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You can make a Golden Fizz. 1.5 Tb of sugar, 1/2 oz of lemon juice, 2 oz of Old Tom gin or whiskey, and 1 egg yolk. Lots of crushed ice. Combine all ingredients and shake it like you're trying to kill a baby. Strain it and add about one or two ounces of soda water. It's quite delicious.
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Dec 10, 2012 16:33
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Kenning posted:Don't bother with VSOP cognac for this one. A VS will more than serve, and it's appropriate to the era – back in the day of the actual Admiral Russel, there was essentially no cognac aged for more than 2 or 3 years, which is firmly in VS territory. Awesome--thanks!
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Dec 11, 2012 06:08
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What dry gins do you all recommend for cocktail-making? I'd rather stick with something on the cheaper end, but not completely crap. I was mostly looking at either Gordons or Beefeater.
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Dec 11, 2012 21:46
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Definitely go for Beefeater over Gordons. Beefeater is actually pretty decent gin for the price, whereas Gordons should practically pay you to drink their gin.
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Dec 11, 2012 23:07
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Beefeater 24 was the one that taught me how to enjoy gin (but bear in mind that this is therefore the opinion of someone who wasn't always loved gin).
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Dec 11, 2012 23:28
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I feel like gins in the Bombay Dry/Tanqueray/Beefeater class are more suited to mixing than gins in the Bombay Sapphire/Tanq 10/Beefeater 24 class. The latter are mellower, less junipery gins, while I feel that most cocktails want something with a bit more of a backbone and a more straightforward flavor profile. The exception, I guess, is a dry martini, where you can really let the particular flavors of a gin shine through.
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Dec 12, 2012 00:02
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22 Eargesplitten posted:What dry gins do you all recommend for cocktail-making? I'd rather stick with something on the cheaper end, but not completely crap. I was mostly looking at either Gordons or Beefeater. A list of solid liquors in various price ranges would probably be a decent thing for the OP of this thread. (I am not qualified to make such a list.)
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Dec 12, 2012 00:26
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Seconded (also not writing it). The whisk(e)y thread has this and it is invaluable to people starting out.
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Dec 12, 2012 00:54
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I was recently gifted a bottle of Hendrick's Gin, and I'm loving it. Previously I just never cared for gin, but Hendrick's is great with a cucumber slice, or infused with cucumber even.
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Dec 12, 2012 01:07
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As a person who drinks primarily gin, I'm going to strongly disagree with nrr. I find Gordon's Yellow Label remains one of my favorite gins even as I have upwards of 20 kinds at home right now, and Beefeater is dreck I wouldn't touch. That said, if you want a London Dry style to mix, I think Martin Miller's Westbourne Strength can't be beaten.
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Dec 12, 2012 01:22
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silvergoose posted:Seconded (also not writing it). The whisk(e)y thread has this and it is invaluable to people starting out. Halloween Jack fucked around with this message at 01:33 on Dec 12, 2012 |
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Dec 12, 2012 01:26
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I'm a big fan of Bluecoat Gin for either sipping or mixing. Makes an especially nice Monkey Gland.
