Great Cocktails

[MrWookie]

Ach! Plymouth! I was rather drunk when I wrote my last post in here, and I completely forgot about it. I knew I was forgetting one, too, but I couldn't remember for the life of me. Plymouth is a great gin for cocktails. It's a little different than a classic gin like Sapphire or Tanq 10, but it mixes very well. I seem to remember it being a little more expensive than Sapphire (at least for me), so it's hard for me to call it a value pick, but it's worth considering. Since no gin is all that pricey, though, it's not too expensive to just buy the gin you love and be done w/ it. Next time I'm out gin shopping, I'll probably pick up a bottle of Hendricks and then either a bottle of Sapphire or Plymouth. Sounds like I'll have to give Campari a go, too.

[phage]

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You've never tried a Negroni? Oh, dude. It's the perfect balance of flavours. Make it on the rocks with a slice of orange and a dash of soda water. Fantastic.



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Do you really prefer a Negroni that's fizzy? I tried it once and feel that the original is much better. In fact I find that's true for most non-mixer cocktails. Then again I was just in Ireland and Scotland and many of the whisky/scotch producers were telling people that they should go ahead and mix their drinks any way they want...I'm all for personal preference but scotch and cranberry????

[MrWookie]

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A delicious drink that most women won't turn down.

The Velvet Hammer:

25% Grand Marnier ( or Triple Sec)
25% Creme de Cacao
50% Evaporated Milk or Double Cream

Shaken with ice, and poured into chilled cocktail glass.

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abs,

A Sidecar is another classic that any bar should have the ingredients to make, even if the bartender doesn't know what it is off the top of his head. It's simply,

2 parts brandy
1 part Cointreau (or triple sec)
1 part lemon juice

Shaken and served straight up with either a twist of lemon or a lemon wheel.

RBP,

That does sound like it could be a real winner. I'd like it more if it had more alcohol, though. I might experiment with tossing some brandy in there as well to make it a slightly more exotic Brandy Alexander (0.75 oz brandy, 0.75 oz cream, 0.5 oz creme de cacao)

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Update on this. I just made myself a first attempt at combining the Brandy Alexander and the Velvet Hammer into a new super drink. I'm having to work with approximations, though, since I only have 2% milk right now, not cream, and I only have Cointreau, not Grand Marnier. My first attempt at a recipe was simply equal parts of brandy, creme de cacao, Cointreau, and milk. It's pretty drinkable, but the Cointreau dominates. I think if I cut it back to a 1/4-1/2 portion, we'll have something.

[MrWookie]

Attempt #2 was 1 oz brandy, 1 oz creme de cacao, 0.75 oz milk, and 0.25 oz Cointreau. This is getting close, but I think it's still too much Cointreau. I think just 1/8th of an ounce should do it. Maybe Grand Marnier doesn't cut through everything as much as Cointreau does.

[katyseagull]

You sound like you're having fun tonight Wookie. Will there be a 3rd attempt?

[MrWookie]

Oh, you know I know how to have a wild time. Sitting at home alone on a Saturday night, drinking alone, watching stuff on my DVR I haven't watched yet... But I suppose it's better than debugging FORTRAN code, which is what I thought I was going to be doing right now and is the reason I have no plans.


Yeah, I think I'll go for round 3.

[MrWookie]

Round 3, I think I've got it. I went 0.75 oz brandy, 0.75 oz milk, 1 oz creme de cacao, and 1/8th oz Cointreau. I also added the dusting of nutmeg called for in a Brandy Alexander. It might be a little too much like a Brandy Alexander, but the orange in the finish is a nice addition. I'd be really interested if someone else here gave this a go and reported on the results, esp. if they could contrast the Cointreau and the Grand Marnier.

[bigmonkey]

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lol. Well thanks for at least trying. I appreciate the effort!

([img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] that's the only glass you own? My god man should we get a collection together?)

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Nah I'm fine thanks. I tend to just drink straight out of the carton. The glass only comes out for special occasions. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[jfk]

A past Sunday morning ritual when friends were around (meaning before kids) was a champagne mimosa using blood oranges.

Another derivation for the Sunday brunch was to add strawberry juice to the champagne.

Serve with prosciutto and figs or French toast or any number of things.

[jtr]

Mr Wookie, will try your recipe at some point although I am not hardcore enough to have it for Sunday breakfast. I think you're right about Cointreau vs. Grand Marnier: the former is all orange whereas the latter is a warmer, rounder brandy-influenced sort of flavour.