The Cocktail Thread

[Craig G]

Difford’s is similar but uses 1 3/4 Gin, 1/4 Creme de Violette, and no syrup. There’s a Difford’s app for IOS that’s pretty handy. He also has another Aviation recipe that has no violette, and it’s very tasty.

[Brian S t o t t e r]

Death and Co again. Buy the book

Hah! Interesting that they include simple syrup when most of the recipes I found online don’t mention it. Then again maybe that’s why mine have tasted different.

[Tom G l a s g o w]

How much vermouth do you use? I make my martinis more akin to how they used to be made: a decent amount of vermouth (say, 25% or so). Curious as to what others do.

I use a 5-1 ratio, so 16.67% Vermouth.

My vermouth range is usually between you two. Vermouth of choice is Dolin Dry (not the sweet Blanc). Freeze a 5oz cocktail glass. Drink is stirred in a metal cocktail shaker to lessen the temperature loss compared to glass. Strained with a julep strainer. When ambitious I stir with an instant reading thermometer, otherwise I use a chop stick. I don’t have a proper bar spoon. Lemon twist for the wife and usually an olive for me (Cerignola preferred). The wife insists on vodka, what can you do?

[Brandon R]

I use a 5-1 ratio, so 16.67% Vermouth.

My vermouth range is usually between you two. Vermouth of choice is Dolin Dry (not the sweet Blanc). Freeze a 5oz cocktail glass. Drink is stirred in a metal cocktail shaker to lessen the temperature loss compared to glass. Strained with a julep strainer. When ambitious I stir with an instant reading thermometer, otherwise I use a chop stick. I don’t have a proper bar spoon. Lemon twist for the wife and usually an olive for me (Cerignola preferred). The wife insists on vodka, what can you do?

You can divorce her, for starters.

[Andrew Kotowski]

That's fantastic. I'm totally getting my wife 6 bottles of vodka for Christmas.

"I wanted to show my love for you with these six bottles of Gordon's."

[Tom G l a s g o w]

That's fantastic. I'm totally getting my wife 6 bottles of vodka for Christmas.

"I wanted to show my love for you with these six bottles of Gordon's."

Is this sarcasm, or self preservation with a hint of sarcasm.

Edit: son-in this environment it’s every gin drinker for itself. Especially, in the people’s republic of pa.

[Jorge Henriquez]

Made a Blood & Sand a couple of days ago. Thinking it would be too sweet, this was a gorgeous drink:

Equal parts:

Blended Scotch (Famous Grouse is recommended and that’s what we used)

Sweet Vermouth

Bitter Cherry Liquor

Orange Juice

[Andrew Kotowski]

That's fantastic. I'm totally getting my wife 6 bottles of vodka for Christmas.

"I wanted to show my love for you with these six bottles of Gordon's."

Is this sarcasm, or self preservation with a hint of sarcasm.

Edit: son-in this environment it’s every gin drinker for itself. Especially, in the people’s republic of pa.

Was a joke I would have at least bought her Tito’s if I was looking for a divorce; I’ve got standards, damnit!

[Andrew Kotowski]

This has been a lot of fun... although today's puzzle had me going for an hour. The Alinea group teamed up with a "puzzle" team to make restaurant/bar themed puzzles on Instagram. Today's prize was a set of Cocktail books from The Aviary.



Above is the link to the start of the rabbit hole; you can look at more recent posts if you want to catch up immediately.

[Mike Cohen]

With the sun out and the temps creeping up (to 60), I've become a Paper Plane making machine, but am adding fresh squeezed mandarin in. Still 1:1:1:1 (lemon : bourbon : aperol : amaro nonino), but I add juice from a single squeezed mandarin. I swear to god this thing tastes like I'm on a boat in the Caribbean somewhere.

Will have to try this. Of the several riffs off of the 1:1:1:1 cocktail, the Paper Plane is wonderful, but not at the top of my list. I would rank a Naked and Famous first and a Last Word second followed by a Paper Plane. I'm not much of a bourbon guy...always find it too sweet which explains why I generally find a Paper Plane delicious but a bit cloying.

Naked and Famous

.75 Mezcal Del Maguey Vida
.75 Aperol
.75 Yellow Chartreuse
.75 Lime Juice

Last Word

.75 Gin (I prefer Tanqueray, but this is a subjective thing)
.75 Green Chartreuse
.75 Luxardo Maraschino
.75 Lime Juice

As a side note...Amaro's are so different, I find it interesting when most (me included) think of a Paper Plane as using Nonino but I do find folks using Ciocaro or other Amaro's. Always weird to me.

[Sarah Kirschbaum]

With the sun out and the temps creeping up (to 60), I've become a Paper Plane making machine, but am adding fresh squeezed mandarin in. Still 1:1:1:1 (lemon : bourbon : aperol : amaro nonino), but I add juice from a single squeezed mandarin. I swear to god this thing tastes like I'm on a boat in the Caribbean somewhere.

Will have to try this. Of the several riffs off of the 1:1:1:1 cocktail, the Paper Plane is wonderful, but not at the top of my list. I would rank a Naked and Famous first and a Last Word second followed by a Paper Plane. I'm not much of a bourbon guy...always find it too sweet which explains why I generally find a Paper Plane delicious but a bit cloying.

Naked and Famous

.75 Mezcal Del Maguey Vida
.75 Aperol
.75 Yellow Chartreuse
.75 Lime Juice

Last Word

.75 Gin (I prefer Tanqueray, but this is a subjective thing)
.75 Green Chartreuse
.75 Luxardo Maraschino
.75 Lime Juice

As a side note...Amaro's are so different, I find it interesting when most (me included) think of a Paper Plane as using Nonino but I do find folks using Ciocaro or other Amaro's. Always weird to me.