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Dec 12, 2012 05:53
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Kenning's guide to cocktail liquors In almost all cases, cocktails should be mixed with mid-shelf spirits. However, in some cases cheaper spirits can suffice. And of course, there's nothing wrong with getting highfalutin every now and then (though I never do, because I can't afford it). Gin Cheap: Gordons, Seagram's, New Amsterdam. Gordons is fine, if a bit rough around the edges. Works in gimlets, but avoid in martinis. New Amsterdam started off in this tier, but has been creeping up in price in the last few years. It's a milder gin, and usually is still quite cheap. Solid: Bombay Dry, Beefeater, Tanqueray, Broker's, Boodles, etc. etc. etc. Lots of excellent gins at this level. Invalid Octopus likes Citadelle gin, and that is also great. Splendid: Hendrick's, Plymouth, Anchor Junipero, Old Raj, Tanq 10, Bombay Sapphire, Beefeater 24. I've already mentioned that I don't really care for the last three in this list, but lots of people do. Hendrick's is its own thing, so use it advisedly. There are also lots of peculiar craft gins at this tier. Rye Cheap: Old Overholt. A workable bottle, if not very exciting. Solid: Rittenhouse Bonded, Bulleit, Sazerac 6 year. Good luck finding Rittenhouse, but it's the best at this tier. Bulleit is somewhat lighter than the best ryes, but tasty enough. I've not had Sazerac, but I hear it's great, if you can find it. Splendid: Michter's, Willet, Knob Creek, and roughly a million small-bastch craft ryes. Don't mix with this tier though, seriously. Maybe a Manhattan on Christmas, but not often. Bourbon Cheap: Evan Williams. A classic, if a bit rough around the edges. Old Crow will do if you can stomach plastic bottles and will mostly be making sours. Solid: Wild Turkey 101, Buffalo Trace, Bulleit, Evan Williams Single Barrel. I like WT 101 a lot, and don't care for Buffalo Trace. Lots of people love Buffalo Trace though, so it's worth looking into. Splendid: Blantons, Michter's, George T. Stagg, anything by Van Winkle, the usual subjects. Same as rye at this tier, only use in like a birthday Old Fashioned or something. Scotch Cheap: Famous Grouse is a great choice at this tier. Get a jug. Solid: Chivas Regal 12 if you want more of a Speyside character, Johnny Walker Black for more Islay peatiness. Splendid: Don't get fancy blended Scotch, just get interesting single malts. Irish Cheap: I don't know anything about cheap Irish. Solid: Jameson, Bushmills, Powers. I favor Powers, but they're all solid and mostly interchangeable. Splendid: Black Bush, Redbreast. Only use these if you want to make a truly memorable hot whiskey punch. Otherwise reserve for sippin'. Brandy Cheap: Don't get cheap poo poo like E&J or Christian Bros, it's terrible stuff. I guess Raynal isn't bad. Halloween Jack recommends St. Remy, which is similar to Raynal. Solid: Anything that's VS and actually cognac is workable. If you can swing VSOP it's even better. Splendid: I suppose one could mix with XO cognac if one wanted but it's probably so mild and smooth that it would get lost in the mix. Tequila Cheap: You will regret this. Solid: Casadores, Gran Centenario, 1800. These are good in both blanco and reposado. Don't mix anejos, they're too mild. Halloween Jack also recommends Sauza Hornitos and El Jimador, which are solid choices. Tanith recommends Espolon. Splendid: Don Julio, bunch of other fancy poo poo. I wouldn't mess around with this poo poo usually. Notice a pattern? Oaxacan Mezcal: There have been a number of contemporary cocktail recipes that make use of the rich, earthy smokiness of Oaxacan mezcal lately. Your best bet is Del Maguey Mezcal Vida, though it's fairly expensive and can be hard to find. Rum Rum is typically classed as light/gold/dark. In fact, rum is easily the most complex spirit in the world, and two gold rums can be worlds apart. If you get into Tiki, you'll learn that you need to know what country a rum is from, as well as the house style of the distillery or blender – all sorts of stuff. For a basic bar though, the light/gold/dark split is fine. I'm not gonna give tiered recommendations, as all of my recommended rums are inexpensive, and going cheaper would be gross, and more expensive would be silly. Light: Flor de Caña Extra Dry. This stuff is the bomb, and should be your only light rum. Cruzan Light