Sazerac for me this evening as well!
Not pictured (because I forgot) is my squeeze bottle of demerara syrup.
Opinions vary, but I personally prefer my Sazerac served up rather than on the rocks. Tasty goodness!
I’m really, really glad I’m not the only guy whose Ango bottle looks like a murder scene. That shit comes out volatile!
LOL. Honest to god real-life belly laugh on the one, man. Yeah, that shit wants to go everywhere and dear god the stains…
It doesn’t help that I buy it in the big bottles normally. I think I refilled that small one once, which is where the truly crazy mess came from. When I get in the mood for Angostura Sour or Trinidad Sour, the small bottle just doesn’t cut it. ;)
Both of those cocktails highly recommended, by the way, if you like the taste of bitters.
I do like Sazerac rye, but never made its namesake with it. I just sip it straight or make old fashioneds and Manhattans with it.
It’s now my go to since I can’t find Pepper rye anymore.
Tonight, some blessed simplicity: the Dark n Stormy! Technically trademarked by the folks who make Gosling’s Black Seal Bermudan Rum, the drink should be made with that. But really, any dark, kinda sweet rum should do. Myers’s and Cruzan are pretty common, but something a little fancier and aged like Plantation Original Dark works great, too. The sweet, molasses-y notes layer under the spice of the ginger beer in a very pleasant way. I find the extra sharpness of the lime brings everything into definition.
The Dark n Stormy
- 2oz Dark Rum
- (optional) 1/2oz Lime Juice
- ~3oz Ginger Beer
- Ice to Serve
- Lime Wedge or Wheel to Garnish
In a tall glass, place enough ice to fill. Pour in the rum, lime juice (if using), and ginger beer and gently stir together with a cocktail spoon. Garnish with a lime wheel or wedge at your preference. Serve!
Not really a cocktail person (I prefer my whiskey neat) but I think tonight I’ll have a vodka and ginger ale–RIP John Prine.
One I tried tonight, because we have a half pint of Fireball in the fridge like forever.
Vodka
Fireball
Club soda
On the rocks.
It kills the cloying sweetness of Fireball. It ends up tasting like mild cinnamon soda. I like it.
Inspired me to join you.
Pro-tip: Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao is really fancier than a Lemon Drop calls for. It might also be the only orange liqueur I have left in the house.
Went with
- 1 oz Lemon Juice
- 3/4 oz Orange Liqueur (choose better than I)
- 3/4 oz Simple Syrup
- 2 oz Citrus Vodka (kill dat bottle after like 3 years thank god)
The fancy curacao is a little dominant at this point and doesn’t fit well, but it’s pretty drinkable nonetheless.
Earlier this week I explored some drinks with Dry Vermouth. There were. . . thoughts.
Tonight I take a dip into the classics again. A real classic. The dry gin martini. There’s more variations on this classic theme than I’ve got the gin to try, but I started my journey with a basic 2:1 ratio. The botanical notes are almost overwhelming, wiping out some of the faint citrus I love in gin (even with the lemon twist). I won’t pretend that it’s my favorite drink of the series so far, and look forward to vigorous discussion of all the ways my recipe is wrong in the comments below 
The Martini
- 2oz London Dry Gin
- 1oz Dry Vermouth
- Ice to Stir
- Lemon Twist or Olive for Garnish
Combine the vermouth and gin in a mixing glass with plenty of cracked ice and stir down to chill completely, at least 20-30 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and serve with a twist of lemon or a skewered olive for garnish.
You can play with the proportions (from a botanical bomb 1:1 gin:vermouth to an ultra dry 10:1), add a dash or two of bitters, or try subbing out for a sweeter Old Tom gin or Bianco vermouth for alternative preparations.
Tonight in drink weirdness (for me), the Dirty Martini. The first overtly savory cocktail I’ve had, it’s brine-y obviously, but this mutes the botanicals I didn’t care for in the vermouth, while the cucumber notes in the Hendricks still shine through a little. Interesting!
The Dirty Martini
- 2 1/2oz Gin
- 1/2oz Dry Vermouth
- 1/2oz Olive Brine
- Ice to Stir
- Olive for Garnish
Combine the gin, vermouth, and brine in a stirring glass with enough ice to completely cover. Stir with a bar spoon until the drink is well chilled. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with an olive or three to your preference.
Tonight, I suddenly feel much better about my purchase of dry vermouth thanks to the efforts of El Presidente. Brighter thanks to the orange, with the faint sweetness of grenadine, and the lovely flavor of a solid rum.