Love all these drinks. One of the added benefits of equal parts cocktails is that you can order them at any bar that has the ingredients and know the drink will likely come out right, regardless of the bartender's skill or experience.

[R@y.Tupp@+sch]

With the sun out and the temps creeping up (to 60), I've become a Paper Plane making machine, but am adding fresh squeezed mandarin in. Still 1:1:1:1 (lemon : bourbon : aperol : amaro nonino), but I add juice from a single squeezed mandarin. I swear to god this thing tastes like I'm on a boat in the Caribbean somewhere.

Will have to try this. Of the several riffs off of the 1:1:1:1 cocktail, the Paper Plane is wonderful, but not at the top of my list. I would rank a Naked and Famous first and a Last Word second followed by a Paper Plane. I'm not much of a bourbon guy...always find it too sweet which explains why I generally find a Paper Plane delicious but a bit cloying.

Naked and Famous

.75 Mezcal Del Maguey Vida
.75 Aperol
.75 Yellow Chartreuse
.75 Lime Juice

Last Word

.75 Gin (I prefer Tanqueray, but this is a subjective thing)
.75 Green Chartreuse
.75 Luxardo Maraschino
.75 Lime Juice

As a side note...Amaro's are so different, I find it interesting when most (me included) think of a Paper Plane as using Nonino but I do find folks using Ciocaro or other Amaro's. Always weird to me.

Love all these drinks. One of the added benefits of equal parts cocktails is that you can order them at any bar that has the ingredients and know the drink will likely come out right, regardless of the bartender's skill or experience.

Those three cocktails, along with Corpse Reviver #2, probably comprise 95% of the cocktails I've consumed over the past three or four years.

[Robert Pollard-Smith]

Have a bit of blended whisky to use up, and was looking for simple cocktails utilizing ingredients on hand. I ran across Blood and Sand, which is—

3/4 ounce Scotch whisky
3/4 ounce cherry brandy
3/4 ounce sweet vermouth
3/4 ounce orange juice
Orange peel for garnish
Stirred with ice, strained into cocktail glass


But having no cherry brandy or orange juice, I created this alternative, which I am enjoying...

40 ml whisky
20 ml sweet vermouth
Bar spoonful of syrup from the Luxardo Cherries jar
2 dashes of orange bitters
One Lux cherry

...and I made this on the rocks, just because.

[TGigante]

Have a bit of blended whisky to use up, and was looking for simple cocktails utilizing ingredients on hand. I ran across Blood and Sand, which is—

3/4 ounce Scotch whisky
3/4 ounce cherry brandy
3/4 ounce sweet vermouth
3/4 ounce orange juice
Orange peel for garnish
Stirred with ice, strained into cocktail glass


But having no cherry brandy or orange juice, I created this alternative, which I am enjoying...

40 ml whisky
20 ml sweet vermouth
Bar spoonful of syrup from the Luxardo Cherries jar
2 dashes of orange bitters
One Lux cherry

...and I made this on the rocks, just because.

Nice Robert

I just mixed up a rum Manhattan

[Robert Pollard-Smith]

Ohhh, sounds good, Sir!

[TGigante]

Ohhh, sounds good, Sir!

Trying to find uses for the vermouth as it has a short shelf life

A Martinez next

[Andrew Kotowski]

But having no cherry brandy or orange juice, I created this alternative, which I am enjoying...

40 ml whisky
20 ml sweet vermouth
Bar spoonful of syrup from the Luxardo Cherries jar
2 dashes of orange bitters
One Lux cherry

...and I made this on the rocks, just because.

That’s basically a “Rob Roy.”

[Robert Pollard-Smith]

The cherry syrup is the alteration, I guess.

[Jorge Henriquez]

Made a Naked & Famous last night that was deeeeelish (substituted Green for Yellow and Lemon for Lime).

[ClarkstonMark]

My girlfriend is a vodka drinker but she has recently started to appreciate gin. A step in the right direction.
Here is a Clover Club I made for her recently.
I messed something up on this one, but more recent attempts have been much better.
She likes a strong drink and I typically make this with 4 oz gin, juice of 1 lemons, 1 egg white, 2 oz raspberry syrup (I make my own)

[Jorge Henriquez]

Anyone else try the Aquafaba substitute for egg white? I was a skeptic at first, but I will swallow my words and reach for that amazing chickpea liquid as often as possible.

Whisky Sour from last night made with Aquafaba

[Tom G l a s g o w]

Anyone else try the Aquafaba substitute for egg white? I was a skeptic at first, but I will swallow my words and reach for that amazing chickpea liquid as often as possible.

Whisky Sour from last night made with Aquafaba

2A8481F6-C112-4E34-B396-9AE4F2AE1F16.jpeg

Bon Appetite article on Aquafaba https://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen ... h-benefits
In cooks Illustrated they add cream of tartar when whipping, but’s that is used for baking. CI also recommends shaking the can of chick peas before straining. https://www.americastestkitchen.com/gui ... s-aquafaba
Jorge, what is your technique? I’m interested but haven’t tried it.

[Tom G l a s g o w]

Then again there’s always better living through chemistry https://punchdrink.com/articles/better- ... hers-foam/

[Jorge Henriquez]

Tom,

No real technique to speak of. We save the liquid from canned chickpeas in a glass ramekin, cover and store in fridge. Use about 1/2 oz. In a cocktail to get a beautiful, super white, thick head on our Sours.

