Cocktails

Not sure what initially started my interest in cocktails but about a year and a half ago I set out to learn how to make cocktails and I search out new cocktail bars to try out. I think watching Mad Men initially started my interest in the classic cocktails and it has expanded ever since.

I've discovered a few things about myself during this time frame. I am a much bigger fan of the dark liquors with aged dark rum and Bourbon whiskey being my favorites. I set out to stock up a bar that has the capacity to make many of the classic cocktails that are out there. However, being less of a fan of the clear liquors my bar selection definitley leans toward rum and whiskey for the most variety. I generally try to keep 1 bottle of good vodka (typically Russian Standard) and 1 bottle of mid grade vodka (Smirnoff usually). I am essentially clueless on Gin because I rarely drink it so I am open to suggestions on that front. I think I have a bottle of Churchill Gin. From a rum perspective one of my favorites is Appleton Jamaican rum. I have one bottle of Appleton White and one bottle of Apple Reserve aged rum, Myers Dark Rum, Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum, and a handle of Bacardi for the guests (unless they are special guests then they get the good stuff). Whiskey is my largest selection and it is almost entirely Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. Of those I have Bookers, Knob Creek, Bulliet, and Makers Mark. I have a bottle of Texas Bourbon called 1835 (for the Alamo), Sam Houston American Whiskey, George Dickel Tennessee Whiskey, and Rittenhouse Rye. The liqueurs are the hardest thing for me because most of them are pretty pricey compared to spirits and I only end up using them mix in with other things to make cocktails. I have the standard sweet and dry vermouth, Cointreu, and a few other fruit flavored liqueurs.

So down to the cocktails...my favorites right now are an Old Fashioned, Dark and Stormy, Sazerac, Whiskey Sour (a legit one), and a Daquiri (again a legit one). I also enjoy a Moscow Mule but that's pretty much the only drink with vodka I like.

Old Fashioned is pretty simple, orange zest muddle with bitters and simple syrup, add 2 oz bourbon or rye stir with ice to chill it down. Some people add a maraschino cherry and muddle that too, I can go either way on that but I generally don't do it. Others will add some club soda which to me is a big no no. It's only really acceptable (at least in my mind) if you are using granulated sugar to help dissolve it..but if you're making drinks do yourself a favor and make simple syrup. That makes your life so much easier.

Dark and Stormy is also simple, 2 oz dark rum, 1 oz lime juice, ice, top with ginger beer.

Moscow mule is essentially the same thing just substitute vodka for the rum.

Sazerac is something I recently tried and immediately liked. I shied away from it for a while because it uses Absinthe (which I loathe) however the absinthe is just a drop and used to coat the glass for aromatic purposes. So for the Sazerac you get a large glass or shaker add 2 oz rye whiskey and 4 or so dashes of Peychauds bitters then add ice and stir to chill it down. Add a few drops of absinthe to a chilled old fashioned glass, swirl it around and dump it. Strain the whiskey into the rocks glass then twist an orange zest into the glass to extract the orange oil. Enjoy!

A legit whiskey sour combines 1 oz lemon juice, 1 oz simple syrup, an egg white, and 2 oz bourbon. Shake it like crazy with ice to get it nice a frothy. Strain into a old fashioned glass and then add a dash or two of bitters on top. Try this and you will never drink the swill that they try to pass as a whiskey sour at many bars that uses that God awful sour mix.

Finally a legit Daquiri (not that frozen slushy stuff with rum that many places serve) is simple white rum, simple syrup, and lime juice. 2 oz rum, 1 oz lime juice, 1 oz simple syrup, shake with ice, strain over ice and garnish with a lime wedge. In other words, its a Mojito without the mint.

Anyone else love cocktails or have a favorite liquor? I'd love to hear recipes, opinions, or suggestions!

 

And the Gin Buck is the same but with Gin!

 

I do enjoy cocktails from time to time; and I am also a big fan of rum as a sipping whiskey. I like Pyrat rum, and Pritchards, though I will drink Mount Gay without complaint-- and more frequently, since that seems to be a little easier on the pocketbook around these parts.

I have tried my hand at mixing various cocktail recipes, but I find that I prefer to come up with my own cocktails (a hobby Mrs. Levite enjoys greatly). Some are comparatively simple, like the Sour Rickey:

2 oz top-shelf vodka, straight from the freezer (or 1 oz vodka and 1 oz top-shelf kirschwasser)
1 oz simple syrup infused with sumac (I make this myself)
1 oz Hare Visne (a Hungarian sour cherry liqueur)
1 oz freshly squeezed chilled lime juice
10 fresh organic raspberries, straight from the fridge
A tiny pinch of powdered clove
Club soda

In a lowball glass, muddle the raspberries and clove with the simple syrup with the lime juice, pour in the vodka and the Hare Visne, mix, add club soda, mix, and garnish with a slice of lime. Can also be served on the rocks.

