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The cocktail thread (1 Viewer)

Here's a question for the group, someone help me out here.  We used to have a wild mulberry tree in our yard, which has now since been cut down (RIP).  Last summer, I collected a ton of berries off the tree and infused vodka with them (I think it was Ketel but can't recall).  Later on, I went on the internet to figure out what to make with my new mulberry vodka, only to find no mulberry vodka cocktail recipes on the internet.  Note that there is something called "mulberry vodka" native to Armenia, but that appears to be more of a brandy that they call "mulberry vodka" and drink straight.

These mulberries were not overly sweet.  They do have a distinct berry flavor similar to, say, your standard blackberry, but are nowhere near as sweet.  This mulberry vodka has been staring at me from my liquor cabinet for like a year now, just dying for me to drink it, but I have no idea what to do with it and don't really have any desire to drink it straight.  Cracked it again for the the first time in at least like 8 months and still tastes pretty good.  I've periodically experimented with Sprite, ginger ale, soda water + lemon......all fine, but nothing really excites me.  I've got like 24 oz of this stuff and no ####### idea what to do with it.

Would love some cocktail ideas from the group here, if you've got any ideas.  If it matters, my usual cocktail go-tos are your standard whiskey cocktails (Rob Roy is my longtime love, manhattan, Old Pal, whiskey sour, Boulevardier, etc), or tequila/pisco cocktails.  I'd say a better-than-average-stocked liquor cabinet - nothing compared to what some of you have, I'm sure - and always fresh ingredients.  But my vodka game is very limited.

 
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Here's a question for the group, someone help me out here.  We used to have a wild mulberry tree in our yard, which has now since been cut down (RIP).  Last summer, I collected a ton of berries off the tree and infused vodka with them (I think it was Ketel but can't recall).  Later on, I went on the internet to figure out what to make with my new mulberry vodka, only to find no mulberry vodka cocktail recipes on the internet.  Note that there is something called "mulberry vodka" native to Armenia, but that appears to be more of a brandy that they call "mulberry vodka" and drink straight.

These mulberries were not overly sweet.  They do have a distinct berry flavor similar to, say, your standard blackberry, but are nowhere near as sweet.  This mulberry vodka has been staring at me from my liquor cabinet for like a year now, just dying for me to drink it, but I have no idea what to do with it and don't really have any desire to drink it straight.  Cracked it again for the the first time in at least like 8 months and still tastes pretty good.  I've periodically experimented with Sprite, ginger ale, soda water + lemon......all fine, but nothing really excites me.  I've got like 24 oz of this stuff and no ####### idea what to do with it.

Would love some cocktail ideas from the group here, if you've got any ideas.  If it matters, my usual cocktail go-tos are your standard whiskey cocktails (Rob Roy is my longtime love, manhattan, Old Pal, whiskey sour, Boulevardier, etc), or tequila/pisco cocktails.  I'd say a better-than-average-stocked liquor cabinet - nothing compared to what some of you have, I'm sure - and always fresh ingredients.  But my vodka game is very limited.
My immediate though would be some kind of mule 

 
Really enjoying Ranch Water lately. Super refreshing.

In cocktail glass with ice:

2 oz. mid tier Tequila Blanco, something like Espolon or Cazadores

Juice of 1 lime

Top off with Topo Chico 

 
For tomorrow...

the Americano is a no-brainer. Any other 7/4 cocktails you are mixing up?

 
I found this thread on page FIVE. Disappointed with everyone, including myself. Tonight’s drinks so far:

The Contessa: equal parts gin, aperol, dry vermouth, few dashes orange bitters (Negroni-ish)

Italian Margarita:

2oz repo

0.5oz Cointreau 

1oz lime juice

1oz amaretto

 
I found this thread on page FIVE. Disappointed with everyone, including myself. Tonight’s drinks so far:

The Contessa: equal parts gin, aperol, dry vermouth, few dashes orange bitters (Negroni-ish)

Italian Margarita:

2oz repo

0.5oz Cointreau 

1oz lime juice

1oz amaretto
That Contessa sounds pretty good and I have the stuff for it.  I just had a sazarec, but think I’ll make that my next drink.

