The Cocktail Thread: Help, I Bought Grappa

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Goons with Spoons > The Cocktail Thread: Help, I Bought Grappa

tonedef131: Sep 3, 2003

ChiTownEddie posted:

Hello dear people-who-don't-suck-at-cocktails!
haha Anyway, I am doing a fun little cocktail competition and was curious if anyone had any concepts for a drink that has mango hanging around. I don't really have any other restrictions, just looking for some ideas to get me started (I am a novice, but have an assortment of ingredients and 'tools of the trade')

I often throw a 1/4 or 1/3 of a cubed mango into a shaker then muddle it with a tsp of turbinado. Toss in a couple ounces of rye and shake with ice, serve unstrained in a double old fashioned glass.

# ¿ May 24, 2014 23:34

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ May 22, 2024 05:54

tonedef131: Sep 3, 2003

Hemingway daiquiris and last words.

# ¿ Feb 28, 2016 03:01

tonedef131: Sep 3, 2003

I've been having a blast with Liquid Intelligence. I have a proper carbonation rig and ISI, but otherwise none of the specialty equipment he covers. I'm thinking about picking up a centrifuge, LN2 dewar or chamber vac to further my experimentation. I'm only looking at like 120ml centrifuges though and it seems like that might be a lot of work for very little product, you think it's worth the trouble or should I just skip over that and keep my clarifications to gels?

# ¿ Mar 1, 2016 18:08

tonedef131: Sep 3, 2003

I was looking at this one.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MO4YYKW/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=YRFGCEF0ASJ5&coliid=I2YAFP6Z03MJ12

# ¿ Mar 1, 2016 18:23

tonedef131: Sep 3, 2003

Steve Yun posted:

the centrifuge kickstarter that Dave keeps hinting about.

As in the Booker and Dax searzall follow up project? That may be worth waiting for.

Steve Yun posted:

Gin and tonics - can be partially pre-batched

Not sure if you're set up for carbonation but I've been entirely pre-batching these for years. I always delabel and keep those little 6.5oz clear glass bottles with pry off caps that tonic and soda water come in. Then dump a gallon of gin into a corny keg and 3 gallons of tonic (or whatever ratio you prefer). The large soda stream concentrates make exactly 3 gallons, so I usually just dump one of those in with 3 gallons of RO water. Fully carbonate in the keg, then counter-pressure fill the bottles and cap. These can be left on the bar in a pail of ice with a bottle opener and tray of sliced up limes next to them, so if you have to step away for a while there is still something ready to serve. People absolutely love these because people love drinking out of bottles and you can stick the lime wedge right in the neck alla lovely mexican beer so it washed over it with every gulp. You can decant over ice if preferred, which is obviously the proper way to consume them, but the novelty of bottled G & T usually wins peoples hearts and gets them completely shellacked.

# ¿ Mar 2, 2016 18:23

tonedef131: Sep 3, 2003

Trip report on the Chinese budget bench-top eBay centrifuge: It only makes 4oz at a time and it smells like Harbor Freight, but it works, and for $57 it's a sweet little ride.

# ¿ Mar 13, 2016 20:34

tonedef131: Sep 3, 2003

MAKE NO BABBYS posted:

I thought the controversy on the Sunkist was the amount of pith and oil that gets pressed into the juice, not the interaction with metal parts?

That's the reasoning Liquid Intelligence gave. Although, I have a Breville with a motorized ream and it's one if my favorite and most used appliances. The juice tastes great, and even if it's marginally better with other methods, it's a worthwhile trade off for the increased yield I get out of it.

# ¿ Mar 25, 2016 21:59

tonedef131: Sep 3, 2003

Probably, he said he will only use clarified lime juice within a few hours but I've found it to be fine in low quantities a day or two later.

# ¿ Mar 25, 2016 22:31

tonedef131: Sep 3, 2003

I got a bottle of Dolin Blanc that I'm enjoying quite a bit on its own, but I'd like to start mixing it. Does anyone have clever ideas for me to experiment with?

# ¿ Apr 8, 2016 13:07

tonedef131: Sep 3, 2003

I have always just measured out equal parts sugar and water then throw them in my blender on low speed for a minuet or two. No heating or waiting at all, even with coarser sugars like turbinado.

