|
Another Christmas, and yet again out making United Service Punch. Sugar, tea, lemons, nutmeg, and Batavia arrack. I was going to post asking if jaggery would work for the sugar, but then realised I asked that Kenning answered that when I asked last year. I ended up using turbinado (demerara) sugar as advised, and it worked great. This year I have just a little demerara, plenty of evaporated cane juice sugar, and a block of panela (more or less Latin American jaggery cake). Kenning, do you think it might work if I muddle the lemon peels in a half-amount of the loose sugar, and on the side make a syrup of an equivalent amount of jaggery, in order to get the funkier flavour of the latter, but the more convenient oleosaccharum of the first? Looking at USP recipes online, some don't appear to have an oleosaccharum step; being when you put the lemon peels (white pith removed) into sugar and they ooze out their oil over a few hours. I think the oleosaccharum makes a big difference, so the alternate method of just soaking lemon slices in the liquor sounds less flavourful. Good article on oleo-saccharum here: http://drinks.seriouseats.com/2011/09/cocktail-101-how-to-make-oleo-saccharum-lemon-oli-for-punch-wondrich.html This party will have lots of foodies so I'm fine spending $30 on actual Batavia arrack, but I need to find a decent $15 bottle of rhum agricole for things like office parties and whatnot where folks aren't as hipster about it.
|
#
?
Nov 30, 2012 23:02
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 17, 2024 07:47 |
|
|
Thanks for the advice. I do also enjoy other absinthe rinsed drinks (sazerac, I guess) as well as the traditional absinthe prep - St. George looks good. edit: and it's the hangar one people? kickass Glottis fucked around with this message at 01:30 on Dec 1, 2012 |
|
#
?
Nov 30, 2012 23:32
|
|
|
TapTheForwardAssist posted:Another Christmas, and yet again out making United Service Punch. Sugar, tea, lemons, nutmeg, and Batavia arrack. Yeah, using half demerara and half jaggery syrup would work fine. For punches that I make with straight jaggery I usually omit the oleo-saccharum step and count on the richness of the sugar to stand in for the richness of the lemon. In terms of a cheaper alternative, I'll often pair Wray and Nephew Overproof with an inexpensive gold rum (Flor de Cana 4 or Mt. Gay Eclipse or maybe Plantation Barbados 5 Year if I want it a bit richer) in equal parts to stand in for fancier and more potent things like Batavia or Smith and Cross or what have you. You get the rangy funkiness from the J Wray and you can fill it out with the rounder, darker notes in the gold rum. You could maybe even get away with pairing Wray and Nephew with Flor de Cana Extra Dry or Cruzan Light if you wanted an extra rangy flavor.
|
|
#
?
Dec 1, 2012 07:24
|
|
|
So I was flying today for the first time in forever and was intending to pick up a bottle of Hendricks for my host. They didn't have any at the airport though but I did pick up a bottle of Bulldog gin and Williams Chase gin so we could go through them together. The Williams Chase is strong for gin (48%). Anything I should look out for or mix with them specifically? We've yet to try either of them yet
|
|
#
?
Dec 1, 2012 23:24
|
|
|
Fitzgerald - 1.5oz gin, .75oz lemon juice, .75oz simple syrup, 3 dashes Angostura bitters. Shake/coupe/lemon peel.
|
|
#
?
Dec 2, 2012 03:47
|
|
|
Glottis posted:I do also enjoy other absinthe rinsed drinks (sazerac, I guess) as well as the traditional absinthe prep - St. George looks good. I love saint George as much as the next guy but people need to stop knocking herbsaint. Sazeracs were designed with herbsaint in mind. It has also applied fairly well to other cocktails requiring absinthe rinses, but less so to ones with Yankee origins. I say this after trying it both ways on many cocktails. plus I get annoyed by cork tops on my liquor to the point of avoiding it. so many times tipsy and careless hands have broken bits and bits into the bottle. *sigh*
|
|
#
?
Dec 2, 2012 23:40
|
|
|
yeah, that'll happen but there's a pretty good tried and true method to combat that: what you want to do is strain all those little bits of cork by clenching your teeth and sucking through them as you take liberal swigs out of the bottle
|
|
#
?
Dec 2, 2012 23:50
|
|
|
Engin3 posted:plus I get annoyed by cork tops on my liquor to the point of avoiding it. so many times tipsy and careless hands have broken bits and bits into the bottle. *sigh* I bought the St. George and did that immediately. It disintegrated on the way out, I don't have some sort of child size corking apparatus. Now there's a different cork in there from some white wine bottle. Awesome stuff, though.
|
|
#
?
