Cocktails Please

[AJPM44]

We have dinner threads, wine threads, and beer threads, but no cocktail threads. As someone who has bartended since he was 18, and drank even longer than that, I enjoy a well made cocktail. So have it, post your creations, loves, and how do they do make those here.

[maunahaole]

I know that I like a sazerac. Even though I have only had one of them at a joint down the street from home.

Dark n Stormy is quite refreshing.

[AJPM44]

A sazerac is delicious, and very easy to make. Take two chilled glasses, in one pour in a enough Pernod, Herbsaint, Pastis, proper Swiss Absinthe, etc. to coat the whole glass, pour out excess. In the next glass, put in ice, 2 ounce whiskey (rye if preferred, or Brandy, the original claims Cognac to be used), .75 ounce of simple syrup (1 part sugar: 1 part water), and about 5 dashes of Peychaud's Bitters. Stir a lot. Pour chilled drink into coated glass, cut out a swath of lemon peel, spritz it throughout the glass and enjoy. The good thing about this drink is you can adjust the amounts to your taste. Also, other than the Peychaud's Bitters, you can get all the ingredients at any liquor store. Even the Peychaud's are easy to find, and will last you a long time.

[maunahaole]

What is the difference between Peychauds and Angostora [sp?]?

[AJPM44]

Peychaud's is much lighter in flavor and has a much stronger black licorice flavor than Angostura. Angostura has a more "herbal" flavor to me.. If you were to substitute the two, you would omit the Pernod, and you would have an Old Fashioned. So many recipes called for bitters, but a lot of bars don't bother to add them anymore. If you go to most bars, not many are going to put orange bitters in your Manhattan, let alone your Gin Martini. The best way to get a feel for bitters is to put some on your hands, rub them together and get the smell from them. This will give you an idea about what they bring to your drink.

[Ben]

I drink Old Fashioneds (no fruit) about 95% of the time. My go-to mix is Old Forester and bitters from the Bitter Truth. When the lady at the liquor store recommended them, I thought they looked kinda cheap and cornball. But they've proven me wrong and then some. I much prefer their aromatic bitters over Angostura. And they're very reasonably priced.

[false_aesthetic]

manhattan - perfect
french 75 for the lady.
makers and coke when I'm not feeling too sassy.

at home we'll do hendricks + tonic with a splash of fresh squeezed grapefruit juice

[Too Tall]

Every year one of dad's old school pals sends a case of pears. With so many pears to eat I have gotten creative. Last year I poached a bunch of pear halves in simple syrup than poured some decent vodka over them and added one fresh vanilla bean and "forgot" them for one yr. On this New Years Eve I broke out the first pint jar and made pear martini's. For a eff'd up drink it sure was a hit. I'm a very traditional martini sort of a guy but this was really good. I made them with a splash of vermouth and shook them with broken ice until the martini shaker had frost on it and poured...no olive yo. Really good.

I'm winging it. If the pros have any comment please let me know.

[AJPM44]

Every year one of dad's old school pals sends a case of pears. With so many pears to eat I have gotten creative. Last year I poached a bunch of pear halves in simple syrup than poured some decent vodka over them and added one fresh vanilla bean and "forgot" them for one yr. On this New Years Eve I broke out the first pint jar and made pear martini's. For a eff'd up drink it sure was a hit. I'm a very traditional martini sort of a guy but this was really good. I made them with a splash of vermouth and shook them with broken ice until the martini shaker had frost on it and poured...no olive yo. Really good.

I'm winging it. If the pros have any comment please let me know.

You've got a lot to work with if you have pears. Think about what works with them as far as food. Vanilla, cinnamon, rosemary, honey, chocolate, etc. You can use an oaky Bourbon to match the vanilla, or an English dry gin to match the rosemary. Try it with gin, then equal parts Pear vodka, honey syrup (just equal parts honey and warm water), and lemon juice. This is similar to a cocktail called the Bees Knees, but instead of a lavender garnish, use rosemary. As far as Bourbon or a brown spirit, try it with some lemon juice and muddled mint. If you can find some mole bitters add that, too. It is friday at 8am, add an egg white to any of the drinks and you are okay to drink them now.

[Too Tall]

You've got a lot to work with if you have pears. Think about what works with them as far as food. Vanilla, cinnamon, rosemary, honey, chocolate, etc. You can use an oaky Bourbon to match the vanilla, or an English dry gin to match the rosemary. Try it with gin, then equal parts Pear vodka, honey syrup (just equal parts honey and warm water), and lemon juice. This is similar to a cocktail called the Bees Knees, but instead of a lavender garnish, use rosemary. As far as Bourbon or a brown spirit, try it with some lemon juice and muddled mint. If you can find some mole bitters add that, too. It is friday at 8am, add an egg white to any of the drinks and you are okay to drink them now.

I like how you think. All the above are "not fruity" suggestions. I'll give the Bourbon/Lemon/Mint a shot.

[soupless]

Can you make some suggestions for what to do with some very nice aged rum I've got? Drinking it with a touch of water, or maybe 1/6th of an ice cube is great, but if you know a rum drink that won't mask the incredible flavors I'd love to hear of one.

thanks

diplomatico_reserva_exclusiva_big.jpg


I had my first glass at a dinner party a few months ago, and was immediately hooked.

