé.  I think it was the first time I've ever used my rose water which I measured out very carefully.  Very strong rose aroma, but you don't actually taste it.  My entire bar area still smells like roses.  Might try just two drops next time.  The simple syrup might even be considered optional in this drink.  Very nice summer drink.  Strong, floral, and highly aromatic.

Edited May 30, 2014 by brinza (log)

[KD1191]

I made the _{unfortunately named} Pliny the Elder, which I only realized after the fact was perhaps in line with it being Negroni Week.

 

In a Julep cup, muddle 1 tsp of sugar and 2 mint leaves in 1 oz Campari. (I did more of a emphatic stir, as I hate the particular strand of bitterness that comes from abusing mint.) Add 1 oz Punt e Mes, 1 oz Genever (Anchor Genevieve), and 1/2 oz St. George's Absinthe. Stir and fill with crushed ice (I swizzled a bit to get the frost up, then topped with more crushed ice) and garnish with two large mint sprigs.

 

So, a semi-Improved Genever Negroni, served in the style of a Julep? It was tasty, if a bit mind-bending for a school night.

[FrogPrincesse]

Having half a (cheap! juicy!) lime left*, I made my first ever Crafty and Elusive Elk (a rare KC drink that Rafa has no involvement in whatsoever  ). Followed the recipe more or less exactly, except I have Camarena Reposado for the tequila, and Fidencio Classico for the mezcal. And Kaiser P's falernum recipe, since someone (Leslie?) said it blows Velvet out of the seas.

 

 

This, ladies and gents of the spirits forum, is one hella ballin' drink. Highly highly recommended.

 

Agree. It's great and a very original combination. Its creator Daniel Warrilow makes interesting stuff. The Lost Cause also by him is worth checking out if you have the ingredients (aquavit, Banks 5 rum, coconut, lemon, lime).

 

Great stuff.  Recommendation seconded, but Hassouni, my coupe is prettier!

 

For my taste I think I would cut the falernum in half. 

Yeah, but you did not post a photo of your coupe!

 

Regarding the falernum, when using homemade (Elmegirab's recipe), I reduce the amount a bit because it can be quite intense.

 

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Yeah, but you did not post a photo of your coupe!.

 

True.  My lame excuse is that the bench where I shoot drink pictures is covered in bottles, tools, and v3 of Modernist Cuisine.  But here is an old picture of the coupe if you don't mind looking at a daiquiri...

 

[Hassouni]

My coupes are commercial-grade, meant to withstand knocks, mild falls, and are dishwasher safe. If it was just myself I might invest in delicate stuff, but for now, no thanks.

Edited May 30, 2014 by Hassouni (log)

[Czequershuus]

A couple of days ago I finally got around to making the Pink Lady, or as Ted Haigh calls it in Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails, The Secret Cockail, for fear the terms Pink and Lady may scare away the more masculine imbibers. It is however, as good as Ted intimated in his classic volume. The recipe I used was slightly different that Ted's, however.

 

1.5 Oz Gin (Beefeater)

0.5 Oz Applejack (Laird's Bonded)

1 Oz Lemon Juice

0.5 Oz Grenadine 

1 Egg White

 

 

As for tonight, I was looking for a nice strong slug of gin, and likely some dry vermouth to accompany it. But rather that a regular Martini, I espied the cocktail onion in my fridge and decided on a Gibson, 1:1 with Beefeater and Noilly Prat Extra Dry, and two lovely cocktail onions. Sometimes you just need a snack with your drink.

[haresfur]

I made the _{unfortunately named} Pliny the Elder, 

 

Unfortunately named?  I mean he said, "Fortune favours the brave" - shortly before getting taken out by Vesuvius, but if that isn't deserving of getting a drink named after you, what is?