Drinks! 2017

[Rafa]

Thanks for stopping in, Craig. You were excellent company. I won't recapitulate your tippling exploits except to note that I somehow neglected to serve you anything with Midori in it or to light anything on fire for you. (The couple to your left weren't as lucky.)

[Thomas Baker]

On 2/8/2017 at 5:14 PM, 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. 

 

That cocktail drink is what I love to drink all the time. I feel really good especially when you drink together with your love one.

Edited February 18, 2017 by Smithy
Corrected format to clarify quote (log)

[Craig E]

The Real Horrorshow at Pouring Ribbons (El Dorado spiced rum, lemon, Yaguara Ouro cachaca, Lady Grey tea, cinnamon, Copper & Kings citrus absinthe, clarified milk). Drop-dead outstanding drink.

[edgarallanpoe]

The other night I was looking for something a little different from the bright, citrus dominated drinks I have been making lately.  So, I made a brandy Alexander.  Brandy, Creme de Cacao, heavy cream, pinch of nutmeg for garnish.

 

 

[Thomas Baker]

where the lovely tequila? 

[EvergreenDan]

Measure out 1/2 oz dry vermouth for a 1:5 Martini. Empty bottle of gin (1 1/2 oz) and dispose of bottle. Go to backstock closet and discover that I have no more gin of any kind, including genever and old tom. Turns out a 1:3 Martini is pretty nice. Now for a small Manhattan...

 

EDIT: Turns out my 5 mo old Labrador Retriever didn't really enjoy her sample of my unattended Manhattan. Probably has sorority girl tastes.

Edited February 21, 2017 by EvergreenDan (log)

[Craig E]

Tried out the Amaryllis which was posted by @David Santucci some eight (!) years ago. Or a version of it, since I subbed every ingredient.

• 1 3/4 oz. Tanqueray gin (I used Beefeater 24)
• 3/4 oz. M&R bianco vermouth (Dolin Blanc)
• 1/2 oz. Apry (R&W Orchard Apricot)
• 1/2 tsp. Hermes orange bitters (Regan's)

This was nicely balanced, clean taste and a floral nose. I often find that apricot liqueur to be bullyish and lend an offputting medicinal edge to drinks, but that wasn't at all the case here. This was so spring-like that I would be tempted to call it light, though it's obviously rather spirituous. 

[Craig E]

Last weekend I had the distinct pleasure of drinks at Attaboy in NYC. Among the drinks served to me was a Kingston Negroni, a familiar drink made new by using Gran Classico in place of Campari and Hamilton St. Lucian in place of Smith & Cross. That got me thinking about other ways to riff on this excellent drink. Tonight I tried S&C with Cappelletti and Dolin Blanc, equal parts, with a dash of saline solution. I used a grapefruit twist because I had a grapefruit going, but the brightness of a lemon twist might've been better. Worked out pretty well!

[tanstaafl2]

On ‎2‎/‎24‎/‎2017 at 8:18 PM, Craig E said:

Last weekend I had the distinct pleasure of drinks at Attaboy in NYC. Among the drinks served to me was a Kingston Negroni, a familiar drink made new by using Gran Classico in place of Campari and Hamilton St. Lucian in place of Smith & Cross.

 

 

If you are going to take the Jamaican rum out of the Kingston Negroni and use St Lucia rum instead (the choice of amaro aside) shouldn't it now be the Castries Negroni?

 

Yeah, mon!

[PassionateAmateur]

On 1/4/2017 at 7:22 PM, Craig E said:

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.

 

Followed your lead and gave this a try over the weekend, Craig (I went with Beefeaters not-quite-navy-strength, and regular 2x simple).  Delicious.  Thanks!

Emily

[FrogPrincesse]

Don't Give Up The Ship (Crosby Gaige via the Bartender's Choice app)

1.5 oz Beefeater London dry gin

0.5 oz barrel-aged Fernet Francisco

0.5 oz Margerum amaro

0.5 oz Pierre Ferrand dry curaçao

 

This is a great drink in the Martinez family, and the Fernet Francisco works great in this. The drink is both crisp and herbal at the same time, with orange notes from the curaçao.

 

 

 

[GarethLangston]

I was experimenting earlier this evening,  a whiskey sour with biscoff syrup.  The biscoff gives a really silky mouthfeel but   the bourbon overwhelmed the biscuit flavour.  

 

That was our third drink,  after two clover club variations with Swedish preserves,  so I didn't get chance to try with a less assertive whiskey. 