 
Don Quixote said:
That Contessa sounds pretty good and I have the stuff for it.  I just had a sazarec, but think I’ll make that my next drink.
Take the equal parts and use Rye, Dry Vermouth, and Campari for a classic cocktail called the Old Pal

As I said before, I prefer using Tattersall Bitter Orange instead of Campari 

 
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Still tinkering with the proportions, but I was asked to create a signature cocktail for a friend's 45th birthday.  If anyone would like to try it, I'd appreciate feedback:

1oz Gin

1oz St Germain

0.5oz Cointreau

1.5oz Grapefruit juice

2 dashes hopped grapefruit bitters

ETA - this started as an equal parts cocktail, but found it too syrupy with the cointreau.  another option may be to raise the gin portion rather than the grapefruit.

ETA2 - may switch out cointreau for Aperol and kill the bitters

 
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Still tinkering with the proportions, but I was asked to create a signature cocktail for a friend's 45th birthday.  If anyone would like to try it, I'd appreciate feedback:

1oz Gin

1oz St Germain

0.5oz Cointreau

1.5oz Grapefruit juice

2 dashes hopped grapefruit bitters

ETA - this started as an equal parts cocktail, but found it too syrupy with the cointreau.  another option may be to raise the gin portion rather than the grapefruit.

ETA2 - may switch out cointreau for Aperol and kill the bitters
I actually have all those things, except grapefruit bitters (I have orange?) - will try one tonight. I may try 2 oz gin.

Edit: will try tomorrow. Exhausted and lacking energy.

 
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Had a guy I manage get stretchered out after a likely heart attack and another guy get pulled from work because his live in GF is probable for the Rona.

The above resulted in the below abomination upon returning home:

4 Oz Pimms #1 Cup
2 Oz Club Soda
1 Oz Lemon Juice
.5 Oz Simple Syrup
 

 
Of all things, I need help with my gin and tonics. Outside of a whiskey, neat, probably the simplest drink to make, right?

My problem is the tonic loses its fizz quick. A couple of sips in, I'm drinking flat, watered down gin. It's not good. The same drink at the bar keeps it's bubbles much longer, making a much better drink. Not sure what I'm doing wrong - tried two different types of tonic (Canada Dry and Q), tried putting in the tonic first, then putting it in last, cold tonic, warm tonic, etc. I'm at altitude, but don't think that should make a difference.

Any suggestions, recipes, help?

 
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Still tinkering with the proportions, but I was asked to create a signature cocktail for a friend's 45th birthday.  If anyone would like to try it, I'd appreciate feedback:

1oz Gin

1oz St Germain

0.5oz Cointreau

1.5oz Grapefruit juice

2 dashes hopped grapefruit bitters

ETA - this started as an equal parts cocktail, but found it too syrupy with the cointreau.  another option may be to raise the gin portion rather than the grapefruit.

ETA2 - may switch out cointreau for Aperol and kill the bitters


I just did the following and it’s pretty damn good:

1oz gin

1oz st germain

1oz grapefruit juice 

0.5oz aperol

0.5oz lemon juice
I’d probably bump up the gin in those and cut back the other spirits a bit if needed

 
Of all things, I need help with my gin and tonics. Outside of a whiskey, neat, probably the simplest drink to make, right?

My problem is the tonic loses its fizz quick. A couple of sips in, I'm drinking flat, watered down gin. It's not good. The same drink at the bar keeps it's bubbles much longer, making a much better drink. Not sure what I'm doing wrong - tried two different types of tonic (Canada Dry and Q), tried putting in the tonic first, then putting it in last, cold tonic, warm tonic, etc. I'm at altitude, but don't think that should make a difference.

Any suggestions, recipes, help?
Could be any of:

A. Warm or hot glasses

2. Soap residue on glasses

D. Pouring the tonic too fast

&. You drink too slow

have you tried fever tree?  Expensive but very good. Always buy the smallest bottle or can possible. 