Dec 3, 2012 03:34
|
|
|
Kenning posted:Cognac is brandy. Yeah, I know. Was just saying if you dont have any cheap brandy, one can always butcher some of the finer brandys like Hennesy XO by mixing it to something.
|
|
#
?
Dec 3, 2012 08:30
|
|
|
Are vodka gimlets a thing that people actually order? I'd never heard of one before yesterday. Has vodka just become a common substitution for gin in everything?
|
|
#
?
Dec 4, 2012 05:07
|
|
|
I've made up a few batches of infused booze and was wondering if anybody here might have some suggestions of simple cocktails to make with them? I've tried looking up online and have a few ideas myself, but I've not really tried many cocktails before so not entirely sure what'd be good. I've got a batch of raspberry gin, mint vodka and chocolate vodka. I was thinking something like a Sloe Gin Fizz for the raspberry gin and maybe mixing the chocolate vodka with cream soda? I'd love to incorporate the mint/chocolate vodkas in something together but not really sure what?
|
|
#
?
Dec 4, 2012 11:48
|
|
|
22 Eargesplitten posted:Are vodka gimlets a thing that people actually order? I'd never heard of one before yesterday. Has vodka just become a common substitution for gin in everything? Yes and it's retarded. Engin3 posted:I love saint George as much as the next guy but people need to stop knocking herbsaint. Sazeracs were designed with herbsaint in mind. It has also applied fairly well to other cocktails requiring absinthe rinses, but less so to ones with Yankee origins. I say this after trying it both ways on many cocktails. I don't think anybody's hating on Herbsaint, it's just hard to get, especially on the West Coast, compared to the now-legal absinthes. And yeah, that cork closure loving sucks. I replaced it with an old cork from a bottle of Plantation Barbados 5 Year and never looked back.
|
|
#
?
Dec 4, 2012 13:42
|
|
|
Dirty Needles posted:I've made up a few batches of infused booze and was wondering if anybody here might have some suggestions of simple cocktails to make with them? Chocolate and cream soda sounds nice, if a bit hangover inducing.
|
|
#
?
Dec 4, 2012 15:28
|
|
|
^^^^^ Seconding the raspberry/gin/lemon juice/simple syrup/egg combo, throw some raspberry liqueur in there too for fun.
|
|
#
?
Dec 4, 2012 20:08
|
|
|
Thanks for the advice, I think I'll go for that one! The raspberry gin was pretty simple to do, it was just 1 litre of fairly standard gin (Gordons) with 300g raspberries, 300g granulated sugar. Chucked the lot in a kilner jar, shook every day until the sugar dissolved and then left it in a cool, dark spot. Took 9 weeks from start until I strained the fruit out. Turned out quite syrupy, fantastic flavour too. Mint vodka was a simple case of throwing a few cups of fresh mint leaves into a kilner jar with 750ml of vodka and about half a cup of simple syrup, shake a couple of times a day for a few days and then strain. I suspect half a cup of simple syrup may have been a bit much though, it's quite sweet tasting but still quite powerful with the mint flavour. Wary of leaving the mint leaves too long, they'd already started to go quite dark, not sure if they might just go to mush if you leave them too long. The Infuse your booze thread is where I've picked up most of my advice from, there's some great ideas in it.
|
|
#
?
Dec 4, 2012 20:46
|
|
|
A year has passed and I'm doing my annual cocktail party again. You guys really helped out with my questions last year and I promised to post pictures but never did. Well, here are some pictures and then I'll get to the questions.  "Bubbly" prosecco to mix with creme de cassis, lemon+St. Germain, and peach nectar  "Holiday" cranberry spice infusion to mix with club soda, Kraken rum and heavily spiced cider, and a chocolate mint cordial.  "Classic" pre-mixed Sidecar, Martini, Manhattan  Mediocre bar for people who are afraid to try my interesting cocktails  This year we are definitely doing the bubbly station as we went through 7 bottles last year. The holiday station is being dismantled into just hot spiced cider with kraken and some bourbon on the side to add to your mug. As for the Classics the Sidecar (as so well predicted by you all) didn't work out but we went through 2 liters each of Manhattan and Martini so those are definitely coming back. Questions: 1) I have decided to bring back a punch this year - any recommendations? Also we are going to have about 50 people again so I'd like to plan on 30-40 "servings" for the punch. I assume leftover punch is not really a thing so I'd rather not way over make. I mean we could attempt to drink it all but I have to be useful by 6 pm the next day... 2) I would love to do a third Classic cocktail but again run into the issue of putting it into a carafe for a couple hours. Any other recommendations?  Bonus food shot
|
|
#
?
