Your cocktail recipe of choice ?

[Chucko8]

[Dynamo320]

Best take on a Manhattan I’ve ever had. A kind bartender from a San Diego bar shared this with me a few years back.  I’ve been making them for years and only get rave reviews. A bit tedious but worth it. For simplicity, all quantities based on a standard shot glass

1.5 Rye Whiskey (I generally use Bulleit)

.75 Carpano Antica sweet vermouth 

.25 Benedictine

.5 aquavit 

1 dash angostura bitters

1 dash peychauds bitters

Stir vigorously in a shaker full of ice and strain into chilled martini glass. Finish with a twisted slice of orange peel. 
 

For the ladies (Di), @Elpresidente, the scotch intake last night on the zoom herf definitely interfered with my certainty on this one but I’ve verified with the wife and this is the Cosmopolitan recipe to try for Di. It’s extremely simple, and I’ve never seen a lady not want another one. Again, in shot glass quantities. 

2 Vodka

2 Cranberry juice

1 triple sec

shake with ice and strain into a chilled martini glass. 
 

No photos tonight as I’ve elected to lay off the sauce tonight.  Maybe make a Manhattan tomorrow night and add.   A little too friendly with that Scot named Johnnie last night!

[Habana Mike]

9 hours ago, armada_crew said:

Pisco Sour

2 1/2 oz Pisco

3/4 oz lemon juice

1/2 oz simple syrup

1 egg white

Angostura bitters

Shaker with ice

Put all together in shaker with ice except the bitters, shake for 15 seconds, pour, add dash of bitters, enjoy!

 

Love a Pisco Sour! As much as the argument where Pisco originated...

[armada_crew]

4 minutes ago, Habana Mike said:

Love a Pisco Sour! As much as the argument where Pisco originated...

Haha, well the wife and mother-in-law are from Chile so you know how I will have to vote ?

[Çnote]

16 hours ago, JohnS said:

I'm not intending to enter the draw, however I'm happy to share my recipes for some of my favourite cocktails below...

The Sazerac Cocktail

The first thing I do is to start with the Absinthe. I also use a 90 ml (3 US fluid ounces) tumbler glass, which is smaller, but which is ideal for this cocktail.

Pour about 5 ml (approximately 1/6 of a US fluid ounce) of Absinthe into the glass. This equates to about 2 US-sized teaspoons. At this point, I don't even bother with using another larger Old-Fashioned type tumbler glass, nor do I waste the Absinthe. Instead, I fill the glass with filtered water.

Then, to get the glass nice and cold, I place it in the freezer for around 45 minutes.

Don't leave it longer than 50 minutes because you only want the surface of the Absinthe-water to freeze, otherwise it's hard to remove.

Next, jettison the Absinthe-water down the sink, you'll be left with a perfectly-coated Absinthe glass that is chilled, which is what you want. Get some Sugar syrup, Peychaud's Bitters and the spirit of your choice, mine is typically Hennessy VSOP Cognac, yours may be different.

Now, pour approximately 8 to 10 mls (approximately 1/4 to 1/3 of a US fluid ounce) of Sugar Syrup into the bottom of the glass. If you want it sweeter, add more, but I find this (volume of Sugar Syrup) about ideal to balance the drink.

Get your Peychaud's Bitters and add about 2 - 3 liberal dashes. Some recipes allow you to substitute the Peychaud's Bitters if you'd like, in my opinion, there is no substitute for Peychaud's Bitters. Do you notice how the bitters sits on top of the Sugar Syrup? This is fine as the next step will mix the drink nicely when you add your spirit.

I add around 60 - 75 ml (approximately 2 - 2 1/2 US fluid ounces) of Cognac to the glass and lightly swill to mix it at this point.

Some bartenders, if they make the drink for you, will get a lemon peel and rim the glass at this point. I say no! Get your lemon peel, remove the with pith as much as you can as the pith is bitter, and twist it, dropping about 4 drops of lemon peel oil into the drink. This will add another dimension to the drink, giving it a citrus edge to go with the anise, vanilla, caramel and sweetened bitters that will soften the burn of the cognac (or rye), giving it what our dear friend @ATGroom described as a "buttery texture" when I served him the drink.

