The Cocktail Thread

[LabelKing]

Originally Posted by knittieguy

Stinger

It says a stinger uses brandy:

http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:...ient=firefox-a

I do like the sound of those other drinks--I like liqueurs and unusually sweet alcoholic beverages.

 

[graphix]

well, since cognac is a brandy i think you should be just fine can also make sidecars with that hennessy.

aybojs, im also a bartender so while part of me does enjoy walking home with a wad of cash on a friday night id still rather take a pay cut to bring back the the overall quality of service across the board. Servers know that since they have control over how fast your get drinks or if you get them at all that entitles them to a tip. A tip is no longer a a reward for an enjoyable experience its a wage that is almost demanded by servers as if their boss shorted them hours on their paycheck. It leads to a pathetic standard of service especially in the large venues where bartenders and servers have gotten used to $700-$1000 paychecks on Friday nights. As far as complaining about the overall quality of service from local bartenders i don't think im in the wrong at all. My regular bar is a total dive and im perfectly fine with that i love the place, my big problem however, is that in the small city i live in i couldn't find a bartender worth their salt no matter how hard i try. It drives me nuts that bartenders who have spent half their lives behind a bar don't know even basics for serving and preparing liquor its lazy and pathetic and defending it is even worse.

 

[Mr Checks]

Originally Posted by Huntsman

Definitely some guys here who know their drinks, which I'm quite glad to read. Flatiron and Pegu will be my two stops when next in NYC. Graphx, will try the CRII tomorrow night -- tonight is a Manhattan night.

Checks, do get those cherries. No kidding they're unreal. Link for you:

http://www.amazon.com/Amarena-Fabbri...6657023&sr=8-1


I keep my vermouth in the little wine captain under the bar until I buy this puppy to sit alongside it:

Drink in good health,
Huntsman


Score. Even in my backwater the cherries were easy to find: at Williams Sonoma.

Also picked up the Wild Turkey Rye.

Review of Manhattan with the above to follow.

 

[Huntsman]

Awesome. But brother, if you've got a Williams-Sonoma, you ain't in no backwater! I have to go 60-something miles to a W-S!

~ Huntsman

 

[contactme_11]

I still love a nice mojito.

 

[Dmax]

Originally Posted by chorse123

do you like the citronge? I bought a bottle but don't think it's as good as cointreau.

I agree, Citronge is certainly not as nice as the Cointreau. It however about 30% to 40% less expensive and not a bad value for the price. I was trying to see if it was an acceptable substitute in this cocktail and determined - not really, but it depends on the brandy you using.

Cointreau's flavor is more complex with notes of orange peel and orange marmalade. The complexity of Cointreau reminds me of Grand Marnier which is similarly priced. I guess you do get what you pay for when it comes to orange liqueurs.

 

[Huntsman]

I want to try the Sidecar with Napoleon Madarine -- a tangerine Cointreau, if you will.

 

[chorse123]

Originally Posted by Dmax

I agree, Citronge is certainly not as nice as the Cointreau. It however about 30% to 40% less expensive and not a bad value for the price. I was trying to see if it was an acceptable substitute in this cocktail and determined - not really, but it depends on the brandy you using.

I found the exact same thing. It was cheap at my local liquor store so I thought I'd give it a try. Cointreau and Grand Marnier can get very expensive but they are definitely better. I used the citronge last night, after painting my 35' hallway for six hours to make:

Albazam (from Degroff's book)
2 oz brandy
3/4 oz lemon juice
1/2 oz simple syrup
1 oz (I think) orange curacao
2 dashes bitters

 

[Kent Wang]

Chorse, have you had a chance to return to PDT?

