Drinks! 2014 (Part 1)

[scubadoo97]

Yes, I just saw that Weller 12 had gone up from under $20 to ~$25 at my favorite local store. Of course this is theoretical, as no one can find Weller 12 at the moment…

Time to find out if I like Evan Williams Single Barrel, I guess.

It seems to get a lot of love but frankly I don't think it has much flavor. Just way to soft which is I guess what some people like about it. Have a '95 bottle opened in the cablinet. Just don't have much desire to drink it.

[EvergreenDan]

Following the news that (non-distiller) Hood River Distillers just acquired Clear Creek Distillery, I worry about the future of a niche, labor-intensive product like the Doug Fir eau de vie.

That's really too bad. Looking at the other Hood River brands, it does not seem to be an obvious match.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I'm having what would otherwise be a daquiri, but made with Small Hand raspberry syrup, rather than plain Small Hand syrup. It's OK, nice for a change, but I think I like the traditional daiquiri better.

When made with lemon and more raspberry syrup, that's a Vic's Columbia, a nice drink.

Thank you! A new one for me. Of course I had to try it. A little sweet but I would make it again, maybe cutting down the syrup just a bit. The Columbia does not taste any more raspberryish than last night's drink with only 1/4 ounce of syrup. However it is better balanced by having less citrus.

I had a little problem coming up with the "light" rum called for. I am all out of Busted Barrel. I squeezed the last of my Clement VSOP and Barbancourt 5 star, making up the difference with a splash of W&N. In the rum department I am now down to Appleton 12 and W&N. One could do worse. I don't plan to replace the Clement and Barbancourt. I would like more Pusser's but I can't get my hands on it.

[Hassouni]

Besides Palo Viejo (¡viva Boriken!), my go to light rum is Flor de Caña

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Besides Palo Viejo (¡viva Boriken!), my go to light rum is Flor de Caña

Neither one unfortunately is here. The store where I shop has in some older Goslings, but I can't afford $76 a bottle.

[Hassouni]

what about Brugal?

How shit is your shop? Flor de Caña is ubiquitous....

[JoNorvelleWalker]

...draw your own conclusions. I will double check next time I am there.

[Hassouni]

I have, sounds like you need a different liquor store.

[lesliec]

Rafa's magnificent The Man Comes Around again last night. Still just as good after I-don't-know-how-many times.

And a few nights ago it was Mai Tai time again. A while back FrogPrincesse asked for a reveal of my Tiki mug collection. Here's the Headhunter, made just for me by an Ebay seller:

[FrogPrincesse]

And a few nights ago it was Mai Tai time again. A while back FrogPrincesse asked for a reveal of my Tiki mug collection. Here's the Headhunter, made just for me by an Ebay seller:

Tiki.jpg

Oh wow. A custom-made tiki mug. Very cool.

Edited January 28, 2014 by FrogPrincesse (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Since I am again well supplied with orgeat - at least for a couple weeks - I had to try the Trinidad Sour. Made with McKenzie rye. I was not at all sure what to expect, but this is good. As someone suggested I added a twist of lemon. I'm enjoying the Trinidad Sour with salted almonds as my dinner cooks. I'd hate to spill this on anything.

Now, where does one find large bottles of Angostura?

[Rafa]

Nowhere near you, by the sound of it. :-)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Rub it in...

[EvergreenDan]

The Boston Shaker has 16oz bottles of Angostura. And lots and lots of other bitters. Great place, nice people, and they ship.

[Czequershuus]

A lovely tipple from a few nights ago -

Life Sentence (by Brian Vollmer of Roast, Detroit, via Kindred Cocktails)

2 Oz Rye (Rittenhouse)

0.5 Oz Elderflower Liqueur (St. Germain)

0.5 Oz Benedictine

0.5 Oz Lemon Juice

4 ds Rhubarb Bitters (Fee's)

1 ds Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange twist.

Maybe the best cocktail I had last week. The Rhubarb bitters really stick out in this at four dashes, and I think this is the best use for them I have found yet. Really one of those great cocktails that is far more than the sum of its parts.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

The Boston Shaker has 16oz bottles of Angostura. And lots and lots of other bitters. Great place, nice people, and they ship.

$24 for 16 ounces. I'll have to double check but I think I bought my 4 ounce bottle for $5.99 at the grocery store.

[Hassouni]

Well, $6 x 4 = $24.

I haven't seen it significantly cheaper anywhere. It's a lot more convenient to just have a big bottle of it though.

Edited January 28, 2014 by Hassouni (log)

[FrogPrincesse]

Got mine for $22. I used to pay $9 or more for the small bottle.

Edited January 28, 2014 by FrogPrincesse (log)

[lesliec]

And once you have lots of bitters you can consider making one of these. Then another ...

If you can handle bitter, the Tres Sangres is amazing.

[Rafa]

I missed the deadline for this last MxMo (theme: highballs), despite having had my drinks ready far in advance.

I made the Bulwer-Lytton, a mix of ginger beer and London Dry gin infused with Earl Grey for maximum Britishosity, aromatized with lavender bitters and tarted up with lime.

You can sort of see that I floated the infused gin for a further Dark 'n' Stormy reference.

I also made a mix of Fernet and chocolate-infused coffee stout, which I called Rabbit Fernet Coat because I was on a Jenny Lewis kick at the time. No picture, so here's one of one of the girlier-looking drinks I've ever made, garnished with a strawberry.

Not my hand.

[lesliec]

Rafa, I'm delighted to see Sir Edward B-L thus immortalised. I shall prepare this tribute at the earliest possible opportunity.

[Modest suggestion] Go here and search the page for 'historical'. One of my best moments of 2012 ... which I note is the year you posted the drink on Kindred. Who'da thought?

[Rafa]

You amaze.

I must say, that sentence almost doesn't qualify for the contest—as hilariously tonally off as it is, it's beautifully constructed.

[Czequershuus]

Found this one searching this forum for Ramazzotti. It was cited y the OP as coming from a poster on straightboubron.com. Would love to know if anyone has more info on it.

The Front Street

2 Oz Rittenhouse Rye

0.5 Oz Vya Sweet Vermouth(Cinzano)

0.5 Oz Ramazzotti

0.25 Oz Maraschino

Stir, strain, up.

A really lovely drink. The basic Manhattan structure is so flexible, and so rarely a failure. Maybe a tich sweet, but I can handle that with rich, bitter concoctions

[Moto]

Lately I've been playing around with Rhum agricole. I did'nt have any lime juice and wanted something more complex than a daquiri anyway.

2 oz Rhum

1 oz lemon juice

1/4 oz maraschino

1/4 oz green chartreuse

1/2 oz creole shrubb

3 drops of tiki bitters

I sweetened this with one barspoon of oleo sacchrum

on the second drink i added some sloe gin for additional tartness since my lemon juice was several days old, I do wander ho this would taste with fresher lemon juice or lime juice. All in all a good drink. some more tinkering is needed though. next time I will try it with 1/2 oz chratreuse.

[lesliec]

You amaze.

I must say, that sentence almost doesn't qualify for the contest—as hilariously tonally off as it is, it's beautifully constructed.

You're most kind. Although this is hardly the place for a literary discussion, the construction is almost the point. The original 'dark and stormy night' sentence isn't sneered at so much because it's ungrammatical, as because it goes on. And on, and on. If you've never had the pleasure, it's quoted here.

To return to the subject: I shall be preparing a couple of Bulwer-Lyttons tonight (minus the lavender bitters, alas) and will report in due course.