 
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Pratt standard is doing a class on cocktails for my office (zoom obvi) today. They're opening with how to make infused simply syrup.

Any ideas for a fun flavor to infuse? I have ~2 hours to go to the store and get something. I was thinking maybe green apple would be interesting? For reference I already have a lot of and love ginger syrup.

 
Pratt standard is doing a class on cocktails for my office (zoom obvi) today. They're opening with how to make infused simply syrup.

Any ideas for a fun flavor to infuse? I have ~2 hours to go to the store and get something. I was thinking maybe green apple would be interesting? For reference I already have a lot of and love ginger syrup.
Sorry, missed this, but thyme, rosemary, ginger. 

 
-jb- said:
Sorry, missed this, but thyme, rosemary, ginger. 
Ginger!!! That's my fave and we had some already. We ended up going with peach (my wife) and jalapeno (for me). It is surprisingly simple! Pun semi-intended. 

 
@-jb-

Ok, tested a couple variations on myself, my wife, and our roommate. The winner is:

2 oz gin (we used St. George Terroir)

0.5 oz Cointreau

1 oz St Germain

3 dashes orange bitters (i tested without any bitters, aromatic, and orange because we don't have grapefruit, and using orange was the best "Wow that brings the flavor out nicely")

Long grapefruit peel, expressed but not lit, over the glass (and wiped around rim) before garnishing the twist along a cocktail skewer across the mouth of glass

The one thing we didn't have on hand that I would totally add as a variation is a little bit of spicy kick. Like 1-2 slices of jalapeno with the grapefruit peel garnish and then left in the drink would be amazing IMO. 

 
My all time favorite:  Rye Whiskey Sour

3oz Rye whiskey (I go with the easy Sazerac)
2oz fresh lime juice
2.2 oz simple syrup (1:1 water to sugar, typical)
The egg white from 1 large egg
3 Luxardo cherries

Get all the ingredients, add them to a shaker (I usually weigh it in there), add ice, shake like crazy.  Then pour into a cocktail glass with cherries on bottom and 5-7 cubes of ice and a stirrer straw.

This is basically a double version of the recipe, but why make anything less than a full glass worth?
Enjoying this now.  Man - so good.

 
Finally got around to buying a bottle of peanut butter whiskey. 
 

PBJOF

2oz peanut butter whiskey

0.5oz grape jelly simple syrup 

dash of salt

All ingredients into a mixing glass, mixing well. Pour into DOF with ice ball or large cube  Garnish with 1”x1” pb&j on cocktail skewer (do not submerge).

 
Finally got around to buying a bottle of peanut butter whiskey. 
 

PBJOF

2oz peanut butter whiskey

0.5oz grape jelly simple syrup 

dash of salt

All ingredients into a mixing glass, mixing well. Pour into DOF with ice ball or large cube  Garnish with 1”x1” pb&j on cocktail skewer (do not submerge).
Wow, adding simple syrup would seem to make it too sweet...will give it a whirl

 
Finally got around to buying a bottle of peanut butter whiskey. 
 

PBJOF

2oz peanut butter whiskey

0.5oz grape jelly simple syrup 

dash of salt

All ingredients into a mixing glass, mixing well. Pour into DOF with ice ball or large cube  Garnish with 1”x1” pb&j on cocktail skewer (do not submerge).
:popcorn:

I've been told this is really good but the idea of adding jelly doesn't appeal. I do like pb whiskey straight.

 
:popcorn:

I've been told this is really good but the idea of adding jelly doesn't appeal. I do like pb whiskey straight.
It is a bit sweet but the salt neutralizes a good bit of it. Don’t skip that.  ETA that we are only talking about a half ounce to the 2 ounces of whiskey. 