+2 for freezing the absinthe in glass. That's a gamechanger 

[JohnS]

1 minute ago, Çnote said:

+2 for freezing the absinthe in glass. That's a gamechanger 

Yes, you want the drink to be cold...really cold! ?

[Çnote]

MaiTai and/or Planter's Punch

1 part Jamaican (Appleton 12)

1 part Martinique (Clement VSOP)

1/2 part curaçao (Ferrand or Clement)

1/4 part orgeat

Juice of 1 lime

Stir over ice

~~~

Float 1/2-1 part dark 151 (Lemonhart) for Planter's Punch

 

[Çnote]

2 minutes ago, JohnS said:

Yes, you want the drink to be cold...really cold! ?

For certain. I used to keep a blend of rye and brandy iced in carafe for service, but used a atomizer for the absinthe/herbsainte. And nothing is a substitute for Peychauds in a Sazerac.

[gweilgi]

Pink Gin.

Two reasons: firstly, I really like gin.  Secondly, it's one of the oldest cocktails and most bartenders even at five-star hotels and top bars do not know it, so asking for one is a little game I play with myself.

1. Pour a generous measure of gin into a shaker, add ice cubes.  Shake.

2. Splash half a dozen drops of Angostura Bitters into a tumbler and swirl them round until the inside of the glass is coated.  Pour out the excess.

3. Add gin to tumbler.

4. Garnish with a twist of lemon or orange rind.

 

Repeat.

 

 

[Kitchen]

Another goodie, The French Manhattan.  

Basically a regular Manhattan but replace the Vermouth with Chambord.  Woodford Reserve preferred.  

[Notsocleaver]

Something from the new school:

The Laphroaig Project:

• 1 oz Green Chartreuse

• 1 oz lemon juice

• ½ oz Laphroaig Quarter Cask

• ½ oz maraschino liquor

• ¼ oz Yellow Chartreuse

• 2 dashes Fee Brothers Peach Bitters

• Shake all ingredients with ice and strain in to an ice-filled old-fashioned glass. Garnish with lemon zest twist

 

An underrated classic:

Corpse Reviver #2

Dash absinthe to rinse the glass

1 ounce gin

1 ounce Lillet Blanc (or Cocchi Americano)

1 ounce lemon juice (fresh squeezed)

1 ounce orange liqueur (Cointreau)

Shake the other four ingredients and garnish with an orange peel (or lemon if you're lazy)

 

A twist on a classic:

Maple Bourbon Old Fashioned:

1 1/2 ounces bourbon

Large wedge of grapefruit, muddled

1 tablespoon maple syrup

2 dashes cherry bitters

Muddle and fill with ice. The grapefruit really makes this one work for some reason.

 

[dominattorney]

Some great choices here. I'll play, as I have two that I keep coming back to. No photos because I have been avoiding the drink in an effort to stave off the quarantine 15. Its hell not being able to go to the gym and the neighbors have started to wonder about the weirdo put back continental and pressing large rocks in the back yard and triumphantly throwing them onto the grass. 

negroni/boulivardier

nothing fancy here, just equal parts gin, campari and rosso vermouth for the negroni, and bourbon swapped out for gin for the boulivardier. On a negroni I always use beefeater london dry for gin and martini rosso for the vermouth. Boulivardier my go to bourbon is bulleit.

fruited "kermit" frozen margharita

my inner Jimmy Buffet cannot resist the frozen concoction from time to time. Makes 2 drinks. 4 shota tequila, 2 shots triple sec, 2 shots blue curacao, the juice of 1 and 1/2 lines, plus an entire mango in a blender with ice. Voila, bright green from the mixture of mango yellow and blue curacao, not overly sweet so jo hangover, and well balanced. 

[StogieSteve23]

StogieSteve’s Havana Club Quarantine Cure:

 

It is a slightly different approach to the famed Strawberry Daquiri and since we are all, Friends of Habanos, I thought why not use Havana Club for the rum (Plus I would give just about anything to be in Havana right now drinking rum at an LCDH. 

Recipe: Serves Roughly Four 10oz Cures

