Drinks! (2011–2012)

[ChrisTaylor]

Ward Eight. Really, really, really not my thing at all.

[EvergreenDan]

Ward Eight. Really, really, really not my thing at all.

What didn't you like? I found it to be an inoffensive cocktail, and a good intro to whiskey for the non-whiskey lover. Here's the Ward Eight recipe I used. Good grenadine and fresh juices are important.

[ChrisTaylor]

When I went to the bottleshop and asked for grenadine I was presented with two options. Both $10. Both 'imitation' grenadine-flavoured cordials. All I could taste in the Ward Eight--and I was careful to not use too much 'grenadine'--was an icky sweetness from what I presume was the grenadine and the sugar syrup. I was surprised. I expected something almost along the lines of a Manhattan.

Edited October 29, 2011 by ChrisTaylor (log)

[EvergreenDan]

Apropos of your question about crap Creme de Cacao, you need good-quality grenadine. Using that cheap stuff will just ruin every drink it touches. If you can't find it locally, you can make grenadine pretty easily.

Absent that, I'd substitute a touch of a deep red berry-like syrup. I can find good quality Sour Cherry syrup, which while not pomegranate, would be much better than day-glo red corn syrup. It also makes a good kids drink with some soda water and perhaps orgeat.

Listen to your inner sugar-hater. Scale back the sweet ingredients or up the acid ingredients to your taste. Life is too short to drink cocktails you don't love.

Edited October 29, 2011 by EvergreenDan (log)

[tanstaafl2]

I use the grenadine syrup suggested in Doc Cocktails Vintage Spirits book. It combines Pama liqueur with Sonoma Syrup company pomegranate simple syrup (both of which contain pomegranate). Of course that requires access to both those ingredients. The syrup can probably be bought on line but I suppose shipping could be costly.

Don't know how close it is to "real" grenadine but it tastes pretty good!

He also suggests Stirrings Authentic Grenadine as another alternative that contains pomegranate. Don't know if either of those syrups are readily available in Australia.

The classic Rose's grenadine is apparently sans pomegranate and mostly artificial flavoring.

[Hassouni]

Made a Sazerac for the first time in what feels like forever. Teaspoon simple, 3 dashes Peychaud's, and Bulleit rye, with a Lucid swirl. Lemon twist of course. What a perfect drink....

[Sohoskiracer]

For me the Ward 8 is much more akin to a Whisky Sour, and the Pomegranite taste is what really makes the drink; ive made one with both roses and Giffards Grenadine Syrup for comparison...well the Rose's is now in the trash so I think that sums up my thoughts.

Last night did some Halloween partying (dressed up as a drinks menu fwiw) and decided to go through some cocktails I haven't had before from Joy of Mixology. Had an Aviation, and while I thought it tasted good I think I want more lemon than the equal proportion to Maraschino, not sure how much of a fan I am of the taste of Luxardo Maraschino. Think might make the next one something like 2 oz Gin 1/4 maraschino 2/3 lemon 1/2 oz simple as opposed to 4:1:1.

After that was an Amaretto sour...I definitely need better Amaretto after my Disaronno runs out, it is way to sweet, and adding more lemon would hide the almond flavor I think (2:1 ratio).

And last was a Bacardi Cocktail...which was the highlight of my night, I think I might make the same drink with different base rum (Havana Club 7 yr) but aside from that this is one of my favorite rum cocktails second to Mai Tais at the moment.

[tanstaafl2]

At the halloween party last night I ended up going with Satan's Whisker's (curled), Corpse Reviver #2 and a mix of pomegranate juice with blue curacao and vodka that I called Dragon's Blood for no particular reason other than to be somewhat thematic. My experiment at home came out pretty black but at the party they seemed to be more blue.

In any case they all went well and the Corpse Reviver was the biggest hit (no surprise) and easiest to make because it was too damned dark to see very well! But 1:1:1:1 was easy to measure even in the dark.

Used Aviation gin, Cointreau, lemon juice, Lillet and few drops of Herbsaint with a garish red grocery store maraschino cherry as garnish.

Was being greedy and keeping the Luxardo cherries for myself and besides I had to use those day-glo cherries I bought before I got the Luxardo ones somewhere...

Edited October 30, 2011 by tanstaafl2 (log)

[Hassouni]

Hmmmmm.

I made some grenadine yesterday, about 10-2 oz (volume) dissolved over heat with about 8 oz POM, then cooled, another 8 oz POM added, and shaken with another few oz of sugar. I wanted to try it out, so I found DrinkBoy's recipe for the Canton:

1.5 oz Jamaica rum (1 oz Appleton Extra, .5 oz Smith & Cross)

.25 oz Maraschino (Luxardo)

.25 oz orange Curaçao (or in my case Cointreau)

dash of grenadine.

Mixed it up, and I dunno. I think the S&C has overpowered the whole drink. Luxardo normally dominates whatever it's put in, but I can barely taste it, which is more than I can say for the Cointreau. As for the grenadine, I only taste it in the finish.

