Drinks! (2011–2012)

[bostonapothecary]

next up i made an orgeat by blending slivered almonds with water, centrifuging, crudely separating the fat, then finishing off the almond water with the acme juicer. i sugar the almond water to 400g/l with a very aromatic jaggery sugar. the sugar smells of the most lovely coconut expression...

something like a japanese..

2 oz. 95 guyana finished in chateau y'quem barrels

.5 oz. jaggery orgeat

2 dashes angostura bitters

very nice with unique aromatic inflection from the sugar source.

[tanstaafl2]

A little pre test of the Fish House Punch. Seemed to be a solid punch and should fit the bill if not the most dramatic of drinks I've ever had.

Decided to cheap out with the Myers since I already have some and can pick up a 1.75L for the cost of a 750ml of Appleton 12yo. But I thought it handled itself well.

Should make a solid but simple to make punch that should keep everyone adequately lubricated for the evening!

[bostonapothecary]

.75 oz. macallan cask strength

1.5 oz. pineau des charentes

.75 oz. pistachio "cream"

wow.

the "cream" here is the fat separated when i made the pistachio-milk-syrup yesterday. the cream layer was also full of skin solids but it was nothing a double straining couldn't fix.

another serious success for both the inverse alexander pattern and the nut fats.

[Vieux Carré]

Wanting to finish off a bottle of Osborne Amontillado, I decided to make what Gary Regan in "The Joy of Mixology" calls the "Hour before Battle" which is no more than bitters and sherry. So, I added 10 drops of Bittermens Elemakule Tiki Bitters to the sherry (in one of my 18th century glasses). The amazing thing is that the combination of the Osborne and Elemakule makes the drink taste like it is made with a strongly flavored APPLE brandy though there is no apple in it at all. Quite strange, and tasty!

[KatieLoeb]

I've been drinking hot chai tea as my night cap the last couple of nights. I discovered cartons of organic Chai concentrate at the Wegmans Market and have been enjoying it with cognac and rum. Tonight's iteration with Smith & Cross was delicious. The spices in the tea were perfect with the funky pot stilled rum. But now I need a new bottle of Smith & Cross...

[Panaderia Canadiense]

Electric Tigrillo. Not a true tiger, because I lacked the orange spirits, and also because it's based on fresh-pressed mini-mandarine juice instead of full-bodied saville orange. It was dang tasty nonetheless.

[tanstaafl2]

Tried out the cranberry concoction noted here (not sure of the name or if there even is one) using Calvados and Leopold Bros New England Cranberry liqueur. Seemed to be a hit and I quite enjoyed it myself. I think perhaps a change to orange bitters and perhaps a twist of orange peel would be good to make it a bit more like a cranberry sauce dressing.

Received a new bottle of the Single Oak Project for Christmas (#31) so I look forward to giving that one a taste!

Not really spirits but also did a comparison of the 2011 Infinium from Samuel Adams/Wiehenstephaner to DeuS. Not really much of a comparison as the Infinium was kind of a bubbly ale while the DeuS was a light and delicate beverage that was unique for a beer and good deal closer to champagne. Don't think I will look for the Infinium again at the current price but the DeuS, though very expensive, was sufficiently unique and tasty to consider an occasional splurge.

And speaking of champagne I gave a bottle of the Veuve du Vernay sparkling wine from the Loire region a try and it seems to be a very nice and VERY inexpensive alternative to champagne for the New Year's Eve celebration.

[Tri2Cook]

Browsing through the recipes in The Ideal Bartender (1917) and, it being a chilly snowing night, I decided to try the Black Stripe.

As written:

Pour wineglass Santa Cruz or Jamaica rum into a small bar glass and add 1 tablespoonful of molasses.

- If to serve hot, fill glass with boiling water and sprinkle nutmeg on top.

- If to serve cold, add 1/2 wineglass water. Stir well and fill up with shaved ice.

I did the hot version with...