# ¿ May 3, 2016 21:29

tonedef131: Sep 3, 2003

Fart Car '97 posted:

I made a Hemingway Rickey today and god drat is that a good summer drink

Had a few of these tonight while grillin up some cheesesteaks on the flattop. Not too heavy or serious, with just the right amount of Hemingway. A good summer drink
Indeed.

# ¿ Jun 30, 2016 02:11

tonedef131: Sep 3, 2003

Kenning posted:

Lost Souls Punch is really very autumnal, it's probably what I'll make for Thanksgiving.

I'm building a skeleton that pukes punch into a cauldron of dry ice for my halloween party this year. Lost Souls seems like a good punch to recirculate through that but I may need to double the recipe, have you ever tried subbing Lairds in for some or all of the Calvados?

# ¿ Oct 24, 2016 17:06

tonedef131: Sep 3, 2003

Kenning posted:

I've only ever made it with Calvados. If you wanna use Laird's it could work fine � as long as you use the bonded. The applejack is mostly neutral grain spirits with some apple brandy to give it the lightest touch of flavor, and it will really get lost in a punch. Were you just looking to sub out for cost reasons? Because Laird's Bonded is around the same price as, if not a little pricier than, the Calvados that I usually use for it.

Just lazyness, I have a bottle of Calvados and a bottle of Applejack but getting a second bottle of cavlados would require a drive across town. I'm thinking about doubling the batch now though, so I suppose a trip will be in order anyway.

I made this punch out of one of Jeff Berrys books last weekend, and despite being one of the simplest many people told me it was their favorite I've ever made.

32oz Pineapple juice (Average size ripe pineapple will usually give me almost exactly a quart)
750ml bottle of gold Puerto Rican rum
4oz fresh lime juice
2oz falernum

# ¿ Oct 25, 2016 18:45

tonedef131: Sep 3, 2003

nerdz posted:

Can someone give me some good suggestions of cocktail bars in SF?

I was passing through a couple weeks ago and only had one night to go out so I decided to check out Smugglers Cove. It's purely a tiki bar but was voted best cocktail bar in the country at Tales of the Cocktail this year. It was a Wednesday night and still packed, so I imagine there would be a line outside on weekends, but it's worth it. Drinks were fantastic, atmosphere fully immersive and the bartender was super down to earth and fun to chat with. It completely rekindled my tropical interest and I spent like $200 on tiki poo poo when I got home.

# ¿ Oct 30, 2016 19:36

tonedef131: Sep 3, 2003

# ¿ Dec 20, 2016 04:33

tonedef131: Sep 3, 2003

Dolin is my all purpose sweet. Cocchi isn't available on any shelves around here and Carpano, while making a great Manhatten, I find too bitter for Americano/Negroni duty.

# ¿ Jan 25, 2017 20:40

tonedef131: Sep 3, 2003

I use turbinado and it still is fully dissolved after one minuet in the blender. Just make a couple weeks worth and save your growth inhibiting overproof spirits for orgeat and falernum and things that require actual effort.

# ¿ Mar 4, 2017 01:25

tonedef131: Sep 3, 2003

Comb Your Beard posted:

What's the best triple sec for Margaritas? Looking for a price point between DeKuyper and Cointreau. Could just splurge for Cointreau if it's really worth it. I just like to add a splash.

Luxardo Triplum is a good substitute for Cointreau in this application if you're looking to save a few bucks.

# ¿ Apr 26, 2017 01:54

tonedef131: Sep 3, 2003

KingColliwog posted:

Anyone has a sweet reciepe for a good ginger syrup?

If you have a juicer the best way I've found is to juice a bunch of fresh ginger root and dissolve sugar in that. I'm not an advocate of heating it, or any syrups, but just spinning it in the blender is capable of dissolving it up 2:1. It lasts quite a while in the refrigerator, especially if you add a splash of vodka, but it will lose some intensity over time. Now you can use that in dark and stormy or mules or whatever ginger beer cocktails you like by just adding seltzer water. It's also a great way to add an interesting dimension to punches by replacing some or all of the simple.

# ¿ May 23, 2017 00:31

tonedef131: Sep 3, 2003

Passion Fruits are back on the shelves around here. I love them and want to incorporate them into tiki drinks but every book I have and the beach bum app only call for pur�e/syrup/nectar. I have syrup and juice (both taste almost nothing like passion fruit), and juicing them myself yields only a few drops out of my breville so at $3 each I'm discouraged at making my own. That leaves pur�e, which I only get by making my own since buying it frozen online ends up being about $100 after shipping for even the smallest quantities I've found.

