This first shoutout goes to ET. ET, I'm wondering about your gimlet recipe. I tried the recipe of 1/2 oz. Rose's lime juice to 2 oz. of gin and it sucked! So modifiedit to more like an ounce or 1.5 oz. of Rose's and it rocked!
The Drinking Thread 2.0
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 Realadelphia |
The Drinking Thread 2.0 |
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Posts: 438 (05/28/07 20:41:28) |
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et |
Re: The Drinking Thread 2.0 | ||
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Posts: 47 (05/30/07 04:14:33) |
Hey, maybe you just don't like gin?
 It goes just as well with vodka actually.I had one tonight, by coincidence: 1.5 oz gin + about 1/6 oz lime syrup + 1/6 lime juice, just to take the sweetness off it a bit (plus I wanted to use up an old lime). But it sounds like you prefer the sweeter style: that's cool. Do you like margaritas? I first tried one of these ruby red grapefruit m.s in Qld this year. I'd never eaten a ruby red grapefruit and I assumed it would be sour -- but it's sweeter than the usual margarita: 4 oz ruby red grapefruit juice 1.5 oz tequila 0.5 oz Cointreau or triple sec |
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Realadelphia |
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Posts: 438 (08/17/07 20:13:44) |
I bought some cheap triple-sec many months ago, and was very disappointed. I know people say that often you can't tell what's in a drink when it has a lot of ingredients, but no drink I made tasted good. But I bought some Grand Marnier tonight and made two drinks, just very simple things (a cosmopolitan with more lime than usual because I've read online that GM is sweeter than Cointreau, so more lime works better) and a drink I made with lime juice, orange juice and GM. Both were very good.
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Posts: 47 (08/20/07 01:42:10) |
Thanks. That's interesting. Does the lime/orange/GM drink have a name or did you invent it yourself?
I invented a cocktail to use up a big bottle of ouzo once. It was ouzo + lemon juice + lime syrup (a variation of a sambucca sour). I called it a "Diogenes" after the philosopher (because it was Greek and bitter). Speaking of simple, one of my favourite cocktails is a Kir Royale (little bit of creme de cassis topped with champagne). A really good variation I've tried recently is to use Chambord liqueur, which is a wild raspberry flavour, instead of creme de cassis. |
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Realadelphia |
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Posts: 438 (08/22/07 20:15:41) |
ET is back! Yay!
I always "invent" drinks. I mean, I invented the vodka and orange juice. But then you told me it was a classic cocktail called the screwdriver.  I did get a copy of the classic guide to making drinks (but the name has escaped me). The reason I used GM, by the way, is because I read something about exploitive labor and Cointreau. I can't see drinking a Kir Royale much, because don't you have to get rid of a whole bottle of champagne then? |
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Posts: 47 (08/23/07 01:39:08) |
Yes, Kir Royale works best if you've got a few people to share a bottle. It's also a problem because if you've got a bottle of champagne then you don't want to adulterate it with liqueur. So a cheaper bubbly is usually the go. I like it as an aperitif at a restaurant. Along with a martini it's my favorite pre-dinner cocktail.
I tried two great wines on the weekend. The white was a viognier from Canberra ('05) and the red was a shiraz from the Hunter Valley ('99). Viognier is a popular variety here at the moment. It has lots of flavours and complexity, and plenty of body. It usually has a strong apricot flavour to it, which I like. Some wineries here are promoting here as a rival to chardonnay as their big, flagship white. I think it's originally from the Rhone Valley. There's a cocktail I like called an Olympic which your recipe reminded me of. But it has brandy in it (brandy, orange liqueur and orange juice ... something like that). From memory it was invented for the Paris Olympics in 1924. I didn't know that about Cointreau. GM and Cointreau are both good. Cointreau is more often in the recipes -- maybe because it's clearer in colour. |
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Posts: 47 (12/23/07 04:01:46) |
Completed a pre-Christmas tradition in my family tonight. I make a round of 'Bosom caressers' on the night before the night before Christmas.
