Mixology. Distinct from the Drunk Thread.

[mcbigski]

Let's have a thread about not just drinking, but drinking well.  (totally lifted that from the dont just retire, retire well commercial)

My last 10 or so Manhattans and Martinis have been outliers.  What I've been doing differently is rinsing the ice and draining the shaker before adding the spirits.  I'm assuming 80% it's killing the freezer smell, 18% having the extra water eases the harsh, and 2% something else.  What other tips do you have?

Had a few oranges left, but no lemons, and kind of wanted a martini.  So made Bombay Sapphire, twists of orange, with orange Angustura bitters, and a cap-full of Martini and Rossi white vermouth.  Entirely potable.  Was wondering what people think about tossing in a couple/three slices of mandarin orange instead.  I think that would be close to the same citrus level, with what is effectively simple syrup.  But while I'm a top decile consumer, I suspect I'm less of a mixer.

Let there be a thread about making the most of your spirits.

[Lilac & Gooseberries]

23 hours ago, The Great Unwashed said:

My mixology consists of Scotch, neat, and Scotch with a splash of water.

Depends on the malt this might be the best one.

 

One of my favourite winter drinks is: Rum, preferably dark and not spiced, cinnamon stick, honey, slice of either lemon, apple or orange, boiled water, fresh ginger.

I prefer mine with double rum and some more with cinnamon, honey and apple. No ginger.

[Mr. X]

On 1/24/2021 at 7:00 PM, mcbigski said:

My last 10 or so Manhattans and Martinis have been outliers.  What I've been doing differently is rinsing the ice and draining the shaker before adding the spirits.  I'm assuming 80% it's killing the freezer smell, 18% having the extra water eases the harsh, and 2% something else.  What other tips do you have?

Melting a portion of the ice to ease the harsh is the goal of mixing a cocktail on ice. I always crack the ice cubes for any stirred drink.

Never rinsed the mixing glass with water before, but if you want to try something else along those lines, a Waldorf cocktail is essentially a Manhattan mixed in a glass that has been rinsed out with Pernod or other absinthe-style spirit. It's similar to what you do for a Sazerac--pour a little Herbsaint or whatever in, swirl it around to coat the sides, and dump it in the sink-- but instead of rinsing the serving glass, you're rinsing the mixing glass.

[Tywin et al.]

On 1/25/2021 at 10:56 AM, The Great Unwashed said:

My mixology consists of Scotch, neat, and Scotch with a splash of water.

Why water it down?

[mcbigski]

34 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said:

Why water it down?

Technically speaking, if it's not cask strength, it's mostly water already.  

"Have you been drinking tonight?"

"Mostly water, officer."

[Tywin et al.]

12 minutes ago, mcbigski said:

Technically speaking, if it's not cask strength, it's mostly water already.  

"Have you been drinking tonight?"

"Mostly water, officer."

Lol, I'll take your word on it since you're a bigger scotch guy than myself. As someone who almost always gets scotch or whiskey neat, I just don't get adding water when a few ice cubes would seem to do the trick (I only do this when I know I'm going to be waiting at a bar for a while for the other person to show up or if I'm sitting down to read and just want to slow sip it over an hour or so).

[mcbigski]

5 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said:

Lol, I'll take your word on it since you're a bigger scotch guy than myself. As someone who almost always gets scotch or whiskey neat, I just don't get adding water when a few ice cubes would seem to do the trick (I only do this when I know I'm going to be waiting at a bar for a while for the other person to show up or if I'm sitting down to read and just want to slow sip it over an hour or so).

Next time you have an at home bottle, try it both ways.  Then switch the order following time, just to be sciency.

There's also something oddly soothing and almost hypnotic about watching your scotch after you add a few drops of water.  Even more so with something a bit more viscous like Grand Marnier, but it's a little like watching a cloud, but with more alcohol.