[SheriGoddart33]

I like Negroni but i cant make the best one at home
I tried it in bar but i do something wrong at home

[Rajesh P a r i k h]

I like Negroni but i cant make the best one at home
I tried it in bar but i do something wrong at home

Do you stir your drink at home? It took me awhile at home to realize that I needed to achieve proper dilution to match the taste I get at a proper bar.

[K John Joseph]

Death & Co is definitely one of the top cocktail books out there. Also near the top for me is a book by the late Sasha Petraske called Regarding Cocktails. Almost every cocktail in the book is very approachable in terms of ingredients (unlike some books like PDT, for example).

Wife got tired of wine every night and asked that I become a mixologist during our very extended quarantine. Based on this thread I picked up these two books and tons of ingredients (I drink scotch, irish, and gin & tonics, so no fancy cocktail ingredients). It has been so fun reading the Death & CO. book, making cocktails, and learning these ingredients. I'd never had Chartreuse, Luxardo Maraschino liquer, Creme de Violette, Amaro, Fernet-Branca, etc.

I really appreciate the suggestions. I've made all sorts of great cocktails and these two books are spot on with flavors. What a blast!

[K John Joseph]

Gin is one of my favorite spirits and Aviations are a go-to cocktail/guilty pleasure for me. Anyone have a great recipe for this or a gin they recommend in the recipe to elevate the drink a little?

St. George Terroir gin. Gin is my least favorite spirit but if you want to 'elevate' your aviation then Terroir is on a different level (IMO). It literally tastes like it was distilled with pine trees, it can be pretty overpowering in some cocktails but the aviation has three other components that I think will balance it out enough, but not completely.

I've been tooling around with Aviations and Bella Lunas from Death & Co's book. I would recommend Sipsmith or Botanist. They have good complexity and are silky smooth without having a super dominant flavor that skews the balance of those cocktails. If you want something a little different, try Martin Miller's Westbourne Strength. If you are looking for massive florals to make the drink more aromatic, consider Hendrick's Midsummer Solstice. If you want more citrus, try Malfy Limon or for a bit more subtlety and a bit higher quality, Roku.

[Andrew Kotowski]

@John - great to hear. I think those two books work together exceptionally well - Death & Co has a great storyline and more complex drinks (i do like their variations of daquiris, as well), Regarding Cocktails nails technique and simple cocktails.

Sounds funny, but some of the incredibly simple drinks are actually incredibly difficult to make. See: Sazerac.

[Tran Bronstein]

Boozehounds,

My lockdown/quarantine/self-isolation project has been the long overdue development of my mixology skills. You already know from the Epicurean Exploits thread how much I enjoy cooking and baking, what is mixology but the liquid version of the same skillset? All I needed was the time and experience to curate the flavors, recipes, tastes and methods. I thought I'd share a little of my journey.

I took my major step when I taught myself how to infuse brandies to make my own homemade Grand Marniers which I've posted about in a separate thread. Of course those were not cocktails but they were spirit bases and the first step towards understanding how classic spirit bases meld with other flavors.

Next was understanding the basis of the cocktail itself. Surprisingly, culling the recipes was rather similar to my recent thread on homemade barbecue sauces. It was just a matter of understanding what the bases were and how to mix them. But what makes cocktails surprisingly easy is that they can be broken down into a simple 6 categories of ingredients which are helped by five of them matching our 5 basic taste groups as follows:

1. Spirits = Umami. The base of all cocktails. Regardless of what type of spirit bases you use, it's the concentrated potency and distilled texture that is providing the umami.
2. Liqueurs. I think of these as a seasoning to the cocktail and they get slotted into their own category because their alcoholic strength usually matches the spirit base, unlike --
3. Bitters. One of the absolute two components that changes a spirit into a cocktail IMHO. These come in the form of vermouths, bitter aperitivos and bitters dashes.
4. Sours/Juices = The second of the components is of course the sour component which always comes in the form of fresh fruit juices. The most common of which are, but by no means exclusive, sour citrus fruits by far: orange, lemon, lime, and grapefruit.
5. Sweeteners. Added to punch up the sweetness of a cocktail. Comes in the form of simple syrup, flavored syrups and superfine sugar.
6. Soda. The component required to turn any spirit, wine or cocktail into a long drink. Club soda, fruit soda, cola, or ginger ale and the like. This also emphasizes the importance of texture and mouthfeel as it will change immediately due to the addition of carbonation and dilution of the spirit.

Once I slotted the ingredients into easy to remember categories, the recipes became astoundingly easy to memorize. No joke, I already know 24 by memory alone in just a week's time and I have a horizontal spreadsheet listing every single recipe I've gathered broken down by these easy categories. Good example a classic Jasmine. 2 parts gin (spirit), .5 parts Grand Marnier or Cointreau (liqueur), .25 parts Campari or vermouth (bitter) , 1 part lemon (sour). No sweetener. Shake with ice, strain and serve. Really not that difficult. And once you have the formula down, it's easy to switch things out and come up with something new. I've done the Jasmine subbing the gin with Chartreuse, my homemade fruit brandies, Kirsch, Rum, Canadian Whisky and Calvados as an example. Every variation has been excellent though some are markedly sweeter than others. That's a matter of preference.

Now comes the monkey wrench. IMHO, what separates a true professional mixologist from just a hobbyist is the ability to take an ingredient that doesn't match the categories above and craft the cocktail around its specific flavors. For example, using an herb like basil or rosemary; a vegetable like cucumber, or a fruit like watermelon, tomato or jackfruit. The reason I feel this way is that because once you throw in the exotic or foreign ingredient, you can no longer rely on the easy slot formula I listed above. Instead, you have to twist and bend the necessary flavors and textures around the new ingredient and make sure that everything is flavorful and complementary. That step is coming next. Before then, I'd like to continue crafting my current skills with the formula above.