2 oz Appleton 12 year

1 tbsp molasses

4 oz hot water

...and, in a moment of feeling experimental, added a dash of the Heather Duncan's Christmas Bitters instead of grating nutmeg. In my non-expert opinion, that was a good call. Warming and tasty, just what the evening called for. It might even call for another.

[bostonapothecary]

.75 oz. hazelnut "cream"

1.5 oz. pineau des charentes

.75 oz. ransom old tom gin

hazelnuts have skin which pollutes the cream layer so i ran it through the acme juicer. the result was more like "cream" than the super thick closer to butter other stuff. having no laphroaig i settled on ransom. results were delicious.

i have some more cashews so once i blend i'm going to see what the acme does to them before i put them in the 'fuge.

anyone else in love with pineau des charentes?

[bostonapothecary]

i have some more cashews so once i blend i'm going to see what the acme does to them before i put them in the 'fuge.

i tried to the blended nuts and water with the acme and only got semi success. the milk does not go through the machine as designed. the filter clogs and you end up with a mass of solids which has to be added to very slowly to keep it balanced enough. half goes through and half stays in the very center of the machine and can only be drained through the hole that mounts the drive shaft (or sucked out with a needle-less syringe which worked really well).

the result of that is good nut milk, but if desired lots of fat and a small amount of extra solids can be separated with the 'fuge.

i have a feeling that the acme is powerful enough a centrifuge to even execute agar clarification (clarified lime juice). the gel will clog the filter, but all the desirable liquid can be drained through the drive shaft hole.

i'll have to test it.

i love my acme, i can't believe every bar doesn't have one.

[tanstaafl2]

anyone else in love with pineau des charentes?

Looked like it would be interesting and I came across a bottle of Prunier Pineau des Charentes today whilst hunting for a demi-sec for my planned Soyer au Champagne cocktail. (Having troubled finding one that is not fairly expensive so may have to punt and go with something like an Asti. With all that ice cream in the drink can't imagine it will matter a lot though).

Am curious to give the Pineau a try on its own and to try it in a cocktail. Found this recipe:

The Pompadour

1 ½ oz rhum agricole vieux (Will probably use the Depaz rhum agricole which I don't think is a true vieux but hopefully will do)

1 ½ oz Pineau de Charentes

½ oz lemon juice

Sounds like it would be tasty. But perhaps a bit like the punch though which is a sweet rum/cognac/lemon concotion too.

[evo-lution]

I did the hot version with...

2 oz Appleton 12 year

1 tbsp molasses

4 oz hot water

...and, in a moment of feeling experimental, added a dash of the Heather Duncan's Christmas Bitters instead of grating nutmeg. In my non-expert opinion, that was a good call. Warming and tasty, just what the evening called for. It might even call for another.

I relly like the sound of this, Toddys and their variants have been a huge part of my year as I've been carrying out a lot of research into Scottish drinking history, with a look at local drinking as well. Toddy is obviously a big feature...

[Panaderia Canadiense]

I've been having a great time with a Toddy of the following:

1 oz ginger syrup

2 oz Ron Estelar Aguardiente Reposado (a rhum agricole type product, 3 years in oak barrels at 0 latitude)

4-5 oz hot water

a small lime, squozen in

a dash of coarsely-ground cinnamon

This is fabulous, and beats molasses or panela toddies by a long shot because of the heat inherent in the ginger. The one night where I grabbed the "end of the bag mix" of spices (typically contains varying amounts of cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, ishpingo, and allspice) it tasted like a gingerbread house.

[NadyaDuke]

Last night I made a Purgatory. This was delicious, the Rye nicely balancing and complementing the other ingredients:

2 oz Rye (I used Bulleit)

1/2 oz Green Chartreuse

1/2 oz Benedictine

Another bonus is that it see my seldom used Benedictine

[bostonapothecary]

1 oz. scarlet ibis trinidad rum

1 oz. mamajuana

4 g. non aromatic white sugar

1 oz. cashew cream (much thicker than heavy cream)

this was kind of cool. the overall flavor was reminiscent of peanuts.

i recently read about a "lactometer" which is a hydrometer with a scale that is specific to dairies. i'm wondering if i can find the specific gravity of my centrifuged nut milks and creams so i can create versions with intuitive to use fat contents.

so far these nut products seem to be an endless source of amusement.

