Booze! Message Board

I'm thinking of dipping into my 1956 edition of The Official Mixer's Manual to find a cocktail for this evening. The sun is shining here in San Francisco, but there is a crisp breeze blowing off the bay.

Perhaps a Fox Trot (p. 85) would put me in a summer mood:

2 jiggers light rum
2 dashes curacao
juice of half a lime

Shake well with ice and strain into glass.

Sounds like just the thing!

I got all my cocktail books entered into LT today. While I like some of the slick, pretty new ones, like Martini, my favorites are the old ones, like my 1948 Bartender's Guide, or my 1949 Esquire's Handbook for Hosts.

I'm interested to know other people's favorites????

In the meantime, San Francisco has turned decidedly chilly. No time for fru fru summer drinks. This is an evening for a nip of Fritz Maytag's Old Protrero Rye.

I'm starting to think that other members of this group are not actually the boozers they claim to be . . .

In anticipation of heading out to the farthest reaches of the East Bay for, of all things, a tropical-themed baby shower, I have been browsing through Trader Vic's Bartender's Guide to get me more in the mood. Interesting that my 1948 edition doesn't include the Mai Tai -- I wonder when it was invented? Instead, I think I'll shake up either a Daiquiri (Standard):

2 oz. white rum
juice 1/2 lime
1 tsp. sugar

Shake with ice; strain into chilled cocktail glass.

Or, since I usually avoid drinks with sugar, a Beachcomber Cocktail sounds like a good alternative:

2 oz. light rum
1/2 oz. cointreau
juice 1/2 lime
2 dashes maraschino liqueur

T.V. wants me to blend it in a "Waring mixer" with shaved ice and serve it in a chilled champagne glass. Even assuming a blender would do, I think I'll shake it and serve it in a cocktail glass.

After all, I'm not the driver.

I think I've had enough rum & cokes tonight to qualify for the booze group.

Anyone still around?
Or is everyone nursing hangovers??
I'm in the UK and enjoy wine almost as much as books

Glad to see someone is still around! I've been distracted lately, but think I'll start playing with my old cocktail books again soon. Then I'll start posting again. But I am moving this week, so it will be a while before any of my books, including the cocktail books, get unpacked.

In the meantime, I had my last Irish Coffee as a San Francisco resident. While Buena Vista is the famous Irish Coffee bar, and I've had more than my fair share at the B.V., I've decided that the best Irish Coffee in San Francisco is down at the Marina Lounge on Chestnut. It is all about ratio, and they make them in a little wine glass so the coffee, whiskey, sugar, and cream is in perfect proportion. Yum. Maybe I have time for one more?

Unfortunately with age and maturity (yea, right) I have eased off on my consumption. That being said, I am totally into single malt scotch and a nice glass of red at the end of a day. Even got the fiance into single malts.

I think that I cherish my cocktails more now that I have so few of them!

What is your favorite single malt, OldSarge? What about favorite "everyday" single malt? I used to be a big fan, but my hubby doesn't like things with a smoky flavor (interesting predicament for a lawyer representing cigarette companies), so he doesn't much like many single malts.

We have a few single malts in the cupboard, but I've switched to bourbon as my whiskey of choice.

Lagavulin, Laphroaig and Highland Park. I also have a bottle of Laphroaig in cask strength, definately not for youngsters, it's real adult sippin' scotch. Cask strength can be anywhere from 110 to 160 proof, depending on the distiller.

Try some of that and you discover a new found respect for scotch. I always get a kick out of serving it to someone for the first time and the look of respect/awe I get when they realise I wasn't kidding about how good it is.

http://www.highlandpark.co.uk/
http://www.scotchwhisky.net/malt/lagavulan.htm
http://www.laphroaig.com/

Enjoy!

Ahhhhh . . . You bring back sense memories!

Laphroig was always my favorite, although I also enjoyed Lagavulin when I could get my hands on it. I don't recall ever trying Highland Park.

As for any liquor that is 55 to 80% alcohol -- shut up. You might as well drive a spike through my eye, since I'd feel the same in the morning.

Despite all this single malt talk, I dipped back into Duffy's Official Mixer's Manual this evening, where I am working my way through rum-based cocktails. This evening’s choice was a Parisian Blonde:

1 oz. light rum (I used my favorite, Mt. Gay -- light, but not silver)
1 oz. Curacao
1 oz. cream (yes, cream)

Shaken with ice and served up in a cocktail glass. (Variation: A Platinum Blonde is the same thing, but with only 1/2 an ounce of cream.)

