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GoGoGadgetChris posted:I made a whiskey sour but shook it with an egg white before shaking with ice, and it was fantastic. The frothy-ness was just to die for. Does anyone have a favorite drink recipe that involves an egg white? I need to try more of these. Pisco sour? Sorry, that's kind of snarky, but definitely one of the best drinks I've had is a traditional pisco sour.
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Mar 30, 2012 19:51
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GoGoGadgetChris posted:I made a whiskey sour but shook it with an egg white before shaking with ice, and it was fantastic. The frothy-ness was just to die for. Does anyone have a favorite drink recipe that involves an egg white? I need to try more of these. In my opinion, any sour using a brown spirit should use egg white. I don't like it with clear spirits (white rum or gin) but whiskey, whisky, brandy, or applejack should take egg white. That said I made some New York cocktails for the first time and they are booooomb. Standard whiskey sour (2 oz. Wild Turkey 101, 1/2 oz. 2:1 turbinado syrup, 3/4 oz. lemon juice), then float a snap of red wine (I used some California cabernet, in the future I'll use zinfandel or pinot noir) on top, between a half ounce and an ounce. Pour it over the back of a spoon so it floats real pretty. The red wine adds a nice fruitiness and smooths out the first couple sips of the sour. It's great; highly recommended. No egg white in these since the wine float would ruin the foam. Kenning fucked around with this message at 07:23 on Apr 1, 2012 |
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Mar 31, 2012 11:32
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Ramos Gin Fizz, or whatever other spirits you like instead. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fizz_(cocktail)
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Apr 1, 2012 01:39
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Speaking of whiskey sours, I'm very, very slowly starting to experiment with alcohol, and the only drink I've found that I actually enjoyed the taste of so far is whiskey sours (haven't tried any with an egg white yet, though, gonna have to do that the next time I have access to booze at home), though I did enjoy a Long Island iced tea the one time i had it. Any suggestions for similar drinks? I'm one of those people who can taste alcohol in drinks people say taste nothing like alcohol, so anything like the sours that undercuts the 'medicinal swab' flavor that a lot of the spirits I've tried have would be good. I have yet to find anything with affordable vodka in it that doesn't taste like someone just dumped rubbing alcohol in the mix, for instance, and the one time I had a gin drink (albeit, a very cheap gin drink) it was like drinking a liquid alcoholic pine cone. Whiskey/bourbon, though, has been pretty good to me so far. I guess it's the one thing positive about living near Kentucky. Also, I apologize in advance if anything I said was a booze faux pas. I'm not exactly immersing myself in the finer details, I just want to find something that tastes nice without having to be an acquired taste (which I've found code for 'it tastes awful but you get used to it.')
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Apr 1, 2012 03:29
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First of all that's definitely not what "acquired taste" means. An acquired taste is something that is not necessarily appealing in the basic way that fat, salt, and sugar are all appealing, but is ultimately a more satisfying experience because it pushes different and exciting buttons. Secondly, I dunno, you could try long drinks? Stuff like gin and tonic, Cuba Libre, dark and stormy – anything that pairs a spirit with a soft drink and a squeeze of lime. I do recommend you genuinely try to learn to like spirits though. It makes drinking a good deal more pleasurable. I know people can do it because over the course of a year I took a friend of mine from doing lovely vodka shots to sipping Scotch with me, just by starting him on sours, then Old Fashioneds, then drier old Fashioned, the Manhattans, etc. Finally, don't loving drink vodka, and don't drink cheap poo poo in general. It's not going to help you learn to like the taste of spirits if you're drinking firewater. Gin should run you $15-$20 for 750 ml, bourbon/rye/Scotch/Irish should be around $20-$25 for 750 ml. Rums can vary, but there's excellent stuff in the $15-$25 range. Cognac (actually cognac, not lovely brandy) will be $25-$30. Does this help? Would you like more guidance? Specific instructions? Part of what helped my buddy enjoy spirits was me literally teaching him how to take a drink. Like, he was physically doing it incorrectly.