[Hereward]

A small amount of water can release extra flavour in a single malt, but unless it’s cask strength, I don’t bother. Purists avoid ice like the plague, first because ice deadens the taste buds and two, because, if you prefer a weaker drink, to begin with the whisky is too strong, then rapidly melts so it’s too weak, meaning there’s a small window when it’s doing what you presumably wish to achieve, just with most of your taste buds not working.

[S John]

Many pubs in Scotland that have a good whisky selection set little water pitchers around the bar for those who choose to add a drop or two to open up a single malt. I’ve also been to Scotch tastings where they’ll have you try it neat and then try with a small amount of water. The amount of water you add is not enough to actually water it down, just enough to change the flavor a little bit. Don’t ask me how it works, but it does. I almost exclusively go neat with Scotch but a splash of water is acceptable.

Ice, however, is sacrilege. If you ever want to look like you know what you’re doing around scotch, rule #1, section a = don’t put ice in it.

[Derfel Cadarn]

2 hours ago, S John said:

Many pubs in Scotland that have a good whisky selection set little water pitchers around the bar for those who choose to add a drop or two to open up a single malt. I’ve also been to Scotch tastings where they’ll have you try it neat and then try with a small amount of water. The amount of water you add is not enough to actually water it down, just enough to change the flavor a little bit. Don’t ask me how it works, but it does. I almost exclusively go neat with Scotch but a splash of water is acceptable.

Ice, however, is sacrilege. If you ever want to look like you know what you’re doing around scotch, rule #1, section a = don’t put ice in it.

I’ve recently been drinking Johnnie Walker Blue Label (xmas gift) on occasion, which is blended, but I’ve some Jura single malts which I may try with a splash of water to see what the difference is.

Re sacrilege, I remember my late grandpa telling me about a time years ago when he was in a country pub in thr north of Scotland.

An English couple came in, the man asking for their best whisky, as his wife only drank the best. This was duly served up, followed by an audible gasp of horror from the locals when the guy poured some lemonade into it...

[S John]

7 hours ago, Derfel Cadarn said:

I’ve recently been drinking Johnnie Walker Blue Label (xmas gift) on occasion, which is blended, but I’ve some Jura single malts which I may try with a splash of water to see what the difference is.

Re sacrilege, I remember my late grandpa telling me about a time years ago when he was in a country pub in thr north of Scotland.

An English couple came in, the man asking for their best whisky, as his wife only drank the best. This was duly served up, followed by an audible gasp of horror from the locals when the guy poured some lemonade into it...

Ouch . Yea I am not knowledgeable enough about scotch to predict exactly what will happen, I just know that I’ve sat through a couple of scotch tastings where we compared with and without a little water - and in that moment I noticed a difference.

nothing wrong with a blended scotch in my book. I drink Dewars all the time. Much as I love a good single malt they are usually pretty expensive. Even a ‘mid range’ here in the states is double the cost of what a bottle of Dewars costs. As a result, I like to have a blended scotch on hand for when I just feel like a drink and save the good stuff for when I feel like I deserve it.

[Fragile Bird]

Actor Stanley Tucci is hosting a new show on CNN about food in Italy. It looks good. The recent commercials have Tucci bragging that he 'broke the internet' making a cocktail. Turns out he mixed a Negroni not following traditional rules. Here's a story and video about it. One thing I learned from the story is that he is married to Emily Blunt's non-acting sister, Felicity.

https://www.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/news/2020/4/stanley-tucci-cocktail

[Tywin et al.]

15 minutes ago, The Great Unwashed said:

For the ladies!!

No, really, because it opens it up.

I bet you make your guests wait to drink after opening a bottle of wine because the tannins need to rest. 

[DMC]

23 minutes ago, The Great Unwashed said:

But of course, monsieur.

How dare you call yourself the great unwashed.

[briantw]

As far as cocktails go, I'm a big fan of the Sazerac.

