The Cocktail Thread: Help, I Bought Grappa

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Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

Hello goferchan said this was an OK thread and I make cocktails for part of my living (soon to be doing it for my whole living!) so I figured I'd take him up on his suggestion

goferchan posted:

anyone else bartending for an extra hour tonight? I toooootally forgot about daylight savings

I made exactly $20 in tips and we closed an hour early :unsmigghh:

On the other hand the other Bartender and I used the downtime to round out the upcoming gaps in our cocktail menu

Aviation Variation
It's just an Aviation with St. Elizabeth's Allspice Dram subbed in for the Creme de Violette. Really nice fall twist of an Aviation. Garnish with a dash of ground cinnamon on top (or if you can afford, a cinnamon stick) The color leaves something to be desired IMO, but the taste is very nice.

Bobbing for Apples
1.5 oz Rye Whiskey (We used Old Overholt, but use something nicer at home -- we had profit margins in mind)
0.5 Lemon
0.5 Burnt-Sugar simple syrup
0.5 Sour Apple liquer
0.25 St. Elizabeth's Allspice Dram

Mix/Shake.

If you have the time and tools: dust one side of an apple slice with cinnamon sugar and caramelize it with a torch. Garnish the glass with the apple slice -- the aroma coming off the slice compliments the rest of the drink incredibly well.

# ¿ Nov 1, 2015 15:54

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# ¿ May 2, 2024 08:48

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

goferchan posted:

for real? that reeks of the bullshit ppl say about Two Buck Chuck actually being good

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 vomumes 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.

Costco's alcohol buyers are the most powerful alcohol buyers on earth so it's probably not something bad.

# ¿ Nov 8, 2015 16:18

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

goferchan posted:

^^ both good recommendations.... depending on your area and the availability of stuff there you may or may not be able to get better deals than the general go-to suggestions, but people can overall probably give you some good starting points. If you want a nice vermouth for your manhattans I think Dolin Rogue should be pretty easy to find anywhere and it's really good, I'll drink the stuff straight any day. If there's a Whole Foods in your area you can probably find some there. Just keep it refrigerated! It's not a spirit, vermouth is wine, and it won't last forever either way but it will hold up much much longer if it's kept cold.

Dolin rouge owns I just finished a Martinez with it :cheers:

# ¿ Nov 10, 2015 05:06

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

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 Barenj�ger 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 :barf:

) and other fireball esque poo poo and told us to use it in drinks. In two months we haven't touched it

# ¿ Nov 14, 2015 16:06

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

Kenning posted:

I had a camparty last night, it was awesome.

So loving good.

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.

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!

# ¿ Nov 18, 2015 16:24

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

Butch Cassidy posted:

Shake hard and long. No, stop being a pussy, longer.

Your arms are tired? Longer or go thirsty.

I am reading Imbibe! and I just finished the chapter on Fizzes. He describes the first bar that serves a fizz with both cream and egg white as having a barback whose sole job it was to shake those drinks. He also digs up records of another bar that had multiple shakers who stood in a line and just passed the shaker down the line when their arms got tired.

You know, just to give you some context of how much a Ramos Fizz needs to be shaken.

# ¿ Nov 24, 2015 00:06

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

MAKE NO BABBYS posted:

I really don't understand why people feel the need to do all these silly things... Is shaking really that hard???!?

It's really only a deal when you're trying to mix egg yolks and cream, and even then it's over exaggerated. Obviously the 'line of shakers' I mentioned from Wondritch's book were mainly for show, but when trying to combine yolk and cream/milk you should shake for a full minute or two.

I think the dry shake followed by a wet shake would be the best way and achieve the correct amount of dilution. If you're going to the effort of making a Ramos fizz then you may as well take the extra non effort of building it in an order that makes the most sense, right?

Also, 'strength' of your shake makes very little difference and is mainly for show. My shake is a goofy single handed maraca rhythm thing and my Boston shakers ice up as fast as any of the bartender's.