 
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Next up, the peanut butter and banana OF

2oz bourbon

1oz PB whiskey

1oz Giffard Banane du Bresil

All ingredients into mixing glass with ice. Stir until chilled. Pour into DOF with large ice cube or ball  Garnish with banana wheels/peanut butter on skewer  

 
Next up, the peanut butter and banana OF

2oz bourbon

1oz PB whiskey

1oz Giffard Banane du Bresil

All ingredients into mixing glass with ice. Stir until chilled. Pour into DOF with large ice cube or ball  Garnish with banana wheels/peanut butter on skewer  
Now this has my curiosity piqued.  Would like a review pls

 
Made a variation of an Ancient Mariner (have no allspice)

1 oz. Bacardi 8 year old rum

1 oz. Dark/Black rum

.25 oz. Allspice dram

.75 oz. lime juice 

.5 oz. grapefruit juice (pink)

.25 oz. simple syrup

 
Next up, the peanut butter and banana OF

2oz bourbon

1oz PB whiskey

1oz Giffard Banane du Bresil

All ingredients into mixing glass with ice. Stir until chilled. Pour into DOF with large ice cube or ball  Garnish with banana wheels/peanut butter on skewer  
Going to keep this going with a peanut butter cup OF, replacing the Giffard Banane with Godiva liqueur. I’ll commit to doing all three at once, with reviews of each and pics. Stand by to stand by. 

 
Of all things, I need help with my gin and tonics. Outside of a whiskey, neat, probably the simplest drink to make, right?

My problem is the tonic loses its fizz quick. A couple of sips in, I'm drinking flat, watered down gin. It's not good. The same drink at the bar keeps it's bubbles much longer, making a much better drink. Not sure what I'm doing wrong - tried two different types of tonic (Canada Dry and Q), tried putting in the tonic first, then putting it in last, cold tonic, warm tonic, etc. I'm at altitude, but don't think that should make a difference.

Any suggestions, recipes, help?
Last weekend, I picked this up (along with other amazing things this place sells). Making your own tonic is incredibly easy, and now I have a 32oz jar full of the stuff available for use any time. Only use 1 to 2 tbsp for each glass. The catch? You have to have your own sparkling water. We have a soda stream, and now I can make G&Ts with amazing tonic on demand. I'm down with that.

 
Ok, I made up my first ever cocktail. I did a steak/rice/veggie dinner with a heavy asian influence in sauce and seasoning, so wanted something that would complement the flavors.

1.5 oz umeshu (the sake based type - it's basically plum wine)

1.5 oz Hibiki Harmony whiskey

.75 oz ginger syrup

.75 oz lemon juice

1 egg white

Dry shake ~30 seconds all ingredients and the egg white. Then shake with ice ~10 seconds. Double strain into empty glass. Garnished with a slice of ginger candy and a slice of plum.

 
Ok, I made up my first ever cocktail. I did a steak/rice/veggie dinner with a heavy asian influence in sauce and seasoning, so wanted something that would complement the flavors.

1.5 oz umeshu (the sake based type - it's basically plum wine)

1.5 oz Hibiki Harmony whiskey

.75 oz ginger syrup

.75 oz lemon juice

1 egg white

Dry shake ~30 seconds all ingredients and the egg white. Then shake with ice ~10 seconds. Double strain into empty glass. Garnished with a slice of ginger candy and a slice of plum.
Sounds very good. Were you happy with how it turned out?

 
Sounds very good. Were you happy with how it turned out?
Yeah, it was nice. Sweet and sour for sure - some tartness, and a little spicy kick from the ginger. But, then again, I love ginger, a lot. The better test was that my wife liked it.

The dry shake for a long time on the front makes it reallllllly creamy. 

 
Also, there is literally nothing like a gin hangover. Good God.
I forgot this sage advice from Scooby.  We had gin night at my house last night.  5 different gins, all sampled neat plus many cocktails.  Note - I’m not typically a gin guy but love to branch out and learn more.

Here was the lineup:

Gins: Boodles, Aviation, Barr Hill, Hendricks, Chattanooga 

Boodles (London dry) - just solid and for me a great choice for a cocktail calling for a London. Solid but not overpowering juniper smell and taste.

