Drinks! 2014 (Part 2)

[Fernet-Bronco]

Those look beautiful and sound delicious, and I love the glasses.

[FrogPrincesse]

Thank you. The Libation Goddess herself approved (via Twitter).

[EvergreenDan]

I'm pretty convinced that 1.5 to 2 oz each of spirit and Bonal Gentiane Quina, plus a strong dash of Boker's for bitterness and aromatic depth is a winning formula. An expressed lemon twist makes the first few sips special. This time with Tomatin 12, a scotch I'm trying out as a house non-peated mixing single malt. Last time was rye, which I may have liked even more. Maybe next time the peated Ardmore.

[FrogPrincesse]

I'm pretty convinced that 1.5 to 2 oz each of spirit and Bonal Gentiane Quina, plus a strong dash of Boker's for bitterness and aromatic depth is a winning formula. An expressed lemon twist makes the first few sips special. This time with Tomatin 12, a scotch I'm trying out as a house non-peated mixing single malt. Last time was rye, which I may have liked even more. Maybe next time the peated Ardmore.

Does it have a name yet? Just tried it with 2 oz of High West Son of a Bourye, 1.5 oz Bonal, and a few dashes of Abbott's bitters (I have Boker's too, but grabbed the wrong bottle). Delicious. The only problem is that I am almost out of Bonal. :-(

[EvergreenDan]

No name, but Bonal & Rye is similar, but with an orange base. I tend to shy away from orange because it is so widely used. I prefer the Bonal as it. Try it full 50/50. It is not as sweet as you'd expect. I'm thinking about an agricole with it.

[mhdousa]

I'm pretty convinced that 1.5 to 2 oz each of spirit and Bonal Gentiane Quina, plus a strong dash of Boker's for bitterness and aromatic depth is a winning formula. An expressed lemon twist makes the first few sips special. This time with Tomatin 12, a scotch I'm trying out as a house non-peated mixing single malt. Last time was rye, which I may have liked even more. Maybe next time the peated Ardmore.

That's a good reminder that I really need to get a bottle of Bonal. How's the fridge-life on this?

[FrogPrincesse]

That's a good reminder that I really need to get a bottle of Bonal. How's the fridge-life on this?

It's very good. I purge the bottle with inert gas before storing in the fridge.

[sbumgarner]

No name, but Bonal & Rye is similar, but with an orange base. I tend to shy away from orange because it is so widely used. I prefer the Bonal as it. Try it full 50/50. It is not as sweet as you'd expect. I'm thinking about an agricole with it.

 

I think the first drink I tried with Bonal was 50/50 S&C and Bonal based on Sam's recommendation, I need to explore some of the other spirit options.

 

 

 

That's a good reminder that I really need to get a bottle of Bonal. How's the fridge-life on this?

 

I have a six month old bottle in the fridge right now, still going strong.

[FrogPrincesse]

No name, but Bonal & Rye is similar, but with an orange base. I tend to shy away from orange because it is so widely used. I prefer the Bonal as it. Try it full 50/50. It is not as sweet as you'd expect. I'm thinking about an agricole with it.

 

I tried the Bonal & Rye a while back. It's much improved without the Cointreau! It does not need that extra orange flavor (and sweetness). With just Bonal the flavor is much more mysterious and interesting.

[haresfur]

Pimento dram and soda is a nice low-test drink. Attempting to jack up the alcohol by adding rum was a mistake.

[Hassouni]

No photos sorry...

 

Ancient Mariners* the other night, using an ounce each of Woods 100 and Smith & Cross. Plus beer, cider, etc.

 

Several drinks out and about in DC in the last week or so that remain seared in the memory (it's been a boozy week):

 

From Room 11 (maybe the best "not a speakeasy" cocktail bar in town now): 

• Sigridsdatter - gin, Bittermens Solståndet, pear, lemon, black walnut bitters, star anise garnish. Stunning drink.
• Den of Lions  - Smith & Cross, Blackwell, Lemon, 1/4 Angostura biters, cane sugar, 3 drops homemade scotch bonnet bitters. Very reminiscent of a Trinidad Sour, also great.

From Bar Pilar, upstairs:

• La Flama Blanca - Spice infused dry vermouth, tequila, yellow Chartreuse, generous Mezcal spritz. Mmm.

From Mockingbird Hill:

• Palenque Sour: Vida mezcal, amontillado, lemon, honey syrup, freshly grated nutmeg, crushed Lapsang Souchong sprinked atop. 

The Palenque Sour and Sigridsdatter were the two ultimate standouts, they rank up their in some of the best drinks I've ever had.

 

Also got a generous pour of Four Roses Single Barrel at Saint Ex. I'm not a Bourbon guy but this stuff was quite nice.

 

 

 

*Note to Tiki fans: Blendtec crushed ice snow is NOT what you want for your crushed ice drinks. Back to the bag and mallet go I....

Edited February 13, 2015 by Hassouni (log)

[EvergreenDan]

I tried 2 oz each Bonal and Agricole blanc (Clement), plus 1/2 oz lime and 1 dash Dandelion & Burdock bitters. Aromatically quite sweet. My wife loved it and I liked it. The whiskey permutations are perhaps stronger.

[Fernet-Bronco]

I've been really wanting to get some Bonal but was nervous about the shelf life. Good to hear this, thanks.

[Czequershuus]

I've been really wanting to get some Bonal but was nervous about the shelf life. Good to hear this, thanks.

My Bonal last five months refrigerated with no discernible change it taste. Pretty much the same as a sweet vermouth. Now If only dry vermouth would last that long.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

How is Bonal different from a sweet vermouth?

[Czequershuus]

How is Bonal different from a sweet vermouth?

