June 15th, 2009
Summer 2009 Drinks Menu POSTED AT 04:37 AM in Recipes, Misc.
The Veranda Taking it Outside
Antebellum Julep - Delpech Fougerat XO, Leopold's Georgia Peach Whiskey, Gosling's Rum, mint Arnie at Augusta - House-vatted Bourbon, muscadine & tea syrups, mint, lemon, soda, bitters Daiquiri - Matusalem Platino Rum, lime Oaxacan Sour - Capel Pisco, Del Maguey Mezcal, Cointreau, Lillet, lemon, orange spice
syrup, egg white, coffee bean-infused Vermouth The Study Solitary Contemplation
Bull City Manhattan - Wild Turkey 101 Rye, Italian Vermouth, Bual Madeira, Ardbeg Whisky, Laird's Apple Brandy, Peychaud's & Peach bitters Gascony vs. Savoie - Ch de Laubade Armagnac XO, Lillet, Noilly Prat, Chamberyzette, Yellow Chartreuse, Depaz Rhum, Peychaud's bitters Ernest Hemingway's Death in the Afternoon - Absinthe, Champagne Hemingway Daiquiri (Papa Doble) - Matusalem Platino Rum, Luxardo Maraschino, grapefruit, lime
The Ballroom Bawdry Merriment
Chatham Artillery Punch - Catawba, Rum, Rye, Cognac, Champagne, Longjing, pineapple, lemon, strawberry, cherry, orange Columbia Punch - Gewurztraminer, Ambre Rum, St. Germain, Champagne, pineapple Page Special - House-vatted Bourbon, Sprite, Branca, bitters Uninspired Drinker - Vodka, club soda
The Parlor Lounging & Entertaining
Singapore Sling - seasonal Gin, Benedictine, Cherry Heering, lemon, soda, Angostura & Regan's Orange bitters Pegu Club - seasonal Gin, Curacao, lime, Angostura & Regan's Orange bitters Chairman Marg - Ti Kuan Yin-infused Tequila, Domaine de Canton, Lillet, lime Portuguese Daiquiri - Agua Luca Cachaca, San Sebastian Port, lime
Pre-Prandial Apetite Stimulation
Leif of Bread - Aalborg Akvavit, Old Overholt Rye, Ramazzotti Dripping Wet Martini - seasonal Gin, French Vermouth, Regan's Orange bitters Half Sinner, Half Saint - Italian Vermouth, French Vermouth, Absinthe Bamboo - French Vermouth, Amontillado Sherry, Angostura & Regan's Orange
bitters
Post-Prandial Meal Digestion
Masan Flip - Persimmon-infused Soju, Vodka, Domaine de Canton, whole egg Buzz Word - Zuidam Genever, Luxardo Maraschino, Barenjager, lemon Anglo-Saxon - St. George Kirsch, Plymouth Sloe Gin
Corpse Reviver [Self-Explanatory]
Argyll - House-vatted Whisky, St. Germain, rosemary grapefruit syrup, lime, Absinthe #2 - seasonal Gin, Cointreau, Lillet, lemon, Absinthe Hello Morning - House-vatted Whisky, Champagne, Bawls Guarana, Angostura bitters
2 comments
|
|
May 6th, 2009
Cocktail Flight POSTED AT 11:51 AM in Recipes Recent tinkering in the lab has resulted in a satisfying Spring-time cocktail flight, intended for casual afternoon, pre-prandial aperitif, and post-prandial digestif consumption:
Afternoon 1.5 oz Dark Rum (Gosling's Black Seal) 1.0 oz. Apple Brandy (Laird's Bonded) scant 1/2 Tbs. Orgeat 1/2 lime, juiced 2 dashes Peychaud's 1 dash Fee's Grapefruit Bitters Shake, Strain, Serve Up
Aperitif 1.5 oz. Dry Vermouth (new Noilly Pratt) 0.75 oz Aquavit (Linie) 0.5 oz Cynar 1 tsp. Yellow Chartreuse Stir, Strain, Serve Up
Digestif 1.25 oz Bourbon (Weller Antique) 0.75 oz Creme de Mure (house-made) 0.5 oz. Ramazzotti Stir, Strain, Serve Up
|
|
May 5th, 2009
Alternatives to the Margarita POSTED AT 12:08 PM in Spirits, Recipes, Misc. This is for all you elitists out there who want to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, but don't want to be caught with a margarita in your hand, owing that this is the beverage that 91.3% of the multitudes of unwashed masses will be consuming tonight (I'm estimating the other 8.7% of MUM will roll exclusively Corona). Breaking the margarita down, Dave Wondrich notes in his brilliant Imbibe! that the cocktail is essentially a tequila daisy, i.e. tequila-orange liqueur-citrus (lime). Thus, if we want to riff on the marg, it is quite possible to swap out any liqueur for the orange and any citrus for the lime. St. Germain is reportedly an excellent substitution for this particular quaff, and I've found grapefruit + bitters to well highlight tequila in the past. Swap out at your own desire. Another possibility is to build upon the marg. To do this, we can add an additional sweet element to the orange liqueur, while adding another bitter/sour element atop the lime. The key when constructing a cocktail in such a way is to keep the drink from becoming overly busy, over-extracted, or simply over-wrought; no one enjoys an 11-ingredient train wreck, except for the pretentious faux expert newbie