Anyone have anything that they've found works well? I have made the three in the app plus I'm working on one of my own but would love some unconventional suggestions or pitcher sized recipes.

# ¿ Jun 28, 2017 23:25

tonedef131: Sep 3, 2003

Human Tornada posted:

If you have any decently stocked Latin grocery stores you can get to, you might be able to find the pulp in their freezer section under the GOYA brand. It's pretty inexpensive and the only ingredient is passion fruit pulp, and they even make some that comes in individual sized portions.

I've called or stopped by all of those places I have locally and haven't seen any, but I'll give it another go since it's been over a year since I've gone that route.

# ¿ Jun 29, 2017 11:48

tonedef131: Sep 3, 2003

angor posted:

Thoughts on Admiral Russell's vs USS Richmond?

Both are relatively heavy drinks that rely on the carbonation to keep them light. I�m gonna disagree with Kenning about doing them all in one batch. I recently did Admiral Russell�s for a friends business opening. It was a few hours and about 100 people and I just casually kept an eye on the bowl and when it got low I assembled the next batch. I had the base all premade and assembled so it was really just measuring that out and dumping in a few bottles. I also had a fresh ice cube for each fresh batch. The last cup of each bowl was notably less exciting than the first, so to keep the dilution down and gas up I�d keep it to as many small batches as makes sense.

tonedef131 fucked around with this message at 17:14 on Oct 16, 2017

# ¿ Oct 16, 2017 16:50

tonedef131: Sep 3, 2003

angor posted:

You mention the Admiral Russell's punch is carbonated, but I don't see anything fizzy in the ingredient list. Am I missing something?

Sorry I was thinking of Frank Foresters, those Wondrich punches kinda run together for me sometimes. Russels would work better than the bubbly ones large format, if you can figure it out logistically.

# ¿ Oct 17, 2017 03:12

tonedef131: Sep 3, 2003

chitoryu12 posted:

Got myself some Batavia arrack. Now to figure out something that's not punch...

Rack & Rye!

1.5 Rittenhouse
.75 Arrack
.25 simple
Couple dashes of ango
Couple dashes of Orange bitters

Stir, strain, orange peel

# ¿ Dec 31, 2018 04:43

tonedef131: Sep 3, 2003

I like a really orangey Margarita, maybe to a fault. I�ve never gotten any complaints though, and I feel like if you�re gonna bother making a daisy with orange liqueur, you may as well be able to taste the orange. I prefer Luxardo Triplum or Lazzaroni Triplo.

2oz 100% agave spirit
3/4oz lime
3/4oz triple sec
1/4oz 1:1 simple
Dash of orange bitters

Shake and strain onto a big rock and garnish with a long fresh zest of orange.

# ¿ Jul 19, 2020 21:44

tonedef131: Sep 3, 2003

When it�s hot my Negronis turn into Americano Highballs

# ¿ Aug 15, 2020 20:15

tonedef131: Sep 3, 2003

Fart Car '97 posted:

It is a pineapple conundrum.

I�ve gotten in the habit of keeping those 6oz cans of pineapple juice around for emergencies when you didn�t plan for pineapple cocktails but they get requested and/or seem appropriate. According to Martin Cate you can mix up to 50% canned pineapple with fresh before negatively effecting the cocktail. So now when I juice a pineapple I�ll dump one of those cans into the juice to lengthen it and sweeten it up a bit.

I definitely prefer it fresh, but for a punch I commonly make that requires a quart of pineapple juice, I really can�t taste the difference when there�s a few ounces of canned added in.

# ¿ Aug 15, 2020 22:45

tonedef131: Sep 3, 2003

Vodka is only for Bloody Marys.

I suppose it�s acceptable for homemade infusions, but you�d be using Wray & Nephew if you weren�t a coward.

# ¿ Aug 17, 2020 00:15

tonedef131: Sep 3, 2003

Carillon posted:

Bitter mai tai would love some crushed ice in the finished glass! Otherwise I've been making a lot of Lelani Volcano 2.0's for my partner who loves guava. Adapted from the smuggler's cove book:

2 oz guava nectar
1oz cream of coconut
1.5 oz pineapple juice
.75 oz lime juice
2 oz rum

add ~1 oz seltzer to a collins or tiki glass with crushed ice

shake it up and pour over the ice/seltzer.