This has been a very fun journey so far that has added some much needed diversion and enjoyment under our current trying circumstances. I'd like to share some tips I've come up with along the way:

* You don't need all the fuss of making simple syrup or buying superfine sugar. Just blend sugar away in your blender until it becomes a fine powder. This is all superfine sugar really is and it dissolves instantly in a shaker. You can substitute in the superfine sugar instead of simple syrup by using exactly half the amount of superfine sugar than that called for simple syrup in a recipe. Remember, simple syrup is really just 50% each water and sugar so you're only using half the amount of required sugar.

* I know there's a constant debate over whether to use your expensive premium spirits or some cheap mixer in your drinks. Some feel using premium is like throwing money down the drain because you can't tell the difference in a diluted cocktail. Do you really want to use that Pappy Van Winkle 23 that you savor slowly neat or over ice or with just a drop of water to open it up for that Bourbon Old-Fashioned or Mint Julep? That Don Julio 1942 in your Margarita? Your Zacapa 23 in that Mojito or Daiquiri? Others argue that premium ingredients equals premium taste. After having experimented with both, I must fall on the premium side. I use the highest quality food ingredients I can afford in my cooking, why would I do less with my mixology?

But isn't that a hell of an expensive cocktail, you ask? Yes, yes it is. I have two counter-arguments to this. One, you'd pay the same amount at a bar which will serve you the absolute cheapest spirit they can put in there while gouging you for the same amount of money. Two, you know how you slowly savor that spirit on its own? Maybe you should be savoring your cocktails slowly the exact same way. You're a Wine Berserker, not a penniless college student anymore. The point of a cocktail and spirits in general for that matter isn't to down as much as possible in an attempt to get sloshed. You should be over that already. Think of that Manhattan made with Pappy 23 as a foie gras or filet mignon of cocktails and take your time to enjoy it.

* Since we're on it, always use the best and freshest other ingredients you can afford as well. What's the point of using an expensive vodka, rum or gin to make your variation of a premium Moscow Mule, for example, only to dilute with cheap Canada Dry ginger ale that doesn't even use real ginger in it? Why not just pay the $4-6 for a premium bottle of ginger beer at your local craft food store or Whole Foods? Why use that Pappy 23 for a Manhattan and then use cheap Cinzano or Martini instead of a premium craft Vermouth? You know how I make my club soda for cocktails? I carbonate Evian or Fiji spring water with my Sodastream. I need tonic water? I add in some premium Tonic syrup. Ice? I freeze less expensive bulk bottled spring water. If I have to use tap water, I boil it first to get rid of the gas impurities. I need orange or lime or lemon juice? I squeeze actual oranges and lemons and limes. It drives me crazy when I look at an expensive bar and see Tropicana, RealLemon and RealLime bottles there. I wouldn't serve drinks with those reconstituted abominations to anyone else, let alone make you pay for it.

* Invest in a good shaker. Get a premium quality all metal one. Not a glass one, not one with recipes listed on the side, just a plain gleaming solid steel shaker with built in strainer and shot measure lid like the one in my pic below.

Looking forward to the continued amount of info and anecdotes in this ongoing thread.

A shaken not stirred Manhattan. Sue me.

[Jason Crawford]

Tran,

I appreciate the tip on subbing super fine sugar for simple syrup. VERY useful.

[Tran Bronstein]

Thanks, Jason. Oh, one more tip for everyone concerning bitters:

* The fabled Angostura bitters are absolutely no different in flavor, texture or ABV content than a high quality Amaro. So much so that I was actually a bit disappointed when I excitedly opened the bottle and tasted a dash. Which means if you already drink Amaro, you can easily do a straight 1:1 substitution. Of course, how you're going to measure dashes out of your full bottle of Amaro is an issue. You might want to consider buying a clean eyedropper dispenser bottle or reusing the one from your current bottle of bitters if it uses the eyedropper and not the dasher style of bottle like Angostura does. Even if you don't drink Amaro, you'll find a 500 - 750 ml bottle of Amaro and an eyedropper bottle is far more economical that 5-7 bottles of bitters in the long run depending on the price.

* Note that proper bitters are also 40% ABV like a spirit is so you will have to sue a high quality Amaro like Fernet Branca or Unicum that has the same ABV. Any Amaro that has less ABV content is not a spirit -- it's a liqueur which is different. The difference in body is likely made up with more sugar and commercial caramel so try to avoid them. My personal go to blend for Amaro is an equal mix of China-China, Unicum and Fernet Branca but you certainly don't have to blend one. Any of these individual products or your own personal favorite should do.

* And while we're on it, you know what Vermouth is? It's 40% bitters or Amaro that has been diluted down to 15-18% via the addition of wine and sugar and caramel. An easy way to make your own Vermouth is to blend your favorite sweet wine with your favorite bitters or Amaro. Done and naturally sweetened without the addition of sugar.

[K John Joseph]

Now comes the monkey wrench. IMHO, what separates a true professional mixologist from just a hobbyist is the ability to take an ingredient that doesn't match the categories above and craft the cocktail around its specific flavors. For example, using an herb like basil or rosemary; a vegetable like cucumber, or a fruit like watermelon, tomato or jackfruit. The reason I feel this way is that because once you throw in the exotic or foreign ingredient, you can no longer rely on the easy slot formula I listed above. Instead, you have to twist and bend the necessary flavors and textures around the new ingredient and make sure that everything is flavorful and complementary. That step is coming next. Before then, I'd like to continue crafting my current skills with the formula above.

