The Finer Things In Life

[FlaSoxxJim]

I got to play bartender last night at a friend's shindig which I always enjoy. Potluck and since we made a New Orleans crawfish dish I decided to go the NOLA route on the drink menu, featuring fresh juice hurricanes and brandy milk punches. Tossed in caipirhiñas and margaritas to make everybody happy, and a fun night was had by all. The Missus is moving a littl slow today however.

 

On the downside, I brought out the just recently located bottle of elusive Nepal Khukri rum to let a friend and fellow rum head taste and she and I ended up putting quite a dent in it. Time to start hoarding that bottle before it disappears.

[shipps]

I went out drinking for the first time in a long time last Friday...Still feel hungover today.

 

It wasnt the finer things in life for me, I must be getting really old to not be able to handle that. I had a Patron silver shot with every beer and I cant remember what I ate on Saturday morning.

[FlaSoxxJim]

Playing with gin cocktails a bit tonight.

 

Shook up a nice Pegu Club Cocktail with Tanqueray, Cointreau, lime juice, Ango and evil egg white. Got to thinking that orange curacao might give the drink a more rustic note that seems to be lacking, and then noted that cocktailian Robert Hess seems to agree.

 

Decided to stay with the gin and curacao but get into more familiar tiki territory with Ray Buhen's Hula Hula cocktail from the 1930s back when he tended bar for Don the Beachcomber. Equal parts Plymouth gin, orange curacao, and orange juice. This is a light, crisp, low-octane cocktail that would be perfect to serve at a brunch. Plymouth gin is really a nice all-around gin. Maybe a tad less dry than most London style gins but not as sweet as an Old Tom, but with a lot of nice botanical depth in taste and nose. Plymouth might end up replacing Boodles as my go to mixing gin. Boodles still makes a better martini though.

 

Now winding down with a Pink Lady, recipe courtesy of Cocktail Virgin Slut, which is always a great source for inspiration when you want to mix up something different.

 

1 1/2 oz Gin

1/2 oz Applejack

1/2 oz Lemon Juice

1/2 oz Homemade Grenadine

1 Egg White

 

Frederic at Cocktail Virgin specifies Laird's Bonded (100 proof) which I can't get here, so I have to make due with the standard 80 proof variety.

 

As much as I think Ted Haigh's book Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails is a classic cocktail bible, I think the above version of the Pink Lady is more balanced than Ted's. I did swirl a pretty dash of bitters across the top of the beautiful white frothy top of this cocktail, which I think improved the taste as well as the appearance of this already very pretty drink.

 

Two years ago, I would have been herd pressed to have many positive things to say about gin in general. Obviously, that was total ignorance on my part. I'm just scratching the surface of this classic spirit, and definitely enjoying the exploration.

[FlaSoxxJim]

The owner of the Kaiser Penguin cocktail blog posted a recipe for a revamped hurricane during last week's Thursday Drink Night session that I only noticed this morning. Probably not wise to mix up a drink with nearly 5 oz of rum in it before heading off to a morning faculty meeting. A shame because I really want to mix this one up.

 

Rick's Category 5

• 3 1/2oz Coruba

• 1/2oz Cruzan Blackstrap

• 2oz lemon

• 2oz passion fruit syrup.

 

Blend, then top with

 

• 3/4oz J. Wray Overproof

 

Now that's the drink to have when you're only having one!

 

(or at least one at a time)

 

This week's TDN focus ingredient is Zaya Gran Reserva Trinidad Rum. I started playing around yesterday with two different Zaya drinks to toss into the mix. One s a daiquiri-type cocktail served up that will use lime and ginger to complement the rich dark rum. I used a homemade ginger syrup yesterday and it turned out a very nice drink, but I'm wondering if using Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur might not work even better. The other drink goes in a completely different route and plays off of the big vanilla notes of the Zaya by pairing with unsweetened coconut milk and a splash of Licor 43. Really a variation off of my wife's favorite home cocktail called a Great White that I usually do with aged Demerara rum and vanilla syrup in addition to the coconut milk. About a zillion calories in that one, but they sure are tasty.

