Drinks! 2017

[quiet1]

[Host's note: this topic is part of a continuing discussion.  The conversation continues from here.]

 

 

We played bar tonight, although with limited supplies - tried a French 75, a gin and tonic (which made the gin quite drinkable, I was surprised, I don't like gin usually,) and a cocktail picked from the Kindred Cocktails website called Act of Faith which I suspect we really didn't have the right ingredients for and tasted mostly of very alcoholic fruitcake to me. (Rum, sherry, and bitters with a twist of orange, basically.)

 

We don't have particularly good sherry on hand, which may have been part of the problem. I stock dry sherry mostly as a reasonably shelf-stable alcohol I can grab when cooking if something needs that extra kick without opening a bottle of wine, so it isn't bad sherry but certainly isn't anything people would exclaim over to drink alone.

 

I also made Shirley Temples for the resident kiddo using a fancy ginger ale we bought to try, and he was enthusiastic enough about the taste that I had to make a round for everyone else to sample. Tasty but definitely made me want better grenadine. Kind of fun, though, I haven't had one of those in ages and it was a nice break from sampling cocktails before we broke out the plain bubbly at midnight.

 

All of the drinks we tried were a little too unexciting for my housemate, who wanted something with 'interesting ingredients' whatever that means. I'm tempted to buy him a bottle of Somrus (Indian spiced cream liquor thing) for his birthday, but I have my doubts as to how much you could do with it other than drink it as is or make a milkshake type thing. Maybe a riff on an Irish Coffee with tea?

[Craig E]

After seeing a post on Reddit, tried out a Friûl Libar. Amaro Nonino base, gin (called for navy strength but I didn't have), demerara syrup, lemon, Peychaud's. 

 

This was an interesting drink: each sip started very bright with sweet and sour citrus, but in the finish there was a palpable turn towards dark and bitter flavors. This bright-and-dark I experienced as an intriguing dynamic, not a irreconcilable clash. 

 

Reminiscent of a Last Word in some ways.

Edited January 5, 2017 by Craig E (log)

[lesliec]

It was a toss up whether I posted this here or in the All About Rye topic, but since it's what we're having tonight, here it is.

 

New Zealand is not an easy place in which to find a decent selection of ryes, but through circumstance and a litte help from a very kind friend I find myself possessed of three rather good specimens.  The most recent, added today, is Pikesville, promoted on a blackboard outside a liquor shop I don't often get to as the world's best rye.

 

So some experimentation seemed called for.  Remember, this is for Science.

 

 

From right to left, we have Rittenhouse 100, Whistlepig 10 year (100 proof) and the Pikesville (110 proof).  The experiment consisted of making three versions of the Greenpoint, identical but for the base spirit.  Fear not for my liver; those are half-size coupes which might hold two ounces at a pinch.  As you see, they're not full (and there's two of us).

 

There were some immediate differences apparent between the ryes.  The Whistlepig is much lighter in colour than the other two (the Pikesville is juat a shade darker than the Rittenhouse), and the Pikesville had a lovely smell when uncorked - the other two needed a nose right in the neck of the bottle to smell them at all.

 

On tasting the three cocktails, an interesting thing happened.  The Pikesville version was a clear winner initially, with the Rittenhouse one relatively harsh (still pretty good, though).  However, a few minutes later there was far less difference between the three.  Other than the influence of oxygen, I can't think of a reason for this.  But having said that, the Pikesville is still the winner.  It's just that little bit smoother; maybe a little sweeter.  But I'd be hard pressed to say it's twice as good as the Rittenhouse, which is half the price.

 

This may not have been the best cocktail to use as a test and I should probably just try all three straight with a touch of water (I tasted the Pikesville like this when I got it home and it was a delight).  Or maybe a Sazerac.  But if that's the worst of my problems, 2017 is going to be a good year!

[ananth]

Luigi cocktail

5cl of gin
3cl of dry vermouth
3cl of clementine juice
1 bsp of Cointreau
1 pinch of sugar
(I skipped the grenadine)

 

really refreshing and quite subtle. The drink was a tad boozy for a shaken drink though.

 

Happy new year everyone !