Others are a little more involved, like the Sweet New Year cocktail that I make for the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah. This drink involves apple syrup, which is a mixture involving simple syrup infused with fresh Braeburn apple and orange blossom honey, combined (50-50) with organic raw apple juice (any varietal, though I like Honeycrisp best) that has been reduced in a saucepan to a syrup consistency.

3 oz high-quality chilled mead (there are some local meads I get, but Medovina Sweet Melissa and Empire Royal Mead are awesome widely-available meads)
3 oz organic raw apple juice, chilled
2 oz Laird's Bottled In Bond Straight Apple Brandy
2 oz Barenjager
1 oz apple syrup
1/4 tsp ginger juice
A small pinch of fresh ground Saigon cinnamon
A tiny pinch of powdered clove
A tiny pinch of powdered allspice
A small pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Stir together ingredients in a highball glass (12 oz or larger). Garnish with a slice of fresh apple dipped in honey. Can also be served on the rocks, or hot, in a large mug.

I have others, too. But I like putting together new ones, when I get the chance.

 

I had a great Smores martini a few months ago.
Contained:
Vanilla cinnamon vodka
Honey scotch
Chocolate liqueur
Chocolate bitters
Shaken, poured into martini glass

Glass was rimmed with toasted graham cracker crumbs, and garnished with a toasted marshmallow.

Definitely a lot wackier than my usual choices, but it was a lot of fun.

 

I like to keep things simple.

Gin and Tonic with a squeeze of lime.
Gin with Grapefruit and Soda (picked up a fancy gin that tasted like grapefruit... it works).
Whiskey and Coke

I have also made simple sugar with a rosemary infusion and mixed that with Gin and Soda. It's quite nice.

 

Nothing beats Vodka & Red Bull for me.

Hotel bars usually don't carry Red Bull (which doesn't stop me from always asking them), so I end up with Vodka/Coke, Rum/Coke or Whiskey/Coke instead.

An army guy once made me drink Vodka/Cranberry and I was pleasantly surprised.

SO wants to go on a cocktail binge with me, and try out all reasonable (Bloody Mary and Zombie are out) cocktail recipes out there.

Tokyo has a fantastic bar scene that we intend to pillage, and SO has a professional bartender aiming for the top as a good friend. Let's see what happens.

 

fucker.

the only martini is the real kind.

I was going through a cocktail list at a place the other night and couldn't believe the martini listings. I mean c'mon... S'mores martini? Chocolate? Mango & Pomegranate? Marshmallow? What.the.holy.fuck? Sorry, but if you need your alcohol to taste like you're standing in a sugar factory, you shouldn't be drinking.

Vodka neat is so much simpler than all this cocktail bidness.

 

:shrug: It depends on the bar keep. When I was slingin' I put vermouth in every martini that was ordered... fuck 'em.

I'll ignore your blasphemous talk regarding vodka... after all, you're just a novice alchy. Besides, college girls put red bull in everything. I wonder what school Remixer is stuck in?

 

Used to drink vodka gimlets, haven't had one in years. Will have the occassional Bloody Mary and in the summer gin and lemonade. Other than that, it is good stuff on the rocks. Grey Goose or Makers Mark or Woodford Reserve usually.

 

Haha, I love the back and forth about Martinis. I HATE what has become of Martinis. All that flavored stuff is pretty gross, the classic simple cocktails are really so much better tasting even though they are pretty much all straight booze. It's really about enhancing the taste of the spirit that you are using with small amounts of other things. All those flavored "martinis" are just masking that with a bunch of sugar, candy, and fruit.

Levite, I really like that idea for the apple syrup you posted I am definitely going to have to try and make that. That can have a lot of great uses. I had a drink recently that combined whiskey and some fresh apple juice and one or two other things but it was really good.

Charlatan, what is that Gin you found that has a Grapefruit flavor? That sounds interesting.

 

Wait. Let me imitate our resident masters of wit and think of a classy response, Veronica-style.

...

Yeah, not gonna happen. Vodka/RedBull > everything.

Welcome back, by the way.

 

A cocktail in a martini glass does not a martini make.

I used to drink martinis regularly (with a mixture of sweet and dry vermouth) but haven't had one in years. The next time I'm at a proper bar, I may order one.

 

I agree. I may have a love affair with vodka, but it shouldn't be in a martini.

Mixing anything with vodka is another thread entirely... as in, don't get me started.