Anyone else make one of these before, and if so, how did it turn out? What else is a good showcase for homemade grenadine?

Edited October 30, 2011 by Hassouni (log)

[KD1191]

What else is a good showcase for homemade grenadine?

A Jack Rose, or in a Rye Whiskey Highball a la Roffignac.

[Sohoskiracer]

Anyone else make one of these before, and if so, how did it turn out? What else is a good showcase for homemade grenadine?

Bacardi Cocktail and Ward Eight in addition to the Jack Rose suggestion.

[tanstaafl2]

Tonight it was The Socialist. This was a drink recipe we were given at the recent rum dinner I went to that was created by the head barmen at Pura Vida, Paul Calvert. It uses The Scarlet Ibis rum I recently bought so seems a good one to try.

2 oz The Scarlet Ibis rum

3/4 Carpano Antica

1/2 oz El Dorado 12 yo (Only had the 15 yo so I sacrificed some for this experiment)

1/4 oz St. Elizabeth Allspice dram

1 "healthy" dash Reagan's orange bitters

Stir over ice and serve up with an orange twist

Had everything but the 12 yo El Dorado but had what seemed a suitable sub. Very tasty drink with a lot going on. The pimento dram is always fun to use. Will have to share this one at my next appropriate gathering.

[jphysc]

Hi all-

I've been a long time lurker and have learned a ton from everyone here in addition to having gotten some excellent ideas. I was wondering if anyone had any good drink recipes that incorporated jalapeno?

Thanks!

[Hassouni]

Hi all-

I've been a long time lurker and have learned a ton from everyone here in addition to having gotten some excellent ideas. I was wondering if anyone had any good drink recipes that incorporated jalapeno?

Thanks!

This great Mexican bar in DC does a chile and ginger infused simple syrup, which they use for one of their signature drinks, the Red & Smokey - mezcal, syrup, hibiscus water, and muddled lime. This is a superb drink and if you can be bothered to make the syrup, it's worth it. They also use the syrup for a "Mexican mojito" in which rum is replaced by tequila. Not sure if they use jalapenos or dried chiles though...

[FrogPrincesse]

Hi all-

I've been a long time lurker and have learned a ton from everyone here in addition to having gotten some excellent ideas. I was wondering if anyone had any good drink recipes that incorporated jalapeno?

Thanks!

Hello jphysc and welcome to eGullet!

Whisknladle, a restaurant in La Jolla, does a cocktail called London's Burning with gin, roasted jalapeño and avocado puree, lime, and cilantro. It is like a salsa verde in cocktail form and it's really tasty. Unfortunately I don't know the proportions but maybe you can try to play with the ingredients.

Edited November 3, 2011 by FrogPrincesse (log)

[san]

We've been selling a ton of these:

Roman Candle

2.5 oz Flor de Cana 4 yr

.5 oz fresh squeezed lime juice

.25 simple (1-1)

.25 jalapeño syrup (dissolve sugar in equal amount of water with 4 chopped jalapeños (with seeds) for each pound of sugar/water)

(top) homemade grapefruit-ginger soda (can substitute squirt)

This is a slight variation of the Roman Candle found in Trader Vic's Bartender's Guide. We added the jalapeño syrup and it really brings out a lot of the other flavors.

[tanstaafl2]

With a touch of fall in the air I felt like making it a fruit brandy night last night so ended up sampling the Kuchan Peach oak aged brandy or Eaux-de-Vie and the Laird's 12yo apple brandy.

Started with the Kuchan Peach. Perhaps I had raised my expectations above a level this could achieve but was a bit disappointed. The bottle suggests chilling it a bit before serving so I gave it some time in the fridge before drinking rather than drinking it at room temp and warming it a bit with my hands as I might do with regular brandy. Certainly didn't expect it to be peach kool-aid but it was a little less "peachy" than I expected given the 20+ pounds of peaches per half bottle. Also at 80 proof it had a little more burn than expected given it was aged a bit. I will give it a few more tries but it may prove to be more of a mixer than something I will routinely drink neat.

At 12 years old I would have expected the Laird's apple brandy to be a bit smoother even at 88 proof and indeed it was. I also chilled it a bit to make the comparison with the Kuchan more consistent. Even so it would be reasonable to expect it to be a comparison of apples and oranges/peaches given that it has spent a much longer time in the barrel and that was the case. A much more pleasant drink after dinner to be sure. The apple flavor is light but present while more vanilla flavor is present. It will warm you right up but it is not as hot as the Kuchan to me.

Was meandering through the site and whilst looking at a thread on Batavia Arrak I noticed something called the Airbag. I believe that will have to get a test drive soon, perhaps even tonight! Don't have the specified brands of tequila and mezcal but feel sure I can come up with an alternative. Maybe the Clas Azul or Milagro SBR reposado and the Sombra mezcal will work. The Sombra should certainly be able to match the Los Amantes for smoke intensity.

Then I may need to follow that one up with an Arrack Attack.

