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I tried making some sort of large batch fall drink for my friends' party last week. It came out pretty good. I mean, it all went, so I guess that's some sort of indicator. Skin and cube probably 2 apples and 2 pears. I poured a bit of sugar on them and let them sit until needed. It drew out a bit of juice. 1.75 L of red wine (What sort of wine exactly I left up to my girlfriend. She got something sweeter and spicy. Don't remember what.) Simmer, covered, with 3 sticks cinnamon, 5 cloves, and maybe a teaspoon of cardamom (cause why not?) for about an hour. Strain out spices. Combine with ~2 liters apple cider and ~.5L bourbon (though I might try some sort of brandy next time?) I honestly liked it better cold than hot, but it was still pretty good hot. Very drinkable, and came out to about 10% ABV., so it got you there pretty good.
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Nov 10, 2015 18:33
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Fart Car '97 posted:Idk the Kirkland bourbon tried was more than okay. Two buck chuck did used to be good, but it would have been impossible to maintain that quality at the volumes they sell it in now. I'm sure it is something decent but I'd be thinking node along the lines of like stoli than grey goose. Two Buck Chuck is a blend, so, The Trick, I've been told, is to buy one bottle then open it and drink some in the parking lot. If it's good you go back in and buy it by the case because the whole batch is good.
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Nov 10, 2015 22:50
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Halloween Jack posted:The margarita is the most popular cocktail in the U.S. and they don't include tequila in their necessary 12 bottles. But genever makes the list. And I swear I remember a time I glanced at that page and they were insisting on including absinthe. It looks like they've reorganized things a bit since I last checked. They were also recommending Pusser's rum and Irish whiskey, both very strange choices for someone interested in cocktail making. It looks like they've added vodka, which I don't remember before. It's an admirable goal – providing people with a finite list of bottles they need to mix cocktails. But that's just not really how cocktailery happens.
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Nov 10, 2015 22:58
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Does anyone have a recommendation for a cheaper sparkling wine to make French 75s? I'm celebrating a birthday this weekend and want to try making them myself. I have a hangover regardless of whether I drink or not, so that's not a worry.
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Nov 14, 2015 00:48
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Chandon is totally serviceable for like $12 - $15. For cheaper than that try Gloria Ferrer or Freixenet.
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Nov 14, 2015 04:15
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Are there any liqueurs that yall like with a prominent honey flavor? I'm not real pretentious when it comes to liquor and I'm known to enjoy some real sweet stuff sometimes (like if I buy a bottle of Lazzaroni I'll probably finish most of it just sipping it straight for dessert) but oh man I just took a sip of Jack Daniels Honey just to try it and that tastes like straight dogshit. I don't even feel the honey, it just tastes like brown sugar. Is Barenjäger or whatever it's called worth a poo poo?
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Nov 14, 2015 05:59
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Very Strange Things posted:Two Buck Chuck is a blend, so, The Trick, I've been told, is to buy one bottle then open it and drink some in the parking lot. If it's good you go back in and buy it by the case because the whole batch is good. this may have once been true but I don't know if I'd even recommend Charles Shaw as "good for the price point" from my experiences. However sometimes the Trader Joes Grand Reserve poo poo is ON POINT for the $10-a-bottle pricerange it sells in and I've indeed been compelled to go back and buy them out after getting a particularly good bottle. They release different blends in batches and once it's gone, it's usually gone
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Nov 14, 2015 06:01
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goferchan posted:Are there any liqueurs that yall like with a prominent honey flavor? I'm not real pretentious when it comes to liquor and I'm known to enjoy some real sweet stuff sometimes (like if I buy a bottle of Lazzaroni I'll probably finish most of it just sipping it straight for dessert) but oh man I just took a sip of Jack Daniels Honey just to try it and that tastes like straight dogshit. I don't even feel the honey, it just tastes like brown sugar. Is Barenjäger or whatever it's called worth a poo poo? Dunno if you can get it outside of New Zealand, but First Knight Ambrosia is a pretty great honey liqueur.
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Nov 14, 2015 06:05
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Drambuie is the finest honey liqueur, followed closely by Benedictine. Classics are classics for a reason.
