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Cocktail GAF: What are you having?

H

Hello? This is Hailun!

Member
The thread for the cocktail fan. Mixology and good spirits within.

My personal bar usually contains a mix of rums and gin, heavily favored towards Gin.

Gin List:

Mahon
Botanist
Hendricks
Uncle Van's Botanical
Boodles



Rum Short List:

Mount Gay Silver



Vodka Short List:

Stoli (cause why get anything else?)


Tonight I am having a Hemingway Daiquiri (Rum, Lime, Grapefruit, Luxardo). Hemingway knew how to drink.

A high school graduate, Hemingway furthered his education by his world travels, Key West to Kilimanjaro, Venice to Paris. For a real taste of local life, he said, "Don't bother with churches, government buildings or city squares, if you want to know about a culture, spend a night in its bars." The man is legendary for his unfettered appreciation of a good drink. He frequently would weave cocktails into the vivid descriptions of his books. Philip Greene, cocktail and Hemingway scholar, noted:

In The Sun Also Rises, Jake Barnes has a Jack Rose while waiting in vain for Brett. In A Farewell to Arms, Frederic Henry has a couple of "cool and clean" Martinis; they made him "feel civilized." And in For Whom the Bell Tolls, it is the ritual of dripped absinthe that gives Robert Jordan's temporary solace from the rigors of war: "One cup of it took the place of the evening papers, of all the old evenings in cafés, of all chestnut trees that would be in bloom now in this month.... of all the things he had enjoyed and forgotten and that came back to him when he tasted that opaque, bitter, tongue-numbing, brain-warming, stomach-warming, idea-changing liquid alchemy."
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Some of my other night camps include The Last Word (Gin, Lime, Luxardo, Chartreuse):

Last-Word.jpg
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(I like anything with Luxardo in it)

And, what I usually order, The French Gimlet (Gin, St Germain, Lime):

vodka-gimlet-720x720-recipe.jpg
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We've been by the pool recently, which is a great excuse for a Bramble (Gin, Simple, Creme de Mure, Soda)

bramble-1200x628-social.jpg
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Tanqueray (Gin) + La Croix

Flor De Cana (Rum) + Coke Zero

Don't really get much more complicated than that for. Though, as a Canadian, I do like me a good Caeser on occassion. Stoli being the vodka of choice.
 
They're classics but I think the Old Fashioned and the Margarita (real, not that mix shit) are great make-at-home cocktails. Dead easy and pretty economical.

I love Negronis too, but Negroni ingredients are like 80-100 bucks if you have an empty cabinet. Too much for me considering how many of them I drink (not that many).
 
Hello? This is Hailun! said:
It's hard for me to pick the notes in many scotch and bourbons, though I do enjoy them.
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I really don't like scotch but with Bourbon sometimes it helps to go to a bar that has a flight so you can try them back to back to back.

Also one thing I like to do is make an old fashioned with different bourbons. If you're using the same recipe, the contrast of the bourbons alongside the familiar fruit ingredients helps to differentiate.

I'm really only a rum guy for mixed drinks, though. I always have a bottle of black, white, spiced, and sometimes amber.
 
I like me a good Old Fashioned or Moscow Mule.

The bartenders at the place I work at have introduced me to the world of Mezcal so I've been ordering drinks with that lately.
 
Just had a great Mezcal cocktail called Desert Flower at Il Terrazzo Carmine in Seattle. Loooove Mezcal. Any recommended mezcal cocktails?
 
Typically an Old Fashioned or whisky and water.

I don't drink a lot of liquor anymore though, I drink almost entirely beer these days. I used to be about 60/30/10 beer/liquor/wine, now I'm like 80/15/5 beer/liquor/wine.

*edit* Oh I also love margaritas and always will.
 
Once it gets cool again probably some straight bourbon or boulevardiers.

Not drinking too much lately but usually opting for Gin tonic, Aperol spritzes, or anything I can work some st Germain into.

I love last words but Chartreuse is so expensive I get trigger shy. I got a bottle of cynar I want to mess with.

Edit: I'm using Bombay Sapphire for my g&ts which is fine but I think I prefer Beefeater or Hendricks.
 
Cadillac Margarita. Here's my take.

Herredura or Cazadores tequila (no sense in overdoing it for a margarita.

Fresh squeezed lime juice.

Nellie and Joe's Key lime juice.

Napoleon manadarine or Grand Marnier.

Ice

Salted rim

Straight glass.
 
Hello? This is Hailun! said:
Also you gotta talk brands.
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Kraken is my go to Spiced rum
Appleton estate or Myer's for dark rum (gotta be Jamaican)
Gosling's for black rum (makes a great Dark 'n' Stormy)
Rock Town Distillery in Little Rock makes a great white rum

Rum is great. If you like margaritas but don't want the bite of tequila. Just toss some rum in instead. Boom you've got yourself a real daiquiri and you're drinkin' it up like Ernest Hemingway.