Weird as it sounds, it was heavenly. Really. Heaven. Not too sweet. Very mellow. Delicious. It went down way too easy.

But not very attractive. I can understand the name, because it is sort of a pale gold color. But serving it up in a cocktail glass was not an attractive presentation. I think in a small glass, on the rocks would be better. I also think that adding a big splash of seltzer water would improve it. The fizzy water would lighten it up a little. It would be more like an adult Italian soda.

Some cocktails were meant to be served in glassware that is no longer generally in fashion or readily available. I'll look around, I used to have sources for old fashioned bar serving ware. Somewhere in my still-crated library is a Mr. Boston's bartenders recipe guide from the 1930's and it tells you exactly the type of glass it should be served in.

As for cask strength scotch, it is meant to be cut with water and one will suffice for an evening. It is to be savored like a very fine cognac.

"As for cask strength scotch, it is meant to be cut with water and one will suffice for an evening. It is to be savored like a very fine cognac."

Meant - meant by whom? It very much depends on the particular distillation, some work well with added water and some less so. I would recommend trying it neat first, then adding a small amount of water and trying again. Decide how you like it and remember for the future. I find water brings out the salt flavours in some like Brunhbain and they are better neat, even at cask strength.

ALL single malts are to be savoured!

#8 - try some of the Speyside malts, generally much less smokey than Highland and Island versions. Glen Livet does some particularly fine whiskys that you may find fairly easily in the US. Belvennie doublewood is probably my current favourite "everyday" malt.

Greetings all. I stumbled into the Booze Group not from being tipsy but because ggchickapee is always high on my shared book list and I saw it on her profile. Then I realized I have a fair number of books about booze. I once went to bartending school thinking that might be a lucrative second job. I did not realize there is a hierarcy in the bar world and the bartender is the top of the heap. The best offer I had was to bus tables in a pool hall. Oh well. I still proudly display my Mixology diploma and torment my friends by using them as guinea pigs forcing them to drink weird, exotic cocktails. I've been in the Tiki bar phase of late. Cheers.

Welcome! Although I feel like I led you off the striaght and narrow path!

I also went through a phase when I wanted very much to be a bartender. That was right about the time when I realized I was making less per hour as an associate at a big law firm than I would make tending bar. I didn't go to bartending school though, once I realized the earning limitations for a bartender who can't stay up past 10:00 o'clock. :)

I just picked up Craze: Gin and Debauchery in an Age of Reason by Jessica Warner based on recommendations from some other groups. Anyone else checked it out before I delve in?

I do need to drink less, but better. :)

#16: I originally read the title as "Gin and Cranberry". Mmmm.

I was cruising through the book stacks at the Habitat for Humanity store waiting for my friend the volunteer, so I could take her to lunch. While there I stumbled across an interesting little book Champagne Uncorked!: The Insider's Guide to Champagne! by Rosemary Zraly which includes recipes. Looks fun. It also looks like the most recent upgrades to LT have killed the touchstones.

Here's a quote for today from my Schott's Almanac from W.H. Davies, "Teetotallers Lack the sympathy and generosity of men that drink." So go forth today and be sympathetic and generous.

I totally agree with W.H. Davies! When I was a waitress, I used to hate to wait on folks who didn't order an aperitif -- they were antsy and impatient and quite often rude -- far nastier than the customers who knew how to relax with an alcoholic beverage.

As a historian, one of the most interesting factoids I encountered in my reading was the list of how much booze the American Founding Fathers put away while debating the Declaration of Independence. Those fellows were top of the trees topers!

I must confess I don't have the educated and refined palate for wine -- probably due to the fact that what I can afford ($8 a bottle) probably doesn't allow for much excellence.

I used to be a beer aficionado, but as I journey through the perils of "that time of life" I'm finding that my taste buds are retreating into juvenilia. I am now into sweeter beverages, which used to absolutely revolt me. I haven't sunk as low as Mogen David yet . . .at that point it'll be time, I told my kids, to put me away in a home for the demented.

However, thank goodness, I still like the hard stuff -- my personal poison is bourbon, these days. I used to love single malt scotches, and once even had the unbelievable joy of going to a single malt tasting -- truly a memorable evening! I still enjoy a good single malt, but for before bed sipping, I choose a good book, some Riesen chocolates, and a few fingers of Maker’s Mark. Heavenly.

I must confess I don't have the skill or patience to mix a proper cocktail -- the closest I come to it is making a mean mojito, when I remember to get the fresh mint; and the usual cuba libres and G&Ts (I also like rum & tonics). I’m also pretty good at shaking up dirty martinis, according to my friends.