 

Hoping to get some good feedback from the TDN participants this week because Beachbum Barry will actually be honoring the gang with is attendance. I'd be ecstatic if I could actually have Jeff give a thumbs-up to one of my drinks.

 

 

[FlaSoxxJim]

So, high marks for the Kaiser Penguin hurricane. Even at just a half-ounce, the pungent Cruzan Blackstrap punches through al the dark rum and fruit. The J Wray float also added a very nice nose and altered the end of the drink for the better as it lingered on the ice.

[FlaSoxxJim]

Needing to take break from tinkering with the Zaya recipes, I opted to have a mai tai this evening. I'm still in experimental mode apparently though and decided to get way out there on the rums, so Mai Tai Du jour looks like:

 

• 1 oz Guyana El Dorado Demerara Dark rum

• 1 oz Rhum Bologne from Guadeloupe

• 0.75 oz homemade orgeat

• 0.75 oz fresh lime juice

• 0.5 oz Martinique Clement Creole Shrubb

 

The rums in this one have extreme flavor profiles and neither of them can be considered to be any sort of stand-alone sipper. the ED dark is very rich but too acrid/burnt to be very versatile — usually I reserve it for use as an interesting float in a big faux tropical cocktail. The Rhum Bologne is a blanco rhum agricole, but is way more intense/earthy/vegetal/fusel than any Martinique white agricoles I've had. The shrubb was included as a substitute for the typical orange curacao of most classic mai tai formulations to make sure that the orange liqueur notes could break through that huge rum wall and gt some notice.

 

Turns out hese two rums actually complement each other wonderfully. The floral top notes of the Bologne shine through but the throaty harshness of this artisinal rhum lay down for the rish demeraa. And the palate-numbing burned notes of the demerara are nicely softened by the rhum and the rest of the ingredients.

 

Happy Accident, this one. Well, not entirely, since the rums were chosen because they represent extreme flavor profiles at opposing but hopefully complementary ends of the spectrum. But yeah, this one is a crazy keeper.

 

[G&T]

Tonight I finished off the week with a Smuttynose Gravitation. A member of the Smuttynose Big Beer Series, this is rather large quad weighing in at 12%. The best comparison I can give is that this tastes like Raison d'Extra if that beer were drinkable.

 

Here we have almost no head but plenty of raisin, banana, caramel, and a touch of alcohol in the nose. Taste is fruity and sweet, perhaps with a touch of apple. It's not a normal quad but my taste buds are enjoying it. Lately, quads have all come off as flat pop to me. Even Rochefort 10. The Gravitation is a different animal but is a fine beer all it's own.

 

Also, is easy on the wallet at $7 a bomber. At 12% abv, it's a night of drinking.

[FlaSoxxJim]

G&T, have you had anything from New York's Southern Tier Brewery yet? We just started getting this in Florida and I just had their imperial IPA yesterday and it was very good.

 

I wish we got all the Smuttynose stuff here. Their regular offerings are always good and some of the beers in the Big Beer Series look very appealing. How is the farmhouse ale that was released last month?

[shipps]

Flaxx, just from seeing how much you enjoy Rum I get the feeling like you are an extremely laid back fun person to be around. Just from your passion for Rum alone. LOL

[G&T]

G&T, have you had anything from New York's Southern Tier Brewery yet? We just started getting this in Florida and I just had their imperial IPA yesterday and it was very good.

 

I wish we got all the Smuttynose stuff here. Their regular offerings are always good and some of the beers in the Big Beer Series look very appealing. How is the farmhouse ale that was released last month?

 

I haven't had much Southern Tier. I tried a couple offerings a while back and didn't much care for them because they came off as over sweet. If I recall, they make a good pumpkin ale.

 

Smuttynose is hit or miss. They rarely hit the mark for the style they are attempting, but that's not always a bad thing. The farmhouse is a good summer quencher but calling it a farmhouse is a stretch, though it isn't easily classifiable elsewhere either. However, their beers are cheap and it's hard to find a better brewery for the price.

 

I found out last week that Allagash has been pulled from upstate NY to meet demand in NYC. So I am without it until they increase capacity. I hate NYC.

 

 

 

 

[FlaSoxxJim]

Flaxx, just from seeing how much you enjoy Rum I get the feeling like you are an extremely laid back fun person to be around. Just from your passion for Rum alone. LOL

 

That's a fair cop.

