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Any cocktail enthusiasts/mixologists here? Feel free to share or workshop some good cocktail recipes!
After seeing the recent espresso post, I figured I'd start a thread for cocktails. I've been recently getting into decent rums (Smith & Cross is a favorite) and have been playing around with different recipes and uses.
So far, I've found a good spring/summer spritzer of cachaça (raw sugarcane distillate from Brazil, with a grassy, vegetal flavor), elderflower liqueur, and tonic water. I need to refine it, but I think I'm at a 2/0.5/4 ratio of spirit/liqueur/tonic. I love the way the herbal-sweet elderflower mixes with the cachaça, balanced by the bitterness of the tonic.
my go-to cocktail is always an old fashioned.
1 teaspoon of maple syrup, a bit of water, 3~4 splashes of bitters, 60~70ml of a nice rye and a lemon peel (yes, lemon, not orange!), ice.
the lemon peel pairs better with the rye, the maple syrup is sweeter than sugar, but it's a lot more complex which makes the cocktail a lot better.
Have you tried adding a dash of black walnut bitters? I find that adds depth to the maple and the whiskey (although the good rye probably doesn't need it).
no! i'm going to try it soon enough. sounds delicious!
The old fashioned is my favorite cocktail as well, and I'm with you on using the trick of maple syrup instead of simple, goes really nicely with the whisky.
I recently started making my own syrup using demerara sugar and would highly recommend it, gives a nice toasted caramel flavor that I think goes great with rye.
I've been making old fashioneds at home but find they are just not as enjoyable as when I order one at a cocktail place.
I think I use decent quality ingredients? Angostura Bitters, and alcohols I've used are Eagle Rare, Wild Turkey 101, Maker's Mark, Basil Hayden, Woodford Reserve, Four Roses, etc. Even got the big ice cube.
Is it a mental thing, or am I missing out on some key piece of knowledge?
weirdly enough, i think ice, of all things, makes a difference.
normal ice, made with tap water... well, it's just not as good as clear ice made with mineral water. not only the clear ice will melt slower, but the water quality (as well as the mineral balance, not being as hard or as soft) makes a difference!
another thing you can try: make the cocktail in a different glass, stir with ice and then serve on a different glass.
Camper English (Alcademics on the socials) has done a number of experiments on this topic and would agree with you. I haven't ordered or read it yet, but he's now published a book based on his findings.
What syrup(s) have you used, and how do you garnish it? The citrus twist, in my opinion, is the heart of an old fashioned.
If you've tried all the recipes and experimented, it may just be one of those things that's ruined by the process for you. Just exposing yourself to the aromas of the individual ingredients can really mute the effect of any ensemble.
I've tried plain sugar (mix with the bitters first to dissolve), maple syrup, simple syrup, and demerara syrup.
It might be the garnish then, I rarely buy citrus fruits so I often don't have peels on hand. Previously I tried using some frozen orange peels I saved, but they may have been past their prime.
I do feel like my drinks are lacking in complexity, so this could be it. I'm off to buy some oranges!
Yeah, that is probably your issue. In the future, it could be worth trying out some citrus bitters as a shelf-stable substitute. An atomizer would be best for that, but very lightly rinsing the glass or just loosely dripping a dash across the surface would probably be good enough.
try buying dried orange slices! it's not expensive, they last forever and they add some good complexity to your cocktails. i prefer fresh fruit, but i always have some dried one just in case.
I've recently fallen into tiki drinks. Minimalist Tiki is a great explanation of the underlying theory, ingredients, and recipes. (There are too many types of rum!)
That’s one of my favorite books, in no small part because shipping a “Minimalist” book where the number of <= 4 ingredient cocktails can be counted on one hand makes me laugh and laugh. It really is quite a good book tho.
Plus it introduced me to https://cocktailvirgin.blogspot.com/?m=1 (heavily cited in the classic 30 online) which is by far the best blog I’ve ever found for cocktails
Haha. It's is minimalist tiki, not minimalist cocktails, after all. I love the spreadsheet of ingredients cross referenced with different recipes.
I keep a handwritten notebook of recipes I've tried and liked. They're from all over the place, so for many of them I don't have the source anymore. However, two I regularly make and still have the source recipes are:
For finding new recipes, my go-to site is Difford's Guide (cocktail search page here: https://www.diffordsguide.com/cocktails/search). Being able to search by ingredient has been really helpful in expanding what I can do with my bottles. I usually find that I don't like their recipes as is, but they give me a good place to start tweaking.
I'm a big fan of a Corpse Reviver no. 2 riff called the Sunflower - sub in St. Germain for the aperitif.
0.75oz/22ml Lemon Juice
0.75oz/22ml Gin
0.75oz/22ml Cointreau, or orange liqeuer of choice
0.75oz/22ml St. Germain
Shake and strain into a coupe glass rinsed in absinthe, or I usually use an atomizer to stretch my tiny 187ml absinthe bottle further. I've made it with cointreau and Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao and both are delicious. Garnish with a lemon twist.
Otherwise shout out to Ti' Punch, a bit of sugarcane syrup, 2oz of (Unaged) Rhum Agricole, and a sliced disk off the edge of a lime squeezed and dropped in. Serve with no ice. You can also make it with aged Agricole but I find it better with the fresh grassy flavor of unaged agricole.
I've never used cachaça, is sugar syrup a decent sub? I'm sure it's not hard to find where I am, but simple syrup is so easy. edit: I missed that it's a spirit! I always thought it was just a particular syrup.
And I love elderflower tonic.