It's the sort of drink I imagine Hef making at the Playboy Mansion circa 1969 Brilliant drink though. www.cocktaildb.com/recipe_detail?id=4110 |
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Realadelphia |
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Posts: 438 (01/12/08 23:15:08) |
Ha, I'd have to think about drinking something with raw egg in it. But I eat my mom's cake mix before it's cooked and I suppose that has raw egg, too.
Have you seen the "reality show" with Heff in it? There are two chicks I like, but the third (the sporty, younger one) turns me off.. Have you ever had Campari? Is it good? I'm thinking I need to explore more liquers. |
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Posts: 47 (01/14/08 04:21:30) |
The egg yolk is really what makes the drink. The trick is to stir it well before you shake with the ice so it mixes well.
Haha ... I haven't see the Hef reality show but I can imagine it. If anyone's life was perfect for reality TV it would be his. Well, if reality TV was around 40 years ago: Hef peaked around 1970 as far as I can see. Last week I was reading this book I bought a while back at a discount book store: Inside the Playboy Mansion: if you don't swing, don't ring. It's a pictorial history of Hef's pad: from his original one in Chicago to 'Playboy Mansion West' in LA. I actually like the modern one he designed for Chicago but never had built. There's some really funny stuff in it. Like how Hef had a fetish for covering his girlfriends in baby oil and the girls would hate it because afterwards their hair would be all lank and greasy. And that he'd drink 30 bottles of Pepsi a day while he was working. I guess now he just relies on Viagra. Campari is a bitters so at first it sort of tastes like medicine, but I quite like it. I've only had it straight on ice as an aperitif but it goes well with orange juice apparently. I've always wanted to try a Negroni, which is a classic: gin, campari and sweet vermouth. |
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Realadelphia |
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Posts: 438 (01/20/08 00:18:33) |
--I was going to by some Campari, but you could only get it in 750 ml, which sucks if you don't like it. So I just bought some Cointreau, which seemed like a safer "investment." Cointreau neat is my brother's fav. drink, but I think Grand Marnier is more complex and tastes much better.
--Today I tried a really good drink, a London Buck, which following a recipe in Mr. Boston, is 1 oz lemon juice, 2 oz. gin (I used Tanqueray, which I now like better than Sapphire). You put that in a high ball glass and then fill with ginger ale. Anyway, it was pretty refreshing. --Around New Year's Day, I tried some Jacob's Creek, which wasn't very good this time. Maybe last time I had the Shiraz/ Syrah? That seemed a lot better. This time I had the Cab, which was really bitter. Speaking of cheap Australian wines, yesterday I had some Shiraz by Yellow Tail, which I liked even though the initial taste funny ... very earthy or something. --Also, I've changed my minds about when people say that Tequila really fucks you up more than other drinks. In the past, I always assumed alcohol really was the same. But really, I always feel horrible after drinking tequila. I read somewhere on the Internet that people think tequila fucks you up because people tend to drink shots (with lime and salt). And lots of shots. I can see that. Or you can do like I do, and just drink about five drinks in an hour because no one else is drinking that pitcher of tequila you ordered. But whatever. I am a convert to a belief that one should stay away from tequila. --Have you ever had Mt St. Michelle? Costs about $16 a bottle here. I like it quite a bit. It's a Washinton state wine. |
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Posts: 47 (01/21/08 03:26:30) |
I've actually never tried any American wine. :-( I can't even remember ever seeing any sold here though I'm sure some of the specialty wine stores must have some. I'll look out for it. I remember seeing some Napa Valley wines at a restaurant once but they were hellishly expensive.
