What did you buy at the liquor store today? (2016 - )

[JoNorvelleWalker]

8 hours ago, rotuts said:

@blue_dolphin 

 

Im more interested in Pear Brandy   ( Peary ) 

 

as a straight up  after dinner Brandy

 

in a Baccarat ' snifter '

 

of course.

 

Not pear, but I have bottles of Peach Street Distillery Peach brandy on hand, which I keep for Fish House Punch...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fish_House_Punch

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schuylkill_Fishing_Company

 

Served in Baccarat of course.  Befitting as Gilbert du Motier was a Fish House member.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilbert_du_Motier,_Marquis_de_Lafayette

 

 

[Craig E]

Pandemic restocking. 
New to me: Cardamaro, Byrrh, Meletti, sotol, this mezcal. 

Edited April 29, 2020 by Craig E
corrected spelling (log)

[GarethLangston]

I haven't really bought anything for a while, but with bars being closed I figured I've probably saved enough to make it worthwhile.

The Mezcal is just for mixing, seems quite similar to Vida. The Raicilla I've tried in Hacha, London, where they pair it with either an IPA or a small amount of the spirit with CBD oil floated on top, both are fantastic. I had to get myself a bottle.

I'm hoping the foamer will be worth the outlay, it's not cheap at £25 but for occasional sours this should be more convenient and cost effective than eggs or aqua faba.

[Tomcollins]

I've just picked up (online) the following:

 

Pernod absinthe (my first, having only had pastis).

Giffard creme de banane.

Giffard creme de framboise.

Hennessy VS cognac (a cognac restock, replacing Martell).

Monin orgeat (bottom shelf I know, but the only one they had and having never used it before, I didn't want to start making my own. Not a tiki guy).

 

I'm on the lookout for a peach brandy in the UK, if anyone could point me in the right direction. I know it's not common in the US, never mind here. I'm assuming the recipes I want to use it for (1930s-1960s) call for an actual brandy; not a liqueur or clear eau de vie. But I'm not certain. I suspect the 60s recipes may sway more towards liqueur, as the Dutch makers seemed to have a big market share at the time. That said ABV info is often hard to come by and when I have, it tends to be higher ABV than a liqueur/creme (c.16-18%) and lower than a brandy/eau de vie. 

 

[J_Ozzy]

9 minutes ago, Tomcollins said:

 

I'm on the lookout for a peach brandy in the UK, if anyone could point me in the right direction. I know it's not common in the US, never mind here. I'm assuming the recipes I want to use it for (1930s-1960s) call for an actual brandy; not a liqueur or clear eau de vie.

 

 

If you've got the budget, Masters of Malt has a recent release from Koval (2 bottles left as of this posting)

https://www.masterofmalt.com/fruit-brandy/koval/koval-susan-for-president-peach-brandy/

[Tomcollins]

17 minutes ago, J_Ozzy said:

 

If you've got the budget, Masters of Malt has a recent release from Koval (2 bottles left as of this posting)

https://www.masterofmalt.com/fruit-brandy/koval/koval-susan-for-president-peach-brandy/

 

It was in my basket until I realised it was  £41 for 389ml! Can't justify it sadly. I'd want a 15+ year old single malt for that. And even then, it'd be for a special occasion. Couldn't bring myself to mix with it either. 

[J_Ozzy]

yes, aged peach brandy (suitable for 19th century recipes) unfortunately carries a significant niche price premium.
If you're looking for a viable substitute for something like Fish House Punch, a high-quality apricot / peach liqueur will get you close, with the appropriate modifications to balance sweetness.

Edited May 26, 2020 by J_Ozzy
mispelled Fish House, of course (log)

[Katie Meadow]

One of the great perks of old age is short term memory loss. By the time a package from Amazon arrives in the mail it's usually a complete surprise. I've had a craving for Bloody Marys lately and vodka isn't something we typically stock. So my husband was planning a trip to the liquor store. Smarty pants that he is he actually checked the liquor cabinet and low and behold an unopened bottle of Tito's was stashed in the depths. We have absolutely no memory of buying it. Maybe it was a gift? Makes an excellent Bloody Mary. Next up is Gabrielle Hamilton's Mariner, which is just the addition of clam juice. I didn't used to like drinks made with Clamato, but now I'm using Knudson's tomato juice,, which is good, not too thick or salty, and Bar Harbor clam juice. Everything old is new again now, right? Especially now. File this under "what I didn't have to buy at the liquor store."