[thirtyoneknots]

A little pre test of the Fish House Punch. Seemed to be a solid punch and should fit the bill if not the most dramatic of drinks I've ever had.

Decided to cheap out with the Myers since I already have some and can pick up a 1.75L for the cost of a 750ml of Appleton 12yo. But I thought it handled itself well.

Should make a solid but simple to make punch that should keep everyone adequately lubricated for the evening!

Hardly surprising it didn't blow your skirt up if you were using Meyers's--a waste of the precious Kuchan! What recipe did you use?

[tanstaafl2]

A little pre test of the Fish House Punch. Seemed to be a solid punch and should fit the bill if not the most dramatic of drinks I've ever had.

Decided to cheap out with the Myers since I already have some and can pick up a 1.75L for the cost of a 750ml of Appleton 12yo. But I thought it handled itself well.

Should make a solid but simple to make punch that should keep everyone adequately lubricated for the evening!

Hardly surprising it didn't blow your skirt up if you were using Meyers's--a waste of the precious Kuchan! What recipe did you use?

I used this fairly simple recipe from Splificator in Esquire. It calls for only a small amount of the Kuchan so I didn't feel too bad about using it, especially as it was my only peach brandy handy (and I noted when I got it that I had found it a bit underwhelming anyway. I guess I have an unsophisticated palate...).

Myer's is a brand that seems to have been in our household for as long as I can remember (the early 70's at least!) so I have a certain fondness for it even if others don't much care for it. I thought it did a fine job holding up the punch but I have never had any version of this punch before. I will have to make up a couple of versions of individuals portions at some point using different rums just to see if I note any profound differences.

The guests seemed to like it so that is what counts! I guess they have similarly unsophisticated palates like I do...

[Yajna Patni]

I have been making hot chocolate with chartreuse. I have been using two table spoons of cocoa powder, I have valhrona at the moment, one spoon of green and black hot chocolate for the sugar and vanilla etc, and mixing this to a slurry with an ounce of green chartreuse. I have topped the cup which is usually diner coffee mug style, up to the top with hot milk, or hot milk and some water. I have been trying to cut back on the calories a little, but actually prefer hot chocolate less creamy. I like it bitter and chocolaty. I was very surprised to find how well the chocolate marries with the chartreuse. It reminded me of another odd sounding combo, which is star anise and chocolate. I used to make chocolate chai sometimes. (common on street corners in india, or it was when I was there) and I use star anise sometimes in my chai spice. Very good.

[bostonapothecary]

"creamsicle" or maybe even "almond joy"

a journey into the retro-sensual.

.5 oz. sour orange juice

.5 oz. algarvinha (epic almond liqueur of the al garve)

.5 oz. almond cream (separated from almond milk in the 'fuge)

1.5 oz. st. james "ambre"

the meeting of two almond expressions. strange glowing aromas.

the chosen gustatory structure elevates the aromas perfectly.

[thirtyoneknots]

A little pre test of the Fish House Punch. Seemed to be a solid punch and should fit the bill if not the most dramatic of drinks I've ever had.

Decided to cheap out with the Myers since I already have some and can pick up a 1.75L for the cost of a 750ml of Appleton 12yo. But I thought it handled itself well.

Should make a solid but simple to make punch that should keep everyone adequately lubricated for the evening!

Hardly surprising it didn't blow your skirt up if you were using Meyers's--a waste of the precious Kuchan! What recipe did you use?

I used this fairly simple recipe from Splificator in Esquire. It calls for only a small amount of the Kuchan so I didn't feel too bad about using it, especially as it was my only peach brandy handy (and I noted when I got it that I had found it a bit underwhelming anyway. I guess I have an unsophisticated palate...).