holding court at his table in the corner. To be sure, I have nothing against 11 ingredient drinks per se, so long as each element plays an integral role and isn't simply included for the sake of said inclusion. One such drink I shook up the other day added 0.75 oz. of Ramazzotti, 1 dash agave nectar, 2 dashes Peychaud's and 1 dash Fee's Grapefruit Bitters to the standard margarita formula; its taste is the maturing, near-middle aged crisis 40 yr old to the marg's raging adolescent. There are also a plethora of great tequila cocktails that owe no pedigree to the margarita, a host that numbers much too many to name here. I suggest heading on over to the cocktaildb, searching for "tequila" and selecting a concoction that speaks to you. In my experience, Campari, bianco vermouth, absinthe, the aforementioned St. Germain, Lillet, apple brandy and many others play extremely well with tequila. Another option sure to appeal to the elitist is mezcal (though not of the con gusano sort; that is decidedly prole). Using mezcal in lieu of tequila is sure to produce a deeper, more luxurious, 'smoke-filled back room' feel to even the most standard of tequila cocktails. A popular technique in the New York cocktail bars is to use a fraction of mezcal in conjunction with a larger fraction of tequila, or even simply rinsing the glass with mezcal, to glean just a hint of the spirit's ruggedly handsome smokiness. The bottom line from the preceding? There are plenty of options for the elitist to stand out, and more importantly stand apart, even on Cinco de Mayo. |
|
April 28th, 2009
Annual Sangria POSTED AT 10:41 AM in Recipes, Misc. I mark the first 90 degree day of each year w/ a not-so-celebratory "we're in for a long Summer" pitcher of Sangria. If I'm to lament the onset of 5 months of heat, I'd like to at least feign a festal recognition of such. While I'm sure the recipe changes each year -- especially since it's occasionally by dumb luck that I discover the next day is set to reach 90, thus sending me out scurrying to the grocer -- I figured I'd jot down what this year's batch consisted of. If nothing else, it'll help next year's impromptu planning.
1200 ml Carlo Rossi Paisano 150 ml Raynal Brandy 80 ml Santa Teresa Curacao 10 T Cane Sugar 1 Fuji Apple, sliced 1 Persian Lime, sliced 1 Tangelo, sliced 1 Anjou Pear, sliced 1 Kiwi, sliced 2 Cinnamon sticks 2 dozen Allspice berries
This went into the pitcher overnight. Upon serving, top glass off with Blood Orange Soda/S. Pellegrino for fizz (S. Pellegrino contains 82% less sodium than standard club soda).
|
|
April 25th, 2009
NFL 2009 Mock Draft POSTED AT 05:28 AM in Misc. Each year, I do an NFL first round mock draft the morning of draft day; I hear it's what the cool kids are doing.
2. Saint Louis Rams - Jason Smith, OT, Baylor 3. Kansas City Chiefs - Tyson Jackson, DE, LSU 4. Seattle Seahawks - Mark Sanchez, QB, USC 5. Cleveland Browns - Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech 6. Cincinnati Bengals - Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia 7. Oakland Raiders - Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR, Maryland 8. Jacksonville Jaguars - Aaron Curry, LB, Wake Forest 9. Green Bay Packers - B.J. Raji, DT, Boston College 10. San Francisco 49ers - Andre Smith, OT, Alabama 11. Buffalo Bills - Brian Orakpo, DE, Texas 12. Denver Broncos - Rey Maualuga, LB, USC 13. Washington Redskins - Josh Freeman, QB, Kansas St. 14. New Orleans Saints - Malcolm Jenkins, DB, Ohio St. 15. Houston Texans - Clay Matthews, LB, USC 16. San Diego Chargers - Chris Wells, RB, Ohio St. 17. New York Jets - Jeremy Maclin, WR, Missouri 18. Denver Broncos - Peria Jerry, DT, Ole Miss 19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Aaron Maybin, DE, Penn St. 20. Detroit Lions - Michael Oher, OT, Ole Miss 21. Philadelphia Eagles - Knowshon Moreno, RB, Georgia 22. Minnesota Vikings - Percy Harvin, WR, Florida 23. New England Patriots - Vontae Davis, CB, Illinois 24. Atlanta Falcons - Evander Hood, DT, Missouri 25. Miami Dolphins - Brian Cushing, LB, USC 26. Baltimore Ravens - Hakeem Nicks, WR, North Carolina 27. Indinapolis Colts - Brian Robiskie, WR, Ohio St. 28. Buffalo Bills - Brandon Pettigrew, TE, Oklahoma St. 29. New York Giants - Kenny Britt, WR, Rutgers 30. Tennessee Titans - Everette Brown, DE, Florida St. 31. Arizona Cardinals - Donald Brown, RB, Connecticut 32. Pittsburgh Steelers - Eric Wood, C, Louisville
|
|