Cocktails, the libationary art!
- Friday Synch thread - Smoking Section 4-August 2023
Join us in a smoky cocktail! Mezcal, or Islay, or smoked salt...Or if you are having a smoke today, whatever you like to accompany it!
- Does your aviation taste like nail polish remover?
I bought a One The Rocks brand premixed bottle of Aviation hoping to see if i like it enough to buy the ingredients. But it has a terrible nai polish remover after taste. At first its very, floral and pleasant but its the cheap plastic bottle vodka, flavor that harshes my mellow.
Is this just how aviations are or this just the On The Rocks style aviation
Edit:had the bottle. Tastes like flowers smell
- Holladaq Girl
Rum, banana, spices, lime, Honey Nut Cheerios milk wash. At a bar in Santa Cruz called Ulterior. Generally I shy away from these places because they offer crazy fancy drinks that don’t deliver and cost way too much. Everything I’ve had here is good so far.
- It's Friday 28 July, Gin & Ginger Day
Last of my dry Fridays so I'm out but having a ginger beer (not homemade, Reed's,). Diabetic coma in a glass. I will have to make some home fermented ginger beer soon, it's so much better.
- It's not fancy at all, but this was my first attempt at a butterbeer from Harry Potter.
2 oz butterscotch schnappes 1 oz whipped cream vodka Some additional butterscotch syrup (add to taste)
Mix these together before adding some IBC cream soda.
Then use some whipped cream to imitate the foam head.
I added some more butterscotch syrup to make it look fancier.
This is definitely more of a desert drink as it is super sweet, but it is also super fucking delicious.
- Frozen Negroni
Someone posted about frozen cocktails and mentioned this one from Jeffrey Morganthaler, and my interest was piqued! It was interesting to see Campari in this context; the bitterness was different from what you normally get from a frozen drink, and added a nice complexity.
- 1 oz gin
- 1 oz Campari
- 1 oz sweet vermouth
- 2 oz orange juice
- ¾ oz simple syrup
Mix with 8 oz ice in a blender, then blend until smooth, adding extra ice as necessary. Garnish with an orange wedge.
- Had a red headed slut today. Also look at this cocktail.
I know this doesn't fit too well with the other cocktails here but i think diversity makes us stronger.
1oz jager
1oz peach schnapps
2oz cranberry juice
1 of my reject ice cubes
- Vitamix Cocktail Advice Needed
I recently got a vitamix. The included recipe book has a few cocktails, but they all taste pretty watered down. Are there any general rules of thumb for ratios when it comes to making frozen cocktails in a blender? Is it possible to get the boozyness of a commercial slushy machine, or with a blender do you need a lot more ice to get the consistency right? I am thinking of trying to do some frozen takes on classics and unsure about things like ratios of ice to spirit. Or if a recipe calls for citrus juice should I just throw a whole peeled lime in there and blend it to a pulp? I have aspirations to make an abomination of a Last Word smoothie, but don't want to risk my precious supply of chartreuse on experimentation (or any spirit really since there's minimum volumes required to get it to blend). Thanks for the advice.
- An Americano in Paris
A riff on an Americano that I created today:
4oz Suze 4oz Lillet Blanc 4oz Tonic Water twist of lemon though if I had an orange on hand I think it would be better
- Any receipes that use cachaça that are not a caipirinhas
Made a bunch of caipirinhas and wanted to try something new.
- Tasting Table - tonic syrup for frozen G&Twww.tastingtable.com The Key Ingredient Swap For Velvety Frozen Gin And Tonic Cocktails - Tasting Table
Gin and tonic is a classic drink, and freezing it makes it ideal for hot days, but there's a key ingredient swap you need to give it a velvety mouthfeel.
I have honestly never heard of a slushy gin & tonic, but this is a good idea in general. If you are going to dilute with blender and ice you don't want as much water in the mix.
- Are you a recipe person, or experimental?
Do you always follow a recipe for a cocktail, or do you mix freeform, or just have an idea of what works for your taste? For me, I like recipes but about 75% of the time I just use a 'formula' - I learned that I LOVE a paper plane but only with 2x bourbon. That led me to a better understanding of proportion. Almost everything I've made with 2 parts of a booze I like, 1 part a fruity or sweet liqueur, 1 part an Amaro and 1 part lemon or lime (using judgement to match the flavors) works. And because a margarita is great, taking those proportions and subbing other things can also work.
Now with food, I would say the only things I use recipes for are baked goods, I am very much in the wing it camp. Use recipes for inspiration not as a rulebook. So not a shock that's the way I drink.
How do you use recipes?
- What are you drinking? Second half of July edition!
Might make these threads monthly until we are more populated. What are you drinking today?
- Friday Synch thread 14 July - New World day
Well as I am still in Dry July I'm synchronizing tomorrow with some berry lemonade, whatever berries look good at the store tomorrow (it's still Thursday here), probably mixed with tonic syrup & Topo Chico for a little edge. Hopefully some of y'all have more interesting drinks!
- Hey Mockarena!www.theguardian.com Cocktail of the week: John deBary’s Ay Mockarena – recipe | The good mixer
Olive oil brine, which is usually reserved for dirty martinis and the like, takes this zingy, fruity mocktail to another level
I'd try it. Might sub jalapeno brine because I save it so have it on hand.
- Made myself a Flamingo
Honestly not my favorite, but I've been having fun trying new recipes out of this book "The New York Bartender's Guide." Though I shall confess I'm usually lazy and don't bother shaking and straining, but rather dumping and mixing 😝
Text of recipe:
2oz gin
1/2oz apricot brandy
1/2oz lime juice
1tsp grenadine (I also tossed a couple maraschino cherries in)
[Image description: a glass with ice cubes and a drink with a color gradient from tan at the top to red at the bottom, with a cherry sitting on the bottom. A book opened to the recipe is in the foreground.]
