Drinks! (2011–2012)

[tanstaafl2]

A night out on the town last night for me. We started first at Three Blind Mice, a newish restaurant in Lilburn, GA and well off the typical restaurant path but supposedly does some nice cocktails and food. But we were there for the Sunday beer tasting. Wrong forum for much detail on that but thought I would note the beers for those of you who are "bilingual" (cocktails and beer) or even "trilingual" (cocktails, beer and wine!).

Beers offered last night were:

Founder's Brewing Co. Cerise

Lagunitas Maximus and Doppel Weizen

New Belgium Brewing Ranger IPA

Great Divide Brewing Co Hoss Rye Lager (a bit disappointing)

And another IPA that currently slip my memory.

Then it was on to Leon's Full Service in Decatur for dinner and cocktails. They are known to have strong bar and cocktail menu so I was looking forward to dinner there. The first cocktail was called the "El Presidente #3". Not real sure what happened to #1 and #2...

The Scarlet Ibis Rum (49% abv) - A pretty uncommon rum but as I said Leon's has a strong rep for cocktails

Punt e Mes

House curacao, grenadine and orange bitters - I presume this means house made but didn't think to clarify

Lemon twist

A strong but very nice cocktail to start the dinner off. I didn't inquire about ratios and not sure they give away their recipe anyway.

This was followed up by a "Red Wing":

Elijah Craig 12 yo bourbon

Spiced Strawberry Shrubb - a house concoction. Not sure how it was made

Aperol

Carpano Antica

Angostura bitters

Lemon twist

Very bourbon forward despite a couple of my favorite ingredients in Aperol and Carpano. Liked them both but I think the El Presidente was my favorite of the two.

All in all a fun evening!

[tanstaafl2]

Then it was on to Leon's Full Service in Decatur for dinner and cocktails. They are known to have strong bar and cocktail menu so I was looking forward to dinner there. The first cocktail was called the "El Presidente #3". Not real sure what happened to #1 and #2...

The Scarlet Ibis Rum (49% abv) - A pretty uncommon rum but as I said Leon's has a strong rep for cocktails

Punt e Mes

House curacao, grenadine and orange bitters - I presume this means house made but didn't think to clarify

Lemon twist

A strong but very nice cocktail to start the dinner off. I didn't inquire about ratios and not sure they give away their recipe anyway.

Looks like the traditional El Presidente is made with dry vermouth. I did find this recipe on another website that is similar to the one above.

40ml Flor de Cãna 7 yr Grand Reserve

20ml Sweet Vermouth

15ml Cartron Curaçao

5ml Teisseire Grenadine

3 dashes of Orange Bitters

It is a variation on the El Presidente called a Sin & Roses

Think I might try to tweek it starting with this basic recipe and mix one up to see how I do!

[tanstaafl2]

Seems to be an El Presidente kind of day! I noted this evening with interest that Splificator has an article in the latest edition (September/October 2011) of Imbibe that features that very drink and extolls the virtues of Dolin Blanc, a recent subject of discussion in another thread, in making the drink stand up and be noticed once again.

I suppose a drink with an even less dry vermouth, which would of course be sweet vermouth, is a natural extension of this family after all!

Edited October 4, 2011 by tanstaafl2 (log)

[haresfur]

I was gifted some home made lemon liqueur. I'm not sure how it compares to lemoncello - it's quite sweet but has some bitterness from the pith. A nice mix:

1 oz Beefeater Gin

1 oz Campari

1 oz lemon liqueur

a couple dashes Regan's orange bitters

stir, strain, sip

Basically I think you could sub about anything of comparable sweetness to Cinzano into a Negroni and come up with something interesting.