Myer's is a brand that seems to have been in our household for as long as I can remember (the early 70's at least!) so I have a certain fondness for it even if others don't much care for it. I thought it did a fine job holding up the punch but I have never had any version of this punch before. I will have to make up a couple of versions of individuals portions at some point using different rums just to see if I note any profound differences.

The guests seemed to like it so that is what counts! I guess they have similarly unsophisticated palates like I do...

Ah well perhaps I can help guide you to a better result for your next Fish House foray, having made it many times myself.

The Esquire recipe is sound, though the problem here is that it is reformulated to use the only type of "Peach Brandy" that existed in the 70 or so years before the Kuchan came out, which is to say a sweetened, peach-flavored grape brandy. Apart from being very sweet, these liqueurs also have an overwhelmingly strong flavor relative to the type of peach brandy originally called for in Fish House Punch, which would have actually been a distillate of fermented peaches that was then barrel-aged. Kuchan fits this bill, but won't make it's presence felt when used in small amounts. The original FHP recipe's liquor component included a hefty dose of peach brandy--1 part out of 4. A substitute recommended by Dr. Wondrich himself is to recreate this part with a 3:1 mix of bonded Applejack and peach liqueur (he has written much about Fish House Punch since the article linked to).

So next time you are thinking to make it, try a mix of 1/4 Kuchan, 1/4 Jamaican Rum, and 1/2 Cognac. Owing to the price and limited availability of the Kuchan you may not wish to or be able to make a full bowl like this, so see what quantity of liquor you come up with, divide that by three, and add that much each of fresh lemon juice and raw sugar. Then add as much water as needed to roughly double the volume. Add an ice block and some good company.

As for using Myers's--drink what you like of course, but Myers's has been on a long, sad decline since the 70s, when it was by all accounts a premium product. Appleton V/X or Plantation Barbados 5 yr (or for maximum authenticity, Smith & Cross) would work just as well or better and result in fewer headaches.

Never seen a bottle of liquor so inclined to give headaches as Meyers's.

But do give the punch another try!

[tanstaafl2]

So next time you are thinking to make it, try a mix of 1/4 Kuchan, 1/4 Jamaican Rum, and 1/2 Cognac. Owing to the price and limited availability of the Kuchan you may not wish to or be able to make a full bowl like this, so see what quantity of liquor you come up with, divide that by three, and add that much each of fresh lemon juice and raw sugar. Then add as much water as needed to roughly double the volume. Add an ice block and some good company.

But do give the punch another try!

Should I use 1/4 Jamaican Rum and 1/2 Cognac or should this be reversed? Most recipes seemed to have more rum than cognac.

I do plan to try again with a few small batches. I purchased some Appleton Extra today just for this purpose and I do have a variety of other rums to include Plantation 20th Anniversary, Scarlet Ibis and some Smith & Cross as well. I thought the Smith & Cross might be a little too distinctive here but perhaps not? I will probably need to step up my cognac for this as well!

[Dan Perrigan]

Hi there. I ALSO made Fish House Punch for New Year's. While it's usually my Fourth of July standard Punch, this year my brother flew all the way across the country to visit me so I figured since he's here I'd go all out and make the best bowl of Punch ever.

My formula is a mixup of the recipes in both "Imbibe" and "Punch" (they're slightly different), with a few tweaks:

2 cups Demerara Sugar (and I make an oleo-saccharum with the peels of three lemons)

16 oz Lemon

24 oz VSOP Cognac

12 oz Rum (8 oz Plantation Barbados + 4 oz Smith and Cross)

12 oz "Peach Brandy" (3 oz Mathilde Peche + 9 oz Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy)

64 oz or more Water + Ice

This is pretty delicious. This year I discovered I was almost out of Cognac as I was mixing the Punch. I ended up using about 12 oz Cognac and 12 oz Lairds 7 1/2 Year Old Apple Brandy (which is more like Cognac than Applejack). It may have been even better this way.

I've also made the version using Kuchan but I like the Apple Brandy (Jersey-style) version better.