is okay if you can't find FdC, but not nearly as flavorful. Gold: Flor de Caña 4 Year for a spicier gold rum, Plantation Barbados 5 Year for one that's richer and sweeter. Both are great. Dark: Coruba. Coruba is super cheap, rich, and full-bodied as all hell. If you can't find it, Meyer's is serviceable. Some people like the darker Appletons for dark rums, but I find them too oaky and not molassesy enough for my tastes. They're also more expensive, and Coruba is seriously great. Halloween Jack recommends Gosling's Black Seal. It's a classic dark rum and lots of people swear by it. I don't personally care for it compared to the others I listed, but it's definitely worth a try. Jahoodie recommends Pusser's, which is a fine Barbados product with great pot still character. Vodka I have one rule with vodka: buy the cheapest thing you can find in a glass bottle. Seriously, vodka is stupid, and above a certain baseline of rotgut, it's all the same poo poo. If you must have brand recommendations, look for the "S" bottles – Smirnoff, Skyy, Svedka, Stolichnaya, Sobieski. Of the 5 I prefer Sobieski, but I honestly doubt I could pick it out in a blind taste test. Halloween Jack recommends Luksusowa. Vermouth Vermouth is either dry/French/white, or sweet/Italian/red. There are basically 2 price points. Also: buy the smallest bottle you can find and keep it in the fridge. Everyday French: Noilly-Prat. It's the best at its tier, by far. Special French: Vya Extra Dry, Dolin Blanc, in that order. Everyday Italian: Martini and Rossi is fine, Cinzano Rosso is better. Special Italian: Dolin Rouge, Vya Sweet, in that order. Absinthe Go look at the Wormwood Society for guidance, since this is a big purchase. I'm quite happy with my bottle of St. George, though the cork closure is retarded. Notable Liqueurs These are roughly in order of their importance in the bar. Cointreau for neutral spirit triple sec Luxardo maraschino Gran Marnier for brandy-based triple sec (though I hear Gran Gala is pretty decent) Benedictine Campari St. Germaine for trendy contemporary stuff Rothman and Winter's are a safe bet for anything (look for apricot brandy and creme de violette) Marie Brizard is another favored brand, particularly their apricot brandy Green and Yellow Chartreuse – so expensive, so worth it Cherry Heering Drambuie Disaronno for amaretto Kahlua or Tia Maria for coffee liqueuers Creme de cassis (get whatever, should be around $20) Senior Curaçao of Curaçao curaçao (not convinced anyone actually needs a curaçao) Hiram Walker or DeKuyper white creme de menthe/cacao (alas, nothing better available for the most part). Some may be able to get Marie Brizard, lucky bastards. Creme Yvette is recommended by Tanith. It's a violet and berry liqueur recently revived after a long extinction. It's on the expensive side, but apparently is quite nice. Bitters These are also listed in recommended order of acquisition. Angostura. The granddaddy of them all. Get the biggest bottle you can find. Regan's #6 orange bitters. Angostura Orange is also apparently pretty good. Peychaud's Bitters. Crucial in a Sazerac., Fee's Peach bitters. The most widely-available peach bitters. Pretty peachy. Beyond those four are a whole range of boutique bitters which can be nice to have, but which cannot in good conscience be called "important." Some of the more commonly-used of these contemporary bitters include the following: Fee's Old Fashioned Aromatic bitters Fee's Whiskey Barrel Aged bitters Fee's Lemon Bitters Bittermens Xocolatl Mole Bitters The Bitter Truth Creole Bitters The Bitter Truth Jerry Tomas's Bitters The list goes on from there. Kenning fucked around with this message at 00:34 on Dec 13, 2012 |
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Dec 12, 2012 10:49
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Everyone has certain liqueurs they want to keep around for various purposes, so obviously that section is potentially endless. But if you or your friends drink shooters (I consider them cocktails... barely) then 151, SoCo, and Baileys are great to have. Not used really often for "regular" drinks though.
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Dec 12, 2012 11:41
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My list is designed for classic-style cocktail mixing. If people want butterscotch schnapps so they can make a Birthday Waffle or whatever that's their business.