[bostonapothecary]

pisco faux "mosto verde"

2 oz. macchu pisco aromatized with extra moscat from a mistelle

1 oz. lemon juice

8 grams non aromatic white sugar

egg white

dash of angostura bitters on the froth

mosto verde is a pisco production technique where the wine isn't fermented to dryness before it is distilled so that an exaggerated amount of aroma to alcohol can be produced. i've never encountered one, but really loved the idea so i decided to try and synthesize it by getting extra aroma from a mistelle of moscat grapes.

for comparisons i had unaromatized macchu pisco, the aromatized version, and the epic cesar pisco "italia". macchu pisco doesn't have as much aroma as the cesar and the aromatized version increased the amount of aroma to about as much as the cesar but the tonality was not as pretty.

the technique for faking mosto verde is a nice idea, but i think i need a better source of moscat aroma. i need to move to the wine country.

[tanstaafl2]

Tried an El Presidente last night using Brugal Amber, NP dry, Senor curacao and Doc Cocktails homemade grenadine. Seemed pretty good to me but I suppose I lack the sophisticated palate of some. But I thought the version with sweet vermouth was more to my taste so I may lean that way in the future.

Then went back to my "Canton period" and had another Eva Peron. Really liking that one. Not a particularly strong drink but quite tasty in a bracing sort of way. May use up that Fernet Branca after all!

Eva Peron

¾ Part Domaine de Canton (1.5 oz)

¼ Part Fernet Branca (0.5 oz)

¾ Part Sweet Vermouth (1.5 oz)(Carpano Antica because that was the bottle that was open)

¾ Part Fresh Lime Juice (1.5 oz)

Shake vigorously and strain over ice in a collins glass. Top with ginger beer (ended up using about 1 oz of Fever Tree ginger beer) and garnish with a lime.

←

[MarkIsCooking]

I'm not a drinker at all. I finally found one that could prove dangerous. Sweet Tea Vodka and Lemonade, a spiked Arnold Palmer if you will.

[KD1191]

mosto verde is a pisco production technique where the wine isn't fermented to dryness before it is distilled so that an exaggerated amount of aroma to alcohol can be produced. i've never encountered one, but really loved the idea so i decided to try and synthesize it by getting extra aroma from a mistelle of moscat grapes.

I have two mosto verde piscos from Estirpe Peruana that a friend brought back for me from a business trip to Lima. One is Moscatel and the other is Quebranta. The aroma on both is powerful, especially the former. As one who already had an aversion to the more aromatic Italias I had found in the States, I can't say that I found the Moscatel all that enjoyable. The Quebranta has an earthy, vegetal quality that certainly has its moments. They were described to me as 'best for sipping', but that hasn't stopped me from trying them in the occasional cocktail.

Edited October 6, 2011 by KD1191 (log)

[syoung68]

I'm not a drinker at all. I finally found one that could prove dangerous. Sweet Tea Vodka and Lemonade, a spiked Arnold Palmer if you will.

We do that but take it a step further and use Mike's Hard Lemonade. But we are drinkers.

[Tri2Cook]

Decided to try the Bitter End...

1 oz Absinthe (I only have two, Taboo and Lucid, I went with the Lucid)

1/2 oz Cointreau

1/2 oz lemon juice

1/2 oz orange juice

1/2 oz egg white

1/4 oz simple syrup

1/4 oz Campari

Dry shake everything except the Campari, shake with ice, strain into cocktail glass, pour Campari down side to layer at bottom of glass.

[Hassouni]

First daiquiri in what seems like forever with my newly purchased Flor de Caña 4 yr extra dry. 2 oz of that, 1/2 oz lime, 2/3 teaspoon homemade superfine sugar (regular Domino spun around in a food processor). I've run out of simple syrup, so I think a new batch is due, as this was just a hair too dry. Interestingly, the sourness of the lime seemed to mellow as I drank, possibly because the rum flavor shone through more as the drink warmed up.

[thirtyoneknots]

First daiquiri in what seems like forever with my newly purchased Flor de Caña 4 yr extra dry. 2 oz of that, 1/2 oz lime, 2/3 teaspoon homemade superfine sugar (regular Domino spun around in a food processor). I've run out of simple syrup, so I think a new batch is due, as this was just a hair too dry. Interestingly, the sourness of the lime seemed to mellow as I drank, possibly because the rum flavor shone through more as the drink warmed up.