Death and Co. cocktail book has a great flavors guide that identifies things that go with the odds and ends ingredients you note above.

Amaro means "bitter" but is not the same as Angostura bitters. I think I'm just misunderstanding your post because there is a broad range of Amaros that have varying levels of sweetness, ABV, bitter, and supporting flavors. A Paper Plane with Amaro Nonino makes sense, but substituting that for Fernet Branca would destroy the cocktail. Making a Frisco Club with Amaro Nonino would kill the cocktail where Fernet Branca helps the grapefruit sing with gin.

I use RealLemon and RealLime at times because taking the time to squeeze a bunch of produce is a bitch. That said, I usually stock up on limes, lemons, and grapefruit so that I can have fresh juice because I do agree that it makes a difference. The comment on liquor is a no brainer for me. Premium makes a very real difference. Go make a Oaxacan Old Fashioned from Death & Co with cheap Mezcal and Tequila. Even mixed gin drinks carry very different flavor profiles depending on the drink. If I want a bigger floral note on a Water Lilly (from Regarding Cocktails), I will use a Hendricks Midsummer Solctice. If I want more citrus pop on, I grab Roku. Something with honeysuckle and chamomile and an orange hint? Silent Pool. Death & Co. appears big on this, and breaks down recipes with Plymouth Gin, Beefeater, and Martin Miller Westbourne for their very different flavor profiles.

What a fun ride, right? I've had a blast. Convinced my wife that a real Daquiri with good run and fresh lime is glorious. That rum and gin are far superior to vodka. And that grapefruit in a cocktail can be lovely even if grapefruit is not your preferred fruit.

[Ryan Kilkenney]

* You don't need all the fuss of making simple syrup or buying superfine sugar. Just blend sugar away in your blender until it becomes a fine powder. This is all superfine sugar really is and it dissolves instantly in a shaker. You can substitute in the superfine sugar instead of simple syrup by using exactly half the amount of superfine sugar than that called for simple syrup in a recipe. Remember, simple syrup is really just 50% each water and sugar so you're only using half the amount of required sugar.

* I know there's a constant debate over whether to use your expensive premium spirits or some cheap mixer in your drinks. Some feel using premium is like throwing money down the drain because you can't tell the difference in a diluted cocktail. Do you really want to use that Pappy Van Winkle 23 that you savor slowly neat or over ice or with just a drop of water to open it up for that Bourbon Old-Fashioned or Mint Julep? That Don Julio 1942 in your Margarita? Your Zacapa 23 in that Mojito or Daiquiri? Others argue that premium ingredients equals premium taste. After having experimented with both, I must fall on the premium side. I use the highest quality food ingredients I can afford in my cooking, why would I do less with my mixology?

* Since we're on it, always use the best and freshest other ingredients you can afford as well. What's the point of using an expensive vodka, rum or gin to make your variation of a premium Moscow Mule, for example, only to dilute with cheap Canada Dry ginger ale that doesn't even use real ginger in it? Why not just pay the $4-6 for a premium bottle of ginger beer at your local craft food store or Whole Foods? Why use that Pappy 23 for a Manhattan and then use cheap Cinzano or Martini instead of a premium craft Vermouth? You know how I make my club soda for cocktails? I carbonate Evian or Fiji spring water with my Sodastream. I need tonic water? I add in some premium Tonic syrup. Ice? I freeze less expensive bulk bottled spring water. If I have to use tap water, I boil it first to get rid of the gas impurities. I need orange or lime or lemon juice? I squeeze actual oranges and lemons and limes. It drives me crazy when I look at an expensive bar and see Tropicana, RealLemon and RealLime bottles there. I wouldn't serve drinks with those reconstituted abominations to anyone else, let alone make you pay for it.

* Invest in a good shaker. Get a premium quality all metal one. Not a glass one, not one with recipes listed on the side, just a plain gleaming solid steel shaker with built in strainer and shot measure lid like the one in my pic below.

Looking forward to the continued amount of info and anecdotes in this ongoing thread.


Cocktail.jpg

Great post! I agree about fresh ingredients (especially citrus). I come out the other way on premium liquor in cocktails, but not because it's expensive. I find that distinctive spirits don't play very well with other ingredients. For my tastes, Rittenhouse makes a better Manhattan than Sazerac 18.

[Tom G l a s g o w]

* You don't need all the fuss of making simple syrup or buying superfine sugar. Just blend sugar away in your blender until it becomes a fine powder. This is all superfine sugar really is and it dissolves instantly in a shaker. You can substitute in the superfine sugar instead of simple syrup by using exactly half the amount of superfine sugar than that called for simple syrup in a recipe. Remember, simple syrup is really just 50% each water and sugar so you're only using half the amount of required sugar.

* I know there's a constant debate over whether to use your expensive premium spirits or some cheap mixer in your drinks. Some feel using premium is like throwing money down the drain because you can't tell the difference in a diluted cocktail. Do you really want to use that Pappy Van Winkle 23 that you savor slowly neat or over ice or with just a drop of water to open it up for that Bourbon Old-Fashioned or Mint Julep? That Don Julio 1942 in your Margarita? Your Zacapa 23 in that Mojito or Daiquiri? Others argue that premium ingredients equals premium taste. After having experimented with both, I must fall on the premium side. I use the highest quality food ingredients I can afford in my cooking, why would I do less with my mixology?

