Drinks! 2016 (Part 1)

[Craig E]

And, just under the wire, my entry for this month's Mixology Monday (MxMo CXII). This month's theme is Mashups. My idea: combining two classic Scotch cocktails. 

The Rob Roy is essentially a Manhattan made with Scotch, marrying it with sweet vermouth and bitters. The Rusty Nail pairs the spirit with Drambuie, the Scotch-based liqueur with strong honey and herbal tones. 

The Scotch they have in common would be the obvious base spirit of my mashup, and since the vermouth and Drambuie serve analogous sweetening purposes, I used them both in smaller quantities. In my experiences with Rusty Nails the honey flavor of Drambuie can be excessive, so I went heavy with the bitters and lemon twist that are often finishing components of a Rob Roy, to counter the sweetness and brighten things up. And I added a home-brandied cherry to top it off. 

 

Roysty Nail

• 2 oz. blended Scotch
• 1/2 oz. sweet vermouth
• 1/2 oz. Drambuie
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters
• lemon twist and brandied cherry garnish

This turned out very palatable, and to me more complex and thus more interesting than either of the classic drinks on which it's based. A gorgeous amber color. I'd be curious to see if bitter Punt e Mes in place of my more neutral Dolin Rouge would make it even more winning, but alas I'm out of Scotch. 

 

 

Edited October 18, 2016 by Craig E
rearranged pics (log)

[lesliec]

A new cocktail from Rafa is always worth a look (and a taste).  Today he's given us the President of Vice:

 

 

Look at that colour!  It's not the simplest of drinks - Añejo rum, Bianco vermouth, Curaçao, Amontillado sherry, apricot brandy, Peychaud's and orange bitters, orange flower syrup and orange peel - but I like it a lot.

 

I used Barbancourt 8 for the rum.  I don't have any orange flower syrup (I'm not sure I've ever seen it) but it's quite sweet enough for me with orange flower water instead.

 

Nice one, Rafa.  Keep 'em coming.

[ananth]

that looks really complex !

"modern" bartenders tend to prioritize technique such as fat wash, clarification etc. over these kind of complex recipes which only contain "common" ingredients a bartender has his hands on.  Nothing eccentric, no weird infusion, only straight to the point.

There should be more recipes like this, thanks !

Obviously, this is my opinion

[Rafa]

There's nothing wrong with those sorts of techniques, though I prefer not to use them unless there's no other way to get a flavor into a drink, because I like drink recipes that are easily reproducible. I feel the same way about homemade ingredients other than common syrups.

 

Thank you, @Leslie. I used to work for a bar that had a bottled classics program that took advantage of the format to get very elaborate with its recipes (the Manhattan called for Armagnac, Tennessee whiskey, and Cherry Heering, among others, but still tasted like a Manhattan). This drink was a take on an El Presidente.

 

@Craig E, your appealing recipe reminds me of old recipes I sometimes see for a Bobby Burns calling for Drambuie rather than Bénédictine. I'll have to give it s try.

[FrogPrincesse]

A couple of classics.

 

Tuxedo No. 1 with 33 Portland dry gin, Dolin dry vermouth, St. George absinthe.

 

 

Martinez (PDT ratios) with Tanqueray Old Tom gin, Cocchi vermouth di Torino, Luxardo maraschino liqueur, Adam Elmegirab's Boker's bitters.

 

 

 

 

[ananth]

the martinez, definitely one of my favorite !
I never had the chance to try the Tanqueray's old tom though. Can you describe it or maybe do a comparison with Hayman's version?

[FrogPrincesse]

@ananth I no longer have Hayman to do a side-by-side with, but purely from memory, the Tanqueray has a lot more character! I thought the Hayman's was fairly bland in comparison. Not a bad product, just not as interesting.

Edited October 21, 2016 by FrogPrincesse (log)

[tanstaafl2]

1 hour ago, FrogPrincesse said:

@ananth I no longer have Hayman to do a side-by-side with, but purely from memory, the Tanqueray has a lot more character! I thought the Hayman's was fairly bland in comparison. Not a bad product, just not as interesting.