Plus everyone loves my shake :ocelot:

Fart Car '97 fucked around with this message at 16:50 on Nov 24, 2015

# ¿ Nov 24, 2015 16:46

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

The Maestro posted:

The amount of dilution is determined by physics. There is a hard line that cannot be crossed. Shaking harder will have different effects though, such as creating more ice chips which melt and dilute as you drink unless you fine strain. I would imagine shaking harder will emulsify drinks with egg or cream in them faster than a softer shake will as well.

I don't think dry shaking after wet will warm up the cocktail in any significant amount. Your tools are still ice cold and you are only shaking it for a small amount of time. If anything, waiting for someone to run the drink to the table has a bigger effect.

Basically dry shaking first is a pain in the rear end and I'm glad this thread + other bartenders have turned me on to wet/dry.

To the guy with the maracca shake: why not have different shakes for different drinks? Form should always follow function. You can still be showy with different shaking techniques.

If someone ordered a flip or something then yeah I'll change it up, because my normal shake won't cut it when egg whites come into the picture. I was referring only to the vigor of a shake not really having any effect on the end temperature of the drink, because some people are under the impression that shaking more vigorously will get it colder, and therefore every drink should have the crap shaken out of it.

# ¿ Nov 24, 2015 23:53

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

Any simple @ a 2:1 or lower ratio isnt actually supersaturated so heat isnt required, just time. You just let it sit like 30 min to 1 hour.

# ¿ Nov 25, 2015 19:27

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

Yeah I find Mulled Wine really needs something sweet thrown into it to make it great. On its own it's just 'fine'

# ¿ Nov 30, 2015 05:33

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

Mister Macys posted:

Is there a name for a Moscow Mule that uses tequila instead?

Because if not, may I submit to ya'll the name 'Politburro'?

I don't care if it's correct I'm gonna steal that name at some point

# ¿ Nov 30, 2015 17:59

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

TapTheForwardAssist posted:

I continue my ill-advised forays into locally produced West African liquors:

You do realize that most liquor made in west africa is flavored+colored gain alcohol right?

# ¿ Dec 3, 2015 05:22

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

goferchan posted:

Look up his post history in this thread and you will learn he is probably well aware of the dubiousness of west african liquor. But u gotta take what u can get

It took me a lot longer than 3 months of drinking it before I learned it was just artificially flavored grain alchohol. Maybe Liberia's liquors are different (Liberia and Sierra Leone in general are very different), but I doubt it :shrug:

Tap take some advice from someone who spent 3 years in WA: You really shouldn't drink the liquors they make there regularly. By all means, try them all and post the ones you do because it's fun, but they come from some nasty, shady places.
The bitters you mentioned from Ghana are generally fine and kind of neat from a history of liquor standpoint, and the beer is eh... beer. Learn to love it.

Edit: There is some stuff called "Cafe Rhum Whisky" which is pretty much Kahlua that is extremely palatable though, if you see it ~~(it's made in india, as are most of the sachet-based liquors~~) apparently it is from Hong Kong and imported via india?.

Plus the logo, lmao:

Fart Car '97 fucked around with this message at 07:01 on Dec 3, 2015

# ¿ Dec 3, 2015 06:32

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

TapTheForwardAssist posted:

Oh yeah, this "rhum" I bought yesterday (I assume "RCI" means "République de Côte d'Ivoire") full on appears to be grain alcohol with caramel coloring and pretty much tutti-frutti flavoring, basically tasting like bubblegum.

I've pretty much given up any expectation of WA liquor being properly drinkable, so I'm mostly buying these for like a buck a pop just to try out for the experience. One of my coworkers has been buying WA vodka from the corner shop on a more regular basis and hasn't gone blind yet, but then again she used to routinely buy local liquor in Sierra Leone (one of the few places in the world less developed than Liberia, which is saying something), and there they just sell grain alcohol in little sealed plastic baggies as though it were Canadian milk.