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Dec 12, 2012 12:23
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I would like to throw in some suggestions. Brandy: This may get me crucified, but I like St. Remy VSOP/XO if I'm just going to mix it. Tequila, reposado: Sauza Hornitos and El Jimador are both great mid-shelf, 100% de agave tequilas--I prefer Jimador these days, but I like the vegetal taste of sipping Hornitos. Rum, spiced: I don't do much with this, but Sailor Jerry is good and well-liked by people ITT. Rum, dark: Gosling's Black Seal. gently caress everything else. Vodka: Luksusowa. It's an actual Polish potato vodka, it's cheap, it beats the poo poo out of more expensive vodkas. Buy this instead of overhyped garbage in a fancy bottle with a rapper's name on it. Not that there isn't any other good vodka, but I have yet to see a reason for anyone to buy anything more expensive than Stolichnaya. Whiskey: Everything Kenning said. I prefer Turkey 101, Bulleit rye, and Famous Grouse for mixing. I also like Canadian Club Reserve for sours. Notes on liqueurs: Gran Gala is, in my experience, indistinguishable from Grand Marnier at half the price. If you like Grand Marnier, you might like Tuaca, which is also a brandy-based orange infused liqueur that also has vanilla. I find this mixes well with a reposado tequila. Cointreau is Cointreau. Accept no substitutions. Cointreau makes their own liquor from sugar beets and flavours it with bitter oranges; generic triple sec is orange-flavoured cheap vodka with added sugar. You will taste the difference. If you can't get Senior Curaçao of Curaçao, all generic blue curacao such as Bols, DeKuyper, etc. is in my experience totally awful. It tastes like the most artificial "fruit-flavoured" drink you ever consumed as a child, and this flavour shits all over anything into which it's mixed. If you really need electric blue drinks, either find a way to get the good stuff or just use food colouring I guess?
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Dec 12, 2012 16:12
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That list of liquors is sorely lacking Citadelle gin.
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Dec 12, 2012 16:23
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Great list Kenning. My favorite mixing rum for cocktails is Pusser's, the slight fruitiness to plays well with citrus flavors.zmcnulty posted:Everyone has certain liqueurs they want to keep around for various purposes, so obviously that section is potentially endless. But if you or your friends drink shooters (I consider them cocktails... barely) then 151, SoCo, and Baileys are great to have. Not used really often for "regular" drinks though. Everyone drink what you like, but SoCo is carmel colored booze with little character beyond that. No one should drink SoCo when they could easily replace it with real booze and have it be better in just about any way.
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Dec 12, 2012 18:23
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That's a great list, Kenning. I'd like to see it put into the OP along with a list of must-have basic bar equipment and (this is important) mixers. Fresh citrus, simple syrup (along with how to make it), Angostura, et cetera. Things you absolutely need to have on hand in order to have a proper bar. I can pinpoint the exact moment when I went from "rum and coke"-level cocktailing to "an old-fashioned doesn't have any loving fruit or soda in it"-level cocktailing, and it is the moment I bought my first bottle of Angostura bitters. It was a revelatory experience. I want to share it with other people. I think this thread could be a good way to do that. A few notes on the list: In my opinion, it is 100% worth your money to go buy a really good gin like Plymouth or Hendricks or whatever you like at that level. I used to think I hated gin. Really I just hate bad gin. Go figure. It is also 100% worth your money to buy Disaronno amaretto instead of whatever else they sell. I've had off-brand (non-Disaronno) amaretto three or four times and I can always tell instantly, and not in a good way. Remy VS is cheap and delicious. My first cognac run, I bought one bottle of VS and one bottle of VSOP, and while the VSOP is definitely better I don't think I'm going to stock it regularly. Pusser's rum is amazing and you should own it. If you have more than one bottle of vodka and/or that bottle cost more than $25 you are Doing It Wrong. Take the money you didn't spend on vodka and use it to buy better vermouth. That's the end of my over-opinionated bullshit; back to the thread.
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Dec 12, 2012 18:52
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Great guide. Though not technically spirits, would agree that the list should have basic bitters. Angostura, Peychaud's and orange (probably Regan's No. 6).
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Dec 12, 2012 19:17
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Pro move: buy a copy of the PDT book. Also pussers sued PKNY and forced them to change their name, though everybody still calls it "Painkiller". So their name is dirt, drink Santa Teresea instead.