 

 

How about as compared to Ransom? That is my usual go to gin for a Martinez.

[FrogPrincesse]

30 minutes ago, tanstaafl2 said:

 

How about as compared to Ransom? That is my usual go to gin for a Martinez.

I don't remember having Ransom, but it's a barrel-aged gin, so it's very different I am sure. 

 

Like Hayman's, Tanqueray Old Tom is sweeter than a London dry, although they have the same kind of botanical profile. I don't believe that the Ransom is sweetened so that's another difference.

 

There is more discussion of this on the Old Tom Gin thread.

Edited October 21, 2016 by FrogPrincesse (log)

[FrogPrincesse]

A couple of relatively recent rhum drinks. Hemingway Daiquiri with Ko Hana Lahi rhum agricole from Hawaii, and a Ti Punch with La Favorite.

 

 

 

 

[Craig E]

Here's a better use of my PX sherry: The Pedro Suckerpunch I just found on the Punch site. 

• 1 1/2 ounces Old Grand-dad bourbon (Evan Williams)
• 1/2 ounce Lustau San Emilio Pedro Ximenéz sherry (El Candado)
• 1/2 ounce Amaro Nonino
• 1/2 ounce lemon juice
• 2 dashes Caffe Borghetti espresso liqueur, plus an additional dash as garnish (Kahlua)

Had to sub brands for most ingredients. I'm sure the biggest compromise was the Kahlua for the espresso liqueur, not least because the "float" of the sugary stuff sunk right to the bottom.

Even still, this was enjoyable. The mediocrity of the PX Daiquiri I wrote about a few posts up which couldn't integrate its dark and light elements was no problem here: the lemon was a fresh and sour complement to the dominant palette of oaky bourbon, figgy sherry, spicy amaro, and coffee accent. This was essentially a complex twist on a whiskey sour. 

[tanstaafl2]

On ‎10‎/‎21‎/‎2016 at 7:26 PM, FrogPrincesse said:

A couple of relatively recent rhum drinks. Hemingway Daiquiri with Ko Hana Lahi rhum agricole from Hawaii, and a Ti Punch with La Favorite.

 

So what is the verdict on the Ko Hana? Pretty spendy for a 375ml of 80 proof rhum! The Lahi reviews, what few I have seen, suggest it is a bit sweet which is a little disconcerting. The style I see now is the Kea on the website. After I was a bit disappointed by the St George agricoles I haven't been very inclined to try anything else outside of the Caribbean.

[FrogPrincesse]

2 minutes ago, tanstaafl2 said:

 

So what is the verdict on the Ko Hana? Pretty spendy for a 375ml of 80 proof rhum! The Lahi reviews, what few I have seen, suggest it is a bit sweet which is a little disconcerting. The style I see now is the Kea on the website. After I was a bit disappointed by the St George agricoles I haven't been very inclined to try anything else outside of the Caribbean.

 

The Lahi is fine in a Daiquiri, a bit underwhelming in a Ti Punch. It won't replace rhum agricole in my home bar anytime soon!

 

[haresfur]

On 10/22/2016 at 0:23 PM, Craig E said:

Here's a better use of my PX sherry: The Pedro Suckerpunch I just found on the Punch site. 

• 1 1/2 ounces Old Grand-dad bourbon (Evan Williams)
• 1/2 ounce Lustau San Emilio Pedro Ximenéz sherry (El Candado)
• 1/2 ounce Amaro Nonino
• 1/2 ounce lemon juice
• 2 dashes Caffe Borghetti espresso liqueur, plus an additional dash as garnish (Kahlua)

Had to sub brands for most ingredients. I'm sure the biggest compromise was the Kahlua for the espresso liqueur, not least because the "float" of the sugary stuff sunk right to the bottom.

Even still, this was enjoyable. The mediocrity of the PX Daiquiri I wrote about a few posts up which couldn't integrate its dark and light elements was no problem here: the lemon was a fresh and sour complement to the dominant palette of oaky bourbon, figgy sherry, spicy amaro, and coffee accent. This was essentially a complex twist on a whiskey sour. 