On the other hand, every Indian liquor I've tried here has been pretty drinkable; the bottle of $7 Napoleon brandy was serviceable. But yeah, now that we're actually generating some cashflow here, now that I'm back in town visiting I really want to get a bottle of proper Martinique rhum agricole from one of the top-end grocery stores here. I've been up in the bush the last month, and the bosses were kind enough to send me a small bottle of Johnny Walker, but other than that I've just been drinking palm wine (same stuff the Indians call "palm toddy", basically fermented tree juice). I've had professional/commercial/bottled palm wine before and it was quite good, the amateur/bush stuff is a little more hit-or-miss with some of it being a little off-tasting or sulfurous. You also have to gauge the strength by how sweet or dry it is (how much of its sugars have converted), so getting a really dry batch can get you stumbling far faster than expected.

My condolences! I've been here not quite half a year, and while it's certainly been educational and I've had some good times, I've been pretty clear to my bosses that I will happily bounce to Southern Africa, South Asia, Oceania, or South America, wherever they feel like branching out to next, since I have no intent to spend more than a year in West Africa. Which is probably "famous last words"...

I would (and did) drink lots of bush booze in my time there, and it's probably a lot safer than the liquor is.

As for condolences? No. WA is amazing, just not Liberia or Guinea. If possible, move to any other country there (Ghana preferably, if you want to drink well) and you'll have a much, much better time. I will live there again.

# ¿ Dec 3, 2015 16:00

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

22 Eargesplitten posted:

At the company Christmas party, the bar didn't have ginger ale, but they put bitters in sprite and it came out with a flavor actually really similar to ginger beer. Does anyone have an idea what kind of bitters it would be? I don't think the bottle looked like angostura, but they could have just taken the label off.

No idea but we have a dude who comes into the dining room every now and then and orders a sprite with angostura bitters in it and i gotta say it's not a bad drink.

# ¿ Dec 5, 2015 21:08

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

I picked up one of these for a friend (and an extra for myself) who is leaving the bar but made some good barrel ages cocktails for us in his time there. I figured you guys might be interested because this is one of the more reputable companies making barrels, and the sale prices are really good. Enough so that I think I'm going to grab 1 or 2 more 1Ls for myself.

http://oakbarrelsltd.com/galvanized-hoops/

Thanks to the miracles of surface volume, 2 Months in a 1L barrel equals about a year in an industrial barrel. They're neat, I plan on using one for aging cocktail mixes together and another to put a sherry finish on a rum (probably El Dorado), because I really enjoy both Angel's Envy and Glenmorangie Lasanta.

# ¿ Dec 7, 2015 15:53

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

MAKE NO BABBYS posted:

If you're just looking for another liqueur, check out Amarula (South African floral, fruity cream liqueur) because holy poo poo, we did that with our cold brew, heavy saline solution, cardamom whipped cream "ice coffee" at my old resto and HOLY gently caress GOOD GODDAMN!!!!

Amarula is really delicious. It's like chocolate orange baileys.

# ¿ Dec 14, 2015 05:05

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

I had to peel 15 oranges to make a giant batch of oleosaccharum last night and let me tell you that poo poo suuucked

Invest in a good peeler kids

Mr. Wiggles posted:

I'm kind of in a cocktail rut. I almost only ever order sazeracs or old fashioneds, and need to try something new. I have access to fantastic bartenders. What should I try.

Try a Vieux Carre: 1:1:1 Brandy/Bourbon/Sweet Vermouth, 1 tsp beneditctine, 2 dashes ango 2 dashes peychauds.

Fart Car '97 fucked around with this message at 15:37 on Dec 17, 2015

# ¿ Dec 17, 2015 15:12

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

Dirty Martinis are a god drat crime against nature, and I probably make them more than any other martini.