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Dec 12, 2012 20:17
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There was no way to really organize this post well, so I'm preemptively sorry it's a scattered mess.Invalid Octopus posted:That list of liquors is sorely lacking Citadelle gin. Exactly. Citadelle gin is 88 proof, distilled from French wheat and has 19 herbs and botanicals compared to Sapphire's 10, and is without a doubt the brand I'd go with if I had to pick one (and still pay). It should clock in between $21-$27 for a 750mL. 22 Eargesplitten: try Bulldog gin. We're also forgetting Espolon tequila, which runs between $20 and $24 (blanco or reposado) and is in the same category for me as Citadelle: cheap as hell for a really solid product. Are there better ones on the market? Of course, but all that poo poo costs money! Kenning's call about Sobieski is spot-on, and either that or Wodka (also Polish, distilled six times). Both between $16 and $20 for a handle. If you're drinking anything more expensive, you shouldn't be mixing it, and you should be able to tell what it's distilled from, otherwise you're just pissing away money. Halloween Jack, I hope you're not hating on Ciroc. Despite their marketing (Puff Daddy P Diddy Sean Puffy Combs whatever the gently caress his name is), vodka distilled from cognac grapes is delicious (and gin distilled from cognac grapes is even better). I might be committing heresy here, but Dekuyper (yes, THAT Dekuyper) makes something better than Cointreau. I was skeptical, I told our liquor rep. what he could do with the bottle, but he persisted and won me over. Dekuyper O3 is cheaper than Cointreau, is still 40% ABV, and has a more complex flavor with some appreciable orange peel bitterness on the finish. Regarding creme de violette: don't drink the Rothman and Winter. Suck it up and find a bottle of Creme Yvette. Same company as St. Germain, about $10 more per bottle than Rothman, but it is undeniably better. Cheaper violet liqueurs (Bitter Truth, Rothman & Winter) make a drink taste like soap if you use more than 1/4oz in my opinion, and even then aren't remarkable. Creme Yvette is violet and red berries, and is good enough on its own, but it still shines in cocktails where you can use it in decent amounts without destroying the cocktail.
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Dec 12, 2012 20:58
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Vegetable Melange posted:Also pussers sued PKNY and forced them to change their name, though everybody still calls it "Painkiller". So their name is dirt, drink Santa Teresea instead. I give not one single poo poo about this. Pusser's makes a fantastic rum that doesn't cost very much and they donate a serious chunk of the proceeds to charity. I will continue to buy it and drink it.
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Dec 12, 2012 21:23
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As far as a good mixing vodka with a cool mouth feel, I'd like to throw Monopolowa potato vodka into the mix. It is in there with Luksosowa and sobieski as 10$/fifth vodkas that are as good as anything 4x as expensive. I love Broker's gin, but I feel wierd drinking it since it came onto the market so recently but tries to have an old-style label. Any gin aficionados care to weigh in on it? My typical strategy in the liquor store is to look for alcohols with the smallest marketing budget possible.
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Dec 12, 2012 22:38
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Make sure the 12 bottle bar website is referenced in the new megathread. That website is so in line with the general attitudes in this thread that sometimes I think we're all just circle-quoting http://12bottlebar.com/ Sadly it seems the website isn't updated more than every few months now, though. Similarly, http://www.jeffreymorgenthaler.com/ is the blog maintained by a head bartender of a cocktail joint in Portland, OR. The guy is a classic cocktail enthusiast and although he rarely updates nowadays as well, his site has a bunch of great technique and product recommendations, not to mention great recipes.
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Dec 12, 2012 22:51
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Jahoodie posted:Everyone drink what you like, but SoCo is carmel colored booze with little character beyond that. No one should drink SoCo when they could easily replace it with real booze and have it be better in just about any way. Can you provide more detail here? Because when recipes call for SoCo I use SoCo, what are the alternatives? What tastes similar but is "better"? zmcnulty fucked around with this message at 23:47 on Dec 12, 2012 |
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Dec 12, 2012 23:44
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Whatever gets your jollies, Holmes. I don't gently caress with the stuff because of that, but I don't judge those who do. As far as rothman violette, I like the stuff but never use more than 1/2 an ounce.
