The GWJ Cocktails Thread

billt721 wrote:

Good call! Chartreuse is f*cking expensive, though, so The Last Word is a great drink to try at a bar first. Then when you discover how great it is, you go pick up a bottle. Or at least that's how I did it.

Yeah, Chartreuse isn't cheap, but there are a bunch of classic or fancy cocktails that use it and I tend to like them all.

billt721 wrote:

Funny story -- the drink was 'rediscovered' by a bartender at the Zig Zag Cafe in Seattle. I met a friend of mine there right around the same time the drink had become big and I was aware that the bartender was well known for some reason or another. And I got a beer. I wasn't remotely into cocktails at that point and missed out.

LOL, yeah. Similarly, our honeymoon was in Scotland and at the time I didn't really drink any spirits, certainly not whisky, so we skipped "go down the whisky trail" day and visited castles instead. Now I collect it.

At Robear's suggestion I made a few rounds of The Brooklyn last night instead of our usual Manhattan.

Wow. That is a dangerous one. I used a Dolin dry vermouth for the first round and an American Massican the second round. The Massican was totally the way to go, really nicely herbaceous.

Recipe:
2 ounces rye whiskey
1 ounce dry vermouth
1/4 ounce maraschino liqueur
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Garnish: Luxardo maraschino cherry

I've crafted my own Old Fashioned recipe out of mixing and matching what I liked and disliked from dozens and dozens of "Research Drinks".

Likes:
-Boozy Flavor
-Cherry Flavor
-Ice Cubes
-Bitters

Dislikes:
-Orangey Flavor
-Sweetness
-Cherries
-Ice Chunk

With that said here's how I make one

In a Rocks Glass
1 tsp. Simple Syrup
5 dashes Angostura Bitters
Add ice cubes till glass is halfway full
2 oz. Woodford Reserve
Stir till glass is cold
Add 2 Luxardo Cherries making sure to get some syrup on your bar spoon
Stir
Express a slice of Orange Peel over drink, twist the peel, then throw in the drink
Stir a little more
Drink

This is my preferred version of an Old Fashioned. I feel like I get a good amount of Bourbon flavor and cherry sweetness without it being overpowered by sugar or orange juice. I've never tried to make one by just muddling a sugar cube with the bitters, but maybe that's next. I've had them at bars where they add a whole hunk of orange in there and really really didn't like it. The one orange peel slice is enough for me. Maybe rim the glass with the twisted up peel before you throw it in if you want more orange-flavor. I have used regular cocktail cherries before, but they're not dense enough, don't add enough flavor, and sometimes smash or fall apart. The ice melts fast, but the drink goes down fast, too, so that shouldn't be an issue. If you tend to sip more, maybe use 1 large cube or an ice sphere.

That's a lot of bitters, and sounds intriguing; I don't like sweet things in general, and really, really dislike sweet drinks, and my usual take on an Old Fashioned is it's a way to ruin perfectly good whiskey by dumping sugar into it. If I had to pick a favorite "template" for cocktails, it's a sour, just because of the way sugars and citrus really play off each other and balance each other out, but anything with just sugar or syrup and no real counteracting factor drives me away quickly. Five dashes of Angostura though . . . might have to give this one a shot.

MilkmanDanimal wrote:

That's a lot of bitters, and sounds intriguing; I don't like sweet things in general, and really, really dislike sweet drinks, and my usual take on an Old Fashioned is it's a way to ruin perfectly good whiskey by dumping sugar into it. If I had to pick a favorite "template" for cocktails, it's a sour, just because of the way sugars and citrus really play off each other and balance each other out, but anything with just sugar or syrup and no real counteracting factor drives me away quickly. Five dashes of Angostura though . . . might have to give this one a shot.

