Amateur (or pro?) Bartender/mixologist thread

[rob_s]

We've got threads on Sippin' Rum (https://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?33089-Sippin-Rum), Sippin Bourbon (https://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?12165-Sippin-Bourbon), Beer (https://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?21446-Beer-thread), as well as cooking (https://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?16967-Do-You-Even-Cook-Bro)and BBQ (https://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?25418-Outdoor-Cooking-(smoking-grilling-barbecuing-open-spit-etc-))... we even have an Eggnog thread (https://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?23317-Egg-nog-and-related-adult-versions&p=534710&viewfull=1)! I thought it might be fun to have a mixing thread.

The YouTube channels How To Drink (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCioZY1p0bZ4Xt-yodw8_cBQ) and Anders Erickson (https://www.youtube.com/user/anderserickson1) are what got me fired up about this, and I went and bought a bunch (more?) liquor to specifically make some of their recipes. We got a tiki hut (https://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?43435-RFI-summer-kitchens) built last year and I've been building out some stuff underneath of it so of course between that and it being summer that's been my focus (mai tai (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYJsPE1demY&t=2s), Tradewinds (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RThEGH0sbgM), shrunken skull (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTBVVi20ONk), painkiller (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=di1O9mppUcE), etc.)

[littlejerry]

We got a tiki hut (https://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?43435-RFI-summer-kitchens) built last year and I've been building out some stuff underneath of it so of course between that and it being summer that's been my focus (mai tai (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYJsPE1demY&t=2s), Tradewinds (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RThEGH0sbgM), shrunken skull (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTBVVi20ONk), painkiller (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=di1O9mppUcE), etc.)

The Florida is strong in you ;)

[Hambo]

Bellinis in the summer, Rum Runners when you need to have your leg amputated.

[Borderland]

A real simple Margarita.

One part Reposado Tequila, one part fresh squeezed lime juice and an ice cube. Forget the mixes.

[Tabasco]

After experimenting with several Mai Tai recipes, I tried this one and never looked back:

Note: 10 Cane is no longer in production, I use Cruzan Aged rum now. Any sugarcane based light rum with some wood on it will work. Most rum is made with molasses rather then sugarcane juice, FYI.

1-1/2 oz 10 Cane rum
1/2 oz Wray and Nephew over proof rum
1/2 oz Cointreau
3/4 oz Orgeat (Almond syrup)
1/2 oz lime juice

Shake in a shaker with ice, vigorously.
Strain into a rocks glass with ice.
Add fresh mint sprig.

Bad Ass G-n-T

Get some good tonic water, like Q Indian tonic or Fever Tree Indian tonic. Regular Schwepps will work as well. Make sure it's well chilled. The gin does not need chilling, but the tonic has to be refrigerated.

The sequence here is critical.

First add 2 oz. London Dry style gin
Pour 3/4 of the tonic water into the gin.
Add ice (regular ice tray cubes)
Pour the remaining 1/4 of the tonic on top
Add slice of lemon (yes lemon, not lime), and 5 or so dashes of Fee Bros. Orange Bitters.

I use a Yeti tumbler when it's 90+ degrees, keeps everything cold and refreshing.

If you put the tonic in first, or just add the whole bottle on top of the gin, the gin floats to the top and you get a booze float at first, with mostly mixer for the rest of the drink. With this method, you have a consistent drink from start to finish.

Guess what I'm doing right now...

[Joe in PNG]

My "Works For Me" Gin & Tonic:

-1 whole lime
-Some decent gin (Bombay or similar is fine)
-Schweppes Indian Tonic water

Put some large ice cubes in a glass. Take the lime, cut a thin slice out of the middle, and set the slice aside. Squeeze the remaining halves into the glass (and pick out any seeds that fell in).
Add the appropriate amount of gin. Carefully pour in the tonic water so it doesn't foam out of the glass. Drop in the slice of lime, and enjoy.

[theJanitor]

How to Drink is a great YT channel

[rob_s]

Most rum is made with molasses rather then sugarcane juice, FYI.


Kind of interesting note there…

I’ve been a rum drinker for… I dunno maybe twenty years. Fifteen at least, and I know what I like and don’t like, and what I like for what, etc. (FWIW, Zacapa for sipping. Zaya, Barbancourt 8, or Brugal in coke). But I surprisingly never really applied my over-analysis skills to my liquor of choice. Actually, that’s been kind of intentional. I’ve consciously avoided getting analytical about anything I’m eating, drinking, or smoking (although the preparation thereof may be a different story).

Seeing these guys using different rums in different drinks, piqued my interest in the different types. This appears to be a decent quick overview.

https://www.worldrumguide.com/rum-blog/styles-of-rum

All of which of course led to this order from total wine (which, side note, online order for curbside pickup ROCKS).
7375273753

And this current shopping cart…
73754

[Tabasco]

Some fun reading on historical cocktails and recipes.