Aviation (London (American?) dry) - this was the brand Ryan Reynolds had a stake in.  I don’t like overpowering juniper so got this based on my man crush of Reynolds and the recommendation from folks saying it’s not very juniper-y.  I didn’t hate it but I smelled acetone when opening it and it was completely neutral - you could almost pass it off as vodka

Hendricks (Old Tom) - never been a fan of smelling like a Xmas tree

Chattanooga (don’t know, don’t care) this comes from Chattanooga experimental distillery, shockingly enough in Chattanooga.  It was kind of horrible.

Barr Hill (Old Tom) - Wow!  This stuff is amazing - comes from Caledonia Spirits in Vermont and made with honey.  Never had it and when I opened it the smell was incredible - so complex, strong floral and honey for me.  Tasted delicious - definitely something I could drink neat.

Cocktails: Gimlet(s), Bees Knees, Martini, Negroni, Tom Collins

Gimlet 1 (Boodles) - standard with Roses- super tart with little else redeeming it.  Ok but not something I would want on a regular basis.

Gimlet 2 (Aviation) - gin, simple and lime juice - better than the first but still missed the mark for me

Gimlet 3 (Boodles) - in the recommendation of How To Drink (love Greg) I made a batch of Jeffrey Morgenthaler’s lime cordial. Fan-freaking-tastic.  Was easily the favorite of the gimlets was probably the consensus best drink of the night.  I highly recommend making the cordial and make this drink.  I think you could sub any quality London for Boodles that you have on hand.

Bees Knees (Barr Hill) - I really like a Bee Knees and this was good but I didn’t love it.  Not sure if I was a little hammered at this point so maybe my ratios were off (I was bartender).  I like lemon but don’t like it to overpower the drink.  I needed to rebalance this one but it was still damn good.

Martini (Aviation) - probably would have been better with a different gin and my buddy forgot the Dolin’s so all I had was crap vermouth.  It was ok but I’m not a big martini drinker in general

Negroni - I admit it - I don’t like Negroni’s - Campari is just too bitter for my palate.  It’s not a pleasant drinking experience although I’ll do it.  As luck would have it - my buddy also forgot the Campari I had given him.

So, instead of doing a Campari we closed out the night with a Manhattan (his choice) and then an Overlord (dealers choice) which is kind of a riff on a bourbon Manhattan with St-Germain.

tl;dr - I’ve got a freaking horrible hangover because I didn’t listen to Scooby

 
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I forgot this sage advice from Scooby.  We had gin night at my house last night.  5 different gins, all sampled neat plus many cocktails.  Note - I’m not typically a gin guy but love to branch out and learn more.

Here was the lineup:

Gins: Boodles, Aviation, Barr Hill, Hendricks, Chattanooga 

Boodles (London dry) - just solid and for me a great choice for a cocktail calling for a London. Solid but not overpowering juniper smell and taste.

Aviation (London (American?) dry) - this was the brand Ryan Reynolds had a stake in.  I don’t like overpowering juniper so got this based on my man crush of Reynolds and the recommendation from folks saying it’s not very juniper-y.  I didn’t hate it but I smelled acetone when opening it and it was completely neutral - you could almost pass it off as vodka

Hendricks (Old Tom) - never been a fan of smelling like a Xmas tree

Chattanooga (don’t know, don’t care) this comes from Chattanooga experimental distillery, shockingly enough in Chattanooga.  It was kind of horrible.

Barr Hill (Old Tom) - Wow!  This stuff is amazing - comes from Caledonia Spirits in Vermont and made with honey.  Never had it and when I opened it the smell was incredible - so complex, strong floral and honey for me.  Tasted delicious - definitely something I could drink neat.

Cocktails: Gimlet(s), Bees Knees, Martini, Negroni, Tom Collins

Gimlet 1 (Boodles) - standard with Roses- super tart with little else redeeming it.  Ok but not something I would want on a regular basis.

