Suggestions to get me out of my cocktail rut?

[mizducky]

So, as I posted in another topic earlier today, I am a long-time Manhattan drinker. I really like this drink. Plus it's reliable. Even when it's carelessly made by a slipshod bartender in a dive or a rock club, it's still more-or-less drinkable; and when it's made right by somebody who really cares, it's a thing of beauty. Plus it isn't gooped up with tons of sugary junk (okay, the maraschino cherry is its own little bomb of sugary crap, but still, we ain't talkin' White Russian candy-milkshake crap here ... )

Still ... I've begun to feel like I'm in a bit of a cocktail rut, and would like to have an alternate go-to drink. The trouble is, most of the things I really like in a drink sorta steer me back to the Manhattan (or its close sibling the Rob Roy):

--a brown liquor

--only a modest and discreet amount of sweetness

--simple enough, and relatively familiar enough, that most bartenders have at least heard of the damn thing (when I go out, I want to spend my time enjoying my drink, my company, my food, and/or the entertainment--not educating the bartender).

So--any suggestions for what drinks I should investigate?

I'm not deadset against any liquor other than the brown ones--once in a blue moon I do like a properly made martini--but I do have an abiding fondness for the bourbon.

I was thinking of checking out the Old Fashioned ... though I fear it might be too "old fashioned" for the young-thing bartenders in the joints I frequent. I also thought about other Manhattan variations (perfect; dry) ... jeez, maybe I just need to start going to different bars, because again I'm visualizing the guys tending bar in my usual watering hole with their eyes rolling back in their heads ...

So anyway--can I be helped?

[KatieLoeb]

Find a kind bartender with a well stocked bar to make you a proper Manhattan with RYE instead of bourbon. It should be an epiphany for you.

[eje]

I would suggest Brooklyn cocktails, except the odds of finding Maraschino liqueur in most bars are so slim as to be nearly non-existent.

Not to mention that the substitution of Punt e Mes for Torani Amer, turning it into a Red Hook, makes it at least a 10 times tastier cocktail than the Brooklyn.

My recent Savoy experiments have suggested a nice cocktail (sorry, only aa-ak so far) in the Affinity. Equal parts scotch, dry vermouth, and sweet vermouth. It's hard to imagine a bar that couldn't make an Affinity and it is far nicer than its parts might suggest.

Edited July 8, 2006 by eje (log)

[mizducky]

Find a kind bartender with a well stocked bar to make you a proper Manhattan with RYE instead of bourbon.  It should be an epiphany for you.

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I would suggest Brooklyn cocktails, except the odds of finding Maraschino liqueur in most bars are so slim as to be nearly non-existent.

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Heh. I realize that the meta-answer to my query is that I simply have to either start drinking in a better class of bar, or give up expecting much of anything from the places I currently go. Or both.

Or I should just stock up the home liquor stash (which is non-existent right now--any drinking I currently do, I do out) and make these puppies at home.

Which begs the question: when cocktail-savvy folks get stuck in a bar that is *not* of the best, what do they order as their "safety" drink--i.e. one that the bartender can't screw up too much, and that won't tax the bar's rather basic stock? Do they just throw up their hands and get a beer instead? Stick to *mumble* and soda? Suggestions for survival strategies welcome.

[KatieLoeb]

When all else fails - get a Jack and Coke.

[Ktepi]

Which begs the question: when cocktail-savvy folks get stuck in a bar that is *not* of the best, what do they order as their "safety" drink--i.e. one that the bartender can't screw up too much, and that won't tax the bar's rather basic stock? Do they just throw up their hands and get a beer instead? Stick to *mumble* and soda? Suggestions for survival strategies welcome.

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Blank-and-sodas, gin and tonics, and sidecars are my safety drinks -- I haven't yet had anyone screw up a sidecar, though I think I had to explain what it was once. But it's a pretty forgiving drink, and I think even bartenders whose repertoire is mostly college-kid drinks meant to hide the alcohol have a handle on what a good sweet/tart balance is. Or maybe years of iffy margaritas just made me less picky about it?

I don't order rum and Cokes for my safety drinks anymore since realizing that I like them much much less when they're made with fountain soda and rocks -- otherwise, a rum and Coke with bitters and lime was my bar drink until I discovered gin. That'd be too sweet for you anyway, sounds like.

I've given up on ordering Old-Fashioneds and just accept that the soda-filled bar version is a variant I don't like but others must. Though I've yet to meet anyone who drinks them.

[johnder]

When I walk into a bar that I don't know I usually survey their stock and then look at their bar setup. If I don't see a clean, ordered setup and at least one jigger I will abandon any cocktail that requires some precision and revert back to a gin gimlet.

I find most bartenders can make these pretty easily. If I see a bar that has Applejack or Maraschino behind it I will then usually ask the bartender what kind of drinks he or she makes with them. More than once I have heard back "I have no idea what Maraschino it, it has been sitting there for ages."

As far as another good standby drink is a Rob Roy.

[Mayur]

Wow; you guys are bold.

When I go to a bar I don't trust, I order a gin and tonic... at best. I'm quite likely to end up with a beer if they have a vaguely decent selection.