If you check out my book reviews, you'll see I do enjoy reading about booze – and I highly recommend a great book called Rum: The Real Spirit of 1776 -- it is a great read even though I have not yet gotten around to posting it on my review page.

Here’s an interesting little tidbit from Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household Management 1859 –1861 -- a list of “Things not to be forgotten at a Picnic”:
“A stick of horseradish, a bottle of mint-sauce well corked, a bottle of salad dressing, a bottle of vinegar, made mustard, pepper, salt, good oil, and pounded sugar. If it can be managed, take a little ice. It is scarcely necessary to say that plates, tumblers, wine-glasses, knives, forks, and spoons, must not be forgotten; as also teacups and saucers, 3 or 4 teapots, some lump sugar, and milk, if this last-named article cannot be obtained in the neighborhood. Take 3 corkscrews, 3 dozen quart bottles of ale, packed in hampers; ginger-beer, soda-water, and lemonade, of each 2 dozen bottles; 6 bottles of sherry, 6 bottles of claret, champagne at your discretion, and any other light wine that may be preferred, and 2 bottles of brandy. Water can usually be obtained; so it is useless to take it.” (found in Savory Suppers and Fashionable Feasts: Dining in Victorian America by Susan Williams)

Now that’s my idea of a great picnic. Food? We don’t need no stinkin’ food!

I posted this request on The Green Dragon earlier, but now that I've found this thread, I'll place myself in the hands of the experts.

I have created a personal challenge for myself after reading some of my fellow Green Dragoner's posts. I want to come up with the Terran equivalent of the inimitable PGGB (Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster – from Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Universe). I am more than willing to listen to suggestions but with a few caveats: as an impoverished school teacher living in a fairly culturally deprived area, at least in terms of culinary ingredients, I need to stick with ingredients that are both affordable and available. No truffle oil, yuzu juice, rose hips, tarragon soda, celery bitters, tonka-bean syrup or cherrywood-smoked white pepper meringue. I kid you not -- those are some of the ingredients in beverage concoctions that columnist Jason Wilson of the Washington Post has encountered in the last few weeks. He wrote a great column on the perfect drink last week, and if I were more skilled in the eworld I'd post the link here so you could read the article for yourself. (Suggestions taken on how to do that, too -- but please phrase your instructions carefully -- as if you were talking to a somewhat backward five year old.)

Here's what I am looking for: (and the following is a direct quote from Mr. Wilson's column) -- ". . . a drink with ingredients that don't require a visit to an expensive gourmet shop, an act of Congress to import, or the hiring of a private detective to track down."

The floor is open!

Goal: to bring the recipes, a blender, and the assorted ingredients to this year’s DragonCon (I'm staying at the Marriott) for a taste testing -- you guys can bring the cheese, crackers, puffins, and smurfs.

Copy and paste your link, but leave a space before and after and you should get the blue light special http://www.librarything.com/talktopic.php?topic=360#657410 like this ;-)

If you are a little more adventurous do this:

!a href="url" target=_blank?link description!/a?

Make the following substitutions for ? and you should be fine.

When you are done, it should come out something like this.

Good luck and cheers. BTW, Maker's Mark is my favorite tippl as well.

Thanks to you both -- I'll try to dig up the original article and link to it over the weekend!

>20 RachelfromSarasota:

"I must confess I don't have the educated and refined palate for wine -- probably due to the fact that what I can afford ($8 a bottle) probably doesn't allow for much excellence."

How wrong you are! :-) There is a lot of great wine for under $10 a bottle. You just have to know where to look. A very fine white is Mirassou Sauvignon Blanc California 2006. You can get it for about $8. For a red, try Banrock Station Shiraz-Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 (about $6) or Alice White Shiraz South Eastern Australia 2007 (about $7). Several years ago, I paid $4 for a bottle of one of the best chardonnays I've every had.

Tom

Best cheap wine I've found - Fetzer Gewurztraminer. It's regularly under $8 at my local grocery store.

eta a new low cost find: Oliver Winery Camelot Mead

Yep, Fetzer Gewurztraminer is a good one if you like something on the sweeter side. Also, the Oliver Riesling, which you can get at Sam's Club for under 8 bucks, is a good one.

I keep about three dozen bottles of wine on hand, and I never pay more than $10 a bottle.

Tom

I've had great luck and have been very surprised at the quality of all of the Australian Shiraz I've had, usually under $10/bottle.

In my experience if you are going to spend a boatload on a bottle of wine, why not spend it on a really good bottle of Cognac? Or Port (umm!), or Champagne?