I think I've got the perfect cocktail for you! The angostura sour is also highly recommended.

billt721 wrote:
MilkmanDanimal wrote:

That's a lot of bitters, and sounds intriguing; I don't like sweet things in general, and really, really dislike sweet drinks, and my usual take on an Old Fashioned is it's a way to ruin perfectly good whiskey by dumping sugar into it. If I had to pick a favorite "template" for cocktails, it's a sour, just because of the way sugars and citrus really play off each other and balance each other out, but anything with just sugar or syrup and no real counteracting factor drives me away quickly. Five dashes of Angostura though . . . might have to give this one a shot.

I think I've got the perfect cocktail for you! The angostura sour is also highly recommended.

Uh . . . an ounce and a half of Angostura? Wow. I'm . . . intrigued and/or disturbed.

MilkmanDanimal wrote:
billt721 wrote:
MilkmanDanimal wrote:

That's a lot of bitters, and sounds intriguing; I don't like sweet things in general, and really, really dislike sweet drinks, and my usual take on an Old Fashioned is it's a way to ruin perfectly good whiskey by dumping sugar into it. If I had to pick a favorite "template" for cocktails, it's a sour, just because of the way sugars and citrus really play off each other and balance each other out, but anything with just sugar or syrup and no real counteracting factor drives me away quickly. Five dashes of Angostura though . . . might have to give this one a shot.

I think I've got the perfect cocktail for you! The angostura sour is also highly recommended.

Uh . . . an ounce and a half of Angostura? Wow. I'm . . . intrigued and/or disturbed.

It's delicious. And completely different than anything you've ever had.

MilkmanDanimal wrote:

That's a lot of bitters, and sounds intriguing; I don't like sweet things in general, and really, really dislike sweet drinks, and my usual take on an Old Fashioned is it's a way to ruin perfectly good whiskey by dumping sugar into it. If I had to pick a favorite "template" for cocktails, it's a sour, just because of the way sugars and citrus really play off each other and balance each other out, but anything with just sugar or syrup and no real counteracting factor drives me away quickly. Five dashes of Angostura though . . . might have to give this one a shot.

Let me know what you think, if you do. I mixed a couple different recipes to get close to get something I really liked and then halved the simple syrup and doubled the bitters. I have a peculiar taste, though, so your mileage may vary. I tend to go for spicy, vinegary, and sour as my favorite flavor profiles.

Also, if you like sours you may like the Mai Tai
recipe I’ve settled on. It’s nice and tart, orangey but not too sweet, with a nice Rum punch to it.

1 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Orgeat
3/4 oz Triple Sec (or Cointreau if you’re fancy)
2 oz Appleton 12 Year
Shake in crushed ice or ice cubes
Pour in rocks glass and top with crushed ice
Garnish with lime husk and mint leaves

Ive used a less aggressive Rum in it (Plantation 5 year) and it just wasn’t as good as with the Appleton. I’d like to try it with something a little harsher, like Smith & Cross, but I can’t find that anywhere near where I live.

A couple of these recipes have called for Orgeat. It's not a super-common ingredient unless you're into tiki drinks. That said, if you're going to buy some I can't stress strongly enough that you should get the higher-quality stuff. The cheap version(s) are just flavored high-fructose corn syrup and they taste like it, whereas the more expensive stuff (and it's still not that expensive) actually uses real sugar and almonds in production.

Edit: Or make it on your own!

I want to make my own Orgeat, Grenadine, and a few other things; I currently have simple, lavender, honey, and ginger syrup in my fridge, and want to make raspberry syrup so I can make a Clover Club because that cocktail looks amazing.

billt721 wrote:

A couple of these recipes have called for Orgeat. It's not a super-common ingredient unless you're into tiki drinks. That said, if you're going to buy some I can't stress strongly enough that you should get the higher-quality stuff. The cheap version(s) are just flavored high-fructose corn syrup and they taste like it, whereas the more expensive stuff (and it's still not that expensive) actually uses real sugar and almonds in production.

Edit: Or make it on your own!

I’ve always used Fee Brothers because that’s what’s on the shelf at the place I go. I just looked and the first ingredient is Corn Sweeteners which I’m guessing is another name for High Fructose Corn Syrup. I’ve always been happy with it, but if there’s better stuff out there I’d definitely spring for it. Any suggestions?