[AJPM44]

I think the best way to enjoy a good rum in a cocktail is with a diaquiri. 2 ounces of Rum, 1/2 ounce of lime juice, and depending on the rum and your sugar preference (darker rum is typically sweeter than a white or silver rum) 1/2 ounce sugar or simple syrup. Shake with ice.

[spopepro]

A bar that doesn't have bitters shouldn't mix cocktails. Or at least you shouldn't order one.

Here's a couple of different things I've been digging/working on lately. No names yet...

1/3 aperol, 1/3 hendricks, 1/3 vya sweet: shaken with ice, neat.
This *looks* like a negroni, but with the lighter flavored aperol, and the unique botanicals in hendricks, this is really a different cocktail. Not as cloying as a negroni.

4pts fig vodka, 3pts strong earl grey tea, 2pts tangerine juice, fresh taragon: mix the liquid together in a large batch (this is good for parties) and refigerate. Bruise the taragon, place ice cubes and taragon sprig in a higball glass and pour mix over.

The last one I might need some help with. Still trying to get it right. My brother gave us some wild rose and lavender liquour which has an apple eau de vie base. It's way, way, way too strong to enjoy straight (almost feels like drinking soap. tasty soap, but still soap.).
3 parts islay whisky (the smokier the better), 1 part rose and lavender liquour, healthy dash lemon and star ainse bitters: Stir with ice and strain, serve neat.
It's good... but not perfect. Still trying to figure out what it's missing.

[GWColo]

mmmmmmmmmmmm. Perfect manhattan it is. So far in Colo I've only been able to find Bulleit rye whisky and some cheaper Jim Beam. Suggestions for other rye to look for?

[spopepro]

Every year one of dad's old school pals sends a case of pears. With so many pears to eat I have gotten creative. Last year I poached a bunch of pear halves in simple syrup than poured some decent vodka over them and added one fresh vanilla bean and "forgot" them for one yr. On this New Years Eve I broke out the first pint jar and made pear martini's. For a eff'd up drink it sure was a hit. I'm a very traditional martini sort of a guy but this was really good. I made them with a splash of vermouth and shook them with broken ice until the martini shaker had frost on it and poured...no olive yo. Really good.

I'm winging it. If the pros have any comment please let me know.

I'd try mixing it with some allspice liqueur (I make my own, but I think there are commercial varieties available) and server it warm.

St. George's Qi (especially the lapsang souchong one), and a savory herb, like sage might also be a real winner.

[zetroc]

Ryes:

Michter's
Rittenhouse
Templeton
Willett
Old Overholt (the classic)

Knob Creek has a rye now, too, but I haven't had it.
I'm sure that once I've had coffee I'll think of some more.

[mainemike]

the purists won't like this and as a former bartender i'm a bit ashamed myself. anyway: i've been trying not to drink quite so much beer so i'll order a pint glass of iced water and a bourbon neat. nuttin fancy, jim beam is fine. take a big swig a water and then dump the bourbon into the pint glass. sometimes i'll add a small chunk of lemon. it tastes good, doesn't go down like a missile and i like gettin some water w/my liquid volume.

[C.Dyer]

Thank you for starting this. I'll be adding lots over time. If you dig through the giant beer/wine/spirits etc thread, you'll see several posts from me with recipes.

Here's a couple that are getting a lot of play at my house lately:

Red Ant: 1.5oz Rye, 0.5oz Kirschwasser, 0.5oz Cherry Heering, 0.25oz. Mezcal, couple dashes of mole bitters, stirred, up, cocktail cherry garnish

The Verge of Success: 2oz gin (I'm using St George Spirits Terroir Gin for this), 0.75oz grapefruit juice, 0.75oz Zirbenz Stone Pine Liquer, 0.25oz 2:1 simple, grapefruit bitters, egg white. First a dry shake to emulsify the egg white, then a cold shake, rocks, fat grapefruit zest for garnish. I made this up, and at the risk of sounding arrogant, it's fucking spectacular.

Mai Tai, my take on it: 1oz Rhum Agricole (I'm using J&M), 1oz navy strength rum (Smith+Cross), 0.75 lime juice, 0.5oz Orgeat. Shake, pour into a highball, pack with crushed ice nearly to the top, swizzle the shit out of it, stuff a straw and a sprig of slapped mint into it, throw a wedge of lime on the lip, and finally pour a float of a good dark rum (I've been into Pampero Anniversario lately) over the top. Don't stir, drink through the straw.

[C.Dyer]

1/3 aperol, 1/3 hendricks, 1/3 vya sweet: shaken with ice, neat.
This *looks* like a negroni, but with the lighter flavored aperol, and the unique botanicals in hendricks, this is really a different cocktail. Not as cloying as a negroni.

That sounds hella good! But hey, stir it don't shake it.

Pedantically yours,
Chris

[C.Dyer]

I think the best way to enjoy a good rum in a cocktail is with a diaquiri. 2 ounces of Rum, 1/2 ounce of lime juice, and depending on the rum and your sugar preference (darker rum is typically sweeter than a white or silver rum) 1/2 ounce sugar or simple syrup. Shake with ice.

+1, daiquiri is the way to go. I have a different ratio to suggest; experiment and find what works for you. I make my daiquiris with a 10:3:2 ratio, which equates to:
2.5oz rum, 0.75oz lime, 0.5oz simple. Shake, double strain, serve up with a lime wedge or wheel.

Also of note: I use a rich simple, which is to say 2:1 sugar to water. For drinks with dark booze, I tend to use a demerara simple which has a little richer flavor profile.