My go to Bourbon is Buffalo Trace.
 
My biggest issue with bourbon is that as an infrequent drinker sometimes the higher proof stuff just tastes like ethanol.

But sometimes I get this weird issue where the first sip will be great but then taste soapy the second. Is it possibly just soap residue on cups or could something else be causing that?
 
If I'm about to eat, I find a 7&7 has a nice woodsy, sweet flavor that warms up the tastebuds for whatever's on the menu, but isn't so heavy that it outstays its welcome.

After dinner or if I'm just in the mood for a cocktail, my default is the classic Gin and Tonic.

I like to keep it pretty simple, and there doesn't seem much point in fancier concoctions when the G&T is perfect as is.
 
Amaretto Sour's are my drink of choice
Ottawa Apple is divine though (Maple Crown Royal, Apple Infusion, Cranberry Juice, with the option of granulated maple on the rim for extra taste)

I also mix Malibu Coconut and Diet Coke =p as well as Fireball and Apple cider
 
PsychoSoldier said:
My biggest issue with bourbon is that as an infrequent drinker sometimes the higher proof stuff just tastes like ethanol.

But sometimes I get this weird issue where the first sip will be great but then taste soapy the second. Is it possibly just soap residue on cups or could something else be causing that?
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Are you drinking it straight or in a cocktail? Some people (myself included) have a weird thing where certain vegetables, for instance cilantro for me, tastes soapy... Like Palmolive or something. I don't hate cilantro I'd just never choose to have it on something.

Could definitely be soap residue on a cup but if every glass that has bourbon int his does it to you, and other drinks don't, then it could be something weird like me and cilantro.
 
Hastati said:
Just had a great Mezcal cocktail called Desert Flower at Il Terrazzo Carmine in Seattle. Loooove Mezcal. Any recommended mezcal cocktails?
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I just left Seattle. Went on a mini vacation. Pinxto and Bar Abajo were fan fucking tastic. You should visit both ASAP. So Was Palace Kitchen and Cocktails.
 
maker's mark manhattan
bombay sapphire & tonic
kraken & coke zero
dark and stormy, whichever dark rum I have

that's the way i live my life
 
Tanqueray + Simply Lemonade (specifically this) + crushed ice + a little bit of lime or sprite is one of the best cocktails imo.

But as of tonight. Just a simple mimosa.
 
Best tier:
Old Pal
Boulevardier
The Left Hand
Negroni
Gold Rush

Next tier:
Clover Club
Blood and Sand
Aviation
Manhattan
Margarita
Daquiri
Edit: Forgot Penicillin

Brands for mixing:
Weller Special Reserve Bourbon
Rittenhouse Rye
Bluecoat Gin
El Dorado 12yr Rum

Vodka is a worthless, flavorless spirit
 
The Albatross said:
Are you drinking it straight or in a cocktail? Some people (myself included) have a weird thing where certain vegetables, for instance cilantro for me, tastes soapy... Like Palmolive or something. I don't hate cilantro I'd just never choose to have it on something.

Could definitely be soap residue on a cup but if every glass that has bourbon int his does it to you, and other drinks don't, then it could be something weird like me and cilantro.
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I don't notice the taste in a cocktail only straight. But not in all. It's really pronounced in stuff like Elijah Craig or Bulleit. But I don't notice it in stuff like Maker's 46 or Evan Williams single barrel or even when I drink crown rye straight. It's fuckin weird.

It seems a shame to use really good bourbon for mixing though when it doesn't shine in a lot of cocktails and something really inexpensive will do fine.
 
PsychoSoldier said:
I don't notice the taste in a cocktail only straight. But not in all. It's really pronounced in stuff like Elijah Craig or Bulleit. But I don't notice it in stuff like Maker's 46 or Evan Williams single barrel or even when I drink crown rye straight. It's fuckin weird.

It seems a shame to use really good bourbon for mixing though when it doesn't shine in a lot of cocktails and something really inexpensive will do fine.
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It's probably the limestone mineral rich water in some bourbons.

Edit: It's actually probably soap on your cups, ha
 
Poppy said:
maker's mark manhattan
bombay sapphire & tonic
kraken & coke zero
dark and stormy, whichever dark rum I have

that's the way i live my life
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I hate Bombay. :(

New Amsterdam is worse.



I do like Jamaican Mule/Dark and Stormy if there is quality Ginger Beer available. Bundaberg is very good and seems fairly easy to come by
 
Hello? This is Hailun! said:
I hate Bombay. :(

New Amsterdam is worse.