MilkmanDanimal wrote:

I want to make my own Orgeat, Grenadine, and a few other things; I currently have simple, lavender, honey, and ginger syrup in my fridge, and want to make raspberry syrup so I can make a Clover Club because that cocktail looks amazing.

I did that over the summer and it was great. If I can figure out how to post pictures here I'll come back and add one of my clover club. I didn't find much else to make with the raspberry syrup, though, which was a bit of a bummer.

skeletonframes wrote:
billt721 wrote:

A couple of these recipes have called for Orgeat. It's not a super-common ingredient unless you're into tiki drinks. That said, if you're going to buy some I can't stress strongly enough that you should get the higher-quality stuff. The cheap version(s) are just flavored high-fructose corn syrup and they taste like it, whereas the more expensive stuff (and it's still not that expensive) actually uses real sugar and almonds in production.

Edit: Or make it on your own!

I’ve always used Fee Brothers because that’s what’s on the shelf at the place I go. I just looked and the first ingredient is Corn Sweeteners which I’m guessing is another name for High Fructose Corn Syrup. I’ve always been happy with it, but if there’s better stuff out there I’d definitely spring for it. Any suggestions?

The brand I have is Giffard, which is the only one I was able to find here in Hilo that didn't have corn syrup in it. I'm sure that most people who aren't on the Big Island should be able to find other brands that use real sugar.

MilkmanDanimal wrote:

One of my personal favorites, The Boulevardier:
1.5 oz Bourbon (I've tried 7-8 bourbons, and the lightness of Maker's Mark works best)
.75 oz Campari (one of the best liquids on the planet)
.75 oz Sweet Vermouth (better vermouth makes a HUGE difference)

Put in a mixing glass or shaker with ice, and stir 30+ times; the mixing vessel should be very, very cold. Strain and pour over a chilled rocks glass with a large cube, and garnish with an orange twist. Spectacularly good.

^So this was amazing. Thank you. I had made one before and it was only so-so, but last night I used your recipe and it was bonkers good (with Wild Turkey 101 bourbon).

Unfortunately, my Manhattans just haven't coalesced into anything very tasty, so I will try the Brooklyn suggestions in this thread.

The distinct lack of absinthe in this thread needs to remedied! If you haven't grabbed a bottle, it's definitely worth the investment considering the wealth of vintage recipes. A mini bottle of St George's will last years. Let's start off with the second-best Old Fashioned variant on the planet: the Sazerac.

2 oz rye (spicier the better)
3 dash peychaud's bitters
1 tsp simple syrup or one sugar cube
splash of absinthe or herbsaint
lemon peel for garnish

In your cold old-fashioned glass, swirl a small amount of absinthe around coating up the glass walls. Pour the excess back into your absinthe bottle.

Combine the other liquids/sugar with ice in a serving glass and stir vigorously for about a minute. This is a spicy drink. Dilution is your friend!

Strain the drink into the absinthed glass. Run the lemon peel against the rim of the glass, coating it in oil. Twist the peel over the drink and drop it in the glass, or leave it out. If you're serving someone else, ask if they have a lemon twist preference. There are fights about this online...

Enjoy!

EDIT: what's the best Old Fashioned variant? Let's just say it's an "improvement."

Kronen wrote:

EDIT: what's the best Old Fashioned variant? Let's just say it's an "improvement." ;)

Ooh yeah, that cocktail sounds nice. I'll have to give it a shot.

Kronen wrote:

The distinct lack of absinthe in this thread needs to remedied! If you haven't grabbed a bottle, it's definitely worth the investment considering the wealth of vintage recipes. A mini bottle of St George's will last years. Let's start off with the second-best Old Fashioned variant on the planet: the Sazerac.

2 oz rye (spicier the better)
3 dash peychaud's bitters
1 tsp simple syrup or one sugar cube
splash of absinthe or herbsaint
lemon peel for garnish

In your cold old-fashioned glass, swirl a small amount of absinthe around coating up the glass walls. Pour the excess back into your absinthe bottle.