- First layered drink! Barbados Sunrise.
Gonna work on altering amounts to better fill the glass. I know standard practice is to add ice, but i can only fit 2 cubes in these glasses
- What’s your favorite old fashioned recipe?
A bourbon old fashioned is by far my favorite cocktail, but I’ve gotten very lazy with my recipe lately, simple syrup, woodford, bitters. Anyone have any recommendations to spice it up? What are your favorite bourbons to use?
- Layered cocktails - Lifehackerlifehacker.com The Easiest Way to Layer a Cocktail Without a Bar Spoon
Adding a float to cocktails adds drama to the presentation, and you can do it without a specialty spoon.
I think the only layered cocktail I've ever made is Tequila Sunrise for my ex-mother-outlaw (is her favorite), just poured carefully and it always worked, I didn't think of it as quite as fussy as this, but maybe it's the nature of those particular ingredients. Do you make layered drinks? Do you use a barspoon or special technique?
- Lingonberry Whiskey Sour
- 2 oz bourbon
- 1 oz lemon juice
- 0.5 oz Ikea "Dryck Lingon" lingonberry syrup
- 6 dashes Fee Foam
Shake.
Pretty good for a first attempt. I might bump the syrup up to 0.75 oz since it is a little tart like this.
- Cocktail recipe cardsthetakeout.com Cocktail Business Cards, Explained
When and where to use this quirky accessory for a better drinking experience.
If you have an ad blocker turn it on before clicking. That site is very adful.
I don't think I would dare hand a card to a bartender, though I did in desperation ask for a margarita recently by saying "tequila, orange liqueur and lime juice" because the first one I got involved margarita mix and, oddly, Sprite?
- What are you drinking? First week of July edition
For me it's lemonade, kicking off a Dry July. Maybe with some bitters. Welcome to the second half of 2023!
What are you drinking this week?
- Cima Summer cocktail via Imbibeimbibemagazine.com Cima Summer Special: A Spicy, Tropical Cocktail
Celebrate the heat of summer with Bar Cima's spicy, tropical cocktail made with pineapple juice, passion fruit liqueur, and a bit of fire.
This is what I am making 1st of August - it needs several special ingredients but I have time to make passion fruit liqueur and there are habaneros ripening in the garden right now.
Absolutely beautiful looking as well.
- Viva Cuba! Essential Cuban cocktails from Punchpunchdrink.com Master the Cuban Classics
Our best recipes for the country’s homegrown drinks, Canchánchara to Cuba Libre.
More good summer drinks.
Canchánchara, a honeyed key lime-ade sounds like a great drink for a party, put rum on the side.
- Refreshing Whiskey cocktails for summer - Robb Reportrobbreport.com 9 Refreshing Whiskey Cocktails to Sip All Summer Long
This brooding brown spirit can still be enjoyed during the dog days.
Some inspiration for today's synch.
- Bow & Arrow from Scott Teaguewww.epicurious.com Bow & Arrow
Serve this mezcal and bourbon drink with a flaming presentation, or leave the pyrotechnics to the professionals.
A very tepache-esque flavor profile with the pineapple and cinnamon. I've made a non-intoxicating analogue of this by brewing tepache with smoked dried hot peppers (Chiles de Oaxaca ) and I found it interesting, more than delicious, but certainly drinkable. Grilled smoky pineapple is ridiculously delicious. And bourbon is my favorite liquor to mix with, so everything about this speaks to me.
- Friday Synch thread 30-June 2023
Theme is seasonal cocktail! If you are in deepest summer, something frozen or refreshing. If you are in winter, something warming.
- Favorite punch?
I’ve been reading David Wondrich’s Punch and I’m in love with the whole idea of punches. Getting a bunch of people together around a big bowl of something tasty and drinking the night away sounds so fun. It also sounds nice to be able to prepare a great drink for everyone without having to spend too much of my time away from my guests shaking up individual drinks.
I’ve mixed up a few batches of Philadelphia Fish House Punch and it’s now one of my favorite drinks. Does anyone here have a favorite punch recipe?
P.S. If you haven’t read Punch or Imbibe!, I wholeheartedly recommend them. David Wondrich is a really fun writer and cocktail history is a really interesting subject (to me, at least).
- Dead Lady
This is one of my favorite cocktails. The flavors just meld together so well.
Ingredients
- 0.75 oz Mezcal - I used Del Maguey Vida
- 0.75 oz Bruto Americano
- 0.75 oz Falernum
- 0.75 oz Lime juice
Directions
- Shake and strain.
- Salmoncito recipe from Epicuriouswww.epicurious.com Salmoncito
Long live the ever-dynamic gin and tonic—this version, from cocktail capital Mexico City, invites Campari and grapefruit to the party.
Looks beautiful, sounds good. Balanced between fruity & bitter.
- Ice, ice, baby!
Do you make fancy ice for your home cocktails?
I am an ice geek. Husband finds it amusing, I used to just fill a cooler, sling it in the freezer and when it froze melt off the cloudy part with hot water and whack the clear part with a rolling pin to get jagged clear chunks, until the cooler cracked - now I use a silicone ice tray in an insulated box to get cubes, and cups with molds for globes, but kind of miss the irregular icebergs. Clear ice makes me happy. Also make skull shaped ice (not clear) for Halloween. And cracked ice for highballs.
I do not know how to post the below addresses without paywall. Can get NYTimes access from public library (so maybe you can too).
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/11/dining/clear-ice-book-camper-english.html
https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/restaurants/article/clear-ice-cube-cocktails-18129974.php