What are you drinking right now?

[b1os]

Don't you think Hendrick's is a little too floral for a Negroni and gets overpowered by Campari and vermouth?

Actually, I'm one of the few people who use Carpano Antica in their Negronis. I enjoy it. But I may try Cinzano rosso because JM recommends it. The reasoning behind using CA is also a very practical one - I mostly just have one vermouth rosso at a time. And that one has been CA so far.

 

[b1os]



Can I substitue Fernet Branca with Amaro Nonino? Would like to make a Hanky Pranky later today.

Anyone?

 

[CBrown85]



Don't you think Hendrick's is a little too floral for a Negroni and gets overpowered by Campari and vermouth?

Yes, but it's all I'm stocking right now.

 

[b1os]

Ok, it would just be too pricey for me. I mean, Hendrick's is 40€/l. I can get >2L of Beefeater for that. But then again, CA is 20€/L and I can get 3L of Cinzano Rosso for that too.

Still, vermouth needs special care whereas gin can simply be put in the shelve.

 

[Huntsman]

Quote:
Don't be so concerned with what you can do -- make the drink and try it.

I love Nonino and can't stand Fernet, so that tells you something. The Nonino is a lot fruitier than Fernet, which is much earthier. Nonino also lacks the menthol/eucalyptus thing that Fernet has that makes me not enjoy it.

~ H

 

[b1os]



I love Nonino and can't stand Fernet, so that tells you something. The Nonino is a lot fruitier than Fernet, which is much earthier. Nonino also lacks the menthol/eucalyptus thing that Fernet has that makes me not enjoy it.

~ H

Thanks. I've never had Fernet Branca so I don't know what it tastes like. Now I can make the drink and think about whether I would prefer an earthier/menthol version (focus on menthol, because I will use Carpano Antica and will have a good amount of earthiness that way). So your post helps me a lot to evaluate the drink.

 

[puceflume]

I just signed up to say that I have a Negroni on the table in front of me and Antica Formula is the best red vermouth, hands down. Accept no substitutes.

 

[impolyt_one]



Keith, how does Noilly Prat compare to the Cinzano? Any major differences?
I've been using Hendrick's, Cinzano, and Campari.

I don't really know, I hit up a Negroni about once a year or less, and I think the last one I made was with Martini rosso and Tanqueray. I enjoyed today's concoction of martin miller's and noilly prat, if that's worth anything... I do think Hendrick's might be too floral for a Negroni. I don't much gin anymore and just bought the MM to keep on deck, I don't really drink Gin and Tonics or Martinis or anything like that home anymore.

 

[Huntsman]

Don't you think Hendrick's is a little too floral for a Negroni and gets overpowered by Campari and vermouth?

Actually, I'm one of the few people who use Carpano Antica in their Negronis. I enjoy it. But I may try Cinzano rosso because JM recommends it. The reasoning behind using CA is also a very practical one - I mostly just have one vermouth rosso at a time. And that one has been CA so far.

Vermouth is my real craze right now -- it makes such a difference in the character of the cocktails, and the spiritous, vermouth heavy drinks are my favorites. It's also cheaper to explore than most spirits.

Right now I am stocking Vya, Carpano, M&R, Petrucci (sp?), and Cocchi Vermouth del Torino in sweet. I also have Lillet Rouge and Dubonnet. The Cocchi is probably the single best vermouth I have ever tried for matching with dark spirits. In a Vieux Carre it is unparallelled. If I had to just have one sweet, it would also be Carpano. I have closed in on the perfect Boulevardier:

1 Woodford
1 Campari
0.5 M&R
0.5 Cocchi
0.5 Lillet

But I have not quite nailed the perfect Negroni yet. With the above ratios, it tasted breat at first, but later descended, bringing out just the medicinal notes from the Campari.

I also am not really a fan of Hendrick's in a Negroni -- I don't get what I am paying for with Hendrick's there. Plymouth, Beefeater, or Martin Miller are great. I usually use Beefeater as it is my well and purchased in big bottles.

~H

 

[Ambulance Chaser]



I just signed up to say that I have a Negroni on the table in front of me and Antica Formula is the best red vermouth, hands down. Accept no substitutes.