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Apr 1, 2012 11:10
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GoGoGadgetChris posted:Does anyone have a favorite drink recipe that involves an egg white? I need to try more of these. 1.5oz gin .75oz lemon juice .5oz simple syrup .25oz Chambord (I'd say this is optional, but nice) Small egg white ~3 raspberries Muddle the berries with the simple, add rest, shake, double strain. Coupe/raspberry garnish.
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Apr 1, 2012 14:12
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Daeren posted:Speaking of whiskey sours, I'm very, very slowly starting to experiment with alcohol, and the only drink I've found that I actually enjoyed the taste of so far is whiskey sours (haven't tried any with an egg white yet, though, gonna have to do that the next time I have access to booze at home), though I did enjoy a Long Island iced tea the one time i had it. Any suggestions for similar drinks? I'm one of those people who can taste alcohol in drinks people say taste nothing like alcohol, I was the same way. Use quality booze, and as suggested, try highballs and long drinks besides your basic Cuba Libre, like a Dark'n'Stormy. quote:so anything like the sours that undercuts the 'medicinal swab' flavor that a lot of the spirits I've tried have would be good. I have yet to find anything with affordable vodka in it that doesn't taste like someone just dumped rubbing alcohol in the mix,
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Apr 1, 2012 15:52
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When it comes to enjoying the flavor of spirits, I've actually slowly started to enjoy the flavor of whiskeys, though I really doubt I could take one straight yet. To give an example, the first mixed drink I tried, I had no idea what I was doing, so I made a 50/50 mix of Wild Turkey 101 and a bottled sour mix (it was a party, it was either that or the Mystery Punch.) Every sip I took had me shuddering uncontrollably, though I did get drunk enough to stop caring as much very quickly. I now know that was an incredibly bad idea, and have stuck to two fingers of alcohol at most in the drinks I make for myself, and the fact that the drink isn't physically assaulting me is helping a lot. I haven't tried many rum drinks, but I've mostly liked what I've had so far. The only liquors I've pretty much ruled out are vodka, which has been discussed, and tequila, which tasted like salted pain even in the maximum-fruitiness margarita I had. Pretty much everybody I've talked to has said to stay the gently caress away from most tequila drinks, as well.
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Apr 1, 2012 23:18
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Did you drink real tequila, or Jose Cuervo?
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Apr 1, 2012 23:57
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On that note, what's the goon opinion of El Jimador? (blanco specifically, reposado optionally) It's literally on the bottom shelf, and our province-run liquor stores price it ~$3 lower than the Cuervo/Sauza/Olmeca mixto poo poo. In fact, I believe it's the lowest price tequila in Ontario. 100% agave, or otherwise. Alton Brown had a bottle of Jimador in his Raising the Bar II episode, but I'd like the (anecdotal) opinions of other drinkers. I'm still in the "clear spirits" (gin, tequila, and infused vodkas) phase of my drinking education, and have only recently started moving into rums.
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Apr 2, 2012 04:55
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Here it is on proof66, for what it's worth.
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Apr 2, 2012 06:01
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silvergoose posted:Pisco sour? Sorry, that's kind of snarky, but definitely one of the best drinks I've had is a traditional pisco sour. A thousand times this. There are so many egg white recipes I could share, but the first should always be a proper Pisco sour. Mister Macys posted:On that note, what's the goon opinion of El Jimador? (blanco specifically, reposado optionally) It's very good. Here's a drink to try with it: Sonoran Old Fashioned 1.5 Jimador Repo or Anejo .5 Cielo Rojo Bacanora Blanco .5 Agave Nectar 1 Dash Angostura 1 Dash Regan's Orange Grapefruit twist If you can't get the Bacanora, and you probably can not, just use all Jimador. Choom Gangster fucked around with this message at 07:27 on Apr 2, 2012 |
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Apr 2, 2012 07:25
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Choom Gangster posted:It's very good. Here's a drink to try with it: We can't even get El Jimador Anejo, only Blanco and Reposado.  The cheapest Anejo was Cazadores, at $46. I really have to wonder, how the LCBO decides what it should stock sometimes.