You will need the following:

• 2 1/2 oz. rye or bourbon whiskey
• Absinthe
• 1 sugar cube
• Peychaud's bitters
• Angostura bitters
• Lemon peel

You need two rocks glasses for this one.  Throw the first glass in the freezer and let it sit until fully chilled.  In the other glass, drop in your sugar cube (I use Demerara sugar cubes) and hit it with two dashes of Peychaud and one of Angostura and muddle it all together with a small splash of water.  Add in a couple of ice cubes and the whiskey and stir until most of the sugar is dissolved.

Pour a small splash of absinthe in the chilled glass and roll the glass around so the absinthe is allowed to coat the entire interior surface, then dump the absinthe in the sink.  Strain the ingredients from the other glass into the absinthe-washed glass.  Express the lemon peel over the drink, run it around the lip of the glass, and drop it in.  Enjoy.

---

I also like a good Old Fashioned, which is a fundamentally similar cocktail.

• 2 1/2 oz. bourbon or rye whiskey
• 1 sugar cube
• Angostura bitters
• Orange peel
• Luxardo cherry

In a rocks glass, drop in the sugar cube, blast it with three dashes of your favorite bitters with a small splash of water and muddle.  The traditional Old Fashioned recipe calls for Angostura, but I typically use something different, like Woodford Cherry Bitters or 18.21 Barrel Aged Havana & Hide Bitters (my personal favorite).  

Add the whiskey and a large ice cube and stir until most of the sugar is dissolved.  Express the orange peel over the glass, run it around the rim, and drop it in, along with a maraschino cherry.  I personally go with Luxardo or another premium cherry brand, but a cheap one will do if that's all you've got.  Enjoy.

---

In summer months, I like a Kentucky Mule.

• 2 1/2 oz bourbon
• 1 lime
• Ginger beer

This one's pretty straightforward.  Find yourself a copper mug and add the bourbon and the juice from your lime and give it a little swirl.  Fill that bitch up with crushed ice and pour in the ginger beer until it reaches the top.  My usual brand choice is Bundaberg, but any good ginger beer will do.  

My apartment has a dog park attached to it and on the weekends people tend to sit out there and drink.  This is one of my go-to cocktails when it's blisteringly hot and humid as hell and I need to let the dogs run for twenty minutes.

---

Also remember that a cocktail is only as good as its ingredients.  If you try to make an Old Fashioned with Jack Daniels, it's going to suck.  Also, cocktails that have ice in them inherently demand a more aggressive, higher-proof spirit.  You can get away with the lower proof Sazerac Rye for a Sazerac because you strain out the ice, but you really want to use something at least 100 proof for an Old Fashioned or a Mule that will continue to dilute over time.  

My favorite bourbon for an Old Fashioned is Col EH Taylor Small Batch Bottled in Bond.  It's 100 proof and its sweet cherry notes mingle well with my Havanna & Hide bitters, which bring some wonderful leather and tobacco notes.  EH Taylor can be really hard to find, though, and a great backup choice is John J Bowman Single Barrel, which runs about fifty bucks and is absolutely fantastic.  It uses distillate from Buffalo Trace, and to my palate it tastes very similar to Buffalo Trace's mash bill #1, which is used in products like Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare, EH Taylor, and Stagg Jr.  

I'm not all that picky about what I use in a Kentucky Mule because the ginger beer and lime have a tendency to dominate, with the bourbon providing some secondary bite.  I'd go with something like Evan Williams Bottled in Bond for this one.  Cheap on the wallet, but a rock solid budget bourbon.

[mcbigski]

Going to repost this from FB:

'I found myself saying tonight "too much bitters". But what I actually meant was "needs more gin". I don't feel like linking the Homer Simpson "crisitunity" clip, but always be open to re-framing.'

The alcohol related takeaway is that you can usually salvage something, with a bit of extra thought.  Reminds me of the time as a kid I was mixing up pancake batter and Dad told me it was easier to add than subtract. 