Combine the other liquids/sugar with ice in a serving glass and stir vigorously for about a minute. This is a spicy drink. Dilution is your friend!

Strain the drink into the absinthed glass. Run the lemon peel against the rim of the glass, coating it in oil. Twist the peel over the drink and drop it in the glass, or leave it out. If you're serving someone else, ask if they have a lemon twist preference. There are fights about this online...

Enjoy!

EDIT: what's the best Old Fashioned variant? Let's just say it's an "improvement." ;)

I’m definitely interested in this. I got food poisoning in New Orleans the same night I had real absinthe for the first time, so even the idea of it turns my stomach now. But, maybe it’s time to climb back on the horse.

I made these two this weekend and both were fantastic, though they do require some uncommon ingredients. Recipes from Liquor.com.

Vieux Carre

1/2 teaspoon Benedictine
1 dash Peychaud’s Bitters
1 dash Angostura Bitters
3/4 ounce rye whiskey
3/4 ounce cognac
3/4 ounce sweet vermouth

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass and fill with ice; stir well for 20 seconds and strain into an ice-filled Old Fashioned glass. Garnish with a cherry.

Rancor's Toothpick

1 .5 ounces Old Forester Signature 100-proof bourbon
1 ounce Cynar
1 ounce sweet vermouth
2 dashes mole bitters
Garnish: orange peel

Add all the ingredients into a mixing glass with ice and stir until well-chilled.
Strain into a frozen double Old Fashioned glass over 1 large ice cube.
Express the oil from a large orange peel over the top of the drink, and discard the peel.

Arise, sleeping cocktail thread!

A few years back, my wife went on a trip to Peru with a friend, and fell in love with Pisco Sours. She mentioned it enough, that I bought a bottle and made one tonight. First time I feel like I've really nailed my frothy head on an egg white, I haven't been vigorous enough in the past.

2 oz Pisco
1 oz lime juice
3/4 oz simple syrup
1 egg white

Shake for 15 seconds without ice to aerate, then add ice to the shaker and shake 20 seconds more. Pour into a chilled coupe, throw in a few dashes of Angostura bitters, and swirl a bit for effect. Really nice; I tasted the Pisco straight (it's a brandy), and it's not something to drink straight, kind of mineral-y and a bit off, but works with the lime juice to give a really interesting flavor. It's a quality beverage, really different with the Pisco, and I can see this being a really nice summer drink (I mean, it's -8F right now, but I have a good imagination).

IMAGE(https://u.cubeupload.com/MilkmanDanimal/PiscoSour.jpg)

Ooh yeah, pisco sours are nice! That looks great.

Some of my favorite cocktails in the world were made by Butter & Scotch, which sadly closed due to the pandemic. Fortunately, they have a cookbook which features some cocktail recipes that are dynamite, as well as general instructions for people who are new to this but want to know how to infuse liquors.

Negroni affecianados, I'd love it if you weighed in on the latest Stanley Tucci Negroni offshoot. Basically, it updates the negroni with some added sweet/tangy complexity in the form of a tsp of balsamic vinegar.

1oz London Dry Gin
1oz Campari
1oz sweet vermouth
1tsp balsamic vinegar

I'm really interested in what you all think about it, but don't want to prejudice your reaction by letting you know that I am...

Spoiler:

...underwhelmed. Perhaps it is the low quality ingredient combination (Tanqueray, Noilly Prat, Filippo Berio), but this drink seemed listless. I wouldn't call it sweet or tangy, but was different enough in those respects to detract from the Campari. While I didn't hate the drink, I couldn't imagine an instance that would prompt me to make it. What are your thoughts?