Ah but it should be dry, as bracing as a Martini. You've glimpsed true greatness--try it sweeter if you must but then wait a week and try it like you had today again. It may well grow on you. And if not, drink it how you like

[Hassouni]

I've made daiquiris this dry before, and I prefer them a TOUCH sweeter. Not "Sweet" per se, but the first few sips of this were all lime juice. Most of the ones I made this summer were with simple syrup.

I think if it were really hot outside it wouldn't have bothered me at all.

Edit....post cocktail typos.

Edited October 7, 2011 by Hassouni (log)

[ChrisTaylor]

A gin and tonic. Looking forward to the arrival of Essential Cocktail so I can, you know, learn how to make something else.

[threestars]

Looking for a good cocktail drink for a Saturday night party. Hoping to try some of the mixes here.

[tanstaafl2]

Flipping through the SEP/OCT Imbibe and came across "The Last Barrel". It harkened back to my recent Canton period and so I decided to give that a try.

1.5 oz blended Irish Whiskey (Bushmills)

3/4 oz Canton

1/2 oz lemon juice

1/2 oz demerara syrup (1:1)

Combine in shaker with ice and shake until chilled. Strain and garnish with a swatch of lemon peel

I must say that it was pretty good! A pretty decent balance and the Canton seemed to work well.

May try the Tipperary (Have all the components except I don't have the suggested Michael Collins single malt) and the Wilde Heart (Don't have Black Bush but have a friend who does. I know because I gave it to him!) on the next couple of pages.

Enjoyed "The Last Barrel" while reading the article about that "charming curmudgeon" Ray Foley. Not sure I agree with him completely but I think he makes some interesting points about the rapidly changing industry.

Of course his own website seems pretty commercial as well...

But it made a nice companion article to the slightly curmudgeonly but interesting drink!

Edited October 7, 2011 by tanstaafl2 (log)

[blue_dolphin]

I am very much a cocktail novice. After seeing the Chartreuse discussion on the Essential Liqueurs thread last night, I tried a Cat's Pajamas:

1 oz Gin

1 oz Campari

1/2 oz Green Chartreuse

1/2 oz Orange Juice

1/4 oz Maple Syrup

The valencia oranges from my tree make a very tangy juice but the peels seem to lack the oil needed to properly flame the peel over the top. I enjoyed it anyway - it was the cat's pajamas !

[thirtyoneknots]

May try the Tipperary (Have all the components except I don't have the suggested Michael Collins single malt) and the Wilde Heart (Don't have Black Bush but have a friend who does. I know because I gave it to him!) on the next couple of pages.

Try not to get too hung up on brand recs, Bushmills or whatever makes a fine Tipperary. In general, for Irish Whiskey, column still can be subbed for column, pot still for pot still--texture is usually the primary consideration. For SM Scotch, stay within the region of the brand recommended and while you may not get the same drink it should work ok. For American Whiskey, proof is usually the critical quality to get right when subbing out other brands. For Canadian, sub 90 proof American Rye

[tanstaafl2]

May try the Tipperary (Have all the components except I don't have the suggested Michael Collins single malt) and the Wilde Heart (Don't have Black Bush but have a friend who does. I know because I gave it to him!) on the next couple of pages.

Try not to get too hung up on brand recs, Bushmills or whatever makes a fine Tipperary. In general, for Irish Whiskey, column still can be subbed for column, pot still for pot still--texture is usually the primary consideration. For SM Scotch, stay within the region of the brand recommended and while you may not get the same drink it should work ok. For American Whiskey, proof is usually the critical quality to get right when subbing out other brands. For Canadian, sub 90 proof American Rye

Thanks, all good suggestions. I love Black Bush but didn't have any handy. But I would love to try the Wilde Heart using it so that one I will wait until I can get some. But I will take a run at the Tipperary with my Bushmills as you suggest.

Oddly, I have never been a big Scotch fan, single malt or otherwise, so I have very few in the house and typically have just the basics really. JW Red and Glenlivet may be all I have on hand at the moment for example. And my newly acquired bottle of Glayva of course. I do rather like Scotch liqueurs despite not drinking a lot of Scotch on its own.