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Apr 2, 2012 10:37
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Mister Macys posted:On that note, what's the goon opinion of El Jimador? (blanco specifically, reposado optionally) I've been trying out different tequilas as I genuinely like the flavor of it. I really didn't like El Jimador. Even my goto margarita recipe couldn't cover the bad flavor of it. I've found Camarena tequila to be really good for the price: http://www.tequilacamarena.com/
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Apr 2, 2012 18:54
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I've been using Sauza Hornitos as it seems to be the standard recommendation for quality cocktail tequila; maybe I'll try Camarena next time. I use agave nectar in place of simple syrup for pretty much everything now. Is that weird?
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Apr 3, 2012 16:24
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Halloween Jack posted:I've been using Sauza Hornitos as it seems to be the standard recommendation for quality cocktail tequila; maybe I'll try Camarena next time. I enjoy Sauza Hornitos on the rocks, great to sip  Also, I always see the bottle of Agave Nectar at my grocery store but I'm too chicken to buy it. How's the flavor compare to a regular simple syrup?
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Apr 3, 2012 16:50
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I use the Trader Joe's brand and find it's a little like maple, so it pairs well with an aged rum or reposado tequila. The Three Agaves brand (Virginia ABC sells it) is lighter and, granted, dissolves easier without being shaken.
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Apr 3, 2012 17:01
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I like to use agave in lieu of simple for any drink that has tequila in it, as well as a small pinch of salt. I have been using Espolon as my go to silver for a while and am really enjoying it.
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Apr 4, 2012 19:38
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Klauser posted:I like to use agave in lieu of simple for any drink that has tequila in it, as well as a small pinch of salt. Espolon is in a cool little bottle but I've been too scared to try it out. Also, I've mostly stuck to silver/blanco tequila because that's what I've always used. What are some good cocktails to make that use either a reposado or an anejo?
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Apr 4, 2012 22:08
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Doh004 posted:Espolon is in a cool little bottle but I've been too scared to try it out. Personally, I'd leave the anejo out of cocktails and reserve it as a sipping tequila, otherwise you'll lose the complexity and nuance of character that makes it a desirable spirit in the first place.
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Apr 5, 2012 17:11
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Alternatively, make all the same recipes and see how they compare! It's all about enjoying your booze. Personally I can tell the difference between a fancy sour made with Redbreast and one made with Evan Williams just as easily as I can tell a burger patty from a steak. Up the quality of all your ingredients and they'll all shine (ie, don't use juice from a plastic yellow lemon). However, all tequila should be in shot form. 
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Apr 5, 2012 18:05
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Wrong, all tequila should be mixed 70/30 with Green Chartreuse and then shot. Repeatedly. Which is why I got up at noon today.
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Apr 5, 2012 18:41
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I was out of limes, so I made a margarita with lemon. It wasn't bad.
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Apr 5, 2012 19:20
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I went to New Orleans last year and fell in love with Sazeracs, and I've been making my own at home. I've been using Bulleit Rye, which has served me well, but I hear a lot of people online talking about doing an older Cognac version or a half-and-half rye/cognac version, but they all mandate VSOP Cognac. I've never had Cognac in my life and can't really find VSOP anywhere, I just find VS - would that be a reasonable substitute or is it going to be completely different? Is VSOP a "perfect world" version, but VS will be fine?
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Apr 5, 2012 20:16
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What? You can't locate VSOP cognac? Where do you live?
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Apr 5, 2012 20:26
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GoGoGadgetChris posted:Alternatively, make all the same recipes and see how they compare! It's all about enjoying your booze. Personally I can tell the difference between a fancy sour made with Redbreast and one made with Evan Williams just as easily as I can tell a burger patty from a steak. Up the quality of all your ingredients and they'll all shine (ie, don't use juice from a plastic yellow lemon). quote:VSOP Very Strange Things fucked around with this message at 21:04 on Apr 5, 2012 |
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Apr 5, 2012 21:01
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Of course! There's no way I could go through a flight of $10, $20, $30, and $40 whiskey sours and rank them in order of least to most expensive, but if you're making a cocktail right it should showcase the spirit rather than mask it. So all I care about is using a base spirit I enjoy. I like Evan Williams better than Woodford Reserve anyway, so I'd reach for that when making a cocktail even if their price points were switched. If the point of a cocktail for me was to taste a bunch of mixers and get plastered in the process, of course I'd bump up the sugar and use rail liquor.