Gimlet 2 (Aviation) - gin, simple and lime juice - better than the first but still missed the mark for me

Gimlet 3 (Boodles) - in the recommendation of How To Drink (love Greg) I made a batch of Jeffrey Morgenthaler’s lime cordial. Fan-freaking-tastic.  Was easily the favorite of the gimlets was probably the consensus best drink of the night.  I highly recommend making the cordial and make this drink.  I think you could sub any quality London for Boodles that you have on hand.

Bees Knees (Barr Hill) - I really like a Bee Knees and this was good but I didn’t love it.  Not sure if I was a little hammered at this point so maybe my ratios were off (I was bartender).  I like lemon but don’t like it to overpower the drink.  I needed to rebalance this one but it was still damn good.

Martini (Aviation) - probably would have been better with a different gin and my buddy forgot the Dolin’s so all I had was crap vermouth.  It was ok but I’m not a big martini drinker in general

Negroni - I admit it - I don’t like Negroni’s - Campari is just too bitter for my palate.  It’s not a pleasant drinking experience although I’ll do it.  As luck would have it - my buddy also forgot the Campari I had given him.

So, instead of doing a Campari we closed out the night with a Manhattan (his choice) and then an Overlord (dealers choice) which is kind of a riff on a bourbon Manhattan with St-Germain.

tl;dr - I’ve got a freaking horrible hangover because I didn’t listen to Scooby
Barr Hill Reserve Tom Cat Gin is the best liquor I’ve ever had. 

 
Barr Hill Reserve Tom Cat Gin is the best liquor I’ve ever had. 
Damn, now you have me regret not getting the reserve.  They had it and it’s not that much more.  You mix with it or just drink it straight?  Like I said before, I’m not a big gin guy but was blown away by the regular.  

 
Where do ya’ll recommend buying mixers, strainers, etc from?
Mixers - all depends on your taste and how much you want to invest money and rime-wise.  I’ve started making my own.  Usually it’s much better than store bought.

Strainers - you can get a Hawthorne strainer anywhere and it should do fine (Total Wine for example) and you can pick up and normal strainer wherever you want.  Unless you are going for a particular look

Shakers - I recommend a Boston shaker over a cocktail shaker.  Most cocktail shakers I’ve used tend to stick.  And I just think a Boston shaker looks cooler.

 
Mixers - all depends on your taste and how much you want to invest money and rime-wise.  I’ve started making my own.  Usually it’s much better than store bought.

Strainers - you can get a Hawthorne strainer anywhere and it should do fine (Total Wine for example) and you can pick up and normal strainer wherever you want.  Unless you are going for a particular look

Shakers - I recommend a Boston shaker over a cocktail shaker.  Most cocktail shakers I’ve used tend to stick.  And I just think a Boston shaker looks cooler.
I was trying to find a set but there are a million of them with seemingly various levels of quality. Is there a particular brand or site I should buy some (we don’t have a total wine here unfortunately) maybe something like this? https://www.cocktailkingdom.com/essential-cocktail-set-steel
 

Costco also has this set - https://www.costco.com/crafthouse-by-fortessa-5-piece-stainless-steel-cocktail-shaker-set-.product.100534931.html

I over research stuff like this so let me know if it doesn’t really matter lol. Appreciate the advice on mixers, we’ll probably get there eventually. 

 
I was trying to find a set but there are a million of them with seemingly various levels of quality. Is there a particular brand or site I should buy some (we don’t have a total wine here unfortunately) maybe something like this? https://www.cocktailkingdom.com/essential-cocktail-set-steel
 

Costco also has this set - https://www.costco.com/crafthouse-by-fortessa-5-piece-stainless-steel-cocktail-shaker-set-.product.100534931.html

I over research stuff like this so let me know if it doesn’t really matter lol. Appreciate the advice on mixers, we’ll probably get there eventually. 
That seems like a perfectly fine set.  Ultimately you want something easy to use, easy to clean and something you think looks decent.  That set should be fine.  

 
AAABatteries said:
That seems like a perfectly fine set.  Ultimately you want something easy to use, easy to clean and something you think looks decent.  That set should be fine.  
Thanks for the help!

 

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