Drinks! 2018

[chord]

After moving half way across the country, I'm rebuilding my liquor cabinet from scratch. So far, I have gin, vodka, and bourbon. (And dry vermouth, I guess.) My first cocktail in the new apartment is a classic martini, garnished with two olives and served in a sherry glass.

 

[Craig E]

Accoutrement
by Chris Hannah, Arnaud's French 75, New Orleans

• 2 oz Calvados (Laird's bonded apple brandy)
• 3/4 oz Strega
• 1/2 oz Clément Créole Shrubb (Pierre Ferrand dry curacao)
• 3/4 oz lemon juice
• 2 ds Peychaud's Bitters

Shake, strain, cocktail glass, garnish with 3 brandied cherries

 

There was a strong cherry aspect to this--maybe even beyond the aroma of the indulgent garnish, some alchemy reinforced the cherry taste. The herby factor of Strega and Peychaud's keeps things interesting. Cherry and ester (from the high-proof brandy) and herbs threaten to turn medicinal but that was a mostly empty threat.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

With an excessive heat warning, this evening was a zombie.  The first sip was mind numbingly bitter.  Then again 23andMe reports I may not be able to taste bitter.*  Otherwise I'd be horrified.

 

What I forgot was the grenadine.  With a zombie it's always something.  Then again it may have been the grapefruit a couple months past it's prime.

 

 

*I think they're wrong.

 

 

[scubadoo97]

21 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

With an excessive heat warning, this evening was a zombie.  The first sip was mind numbingly bitter.  Then again 23andMe reports I may not be able to taste bitter.*  Otherwise I'd be horrified.

 

What I forgot was the grenadine.  With a zombie it's always something.  Then again it may have been the grapefruit a couple months past it's prime.

 

 

*I think they're wrong.

 

 

What rums did you use?

[lindag]

I need a better bartender...I suck.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

4 hours ago, scubadoo97 said:

What rums did you use?

 

The rums I would like to have used were S&C, Neisson l'Esprit and Hamilton 151.  However having but a drop of l'Esprit in the bottle I opted for La Favorite Blanc (of which my bottles number six).  La Favorite is a staple of my white mai tai recipe, one of which I'm sipping as we speak.  La Favorite didn't work as well for me in the zombie.

 

Plus I'm afraid the months old half grapefruit may have been an issue.  Long about daybreak I spent a mini-vacation in the bathroom.  Or it could have been the tomatoes.

 

My current favored zombie recipe is here:

https://forums.egullet.org/topic/152876-the-tiki-drink-discussion-topic-part-2/?do=findComment&comment=2157114

 

Except that since I've not been finding white grapefruit I've been adding a good dash of Bob's grapefruit bitters.  In better news my local spirits monger is now stocking Hamilton 151.  I have some Lemon Hart but I'm conserving it.

 

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

3 hours ago, lindag said:

I need a better bartender...I suck.

 

I'm sorry.  What went wrong?

 

[blue_dolphin]

On 8/28/2018 at 5:13 PM, lindag said:

I need a better bartender...I suck.

Perhaps you should tip better???? 🙃

 

My cocktail options at Blackbird restaurant in Santa Barbara, CA:

 

And my choice, the Fit for Battle, which I should have photographed before it went around the table for shared sips.

Thanks to the shared sips, I also tasted the Purple Rain, Rosemary's Baby, Whiskey Smash and a Cosmo, all ordered by my dining companions but was happy with my choice.  Smoky, bittersweet and a little spicy.  I'm sure there is a better comparison but to me, this was kinda like a Perfect Manhattan with Cardamaro in for the Sweet Vermouth and Cocchi Americano for the dry with smoky tea and spicy bitters.

[lindag]

37 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

Perhaps you should tip better???? 🙃

 

My cocktail options at Blackbird restaurant in Santa Barbara, CA:

 

And my choice, the Fit for Battle, which I should have photographed before it went around the table for shared sips.

Thanks to the shared sips, I also tasted the Purple Rain, Rosemary's Baby, Whiskey Smash and a Cosmo, all ordered by my dining companions but was happy with my choice.  Smoky, bittersweet and a little spicy.  I'm sure there is a better comparison but to me, this was kinda like a Perfect Manhattan with Cardamaro in for the Sweet Vermouth and Cocchi Americano for the dry with smoky tea and spicy bitters.

I was referring to my own cocktail making skills.  I don't usually frequent bars these days

[blue_dolphin]

33 minutes ago, lindag said:

I was referring to my own cocktail making skills.  I don't usually frequent bars these days

Yes, I understood you and tried to make a small joke....very badly, it seems🙃

[ananth]

Cobble Hill

A really refreshing Manhattan twist 

[ananth]

Made this a few days ago, à smoky manhattan twist

 

The Meat Hook

 

1,5 oz of Rittenhouse 100 (I used Bullet) 

5/6 oz of Punt e Mes (I used noilly prat)

1/3 oz of Ardbeg 10 (I used Laphroaig 10)

1 bsp of maraschino 

 

 

[FrogPrincesse]

1 hour ago, ananth said:

Cobble Hill

A really refreshing Manhattan twist 

Isn't the Cobble Hill supposed to have Montenegro as the amaro? It still looks tasty!