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Nov 14, 2015 06:23
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Benedictine is special order here in NC (state owned liquor stores with pretty limited selection) and I have to arrange with other bartenders around town to go in on a case if I want to just buy a bottle or two. Big pain. B&B is not, for some dumb reason. Drambuie totally slipped my mind and we've already got that poo poo on the shelf though, thanks
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Nov 14, 2015 06:44
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Definitely real curious now about the New Zealand liqueur with the badass name tho
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Nov 14, 2015 06:44
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goferchan posted:I just took a sip of Jack Daniels Honey just to try it and that tastes like straight dogshit. I don't even feel the honey, it just tastes like brown sugar. Is Barenjäger or whatever it's called worth a poo poo? IIRC yeah JD honey was crap both JB Honey and WT American Honey tasted significantly better/more honeyish. So maybe give them a shot, if you want to try that style again. Barenjäger is going to trump them in strength of the honey flavour though and if that's what you're after, yeah, it's pretty good.
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Nov 14, 2015 13:28
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goferchan posted:Are there any liqueurs that yall like with a prominent honey flavor? I'm not real pretentious when it comes to liquor and I'm known to enjoy some real sweet stuff sometimes (like if I buy a bottle of Lazzaroni I'll probably finish most of it just sipping it straight for dessert) but oh man I just took a sip of Jack Daniels Honey just to try it and that tastes like straight dogshit. I don't even feel the honey, it just tastes like brown sugar. Is Barenjäger or whatever it's called worth a poo poo? that stuff is the worst. Our GM dropped a case off that consisted entirely of version of Honey Whiskey, SoCo Fire (SoCo + Tobasco  ) and other fireball esque poo poo and told us to use it in drinks. In two months we haven't touched it
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Nov 14, 2015 16:06
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goferchan posted:Are there any liqueurs that yall like with a prominent honey flavor? I'm not real pretentious when it comes to liquor and I'm known to enjoy some real sweet stuff sometimes (like if I buy a bottle of Lazzaroni I'll probably finish most of it just sipping it straight for dessert) but oh man I just took a sip of Jack Daniels Honey just to try it and that tastes like straight dogshit. I don't even feel the honey, it just tastes like brown sugar. Is Barenjäger or whatever it's called worth a poo poo? If you can find it in your area, give this gin a try: http://caledoniaspirits.com/spirits/ It's made with raw honey and has a very delicate honeyed sweetness to it. It's still a gin so it's not like, super sweet, but it is delicious all the same.
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Nov 14, 2015 18:47
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lmao how have I never heard of SoCo Fire
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Nov 14, 2015 19:54
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goferchan posted:lmao how have I never heard of SoCo Fire Because I assume you are not a frat boy with a lack of dignity?
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Nov 14, 2015 20:00
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My sister hosts a cheese and wine party on New Years Eve and this is the third year I've helped out. I suggested to her that perhaps we could branch out a bit this year and I could make a nice punch, for those of us who generally don't drink wine or are looking to try something new. The fare this year is assorted cheeses with the primaries being smoked gouda, an aged cheddar and a double cream brie, gourmet crackers, meats, pickles. There will be finger foods later in the evening. What would be a good punch or two to accentuate this? I've never punched before.