I made a very simple Moto Guzzi from a recipe from Serious Eats. I mixed it exactly as below and it was wonderful. Not flashy, just really solid.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 ounces Booker's bourbon (I substituted a Knob Creek 9 Year 100% proof)
1 1/2 ounces Punt e Mes

Place a rocks glass in the freezer for about 15 minutes before making the cocktail.
Fill a mixing glass about halfway with ice. Add bourbon and Punt e Mes. Stir until drink is well chilled, about 20 seconds. Strain into chilled rocks glass. Serve.

Note: At 120+ proof, Booker's can take Punt e Mes on head to head, so the Boston barkeeps decided 50-50 was the way to go. Because of Punt e Mes's bitterness, this drink doesn't call for the addition of bitters.
If you don't have Booker's, try Jim Beam Black instead; it's a similar mashbill as the Booker's (possibly even the same), but aged for a shorter time and bottled at a lower proof. You might try a 2:1 ratio of Beam Black and Punt e Mes.

Arise!

So we're finally hitting the point where sitting outside in Minnesota is practical, so I've started serving cocktails to friends on the patio and showing off some of my quarantine-minted mixology skills. A few pics"

IMAGE(https://u.cubeupload.com/MilkmanDanimal/SidecarAviation.jpg)

First, a Sidecar and an Aviation. The Sidecar (on the left) is a classic so I thought I should try it, but it's just too much on the sweet end of the spectrum for me, so not really a fan. Cognac + Cointreau is a bit much, but it was OK. The Aviation is one of my wife's favorite cocktails and it's just lovely, and the vaguely blurry, badly-staged picture just doesn't do it justice. Gin, lemon juice, Luxardo maraschino liqueur, and Creme de Violette with a Luxardo cherry on the bottom. It's just such a visually striking drink, and so damn good.

Speaking of Luxardo . . . a friend who has received several Aviations from me brought me a bottle of one of their newer products; Luxardo Sour Cherry Gin. It's not some weird artificial candy flavor; Luxardo's an old European company, and they use real sour cherries and infuse them into a good gin, and it's got this really interesting combination of typical gin botanicals and a really sharp, sour flavor. It's freaking great, and I'm thinking about making maybe a Tom Collins or French 75 this weekend using it as a gin base. My first attempt was a simple Gin Sour; 2 oz of this gin, .75 each of lemon juice and simple syrup, with 3/4 oz egg white done in a dry shake to froth, then ice added in to chill/dilute. The tartness of the cherry really punches through, and it's just damn pretty. That's the natural color of the gin pushing through; it's really authentically cherry. Good stuff.

IMAGE(https://u.cubeupload.com/MilkmanDanimal/Ginsour.jpg)

Sounds tasty! I still haven't broken down and purchased a jar of Luxardo cherries, as of yet. Apparently I need to quit being lazy and snag some next time I am at the liquor store.

For my birthday, I decided to get myself a bottle of Green Chartreuse, because I like weird, herbal, savory flavors, and man, this stuff is bizarre. But, it means I can make a Last Word, and, yes, this is freaking lovely.

IMAGE(https://u.cubeupload.com/MilkmanDanimal/CocktailLastWord.jpg)

I've been messing around with Negroni mixes because the one part gin, Campari, and vermouth that most fans tout just wasn't working for me. I finally settled on a mix of 1.5 oz gin, 1 oz Campari, and 1 oz vermouth. My wife, not such a Campari fan, prefers 1.5 gin, .5 oz Campari, and 1 oz vermouth.

Of course, Anthony Bourdain making a Negroni is always fun.

Is there a way to make something like a Tom Collins if I don't generally keep simple syrup or club soda around the house? Or do I really need to get both for just one drink once in a while?

Simple syrup is just equal parts water and sugar, heated in a pan, stirred until dissolved; if you think you want a Tom Collins later, make some and put it in the fridge. If there's anything to not buy, it's simple syrup because, well, it's simple. As for soda, you can buy the little 6-8 ounce bottles and they'll stay good for a really, really long time and you just use one whenever you're in the mood.

So, my take is "no", you don't really have alternatives. Sparkling water wouldn't be the same. I guess you could just put some gin into 7-Up or something and pretend really hard?