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Dec 13, 2012 00:01
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zmcnulty posted:Can you provide more detail here? Because when recipes call for SoCo I use SoCo, what are the alternatives? What tastes similar but is "better"? I can't answer the latter question, as I don't do SoCo cocktails, but I have heard that Wild Turkey Honey is the best of the honey-flavoured whiskey liqueurs...or you could use Drambuie?
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Dec 13, 2012 00:14
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SoCo to me tastes like Smarties, the American ones, so maybe it is HFCS. That said I probably drink about a gallon of Rusty Nail per month, and I don't think Drambuie is similar at all. Anyway it was only a suggestion. If someone wants to build a bar and be able to make shooters, I just think SoCo (or its equivalent) is a good thing to have.
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Dec 13, 2012 00:28
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I've updated the list with most of the recommendations people made, and added a bitters section.GoGoGadgetChris posted:Make sure the 12 bottle bar website is referenced in the new megathread. That website is so in line with the general attitudes in this thread that sometimes I think we're all just circle-quoting http://12bottlebar.com/ I really don't care for 12 bottle bar. I get what they're trying to do, and it's a decent resource, but Genever, Gold Rum, and Irish whiskey are nowhere near as important as Maraschino, White Rum, and Scotch. The 12 bottles are at once too nostalgic for classic, early-era mixing (with the Genever and the Pusser's) and betting too much on future mixing trends (with the Irish whiskey). The main success of 12 Bottle Bar is the succinctness of their message, which I guess is admirable. Halloween Jack posted:I can't answer the latter question, as I don't do SoCo cocktails, but I have heard that Wild Turkey Honey is the best of the honey-flavoured whiskey liqueurs...or you could use Drambuie? Unfortunately WT American Honey sucks.
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Dec 13, 2012 00:42
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zmcnulty posted:SoCo to me tastes like Smarties, the American ones, so maybe it is HFCS. That said I probably drink about a gallon of Rusty Nail per month, and I don't think Drambuie is similar at all. It's almost definately HFCs. What are you trying to make, and maybe we can suggest a sub? Whiskey and spiced simple syrup might be good, and then hey you have whiskey for other drinks. Kenning posted:I really don't care for 12 bottle bar. I get what they're trying to do, and it's a decent resource, but Genever, Gold Rum, and Irish whiskey are nowhere near as important as Maraschino, White Rum, and Scotch. The 12 bottles are at once too nostalgic for classic, early-era mixing (with the Genever and the Pusser's) and betting too much on future mixing trends (with the Irish whiskey). The main success of 12 Bottle Bar is the succinctness of their message, which I guess is admirable. I like the concept of the 12 bottle bar, and it's a great way to explore alot of flavors to start learning what you like and don't like. The exact bottles you call out are probably the most useless, and I'd sub them for Maraschino/Chartreuse/Camapri/any Amaro in a second. And is any Honey whiskey any good? I never really got the point of it, most of it ends up being a syrupy mess that is disappointing as a whiskey and not sweet enough for people who don't want to drink straight whiskey.
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Dec 13, 2012 03:55
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Johnny Mnemonic posted:As far as a good mixing vodka with a cool mouth feel, I'd like to throw Monopolowa potato vodka into the mix. It is in there with Luksosowa and sobieski as 10$/fifth vodkas that are as good as anything 4x as expensive. Broker's is both rad and cheap. I like it.
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Dec 13, 2012 04:21
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I am not a fan of Creme Yvette. It does not taste or smell of violets! If you can find it, the Tempus Fugit violet liqueur is excellent, as is the Hermes violet.
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Dec 13, 2012 04:34
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I think Christian Bros Brandy is fine. I use it for sauces, and find it suitable for infusing.
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Dec 13, 2012 04:56
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A company that produces vodka and have banking/insurance services too can’t be all that bad, right? http://www.russianstandard.com/premium_brands/rs_brands/ Actually I've tasted all of them and I liked the platinum one best. I also remember somebody saying that the russians voted Standard their best vodka three years in a row?