 

Maybe just float some espresso.

[FrogPrincesse]

Rum + vermouth = Palmetto, El Presidente, or this delicious Harry Craddock cocktail, the Fair And Warmer (ratios from the Bartender's Choice app).  

 

Fair & Warmer (Harry Craddock) with Plantation 3 Stars white rum, Cocchi vermouth di Torino, Pierre Ferrand dry curaçao.

 

 

 

[FrogPrincesse]

French Pearl (Audrey Saunders) with Uncle Val's botanical gin, lime juice, simple syrup, St George absinthe, mint. The gin doesn't disappoint in this drink, and the cucumber notes come through.

 

 

[Craig E]

Red Head

• 2⁄3 oz James E. Pepper rye (Bulleit)
• 2⁄3 oz Cognac (Masson brandy)
• 1⁄2 oz Mancino Rosso Amaranto sweet vermouth (Dolin)
• 1⁄3 oz Campari
• 1⁄3 oz Luxardo maraschino
• 1⁄3 oz Averna
• Barspoon Green Chartreuse
• Lemon twist

Basically a list of many of my favorite ingredients, so the only thing that could go wrong here would be lack of balance, or too much going on. Neither was the case, and I thoroughly enjoyed this. 

I don't know either of the brands specified for the rye and vermouth, so I'm not sure well my substitutions matched the original intentions, but they worked for me.

With seven bottles involved, I wouldn't want to be making this at a busy party, but if time or impatience isn't an issue this is a real winner.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Been reading about the health benefits of wormwood...

 

[lesliec]

3 hours ago, Craig E said:

Red Head

• 2⁄3 oz James E. Pepper rye (Bulleit)
• 2⁄3 oz Cognac (Masson brandy)
• 1⁄2 oz Mancino Rosso Amaranto sweet vermouth (Dolin)
• 1⁄3 oz Campari
• 1⁄3 oz Luxardo maraschino
• 1⁄3 oz Averna
• Barspoon Green Chartreuse
• Lemon twist

Basically a list of many of my favorite ingredients, so the only thing that could go wrong here would be lack of balance, or too much going on. Neither was the case, and I thoroughly enjoyed this. 

I don't know either of the brands specified for the rye and vermouth, so I'm not sure well my substitutions matched the original intentions, but they worked for me.

With seven bottles involved, I wouldn't want to be making this at a busy party, but if time or impatience isn't an issue this is a real winner.

 

 

My jigger struggles with 1/3 measures, but I think I'm going to have to try this one.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

17 hours ago, lesliec said:

 

My jigger struggles with 1/3 measures, but I think I'm going to have to try this one.

 

Just scale the quantities up by three.

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Happiness is finding a pound of nuts.com jumbo roasted salted peanuts that you didn't know you had.

 

[FrogPrincesse]

1 hour ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

Happiness is finding a pound of nuts.com jumbo roasted salted peanuts that you didn't know you had.

 

And your drink was...?

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

48 minutes ago, FrogPrincesse said:

And your drink was...?

 

 

A white mai tai of course.

 

I even gave some thought to two.

 

[liuzhou]

My nearest supermarket is doing a buy two, get one free deal on Black Ant Health Preserving Wine ( 黑蚂蚁养生酒 - hēi mǎ yǐ yǎng shēng jiǔ). ¥9.80 (around $1.40 USD) /175ml a bottle. 

 

 

Ingredients are rice wine, black ants, cobra, banded krait (another snake), gecko, astragalus herb,  ginseng, longan and wolfberry.

It is alleged that the wine is particularly efficacious in boosting men's er, reproductive powers - liquid Viagra. I picked myself up three bottles. Will let you know.

[lesliec]

1 hour ago, liuzhou said:

It is alleged that the wine is particularly efficacious in boosting men's er, reproductive powers - liquid Viagra. I picked myself up three bottles. Will let you know.

 

Only if you have time ...