Cocktail Porn

[slkinsey]

These days one often hears the term "food porn" to describe closeups and other pictures of delicious food. I figured that plenty of us have cool barware and/or interesting-looking cocktails, so why shouldn't we have some fun too? Please post pictures here of your cool barware (hopefully in the act) and other cool cocktail-related pictures from your home.

The pictures below I took this evening while making a Bloodhound in one of my favorite cocktail mixers that I like to tall "the big silver cock shaker" for reasons that will become apparent...

A Bloodhound is:

2.0 oz : gin

0.5 oz : white vermouth

0.5 oz : red vermouth

6-8 raspberries

Muddle raspberries in mixing glass. Add ice. Shake & strain.

Here's everything. Big cock shaker in the back there.

Berries and booze go in.

Muddle.

Add some ice.

Shake.

Finished drinks.

Closeup from the top.

This is too many pictures, really, of only one drink and only one piece of barware -- but I wanted to get the ball rolling. So, let's see what you have.

[KatieLoeb]

An excellent post, Sam! As soon as I figure out how to work my digital camera, I'll show you all my cool antique barware. My pride and joy is a Deco era collapsable cocktail shaker that comes with it's own leather case and collapsable cup into which to strain your concoction. Something no proper Prohibition era gentleman would travel without, I suspect.

[Katherine]

It seems a little late in the evening to mix a cocktail to photograph and then drink it. The project must needs wait wait for another day.

[rabidscottsman]

I look forward to reading the upcoming posts..I think this is going to be a good one!

[...tm...]

I had a surplus of Kentucky Colonel Mint, which I read is the traditional mint for the julep, so i made one or two.

My picture may feature my homemade gravalax platter, but the julep with the mint blossom garnish is still pretty attractive in the background.

I just muddled a bunch of the mint with some raw sugar and ice and added Evan Williams Bourbon that was on sale at my local grocery store. Not bad, not bad.

[DrinkBoy]

I suppose my "cocktail porn" can be found here:

http://DrinkBoy.TextAmerica.com

Where I use the camera of my "PocketPC Phone" (O2 XDA II for the phone geeks out there) to semi-document some of my drinking adventures.

This is a "free" photo-blog service that appears to work quite well. And the photo's don't have to be taken with a camera phone, you can send in any images (although they prefer them to not be multi-megabytes in size). The pictures for Trader Vic's were all taken with my camera phone, but at "Spice" the lighting was too dim, and so I submitted pictures taken with my normal Nikon digital camera.

There are several other "MoBlog" (Mobile Weblog) server sites like this out there. If you want to experiment with semi-regular posting/journaling of your "cocktail porn", then something like this might be an interesting thing to check out. While most of the posts to these moblogs are usually little more then the picture itself, as you can see from my site you can also include significant descriptions to accompany the photo's.

-Robert

[DrinkBoy]

...and just to play with the real purpose of the thread, here are some pictures of the drinks I had while on my recent visit to Trader Vic's in Atlanta:

The Mai Tai:

The Samoan Fog Cutter:

The Huni Huni:

And from my visit to Spice, the one picture taken with my Camera phone:

The Dark N' Stormy:

-Robert

[slkinsey]

Cool pics, Robert.

Just FYI -- for you and anyone else who may read this thread -- We actually have the capability to host digital photos for eGullet members right here on our own server. Check out http://images.egullet.com/ to see where you can upload pictures for inclusion in eGullet threads.

[Episure]

It's been raining here( India) like crazy so here's my small pic. Size doesnt count it's the quality, right?

Rain Killer:

45 ml White Rum

45 ml Dark Rum

10 ml Honey

15 ml Fresh Lime juice

120 ml Orange juice

Blend the rums with ice, honey & fresh lime. Pour into a straight tall glass & top with Orange juice.

Edited August 3, 2004 by Episure (log)

[Libationgoddess]

.... I L O V E the shaker, Sam !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Aud.

[slkinsey]

.... I  L O V E the shaker, Sam !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Aud.

Aw, shucks.

One thing I like about it is that it's a very large shaker, so I can mix several drinks at once and still get good aeration.

And now, since I'm thinking of Audrey, here is her Dreamy Dorini Smoking Martini. It's essentially vodka with a splash of smokey single malt scotch (the original recipe calls for Laphroaig 10) and a few drops of Pernod. I used Ricard and Lagavullin with equally interesting results. The barware -- both the mixing glass and the stirring spoon -- is all ancesteral. Especially interesting is the glass. It's not a shaker. It's designed for stirred cocktails. I've never seen another one like it.

Ingredients.

In the cocktail stirrer.

Here's a top view of the stirrer. You can see it is designed to hold back the ice when pouring the drink.

Finished drinks (sans lemon twist, because I didn't have a lemon in ths house).

So... that's another few pieces of cool barware. I encourage you all to try the Smoking Martini. The dilution of the single malt by the vodka really exposes a lot of interesting flavors that are often obscured when drinking the product straight (which is always mostly an olfactory experience) and spreads them out for examination by your palate.

[JAZ]

How much Scotch is a splash? .25 oz.?

[slkinsey]

Depends on the single malt, really. I went around 5:1 vodka:scotch with this one, and thought that was just about right. Lagavullin is a very full-bodied scotch, though. With something lighter-bodied, like Ardberg 10, you could go 4:1. Somewhere between 5-4:1 strikes me as about right, depending on how much you want to stretch out the flavor of the malt. As long as you use an Islay malt (which is the whole point), the smokyness is going to be right there at either ratio. It mostly depends on how much of a malt backbone you want in the glass.