I do like Jamaican Mule/Dark and Stormy if there is quality Ginger Beer available. Bundaberg is very good and seems fairly easy to come by
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i love bombay, it's the perfect gin for me. i haven't had all that many others admittedly, so maybe it's just as a result of not looking around enough because i already like bombay so much. but i really don't like tanqueray, i don't feel anything about beefeater, hendricks is for insane people and it isnt even close to worth it, and some other random ones i have tried have not been up my alley

but sapphire and tonic makes me a happy person every time as soon as the aroma hits my nose
 
I find most cocktails too sweet, so a gin martini for me. But only when I'm out. For whatever reason, I can't get my homemade efforts to taste anything like a martini mixed by a pro.

Four pillars is my gin preference.

At home it's red wine or neat whiskey. Maybe a gin and soda before dinner in summertime. I am going to try that french gimlet though. Sounds delicious.
 
Tonight I made a Negroni-ish beverage with:
2 oz Apple Brandy
1 oz Campari
1 oz Sweet Vermouth
Dash Angustora Bitters
Dash Orange Bitters
Squeeze of Lime Acid

It was alright, but needed some more oomph to balance it out. Maybe some extra spice or some malic acid to really get the apple thing going.
 
I'm unfortunately trapped at my mother's with nothing but Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio, so I'm having Pinot Grigio.

If I were behind my bar, I'd be enjoying either an Old Pal made with Rittenhouse Rye and Cocchi di Torino (and Campari, natch) or a Martinez made with Dorothy Parker. If I were going straight spirit, it would be Baker's neat or Gracias A Dios Tobalà mezcal. If it were digestivo, it would be Grand Poppy with a splash of soda. If it were amaro, it would be Arcane Fernet or Amaro Montenegro.

If I were at my apartment, it would be a can of Bud Light (I'm a bar Director, so I tend to only stock bland and refreshing beers at home).

If I were at my mountain home, it would be a neat pour of Wahaka Botanika mezcal (a vegan pechuga) or Boukman rum with one cube.
 
I like a Negroni, Rye Manhattan, Gin Martini or Gin & Tonic (Hendricks is the favorite gin, Fever-tree the tonic), Hemingway Daiquiris (don't forget the Maraschino liqueur), Pimm's Cup, Painkiller, Dark 'n' Stormy, Margarita on the rocks no salt, Cuba Libre (Meyer's or Gosling's), Old Fashioned.

CHC said:
They're classics but I think the Old Fashioned and the Margarita (real, not that mix shit) are great make-at-home cocktails. Dead easy and pretty economical.

I love Negronis too, but Negroni ingredients are like 80-100 bucks if you have an empty cabinet. Too much for me considering how many of them I drink (not that many).
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My go-to drink to test a bartender is a Negroni. If they have to look it up, or worse don't have the ingredients, I know it's not a drinker's bar. It's such an easy recipe I like to premix in a bottle so I can just grab-and-go for picnics, parties, etc. (equal parts gin, Campari and sweet vermouth; sub the gin with bourbon it's a Boulevardier, and with rum instead it's called A Man About Town).

The Albatross said:
Are you drinking it straight or in a cocktail? Some people (myself included) have a weird thing where certain vegetables, for instance cilantro for me, tastes soapy... Like Palmolive or something. I don't hate cilantro I'd just never choose to have it on something.

Could definitely be soap residue on a cup but if every glass that has bourbon int his does it to you, and other drinks don't, then it could be something weird like me and cilantro.
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I've got that cilantro gene, as does my wife. I accept that it's going to be an ingredient in practically everything, but I always ask they not throw a big handful of it on top at the end. Have yet to encounter it in a cocktail, though.
 
My go to is tequila and club soda. Most people hate it but i find it to be delicious.
If I'm at certain bars, I'll end the night with an old fashioned or two.
I recently went on vacation and had a lovely gin and sparkling lemonade type of drink. Delicious.
 
Old fashioned
Frozen daiquiri
Greyhound
Skinny bitch
Moscow mule with ginger ale instead of beer
Caipirinha

My tastes are pretty varied and I'm not too picky.
 
I made a Margarita tonight (2 / 1 / 1 of tequila / triple sec / lime juice) with a squirt of Sri Racha in there and a salt rim.

Fuck, I'm sweatin' here. But it was good!
 
I've been messing around with beer cocktails lately. One I've really enjoyed is a spin on The Bee's Knees, creatively named-- The Bee's Knees.

3/4 oz lemon juice
3/4 oz honey syrup
2 parts gin

Shake over ice, add to talk cocktail glass, and top with witbier (Allagash White, Dogfish Head Namaste, Celis White are all great options).
 
For bourbons I like Hudson Baby Bourbon for drinking straight, or Woodford Reserve for an Old Fashioned.
 
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