Drinks! 2017

[Craig E]

Latest, and most successful, trial at a Presidente. 

I learned from other threads here that blanc rather than dry vermouth is probably historically accurate, and in any event better tasting. Starting point for these ratios was the Cienfuegos house recipe I found on Kindred, but an anonymous commenter there suggested Smith & Cross instead of the demerara rum in the spec, which I tried. So it was

• 3/4 oz Smith & Cross overproof rum
• 3/4 oz Clement unaged agricole
• 3/4 oz Dolin Blanc
• 1/4 Pierre Ferrand dry curacao
• 1 barspoon homemade grenadine
• lemon twist

Stirred and served up. 

[Craig E]

One Flight Up: Campo de Encanto pisco (Capel), Dolin blanc, lemon, simple, orange flower water, Angostura bitters, and egg white (aquafaba), layered over Campari and soda, with orange and lemon twists.

A fun drink with bitter bottom through the straw, and creamy orangey sips from the top. 

 

[Craig E]

Tonight tried a Sea Pea Fizz, more or less:

3/4 oz. each Herbsaint, simple syrup, lemon juice, and aquafaba, dry shook and shook and strained and topped with soda. 

Actually I ran out of simple and was too lazy to mix up a new batch, so I supplemented with honey syrup I had on hand and that worked quite well. Wife and I agreed, though we're not huge anise-flavor fans, this was a winner. 

No pic, but here's the musical accompaniment. 

Edited April 8, 2017 by Craig E (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

There are times when nothing but a Balaclava #1 will do.

 

I just received a Blu-ray of Cat Ballou, where Jane Fonda pretends to be reading Tennyson.  How could a drink be this good?  Thin red line or no.

 

 

[Craig E]

I saw that the cocktails sub-Reddit has started up an original cocktail challenge. If it gains some momentum maybe it can pick up where Mixology Monday left off. At any rate, their first theme was "Spring has sprung: botanical booze." So I set out to create something as herby/planty as possible.

 

I knew I wanted to build on silver tequila, because I love the bell-peppery freshness of agave it has. Artichoke-based Cynar seemed like a thematically appropriate "deepener." That combo works well in the Santucci, so I took inspiration from there to think about a role for cucumber, which I happened to have in the fridge, first as a garnish but eventually also muddled in the mix. Drambuie seemed like an appropriate sweetener bringing in some floral notes (though the drink was already sweet--much of the refining of the recipe was cutting back the Drambuie). A subtle green chartreuse rinse adds complexity and a squirt of lemon peel a little brightness. 

 

So the final recipe:

HERB TARLEK

Muddle two slices of peeled cucumber in a mixing glass. Add 1 1/2 oz. silver tequila, 1 oz. Cynar, 1/4 oz. Drambuie and stir well with ice. Rinse a chilled glass with green Chartreuse. Double strain into prepared glass and express and discard lemon twist. Garnish with thin cucumber slice.

[GarethLangston]

Just a little martini.  

 

This is made with Wild Beer Co's sleeping lemon gin,  one of a batch of I believe only 20 bottles,  distilled by Bristol's psychopomp distillery. 

 

The botanicals include preserved lemons as well as lemon grass & lemon balm. It's a really lovely,  salty citrus forward gin which makes an interesting martini. 

 

Garnished with home made preserved lemons.  It was,  as you might expect,  very lemony. 

[Tri2Cook]

The salty lemon aspect sounds nice. I'm not a big martini fan (despite liking gin) but I'd try that one.

[EvergreenDan]

On 4/10/2017 at 2:39 AM, JoNorvelleWalker said:

... nothing but a Balaclava #1 will do.

Whuzzat? Google unhelpful.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

4 hours ago, EvergreenDan said:

Whuzzat? Google unhelpful.

 

"Balaklava Special No. I" Charles H. Baker Jr.  I tend to translate Roman numerals in beverage names to Hindu-Arabic. Half a league, half a league, half a league onward...

 

Fill stemmed wine goblet with cracked ice.  Add equal parts kummel and cognac, a dash of grenadine.

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Ah, yes, testing -- thin red line and all of that.  As good as ever.  But not, not the six hundred.

 

In all seriousness Balaklava #1 is one of the few drinks I really, really enjoy* that does not include citrus.  The dash of grenadine imparts a bit of an acid edge.

 

 

*Today is not a work day.

 

[Craig E]

May I present the Ski Mask #1? 

I don't own, and in fact have never tried, kummel, but Google taught me it is a liqueur with caraway, cumin, and fennel flavors, which made me think of aquavit, which I do have. But that's a spirit rather than a liqueur, so subbing outright would be taking away the sweetness of the drink. Thus, I thought blanc vermouth could go in for the (also grape-based) cognac. 

