Mixed drinks.

[Tacitus]

Scotches, bourbons and cognacs can be an expensive one-time purchase, but I don't drink the expensive ones regularly, so they stay in my bar for years. If you amortize the prize over several years, it starts to become a reasonable purchase. Also, they are much much cheaper at the liquor store than at a bar.

At least, that is what I say to myself in the liquor store aisle. I'm saving money!

 

[Magus]

Back in the day, I was happy with a cheroot and a bottle of Ol' Grandad or mellow corn. but that was still five bucks to a guy just starting out!

 

[Morgan101]

Might want to splurge at a bar sometime, and just pay for a glass of JW Blue, rather than the whole bottle.

That was my thinking as well. I could do $50.00 for a shot easier than $300.00 for a bottle. Not likely it would happen, but what if you didn't like it? More than likely, I couldn't tell the Blue from the Black. At least not enough to pay five times the price.

 

[Magus]

https://wineanthology.com/product/29381/johnnie-walker-blue-label-blended-scotch-whisky

 

[Morgan101]

https://wineanthology.com/product/29381/johnnie-walker-blue-label-blended-scotch-whisky

That isn't a bad price for what you are getting. That nice picture is about the size you would get on an airplane, but probably worth it just to try.

 

[Frodo]

 

[SoJer]

Huge Fan of Disaronno (Amaretto) but ONLY Disaronno.. The 'generic amaretto' is more akin to Embalming Fluid, barf.. SO.. My Fav 'mixers' with Disaronno:

'Nite Nite Juice' / Everyday-Relaxer Gasoline:
- 50/50 (+/- to Your taste) of Disaronno and 'SoCo'.. And, if yer Really hard-up for some Good Sleep, use 'SoCo 80', or even some Gentleman Jack.And, I know - Disaronno and SoCo sounds like a 'free trip to the Bowl' but.. Surprisingly, those two pair Very well - Kinda sweet, ya, but tastes like 'cherries', and Works Wonders for relaxin.

And, this one, I actually made up - I dubbed it 'Mafia Hit in Japan'..

- 8 oz Glass, 3-4 ice cubes...
- 2-3 Large, Fresh Strawberries, finger-crushed over the Ice - Do not strain or juice, the 'bloody Berry-corpse' / pulp is a Must..
- 2 oz Disaronno Amaretto (Must be Disaronno.. again, anything else is krrrrap.. Pour over all..
- Fill Glass with Arizona-brand Green Tea w/ Ginseng / Honey (recommended, but you Can also DIY..)
- Mint-Sprig, if you choose..

Allow mix to 'steep' / chill, and Enjoy. It's Really yummy / refreshing going down, you can Easily go thru a quart of berries, cause Believe me - you Will make Another glass at the end of the First. Perfect Summer-chiller to relax at the end of a long day in the yard. Also, 'scales well', ie: if you wish to make a Gallon Jug for a party, etc.. The Gals especially seem to love it.

... I've been wanting to try out Cognac. Any suggestions on which one?

IF ya can find it (for Less than a Kidney / Firstborn..): 'Navan', an ultra-rare Vanilla Cognac that's to Die for...

...But, it will Cost You.. ie: Navan Vanilla Cognac Grand Marnier French Liqueur We've got a small 'sekret stash' of it, from back when it was a wholly-reasonable $35. or so a Fifth, but... It won't be drunk, in the future, with as much 'frivolity' as I used to.. I'd wantonly toss it back 50/50 with Disaronno, and that was an Amazing 'Winter Warmer-upper'..

Lastly, one of the great 'sippers' is "Lochan Ora" (again, If/when ya can Find it.. SO good...

jd

 

[Morgan101]

Huge Fan of Disaronno (Amaretto) but ONLY Disaronno.. The 'generic amaretto' is more akin to Embalming Fluid, barf.. SO.. My Fav 'mixers' with Disaronno:

'Nite Nite Juice' / Everyday-Relaxer Gasoline:
- 50/50 (+/- to Your taste) of Disaronno and 'SoCo'.. And, if yer Really hard-up for some Good Sleep, use 'SoCo 80', or even some Gentleman Jack.And, I know - Disaronno and SoCo sounds like a 'free trip to the Bowl' but.. Surprisingly, those two pair Very well - Kinda sweet, ya, but tastes like 'cherries', and Works Wonders for relaxin.

And, this one, I actually made up - I dubbed it 'Mafia Hit in Japan'..

- 8 oz Glass, 3-4 ice cubes...
- 2-3 Large, Fresh Strawberries, finger-crushed over the Ice - Do not strain or juice, the 'bloody Berry-corpse' / pulp is a Must..
- 2 oz Disaronno Amaretto (Must be Disaronno.. again, anything else is krrrrap.. Pour over all..
- Fill Glass with Arizona-brand Green Tea w/ Ginseng / Honey (recommended, but you Can also DIY..)
- Mint-Sprig, if you choose..

Allow mix to 'steep' / chill, and Enjoy. It's Really yummy / refreshing going down, you can Easily go thru a quart of berries, cause Believe me - you Will make Another glass at the end of the First. Perfect Summer-chiller to relax at the end of a long day in the yard. Also, 'scales well', ie: if you wish to make a Gallon Jug for a party, etc.. The Gals especially seem to love it.



IF ya can find it (for Less than a Kidney / Firstborn..): 'Navan', an ultra-rare Vanilla Cognac that's to Die for...