Dec 5, 2012 15:56
|
|
|
I really, really want to go to that party.
|
|
#
?
Dec 5, 2012 16:04
|
|
|
Dude, that looks like a loving incredible party. For your "classic" station, you can't get more classic than an Old Fashioned. And if you want to really blow people's minds, I recommend an Improved Hollands Old Fashioned. Bols Genever or Anchor Genevieve are the gins you're looking for. The recipe (cobbled together from 2 different David Wondrich books) for a single drink follows: 2 oz. Hollands gin 2 dashes Angostura 1 tsp rich (2:1) simple syrup 1 tsp marachino 1/8 tsp absinthe So for a whole bottle of Hollands, you'll want to add ~2 oz. of rich simple, ~2 oz. maraschino, 1.5 tsp absinthe, and 20-25 dashes of Angostura. Serve with lemon peels. Give it a shot, it's a wild drink. If you'd rather be more conservative (or can't find Hollands gin), you could try the Japanese Cocktail or the Negroni (2 oz. gin, 1 oz. Campari, 1 oz. sweet vermouth, garnish lemon peel). As for your punch, I'm not positive which direction to go. If you have access to Seville oranges then no question you should make orange punch (I can of course provide a recipe). But usually I don't see those coming back into season until at least mid January. Otherwise, you have a couple options. Admiral Russel's Punch is the most classically perfect (and foolproof) punch I've yet found. Limmer's Club Gin Punch is the most universally-beloved punch I make, and is also easily the cheapest – make a handle's worth (i.e. 60 oz. of gin) for 40 drinks. If I flatter myself, my own Kenning's Punch is quite good, and uses Irish whiskey and barleywine, which will add some otherwise-absent flavor profiles to your party (double that batch for your purposes). Remember to make a block of ice at least 24 hours in advance by filling a plastic or stainless steel bowl with water and popping it in the freezer. The ice block makes the punch! Hope that helps! Feel free to ask more questions (and post more pictures). Also feel free to invite me to that party goddamn. Kenning fucked around with this message at 23:46 on Dec 5, 2012 |
|
#
?
Dec 5, 2012 23:44
|
|
|
I got a nice bottle of Italian mirto and want to know what to do with it. I tried it on the rocks and it is too syrupy and sweet, almost Jaeger-ish but I think it has a good flavor that could work well in a cocktail. Anyone know a good cocktail recipe that uses mirto?
|
|
#
?
Dec 6, 2012 00:08
|
|
|
Kenning posted:great thoughts I really appreciate the ideas. I love a Negroni. It should hold up just fine in a carrafe and that would be different enough from the other two drinks to really stand out. I think I have all the ingredients for that Hollands old fashioned so I'll try that out tonight. Never tried a Japanese Cocktail I'll see if I can order it out soon as I don't have any orgeat. I knew I could have just filtered for your posts and found the great punch ideas. Thanks for doing it for me! I think a batch of Admiral Russel's is the right plan. Looks like that recipe comes out to about 4.5 quarts. If I do a 2 quart ice block is it going to look silly in my 11 qt punch bowl? Maybe I'll do 1.5 batches? Also, to make the ice block all fancy are there any tips layering thin slices of lemon and lime so they look great in the finished block? Any thing else recommended to add to the ice for visual appeal? I would hate to alter the flavor of the bunch or have something floating around in there as the ice melted. This is the punch bowl and I like it because it doesn't take up too much real estate on the table. edit: is a 2 qt ice block too big? too much dilution? KWC fucked around with this message at 00:50 on Dec 6, 2012 |
|
#
?
Dec 6, 2012 00:44
|
|
|
KWC posted:2) I would love to do a third Classic cocktail but again run into the issue of putting it into a carafe for a couple hours. Any other recommendations? I assume you mean do a fourth? If you want to do the same three you have in your photo, but add another, you can represent rum with a Daiquiri. If you wanted to mix it up, you could keep the base spirit the same but change the drinks out. I love the suggestion of a Japanese, and that could replace your Sidecar. Swap out the gin Martini for something like a Fitezgerald, Pegu Club, or a Negroni (2oz gin?!?!?!), and the Manhattan for a Left Hand or an Algonquin or something similar.
|
|
#
?