So: over cracked ice in a wine glass, stir 1 1/2 oz. each Tattersall aquavit and Dolin blanc, 1/4 oz. homemade grenadine. 

It's pretty good, though never having tried a Balaklava #1, I don't know how similar it is. 

I can imagine that lengthening this with some bubbly soda would work too. 

Edited April 17, 2017 by Craig E
rearranging photo (log)

[sbumgarner]

8-3-2 Daiquiri with Owney's. Excellent. After hearing a few raves about Owney's on this site I finally grabbed a bottle, definitely will be my Daiquiri go-to for the foreseeable future.

[Craig E]

A White Palmetto of sorts: agricole blanc, vermouth blanc, mole bitters, orange twist.

A bit thin in texture, some interesting fruit flavors in there (pear first, then mango?), but my unimpressed wife said it tastes a bit like a shoe-repair store, and I think I glimpsed what she was talking about. 

I think every rum agricole drink I've had starts shakily but gains a star rating by the time I finish it.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Tonight I wanted something ripe and fruity:  a glass of Combier Abricot.

 

[Craig E]

This is a favorite: Dead Man's Mule. Absinthe, orgeat, pimento dram, lime, ginger beer. Doing it up right this time (previously I settled for Herbsaint and almond-milk-made orgeat, this time it's the real thing on both counts). 

[Craig E]

And To All A Goodnight. 

• 1 1/2 oz bourbon
• 3/4 oz reposado tequila
• 3/4 oz Cherry Heering
• 2 dashes orange bitters
• 1 dash Angostura

Stir; strain; up; orange twist.

My test for drinks that include Cherry Heering is usually: does it avoid a medicinal quality? This one passes the test. The tequila seemed like the odd inclusion looking at the recipe, but its green vegetal qualities are a nice inclusion. A good boozy tipple.

[tanstaafl2]

20 hours ago, Craig E said:

And To All A Goodnight. 

• 1 1/2 oz bourbon
• 3/4 oz reposado tequila
• 3/4 oz Cherry Heering
• 2 dashes orange bitters
• 1 dash Angostura

Stir; strain; up; orange twist.

My test for drinks that include Cherry Heering is usually: does it avoid a medicinal quality? This one passes the test. The tequila seemed like the odd inclusion looking at the recipe, but its green vegetal qualities are a nice inclusion. A good boozy tipple.

 

 

Hmm, this recipe sounds intriguing to me. Fits right in with the flight of cocktails I did in my little (and very amateur) pop up bar in Kentucky for our little bourbon gathering this past weekend. I find Cherry Heering can work well with bourbon and rye when used judiciously in some of the recipes I found when preparing for it (mostly taken from the Beta Cocktails book). A bit like a very cherry fruit (obviously) forward vermouth as much as a brandy I suppose.

 

I wonder how mole bitters might work here, perhaps in place of the Angostura. Guess there is only one good way to find out...

[Craig E]

Lonesome Dove

Muddled blackberries, lemon juice, honey syrup, bourbon, allspice dram.

Nice maroon color. Pretty tasty, reminded me of the bottled dark grape juice that used to be standard issue for kids' snacktime in the 70s and 80s.

I think I prefer the cleaner taste of a gin-based bramble. 

Edited May 5, 2017 by Craig E
forgot an ingredient (log)

[EvergreenDan]

1 oz Swedish Punsch

1 oz Campari

1/2 oz Rhum agricole

1 1/2 oz mix of lemon and lime

 

Kind of like a lazy Bitter Mai Tai. I would probably use all lime, but those zested lemons looked so sad in the fruit drawer.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

For the first time in years I opened the refrigerator to pluck out my evening lime and came up empty handed.  A mai tai made with asparagus is not the same.

 

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Glendalough Poitin, mountain strength, more than one glass.

 

[tanstaafl2]

On ‎5‎/‎10‎/‎2017 at 1:52 AM, JoNorvelleWalker said:

Glendalough Poitin, mountain strength, more than one glass.

 

 

That will certainly help you forget about the lack of limes!

 

I avoided the need for citrus altogether and went with a Good Things Come to get my Irish fix.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

My digestive:  glass of Appleton 21.  Beautiful color.

 

 

 

I could get to like this.

 

 

[Craig E]

This Roycroft Cocktail gave me a chance to use my new tiny clothespins, about which I am inordinately excited. 

Rittenhouse, Green Chartreuse, Bénédictine, Cherry Heering (Tattersall Sour Cherry), lemon juice, ginger (candied ginger)

[Craig E]

There is praise all over this forum for Audrey Saunders's Earl Grey Marteani. 

Finally made one and I see what the fuss is about. Wow was this good!

Edited June 1, 2017 by Craig E
corrected misspelling (log)