 

Problem is, all that rum costs $$, and that means I have to work, and that gets in the way of being laid back and fun.

 

One winning Lotto ticket away from being the richest bum on the planet.

[bigruss]

I dont know if it has been talked about much on here, but what tequilas do you all enjoy?

 

My uncle had a fantastic one that I got to try this summer (cannot remember the name of it at all) and really the only "real" tequila I have had is patron (I wouldnt call Cuervo and Sauza real tequila as the one's i had werent the 100% agave).

[FlaSoxxJim]

I dont know if it has been talked about much on here, but what tequilas do you all enjoy?

 

My uncle had a fantastic one that I got to try this summer (cannot remember the name of it at all) and really the only "real" tequila I have had is patron (I wouldnt call Cuervo and Sauza real tequila as the one's i had werent the 100% agave).

 

I wish I could afford to have more than a bottle or two of decent tequila around at any time, and it's a spirit I have barely scratched the surface of.

 

Now that El Jimador coming into the states is once again 100% de agave, that is usually what I keep on hand for margaritas and other mixed drinks. It's the number one selling tequila in Mexico so that counts for something, and it pretty much can't be beat from a quality versus price standpoint. I try to keep both the blanco and reposado on hand.

 

A step up from there, I really like Cazadores. It makes an excellent tequila Blood and Sand, and a top notch margarita. I think it was Soxy who turned me on to El Mayor as a sipper, and I put that in the same price versus quality category as Milagro and Herradura. I also think the 1800 reposado remains a good quality and reasonably priced brand.

 

I have never in my life bought a bottle of Patron or Cabo Wabo or any of the ultra-premium $60+ brands. Not that they are not outstanding, they are just out of my price range.

 

I'm also dying to get more into mezcal, but the local selection is awful. Monte Alban is the only brand you can find here with regularity. If you really search you cn find Scorpion and Del Maguey, but they are pricey bottles. I just love the smokiness on top of that teqila-like flavor. Very reminiscent of a peated scotch or an authentic oude genever.

Edited August 15, 2010 by FlaSoxxJim

[bigruss]

I wish I could afford to have more than a bottle or two of decent tequila around at any time, and it's a spirit I have barely scratched the surface of.

 

Now that El Jimador coming into the states is once again 100% de agave, that is usually what I keep on hand for margaritas and other mixed drinks. It's the number one selling tequila in Mexico so that counts for something, and it pretty much can't be beat from a quality versus price standpoint. I try to keep both the blanco and reposado on hand.

 

A step up from there, I really like Cazadores. It makes an excellent tequila Blood and Sand, and a top notch margarita. I think it was Soxy who turned me on to El Mayor as a sipper, and I put that in the same price versus quality category as Milagro and Herradura. I also think the 1800 reposado remains a good quality and reasonably priced brand.

 

I have never in my life bought a bottle of Patron or Cabo Wabo or any of the ultra-premium $60+ brands. Not that they are not outstanding, they are just out of my price range.

 

I'm also dying to get more into mezcal, but the local selection is awful. Monte Alban is the only brand you can find here with regularity. If you really search you cn find Scorpion and Del Maguey, but they are pricey bottles. I just love the smokiness on top of that teqila-like flavor. Very reminiscent of a peated scotch or an authentic oude genever.

Ill definitely have to try those sipping tequilas. Thanks for all the info!

[FlaSoxxJim]

I enjoyed a 750 ml bottle of Cascade Brewing Company's Kreik Ale that was surprisingly good. The bottle calls it a "northwest style sour ale" refermented with cheries, and it was totally balls-on lactic Belgian in flavor. I had intended to split the bottle with the Missus who is quite a beer hound in her own right, but the sour bite was a bit much for her and I ended up drinking most of the bottle myself.

 

VERY similar to Cantillon's fruit lambics which are way more tart and biting than Linderman or Timmerman and the like. Conceded, this is not a product of spontaneous fermenation like a true Lembeek lambic, but flavor-wise it hits all the right notes. Very much like a gueuze with a hint of fruit and no real sweetness to speak of.