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Nov 16, 2015 01:31
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New Year's Eve is the perfect day for punch. People are usually more willing to try new things, especially if you display the bottles conspicuously nearby. You have some choices! Boston Club Punch is an extremely, perhaps excessively, festive punch. I've made it for NYE a couple of times. It's a bit daunting in terms of ingredients list, but it's pretty easy to scale it per bottle of champagne to have it suit your party. As I say in the post I linked, a single bottlesworth is good for 3-4 people if it's going to be their only drink, while a triple batch (which doesn't leave any leftover white wine) is good for 12 or so. It uses little drips and drabs of different spirits and liqueurs though, so it's easier if you already have some of those on hand. Frank Forester's Punch is nearly as festive as Boston Club, but a bit easier to put together. A full batch of it is good for around 30 people (if it's their only drink), and let me tell you there is nothing quite like pouring half a case of champagne into a bowl. People get pretty excited about it. It's fun to let them help pour in the champagne! Limmer's Club Punch is the most affordable of all the punches, and one of the most approachable. If you use a handle of gin (i.e. the linked recipe × 6) it's good for 15 people or so, and is light and refreshing enough that no one will turn it down. This is a good choice for convincing people who might otherwise be reluctant to have a go at the punch bowl. If you're making a handlesworth you can use a 1 liter bottle to store the syrup/juice/sugar mixture (the shrub), and then mix it at the party by pouring that in along with the gin and the soda water. K&A Orange Punch is special because you can only make it during the depths of winter. The Seville oranges it uses in building the oleo-saccharum lend it an unparalleled savor, especially if you macerate the peels overnight. I really think if you're considering doing two punches to make sure that at least one of them is orange punch. Also scaling is very easy. When you prepare the shrub (juice and sugar mixture) you fill a 1 liter bottle with it. You then assemble the punch with 1 liter shrub, 1 liter water, and 1 750ml bottle cognac. One bottlesworth is good for 6 people or so. In terms of pairing, traditionally the food was designed to pair with the punch, not the other way around. Whenever I have a punch there's also a cheese and charcuterie plate. Anything salty is a wonderful accompaniment to punch. People will especially appreciate it once they're into their 3rd or 4th cups. Speaking of cups, remember to use small cups. I always buy 9 ounce clear plastic cups for punch. You want the cups to be on the small side so that people finish them quickly. When people load up large cups with punch it ends up getting warm, which is not what you want at all. Remember, these punches are all between 8 and 13 percent ABV, so people need to treat them like wine. A 5-7 ounce pour is just right. Also, since we've moved into the logistics of the event, you'll want an ice block that is 1/4 the volume of the punch. Thus 4 liters of punch wants a 1 liter ice block, and must be served in at least a 5 liter bowl (actually 5.5 would be safer). I make my ice blocks in stainless steel mixing bowls, though honestly lately I've taken to just buying ice blocks at the grocery store and hacking them up (I drive thin nails into them at specific points until they crack in the right spot). Mostly that's cause I lost all my stainless steel bowls though. Home made ice blocks look better. Good luck! Feel free to post more if you have more questions. I recommend doing a small punch or two with friends before NYE so you can get the hang of it. Limmer's is a good choice for that, as is Admiral Russel's or Pinkhouse Punch.
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Nov 16, 2015 05:28
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Actually, if I wanted to scale the limmers way down, like to two drinks or so, could I? A lot of work, I know, but very few people I know like to drink, and those who do mostly like wine, beer, or straight whiskey.
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Nov 16, 2015 15:57
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Kenning, can I just say how much I love reading your enthusiastic punch posts. It's one of the reasons I've kept following this thread. That orange punch sounds appealing to me but I'm really not sure if I can source Seville oranges here in Central Alberta. Do they have another name or just Seville?
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Nov 17, 2015 00:45
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silvergoose posted:Actually, if I wanted to scale the limmers way down, like to two drinks or so, could I? A lot of work, I know, but very few people I know like to drink, and those who do mostly like wine, beer, or straight whiskey. I mean, you can scale anything if you have good enough measurements. The smallest Limmer's Club I'd recommend is for 5 oz. gin. 1 TBSP (or .5 oz) white sugar 1 oz. orange blossom syrup 1.5 oz. lemon juice 5 oz. gin 500 ml (1 pint) soda water Assemble as usual. That's got 3.3 drinks in it, which is good for one person to enjoy on a long night. I've made it that way myself, and it comes out beautifully. I do think that a standard Limmer's, with 10 oz. gin, is the perfect volume for a pair of old friends who haven't hung out in a while. Serve it in a 2.5 liter bowl with a large cube, and just sit and talk. The Limmer's just makes it all happen. Canadian Bakin posted:Kenning, can I just say how much I love reading your enthusiastic punch posts. It's one of the reasons I've kept following this thread. They're also known as sour oranges or bitter oranges. The real point is that you want a really intense, oil-filled citrus for the punch. I don't know what it's like in Alberta, but you probably have access to really knobbly, oily citrus of some sort. Citrons are a possibility. Even just using a lot of sweet orange peels, and substituting lemon juice for the Seville orange juice is a reasonable, though not quite precise, substitution. Here's the test: when you've made your oleo-saccharum, and you're ready to dissolve it for the shrub, taste the sugar. If it tastes intensely of orange and makes your lips numb and tingly, it's good. As long as you can achieve that benchmark (as well as balancing the acidity, which is why I suggest lemons for the Seville orange juice) you're in business. Also, thanks.