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Dec 13, 2012 11:59
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Ugh, SoCo. That's the most disgusting alcohol in the history of the universe. I disagree about vodka being stupid, or all tasting the same. That doesn't mean there aren't good cheap vodkas, or that all expensive vodka is good. Smirnoff tastes like rear end in a top hat, though. Svedka is passable for the price point. I really, really like Ciroc. And I can usually tell if a vodka was originally a potato or not (can't tell the difference between grape and grain, though). Our usual bar bottle is a surprisingly smooth and cheap bottle of grain vodka called V5, which is I think 14-16 dollars for a 750 mL bottle. A lot of large chain liquor stores offer brands of alcohol that are way cheaper because they distribute it themselves. Some of them are worth trying, but it's hit or miss. The associates will be able to recommend them to you. I worked at one of these during a gap year, and many of our house distributor wines were excellent (and according to my partner, the single malt he got was great for the price). But I've also had a house vodka that tasted pretty much like Smirnoff so like I said, hit or miss. What do you think of the Patron Citronage orange liqueur? We have a bottle in our bar currently, along with Gran Gala, which is fine mixed. Not a huge fan of the brandy-based orange liqueurs unless they're making friends with other boozes, chocolate, or ice cream. Currently lusting after a bottle of cointreau. Also what are the flavor palettes for the chartreuses, campari, st. germain and benedictine? I want to try them out, but a bottle is such a huge investment.
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Dec 14, 2012 02:26
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Arkham Angel posted:What do you think of the Patron Citronage orange liqueur? We have a bottle in our bar currently, along with Gran Gala, which is fine mixed. Not a huge fan of the brandy-based orange liqueurs unless they're making friends with other boozes, chocolate, or ice cream. Currently lusting after a bottle of cointreau. Citronage is on the sweet side, which isn't bad, but when I want that, I prefer Combier. I always have Cointreau on the bar as well. Chartreuse is sweet and very herbal. I personally love it and think what it brings to a cocktail is very unique, and worth having around. Something to consider when thinking about taking the plunge on a bottle of it is it will last you a while because you'll only use it in small doses, like 1/4oz at a time, usually. Although I use both, Green gets more use, so I'd go with that. Campari has a bitter grapefruit vibe to it, with a bit of sweetness. It is a very versatile way to add bitterness to a drink and the things it does with sweet vermouth are nothing short of magical, another bottle I keep on hand at all times. St Germain is sweet and very floral. It works very well with bitter/citrus flavors, and is an ingredient in one of my favorite drinks, the Apparent Sour. This is another bottle I always have on hand because it can add a great floral sweetness to a drink that wants it. Benedictine I can't really speak to because I find it too medicinal, but it also has a very strong herbal quality, like Chartreuse. Klauser fucked around with this message at 02:54 on Dec 14, 2012 |
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Dec 14, 2012 02:49
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St. Germaine is an elderflower liqueur. It smells/tastes floral and sort of fruity, almost like lychee. I've had one person say it tastes like cough syrup, but that's a very uncommon assessment. Campari smells sort of like furniture polish. It's intensely bitter, as well as being very sweet. Campari is rad, and isn't very expensive at all, actually. Benedictine is a brandy-based honey/herb liqueur. It's rich and complex, with a slight herbal astringency. Chartreuse is another herbal liqueur. Green is more potent and higher proof, yellow is mellower and lower proof. Chartreuse smells intensely herbaceous, a lot like thyme actually. The flavor is just an explosion of herbs and all sorts of stuff that's tough to describe. edit: Klauser 
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Dec 14, 2012 02:53
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Ooooh, I love lychee. That sounds divine. I think I'll try to add some Campari first, then St. Germaine. I've been admittedly nervous about adding unfamiliar things since we got a bottle of absinthe, only to be floored by the overwhelming licorice scent and taste.
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Dec 14, 2012 06:14
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You really should have seen that one coming though.
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Dec 14, 2012 11:22
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