 

[damaaster]

I was in the (un) fortunate position of noticing I should probably use up the vermouth in my fridge...so made a tasty negroni before bed last night.

 

Decided to go with 1.5 oz gin, and 1 oz of campari/vermouth.  Added some grapefruit zest & grapefruit twist to top off over giant ice ball.  

I enjoy a Negroni before dinner/with appetizers like everyone else - but I also really enjoy one right before bed. Anyone else?

 

 

 

https://moneymaaster.wordpress.com/2018/09/05/negroni/

[Anna N]

42 minutes ago, damaaster said:

I enjoy a Negroni before dinner/with appetizers like everyone else - but I also really enjoy one right before bed. Anyone else?

 Is there ever a bad time to have a good Negroni?   I haven’t found one yet.

[ananth]

On 9/4/2018 at 5:41 PM, FrogPrincesse said:

Isn't the Cobble Hill supposed to have Montenegro as the amaro? It still looks tasty!

 

 

I initially wanted to post this one on the cucumber drinks topic - where I saw your Cobble Hill - but got mixed up

I was so sure that the recipe called for Averna I noticed after that you used Montenegro instead of Averna

 

An yet, I bought both bottles this summer in Italy so I could have done it right, next time This version was quite tasty though

And to be honest, I don't even know how Montenegro actually taste. I have tried averna on the rocks last year and I thought it was pretty good.

[FrogPrincesse]

@ananthMontenegro is very nice, hard to describe but it’s easy-going for an amaro. I use it more than Averna.

 

[EvergreenDan]

2 hours ago, FrogPrincesse said:

Montenegro is very nice, hard to describe.

 

Standard description:

[FrogPrincesse]

1 hour ago, EvergreenDan said:

Standard description:

Lol. That's what happens when I try writing while not fully awake (or without a glass of Montenegro in hand!).

 

Don't you think Montenegro is difficult to describe though? When I mix with it I often get maple or chestnut notes, but it does not really resemble any other familiar flavors I know.

[Craig E]

Some recent finds: Monk's Thistle (green Chartreuse, Cynar, Regans, water) and Helen of Troy Does Countertop Dancing (applejack, Ango, orgeat, lemon). 

The former was a quality chartreuse feature. Interestingly, the caramel sweetness of Cynar was strong but its expected bitter finish got somewhat overridden by chartreuse's powerfully long finish. The sophistication of the flavors certainly kept this from being flatly syrupy, but it was quite sweet.

The latter (as you can tell from the color) is one of those big-dose Angostura drinks, 1/2 ounce in this case. Subbing bonded apple brandy for the applejack in the spec, and using my very flowery homemade orgeat, I really liked this. Strong but accessible, very autumnal.

 

Edited September 8, 2018 by Craig E
rearranged pics (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

54 minutes ago, Craig E said:

Some recent finds: Monk's Thistle (green Chartreuse, Cynar, Regans, water) and Helen of Troy Does Countertop Dancing (applejack, Ango, orgeat, lemon). 

 

The latter (as you can tell from the color) is one of those big-dose Angostura drinks, 1/2 ounce in this case. Subbing bonded apple brandy for the applejack in the spec, and using my very flowery homemade orgeat, I really liked this. Strong but accessible, very autumnal.

 

Sounds like an autumn in Jersey with a little extra Angostura.  When I make an autumn in Jersey I confess I up the Angostura also, maybe to around a quarter ounce.  Maybe time for an autumn in Jersey for tonight.

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

After a late summer heatwave, today was cool and overcast.  Perfect hiking weather.  In fact I was minded to go have a flu shot.*  At dark the rains came.  This is Jersey.**  I am reposing with my autumn in Jersey.

 

 

*And if flu shot is not the name of a drink it should be.

 

**That's actually New Jersey.

 

 

 

[ananth]

The Martinez is probably my favorite cocktail. 

I wanted to give it a try a twist with 'rhum agricole' and it was quite tasty. 

It was too sweet though, I used the 2 parts vermouth and 1 part gin recipe. Got to try it again with equal parts. 

 

 

[chord]

I'm still (re)building by liquor cabinet. But a teetotaling friend passed along one of those mini bottles of Grand Marnier, and I used it to make a Pegu Club.

 

Edited September 26, 2018 by chord (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Tonight I forgot what I was making and added too much Smith & Cross to my Mississippi punch.  This threw the sweetness off so I garnished with a couple Luxardo Maraschino cherries.  Am resisting the urge to prepare up a proper batch.