Drinks! 2015 - 2016

Craig E · April 6, 2016

As the linked Booze Nerds source explains, the Tallahassee is contrived to cover up unpleasant whisky (with blood orange, Aperol, raspberry liqueur, lime, and simple). I made it with plain 'ol Evan Williams. (What led me to the recipe was figuring out what to do with a blood orange.)

This was tasty and very smooth--I can see how the sweet/sour/fruity could mask an aggressive whiskey well.

I'd like to try it again with my bottled in bond bourbon.

Craig E · April 11, 2016

Erick Castro's Full Windsor. Scotch, Applejack, sweet vermouth, Benedictine, Peychaud's and Angostura, orange twist.

Lovely and smooth.

There is a particular flavor in the finish of some drinks that is ineffable but I always want to use the word "zippy" to describe it. This has it--unexpectedly, because to date I'd only experienced it with drinks that included maraschino liqueur. Here maybe it's due to heavy bitters + benedictine?

**FrogPrincesse** · April 11, 2016

@Craig EThat's a great one, although I never really cared for Laird's applejack, so I make it with Calvados.

I also like the Drambuie variation (that I've named the Hastings).

Edited April 11, 2016 by FrogPrincesse
wording (log)

JoNorvelleWalker · April 12, 2016

Laird's applejack is apple brandy cut with neutral grain spirits. For something smooth try Laird's 12. For most apple mixed drinks I prefer Laird's bonded.

I have nothing against Calvados and I drink the best that I can find. But I am an ocean away from Normandie and not that many miles from Laird's distillery. Laird's know what they are doing, and they have been at it for a while.

**FrogPrincesse** · April 12, 2016

I've never tried Laird's 12 apple brandy but the one without an age statement is pretty mediocre compared to most Calvados, in my opinion. I am pretty far from Normandy but I can get Calvados for very reasonable prices, whereas Laird's 12 is > $60 a bottle when I can find it!

JoNorvelleWalker · April 12, 2016

I'm not aware of Laird's apple brandy without an age statement. I drink bonded, 7 1/2, and 12. They do sell a white, unaged, but I have never tried it.

**FrogPrincesse** · April 12, 2016

10 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

I'm not aware of Laird's apple brandy without an age statement. I drink bonded, 7 1/2, and 12. They do sell a white, unaged, but I have never tried it.

That's the most common, at least in my area. It's called Laird's straight apple brandy and it's 100 proof (same as bonded). It's aged in oak.

Edited April 12, 2016 by FrogPrincesse (log)

tanstaafl2 · April 12, 2016

12 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

I'm not aware of Laird's apple brandy without an age statement. I drink bonded, 7 1/2, and 12. They do sell a white, unaged, but I have never tried it.

Laird's was once bonded but the recent cocktail craze apparently caught them somewhat unawares much as is the case with bourbon and whiskey in general. It used to consist of a brandy that was about 4 to 7 years old (it all had to be from one "season" to be considered bonded so it was all about the same age but they didn't always use just the 4yo). When I noticed the loss of the bonded statement back in Dec 2014 I queried the company and they noted their reserves had been depleted to the point where they needed to use brandy from several different years to include 3 year old to make the 100 proof version. They indicated that they hope to catch up to the point where they can again label it as bonded in the future. Time will tell.

It now says "Founded 1780" where it once said "Bottled in Bond".

The Laird's 12 is nice but for me there is not much apple character left to my palate. The 7 1/2 year old (yes, it is in fact age stated at 7.5 years!) is a somewhat better compromise to compare to Calvados but only 80 proof. I still use the 100 proof version for what I feel is the best combination of flavor and proof in cocktails. The AppleJack with its heavy NGS character is less interesting and useful to me.

I haven't tried the white "Jersey Lightning" version (don't think I have even seen it locally) and not really that interested to be honest. I suppose it could be better than some of the apple flavored GNS that is labeled as moonshine these days (a pretty low bar...) but that is not a category I seek out in general!

Edited April 12, 2016 by tanstaafl2 (log)

blue_dolphin · April 12, 2016

47 minutes ago, tanstaafl2 said:

It now says "Founded 1780" where it once said "Bottled in Bond".

Interesting. This old bottle had been hiding in the back of the closet for quite a while but now it's almost gone, too!

JoNorvelleWalker · April 13, 2016

11 hours ago, FrogPrincesse said:

That's the most common, at least in my area. It's called Laird's straight apple brandy and it's 100 proof (same as bonded). It's aged in oak.

I owe you an apology. Everyone else has since clarified, but I ran to the other room and indeed the 100 proof Laird's is no longer bonded! At one point I noticed that it got a little rougher on the palate. That may have been when they dropped the age down to three years (as stated on the website, though not on the bottle).

Also on the website -- I note Laird's now does all their apple distillation in Virginia, not New Jersey.

sbumgarner · April 14, 2016

On 3/31/2016 at 1:31 PM, EvergreenDan said:

2 oz Rhum JM blanc

1/2 oz St George Raspberry "brandy" (eau-de-vie)

1/2-ish oz Luxardo Maraschino

1/2 oz mix of lime and lemon juice, not entirely by choice

Pretty darn nice. Maybe worth more fiddling with ratios.

I tried this last night, upped the lime to 3/4 oz, also added a 1/4 oz 1:1 simple (also substituted with Neisson Blanc as that's my current un-aged agricole) and strained over a big rock. This was pretty darn nice indeed - I could see the simple not being needed, but it wasn't overly sweet and for my palate, I find just a touch can really make the fruit flavors in eau-de-vies and other fruit liqueurs pop.