Dan

[tanstaafl2]

Hi there. I ALSO made Fish House Punch for New Year's. While it's usually my Fourth of July standard Punch, this year my brother flew all the way across the country to visit me so I figured since he's here I'd go all out and make the best bowl of Punch ever.

My formula is a mixup of the recipes in both "Imbibe" and "Punch" (they're slightly different), with a few tweaks:

2 cups Demerara Sugar (and I make an oleo-saccharum with the peels of three lemons)

16 oz Lemon

24 oz VSOP Cognac

12 oz Rum (8 oz Plantation Barbados + 4 oz Smith and Cross)

12 oz "Peach Brandy" (3 oz Mathilde Peche + 9 oz Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy)

64 oz or more Water + Ice

This is pretty delicious. This year I discovered I was almost out of Cognac as I was mixing the Punch. I ended up using about 12 oz Cognac and 12 oz Lairds 7 1/2 Year Old Apple Brandy (which is more like Cognac than Applejack). It may have been even better this way.

I've also made the version using Kuchan but I like the Apple Brandy (Jersey-style) version better.

Dan

Well, that's two votes for 2 parts cognac to 1 part rum so I guess I will have to give that a try! I had read about and considered making the oleo-saccharum but I have never done it before and started to run out of time so I didn't this time.

[thirtyoneknots]

Well, that's two votes for 2 parts cognac to 1 part rum so I guess I will have to give that a try! I had read about and considered making the oleo-saccharum but I have never done it before and started to run out of time so I didn't this time.

If you read around enough you'll see roughly equal support for cognac heavy vs rum heavy, either way could be considered correct, and either will give good result if the spirits are all evenly good quality.

Smith & Cross is distinctive, yes, but it is made for this type of application. You could cut it with a somewhat milder rum if you desire, but there should be significant spiritous character in the punch--the Cognac will do a good job of rounding out rough edges. I didn't catch the brand of Cognac you used but any tolerable VS bottling should work fine. The use of VSOP will yield dividends but is not, in my experience, crucial to the production of good FHP.

As for the other brands, I don't have firsthand experience with Plantation 20th Anny, but Scarlet Ibis would work fine. A 50/50 mix of Appleton V/X and Lemonheart 151 would be lovely as well. Rum blending is fun!

Oh and +1 to Dan's applejack rec. 1/2 cognac, 1/4 rum, and 1/4 bonded Laird's with no peach makes lovely punch.

[bostonapothecary]

a rendering of fish house punch as a single serving

1 oz. smith and cross

.75 oz. cognac (gaston de lagrange)

.25 oz. kuchan barrel aged peach brandy

1 oz. lemon juice

bar spoonful of sugar

this turned out really great. all three spirits add up to an awesome tonal effect.

the kuchan brandy is tricky stuff. the distilled peach aroma easily conjures up bubble gum and aromas you would think are artificial. i actually can't enjoy it on its own. it really seems to require a high acid context like fish house punch to escape that negative symbolism.

kuchan wasn't really the first modern peach eau-de-vie. bonny doon made a fantastic one using a nectarine cultivar a few years back. however skill fully produced, the product flopped and supposedly there is still a warehouse full of it. for some reason when i wrote about bonny doon's product a few years ago i thought it was an unfermented eau de vie, but a nectarine definitely has enough sugars to make a distillable wine. i have no idea what i was thinking back then.

fish house punch for one

.5 oz. lemon juice

1 oz. pineau des charentes (brillet)

.5 oz. peach brandy (kuchan indian blood peach)

1 oz. guyana rum (1995 renegade finished in chateau y'quem barrels)

2 g. non aromatic white sugar

this rendering of the punch was really good. i had to stir in the two grams of sugar after the fact because the drink was too dry which really suppressed the contributions of the peach brandy. with any other rum besides the renegade the sugar might not be necessary, but i think the renegades are acidified significantly.

this is a new pattern for me. i think you could also substitute slivovitz or even a mosto verde pisco like the new porton and get an awesome drink.