[thirtyoneknots]

Nothing wrong with either JW Red nor Glenlivet, though if you ever want to try drinks using a scotch rinse, you'll need to acquire an Islay malt.

[bostonapothecary]

2 oz. E&J XO california brandy (who brought this to my house?)

4 g. non aromatic white sugar

4 dashes peychaud's bitters

rinse of special absinthe**

the tonality of everything was too dark for a lemon twist.

**the special absinthe is turkish raki "aromatized" with sloe berry eau-de-vie to boost the alcohol and add aroma plus yerba mate instead of wormwood for its darker aromas.

E&J XO is interesting but kind of lame relative to cognac. full of very ordinary chocolatey aromas. i have no clue how it ended up at the house. very tootsie roll.

in drinking the remainder of the rinse i was really impressed with how the sloeberry complemented the anise. the aromas was really stretched out. yerba mate pulls on those aromas in the same was as wormwood, but darker.

[tanstaafl2]

**the special absinthe is turkish raki "aromatized" with sloe berry eau-de-vie to boost the alcohol and add aroma plus yerba mate instead of wormwood for its darker aromas.

in drinking the remainder of the rinse i was really impressed with how the sloeberry complemented the anise. the aromas was really stretched out. yerba mate pulls on those aromas in the same was as wormwood, but darker.

Yerba mate? As in what seemingly everybody in Montevideo drinks 24/7? Didn't even know it was readily available in the US.

What was the Turkish raki that you used? I acquired a bottle of Yeni raki on a whim a few months ago after a trip to the Middle East. Was looking for Lebanese arak (I have since seen some at drinkupny) but this was the closest I could find at the time. Haven't really figured out what to do with it other than mixing with water and sipping as is more or less done in the Middle East.

[Hassouni]

As someone whose second home is Lebanon and is an ardent Turkophile, I'll say that rakı and arak are IDENTICAL. Yeni Rakı is the bog standard stuff in Turkey, Efe Rakı is a bit smoother/more subtle. I love it, but yes, I only drink it the traditional way. I guess you could add it to soups or stews or sauces if you want an anise taste.

[tanstaafl2]

As someone whose second home is Lebanon and is an ardent Turkophile, I'll say that rakı and arak are IDENTICAL. Yeni Rakı is the bog standard stuff in Turkey, Efe Rakı is a bit smoother/more subtle. I love it, but yes, I only drink it the traditional way. I guess you could add it to soups or stews or sauces if you want an anise taste.

Yes, I thought they were similar but wasn't sure they were identical. They seem to vary between 90 and 100 proof.

Do you have any opinion on the brands available here in the States? Drinkupny has three that I can find, Gantous & Abou Raad Arak, Razzouk Arak and El Massaya Arak.

Astor wines has the last two. Razzouk I think may be the only one I have since seen locally besides Yeni but I haven't looked in a while. El Massaya was the one I was initially trying to find before I went on my trip.

Beltramos has both the Efe you mentioned and Yeni raki as well as Razzoux (I assume it is the same as Razzouk, maybe with a typo) and a different brand called Haddad.

Those three are the main internet sources I have used in the past. I don't usually bother with K&L because they won't currently ship to my state.

Although I suppose I won't be looking for another until I finish the Yeni and that may be awhile!

[Hassouni]

Razzoux is definitely just a typo.

Of the Lebanese ones you listed, I'd say Massaya is the smoothest, and Ghantous & Abou Raad and Razzouk are about on par with each other for firey-ness. That being said since they're drunk with water, it's not that they taste harsh, but the smoother ones have a more rounded, sweeter profile

By the way, when I say rakı and arak are identical, this is more or less true, though there are variations in the product that's fermented - a lot of rakı is made from raisins, some is made from fresh grapes, some from figs, while in Lebanon I think grape pomace is common. That being said the taste is basically the same, esp as the anise flavor overwhelms everything else.

Edited October 8, 2011 by Hassouni (log)