"Imbibe"

https://www.amazon.com/Imbibe-Updated-Revised-Absinthe-Professor/dp/0399172610/ref=sr_1_1?crid=K7SPE44I4WEO&dchild=1&keywords=imbibe+david+wondrich&qid=1625246739&s=books&sprefix=imbibe%2Cstripbooks%2C237&sr=1-1

"Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails"

https://www.amazon.com/Vintage-Spirits-Forgotten-Cocktails-Rediscovered/dp/1631598953/ref=sr_1_1?crid=30RRQSFFDC3R6&dchild=1&keywords=vintage+spirits+and+forgotten+cocktails&qid=1625246792&s=books&sprefix=vintage+s%2Cstripbooks%2C250&sr=1-1

"Mr. Boston"

https://www.amazon.com/Boston-Deluxe-Official-Bartenders-Guide/dp/1946774928/ref=sr_1_3?crid=4BFUHY6UBSTO&dchild=1&keywords=mr+boston+bartender+guide&qid=1625246676&s=books&sprefix=mr+boston%2Cstripbooks%2C240&sr=1-3

[rob_s]

Looking forward to getting into this one…

73808

[LittleLebowski]

Good thread.

[EricP]

Another YouTube reference that is heavy on the technical aspects as well as the history of cocktails.

https://youtu.be/GUhx51fg-rw

[KellyinAvon]

"Back in the day" I tended bar as a part-time job when I was in the USAF. Vodka was only one flavor back then, BLECH-flavored. Learned the craft late-80s at the Top of the Rock at Keflavik NAS, Iceland. Bartended at at F-15 base Officer's Club in the early 90s... DAYUUM!! I learned how to make the best Long Island Iced Tea from a Brit while I was there. K-2 Air Base ROK, that wasn't really bartending, more like handing out beer. Back to Iceland 96-98. I remember the day in 97 some TDY puke walked up to my bar and asked, "what kind of micro-brews do you have?" Everybody behind the bar had been in Iceland for a while. We looked at each other, I looked at the TDY puke and asked, "What the fuck is a micro-brew?"

[Tabasco]

Another YouTube reference that is heavy on the technical aspects as well as the history of cocktails.

https://youtu.be/GUhx51fg-rw

She's amazing. I find myself just staring at her and not really paying attention to what she's saying...

Anyway, I find this tool, OXO Citrus Zester, to be handy for cocktail garnishes:

https://www.amazon.com/OXO-Grips-Citrus-Zester-Channel/dp/B07L5D4L5Y/ref=sr_1_2?crid=36C9590UDVO0Z&dchild=1&keywords=oxo+citrus+zester&qid=1625333926&sprefix=oxo+citrus%2Caps%2C262&sr=8-2

I like to make a quick and dirty old fashioned with maple syrup as the sweetener. I don't really measure the syrup, usually it's about a teaspoon or tablespoon. Somewhere in that range. Then add 2 oz of 100 proof rye or bourbon, shake with ice and strain into a rocks glass with large ice cubes.

I'm a lazy bartender, generally I avoid drinks with more than 5 ingredients. Fancy multi ingredient cocktails with infusions are what I order when I go to a fancy bar or restaurant. Unless it's a steak house, where martini's are the obligatory first course.

[David S.]

I've really been enjoying using tonic concentrate in my G&T.

I'm working my way through this Jack Rudy sampler trio (https://www.amazon.com/Jack-Rudy-Cocktail-Tonic-Trio/dp/B01JUW30MS/) that includes the Classic that AB recommends.


https://youtu.be/oXFfgK38npU

[Tabasco]

Since we're on the topic of quinine and gin, I'll post the recipe for the original James Bond cocktail, the Vesper:

Note: This is a potent cocktail with 4oz. 80 proof+ booze, if you want something a little tamer, omit one oz. gin.

3 oz. London dry gin (I think the orig. was Booth's)
1 oz. Vodka
1/2 oz. Kina Lillet

Shake with ice, and garnish with lemon peel.

Kina Lillet is no longer available. Lillet Blanc is available. They removed or lessened the quinine in Kina Lillet and it became Lillet Blanc. I believe "Kina" referes to quinine. I guess Kina Lillet was the French solution to choking down quinine in the tropics.

The closest thing available flavor wise to Kina Lillet is the Italian aperitif Cocci Americano, which is what I use, although Lillet Blanc makes a nice drink as well if that's all you can find.

[Coyotesfan97]

I've really been enjoying using tonic concentrate in my G&T.

I'm working my way through this Jack Rudy sampler trio (https://www.amazon.com/Jack-Rudy-Cocktail-Tonic-Trio/dp/B01JUW30MS/) that includes the Classic that AB recommends.


https://youtu.be/oXFfgK38npU

I just ordered some of the Tonic syrup to try. I usually drink Tanqueray but I’m going to try some Beefeaters 24