We've also been out of dolin red for like two weeks at the bar and we've been using punt e mes as a sub and every time I have to make a Manhattan I die a little inside and wish I could pre-emptively apologize for the bad drink I'm making. I don't even understand why we have it when it's sole role at our bar seems to be "use when we run out of dolin red" :mad:

# ¿ Dec 21, 2015 16:00

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

The Maestro posted:

Dolin red is good and all but come on, so is punt e mes. I think they're both too soft for Manhattans though so I'm scoffing at your lack of carpano

Punt e mes is not a good sub for dolin imo unless the person is specifically looking for a bitter take on a drink

Of course we have Carpano, but dolin is our rail vermouth so punt e mes the sub for it

# ¿ Dec 22, 2015 06:37

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

MAKE NO BABBYS posted:

Your bar manager has a poor understanding of vermouth.

# ¿ Dec 22, 2015 13:47

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

I think his logic is "Also a bottle of vermouth which is red colored and cheap"

E: It's embarrassing we run out of dolin as frequently as we do, apparently our GM (who doubles as our wine and liquor manager, our bar manager only does beer) is allergic to buying it by the case.

Fart Car '97 fucked around with this message at 14:38 on Dec 22, 2015

# ¿ Dec 22, 2015 13:48

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

goferchan posted:

I just posted about it in Phiz but I wanted to spread the word in here: I can be a real snob about liquor but for the price, I've always been really really happy with stuff from Jim Beam. Their 7yr stuff in particular is excellent value but unfortunately it's been discontinued in favor of the flagship 4yr Jim Beam (and their higher-end stuff like Basil Hayden's, etc) and as far as I know they sent out their last shipment a couple weeks ago. If you're a budget-conscious whiskey drinker, I don't think you can do much better than Jim Beam 7yr (I just scooped up the last of it at my local liquors store and it was $40 for a handle in NC, which has state-run stores and liquor here is on the expensive side) --- I haven't really found anything I'd rather drink in that $20/bottle range, and if they've still got some of the 7yr in a store near you I would recommend at least checking it out while it's still available. Certainly not the finest whiskey you can get but I think it kicks rear end compared to anything else I've tried at that pricepoint.

I also countered with this argument in phiz: Jim Beam Black is their 8 year and it averages 2-3 bucks per 5th more than 7 and is a little better so the loss of 7 isn't a big deal and I'll freaking fight anyone over the honor of JB black.

# ¿ Dec 25, 2015 15:31

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

MC Eating Disorder posted:

I swear the black label has the 7 yo statement on it over here and this whole conversation confused the living poo poo out of me but I looked it up and it's actually only 6 years

Australia actually drinks more bourbon per capita than the US though so we probably just get the lowest rent poo poo they can't sell over there

??? http://www.drinkhacker.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Jim-Beam-Black-Bottle.jpg

I've only ever seen it as 8 over here

# ¿ Dec 25, 2015 15:44

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

bloody ghost titty posted:

The trend of second and third barrel finishes is a fun ouroboros of used wood. Scotch had used old sherry barrels because the UK would import the sherry in them and why not reuse the cooperage instead of burning it? When bourbon became a big deal (and remember bourbon can only be first use American oak), a flood of bourbon barrels became available, and scotch whiskey and rums began using the bourbon barrels to age the distillate.

Now alternate finishes are a marketing circle jerk because you can add "new expressions" of your whiskey for a few thousand bucks' worth of inventory and people will buy it for the novelty. There are a few producers doing genuinely good work with the idea, and there's a lot of conference calls agreeing that what the consumer wants is X.

Yeah but scotch fished in a sherry barrel is really nice

# ¿ Dec 25, 2015 18:43

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

After a month in a fresh barrel the Bullet I used to season it has gotten a bit harsher, which is apparently pretty normal? Weird. Now I have 2L of weird bullet Idk what to do with.

Barrel aged Vieux Carre going in on new years day tho :hehe:

# ¿ Dec 28, 2015 22:14

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

Happy NYE to yall who are stilm workin at the b drop tonight. May u all drown in tips tonight

# ¿ Jan 1, 2016 05:04

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

Today a patron asked me if we had a less sweet version of one of our house cocktails, the French 76.