- 6 Cups of Ice

- 2 Cups of Organic Frozen Black Cherries

- 1 Cup of Organic Strawberries

- ¼ Cup of Organic Frozen Blueberries

- ¼ Cup of Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice

- ¼ Cup of Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice

- ¼ Cup of Organic Raw Brown Sugar (You can use whatever sugar you have. Our casa has this.)

- 6oz of Havana Club Anejo 3 Anos (Clear)

- 4oz of Havana Club Anejo Especial (Dark)

- 1oz (or more  if you so choose? ) floater of Havana Club Anejo 7 Anos

Blend in food processor/blender/ninja/whatever you got…. For roughly 40 seconds.  The first 30 seconds, pulsate the blender (or use the smoothie/frozen drink option if yours has it) long continuous blend 8 seconds off 2 second rest, repeat twice more for the 30 seconds. Final 10 seconds are continuous blend. 

Serve into your desired glass.  Honestly, of all the glasses I have, we like to use a simple stemless wine glass but anything works. Normally I would garnish with a strawberry slice but I ended chopping up the rest we had, using the one cup I needed for the drinks and ate the rest… so no strawberry garnish, but I added some of the organic frozen blueberries to substitute.  Add the floater, and voila!

I hope everyone who reads this dreams of smoking a nice CC on a beautiful white sandy beach, under a palapa somewhere, listening to the sounds of steel drums, Spanish guitar, or just the beautiful blue waves crashing on in, because that's what this drink tastes like...

[StogieSteve23]

On 4/6/2020 at 2:55 AM, noreaster said:

Hemingway Daiquiri...basically just a  Daiquiri ( rum lime juice and simple syrup ) with grapefruit and maraschino liqueur... I always use Havana Club 3 yr..

Well done sir. 

 

On 4/6/2020 at 5:07 AM, armada_crew said:

I had these at a Peruvian restaurant one evening and absolutely loved them.  Thank you for reminding me!

 

On 4/6/2020 at 6:22 AM, RDB said:

It’s no good giving exact recipes... everyone’s taste is different. Especially for sour and sweet, you have to experiment and find out just what you / your wife / lover like. Three classics:

Margarita: Tequila (a lot), lime juice (some), triple sec (not too much). Shaken. Salt, but not too much. 

Martini: Vodka or Gin (a lot), stirred until ice cold, dry Vermouth (hardly any at all, ideally floated or sprayed on the top), juicy olives.

Champagne: sugar cube, bitters, cognac, Champagne. A mint leaf  is good. And God this is a dangerous drink.

I approve of your Margarita measuring system. ??

[saintsmokealot]

Mint Julep

Pour some simple sugar in glass then muddle some fresh mint in solution. Add crushed ice and crushed ice is a must. Pour bourbon over ice. Stir then add a few fresh mint springs on top. Super refreshing on the warmer days.

[Meklown]

I rarely make cocktails at home because I don't have the ingredients. And neither am I going to buy a whole bag of (fruit/etc) and only use a little bit for a couple of glasses. 

However, when I was in Phuket (during a time when world travel was still a valid concept), some friends and I were at Chalong bay rum distillery and well, I ended up with a bottle of their cinnamon syrup (but no rum.. how'd that work?).

So back home, I worked with the ingredients I had/have - 

Unsure if anyone's made/named this
5ml cinnamon syrup
20ml Dalwhinnie 15 year old Scotch
50ml apple juice (my favourite brand - Homegrown from NZ)
Poured over one large ice rock and stirred - I imagine you could also shake it with ice and poured into a frozen glass, but I don't have the shaker so I can't try that out

My simplistic variation on Old Fashioned 
5ml cinnamon syrup
50ml Laphroaig 10 Scotch
Poured over one large ice rock and stirred
Torch a sprig of rosemary / twist an orange peel for garnish (ingredients permitting)