 

GH is a stickler for brands; I think mostly it's a nostalgia thing for her (see sardines on Triscuits.) I find it touching and recognize the urge: of course it can make life hard, but some of us, well, that's just how we are.  For her well-known Bloody Marys she insists that you use Sacramento tomato juice. You would think that would be available in northern Cal, but it isn't. 

[paulraphael]

We just got:

-Rittenhouse Rye (starting to learn why people like rye in cocktails)
-Ford's Gin (my new favorite for Negronis, which means my new favorite)

-Cocchi vermouth di Torino (my BFF)
-Campari

-Luxardo Maraschino (an impulse buy. I see it in so many cocktails. First impression: really disgusting. Maybe 1/4 ounce of it does nice things?)

 

Edited to add:

We also recently got a special bottling of cask-strength single-barrel Knob Creek bourbon. The owner of our favorite pizza restaurant in the neighborhood needed to pay his bills, and realized he was sitting on a goldmine of booze at the bar. So he's been selling it a bottle at a time and delivering it with chicken soup. This is wonderful stuff ... made the best Old Fashioned I've ever had. He only asked $50. I'll miss this when it's gone.

(Pizza restaurant is scheduled to open again soon ... great news, but I hope he doesn't ask for his booze back).

Edited May 28, 2020 by paulraphael (log)

[Kerry Beal]

Just now, paulraphael said:

 

-Luxardo Maraschino (an impulse buy. I see it in so many cocktails. First impression: really disgusting. Maybe 1/4 ounce of it does nice things?)

I've never developed a taste for it!

[paulraphael]

1 hour ago, Kerry Beal said:

I've never developed a taste for it!

 

I'll try making a Brooklyn cocktail to see how well it plays with others. If that doesn't work out, maybe I'll see if anyone in NYC wants to do a booze swap!

[Craig E]

22 minutes ago, paulraphael said:

 

I'll try making a Brooklyn cocktail to see how well it plays with others. If that doesn't work out, maybe I'll see if anyone in NYC wants to do a booze swap!

Maraschino liqueur is one of my least favorite things to drink straight, but one of my most favorite things to mix with. In small doses, or partnered with strong flavored ingredients, it adds sweetness in a wonderfully complex way. 

[weinoo]

Indeed, a great mixer.

 

 

Though mostly wine, there are a few bottles of vermouth in here, as well as Cocchi Americano.

[EvergreenDan]

On 5/25/2020 at 5:04 PM, Tomcollins said:

Monin orgeat (bottom shelf I know, but the only one they had and having never used it before, I didn't want to start making my own. Not a tiki guy).

 

I'm on the lookout for a peach brandy in the UK, if anyone could point me in the right direction.

 

Cheap orgeat is flavored with almond extract, which has quite a different flavor from soaking almonds in water. They are quite different. You might need to order some good stuff.

I've never found real peach brandy (aged distilled fermented peach juice). I'd say peach eau de vie plus maybe some cognac would be a good sub?

[JoNorvelleWalker]

58 minutes ago, EvergreenDan said:

Cheap orgeat is flavored with almond extract, which has quite a different flavor from soaking almonds in water. They are quite different. You might need to order some good stuff.

I've never found real peach brandy (aged distilled fermented peach juice). I'd say peach eau de vie plus maybe some cognac would be a good sub?

 

For peach brandy have you tried Peach Street Distillers?  Peach Street is a true brandy.  I find it pretty good.  I know of nothing like it.

 

As to orgeat I use only @feste's stuff.  I highly recommend.  And I go through a bottle a month.  Large bottle.  In fact I just reordered.

 

[Tomcollins]

Sadly, the monin is all that is available to me. It's not practical or economical for me to make my own. I don't drink enough and never tiki really. I'll have to order at a bar that does (one day!) to sample the difference. 

 

As for the peach brandy, I thinks it's safe to assume that the 19th century stuff was barrel aged to an extent and high ABV. However, I'm almost certain that recipes calling for it in the 1960s would have been using a liqueur like cherry or apricot 'brandy'. Not an eau de vie, or true brandy, or a weaker creme style liqueur. But such a thing seems to be incredibly elusive. Certainly seems like a DIY job. 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Interestingly I noticed amazon.co.uk caries four of @feste's syrups (Small Hand Foods) but not her orgeat.