Dec 6, 2012 00:52
|
|
|
Klauser posted:I assume you mean do a fourth? If you want to do the same three you have in your photo, but add another, you can represent rum with a Daiquiri. If you wanted to mix it up, you could keep the base spirit the same but change the drinks out. I love the suggestion of a Japanese, and that could replace your Sidecar. Swap out the gin Martini for something like a Fitezgerald, Pegu Club, or a Negroni (2oz gin?!?!?!), and the Manhattan for a Left Hand or an Algonquin or something similar. Yeah I meant to imply I would get rid of the Sidecar and replace it with a third. I prefer my Negroni as 1-1.25:1:1 gin:campari:vermouth (and I actually have preferred cynar in place of campari) so I would lean that way as opposed to 2:1:1  I think the Daquiri, Fitzgerald, and Pegu Club would each present a similar issue as the Sidecar - the juice would not incorporate as fully as I'd like it to be a hands off "just pour it out of a carafe" situation. The Left Hand sounds great, but I fear the Algonquin suffers the same fruit juice concern. Thanks for the suggestions! I don't actually have a lot of exposure to rum drinks (besides terrible college Bacardi Silver + something) so I don't usually think of rum as a base spirit.
|
|
#
?
Dec 6, 2012 04:53
|
|
|
If you clarify the juice it will incorporate better.
|
|
#
?
Dec 6, 2012 07:17
|
|
|
The issue isn't the incorporation of the juice with the rest of the ingredients as much as it is the incorporation of air into the drink. Sours rely on shaking for a lighter texture and a softening of the citrus flavor. I lean towards a bit more gin than the other two ingredients in a Negroni. In the 2:1:1 ratio I'm following Wondrich, but it's a pretty taste-flexible drink in general. Personally, I say just go for 1.5 batch of Russel's for a bowl of that size. No one will regret having a bit more, and in fact if you pour it off into bottles it's good in the fridge for at least a week. A 2 qt. ice block sounds just fine for that amount. Don't worry about dilution – you want the ice to provide more dilution as the party goes on, so the punch becomes more refreshing as people get drunker. I don't do any sort of fanciness with my ice block. If you want a clear block there are some tricks (which I never actually do myself). One is to use distilled water. The other is to boil the water briefly to get out some dissolved oxygen. But honestly, I find that a big block of ice is usually pretty visually exciting in and of itself. Make sure to use small cups for the punch. I usually serve mine in 9 oz. crystal plastic cups from Safeway. You're using real glassware, so anything between 4 and 10 oz. would be appropriate (stemware is good, as is non-stem), but lean towards small. You want people to finish the glass while it's still cold, not fill a huge glass and then have it get warm and too sweet and not as good. Fresh grated nutmeg on the top is a must. I usually do it on top of the bowl, but maybe you could have your guests do it per drink, if you have an attractive grater. Finally, this is best with real VS cognac. However, if you want to save money, you could potentially use Raynal/St. Remy, and mix it with a rich, inexpensive rum like Plantation Barbados 5-year or Pussers (one bottle of rum, two of brandy if you do a 1.5 batch). I've done it in the past with decent results, but real cognac is definitely preferable. Good sherry also makes a huge difference in flavor. Look for a bottle between $15 and $25.
|
|
#
?
Dec 6, 2012 07:17
|
|
|
Oh, and I just thought of two rum drinks you could go for if you want. Most rum stuff calls for lime juice, but El Presidente (a classic) and the Batiste (largely forgotten) do not. Flor de Cana Extra Dry is the best white rum on the market, for my money, and is super affordable to boot.
|
|
#
?
Dec 6, 2012 07:32
|
|
|
I used to make cocktails at home a while back and I want to get back into it. I used to just make them at the kitchen counter and just keep all the stuff somewhere, but I figure there's some furniture like a cocktail bar or cabinet or something that'll make things a hundred times more organised. What sort of thing should I be looking for?
|
|
#
?
Dec 9, 2012 10:59
|
|
|
I just commandeered a cabinet for my booze, and I make my cocktails near the sink/refrigerator. I also have another, smaller cabinet for my glassware. My jiggers, shakers, strainers, and spoons are either on the counter below my booze, or in the booze cabinet. You could get like a china hutch or something and use it for this purpose, but it's not gonna be that much better than just a cabinet. Look at where your local bar keeps their booze – on a shelf.
|
|
#
?