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Apr 5, 2012 21:17
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Very Strange Things posted:Isn't Hennessy a VSOP? I tried looking at their web site but it was far too annoying. Most every cognac house has a variety of ages available.
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Apr 5, 2012 23:52
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Transistor Rhythm posted:a half-and-half rye/cognac version That is most likely Dale DeGroff's version. I make it all the time with Bulleit and VS cognac, and it's pretty great. c/p from some site: 1 ounce VS cognac 1 ounce rye whiskey ½ to ¾ ounce simple syrup (1 part sugar dissolved in 1 part water), to taste 2 dashes Peychaud's bitters 2 dashes Angostura bitters Splash of absinthe, Pernod or other absinthe substitute Lemon peel, for garnish 1. Fill a rocks glass with ice; let chill for serving. In a second rocks glass, combine the cognac, rye, simple syrup and both bitters. Add several ice cubes and stir to chill. 2. Toss the ice out of the serving glass, then add a splash of absinthe. Swirl it around to coat the inside of the glass, then pour out all of the liquid. Strain the chilled cocktail into the prepared glass. Twist the lemon peel over the top and drop it into the drink to garnish.
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Apr 6, 2012 00:18
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Another high-end bartender checking in. I work a few places in the SF Bay Area, but my home base bar has about 500 spirits with a heavy focus on independent distilleries. At the moment we are hovering around 160 whiskies and a few liquors on tap. Im pretty sure we have the largest Japanese whiskey collection in the bay area, unless Nihon stepped up their game.Cocktail focus is very much classical but I occasionally do some molecular mixology silliness for competitions and events. Rotating barrel aged cocktail, at the moment it's a vesper with a white whiskey subbed for vodka. I'm skipping MCC this year but I'll be at Tales of the Cocktail for sure. I particpate in SF & Portland Cocktail Weeks, volunteer for Barbary Coast Conservancy of the American Cocktail and a lot of the St. George Spirits events. My bar has hosted a few cocktail events as well. I'm a member of LUPEC and the USBG, I'll have my Certified Spirit Specialist after I do the exam and I'm considering BAR cert next year. So, I can give insight into US cocktail culture, Bay Area bars, competitions, product, tools and classic cocktail geekery...
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Apr 6, 2012 02:13
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MAKE NO BABBYS posted:Another high-end bartender checking in. I work a few places in the SF Bay Area, but my home base bar has about 500 spirits with a heavy focus on independent distilleries. At the moment we are hovering around 160 whiskies and a few liquors on tap. Im pretty sure we have the largest Japanese whiskey collection in the bay area, unless Nihon stepped up their game.Cocktail focus is very much classical but I occasionally do some molecular mixology silliness for competitions and events. Rotating barrel aged cocktail, at the moment it's a vesper with a white whiskey subbed for vodka. I'm skipping MCC this year but I'll be at Tales of the Cocktail for sure. I particpate in SF & Portland Cocktail Weeks, volunteer for Barbary Coast Conservancy of the American Cocktail and a lot of the St. George Spirits events. My bar has hosted a few cocktail events as well. I'm a member of LUPEC and the USBG, I'll have my Certified Spirit Specialist after I do the exam and I'm considering BAR cert next year.
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Apr 6, 2012 05:10
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MAKE NO BABBYS posted:Another high-end bartender checking in. I work a few places in the SF Bay Area, but my home base bar has about 500 spirits with a heavy focus on independent distilleries. At the moment we are hovering around 160 whiskies and a few liquors on tap. Im pretty sure we have the largest Japanese whiskey collection in the bay area, unless Nihon stepped up their game.Cocktail focus is very much classical but I occasionally do some molecular mixology silliness for competitions and events. Rotating barrel aged cocktail, at the moment it's a vesper with a white whiskey subbed for vodka. I'm skipping MCC this year but I'll be at Tales of the Cocktail for sure. I particpate in SF & Portland Cocktail Weeks, volunteer for Barbary Coast Conservancy of the American Cocktail and a lot of the St. George Spirits events. My bar has hosted a few cocktail events as well. I'm a member of LUPEC and the USBG, I'll have my Certified Spirit Specialist after I do the exam and I'm considering BAR cert next year. I live in the Bay bro! Where do you wield the stick? I'd love to stop by and be like, "Suuuuup," and have you whip me up something good.