Duvel · April 17, 2016

Arriving severely delayed at home, aircon has stopped for any reason somewhen last week. 27 oC, 90 percent humidity - nothing cold in the fridge. Made a mixture of Jameson (from the duty free) and Haagen Dazs Royal Milk Tea (from the freezer). Not the most glamorous, but it hit the spot. Kind of bergamot flavoured Baileys'. Three of those and I am at peace with the airline again ...

haresfur · April 18, 2016

Perhaps not the most imaginative drink to have with sticky date pudding but an Old Fashioned with Corner Creek Bourbon, date syrup, and Fees whiskey barrel bitters hit the spot.

Craig E · April 18, 2016

Last night, a Williamsburg: Old Forester bourbon (Evan Williams), Ramazzotti, Cocchi Americano, maraschino. Would like to try it next to a Red Hook which it predictably resembles. The maraschino was maybe a bit too forward.

This afternoon, breaking up my Iglooful of clear ice.

EvergreenDan · April 19, 2016

@Craig E - Thank ice photo makes me think of Christmas. Beautiful.

**FrogPrincesse** · April 25, 2016

A couple of recent classics with Sipsmith London dry gin (now that it's available at TJ's, I am not tempted to hoard it anymore).

2:1 Martini with Sipsmith London dry gin, Dolin dry vermouth, Regan's and Berg and Hauck's orange bitters

Negroni with Sipsmith London dry gin, Campari, Cocchi vermouth di Torino.

Edited April 25, 2016 by FrogPrincesse
add details (log)

ananth · May 2, 2016

Looks Familiar

I thought that keeping the whisky used as rinse instead of discard it would be a good idea but it was totally spoiled

a really nice tequila based drink.

EvergreenDan · May 2, 2016

I played with Looks Familair, using:

2 oz blanco tequila

1 oz Bigallet

1/2 oz Laphroaig

1 d Boker's.

Expressed lemon peel, wipe and dunk.

Very nice. Next time I'd reduce the Bigallet to 1/2 to 3/4. I think it needs more than a rinse of Islay. I'm not at all sold on the concept of a rinse except when used in a glass with lots of space above the water line (e.g. a Sazarac).

Katie Meadow · May 11, 2016

We're drinking Green Hornets! That's 2 parts rye, 1/2 part Fernet and 1/2 part Chartreuse. Our house rye is Bulleit, and the Fernet I like best is Jelinek, so that's what we used, along with green Chartreuse. Anything made with Fernet isn't timid, but that's okay by me.

Best go-with so far: La Panzanella crackers with a modest smear of TJ's Hot & Sweet Chile Jam topped with a thin slice of young Manchego. Yummy.

ananth · May 11, 2016

Ard’smash

A cocktail discovered at the Night Flight (the latest Parisian bar from the Experimental Group)

5cl of Ardbeg 10
2cl of maple syrup
2cl of lemon juice
1 bsp of Fernet
2 dash of Liquorice Bitter (I used Antesite instead)
mint

Quite an original twist on the whiskey smash. In spite of the relatively big quantity of Ardbeg, the peat is not overwhelming.

Craig E · May 13, 2016

Gary Regan's Scorch the Earth: 1 1/2 cognac, 1/2 sweet vermouth, 1/2 Cynar, flamed lemon twist.

I got a strong cocoa flavor out of this. Could make for a nice after-dinner tipple.

Czequershuus · May 13, 2016

So long since posting, I feel rather guilty. Been playing around with an interesting bottle I had, and thought it was worth noting. The bottle is a spanish Moscatel, a rather pleasant dessert wine - not quite a Sauterne, but very nice and well priced. I had some left over after sharing with family, and thought I would play with some cocktails.

Moscatel Experiment 1(A sour)

1.5 Oz Gin (Beefeater)

0.75 Oz Moscatel

0.5 Oz Lemon Juice

0.25 Oz Simple Syrup

This was very nice, balanced and superb.

Moscatel Experiment 2 (Simple aromatic)

1.5 Oz Gin (Beefeater)

0.75 Oz Moscatel

2 ds Bittermans Elemakule Tiki Bitters

This was simple, but also enjoyable

Moscatel Experiment 3 (Complex aromatic)

2 Oz Gin (Beefeater)

0.5 Oz Moscatel

0.5 Oz Bittermans Amere Nouvelle

0.5 Oz Becherovka

2 ds Lemon Bitters

Spritz of Absinthe as Garnish

Not quite a success. The lemon bitters may have been a mistake, they have dominated the drink, likely in collusion with the Amere Nouvelle..

Fun to play around with this - still about an ounce left, may have to try more. Probably a hard bottle to track down, but do seek out Primitivo Quiles Moscatel if you can - great value dessert wine, and fun for mixing.

Craig E · May 14, 2016

First, a Chee Hoo Fizz (Cognac, lime, orgeat, falernum, Peychaud's, egg white. Topped with soda and garnished with lime peel).

This was tasty. Despite my dry shake, didn't get all that much volume from my egg white, so it took too much soda to top it. Made for an attractive photo for you guys, but watered down the drink a bit too much!

After dinner, a Death Flip (Blanco tequila, yellow Chartreuse, Jägermeister, simple, whole egg. Fresh nutmeg garnish). This was a little odd: primarily warm, winterish flavors but then the sharpness of the tequila crashing the party. I'd expect something like cognac or another aged, brown spirit to fill that role--but then it might well be a more boring drink. As specified, it was definitely interesting, but it was gone before I really had a chance to decide for sure if it worked or not.