[Craig E]

@Rafa's Pericolo: 1.75 Cocchi Americano, .75 gin, .75 pear eau-de-vie, grapefruit twist. 

 

Struck me as maybe too sweet at first. It was intensely pear-y, and maybe that led to me perceiving it sweeter than it actually was (I think we associate some flavors like pear or vanilla with sweetness even when they aren't in such a sweet setting). I say that because as the drink went on and warmed up, it didn't turn south like really oversweet drinks tend to do.

[lesliec]

11 hours ago, ananth said:

 

Luigi cocktail

 

 

This was one of our favourites when we first got semi-seriously into cocktails!  As it happens, I made one just a few weeks ago and it was still enjoyable.

 

The recipe I have (from The Cocktail Book, Chancellor Press, 2002) differs slightly from yours, @ananth.  They use 'measures' (1 measure, ½ measure, etc.) rather than the more sensible ounces or ml, but the way I've always made it is:

• 1oz/30ml orange juice
• 1oz/30ml dry vermouth
• ½oz/15ml Cointreau
• 2oz/60ml gin

So quite a bit more Cointreau and no sugar.

 

Don't skip the Grenadine.  I'm sure the amount stated in my recipe (1 measure) is an error.  I use maybe half a barspoonful, and the trick to a nice 'sunset' effect is to tip it straight in the middle of the poured drink.  Lovely!

[quiet1]

No photo, but I got some stuff for tiki style drinks and my housemate requested a pina colada to start with. I don't have a blender so I did them kind of like a mint julep - crushed a lot of ice, shook the juice and rum with cubes to chill, poured that over the ice. Not quite the right texture but I think it at least convinced everyone that mixers are not the way to go. And that was with coco Lopez and bottled pineapple juice. I used Appleton Estate 12 year old for the rum.

 

ETA: I have to add that the silly straws with fake flowers that I got as a last minute impulse buy really did help with the tropical feel of the drink, since I lacked anything to make fresh garnish. To be honest, I think I prefer my weird frozen fruit juice drinks without booze, and my booze less hidden by other stuff. With that said, the rum did add something the mix needed - I tried a bit without alcohol in case resident kiddo wanted a taste (he did not) and it lacked a depth of flavor. I'm thinking maybe a bit of some kind of bitters would help - I need to experiment more with the ones we have. (I got overwhelmed by orange options and bought three different orange bitters to compare and contrast.)

 

i also got him a bottle of Somrus for his birthday, which is a weird Indian-flavored cream liqueur. Housemate likes it, I think it tastes like someone strained kheer and added vodka. However it seems interesting to mix with - I'm thinking maybe something like a Thai iced tea, very creamy and sweet.

Edited January 21, 2017 by quiet1 (log)

[chefmd]

Side by side tasting.  Decided I liked Four Roses the best.  Please don't judge my choices.  Just starting to learn about bourbon, whiskey, etc.

[Tri2Cook]

10 minutes ago, chefmd said:

Side by side tasting.  Decided I liked Four Roses the best.  Please don't judge my choices.  Just starting to learn about bourbon, whiskey, etc.

Why should there be judgement? I view my booze preferences in the style of the old StarKist tuna commercials... I don't particularly care about booze with good taste, I want booze that tastes good (to me). If I like something, I'm happy. I couldn't care less if somebody else doesn't approve because it's not what's considered the "right" one to like. Of course, there's often a reason certain boozes are considered the "good" ones. In those cases, the booze with good taste and the booze that tastes good (to me) are often one and the same.

[scubadoo97]

3 hours ago, chefmd said:

Side by side tasting.  Decided I liked Four Roses the best.  Please don't judge my choices.  Just starting to learn about bourbon, whiskey, etc.

I think you made a wise decision. It would my choice as well

[lesliec]

No quibble about Four Roses from here. That bottle is my favourite; there's another Four Roses in a different bottle (flatter, as I remember). It's cheaper but to my taste not as good.

[scubadoo97]

The flat bottle is the small batch at 45%.  Not my favorite either

[Craig E]

Took my new (first) bottle of bianco vermouth out for a spin tonight.