[Heikki]

My drink related pages and pictures are here: http://www.iki.fi/vatiainen/drinks.html

Here is a picture of a Bacardi cocktail displaying the nice color from home made grenadine. Only a splash of grenadine was needed since I was lucky to get good pomegranates. Please forgive the pale garnish and the bread crumbs on the table. That was one of my first cocktail pictures and since that I have worked more on the setting

--

Heikki Vatiainen

Edited August 9, 2004 by Heikki (log)

[beans]

My drink related pages and pictures are here: http://www.iki.fi/vatiainen/drinks.html

Very cool Heikki! Nice work.

As seen previously on eG, here's a few: (not as lovely as Heikki's as the one evening we were rushed to get much accomplished and the photos of the drinks themselves were limited in number at my generous boss' request....)

I just LOVE the sparkling ruby colour of this raspberry infusion.

This was taken to demonstrate the use of a full wheel lemon slice and the graceful shape of the hurricane glass. In all honesty, it was window cleaner and ice cubes from our upstairs office refrigerator's ice maker.... I wanted the colouring to pop.

Pina Coladas:

A G&T:

A chilled vodka, up, in the making (my roomie and boss was the lovely hand model ):

Key Lime Pie:

A Milk Chocolate Martini, I had piped he chocolate flourish earlier that afternoon. Those aren't as easy as Jacques Torres makes them appear to be....

This was absolutely delicious: a Blueberry Smash, a variation on the mighty Mojito:

This pic was taken late into the photo session, the batteries were blinking their low warning and at that point were too tired to care about the water (?what is it? I forgot) splashes on the napkin. The drink, a Raspberry Champagne Cockail, was fantastic!

I will post more as I have a few that I'd still like to take and share.

Cheers!

edit for stupid typo....

Edited August 10, 2004 by beans (log)

[viva]

beans ...your Blueberry Smash - ingredients, please! I have a truckload of yummy blueberries just waiting to be used creatively.

[beans]

Blueberry Smash

1 1/2 ounces of Bacardi Limón rum

1/4 cup of blueberries (or a small handful, which is roughly a quarter cup....)

8 mint leaves

A good squeeze of fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon sugar

soda water

In the bottom of an Old Fashioned glass, place sugar, blueberries and mint; muddle. Add a scoop of cracked/crushed ice. Pour the rum over the ice and top with soda. Garnish with a sliced swizzle stick of fresh sugar cane and mint.

Yum. Cheers!

[Chef Shogun]

Woohoo! Been waiting to see your stuff up here Beans! Awsome! Thanks! I remember some of your classes (Evolving cocktails!), but I don't think I remember all those pictures. Could go for one of those key lime pies right about now!

Not sure which thread this was from, but you mentioned Shula's 2. Do you ever go to Shula's 1?

slkinsey: The Smoky Martini sounds neat, but also very strong! The Ricard probably does a whole lot to give it flavor beyond "Scotch jacked with Vodka" Is this one your above-average bartender would recognize? It's definately on the list of "Cocktails that have come up in the last week or so I need to try." I always feel weird having to 'spell out' a drink.

-- C.S.

Maker Of Decidedly Non-Pornographic Cocktails

[slkinsey]

CS,

AFAIK, the smoking martini is an Audrey Saunders special. Not terribly difficult to spell out, though. You're right that it's a strong drink, but fundamentally no more strong than a martini. Part of the trick is not to make a 5 ounce drink. The one I made had only 2 ounces of vodka.

[tanabutler]

Sam, it's not only what you're showing about the cocktails, but your groovy pad that has me checking this thread regularly. I find myself trying to read the covers of books, and to see what's out your window (NYC landmarks?).

Nice photos. Pretty colors. Great work.

[johnnyd]

...So at 2oz Vodka, that would be about a tablespoon and a smidge of Lagavullin (which I love), and an eyedropper full of Pernod. Can't wait to try the Smokey!

I thought that was your kitchen through the curtained opening Sam, I thought I saw pots and pans hanging, but I remember how space is at a premium in NYC. A reflection perhaps?

The shaker and spoon is awesome. I'm sure future generations will benefit mightily!

Edited August 10, 2004 by johnnyd (log)

[beans]

Just what I know of Mr. Kinsey, his meticulous eye for style makes his apartment, dress, meal and cocktail preparations the shit. Bergerka is a lucky lady.

Yes! More of Sam's cocktail porn!

[viva]

I'm picking up some fresh mint leaves tonight. Thanks beans!

[beans]

You are very welcome!

[WoodleyGrrl]

Blueberry Smash

1 1/2 ounces of Bacardi Limón rum

1/4 cup of blueberries (or a small handful, which is roughly a quarter cup....)

8 mint leaves

A good squeeze of fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon sugar

soda water

In the bottom of an Old Fashioned glass, place sugar, blueberries and mint; muddle. Add a scoop of cracked/crushed ice. Pour the rum over the ice and top with soda. Garnish with a sliced swizzle stick of fresh sugar cane and mint.

Yum. Cheers!

This sounds great! I think I am going to try this on Friday at a birthday party I am hosting.

Tell me: Should I buy some special tools for the muddling? Or can I just use a masher that I already have at home?