 

 

[FrogPrincesse]

Like an Americano but without soda water and with Margerum amaro instead of sweet vermouth (it's a wine-based amaro that isn't very bitter at all). This was simple and very good!

 

1.5 oz Margerum amaro 

1 oz Campari

 

 

[Craig E]

Eeyore's Requiem, a drink often discussed on these boards in the past. Had made it before but never with the right vermouth. Offers a subtle complexity, if you can call a drink with a Campari base subtle.

[lesliec]

In all conscience I can't claim to have invented it, but the idea of a Black Boulevardier occurred to me a day or two ago, having lately enjoyed a 'real' Boulevardier.

 

It's not unknown to the Googleverse, but descriptions and recipes seem strangely vague.  What worked for me was 1.5oz bourbon with 1oz each of Averna and Campari and an orange zest garnish.  I used a split of Four Roses and Buffalo Trace for the base (simply because both are getting low!).  I started with a 1:1:1 ratio, which was good, but the  extra half-ounce of bourbon made a distinct improvement.

 

So a strong recommendation from me for Negroni lovers.  I feel Kindred should list the Black Boulevardier, but I'm hesitant to put it there myself without a clearer idea of when/where it originated.

[Rafa]

^^I have a black Boulevardier on Kindred under the name No Loitering (#commentary). I imagine a lot of people came up with that or similar drinks around the same time. 

 

Snow day here, at the height of white grapefruit season, so I'm living it up tropically at home with Daiquiris #3 (Palo Viejo, La Favorite, Luxardo, white grapefruit, lime). Also aged 'Ti Punches with Clement VSOP and Petite Canne, because it's never the wrong season for a 'Ti Punch.

[abenc85]

Today's 1st libation is a badly made rendition of the Smoked Appletini. The recipe calls for a 'Manuka Honey Vodka' so I subbed in Polish Vodka & Old Krupnik Honey Liqueur. It also calls for the drink to be stirred and smoked using apple & pecan and I didn't bother to read, saw citrus & spirit and shook the thing to high heaven. Still really nice though,

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Tomorrow is an early work day so in lieu of something more substantial I am enjoying a good glass of Chartreuse green V.E.P.

 

For the health benefits of course.

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

For something different, a digestive of Del Maguey Tobala.  A superlative spirit and the bottle was getting a bit dusty.  I confess from Baccarat not from some unglazed piece of desert pottery, but so be it.  At least I'm wearing glass earrings from Oaxaca.

 

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Ah, Charles H. Baker Jr, Balaklava Special No 1.  Equal parts Kummel and Cognac plus a dash of grenadine.  One of the finest beverages to come out of the Crimean war.

 

 

[Craig E]

Just made up some homemade grenadine (tried out this part-reduced, part-fresh Pom recipe but with orange blossom water instead of peels), so tried out a Miss Scarlet: 

• 1 1/2 oz gin
• 1/2 oz lime
• 1/4 oz Cynar
• 3/4 oz grenadine
• dash Angostura

The little bit of Cynar is the key to deepening this tart and refreshing drink. The red tartness reminded me of cranberries--really this was like a grown-up version of the familiar Ocean Spray cranberry juice drink. 

[Craig E]

On a lazy whim I poured Cappelletti Aperitivo and pineapple juice together, and it wasn't terrible.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Pusser's wood still 15 years.  A little sweet but I could get to like this.

 

[tanstaafl2]

On ‎3‎/‎30‎/‎2017 at 3:39 AM, JoNorvelleWalker said:

Pusser's wood still 15 years.  A little sweet but I could get to like this.

 

 

"wood still"? Do you mean the DDL wooden stills?

 

I don't think there is much doubt that it is sweetened. Probably a lot based on the testing done. Not necessarily a bad thing on its own (although it is generally not my preference for rum  these days). but I just wish they would own up to it. And everybody else that adds sugar to their rum for that matter!

[JoNorvelleWalker]

3 hours ago, tanstaafl2 said:

 

"wood still"? Do you mean the DDL wooden stills?

 

I don't think there is much doubt that it is sweetened. Probably a lot based on the testing done. Not necessarily a bad thing on its own (although it is generally not my preference for rum  these days). but I just wish they would own up to it. And everybody else that adds sugar to their rum for that matter!

 

Almost undoubtedly.  The bottle says wood pot stills.  I don't know of any others.

 

I'd like it more if it were not so sweet.  Was certainly worth a purchase.