Edit: 1.75L of Vieux Carre went into the oak barrel today :thurman:

George Dickel Rye, Courvoisier VS, Antica Formula for the base liquors.

Fart Car '97 fucked around with this message at 16:33 on Jan 3, 2016

# ¿ Jan 3, 2016 07:45

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

Syrup question cocktail dudes:

I made a lemon/blueberry oleo saccharum at work. The base with just the oiled sugar and lemon juice is amazing, but there's a lot of excess blueberries. Blend (some) in, press them all in, or leave them out entirely? I'm worried blending will make the liquid too thick. Looks don't matter, it'll be served in an opaque vessel anyways.

It was originally intended to be a shrub but I don't think that's going to add much to this batch, so I'm thinking I might just make it a syrup.

# ¿ Jan 7, 2016 18:22

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

MAKE NO BABBYS posted:

My instinct is to go separately with them, if you press or blend them in you're stuck with it. Juice the blueberries separately, add a little ascorbic acid and maybe some water depending on the texture. Add oleo and blueberry separately.

Why is it in an opaque glass?

I ended up blending in a portion of the blueberries and letting it drain through a chinois, then added a little vinegar to make it a light shrub. The resulting flavor is fantastic, and it looks beautiful to boot.

It's a cocktail-for-two served in a brass pineapple. Because management bought them and says use the pineapples (Which is fine, because people love them).

Fart Car '97 fucked around with this message at 22:14 on Jan 7, 2016

# ¿ Jan 7, 2016 22:10

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

MAKE NO BABBYS posted:

Oh god, those Absolut Elyx pineapples? I'm still butt hurt over those because now people think my pineapple tattoo is about garbage vodka repped by garbage people.

You know

# ¿ Jan 8, 2016 14:21

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

Campari because then he can make Campartys

# ¿ Jan 12, 2016 22:16

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

I tried a sip of my barrel aged vieux and I have to say it is going to be Delicious^tm

# ¿ Jan 18, 2016 16:12

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

Well now I know what's going in my morning cup tomorrow

# ¿ Jan 21, 2016 20:52

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

bunnyofdoom posted:

I just had a delightful cuff of the moment cocktail with brunch today. Basically 1oz vodka 0.5 Oz chambord 0.5 Oz pineapple, top with cranberry juice. So, I think the ratio could use some fiddling but other than that good.

So a french martini with a cranberry float?

# ¿ Jan 23, 2016 23:50

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

Wachepti posted:

actually good gins:

monkey 47
ransom old tom
bluecoat barrel aged
sipsmith
fords
plymoth sloe gin (if you must)

Monkey 47 is some unreal poo poo but also something you should only ever buy once because the price is really dumb

# ¿ Jan 25, 2016 15:56

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

Dolin is great for the money but antica formula is better. If you want to spend a little more.

# ¿ Jan 26, 2016 14:51

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

The Hebug posted:

It's also completely different.

I actually prefer Dolin Dry to Vya, but I think that's just due to Dolin being the first good dry vermouth I ever had so I acquired a preference for it. Both are great products regardless.

I don't think they're 'completely different' at all, and I drink them both regularly. Different, yes, but extremely interchangeable and they have a lot more in common than they don't. I stand by the opinion that while Dolin is good, Antica is flat out the better of two relatively similar products :shrug:

Fart Car '97 fucked around with this message at 22:45 on Jan 26, 2016

# ¿ Jan 26, 2016 22:41

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

The Hebug posted:

I think they're very different. To me, Dolin is mostly fruity and herbal, while Carpano is mostly vanilla and bitter. Taste is subjective, go figure.

I think we can both agree they are better than martini rosso and leave it at that then

# ¿ Jan 27, 2016 05:40

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# ¿ May 2, 2024 08:48

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

angor posted:

Super-pro tip: Anitca comes in half bottles. You're welcome.

I'm gonna drink a Antica on the rocks when I get home just to spite this comment. Why would you ever want a half bottle? ? Dolin comes in half bottles too

# ¿ Jan 28, 2016 06:52

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