I find it more complex than most sweet vermouths I have tried, and possibly a little drier as well. You could easily sub it in for a sweet vermouth, as they are very much in the same area, but you would not quite get the same effect. 

[Hassouni]

Last night pics! Huzzah!

 

Recreation of the Palenque Sour from Mockingbird Hill. Their spec (ratios unknown): "Vida mezcal, Amontillado, fresh lemon, honey, grated nutmeg, crushed smoked tea"

 

My spec: 1 oz Fidencio, 1 oz Lustau Los Arcos Amontillado, 3/4 lemon, 1/2 oz honey syrup, grate of nutmeg, and mortar-and-pestled pounded Lapsang.

 

 

Verdict: delicious, but the balance was drier than at Mockingbird Hill (next time I'll do 3/4 honey), and I pounded the Lapsang too finely and added too much of it. Also, theirs is served in a sherry copita, which i don't have. I suspect that concentrates the aromas of the nutmeg and tea more so than my coupé.

 

Later last night, at Jack Rose Dining Saloon (allegedly the bar with the most whisky in the US):

 

21 year old Gordon and Macphail Glen Grant. I had high hopes for this but didn't like it very much. Bone dry to the point of astringency, and harsh. Very surprising.

 

10 year old Benromach. Incidentally, owned by Gordon & MacPhail. This was a hell of a whisky, further proof that a 10 year old can be infinitely complex and delicious. If I remember right, this was one of Ralfy Mitchell's top picks a few years ago. 

 

Edited February 14, 2015 by Hassouni (log)

[Czequershuus]

Opened up my first bottle of Cocchi Americano last. Definitely better than it's cousin, Lillet Blanc. A bit more bitters, sharper, and not quite as sweet. I was really digging it on it's own, so I first set out to make a classic corpse reviver #2. It was good on the first sip, but not great, then I realised I forgot the Absinthe! Dashed some in, and boy does it make a huge difference. I always discover what a big role small amounts of ingredients can play when I screw something up. Anyway, the drink turned out great, better than with Lillet Blanc

 

After the CR #2, I went for something that has been floating around my to try list for literaly years, Dave Wondrich's Weeski. I used Cocchi instead of the called for Lillet, and Redbreast 12 for the Whiskey. Delightful drink, though likely more appropriate for summer time.

 

All in all I am loving the Cocchi, very happy with the purchase.

[Craig E]

All in all I am loving the Cocchi, very happy with the purchase.

 

It's great, isn't it? Try the Half Windsor if you get a chance (2oz CA, 1oz grapefruit juice, 1/2oz cognac; brief shake). I think it's terrific too.

 

EDIT: And the Negroni Jalisco I just poured myself (equal parts reposado tequila, CA, and Aperol, pinch of salt, on rocks with lime wedge) is also wonderful!

Edited February 14, 2015 by Craig E (log)

[FrogPrincesse]

No name, but Bonal & Rye is similar, but with an orange base. I tend to shy away from orange because it is so widely used. I prefer the Bonal as it. Try it full 50/50. It is not as sweet as you'd expect.

 

Here is another iteration prepared 50:50 with the Son of a Bourye again, and Boker's bitters.

Really great, but now my bottle of bottle is officially finished.

 

[FrogPrincesse]

A recent Greenpoint (Michael McIlroy) with Rittenhouse rye, Margerum amaro, yellow Chartreuse, Angostura and Regan & Fee orange bitters

 

 

[KD1191]

Had grapefruit and limes that needed juicing, so it was Paul McGee's Long Faced Dove.

[bostonapothecary]

1.5 oz. four roses bourbon

1 oz. M&R sweet vermouth

1 oz. Amaro prototype

 

A technique I'm a big fan of using is to systematically explore EVERYTHING. so here I rebuilt the amaro using a moscat grape mistelle instead of the non aromatic white sugar I had used previously. And because this sweetener has aroma, I reduced a portion of the orange peels. It is satisfying stuff. I think you all would really like it.

[ChrisTaylor]

It was one of those days. Zombie season. Picked up an item from the display bin marked 'ruby grapefruits' without actually looking at it. After dumping a shit tonne of rum and etc into my shaker I noticed that ... I did not have a grapefruit. I had an orange. The Devil's citrus when it comes to cocktail-making. But there was no way I was walking to the supermarket. Experiment time. 2 tsp ruby gf juice subbed for 1 tsp each of lemon and orange. It tastes a little weird but if you were stuck on a desert island that was, like, full of rum ... and oranges ... and limes ... and lemons and whanot ... you'd live. But you'd probably have to call it a notZombie--you know, like a Last of Us/28 Days 'zombie'--to avoid offending the eG cocktalian crowd.

[bostonapothecary]

1 oz. lime juice

8 g. non aromatic white sugar

2 oz. aged rum cut with maple water**

 

**so I took a barrel sample (55% alc) of probably two year old New England rum and cut it down to 40% with maple water. the math made it about 27% maple water which is a significant volume for its unique qualities to be shown. this also puts the final sugar content at 4 g/L.

 

water is important enough to spirits that I wondered what would happen if I could find the most extreme nth degree water source possible. maple water is bled right from the trees and only has about 16 g/L of sugar. it is far from syrup and has never been heated or concentrated in any way. there is an extra subtle sweaty character to it similar to coconut water. I wonder if this will fade with more aging or not.

 

everything is subtle but so is changing any water source. but is it different enough to warrant a special bottling? that is what I'm trying to figure out.

 

I used to use a lot of the honey called Melata di Bosco which is a honey dew honey and thus from tree sap. Aphids attack alpine spruce trees and bees collect the excess aphid secretions. the honey is ironous and blood like with a spruce pineyness and overall sorrow. relatively maple is a lot more jolly.

Edited February 19, 2015 by bostonapothecary (log)