El Presidente
- 1 Barspoon of Grenadine
- 3/4oz Dry Vermouth
- 3/4oz Dry Curaçao or Triple Sec
- 1 1/2oz White Rum
- Ice to Stir
- Orange Peel for Garnish
Combine the grenadine, vermouth, curaçao, and rum in a mixing glass with enough ice to fully cover. Stir well with a barspoon until the glass is frosted and the drink is fully cooled down, about 25-30 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a twist of orange.
There’s a gin martini variant where you mix equal portions of dry and sweet vermouth. Ah, found it! I thought this was a pretty near drink. [Turns out, any half and half drink like this is called “perfect”, so you can make a perfect manhattan, etc.]
I’ve actually got a couple of bottles of decent sweet vermouth (and even a good bianco, which I generally like just fine), but I’m probably gonna take a break to hang out in my one true love this week: tiki!
I had leftover strawberry puree and fresh squeezed lemon juice from my baking project here: Tell us what you have cooked lately (that's interesting)
Threw those in a glass with simple syrup and ice water for strawberry lemonade, then some vodka so I could post it here. :)
Should’ve added some fresh mint for sure.
I pureed a watermelon yesterday, and poured the liquid into ice trays. Hopefully they will make excellent ice for drinks this summer.
I should do something with the shave ice syrup I didn’t use from the summer. I have no idea if it’s any good. Simple syrup lasts a long time, but it’s been in the freezer since…June? I don’t know if it even froze solid or not, given the sugar concentration.
I haven’t really been drinking since quarantine started. I just don’t feel up to it, really. I guess I’m more of a celebratory drinker (or for food pairings) than a stress drinker.
Edit: the internet says it should last from between 1 year to “about forever” in the freezer. So strawberry lemonade it is, I guess.
Currently drinking a margarita variant with Ancho Reyes substituted for the Triple Sec, tequila and lemon juice. Tried lime juice earlier, but lemon works better in this case (the line was just too strong).
My wife and daughter are drinking something called a Southside, which has muddled mint leaves, gin, lime juice, and simple syrup. It’s quite tasty.
So that’s what it’s called. I referred to it as a Gin Mojito.
I make a ginger simple syrup and mix it with gin for a Ginger Martini. It is sweeter than ginger liqueur (which my wife likes) and less expensive.
I thought the perfect martini was a couple jiggers of ice cold gin and allowing a sunbeam to pass through a bottle of vermouth and onto one’s glass.
I’ve never liked gin like my wife does, but we recently found a Spanish Gin (Mahón) that I really dig. I didn’t drink one of the Southsides, because of the sugar, but I did try it.
The ginger syrup sounds great.
There’s, uh, been a lot of drinking since April 11.
Finished product shots only, but if anyone wants specs or ingredient shots, just lemme know :)
1-6: Lemon Drop, Scorpion, Planter's Punch, Skeleton Key, Basic Pina Colada, Fancy Pina Colada
Lemon Drop
The Scorpion
Planter’s Punch
Skeleton Key
Basic Pina Colada
Fancied Up Pina Colada
7-12: Painkiller, Cosmopolitan, Suffering Bastard, Jet Pilot, Donga Punch, Navy Grog
The Painkiller
The Cosmo
The Suffering Bastard
The Jet Pilot
Donga Punch
Navy Grog
13-18: 1934 Zombie, Jungle Bird, Blue Hawaiian, Algonquin, Aviation, Whiskey Smash + Blackberry Whiskey Smash
The 1934 Zombie
The Jungle Bird
The Blue Hawaiian
The Algonquin
The Aviation
A Whiskey Smash and a Blackberry Whiskey Smash
19-24: Alexander, El DIablo, Cucumber Gin Mule, Amaro Sour, Planter's Punch, Strawberry Basil Gin Smash
The Alexander
El Diablo
A Cucumber Gin Mule
Amaro Sour
Planter’s Punch
A Strawberry-Basil Gin Smash
And last night, cuz sometimes you just gotta cut loose, a couple of Frozen Strawberry Daiquiris for the lady-friend and I!
Frozen Strawberry Daiquris
Roughly current shots of the bar collection. . .
Dude, with your culinary skills and new bartending skills, you really need to run some kind of restaurant. You could charge top dollar for a small number of tables.
Serve a great meal and drinks, and then GM a game for the diners.