What are you drinking right now? - Page 663

I don't have the Chartreuse yet... seems the closest paces around don't have it so I have to make a somewhat more dedicated trip to another shop I don't go to frequently. I did have one at a bar recently where the bartender claimed to have never heard of it... I let her look it up and give a go... it was quite good.

Pegu Club

Aviation

Last two days: more TLW. I need to persuade either Chartreuse or Maraschino to use less sugar so the drink isn't that sweet. Anyway, very good. And Corpse Reviver #2.

And Gyokuro Hikari. Mmm. But haven't figured out the right temp/amount/time ratio yet. I used 5g tea for 20cl. First brew was 50°C/122°F for three minutes. This was too long. Definitely bitter. Or I've been deceived and it's not authentic Gyokuro.
The following brews were 45-50°C/113-122°F for 30-45 seconds. 30 was best.

Another Corpse Reviver #2. I like it, but somehow -- to my taste -- it lacks some kind of base.

Sencha Ariake, Tama ryoku cha.
Also tried cold-brewing for the first time. Haven't even heard of it until today. It's great. Used the ice melting method.
Edited by b1os - 3/25/12 at 6:12pm

Johnnie Ryan Root Beer. Made in Niagara Falls, this stuff is excellent. I've been trying to cut out alcohol a bit recently, this is making me miss it way less. I've never had a soda with actual body before this.

You ever tried Virgil's Root Beer? Fantastic stuff. Fever Tree's ginger beer is excellent as well, if you like a little throat burn.

I like Virgil's, this was better though. It wasn't overpowering, it was basically just the perfect version of the root beer you remember from childhood. I was about to buy Fever Tree's ginger beer today actually, but bought the bitter lemon instead. I want to try making a gin and tonic with it but it's so good I keep just drinking it plain.

At the very beginning stages of building a bar.

Here's what I have so far, most of it bought today:

Spirits:
TyKu Soju
Valentino's Vodka
Willett single barrel bourbon
Evan Williams bourbon
Jameson whiskey
Hendrick's Gin
North Shore #9 Gin
Mount Gay Rum

Liqueurs:
Campari
Triple sec
Averna

Other:
McClure's bloody mary mix
Angostura bitters
Club soda/Tonic water
Goslings Ginger Beer

Barware:
Shaker
Strainer
Double jigger
Martini glasses
Rocks glasses
Collins glasses



Good start so far?
I know there's a lot of stuff I need to pick up for it to be a legit bar, but spreading it out over several paychecks will be good. Any specific suggestions? I'll be getting a dark rum and a decent tequila as well as a well gin and blended and single malt scotch.

Also would be interested in getting feedback on a classical cocktail book. Not PDT or Milk & Honey type cocktails, but the basics with recipes and histories.

Nice. Get some orange bitters. Orange flower water. Maraschino. Vermouth (dry, rosso, probably blanc). Some kind of pastis or absinthe. Get Chartreuse if you like herbal taste. Cointreau. Grenadine syrup. Simple syrup. Pompero for white rum. Kahlùa if you like White Russian. Cognac. If you regularly drink Caipirinha, get some cachaça.
You already have a well gin -- Hendrick's. Other than that, for regular use, I think Beefeater is decent. As for scotch, the JW black label is quite good.

I wouldn't really call a $35 gin a well gin....

I did forget to add that I got a dry vermouth. Wanted to go for cointreau over triple sec but fuck is it expensive so I figured I'd get TS this time and cointreau next. I agree about JW Black though, good for the cost no doubt.

Oh, and on the subject of books, I have The Cocktail Bible by Linda Doeser and The Essential Cocktail by Dale Degroff. Are these considered good? The Degroff one seems awesome from my five minute look.

35$ is definitely premium. It's not scotch or something.

Don't know about literature. Would be interested as well.

How much is Cointreau in the US? Here it's 15€ for 0.7l ~

$37.99 at the liquor store in town, although I did think prices down here are a little bit lower than I was used to seeing in the city, by maybe 5-10%. or so.

Wow. Weird mark up.