[ATGroom]

I have heard some advocate for Chartreuse with cigars - seems like it would overwhelm and kill the palate if you ask me, but I've never tried it so I can't really say. If you are part of the Chartreuse camp though you might enjoy my favourite night ending cocktail, the Last Word:

-1 part gin
-1 part Chartreuse
-1 part maraschino
-1 part lime

Shake well and serve in a float glass. I like to put a homemade maraschino cherry (ie, much less sweet than store bought) in the bottom. If you free pour it maybe go a little lighter on the gin and the lime and a little heavier on the Chartreuse and the maraschino.

It's a bitter sweet herbal complex drink. It tastes very strongly of booze, and so is for serious drinkers only. 

There is also a Final Word variation which replaces the gin with whiskey (Canadian Club whenever I've done it) that is a bit sweeter.

There is also a Fernet About It, which replaces the gin with Fernet Branca, and is getting into the "drink on a dare" category of beverage. It can hit a certain spot for the right kind of masochist though.

[Wailbait]

Like many others on the board, I love a martini.  However, while I used to engage in “micro-Vermouth theatrics” I have come to appreciate its presence.  Perhaps less than the original 2:1 ratio, but more than an atomized spritz.  My quiet advice to at-home bartenders: rinse your ice before use.  Especially in stirred drinks. 
 

My recipe: 

2oz. Bombay Dry or Beefeater

1oz Some sort of current Aromatic Gin.  (Any one of the new category of gin based on Hendricks etc.)

.75oz Dry Vermouth.  (I like Dolin)

Combine ingredients over rinsed ice and stir (possibly longer than you are used to).  Strain.  I like a lemon twist.  

[Benson]

On 4/5/2020 at 6:31 AM, 99call said:

Not entering the draw, but just wanted to add this as it's a winner

A 'Paloma' does it for me

2x shots of Reposado Tequila

1x tablespoon of of Agavero liquer or Agave necter

Ice, and toped up with unsweetened Pink Grapefruit juice.  wedge of lime and squeeze of lime,  Sprig of Mint.   Salt rim optional

Lovely stuff. 

 

Hell yeah, I’ve long touted a homemade margarita as a criminally underrated beverage and only recently discovered Paloma’s, they work great with a smoky mezcal as well

[Çnote]

19 hours ago, ATGroom said:

I have heard some advocate for Chartreuse with cigars 

Yeah, add me to that. Try the Yellow, especially with an after lunch smoke. The VEP versions are also fantastic. Branca and Averna are also superb companions with espresso and cigars.

Drink like an adult! If it tastes bad, it's good for you.

[DeskSmkr]

Wow lots of great ideas in the thread, especially the Manhattan for the ladies.

Let’s get hot and adventurous, and cue Sinatra.

My invention of the day the “Green Toddyish”

Hot Green tea

1/3 shot light scotch

1/3 shot St George Absinthe

If you have no absinthe:

sub both 1/3rds for 1 shot light/grassy scotch (Perfect example Alexander Murray 19yr bottling of Benrinnes Distillery, also my perfect scotch with Cohiba)

[Bmbroads]

A find the recipe that works best is:

1 part alcohol

2 parts alcohol

1 part alcohol

... gets me every time ?

[lovethehaze]

On 4/5/2020 at 7:15 AM, Colt45 said:

open beer,

pour beer,

drink beer

+1 !

[BeerPimp]

I will say that if you are looking for ice sphere molds get the ones that come with a cooler that you put them in.   It slows the freezing process so you get super clear ice spheres. 

 

This is one of the ones I froze.

[fungi]

Clover Club:

 

 

2 oz Gin

.5 oz lemon juice

.5 oz raspberry simple (make simple, add frozen raspberries, strain)

.25 oz egg white

 

Dry shake (or reverse dry shake), strain into coupe, enjoy!

Runner-up: Pina Colada

Everyday cocktail: Old Fashioned