 

First up, Death & Co's One, One, One, which is equal parts Krogstad aquavit (Tattersall), Beefeater, and Dolin Blanc, plus a dash of Regan's. Nose reminded my wife of nice cosmetic toner, and I could see what she meant, a clean rubbing alcohol aroma. The aquavit was very pronounced in the taste. I very much like my Tattersall aquavit so that wasn't a problem. I saw on Kindred that @Rafa had come up with almost the same drink on his own, at .75 : 1.25 : .75 proportions, with an expressed orange peel, and on paper that seems like it might have better balance.

 

Next, another equal-parts drink, the San Francisco Treat which is Fernet Branca, Averna, bianco vermouth, with a flamed orange peel (I used grapefruit). Learned of this from a Reddit thread which reported that it struck a surprising balance, but I found the fernet predictably bullyish and it consequently wasn't an especially successful drink for me.

 

Last, the Gringo, which is

• 1 oz Aperol
• 1⁄2 oz Beefeater
• 1⁄2 oz Siembra Azul Blanco (Hornitos blanco)
• 1⁄2 oz Dolin Blanc
• 1 dash Angostura

This was interesting: the gin, which seemed like an outlier in the ingredients list, contributed a subtle but useful sharpness. Even still, this was probably too sweet, especially up front, and could use some revising. Perhaps less Aperol, or a less-sweet bitter aperitif alternative, would work. But the finish had a nice zip to it. 

 

This blanc vermouth is a lovely ingredient and strikes me as terrifically underrated.

[edgarallanpoe]

I had to dig deep into my bar for this one. It's complex, herbaceous, and rich.

Rinse the glass with Absinthe.
1oz brandy
1oz aged rum
1/2oz creme de menthe
1 teaspoon Frenet
1 teaspoon simple syrup

Stir over ice, no garnish.

[ananth]

wow that's... green

[Craig E]

Picked up Sasha Petraske's Regarding Cocktails, and tonight tried Ben Long's Gabriella. Pisco, lemon juice, simple syrup, muddled strawberry, served on crushed ice with strawberry and a pinch of salt atop. 

I crushed ice in a Lewis bag and then poured the shaken cocktail into a stemmed coupe, per the diagram in the book. I quickly realized that adding the ice would quickly overflow my little coupe, so I transferred it to a larger martini glass, which also was soon overfull. I sipped off half the drink to make it fit. Only then did I notice that the text specified a rocks glass, which makes far more sense--the diagram on the facing page must be a mistake the editor missed.

Anyway, the book describes this as "a real crowd pleaser" and I can see that. It's really delicious. 

 

[FrogPrincesse]

Alaska (Harry Craddock with the Bartender's Choice ratios) with 2.25 oz Sipsmith London dry gin, yellow Chartreuse, 2 dashes orange bitters. It's like a slightly sweet Martini, still very crisp. I really like this classic cocktail (and this gin!).

 

 

[tanstaafl2]

On ‎1‎/‎27‎/‎2017 at 11:33 PM, Craig E said:

Took my new (first) bottle of bianco vermouth out for a spin tonight.

 

First up, Death & Co's One, One, One, which is equal parts Krogstad aquavit (Tattersall), Beefeater, and Dolin Blanc, plus a dash of Regan's. Nose reminded my wife of nice cosmetic toner, and I could see what she meant, a clean rubbing alcohol aroma. The aquavit was very pronounced in the taste. I very much like my Tattersall aquavit so that wasn't a problem. I saw on Kindred that @Rafa had come up with almost the same drink on his own, at .75 : 1.25 : .75 proportions, with an expressed orange peel, and on paper that seems like it might have better balance.

 

Next, another equal-parts drink, the San Francisco Treat which is Fernet Branca, Averna, bianco vermouth, with a flamed orange peel (I used grapefruit). Learned of this from a Reddit thread which reported that it struck a surprising balance, but I found the fernet predictably bullyish and it consequently wasn't an especially successful drink for me.

 

Last, the Gringo, which is

• 1 oz Aperol
• 1⁄2 oz Beefeater
• 1⁄2 oz Siembra Azul Blanco (Hornitos blanco)
• 1⁄2 oz Dolin Blanc
• 1 dash Angostura

This was interesting: the gin, which seemed like an outlier in the ingredients list, contributed a subtle but useful sharpness. Even still, this was probably too sweet, especially up front, and could use some revising. Perhaps less Aperol, or a less-sweet bitter aperitif alternative, would work. But the finish had a nice zip to it. 