* Since we're on it, always use the best and freshest other ingredients you can afford as well. What's the point of using an expensive vodka, rum or gin to make your variation of a premium Moscow Mule, for example, only to dilute with cheap Canada Dry ginger ale that doesn't even use real ginger in it? Why not just pay the $4-6 for a premium bottle of ginger beer at your local craft food store or Whole Foods? Why use that Pappy 23 for a Manhattan and then use cheap Cinzano or Martini instead of a premium craft Vermouth? You know how I make my club soda for cocktails? I carbonate Evian or Fiji spring water with my Sodastream. I need tonic water? I add in some premium Tonic syrup. Ice? I freeze less expensive bulk bottled spring water. If I have to use tap water, I boil it first to get rid of the gas impurities. I need orange or lime or lemon juice? I squeeze actual oranges and lemons and limes. It drives me crazy when I look at an expensive bar and see Tropicana, RealLemon and RealLime bottles there. I wouldn't serve drinks with those reconstituted abominations to anyone else, let alone make you pay for it.

* Invest in a good shaker. Get a premium quality all metal one. Not a glass one, not one with recipes listed on the side, just a plain gleaming solid steel shaker with built in strainer and shot measure lid like the one in my pic below.

Looking forward to the continued amount of info and anecdotes in this ongoing thread.


Cocktail.jpg

Great post! I agree about fresh ingredients (especially citrus). I come out the other way on premium liquor in cocktails, but not because it's expensive. I find that distinctive spirits don't play very well with other ingredients. For my tastes, Rittenhouse makes a better Manhattan than Sazerac 18.

I agree on premium whiskey/whisky being served neat, etc. but my objection is based more on it being a waste.

[Tom G l a s g o w]

I object to using a cobbler for shaking a Manhattan, there’s no fruit juice in a Manhattan. Buy a set of matching metal shaking tins like a real bartender, no glass it degrades the temperature. And stir not shake.

[Tran Bronstein]

The comment on liquor is a no brainer for me. Premium makes a very real difference. Go make a Oaxacan Old Fashioned from Death & Co with cheap Mezcal and Tequila.

What a fun ride, right? I've had a blast. Convinced my wife that a real Daquiri with good run and fresh lime is glorious. That rum and gin are far superior to vodka. And that grapefruit in a cocktail can be lovely even if grapefruit is not your preferred fruit.

I'm going to make that Oaxacan Old Fashioned with Don Julio Blanco and Jose Cuervo Platino. Yum!

It's definitely a fun ride, and funny you should mention the Daiquiri. I swear, by sheer coincidence, I made my first one this past Tuesday night by shaking 2 parts Flor de Cana 18, 1 part fresh lime, a touch of superfine sugar and 4 large ice cubes and it was GLORIOUS! The artificially flavored and colored urine that passes for Daiquiris in college bars are one of the things that turned me off of cocktails in particular and alcohol in general when I was in school. Now that I've had a real one, I had an epiphany and realized that a Daiquiri is really just a fresh homemade limeade that has been spiked with rum. Add in some sparkling water and fresh muddled mint and you've got a great Mojito which is a sparkling mint limeade. The key difference makers here being premium and fresh.

[Scott Brunson]

We’ve been doing happy hour Quarantinis since March.
(Mostly old school stuff)

Here are some
Boulevardier
Negroni
Perfect Manhattan
Paloma (May 5)
Dark and Stormy
Vieux Carré
Sazerac
Hemingway Daiquiri
French 75
Algonquin
Ward Eight
Painkiller (On the day I was supposed to take my students to Orlando)
Between the Sheets
Monkey Gland
Man of War
Sidecar
Champagne Bowler
Corpse Reviver No. 2
Corpse Reviver No. Blue
Nevada
Mojito

Margaritas, Daiquiris, Lots of Fever Tree tonic...

[Andrew Kotowski]

Have replaced the Paper Plane with the Oaxaca Old Fashioned as my drink for the summer. Using Don Julio Laphroaig for the tequila and Leyenda Guerrero for the mezcal. Probably over the top for this, but I like the smoke and it’s pretty much straight liquor.

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/101 ... -fashioned

[Jorge Henriquez]

Made my first Dark & Stormy of the year last weekend. Brugal Añejo & Trader Joe’s Ginger Beer.

Delicious.

[Tran Bronstein]

COCKTAIL CHRONICLES: THE TARZAN & MY ORIGINAL AMO DE LA SELVA VARIATION

Howdy cocktail fans,

I have decided to continue my cocktail journey by chronicling every single one that I make with the determination to never make the same one twice. It's also to show everyone how the cocktail formula I came up with before can be applied to all of them for the most part. If you don't remember from my previous post, my cocktail research has shown that virtually every cocktail can be broken down into six distinct components as follows:

• Spirits

• Liqueurs

• Sours

• Sweets

• Bitters

• Sodas

With this in mind, I am going to start with the Tarzan. You can Google up its history and creation which you'll find on both YouTube and Reddit. Then I'm going to give my original variation on it called the Amo de la Selva. Here we go:

TARZAN

• Spirits: 2 parts Gin

• Liqueurs: None

• Sours: 1.5 parts Pineapple; .5 parts Lemon

• Sweets: .5 parts Simple syrup OR .25 parts superfine sugar

• Bitters: 1 part Campari

• Sodas: None

Put all ingredients in a shaker and shake away until combined. Pour over ice and enjoy!

Quick notes on the cocktail:

• When I say "parts" in the recipe, that's literally what I mean. I plan out my cocktails in ratios and not measurements so that they are adaptable to any serving size. Doing a single drink for yourself? Substitute "part" for a single ounce. Cooking dinner for two? Substitute "part" for 2 ounces and do the math. Having a large socially distant outdoor backyard gathering? Substitute "part" for quart or liter and you're good to make an entire pitcher full.