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Nov 17, 2015 09:02
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Cool, thanks! And yeah, seconding the "punch keeps me subscribed to this thread".
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Nov 17, 2015 14:23
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Kenning posted:Drambuie is the finest honey liqueur, followed closely by Benedictine. Classics are classics for a reason. Barenjager is a fairly good contender as well.
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Nov 17, 2015 16:38
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Kenning posted:Chandon is totally serviceable for like $12 - $15. For cheaper than that try Gloria Ferrer or Freixenet. I want to go to your liquor store. Chandon was $22, Gloria Ferrer was $17, but at least I managed to get a bottle of Freixenet on sale for 
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Nov 17, 2015 17:51
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Just bit the bullet and myself a bottle of Campari after all the pro-Campari posts in this thread. Made myself an Americano (was going to make a Negroni, but I have stuff to do tonight) -- that poo poo is super more-ish, but the bitter-as-gently caress aftertaste is definitely something I'll have to get used to. The actual flavour of the thing was awesome though. It washed away the bitterness entirely, leading to this unstoppable cycle of drink-aftertaste-drink that will end very badly if I keep making them. Ended up adding another half-measure of vermouth to sweeten it up a bit though (I thought I liked bitter things - IPA, bitter, Kinnie (Maltese bitter orange drink), but this is a whole other level). What entry-level Campari drinks do you guys use to get someone into it? Also, will the bottle expire, or will it keep indefinitely?
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Nov 17, 2015 21:07
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Death of Rats posted:Just bit the bullet and myself a bottle of Campari after all the pro-Campari posts in this thread. Made myself an Americano (was going to make a Negroni, but I have stuff to do tonight) -- that poo poo is super more-ish, but the bitter-as-gently caress aftertaste is definitely something I'll have to get used to. The actual flavour of the thing was awesome though. It washed away the bitterness entirely, leading to this unstoppable cycle of drink-aftertaste-drink that will end very badly if I keep making them. Ended up adding another half-measure of vermouth to sweeten it up a bit though (I thought I liked bitter things - IPA, bitter, Kinnie (Maltese bitter orange drink), but this is a whole other level). It'll keep indefinitely. Other drinks you might want to check out are the Boulevardier (basically a bourbon Negroni), the Jasmine (much lighter Campari note here) and the Jungle Bird (Tiki with Campari).
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Nov 17, 2015 22:00
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Death of Rats posted:Just bit the bullet and myself a bottle of Campari after all the pro-Campari posts in this thread. Made myself an Americano (was going to make a Negroni, but I have stuff to do tonight) -- that poo poo is super more-ish, but the bitter-as-gently caress aftertaste is definitely something I'll have to get used to. The actual flavour of the thing was awesome though. It washed away the bitterness entirely, leading to this unstoppable cycle of drink-aftertaste-drink that will end very badly if I keep making them. Ended up adding another half-measure of vermouth to sweeten it up a bit though (I thought I liked bitter things - IPA, bitter, Kinnie (Maltese bitter orange drink), but this is a whole other level). I sometimes put a splash of Campari in my Manhattan. There is the Boulevardier which is usually 5  3 Bourbon (or rye) Campari, and sweet vermouth but I don't like it as much as my Manhattan with Campari –which ends up being something like 4:1:1 plus a dash of aromatic bitters.edit: ha. : 3 : =
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Nov 17, 2015 22:05
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Kenning posted:Jungle Birds with Coruba though. Kenning posted:[12 Bottle Bar]
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Nov 17, 2015 22:27
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Death of Rats posted:What entry-level Campari drinks do you guys use to get someone into it? Also, will the bottle expire, or will it keep indefinitely? Any spirit will basically keep indefinitely. Vermouth won't though! Keep it in the fridge and try to at least get through it within a month. edit: as for campari drinks I can drink just plain old campari & soda all day. or for a treat take a few swigs out of a Miller High Life (or some fancy Kolsch or something if you're too good for that) and top the bottle off with a little hit of Campari and you have a "Camparty" and it will taste delicious and look really pretty
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Nov 18, 2015 03:51
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goferchan posted:Any spirit will basically keep indefinitely. Vermouth won't though! Keep it in the fridge and try to at least get through it within a month. Yeah try a Camparty for sure. Beer brings out a ton of sweetness in the Campari for some reason. WorldIndustries fucked around with this message at 04:50 on Nov 18, 2015 |
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Nov 18, 2015 04:44
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I had a camparty last night, it was awesome.Halloween Jack posted:so good So loving good. Halloween Jack posted:I'm not sure what you mean by this, but from my experience, their proposals are a solution in search of a problem because assembling a small group of versatile liquors isn't hard--it's all the perishable stuff that's a bitch to coordinate when I'm on vacation, and a bitch to use up before anything spoils. What I mean is that there are people that will learn a couple cocktails and mix them exclusively, and there are people who will develop a collection and explore the craft. Sometimes people in the first camp become people on the second, but the problem is that the 12 bottles are excessive for the first group and unnecessary for the second. Also, as you said, keeping around citrus and mint (and frankly, vermouth and quinquina) is the worst part of it.
