What are you drinking right now? - Page 666

Unfortunately Zacapa 23 is not available in my Province-run socialist liquor monopoly. I have to source my good booze from afar.

Before dinner a Negroni as aperitif.


Went having cocktails with my father at Le Lion. Forgot to bring a camera.

Widow's Kiss. Very nice. Thanks Huntsman for the rec.

Ranglum. Quite good, last time it was better though.

Blue something. Créme de Violette cocktail with gin, egg white and probably some lime juice (or was it lemon?). It was good. Probably a little too much on the violette side.

Gansefoort Fizz (or something). A Rum Fizz with dark rum, Drambuie, lemon juice, Peychaud's and (a little too much) soda. Very nice.


After that we decided to go to another cocktail bar. We went to Fairmont's Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten. Lovely bar, very classy looking. The bartender however wasn't too good.

I went for a cocktail with St Germain. He mixed me a cocktail with St Germain, gin and lemon juice. It was ok. A little too much St Germain and a little too much lemon juice. Meh.
My father ordered the Gansefoort which he had at Le Lion. Bartender didn't know it, didn't have any possibility to look it up and therefore improvised under our guidance. Meh, again. Not bad, but not great either. Overall nice atmosphere but suboptimal cocktails.

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I know now that a decent mixing Calvados, Chartreuse jaune and Bénédictine are on my shopping list. As well as Drambuie and soda. Créme de Violette and St Germain can wait, CdV longer than StG. Leone's violette pastiglies do the job.
Edited by b1os - 3/28/12 at 5:13pm

Manhattan right now, celebrating a new hire allowing me to only work 13 hours today!
Probably a White Lady next.
Really feel like I need to find Creme de Violette and St. Germain next. St. Germain if, for nothing else, French 75. I know it isn't classical in a French 75, but I had one at the Elysian in Chicago last year with St. Germain that was just mindblowingly good.

Get other stuff before CdV and StG (or just before CdV if you really love StG), imo. Vermouth rosso, Luxardo Maraschino, white rum, Cognac, JW black label, Pastis (or Absinthe), orange bitters and simple syrup/grenadine would definitely be more important to me.

Simple syrup seems really, REALLY fucking stupid to buy (no offense intended to anyone that buys it) because it takes about 90 seconds to make at home. I do need to find Luxardo Maraschino though. JW Black is easy, I buy it often but am just out of it at the moment. White rum is also pretty cheap around here.

Simple syrup costs like 4-5€ for 0.7l. It looks nice, doesn't cristallize and keeps for ages. Not sure whether it's that stupid, but you can obviously make it for yourself. My rec for white rum is Pampero. So do you have vermouth rosso now?

No, the only dry vermouth in my town was Martini brand. Which doesn't taste bad, but I can tell it isn't exactly nice.
Anyway, homemade simple syrup is practically free, keeps for ages, and doesn't crystallize either.


Having a White Lady now. Holy hell, I totally understand the love this gets.

Gin Basil Smash

To be honest, Zacapa is in that new "hmmm, taste kinda' like brandy" style... though it is DELICIOUS. For a less sweet rum, I'm really digging the Appleton Estate "Reserve."

That looks really interesting.

Tonight I had one of my mixes of OJ, amaretto and dark rum. A sweet and nutty standby.

After reading the last few pages I made a compulsory order of some (most) of the stuff mentioned. And some other liquors.

Well, have fun!

Ramos gin fizz. Probably not made up to SF standards but whatever.

JW Black is not that useful unless you drink scotch straight. I don't find myself reaching for white rum that often either. I would definitely buy CdV and StG before either. YMMV.