Australian Shiraz is generally a better bet than Cab Sav. Not that we don't make some good Cab Sav but nearly everyone makes decent Shiraz here. My friend loves Yellow Tail. Usually they're really fruity and soft -- but a lot of our reds can also get that earthy flavour. Some also get almost an animal-like aroma. I call it 'African Hunting Dog' but no-one else agrees with me. Good aged Aussie Shiraz is really good. It gets these rich tobacco, chocolate and spice flavours and hangs around in your mouth for ages. I think you're right about tequila. I find the two drinks that seem to get me drunk the quickest are sparkling wine and beer. Specially those strong Belgian beers. I've been making rum cocktails lately: daiquiri (the traditional one, just white rum, lime juice and sugar) and mai tai, which I make with dark rum and a mix of lemon, orange and pineapple juice and a dash each of triple sec and grenadine. And a new one for me: the Bacardi cocktail, which is also really simple: white rum, lime juice and grenadine. |
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Realadelphia |
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Posts: 438 (01/31/08 23:30:20) |
I've always considered a single drink representative of old non-white trash drunk guys: Bourbon. Most of the drunks, particularly those in their 40s, always seem to like bourbon, Manhattan's etc. Today I bought a bottle of Maker Mark's, attempting to join their ranks. I had an "old fashioned," and lemme tell ya, it rulz. And the wax on the bottle is neat.
A Red Raider also is pretty, good. 1 oz. Whisky; 0.5 oz. Cointreau; 1 oz. Lemon juice and a splash of grenadine. Shake that up in ice and strain in a cocktail glass. Also bought some "brut" champagne for mimosas this weekend 'cause my wife's parents/sister-in-law are here. I'm sad now about the end of the Drinking Thread on AQ. I just reread ET's post about lychee liqueur and how he's really limited with it. I had a lychee martini at a bar in Portland, Ore. once and it was delish. |
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Posts: 47 (02/04/08 19:04:37) |
I have a little book called the "Suntory Cocktail Guide" and it has a lot of recipes specifying Makers Mark bourbon, because that's one of their products. Same with Midori, which they also own. I like whisky sours with bourbon, or any whisky really. Another good one is Rob Roy, which is just a sweet Manhattan but with Scotch not rye whisky. And I think I mentioned on the AQ that I really like Jameson's whiskey.
Red Raider sounds nice. I thought orange-flavoured liqueurs didn't go with whisky but yours is the second I've heard this week that used it. The other was a 'Marlene Dietrich', which is whisky with a couple of dashes each of curacao and Angostura bitters. I'd not heard of a mimosa: the Brits call that a Buck's fizz. Quote: Haha, yeah, but after the third or fourth you'll probably be tired of them. I found it went well with lime syrup and soda water (club soda). Speaking of Oregon, did you have any of the pinot noir up there? I've heard that state is good for pinot, here to get good pinot noir you have to really pay through the nose. I had a nice one from NZ last week: Foxes Island, Marlborough, 2005 at a French restaurant. It was $A18 for a glass(!!) but it was very good. I love the scene in Sideways where the main character talks about how having a good pinot got him interested in wine. I never used to see the fascination with pinot but lately I'm starting to see what people are talking about. The best two I've had would be a glass of Cote de Nuits Burgundy I had a couple of years ago (also at a French restaurant) and this NZ one. A lot of cheaper pinot here is light and shallow -- sort of like cherry and strawberry cordial -- but the good stuff has wonderful depth with subtle layers of flavours. I also had a nice French rose from Cotes de Provence. It was much drier and more subtle than the roses here. I've found generally French wine is more restrained than the Australian/NZ equivalent styles, eg their Sancerre is a delicate touch on the lips compared to the violent tongue pash of a Marlborough sauvignon blanc. |
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Realadelphia |
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Posts: 438 (02/04/08 19:14:57) |
Oregon is pretty much synonymous with pinots these days, yeah, especially after that Sideways movie (altho that was in Calif.) ... even living there, though, the pinots were too expensive for my tastes (like at least $30 a bottle ... ).
