bttt

1/10/2015 7:45:04 PM

suffering bastard...in an lowball glass, add:

1oz bourbon
1oz gin
1oz lime juice
1 dash angostura bitters
4oz ginger ale

and add ice

[Edited on January 12, 2015 at 9:37 AM. Reason : .]

1/12/2015 9:36:31 AM

where does one buy vermouth in raleigh?

1/13/2015 8:26:53 PM

^ Whole Foods. The one near me has at least 10 options.

4/28/2015 9:55:44 PM

And if you don't care then most grocery stores will have martini Rossi

4/28/2015 10:52:02 PM

I've even seen bottles in ABC stores.

4/29/2015 9:16:28 AM

have any you taste tested St. Elder against St. Germain?

I had a bartender make me a Jean Genie the other week after ordering a Moscow Mule and it was delicious.

Hendricks Gin, Ginger Beer, splash of St. Germain.

6/29/2015 8:33:05 AM

Never tried St Elder. Always keep a bottle of St Germain handy at the house. Works great in a lot of cocktails.

[Edited on June 29, 2015 at 9:20 AM. Reason : .]

6/29/2015 9:20:22 AM

I haven't done a taste comparison but picked up some St. Elders last week and made a cocktail with it and it tasted great.

1.5 oz tequila.
1.0 oz elderberry liqueur
0.5 oz lime juice
Couple dashes bitters (I used hopped grapefruit)
Couple dashes tabasco

Combine in shaker with ice, pour into salt rimmed glass with ice. I used smoked sea salt to add a level of complexity to it.

6/30/2015 8:28:20 AM

Err...elderflower liqueur (St Elders or St Germains), not elderberry. Bad phone.

6/30/2015 12:41:53 PM

Lately, I've been drinking a cocktail inspired by a drink at Milk Bar downtown (and what I had on hand).

1 oz bourbon (I used Wild Turkey 101 because that's "what I had on hand")
1 oz Cynar
1 oz dry vermouth

Stir over ice and serve in a whiskey glass. It's delicious.

6/9/2016 6:58:21 AM

Manhattan

Ingredients
3 parts bourbon (I like Bulleit) [60 mL]
2 parts red vermouth (I like Noily Pratt Rouge) [40 mL]
3 dashes of bitters (use Angostura)
Large slice orange peel
Cherry (fresh or jarred bing, not a fan of maraschino)

Directions
Stir bourbon, vermouth, and bitters in a cocktail shaker with lots of ice until very cold (~ 50 stirs)
Strain into rock glass or similar
Garnish with orange peel and cherry (Be sure to twist peel over glass to express the oils)

6/9/2016 5:36:17 PM

^ does shaking impart too much water?

6/9/2016 6:41:09 PM

1 part Alize
1 part Cristal

6/9/2016 8:05:44 PM

^^ The main reason not shake it is that it comes out frothy. As a rule, you stir clear drinks like this one or martinis. You shake drinks with juice in them like whiskey sours.

6/9/2016 10:52:33 PM

the last couple times I have ordered an Aviation they have come out with a greenish tint. I'm wondering if these bartenders are using chartreuse instead of creme de violet and actually making a Last Word instead of an Aviation?

1/18/2017 9:41:55 AM

Where are you ordering the drinks? I would say creme de violette is more rare to have behind the bar than Chartreuse. So I guess I could see them substituting that...but those are pretty different tasting liqueurs.

Also, I'm not ordering a rare* cocktail like that unless I'm sitting at the bar and can get a gauge of whether or not the bartender knows how to make the cocktail or at least be there to answer questions on how to make it. I know craft cocktails are more common these days, but there's definitely not a guarantee that bars will be stocked with all the right ingredients and/or your bartender is going to know how to make them.




*All bartenders should know how to make Manhattans/Old Fashioneds/Negronis/Sazeracs/etc....but if it's not one of those classic cocktails, and it's not on the cocktail list, you might want to take some extra precautions to make sure you get a correctly made cocktail.

[Edited on January 18, 2017 at 11:32 AM. Reason : .]

1/18/2017 11:23:53 AM

Manhattans are my go-to cocktail, but I'm not ordering one at a place that looks like they only go through one bottle of vermouth every month.

1/18/2017 11:28:23 AM

^^last two, one was at Green Light in Raleigh and The Cellar in Charlotte. both well regarded cocktail bars.

1/18/2017 7:18:47 PM

I've been drinking bourbon with ginger soda, and sometimes a splash of lime.

1/19/2017 11:51:17 AM

^^ Being a "well regarded" cocktail bar just means that you have a good cocktail list and you should be good at making the classics. That doesn't mean they should be able to make your favorite cocktail that you had at a bar one time and bought all the ingredients and now make at home...even if it's slightly well known. I consider myself cocktail savvy and bartended for a dozen years and I've never made an Aviation or worked at a bar with creme de violette. Don't be that guy.

1/19/2017 12:35:19 PM