It's really good!

I love this drink but always fear the overly sweet Disney World recipe has turned a lot of people off. I drop the simple all together and sub in white rum for some of the coconut rum. It ends up looking similar to yours but still does use coconut rum instead of cream, which I prefer as you get a less viscous texture allowing it to further differentiate itself from a Pina Colada.

3oz Guava Nectar
1.5oz pineapple (fresh fluffs up nicely, especially if you are using a spindle blender to mix)
3/4oz lime
1.5oz Coconut Rum
1oz White Rum

# ¿ Sep 23, 2020 19:50

tonedef131: Sep 3, 2003

Carillon posted:

Do you not use seltzer at all? I find that it really lightens the drink. The one from the book uses guava soda, but I don't usually have that but we do have nectar hence the swap.

I do not, but I can see why you might need it with the extra weight of Coco Lopez.

# ¿ Sep 23, 2020 21:23

tonedef131: Sep 3, 2003

Seems like a simplified Planters Punch. Of course Don would have used a blend of rums and I think usually there is a touch of grenadine present.

# ¿ Oct 16, 2020 02:37

tonedef131: Sep 3, 2003

It is in Scorpions and Fog Cutters and a few others. I know what you�re saying though, it almost makes me think they were using heavy almond extract in them back when the recipes were being used, because sweetened almond milk doesn�t really need to be cut with simple syrup. I make 1:1 orgeat and use it as the only syrup in mai tais instead of half simple.

# ¿ Oct 16, 2020 14:23

tonedef131: Sep 3, 2003

Has anyone tried the new cocoa bitters from Angostura? My Scrappys are about gone and I�m trying to decide if I should buy more or give those a shot.

# ¿ Oct 29, 2020 22:21

tonedef131: Sep 3, 2003

Klauser posted:

Get it just in time to make Bitter Giuseppe's for after thanksgiving dinner.

Im gonna try one of these after dinner tonight, thanks for the rec.

# ¿ Nov 18, 2020 01:03

tonedef131: Sep 3, 2003

In a pinch you can just dissolve sugar into commercial almond milk. That stuff is pretty shelf stable so I always keep a carton around for unexpected orgeat making.

# ¿ Nov 24, 2020 17:13

tonedef131: Sep 3, 2003

Any good no-abv punch recipes floating around? My work is staying in for our Christmas party this year, we�re bringing in a food truck and I�ve been tasked with drinks. I�m making USS Richmond, but about half the shop doesn�t drink for one reason or another so I would like to make something that is of a similar flavor profile for them.

# ¿ Nov 24, 2020 19:33

tonedef131: Sep 3, 2003

Grand Marnier is a cognac based cura�ao and has a weight to it that is sometimes inappropriate. The flavor is fantastic thought, and if the drink can carry the weight there really isn�t a better choice.

Cointreau is a high end triple sec that is really nice, but if you can find luxardos triplum it�s usually cheaper and just as good. Lately I�ve been using lazzaroni triplo and it�s fantastic as well.

# ¿ Nov 30, 2020 15:32

tonedef131: Sep 3, 2003

Data Graham posted:

GM and Cointreau both come in 750 and 375 though? Source: had to "dispose of" small bottles of both before I could replace them with bigger ones recently

Grand Marnier also come in 1L and 1.75L, but it�s one of the few spirits I�ve ever seen where the price per oz actually goes up for the bigger bottles. I recently bought a house with a huge bar in it and have been buying the largest bottles possible as they need replaced because the price per oz typically plummets. That�s proven not to be true with Cognac products in my area, so check your math.

# ¿ Dec 9, 2020 12:24

tonedef131: Sep 3, 2003

Scrappy�s definitely seem to show through more than the Ango ones, despite having a pretty similar flavor profile.

# ¿ Dec 14, 2020 18:17

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ May 22, 2024 05:54

tonedef131: Sep 3, 2003

OFTD works really well in birds. I do 1.5 of that, .5 lime, .75 Campari and 4oz of fresh pineapple. Spin it in a spindle blender for maximum fluff.

# ¿ Jan 3, 2021 23:53

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Goons with Spoons > The Cocktail Thread: Help, I Bought Grappa

«‹›6 »