• Remember my superfine sugar tip: blend sugar in your blender until it's a fine powder and you'll have a sugar that dissolves easily in any cocktail. No need to make simple syrup though that is always an option. Remember that you always use half the amount of superfine sugar as you do simple syrup

• You can serve this in either a traditional highball glass or if you're feeling fancy use a Burgundy wine glass as I did

Now for own personal variation. I personally find high quality Tequila to have extremely similar characteristics to high quality Gin. Of course there's no Juniper in Tequila but there's a strong savory and smoky flavor in it that serves pretty much the same function and it's even more pronounced in Mezcal. So my personal variation is called "Amo de la Selva" which is the Spanish translation of Tarzan's famous "Lord of the Jungle" nickname which I feel is an appropriate name for my original variation as per below:

AMO DE LA SELVA

• Spirits: 2 parts Tequila or Mezcal

• Liqueurs: None

• Sours: 1.5 parts Pineapple; .5 parts Lemon

• Sweets: .5 parts Agave syrup

• Bitters: 1 part Campari

• Sodas: None

The Gin version is pretty good but honestly the Tequila version is way, way better especially if you're using a high-end Tequila or Mezcal. Enjoy and I'll be back soon with another one to try.

Tarzan/Hombre de la Selva. This is the Tequila based latter variation I came up with.

[Tran Bronstein]

COCKTAIL CHRONICLES: THE SCORPION

For my next cocktail, I decided to try a refreshing Tiki cocktail. For myself, there are two components that truly set a tiki apart from its cocktail brethren: a high amount of tropical fruit juices and a non-dairy cream component, the two most used being coconut cream and orgeat. I've also noticed that in most Tiki cocktails, it is actually the fruit juices and cream components that take center stage and not the spirits themselves, which at best provide a complementary backbone to the cocktail. I opted to try a Scorpion tonight.

There is a ridiculously high number of variations on this cocktail which all seem to vary on what booze other than Rum you use and which tropical fruit juices are to be added. The common denominators in every variation I see on the Internet, however, are rum, orange and lemon juice, and orgeat. Anything else is a bonus according to your own tastes. I lean heavily towards tropical as i love Pineapple, mango and passion fruit. Below is the variation I used:

SCORPION

• Spirits: 2 parts Rum

• Liqueurs: None

• Sours: 1 part Pineapple; 1 part Orange; 1 part Passion fruit; .5 parts Lemon

• Sweets: .5 Orgeat

• Bitters: none

• Sodas: None

Shake all ingredients together vigorously and pour into a tall glass over ice or into a nice frosty mug as I did. Enjoy.

This is delicious and has surprising complexity. It's refreshing from all the juices but also has a creamy, nutty backbone and aroma due my use of high-end rum and orgeat. It's sweet from the juice and orgeat but not overly so and is well balanced. The Rum is certainly not the star player but you can definitely taste it. I was trying to think of what this reminded me of and then it it hit me -- the Scorpion tastes pretty much like a rum-tinged Creamsicle, the classic orange sherbet and ice cream popsicle treat.

Now for some notes on the cocktail:

• Orgeat is impossible to find. I didn't find any in Whole foods, regular supermarkets, specialty food stores or even a liquor store. You could always cook your own but there's an even easier way of making it nowadays. The proliferation of non-dairy based milks such as soy, almond and coconut make it a snap to make your own orgeat. Simply take two cups of sweetened Vanilla almond milk and add two teaspoons of orange flower water. Voila. Instant orgeat.

• There are a ridiculous number of variations on this cocktail. The most basic only called for no more than lemon and orange juice for the sour components. Other recipes added and/or omitted mango, passion fruit, and pineapple juices. Honestly you could mix and match as you like to come up with your own favorite variation.

• The spirit components also seem to vary insanely. I've seen variations with varying blends of rum, brandy, vodka, gin, and Grand Marnier. The sheer variation indicates to me that the chosen alcohol is a supporting player and not the main star. That said, I would strongly recommend going with rum above all else as the interplay with the orgeat on the palate was fantastic.

FLor de Cana 18 Rum; Finished Scorpion cocktail; fresh squeezed orange juice, and my hand press juicer

[Tran Bronstein]

COCKTAIL CHRONICLES: LAST FLIGHT

Got together with a couple of friends for some safe boardgaming, sushi and cocktail making in our social bubble. We started out with a Last Flight, sort of a cross between the traditional Paper Plane and Last Word cocktails per the Internet.

LAST FLIGHT

• Spirits: 2 parts Canadian Whisky or Bourbon (bourbon is the traditional spirit for this drink)

• Liqueurs: 1 part Chartreuse

• Sours: 1 part Lemon

• Sweets: None

• Bitters: .5 Part Campari, Aperol, Rosso Antico, Martini Bitter or any other Italian style red bitter aperitivo

• Sodas: None

Shake all ingredients together vigorously and pour into a cocktail glass over ice.

This is pretty well balanced, no need for additional sweetener due to the Rosso Antico and Chartreuse already containing more than enough.