 

At $19 a bottle, it won't be something I pick up regularly — but then again, it's a seasonal that isn't around too often to tempt me. On the other hand, I have 750's of their apricot- and grape- refermented ales on the counter waiting to be enjoyed as well. Looks to be a very sour couple of weeks!

[G&T]

I enjoyed a 750 ml bottle of Cascade Brewing Company's Kreik Ale that was surprisingly good. The bottle calls it a "northwest style sour ale" refermented with cheries, and it was totally balls-on lactic Belgian in flavor. I had intended to split the bottle with the Missus who is quite a beer hound in her own right, but the sour bite was a bit much for her and I ended up drinking most of the bottle myself.

 

VERY similar to Cantillon's fruit lambics which are way more tart and biting than Linderman or Timmerman and the like. Conceded, this is not a product of spontaneous fermenation like a true Lembeek lambic, but flavor-wise it hits all the right notes. Very much like a gueuze with a hint of fruit and no real sweetness to speak of.

 

At $19 a bottle, it won't be something I pick up regularly — but then again, it's a seasonal that isn't around too often to tempt me. On the other hand, I have 750's of their apricot- and grape- refermented ales on the counter waiting to be enjoyed as well. Looks to be a very sour couple of weeks!

 

I don't know about you, but people should give me some space if I'm drinking lambics.

 

But now I want to go find those. I don't know that they are sold up here (never heard of it).

 

BTW, Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale is yummy.

[FlaSoxxJim]

I don't know about you, but people should give me some space if I'm drinking lambics.

 

But now I want to go find those. I don't know that they are sold up here (never heard of it).

 

BTW, Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale is yummy.

 

I'd never seen them here either until last week.

[hogan873]

I don't know about you, but people should give me some space if I'm drinking lambics.

 

But now I want to go find those. I don't know that they are sold up here (never heard of it).

 

BTW, Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale is yummy.

Dogfish Head makes a lot of interesting and great beers. I agree with you on the Indian Head Brown. Also, Midas Touch, Festina Peche, and Raisson D'Etra are very nice.

[G&T]

I have waited for years to get my hands on a fresh brew from Captain Lawrence, but I have had no luck...until today. Suddenly the beer store went from a dusty bottle, to 3 fresh varieties. So I grabbed a Xtra Gold American Tripel.

 

This is a very good beer. Not as sweet as a normal tripel, but with great hops notes instead. And that is what they went for. While the hazy gold color and orange peel are present, the remaining fruit notes are replaced with pine and grass. Not a hint of alcohol is present despite hitting 10%.

 

I say this a lot about American breweries mimicking foreign styles, but this isn't traditional to the style, but fantastic nevertheless. America has to be considered a beer destination. It is remarkable how many different breweries are doing great things with traditional styles.

[bigruss]

3 new beers for me tonight that have gotten me quite drunk:

 

He-brew brewers- Jewbuliation - good, but really shouldve started with this beer. At 13% alc it was wuite heavy and filling, but delicious. Rated a 96/100 on some sites, i thought it was a great beer but for special occasions and sobriety only. Not for after being 8 deep.

 

Bells- Two hearted ale- fantastic, hoppy beer that i look forwrad to have again, just f***in fantastic taste (plus 7% alc per vol).

 

Hoegaarden- not only a good name, but tasty wheat based beer. Good, maybe even better than 312 (one of my faves) and very spicey, would def drink again.

[SoxFan1]

Glenlivet on the rocks.

 

/thread

[dasox24]

Glenlivet on the rocks.

 

/thread

How many years old was the scotch?

 

Nevermind, I saw you said 12 in another thread.

Edited August 22, 2010 by dasox24

[FlaSoxxJim]

Bacon-infused bourbon old fashioned. Happy Happy Joy Joy!

[FlaSoxxJim]

Bacon-infused bourbon old fashioned. Happy Happy Joy Joy!

 

Mix, Strain, Drink, Repeat.

 

[Chi Town Sox]

I know the Beer Bistro on Madison carried Spaten Oktoberfest last year, and am waiting to hear back if they have it this year....does anyone else know any other bars in Chicago that will or already are carrying this? Preferably on tap! I had it last year when I was on a work trip in Atlanta and fell in love...Thanks!