Dec 9, 2012 13:05
|
|
|
Forgive me for asking, but: What is the point of adding raw egg white to a cocktail? And how is that not a food safety nightmare? I had never even heard of this before receiving a cocktails book as a gift.
|
|
#
?
Dec 9, 2012 21:18
|
|
|
It adds a really great silky creamyness, and a richness as well. I have drinks with egg white in them all the time and I'm fine. I imagine the alcohol and when applicable, citrus juice, go a long way to get rid of anything bad. Although I stopped being afraid of eggs a long time ago.
|
|
#
?
Dec 9, 2012 21:37
|
|
|
Klauser posted:It adds a really great silky creamyness, and a richness as well. I have drinks with egg white in them all the time and I'm fine. I imagine the alcohol and when applicable, citrus juice, go a long way to get rid of anything bad. Although I stopped being afraid of eggs a long time ago. I know for disinfectant, ethanol concentration is supposed to be around 70%. I doubt many drinks are going to get that high, unless you're adding everclear (ew). Is the texture or taste eggy at all?
|
|
#
?
Dec 9, 2012 21:44
|
|
|
Arkham Angel posted:Is the texture or taste eggy at all? No, it's delightful.
|
|
#
?
Dec 9, 2012 22:34
|
|
|
People seriously overstate the risk of eating raw eggs. Also no, there's nothing eggy about a drink with an egg white in it, provided you shake the everloving hell out of it. It gets frothy and wonderful, but there's no meaningful egg flavor.
|
|
#
?
Dec 9, 2012 22:35
|
|
|
Hmm. I may work up the courage to try an egg-white based drink, assuming I can get sufficiently fresh eggs. Any suggestions for things to do with the yolk? Hate to waste perfectly good food. Also, before reading this thread, I had no idea vermouth went bad so quickly. Guess I should replace mine, and get smaller bottles next time.
|
|
#
?
Dec 10, 2012 00:52
|
|
|
I've read a lot of interesting info about eggs lately, and generally farming practices are so good now that there is little risk to even raw eggs. That said, if you are worried at all, you can buy pasteurized eggs that are safe for raw consumption: http://www.safeeggs.com/eggs/raw-eggs
|
|
#
?
Dec 10, 2012 00:54
|
|
|
Arkham Angel posted:Hmm. I may work up the courage to try an egg-white based drink, assuming I can get sufficiently fresh eggs. Any suggestions for things to do with the yolk? Hate to waste perfectly good food. Make ice cream, salad dressing, throw it into your next batch of scrambled eggs. For a good cocktail, an egg yolk is a worthy sacrifice though. Of course I think 2 lemon peels off a lemon is worth the price, so don't go by me. Try to get over your egg fear so it doesn't hurt your enjoyment of the drink.
|
|
#
?
Dec 10, 2012 01:02
|
|
|
Challah bread is also a good idea, but you also need a lot more than just one egg yolk. Any baked goods with eggs you can replace an egg with a yolk and maybe one extra depending on overall volume. yum. I finally found Angostura bitters, which gave me a lot of trouble because it was sold in the grocery store for me. Not the liquor store. Liquor laws are weird. It was beside the dealcoholized beer and other non-alcoholic stuff.
|
|
#
?
Dec 10, 2012 01:08
|
|
|
Even though it's 80 proof and is in fact the base spirit in a Trinidad Sour.
|
|
#
?
Dec 10, 2012 01:12
|
|
|
I'll be making some Admiral Russell's punch this week. I don't have a playmobil pirate boat to float in it though  I'll go with this sherry although if there's something else on that site that works better I'll pick that up instead. I'm still figuring out what cognac to use that won't break the bank. VSOP Courvasier seems like a reasonable choice around $36 although I might have to go for the VS if I end up scaling this up to a 2-bottle batch.
|
|
#
?
Dec 10, 2012 03:51
|
|
|
Egg yolks? I make a lot of sours when we make the Keller pasta recipe in my house.
|
|
#
?
Dec 10, 2012 05:38
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 17, 2024 07:47 |
|
|
marmot25 posted:I'll be making some Admiral Russell's punch this week. I don't have a playmobil pirate boat to float in it though 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. As for your sherry, I'd recommend an oloroso rather than an amontillado. Any of these would work well, but the last two would probably be best. If you use a drier sherry, you might want to make sure you have a touch of syrup on hand to adjust the bowl with, though it will probably be fine either way. Happy punching! And don't forget the freshly-grated nutmeg.
|
|
#
?
Dec 10, 2012 11:53
|
|