Now for some notes on the cocktail:

• While the recipe traditionally calls for Bourbon, I subbed in a rich aged Gooderham & Worts 49 Wellington 19 year old aged Canadian Whisky to trade off some of Bourbon's smokiness for creamy smoothness instead. I think this works. You could of course also just use a wheated bourbon or go with a traditional bourbon as you like

• The recipe also traditionally calls for Aperol but I personally prefer to use a stronger more complex red bitter aperitivo such as Campari and Rosso Antico myself

• I used Chartreuse VEP which is a lot richer than strandard Chartreuse but either will be fine in the cocktail

Gooderham & Worts 49 Wellington whisky, Rosso Antico aperitivo, Chartreuse VEP in a nice decanter and the Last Flight cocktail

[Tran Bronstein]

COCKTAIL CHRONICLES: THE EASY STREET

Our second cocktail today is quite versatile in that it easily converts from a traditional sour cocktail into a highball/long drink/fizz with the simple addition of optional soda. I opted to make it without the soda tonight as one of my friends hates carbonated beverages and throw in extra ice in the glass instead. Then I set some aside to try with soda to see how much of a difference the highball variation would have. Below is the variation I used:

EASY STREET

• Spirits: 2 parts Gin

• Liqueurs: 1 part St-Germain or any elderflower liqueur

• Fruit:.5 parts Lemon; Cucumber slices

• Sweets: .5 Simple syrup (or .25 superfine sugar)

• Bitters: none

• Sodas: 4 Soda or Carbonated Water of your choice (optional; see below)

Shake all ingredients except the soda/carbonated water together vigorously and pour into a glass over ice. Add the soda if desired. Enjoy.

This was a great sour. Despite the very small amount of St-Germain used, it's the absolute star of the show with a lovely fruity elderflower flavor that is enhanced by both the cucumber and the gin.

Now for some notes on the cocktail:

• As I mentioned, the original drink is a highball style long drink that calls for soda but I omitted it for one of my friends resulting in a more concentrated traditional Gimlet style cocktail instead. Both of them worked just fine. You can certainly enjoy this either way. Honestly, I'd argue that any sour cocktail can be converted into a refreshing highball simply by adding soda or sparkling wine.

• I'd definitely consider switching out the gin for a nice blanco tequila, I think that flavor combination would also work well.

• The recipe calls for muddling the cucumber in your cocktail shaker first, but I personally found that if you just slice it very thinly it will get torn apart during the shaking and essentially achieve the exact same effect. Have no fear, the cucumber will all be strained out if you are using a cobbler style shaker like I do. Otherwise you should of course strain the cocktail.

Easy Street cocktail no soda style, St-Germain liqueur and Gordon's Gin

[Tran Bronstein]

COCKTAIL CHRONICLES: THE BOBBY BURNS

For our last cocktail, I decided to go with an ancestral non-sour style to complement our cheese and fruit platter and fruit tarts. My friends brought along some Irish whisky so with due apologies to the Scottish and traditionalists, I decided to make a Bobby Burns with it. This is essentially a Scotch based Manhattan aka a Rob Roy kicked up a notch with the addition of honeyed spice liqueur. Below is the variation I used:

BOBBY BURNS

• Spirits: 2 parts Scotch or Irish whisky

• Liqueurs: .5 parts Benedictine or Drambruie (Benedictine is traditional; see below)

• Fruit: None

• Sweets: None

• Bitters: 1 part Vermouth

• Sodas: None

Stir all ingredients together gently on ice and pour into a glass over ice. Enjoy.

One taste of this and my friend described this delicious beauty as, quote: "A kicked up Scotch Manhattan." I'd say that's a pretty apt description. Now for some notes on the cocktail:

• The original recipe calls strictly for Benedictine as the liqueur which makes absolutely no sense to me with the existence of Drambruie. Both are rich 40% ABV honey and spice liqueurs with the difference being that Benedictine uses a neutral spirit base and Drambruie uses a Scotch base. On the palate, the honey is much more pronounced in Drambruie and the Scotch note is there, but I personally find the liqueurs so identical other than those two notes that I have no issue substituting the Drambruie in. In fact, I'd probably use it for non-whisky based cocktails that called for Benedictine as well. Truthfully, though, it's a matter of personal taste and preference whether one wants to go for the Drambruie or stick to the traditional recipe.

• Every recipe I found called for a garnish of some kind: lemon slice, lemon twist, orange twist, or orange wheel. One even call for orange bitters to be dropped directly into the drink when mixing and shaking. There seems to be no agreement on this so I leave it to everyone's own personal tastes.

The Bobby Burns and its base components

[Andrew Kotowski]

Interesting, as I’m used to seeing this cocktail as a “White Linen,” albeit with slightly different proportions.

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019071-white-linen

[Tran Bronstein]

Interesting, as I’m used to seeing this cocktail as a “White Linen,” albeit with slightly different proportions.

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019071-white-linen

I found the White Linen as well, it seems to be the same except for 1.5 parts instead of 2 parts Gin and using fresh lime juice instead of fresh lemon juice. I will definitely try out this variation.

[Andrew Kotowski]

<DELETE - DUPE> Derp

[Andrew Kotowski]

Interesting, as I’m used to seeing this cocktail as a “White Linen,” albeit with slightly different proportions.

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019071-white-linen

I found the White Linen as well, it seems to be the same except for 1.5 parts instead of 2 parts Gin and using fresh lime juice instead of fresh lemon juice. I will definitely try out this variation.

Haven’t tried with lime; I’ve always used lemon lime the recipe above.

I substituted honeydew melon for the cucumber on one batch and it was fantastic! Definitely fun to play with the recipes.

[Tran Bronstein]

Interesting, as I’m used to seeing this cocktail as a “White Linen,” albeit with slightly different proportions.

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019071-white-linen

I found the White Linen as well, it seems to be the same except for 1.5 parts instead of 2 parts Gin and using fresh lime juice instead of fresh lemon juice. I will definitely try out this variation.

Haven’t tried with lime; I’ve always used lemon lime the recipe above.

I substituted honeydew melon for the cucumber on one batch and it was fantastic! Definitely fun to play with the recipes.

The use of honeydew instead of cucumber sounds awesome, I will try it and officially dub them the Midori Street and Midori Linen cocktails.