"Best" is subjective. Carpano Antica has a distinct vanilla flavor (great in a dark rum Manhattan) and tends to overpower the other ingredients in a cocktail. I prefer a more neutral sweet vermouth like Dolin.

 

[b1os]



I just signed up to say that I have a Negroni on the table in front of me and Antica Formula is the best red vermouth, hands down. Accept no substitutes.

That's nice that you like it too. But I wouldn't say that Antica Formula is the best vermouth, because there hardly ever is such thing in life. Carpano Antica is very earthy, heavy, vanilla-y, tart. NP Rouge, for example, on the other hand is much fruitier and lighter. Carpano Antica may be superior for some cocktails that work with a "more dominating" vermouth rosso whereas other drinks would get overpowered by it. I, for one, think that the more dominating CA works well in a Negroni. But then again, it's completely subjective. Don't you agree?

 

[b1os]



Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Vermouth is my real craze right now -- it makes such a difference in the character of the cocktails, and the spiritous, vermouth heavy drinks are my favorites. It's also cheaper to explore than most spirits.

Right now I am stocking Vya, Carpano, M&R, Petrucci (sp?), and Cocchi Vermouth del Torino in sweet. I also have Lillet Rouge and Dubonnet. The Cocchi is probably the single best vermouth I have ever tried for matching with dark spirits. In a Vieux Carre it is unparallelled. If I had to just have one sweet, it would also be Carpano. I have closed in on the perfect Boulevardier:

1 Woodford
1 Campari
0.5 M&R
0.5 Cocchi
0.5 Lillet

But I have not quite nailed the perfect Negroni yet. With the above ratios, it tasted breat at first, but later descended, bringing out just the medicinal notes from the Campari.

I also am not really a fan of Hendrick's in a Negroni -- I don't get what I am paying for with Hendrick's there. Plymouth, Beefeater, or Martin Miller are great. I usually use Beefeater as it is my well and purchased in big bottles.

~H

I'll have to try that Boulevardier. Of course, I will just be able to use Carpano, but it would work well together with a Negroni and Hanky Panky.
I'd like to store more vermouths too, but there is no place in my fridge. (I have to admit though that I have stored my first bottles of vermouth at room temperatures over two months. It didn't taste off at all. Maybe I'm just that ignorant).
Negroni, I usually prefer 3:3:4 gin, Campari, Carpano. But I will definitely get some Cinzano rosso and store it at room temperature. Even if it turned bad, it wouldn't be a huge loss.

 

[Piobaire]

I find I go through phases where I prefer one vermouth over another, particularly in sweets. I grew up using Stock in my manhattans, got taken with Vya for some time, then Antiqua Formula, and I'm currently using NP for both sweet and dry. I don't think there is any one best vermouth but merely the one I am enjoying at the moment.

 

[Piobaire]

Having a Caesar:

2 oz Ericsson potato vodka
4 oz Mott's Clamato juice
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
2 dashes Tabasco sauce
grind of fresh pepper
shake of celery salt

Garnished with a bacon stuffed olive.

 

[impolyt_one]

^ reminds me of a couple months ago when I went to this bar and ordered a Bloody Mary: http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/12/20/travel/20bites.html?_r=0

and then ended up on a flight that landed in Detroit and ordered a Bloody Mary at this ****** airport diner that had breakfast. Our server was about 50 pounds overweight and all of her tattoos were still in the healing process after being burnt off.

The Star Bar Bloody Mary was a whole peeled fresh tomato, I guess it was muddled or macerated and shaken with the vodka and then strained - not many other flavors, maybe some sort of mild chili infusion, poured over a single large cube of ice in a short tumbler. It was insanely subtle, to the point of being off if you were used to drinking Bloody Marys in other countrys.

The airport Bloody Mary I had not long after - was from a cheap liquor store pre-mix like Mrs T's I think, had a good half inch of some sort of seasoned salt on the rim, more seasoned salts and *********** actual drink, garnishes of some cancered celery and Mario green olives on a toothpick, it was just so bad and also so right for the venue. A couple and I might've even caught a buzz, I think I actually did order too. It was like watching white people's Appreciation and seeing gigantic basketball ****. Couldn't stop if I wanted to.