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

In addition to a bottle of @feste's Small Hand orgeat, of course, and the usual restocks I came by something new for me today:  a couple bottles of Gourry de Chadeville Overproof, 110 proof cognac.  From what's claimed to be the only woodfired still left in Cognac.  It's a bit warm here to be sipping overproof cognac neat.  I'm tippling my Gourry in Mississippi punch.  Lovely spirit.

 

Some other new things too, but more of them another time.

 

[rotuts]

cheers

 

Im pretty much a Whino or wino

 

and Ive been able to carefully stock up

 

various table wines from TJ's

 

which of course I mix a bit 

 

as it works so much better for me.

 

but SomeOne had a birthday.

 

TotalWine in my area has Senior Hours :

 

8 AM   M , TH , Sat.

 

I called about this , as Im not going anywhere

 

unless it's Vital 

 

they told me : the store at 8 AM was more or less empty 

 

so I ventures out at got these

 

 

two

 

 

1.7r liters .  the big girl.

 

I wanted the 

 

 

not to secondary , that's why I got two bot's

 

that's   I hope over a year of this stuff for me.

 

but

 

no one was in the store.   I did not get out in 4 minutes

 

as they had not ' charged ' up the register.

 

so far so good.

[Craig E]

New to me: Amaro Lucano (Anniversario), Brandy Sainte Louise, Bittercube Bolivar bitters.

Edited September 16, 2020 by Craig E (log)

[haresfur]

Not the liquor store, but the farmers market, a man from a nearby town making vermouth from grapes sourced in the Heathcote wine region, just outside Bendigo, and incorporating native botanicals. Also hand sanitiser from a gin distillery, who repurposed their still during the shortage and was stuck with extra stock. It was on sale and I was happy to help out, even though it was still more expensive than the big box hardware.

 

[Frederic]

On 6/5/2020 at 5:30 PM, EvergreenDan said:

Cheap orgeat is flavored with almond extract, which has quite a different flavor from soaking almonds in water. They are quite different. You might need to order some good stuff.

I've never found real peach brandy (aged distilled fermented peach juice). I'd say peach eau de vie plus maybe some cognac would be a good sub?

GrandTen here in Boston makes an aged peach brandy that got a bronze medal in the spirits competition that I worked (I volunteered to do the back end to support the tasters in the brandy/fruit brandy category).

 

Also, I agree with the cheap orgeat -- it's water, sugar/corn syrup, bitter almond flavoring (made from peach or apricot kernels), and preservative. The real stuff is earthier and nuttier (without being marzipan-y with a texture from the ground up almond bits). Some manufacturers like Small Hand Foods use the extract on top of the natural process to mimic old school recipes that included some bitter almonds (which are poisonous but tasty).

[JoNorvelleWalker]

8 hours ago, Frederic said:

GrandTen here in Boston makes an aged peach brandy that got a bronze medal in the spirits competition that I worked (I volunteered to do the back end to support the tasters in the brandy/fruit brandy category).

 

Also, I agree with the cheap orgeat -- it's water, sugar/corn syrup, bitter almond flavoring (made from peach or apricot kernels), and preservative. The real stuff is earthier and nuttier (without being marzipan-y with a texture from the ground up almond bits). Some manufacturers like Small Hand Foods use the extract on top of the natural process to mimic old school recipes that included some bitter almonds (which are poisonous but tasty).

 

What evidence have you that @feste uses extract?

 

[Frederic]

On 11/4/2020 at 11:38 PM, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

What evidence have you that @feste uses extract?

 

My bad. She uses apricot kernels themselves (which is the flavoring in almond extract) and recommended others to use almond extract in addition to the real almond aspect.

 

From my question in a Reddit Cocktails AMA: https://www.reddit.com/r/cocktails/comments/5wpw47/cocktails_ama_5_jennifer_colliau_founder_of_small/

[blue_dolphin]

I gave my cousin David Lebovitz's book Drinking French for Christmas, along with a few bottles.  She's been enjoying trying the cocktails so we worked on stocking her bar with a few more.

Six of these actually came from my bar, the others were purchased on a quick road trip to K&L Wines in Hollywood. Their store isn't open but orders can be picked up. 

Fernet-Vallet, Armagnac, Suze, Bigallet China-China, Bonal, Cap Corse Blanc, Génépy, Cap Corse Rouge, Byrrh, Pommeau de Normandie, Yellow Chartreuse. 

We split all the bottles so both of us ended up with improved selections!

 

 

Edited March 3, 2021 by blue_dolphin (log)