[mcbigski]

Quick question, with perhaps too much set up.  Let's say you were making a drink in a cocktail shaker and are getting towards the bottom of the spirit bottle.  And then, either you misjudge the volume remaining in the bottle, or there is a miraculous violation of various conservation laws.  Either way, once you upscale the other ingredients, there is still a lot more high test stuff in the shaker than would be wise to consume when facing a 7AM meeting.

If I twist the tops of the shaker down tight enough, how long long would a martini remain just fine in a freezer?

Should be an excellent seal, and the freezer isn't cold enough to freeze a 70 proof liqueur so let's assume that isn't an issue.  

 

[mcbigski]

The first sip to reduce the overpour was pretty rough.  But tbh I don't have a whole lot experience drinking 20 degree F or less liquids.  Mellowed out after that.

[briantw]

I've been on a cocktail kick lately, and have taken some steps to build a bar that has more than just various types of whiskey.  I already had some decent tequila (Espolon), as I like to make margaritas from time to time.  I added a couple bottles of gin (Broker's and Plymouth), Campari, three different types of vermouth (sweet, dry, and white), a bottle of Grand Marnier to replace the Cointreau I killed a few weeks ago making batch margaritas for a pool party. and rounded it out with bottles of Rittenhouse Rye and Early Times Bottled in Bond to be my "well" whiskeys.  

I tried making an old fashioned with the Early Times and actually liked it a lot more than I expected to.  I've always enjoyed using a higher-end bourbon like EH Taylor Small Batch for my old fashioneds, and lately have been subbing in John J Bowman Single Barrel, as EH Taylor has eluded me for months in my various liquor store runs and I find they have similar flavor profiles.  But I may stick with Early Times and keep Bowman as a sipper.

The last week or so, though, I've been enjoying some Negronis.  It's a pretty simple cocktail to make.

• 1.5oz dry gin - I used Broker's, as that's the only dry gin I have on hand.
• .75oz Campari
• .75oz sweet vermouth - I used Dolin, as that's all the store I went to had.

So a traditional Negroni calls for 1:1:1 for the three ingredients, but I find that to be a tad bitter.  The Campari takes over and the gin is all but lost.  As a result, I tend to pour a 2:1:1 with the gin doubled up.  It makes for a stronger cocktail and the gin is able to hold its own.  

Pour all three ingredients into a mixing glass, add ice, and stir for about thirty seconds.  Strain into a rocks glass with a giant ice cube, or just filled with regular ice cubes if that's what you've got.  Express an orange peel over the drink, run it along the rim, and either drop it in or don't.  I'm not the boss of you.

It's been hot as hell here lately and this has been a great outdoor sipping drink.  I'm thinking tonight I might try my hand at a Corpse Reviver, as I believe I have all the ingredients.  

[Mr. X]

48 minutes ago, briantw said:

The last week or so, though, I've been enjoying some Negronis.  It's a pretty simple cocktail to make.

• 1.5oz dry gin - I used Broker's, as that's the only dry gin I have on hand.
• .75oz Campari
• .75oz sweet vermouth - I used Dolin, as that's all the store I went to had.

So a traditional Negroni calls for 1:1:1 for the three ingredients, but I find that to be a tad bitter.  The Campari takes over and the gin is all but lost.  As a result, I tend to pour a 2:1:1 with the gin doubled up.  It makes for a stronger cocktail and the gin is able to hold its own.  

May I suggest you try a Valentino, which is the same ingredients as a Negroni in a 4:2:1 ratio of gin to vermouth to Campari?  It's an absolutely delightful cocktail, especially if you're looking for a more gin-forward Negroni vibe.

Not sure if you can find it around you, but Carpano Antica is an outstanding sweet vermouth. Broker's and Plymouth are our go-to's for cocktail gins (mostly Broker's since that's what our two local shops stock more regularly), but we try to keep Botanivore gin on hand for martinis.

ETA: Rittenhouse Rye absolutely rules for cocktails. That plus the Carpano Antica and the Fee Brothers whiskey-barrel-aged bitters is what makes our ritual of Friday Manhattans so very tasty.