 

[knittieguy]

It says a stinger uses brandy

Brandy is basically inexpensive cognac (unless it is Pear Brandy or something like that). They are both essentially distilled wine. Here's a recent mention of the Stinger from the Washington Post. Whatever you do, though, don't make it with green creme de menthe, the appearance alone will turn you off.
--
"The Stinger has always been considered a Society drink," writes David Wondrich in his entertaining new cocktail history, "Imbibe!", noting that it was the favorite drink of Reginald Vanderbilt. A 1923 profile of Vanderbilt described the Stinger as "a short drink with a long reach, a subtle blending of ardent nectars, a boon to friendship, a dispeller of care." This classic is a perfect drink for after dinner.

There are many ways to make a Stinger, which traditionally is served straight up. Spirits columnist Jason Wilson likes his on the rocks; he usually makes it with 1 1/2 ounces of fine (read: expensive) VSOP cognac.

When using the better-value Pierre Ferrand Ambre cognac, Wilson prefers a ratio of 2 parts cognac to 1 part creme de menthe.


1 serving

Ingredients:
Ice
2 ounces cognac
1 ounce white creme de menthe
Twist of lemon peel
Directions:

Fill a mixing glass two-thirds full with ice. Add the cognac and white creme de menthe. Shake well, then strain into an old-fashioned glass filled with three or four ice cubes (not crushed ice). Garnish with a lemon twist.

 

[chorse123]

Originally Posted by Kent Wang

Chorse, have you had a chance to return to PDT?

Not yet. I had plans to go last week but they fell through.

 

[Mr. Checks]

Report of the Manhattan w/ the Italian cherries recommended here:

Standard recipe: dash bitters and two cherries in glass: mix 2 parts rye or bourbon (Wild Turkey 101 proof) to one part sweet vermouth (Rosso) in cocktail shaker over ice; strain into glass. I keep one cube in the glass to keep the drink cold, but it does dilute it somewhat (not so much an issue with the 101 proof whiskey).

With standard maraschino cherries the drink is pleasing, and the sweetness is candy-like. There are distinct flavors of whiskey and cherry.

With the Italian cherries the drink is balanced between the spirits and the cherry favor. It's seems better blended, in the sense that the cherry flavor and the alcohol are not tasted as separate entites, but as one drink. The sweetness is still there, but more refined (the difference between, say, table sugar and honey). My sense is that the less overt sweetness of the Italian cherries simply blends better with the whiskey and vermouth, standing out less.

I adjusted the recipe slightly by reducing the sweet vermouth to 3/4 oz to 2 oz of whiskey, and I prefer the bourbon to the rye. If you only use one cherry you might prefer a full oz of sweet vermouth.

Thanks for recommending these great cherries!

 

[Huntsman]

Originally Posted by knittieguy

Spirits columnist Jason Wilson likes his on the rocks; he usually makes it with 1 1/2 ounces of fine (read: expensive) VSOP cognac.

When using the better-value Pierre Ferrand Ambre cognac, Wilson prefers a ratio of 2 parts cognac to 1 part creme de menthe.

Imbibe! eh? We really do have some cocktail enthusiasts here. But I protest the use of Ferrand of any stripe in a stinger! Am all for using quality spirits, but using a single distillery Cognac with creme de menthe is overkill; it is the equivalent of a Dom Mimosa. Blends of any sort, i.e., VS, VSOP should be fine, because the terroir would not be as nuanced.

Originally Posted by Mr. Checks

Thanks for recommending these great cherries!

Super! Glad you enjoyed them -- I had some trepidation that they might merely be an obsession of mine (fortunately Kent relieved it somewhat). I completely agree that the cherry is like a catalyst for the melding of the flavors in a Manhattan. In fact, I once had a very special Manhattan made with house vermouth and bitters that tasted like I'd dove into a pool of those cherries. Unreal. Will shut up about the cherries now (must try an old-fashioned next though!)

Best,
Huntsman

 

[Kent Wang]

I like how the syrup that comes with the cherries pools a bit at the bottom of the drink.

 

[itsstillmatt]

Originally Posted by knittieguy

Stinger
Great drink. I remember having a few one night in Venice at the bar of the Gritti Palace in a rainstorm.