[Landru]

I made a "Pod" cocktail last night:

1 part vanilla liqueur

1 part tamarind liqueur

1 part sage liqueur

1 part light rum

All liqueurs were homemade. It was divine - the flavors all melded into a deep and rooty autumnal surprise.

[ChrisTaylor]

Tequila Sunrise.

[mkayahara]

Tequila Sunrise.

The basic orange-juice-and-grenadine kind? Personally, I'm a fan of the "Tequila Sunrise Circa 1920s" from DeGroff's Essential Cocktail. It's yet another example of how well tequila and cassis get along. If you haven't tried it, you should.

[bostonapothecary]

Started with the Kuchan Peach. Perhaps I had raised my expectations above a level this could achieve but was a bit disappointed. The bottle suggests chilling it a bit before serving so I gave it some time in the fridge before drinking rather than drinking it at room temp and warming it a bit with my hands as I might do with regular brandy. Certainly didn't expect it to be peach kool-aid but it was a little less "peachy" than I expected given the 20+ pounds of peaches per half bottle. Also at 80 proof it had a little more burn than expected given it was aged a bit. I will give it a few more tries but it may prove to be more of a mixer than something I will routinely drink neat.

bubble gum eau-de-vie.

i've found the only way to enjoy peach brandy is in a high acid cocktail. the acidity will help define the flavor and eradicate all negative connotations. somewhere way up thread i have a few recipes for it.

i've been experiencing a similar phenomenon with white dogs made from certain grains. white wheat also ends up smelling like bubble gum and it is hard to enjoy in sweet leaning cocktails like an old fashioned or manhattan. in tart cocktails where you create intense tension between the aroma and acidity white wheat is quite lovely.

[bostonapothecary]

"intuition"

1 oz. hispaniola mamajuana "the original"

1 oz. danzig goldwasser

1 oz. mezcal vida

1 oz. lime juice

most excellent.

hispaniola is the first commercial mamajuana i've ever seen. usually i think you buy it as a collection of herbs in a bottle that you add your own spirits and sugar to. the aroma with "natural and artificial flavors" is reminiscent of root beer tastefully overshadowed with vanilla acompanied by the gently penetrating piquancy of chilies. the very low sugar content of this mamajuana when partnered with the mid range sugar content of the goldwasser is an awesome contrast to the lime juice.

[tanstaafl2]

"intuition"

1 oz. hispaniola mamajuana "the original"

1 oz. danzig goldwasser

1 oz. mezcal vida

1 oz. lime juice

most excellent.

hispaniola is the first commercial mamajuana i've ever seen. usually i think you buy it as a collection of herbs in a bottle that you add your own spirits and sugar to. the aroma with "natural and artificial flavors" is reminiscent of root beer tastefully overshadowed with vanilla acompanied by the gently penetrating piquancy of chilies. the very low sugar content of this mamajuana when partnered with the mid range sugar content of the goldwasser is an awesome contrast to the lime juice.

It is new to the market around but the one I have seen in local stores is called "The Original Mamajuana". It is different from the Hipaniola Mamajuana original as best I can tell. Not such an original names but Ms. Mamajuana herself (the woman pictured on the bottle and website) came to the area to promote it. I was told she was quite an effective salesperson...

Another one I have heard about is called Kalembú Mamajuana. They all seem to tout themselves as an aphrodisiac and even "liquid viagra". You drink enough of it and I suspect it has the opposite effect.

[tanstaafl2]

Started with the Kuchan Peach. Perhaps I had raised my expectations above a level this could achieve but was a bit disappointed. The bottle suggests chilling it a bit before serving so I gave it some time in the fridge before drinking rather than drinking it at room temp and warming it a bit with my hands as I might do with regular brandy. Certainly didn't expect it to be peach kool-aid but it was a little less "peachy" than I expected given the 20+ pounds of peaches per half bottle. Also at 80 proof it had a little more burn than expected given it was aged a bit. I will give it a few more tries but it may prove to be more of a mixer than something I will routinely drink neat.

bubble gum eau-de-vie.

i've found the only way to enjoy peach brandy is in a high acid cocktail. the acidity will help define the flavor and eradicate all negative connotations. somewhere way up thread i have a few recipes for it.

i've been experiencing a similar phenomenon with white dogs made from certain grains. white wheat also ends up smelling like bubble gum and it is hard to enjoy in sweet leaning cocktails like an old fashioned or manhattan. in tart cocktails where you create intense tension between the aroma and acidity white wheat is quite lovely.

I think that was the intent of the Kuchan Peach to get away for the bublegummy nature. They succeeded. The oak aging gave it much more of a young whiskey quality with only minimal sweetness at best to me and the peach is definitely in the background. It is no doubt exactly what it was intended to be and may prove a great mixer. Just wasn't quite what I had expected. I will have to give it another try or two and perhaps share with others who may have a little more refinement to their palate than I to see if I am missing the boat.

I often do!

[Hassouni]

My early afternoon drink was an aviation, with Plymouth, Luxardo, R&W, and the dried cherries I've been soaking in Luxardo for several weeks