 

This blanc vermouth is a lovely ingredient and strikes me as terrifically underrated.

 

I have always liked David Wondrich's take on the El Presidente using Dolin blanc vermouth. Having made it with both a standard dry vermouth and the blanc I definitely think the blanc is the better choice.

[Craig E]

33 minutes ago, tanstaafl2 said:

 

I have always liked David Wondrich's take on the El Presidente using Dolin blanc vermouth. Having made it with both a standard dry vermouth and the blanc I definitely think the blanc is the better choice.

Thanks, I'll have to try that. The dry-vermouth version is on my list of classics that left me unimpressed.

[Rafa]

The recipe for the Presidente in the Floridita bar book specifies Vermouth de Chambery, whereas every drink that calls for dry vermouth specifies dry vermouth. Blanc seems likely to be the intended style.

 

Lately I've been enjoying this riff on a riff on a Frank's Cocktail:

 

Intro to Cognac

 

1 1/2 oz Pierre Ferrand 1840 Cognac

1 1/2 oz Alvear Pale Cream Sherry

1/4 oz Luxardo Maraschino liqueur 

1/4 oz Verjus

2 dashes Angostura orange bitters

Cucumber slice garnish

 

Stir/strain/up.

[FrogPrincesse]

Penicillin (Sam Ross) with Glenlivet 15 years French oak reserve, Laphroaig 10, lemon juice, Canton ginger liqueur (substituted for the ginger syrup), honey syrup. I love that one in winter!

 

 

[Craig E]

Here's a brand new cocktail, V for Vecchio, put together by a Reddit contributor:

• 1 oz Neisson Eleve Sous Bois rhum agricole (Clement Premiere Canne)
• 0.5 oz El Dorado 8 Demerara rum (Hamilton 151)
• 0.75 oz Vecchio Amaro del Capo
• 0.25 oz Pierre Ferrand dry curacao
• 1 barspoon St. Elizabeth allspice dram (homemade)
• 1 barspoon lime juice

Stir on ice, double strain, garnish with 3 cherries and a lime twist.

 

Always happy to see new ideas for using my Vecchio Amaro del Capo. 

[FrogPrincesse]

Just now, Craig E said:

Here's a brand new cocktail, V for Vecchio, put together by a Reddit contributor:

• 1 oz Neisson Eleve Sous Bois rhum agricole (Clement Premiere Canne)
• 0.5 oz El Dorado 8 Demerara rum (Hamilton 151)
• 0.75 oz Vecchio Amaro del Capo
• 0.25 oz Pierre Ferrand dry curacao
• 1 barspoon St. Elizabeth allspice dram (homemade)
• 1 barspoon lime juice

Stir on ice, double strain, garnish with 3 cherries and a lime twist.

 

Always happy to see new ideas for using my Vecchio Amaro del Capo. 

Nice looking drink. You substituted an aged rhum agricole (Neisson eleve sous bois) for an unaged one (Clement premiere canne), correct? That is a rather major substitution.   What you did probably deserves its own name because I imagine the result to be quite different!

[Craig E]

On 2/8/2017 at 8:20 PM, FrogPrincesse said:

Nice looking drink. You substituted an aged rhum agricole (Neisson eleve sous bois) for an unaged one (Clement premiere canne), correct? That is a rather major substitution.   What you did probably deserves its own name because I imagine the result to be quite different!

The other way around, the Neisson was spec'd. And I put in my Hamilton 151 full strength for what was intended to be a tamer demerara rum! I was pleased that the result didn't seem "raw" at all to me, but I guess the original specs would result in a smoother drink.

Edited February 16, 2017 by Craig E
clarification (log)

[Craig E]

Last night had drinks with @Rafa, live and in person! Grateful to eGullet for introducing me to him. When in NYC don't miss out on the chance to buy a drink from him. Fantastic knowledge (as you all know) and fantastic sense of hospitality.

I'd report on the actual drinks I had, but details are cloudy now.