When we were in NYC, the French restaurant we went to was offering all of this wine from the Willamette Valley, which is where we were visiting from.  |
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Posts: 47 (02/04/08 19:52:39) |
Right. I was reading Jancis Robinson's Wine Course last night and she said Oregon has set itself up as a pinot growing area. But you're right about the price: it's just not possible to make pinot cheaply. I found that quote from Sideways:
Quote: |
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Grape expectations | ||
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Posts: 39 (03/03/08 03:30:22) |
Taisu would probably appreciate this:
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2008/02/24/grape_expectations/?page=full And here's another one: The spirits behind the writers: Understanding the great scribes' fondness for alcohol. (LA Times)Horace reports that the 5th century Athenian poet Cratinus, in a light-hearted defense of his famed intemperance, declared, "No verse can give pleasure for long, nor last, that is written by water drinkers." Cratinus wasn't entirely kidding: Legend says he died of grief upon seeing a full cask of wine break into pieces.A buddy of mine at uni would always write his essays or reports the night before they were due over a bottle of Wolf Blass Yellow Label Cab Sav, which we'd share in his dorm room out of paper cups.
... to behold her is an immediate check to loose behavior; to love her is a liberal education. - Richard
Steele
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Realadelphia |
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Posts: 428 (03/03/08 23:41:20) |
Anthony Burgess is the biggest alcoholic writer that comes to my mind.
Many writers say you can't write drunk or high -- that you experience whatever you experience on drugs and then you put it down in writing. But I've never believed that. |
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Posts: 40 (03/03/08 23:59:22) |
Yes, I think he's mentioned in that article. I'm reading Rabelais at the moment and he's obsessed with wine in his work -- so I presume he liked a
drink himself. I remember you said Balzac needed caffeine to write, as in straight coffee beans.
I've found the urge to write often only comes after I've had a glass or two. But then I'm not doing it professionally. And then there are artists: Jackson Pollock, Brett Whiteley...
... to behold her is an immediate check to loose behavior; to love her is a liberal education. - Richard
Steele
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Realadelphia |
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Posts: 429 (03/30/08 20:29:09) |
A co-worker today, this seven-foot bald guy, asked me if I wanted to be in his wine drinking group. I told him sure, but basically I only drink cheap wine
these days haha... I said: "These days I drink like .... the one with the kangaroo. Yellow Tail. The shiraz/cabernet."
He got this disgusted silent look and started going off on the French and Italian wines he likes. His idea for all these journalists to pool their money and then someone goes out and buys some bottles and we just drink it down. I have a feeling I know who's going to be making that trip to the store (And it's not me.) After he left, I realized who else would probably be coming (these arrogant fake people from my home state), so now I have to think of a way out. |
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Posts: 45 (04/02/08 00:57:28) |
Casella Wines (who make [yellowtail]) are located at Griffith, which is about a 6 hr drive west of Sydney. The region is mainly known for producing the best
dessert wines (botrytised, 'noble rot' style) in Australia but they also have the capacity to produce good table wine in big quantities. Anyway, I was
there on a wine-tasting holiday with my family some years back and we thought we'd check out Casella's tasting room -- but they didn't even have
one, just these big stainless steel vats, stretching off into the distance. lol I think a lot of other wine companies look at their success with exports to the
US, 'Why couldn't we have done that?'
I just found this (albeit pretty vague) quote on their website:
So you can tell baldy that Parker has given [yellowtail] the thumbs up.
... to behold her is an immediate check to loose behavior; to love her is a liberal education. - Richard
Steele
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Realadelphia |
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Posts: 433 (04/02/08 22:35:56) |
OMG! Your avatar cracks me up!
Yeah, well not only was my wine taste insulted this week, but so was my taste in sushi! This little restaurant downtown run by a cute Korean family had only been open for about two months. I went there every week and now they have a "for lease" sign next to their "Grant opening sign." It's so sad. Anyway, whenever I tell people about that place, they're like, "You ... TRIED their sushi? I was too afraid to get sushi there." And then our restaurant critic told me that the place used to be part of a gas station in another part of town.
Last Edited By: Realadelphia
04/04/08 21:26:19.
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