>28 geneg:

I could not agree more. It's hard to find even a mediocre bottle of Australian Shiraz; it's all so good. And if you spend more than $7, you've spent more than you need to get a good bottle of wine.

I'll spend the big bucks on single-malt Scotch.

Tom

California's Barefoot Winery makes a great Pinot Grigio for $5-$6. I also like their Barefoot Bubbly. I add one or two frozen cherries or raspberries to the glass.
Yellowtail from Australia makes a nice $10 champagne.

Barefoot also makes a nice Sauvignon Blanc.

One of my favorite Chardonnays is a French one: Barton & Guestier. I find it for around $6, and I always keep a few bottles on hand.

The Wall Street Journal hails the return of the classic cocktail. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204005504574235720650384760.html

The Chimayo sounds really good.

I've just acquired The King of Vodka: The Story of Pyotr Smirnov and the Upheaval of an Empire by Linda Himelstein. Looks tasty, though I prefer Grey Goose myself.

Here's a link to an article by Jason Wilson author of Boozehound about how he learned to appreciate spirits. Pretty interesting with some tasty looking drink recipes at the end. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/21/AR2010092102999....

Speaking of boozehounds, here's a review from the WSJ about 6 new books on wine and spirits. The World Atlas of Whisky looks interesting. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/06/dining/06pour.html?_r=1&ref=books

Recently tried a negroni. It was really good. So much depends on the bartender, though.

Just joined *waves* and will share my favourite summer cocktail: take a tall glass, add a couple of shots of Pernod/Ricard, add a small slug of grenadine, and top up with ice and iced water. Makes your tongue go a bit numb, and if you have more than three don't make any big plans for the next morning ...

http://seattletimes.com/html/nationworld/2020173042_scotchrarexml.html

Explorer’s rare Scotch returned to Antarctic stash - Conservationists in 2010 discovered Ernest Shackleton’s 19th-century stash of booze

Interesting article, but odd that no one tasted it. I didn't understand the point of re-burying the bottles.

The Smithsonian talks about cocktails in great literature. http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/food/2013/08/slurred-lines-great-cocktail-moment...

What bartenders drink when they're off duty. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/24/bartenders-drinks_n_5199018.html?ncid=f...

Some time back I received from the Early Reviewers a copy of Amy Stewart's The Drunken Botanist. It's a pretty good history of the development of all your favorite alcoholic beverages, with the histories and processes. Quite entertaining and a good quick reference. Highly recommended for this group.

I can second that rec. It's excellent. I went to a reading by Stewart when The Drunken Botanist came out a few years ago. There's so much information in that book that I kept a notepad ready and marked down, mostly liqueurs, that I wanted to try. I'd never had blackberry or elderflower liqueurs before. Now I have a bottle of homemade blackberry liqueur distilling in my pantry.

Here's a link to a list of literary cocktails. http://www.readitforward.com/essay/article/12-literary-cocktails-to-pair-with-cl...
I suppose to drink while you're reading them. I may have to try the one for Cannery Row.

Boozey pals, I've started a new group called Meet the Author, for people to discuss first person experiences with authors. Come join and help me give it some tractions. http://www.librarything.com/groups/meettheauthor

Good idea for a group- count me in!

Oh, dear, this group has gone dormant...
So I'm posting a recipe for a cocktail I had at Culinary Dropout in Scottsdale earlier this week. "Room Service" is strawberry and gin and wonderful.


internet pic

https://www.today.com/recipes/room-service-t3471

It finally occurred to me that there was probably a group on LT discussing booze. When I searched "beer" the Pro & Con group came up first. Scratching my head on that one.

Hi. Early on, I found my comfort level with German white wines, but I zig to other things now and again. My 90 year old neighbor taught me to appreciate a single malt scotch; a bottle lasting perhaps 5 years.

My sons-in-law like to range around in the exotic beers, so holidays have recently meant buying a box-load of whatever looks interesting and passing samples around.

I have several acres of blackberries, and have found the most efficient use of the fruit is to make a cordial. I pass out bottles pretty freely, but my pantry is being taken over.

I like fruity, and I'd try >48 mstrust:, even with my distrust of gin.

Good call with making blackberry cordial. I've made blackberry and strawberry and they really are nice.
Gin can overpower other flavors for sure. I've been using Seagram's Extra Dry, but I would think the above cocktail wouldn't suffer too much if it was vodka instead.

Let me gloat here for a moment.

A co-worker asked me for a bottle of my blackberry cordial for a charity auction event. She tells me it earned $140. Some deep pockets in that crowd, eh?

I recently finished Lawrence Osborne’s The Accidental Connoisseur. A pretty good read about the wine world.