Tips for mixed drinks, liquor, etc.?

[BB]

I like a good mixed drink, and tonight I'm going to have some folks over, so I was just about to head out to the liquor store to get some stuff. It crossed my mind that, since Joe has posted some helpful tips in recent months (I love Gran Classico now), you all may have some good ideas, too. I'm all ears.


Here's my contribution: bourboned cherries. Like brandied cherries, but way better, and just about the easiest thing ever to make. I get a ton of cherries from a farmer's market, stuff them in some pint-sized mason jars, add a half cup of sugar in each pint, fill the jars with bourbon, and store them in a dark place for a couple of months. I just shake them a bit every week or so to get the sugar to dissolve. After six weeks, you've got a sweet cherry-bourbon liquor and the cherries are a great garnish. I use the cherry liquor in place of simple syrup in an old fashioned, and it kicks it up a notch (really I use it in place of any simple syrup in mixed drinks). Here's a link to a similar recipe, but I kick back the sugar a bit and swap out the brandy for bourbon.

http://www.saveur.com/article/Wine-and-Drink/Brandied-Cherries


I've also got a recipe for homemade crema di limoncello that takes more time, but is totally worth it, and is a killer drink served ice cold in the summer heat. When it was 106 earlier this week, my limoncello tasted like liquid air conditioning. Here's a similar recipe: http://www.vanillagarlic.com/2007/05...ooch-ever.html

[BB]

If you can find meyer lemons for the crema di limoncello, it's even better.

[tomservo]

More of a shot than a drink but it's a great novelty. Use any fruit flavored vodka, blueberry preferred though it's a bit harder to find, and mix with butterscotch schnapps. Ratio should be 1/3 vodka 2/3 schnapps. Boom. Blueberry pancakes.Taste the blueberry then feel the syrup run down your throat.

[BB]

I'll be honest, that sounds kind of weird and gross to me, but I promise you I'll try it and probably like it.

[jordan]

When I read the title I thought this was going to be about how much you tip a bartender....hah.


All I can say is make sure you make the drink correctly and consistently. I have ONE bar around here where I can order say, a manhattan, and get it made right and the same way each time. I was actually at this one restaurant who claimed Manhattans were their signature...I had 3, the first one came up with a cherry garnish and they were stingey with the vermouth, the second one came with way too much vermouth and a lemon twist, the third one came on the rocks with no garnish.

[redbluff]

I'm a sucker for a good gin and tonic.

And I'll admit to liking Brandy Alexanders.

It's a super easy recipe and it allows for lots of creativity...chocolate syrup, dark chocolate shavings, cinnamon instead of nutmeg, and ice cream. Mmmmmmmm

[redsubway]

As a bartender and an amateur mixologist, I can remind everyone that pre-mixes should be avoided AT ALL COSTS. Always make from scratch, the difference is night and day. Also, at least a dollar a drink when you're out on the town!

[BB]

@redsubway -- Hey man, if you're a bartender, spill a secret or two! If you wanted to impress someone with a drink, what would you make them? What puts a drink over the top?


On another note, I like a Dark and Stormy on a hot, muggy day, but today I decided to sub out the rum for bourbon. I think it's called a Kentucky Mule (Lime juice, ginger beer, and bourbon.) I think it's even better than a Stormy. Really refreshing.

[redsubway]

Well, I tend to be a bit of a purist, and so I definitely gravitate toward classic cocktails. By today's standards (where drinks migh have like ten different spirits and syrups), they seem quaint or simple, but they have been refined for decades. So try a margarita with just tequila, triple-sec, and lime juice (2:1:1 ratio) and revel in how much better it is than a margarita mix. Or make a martini with gin, and be generous with the vermouth. And always remember, bitters are your friend!

[BB]

Yes, I need to get more acquainted with different kinds of bitters -- I have just used Angostura and some random orange bitter so far, but using the orange really helps make a mean Old Fashioned. (With the bourboned cherry juice as the simple syrup, that's my best cocktail). I hear there are some pretty good bitters out there that will help make a drink pop.

[redsubway]

Yeah, I haven't tried as many as I'd like to either. You mentioned the Old Fashioned; it's definitely a great drink. Try using brown sugar instead of regular next time, it's FANTASTIC.

[BB]

That's what I'm talking about! Redsubway, dropping bartender knowledge. Next time I mix one up, I'm on it.

[tdig]

I'm not a bartender but I do spend a lot of time researching mixology online and am always trying new things. Currently, I have 2 liters of homemade manhattan aging in an oak barrel. It's 2 parts Buffalo Trace, 1 part High West Double Rye, and 1 part Vermouth, as well as angustora bitters. It's been aging for 2 weeks so far. I'll probably let it go 4-5. I've also got some cherries soaking in Four Roses Small Batch, homemade all-spice dram in the fridge, and some homemade ginger rosemary simple syrup.


Obviously I am a big bourbon fan. My current collection consists of:

-Pappy Van Winkle 20

-Pappy Van Winkle 15 (1 open bottle, 1 sealed)

-Old Rip Van Winkle 10 (90proof)

-Four Roses Single Barrel 120th Anniversary

-Four Roses Single Barrel

-Parkers Heritage 2010

-Blantons

-Breaking and Entering

-High West Double Rye

[jordan]

tdig - Where do you find your Pappy and how much does it go for? After tasting some 20 i've been trying to find it for a reasonable price, but it can be hard to track down.

[tdig]

I am on at least 10-12 waiting list in MD/DC/VA and Florida (friends that live down there). I was lucky with the 20 and got it from this springs release in Montgomery County (lowest prices I've seen). I picked it up for $85 and it goes on ebay for $250. My boss got one from VA waiting list for $105. I got 3 bottles of the 15 year also during the spring release (2 from FL and 1 from MD). It was $55 a bottle and goes on ebay for $180-$200.