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Apr 6, 2012 13:03
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This may or may not have been brought up already, but is there anything particularly wrong with making a martini using Hendrick's, as I've heard? Something about the flavor profile not being quite right for a proper dry martini? I made one with some Dolin dry vermouth last night (1:3) and garnished with an olive, and didn't think there was anything particularly off about it.
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Apr 12, 2012 05:36
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Meaty Ore posted:This may or may not have been brought up already, but is there anything particularly wrong with making a martini using Hendrick's, as I've heard? Something about the flavor profile not being quite right for a proper dry martini? I made one with some Dolin dry vermouth last night (1:3) and garnished with an olive, and didn't think there was anything particularly off about it. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it. BUT, try it with a slice or two of cucumber and see if you don't agree that it's better than with an olive. Different gins have different herbs and whatnots that go into them; the stuff in Hendrick's goes better with cucumber or a couple other garnishes than it does with olive (according to a lot of people including me). I also don't think it goes particularly well with citrus. I've really liked string beans and grilled cocktail shrimp garnishes in Hendrick's.
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Apr 12, 2012 15:56
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Any tips on making actually good ice? Clear, dense, bar quality ice? I've heard that freezing in larger batches helps get clearer ice. I've also heard that you should use twice boiled water, and the same about distilled water, and I've also read that tap works just fine as long as you like the taste of your water. So what is it? I've tried trays, large cube trays, and big tupper ware containers to try and get good ice and it always comes out as cloudy crap.
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Apr 13, 2012 04:48
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Well, if AB is anything to go by, do what he does for homemade ice cream, and use liquid that's been refrigerating for at least a few hours. The colder the water is, the less time it'll take to freeze- smaller, more dense crystals, and all that.
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Apr 13, 2012 09:10
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The reason ice is cloudy is because it freezes from the outside in, and as it does so it concentrates both dissolved minerals and tiny air bubbles in the center, making it cloudy. Commercial ice is frozen in tiny layers, which prevents the concentration of these clouding elements. If you boil your water before freezing it you'll get clearer ice because you're purging it of those tiny air bubbles. If you use distilled water it'll be clearer because you won't have any dissolved minerals. If you boil your distilled water it will be twice clear. But at that point Jesus man how important is this issue, really.
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Apr 13, 2012 09:18
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Elder Crain posted:Any tips on making actually good ice? Clear, dense, bar quality ice? I've heard that freezing in larger batches helps get clearer ice. I've also heard that you should use twice boiled water, and the same about distilled water, and I've also read that tap works just fine as long as you like the taste of your water. So what is it? I've tried trays, large cube trays, and big tupper ware containers to try and get good ice and it always comes out as cloudy crap. This is something I have put a lot of effort into. The one method that absolutely works the best is this one. I go one step further by shaving the top to be flat, and carving off the cloudy end to make a cube. For me, serving a drink over a big, crystal clear cube is totally worth it.
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Apr 13, 2012 13:30
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Klauser posted:That is most likely Dale DeGroff's version. I make it all the time with Bulleit and VS cognac, and it's pretty great. I finally made this last night (with Hennessy VS) and it was unreal. It'll be hard to make "just rye" sazeracs from now on. I'm going to try to do a cognac-only one tonight, but cut the simple syrup back to probably 1/4 oz. max, up the Pecyhauds and cut down the angostura.
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Apr 13, 2012 14:46
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Kenning posted:The reason ice is cloudy is because it freezes from the outside in, and as it does so it concentrates both dissolved minerals and tiny air bubbles in the center, making it cloudy. Commercial ice is frozen in tiny layers, which prevents the concentration of these clouding elements. If you boil your water before freezing it you'll get clearer ice because you're purging it of those tiny air bubbles. If you use distilled water it'll be clearer because you won't have any dissolved minerals. If you boil your distilled water it will be twice clear. But at that point Jesus man how important is this issue, really. It's just a point of pride really. There is nothing better than a fine scotch over a large, clear block of ice.
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Apr 13, 2012 15:53
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