In NYC at least, even the diviest bars seem to have a rather unsettlingly large selection of top-shelf alcohol. At the very least, I can get a Bombay Sapphire and tonic, or a Famous Grouse and soda, both of which suit me fine. The same should apply in San Diego, from what I recall.

As for Manhattan alternatives, I'm curious as to when the Brooklyn and Red Hook were invented (cdh came up with this drink a while back independent of any source material), but maraschino isn't something that features at many bars (I can count five within call, but they're all cocktail destination places and I live in fancy cocktail bar central to boot). My recommendation would be:

1) The Old Fashioned: The Winnah! Advantages: It's easy to make and any bartender who's used to making mojitos knows how to mash stuff up by now., if they can make a mojito, they'll at least have sugar, which should do for this. While the old fashioned theoretically does require bitters like its Manhattanite counterpart, I find that I'd rather drink a non-bittered old fashioned than a non-bittered Manhattan.

2) Manhattan variations. Brandy plus vermouth plus bitters tastes fine. So does aged rum plus vermouth plus bitters. And so on. Moreover, I find that, at least in the case of rum, the bitters can be relatively easily dispensed with in place of a splash of OJ.

3) The sidecar. That said, I find a drastic difference in how these turn out, and I'd rather drink a decent gin and tonic than an inferior cocktail.

[gethin]

Negroni's are a pretty safe fall back, in your average British pub anyway. Even the most incompetent barman can mix a measure of gin , a measure of sweet vermouth and a measure of campari with a load of ice and pour off the resulting liquid into a clean glass . The result may not be perfection, but its going to be prety drinkable.

Your actually mare likely to get something nasty by asking for a negroni in a swanky cocktail bar, where they think innovation is a good thing, so will add the odd dollop of this and that, and almost always serve your drink in a oversize glass that contains half a ton of crushed ice, a slice of eggplant, a rubber duck and a couple of straws.

gethin

[slkinsey]

As for Manhattan alternatives, I'm curious as to when the Brooklyn and Red Hook were invented (cdh came up with this drink a while back independent of any source material). . .

The Brooklyn is an old classic found in, e.g., Savoy. It is made with rye or bourbon, vermouth, Amer Picon (an orange and herb bitter liqueur) and maraschino.

The Red Hook was created by Enzo Errico at Milk & Honey in relatively recent times. As the name indicates, it is a riff on the Brooklyn (Red Hook is a neighborhood of Brooklyn). It is made with rye, maraschino and Punt e Mes. The Punt e Mes --which is more bitter than vermouth with a more pronounced herbal kick -- stands in for the vermouth and Amer Picon.

[Mayur]

Interesting.

For at least the last twelve years, my friend Chris (who goes by cdh on these boards) has been making a drink (called the Home Skillet) for his friends that is quite simply 6:2:1 bourbon:vermouth:maraschino (bitters preferable, but optional). We've been curious about the origins of the Brooklyn for that reason.

[Carolyn Tillie]

Mizducky, I was much like you except that my rut was martinis or greyhounds. Gin-based cocktails were the norm for me.

My recent experiments have introduced me to Pim's Cups, Sidecars, and various flavors of Mojitos (a bar near me makes the classic mojito, and then several with fresh fruit including raspberries, mangoes, and their "Hawaiian/Chinese" version with lychee and pineapple).

I'm liking the Sidecars most.

[Mayur]

Amusing side note: I can't find a new bottle of Punt e Mes *anywhere* in NYC these days (my 5-year-old bottle is almost drained, largely for pseudo-Negroni cocktailing). Seems like the Red Hook must be catching on (even LeNell's, *in* Red Hook, is sold out!).

As to substitute cocktails: How about a mint julep? If these bars are doing the (ubiquitous) mojito, they must have mint and sugar. Bourbon's easy enough (I'd take Maker's, since every bar has it and Knob Creek, and I can't stand the latter). Just tell them to put the mint and sugar in a glass, mash away, and add bourbon. Heck, have them make a "mojito" with lime juice and all, and substitute bourbon (this drink is called something-or-other at Pegu, and can have any number of names, I imagine).

[mizducky]

Thanks for all the interesting replies, folks!

As to substitute cocktails: How about a mint julep? If these bars are doing the (ubiquitous) mojito, they must have mint and sugar. Bourbon's easy enough (I'd take Maker's, since every bar has it and Knob Creek, and I can't stand the latter). Just tell them to put the mint and sugar in a glass, mash away, and add bourbon. Heck, have them make a "mojito" with lime juice and all, and substitute bourbon (this drink is called something-or-other at Pegu, and can have any number of names, I imagine).

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Oooh. Now a bourbon mojito sounds really yummy.

Edited August 4, 2006 by mizducky (log)

[slkinsey]

Sounds like you'd like Julie Reiner's "Mint Jules." I'm not sure of the exact proportions, but it's something like a half a large lime quartered and muddled with several mint leaves, simple syrup and Maker's Mark. Shake and strain. It's a good one.

[eje]

I do find a little lemon juice makes a bourbon mint julep more interesting for me.

I think that makes it a smash or a daisy? Something in between?

I've never thought of trying lime. Will have to go in the queue!

[Alchemist]

The Smash is half a lemon, muddled mint, .75 oz simple, 2.oz I like rye cause a little less sweet.

Shake strain, yum