For myself, I can't go past a good whiskey or amaretto sour. When I was still bartending and in a relationship with a vegan, I could never quite nail down the aquafaba versions, they felt a little lacking. I'm actually off to the pub tonight, so maybe I'll up a sour!
Sorry, should have been more clear: cachaça is basically a Brazilian rum made with raw sugarcane juice, rather than molasses or processed sugar (like most rums are). A similar substitute would be Rum Agricole from Martinique. (Actually just saw your edit, but figured the additional context might be appreciated.)
Have fun! Ever have a flip? (That's basically with a whole egg, rather than just the egg white.) I'm partial to a rum (or Brandy) flip, with spirit, a bit of syrup, whole egg, then dry-shaken (for froth), shaken with ice, then double-strained into a coupe and topped with freshly grated nutmeg. It's like Christmas dessert in a glass (but not too sweet, depending on how much syrup you use).
Speaking of syrups, in recent months I've made a molasses syrup, a cinnamon syrup, and regular simple syrup. I've also made a demerara syrup in the past; each of these pairs well with different base spirits and other ingredients.
Light Rum would be a better substitute for cachaça.
I tried my hand at making some shrubs and switchels recently, and coming from someone who's not generally a huge fan of vinegar, they're great! I've been using them for cocktails, and even for some quick mocktails (shrub + sparkling water is nice & v simple) when I'm not trying to actually drink. Highly recommend, and they were super easy to make.
My favourite of all time has to be a Oaxaca old fashioned:
Make as a normal old fashioned.
In terms of others, I've been working on a fairly specialised bourbon/gin/peach long drink. It's not quite dialled in right now but I'll be sure to share when it is.
Gold rushes (bourbon, lemon juice, honey syrup) are my current go-to, since I always have the ingredients on hand. I also love a Kentucky mule now and then. I would like to branch out more though, since I tend to only make whiskey-based cocktails at home.
Gold Rush sounds like it'll become my go-to too! I hadn't come across this before but the flavor profile seems right up my alley. I don't have many cocktail ingredients on hand, but this is simple enough to make that I won't have to go buy something else.
My go to drink lately has been a cosmopolitan.
I tend to go a bit heavier on the lime Juice than a traditional one and I think it is delicious.
1.5 Oz of a good quality Vodka.
0.5 Oz of Cointreau (Trust me it is worth it over a cheaper Triple Sec)
1 Oz of Cranberry Juice
1 Oz of Fresh Lime Juice
Shake it all with ice, then strain and serve.
For a drink that is 50% 80 proof liquor, it tastes so good, and is fairly low on sugar.
I make a "specialty" Manhattan for my friends:
2 oz whiskey rye
1 oz sweet vermouth
1/4 oz dark creme de cacao
2 dashes angostura bitters
4 dashes chocolate bitters
1 bar spoon cherry juice
Garnish cherry
Just a standard Manhattan with dark chocolate notes. Not overpowering, but enough to notice and appreciate!
As someone who loves Manhattans and chocolate I definitely plan on trying this out.
I am a rum guy as well (also through extensive Tiki drinking), but really I’ve met very few types of liquor where I can’t find anything to enjoy.
A recent find of mine (after keeping an eye out for years) was a Creole Shrub, which I recently enjoyed the pants off of in a Creole Sazerac
Related to your spritz OP, my drink of the summer last year was a swizzle consisting of young Agricole (Rhum JM green) with white grapefruit, lime, mint and sugar
I’ve been really into Revolvers lately.
2oz bourbon (I like Bulleit…because you put a bullet in the revolver, get it…?)
.5oz coffee liqueur (Kahlua is fine for this, but I generally prefer something more coffee forward)
2 dashes orange bitters
Stir with a big rock and garnish with a fresh orange peel. Delicious.
In our current times, AKA the Great Chartreuse Shortage of 2023, I've been making cocktails with other amaros. This is probably the one I end up making the most. It's a tweak on a Midnight Stinger that splits the Fernet with Benedictine.
1oz Bourbon
.5oz Fernet
.5oz Benedictine
.5oz Simple Syrup
.75oz Lemon Juice
A couple of drops of saline solution
Shake, serve up with a Luxardo cherry.
My favorite cocktail to make at home is a penicillin, I use this recipe from Liber and Co and use their ginger syrup as well.
If you can find it, Jean de Lillet reserve is supposed to be very close to the original Kina Lillet, and makes a Vesper worth drinking.
Can we start a campaign to bring back the OG Kina Lillet? Lillet Blanc is nowhere near as good as the JdL Reserve in a cocktail.
Pina Colada
1 part Pepe Lopez cream of coconut
1 part frozen pineapple
1 part clear rum
Fresh lime juice
A pineapple disc and cherry for garnish
Serve it in a hollow pineapple.
I've recently discovered my enjoyment of cocktails when I have been to bars. I have yet to attempt much at home besides some whisky sours and Moscow mules. Where would be a good place to start learning more about it? Any books, blogs, or Youtube channels to look into?
Anders Erickson is probably one of my favorite YouTube channels for basic technique and recipes.
Most cocktails are riffs on four or five basic types or recipes, based on ratios of spirit, sugar/liqueur, citrus, and bitters. I haven't bought it yet, but Liquid Intelligence gets referenced often as an in-depth resource book.
Thanks for the suggestions! I am going to start looking at his videos to start with while I build up more of a bar.
I call it the Supernova. Two shots of any cinnamon whiskey. Anywhere from 6-13 drops of ghost pepper bitters, top with half a bottle of chilled Bleheim Ginger Ale. If you ever wanted a drink that hurts you in three different ways but still tastes good, this is the cocktail for you. Fair warning it is a hangover machine.