The Cocktail Thread

[Huntsman]

Originally Posted by samus

After considerable difficulty tracking down a bottle of Maraschino, I can now attest to the virtues of Huntsman's White Martini (the Maraschino cuts down what I find to be the sickly sweetness of the Lillet just right) and the Aviation (minus the nearly-impossible-to-find, as far I can tell, creme de violette). Cheers! Edit: Hunt, you suggested the addition of St.-Germain to one or both of those at some point I recall. Was that in addition to the other ingredients, or as a replacement for one or more of them?
Samus -- it was a direct replacement for the Maraschino. They are both too complicated to play well together. I've also substituted it for Cointreau in, say, the Corpse Reviver II.

Originally Posted by samus

For those of you in the Philadelphia area, exciting news! Chef Garces is opening a new whiskey bar/restaurant in Center City! details here: http://www.phoodie.info/2009/04/15/g...e-nonexistent/ Not to mention duck fat french fries. I'm drooling already.
The very fine Apothecary has some competition then. I was only in Philly once but I was treated very well. The owner, Tad, had a bottle of Fritz Maytag's Genevieve Genever type gin, and when I asked about it, he built me a special cocktail with it right on the spot. It was excellent and I was very impressed. Highly recommended if you're in Philly.

Originally Posted by RedLantern

Anyone know if bergamot is used in any cocktails, either in a liquer or a type of bitters? It seems like it could be a pretty interesting ingredient.
I think it is a minor flavoring in some liquors the names of which are escaping me. ~ H

 

[Tommy Trolley]

Harvey Wallbanger, anyone? The earliest memory I have of a bar is how the variety of bottles behind the bar looked and I always noticed that tallest bottle of curious yellow liquer. In my years of bartending, whenever anyone ordered a screwdriver, I asked them if they've tried a Harvey Wallbanger. Which is just a screwdriver with a splash of Galliano on top. It's an Italian cordial with a licorice and vanilla flavor.

Reactions varied. Mostly the reaction was a wierd face, like, "I think my dad drank those in the seventies." Some would try it and liked it, but wouldn't order it again. Rarely did anyone hate it but despite my efforts it never caught on.

 

[Crawford]

I order a Harvey Wallbanger whenever we're in the mood for something a little different but can't decide what.

Tried to get my friends into them, they enjoyed one or two but it didn't really take well enough to become a staple.

I think a Harvey Wallbanger tastes exactly like an original Orange Julius, delicious.

 

[IUtoSLU]

I created a cocktail from scratch that actually isn't too bad! I call it:

FRENCH MANHATTAN
1 oz Cognac (Remy Martin 1738)
1 oz Sweet Vermouth (Vya)
2 dash Fee Bro's aromatic bitters
2 dash Fee Bro's cherry bitters
Garnish with 2 Cherries

 

[edinatlanta]

I asked for a Bombay Martini (extra dirty), it was a restaurant that I could tell didn't have the best bar staff, and was given a well vodka martini. Clean.

And that sh*t was about 10 bucks too.

 

[MrG]

Originally Posted by Crawford

I think a Harvey Wallbanger tastes exactly like an original Orange Julius, delicious.

I've never had a Harvey Wallbanger, but I may try one just because of this. An Orange Julius is quite tasty - I would be interested in an alcoholic version.

 

[samus]

Hot weather, so I fixed up a "daquiri floridita" - a standard daquiri with a touch of maraschino. The similarity of this drink with the Aviations I have been working on suggest that I have been overdoing the maraschino, but it's tasty regardless.

 

[samus]

Originally Posted by samus

Hot weather, so I fixed up a "daquiri floridita" - a standard daquiri with a touch of maraschino. The similarity of this drink with the Aviations I have been working on suggest that I have been overdoing the maraschino, but it's tasty regardless.
I can confirm my suspicion. I dropped the amount of maraschino by about half, and it's superb. 8 parts Don Q Puerto Rican rum, 4 parts lime juice, 3 parts 1:1 syrup, and 1 part maraschino. It's almost a shame too; I finally got a hold of some rye (Rittenhouse bonded and Sazerac 6 year) and was looking forward to trying some Manhattans with them, but with this east coast heat wave I find myself in the mood for something more tropical. Maybe later this week...

 

[Huntsman]

I find that I rarely if ever use more than 1/2 oz Maraschino. It's surreptitiously hardcore.

~ H

 

[Rambo]

Bringing this one back from the dead. I picked up on Hunts recipe for a The Last Word today and that lead to me finding a Zombie recipe. Anybody ever made a Zombie? They sound interesting but a pain ********** to make with all the ingredients.

 

[RPMcMurphy]

Originally Posted by Rambo

Bringing this one back from the dead. I picked up on Hunts recipe for a The Last Word today and that lead to me finding a Zombie recipe. Anybody ever made a Zombie? They sound interesting but a pain ********** to make with all the ingredients.

Zombie is a good drink to have at someone ELSES! place. (besides, who the heck want's to waste home bar space with apricot brandy)

If you are really looking to make a batch (and batch, I would, as summer will become winter before you make the drink and cleanup), pick up Jeff "Beachbum" Berry's book or google his recipe. it will be the most accurate modern day representation of the drink.

You mentioned Last Word, it's one of my favorites, try it with Junipero!

In that realm (both namewise to Zombie and tastewise to Last Word) try a Corpse Reviver #2.

1 ounce gin
1 ounce Lillet
1 ounce fresh lemon juice
1 ounce Cointreau
1 drop absinthe or pastis

Shaken & Up

 

[Infrasonic]

Zombies, very aptly titled...

I'm lucky enough to now have several good cocktail places all around town, most within a ten minute walk. The quieter ones seem to maintain the quality better.

Just to comment on the volume versus quality/esoteric upthread. The problem with not stocking outside the mainstream is that any potential esoteric customers will be scared off, thereby making the lowest common denominator a self reinforcing pattern. I've seen this happen first hand.

A bar I used to frequent had a great selection of single malts, loads of obscure mixers etc. and the bar staff with the knowledge to furnish it all.
Now most of the time they sat there, but the fact that they were stocked meant that if you had some guys in on business at say a local hotel, and they wanted a recommendation for a 'proper bar', you were quids in, 'cos they'd hammer the top end whisky or obscure cocktails. Per head spend would be through the roof. You don't need a lot of those sort of customers to have a great business.

Fast forward a couple of years and the subsequent bar managers couldn't be bothered maintaining the stock, the big hitters stopped coming in and it ended up very studenty, and actually doing LESS money, even though the volume was way up. It got to the point where anyone over the age of thirty would walk in and immediately walk out again, because of the clientèle. I stopped going and I was putting around 7k a year over that bar.

 

[denning]

Made an Aviation the other night for the first time. I think I will dial down on the Creme de Violette just a touch. Overall, delicious. I am interested in the Bicyclette cocktail that ILUtoSLU had posted before in teh St. Germain thread.

LA BICYCLETTE
1.5 oz Gin (North Shore 6 is good here, but not necessary)
0.75 oz Sweet Vermouth (I prefer Vya)
0.25 oz St. Germain
2 dash Fee Bros Peach Bitters

Will likely get to it this weekend. Wil report back.

 

[Rambo]

Peach bitters? I've never even knew they existed. How are they? Could they substitute in a recipe for regular bitters?

 

[RPMcMurphy]

Originally Posted by Rambo

Peach bitters? I've never even knew they existed. How are they? Could they substitute in a recipe for regular bitters?

If by regular, you mean agnostura, then no.

There are a plethora of 'bitters' out there....albeit the 'different' ones aside from agnostura and peychuads, now coming back into play.