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Nov 18, 2015 09:25
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Kenning posted:I had a camparty last night, it was awesome. Yeah, it makes a lot more sense to build your home bar piece by piece with liquors you need for drinks you want, rather than attempting a catchall set because apparently your house is a speakeasy and on any given night is going to want one of a few dozen cocktails and God drat it you'd better be able to make one!
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Nov 18, 2015 16:24
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TapTheForwardAssist posted:I had a really great Malort drink at Sainte X in DC, lemme take a look at my camera files to see the menu description I took a snap of. I'm pretty sure it was with grapefruit and I want to say a lighter Belgian beer, but I don't want to confuse it with the really tasty drink mixed with Byrrh aperitif I also had that night. Man I had some great drinks on 14th St that night, I miss that. Liberia's cocktail culture is emphatically lacking. This is from a couple pages back, but did we ever get this recipe? My office keeps a bottle or two of Jeppson's in stock on a permanent basis (our sister office from chicago ships us a couple bottles whenever we get low), and it's generally used as the trap drink to welcome newcomers to the office. If there's a way to turn it into something palatable that more people than just the weirdos here will like, I'd be interested in trying that.
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Nov 18, 2015 18:43
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I've been bartending for three years and I've escaped it this far, so I suppose I was karmically overdue to Y-peel off an enormous chunk of my index finger's knuckle right in the middle of our 8 pm rush. Fruit peelers are deadly weapons, folks! That poo poo didn't stop bleeding till the ER put superglue on it!
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Nov 18, 2015 19:44
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Im insanely jealous you work at a bar with peelers sharp enough to do that, honestly
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Nov 19, 2015 02:17
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I once peeled right through grapefruit and also through my index finger nail, taking half the nail off. I think some of the worst part is the citrusy stuff getting into the cut immediately. Also, it has more to do with the peeler being dull enough to get stuck. Rotten Cookies fucked around with this message at 02:37 on Nov 19, 2015 |
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Nov 19, 2015 02:32
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Coca Koala posted:This is from a couple pages back, but did we ever get this recipe? My office keeps a bottle or two of Jeppson's in stock on a permanent basis (our sister office from chicago ships us a couple bottles whenever we get low), and it's generally used as the trap drink to welcome newcomers to the office. If there's a way to turn it into something palatable that more people than just the weirdos here will like, I'd be interested in trying that. Nope. Share the hate.
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Nov 19, 2015 08:28
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How bad can Malort/Jeppson's really be. I've had Fernet, Campari, regular old absinthe, Mongolian airag (which was delicious) – is it really so offensive? Or is it like people telling me that funky rum is an acquired taste (they lied, it's delicious).
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Nov 19, 2015 09:16
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Kenning posted:How bad can Malort/Jeppson's really be. I've had Fernet, Campari, regular old absinthe, Mongolian airag (which was delicious) – is it really so offensive? Or is it like people telling me that funky rum is an acquired taste (they lied, it's delicious). It's a particular type of bitter that's not very fun, and the taste tends to stay in your mouth after you drink it. It's nowhere near undrinkable, it's just hard for me to think of a situation in which I'd rather have a shot of Malort over basically anything else that's in my liquor cabinet. Are you in the SF bay area? If so, I can probably get you a shot of it so you can try it for yourself.
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Nov 19, 2015 18:30
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Just so nobody makes a similar mistake, Bittermen's Baska Snaps is terrible. I really like Jeppson's, and will sip it on the rocks, but the other stuff is beyond bad.
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Nov 20, 2015 06:31
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