...But, it will Cost You.. ie: Navan Vanilla Cognac Grand Marnier French Liqueur We've got a small 'sekret stash' of it, from back when it was a wholly-reasonable $35. or so a Fifth, but... It won't be drunk, in the future, with as much 'frivolity' as I used to.. I'd wantonly toss it back 50/50 with Disaronno, and that was an Amazing 'Winter Warmer-upper'..

Lastly, one of the great 'sippers' is "Lochan Ora" (again, If/when ya can Find it.. SO good...

jd

A couple of nice after dinner drinks with Amaretto:

GODFATHER

Equal parts (about 2 ozs. each) Disaronno Amaretto and Scotch (any brand). In a rocks glass with as much ice as you like.

GODMOTHER

Equal parts (about 2 ozs, each) Disaronno Amaretto and Vodka (any brand) In a rocks glass with as much ice as you like.

 

[dademoss]

View attachment 111610

Sadly, my bottle is empty, I'll have to go get a replacement

 

[Magus]

My dad had this weird mixed drink he made with 2 parts V8 juice, 1 part beer, loaded with hot sauce, Worcester, a lemon wedge, and garnished with finely crushed walnuts or peanuts. he'd chill it for an hour, chuck it in the blender with an egg yolk and a shot of bourbon. it wasn't bad, but I don't like raw eggs. No idea what he called it, something he picked up in his travels in the 60's. I still like a beer in spicy tomato juice as a cooler. Its a pity Bud makes Clamato and the one Tecate makes runs me to the toilet. LOL

 

[SoJer]

A couple of nice after dinner drinks with Amaretto:
GODFATHER

Yep, used to love / make those, regularly, too, but.. One time, ran out of Scotch (whatever blend I was using, don't recall..) - but Had some SoCo on hand, so.. Thought, 'what the heck, worst case, use it on BBQ chicken or somethin', etc.. And, lo and behold (O_O) it was GREAT. Been enamored of that pairing, since..

...2 parts V8 juice, 1 part beer, loaded with hot sauce, Worcester, a lemon wedge, and garnished with finely crushed walnuts or peanuts. he'd chill it for an hour, chuck it in the blender with an egg yolk and a shot of bourbon. ... No idea what he called it

..Ipecac?

jd

 

[Frodo]

My dad had this weird mixed drink he made with 2 parts V8 juice, 1 part beer, loaded with hot sauce, Worcester, a lemon wedge, and garnished with finely crushed walnuts or peanuts. he'd chill it for an hour, chuck it in the blender with an egg yolk and a shot of bourbon. it wasn't bad, but I don't like raw eggs. No idea what he called it, something he picked up in his travels in the 60's. I still like a beer in spicy tomato juice as a cooler. Its a pity Bud makes Clamato and the one Tecate makes runs me to the toilet. LOL

Hair of the dawg

 

[Magus]

Before getting drunk?

 

[Mountain trapper]

Years ago when I worked overseas I'd make a bucket of jungle juice for my office staff, mechanics and equipment operators after work. I used a bottle of Everclear, frozen cans of orange, lemon, and lime juice. Usually added a couple bottles of vodka too.
Other times I'd inject Everclear in to watermelon with a horse syringe and let it sit for a couple days before enjoying.

 

[Tacitus]

...
IF ya can find it (for Less than a Kidney / Firstborn..): 'Navan', an ultra-rare Vanilla Cognac that's to Die for...

...
Lastly, one of the great 'sippers' is "Lochan Ora" (again, If/when ya can Find it.. SO good...

Navan...wow! Cherish what you have left!!

Lochan Ora...is that anything like Drambuie?

 

[Bacpacker]

Huge Fan of Disaronno (Amaretto) but ONLY Disaronno.. The 'generic amaretto' is more akin to Embalming Fluid, barf.. SO.. My Fav 'mixers' with Disaronno:

'Nite Nite Juice' / Everyday-Relaxer Gasoline:
- 50/50 (+/- to Your taste) of Disaronno and 'SoCo'.. And, if yer Really hard-up for some Good Sleep, use 'SoCo 80', or even some Gentleman Jack.And, I know - Disaronno and SoCo sounds like a 'free trip to the Bowl' but.. Surprisingly, those two pair Very well - Kinda sweet, ya, but tastes like 'cherries', and Works Wonders for relaxin.

And, this one, I actually made up - I dubbed it 'Mafia Hit in Japan'..

- 8 oz Glass, 3-4 ice cubes...
- 2-3 Large, Fresh Strawberries, finger-crushed over the Ice - Do not strain or juice, the 'bloody Berry-corpse' / pulp is a Must..
- 2 oz Disaronno Amaretto (Must be Disaronno.. again, anything else is krrrrap.. Pour over all..
- Fill Glass with Arizona-brand Green Tea w/ Ginseng / Honey (recommended, but you Can also DIY..)
- Mint-Sprig, if you choose..

Allow mix to 'steep' / chill, and Enjoy. It's Really yummy / refreshing going down, you can Easily go thru a quart of berries, cause Believe me - you Will make Another glass at the end of the First. Perfect Summer-chiller to relax at the end of a long day in the yard. Also, 'scales well', ie: if you wish to make a Gallon Jug for a party, etc.. The Gals especially seem to love it.



IF ya can find it (for Less than a Kidney / Firstborn..): 'Navan', an ultra-rare Vanilla Cognac that's to Die for...

...But, it will Cost You.. ie: Navan Vanilla Cognac Grand Marnier French Liqueur We've got a small 'sekret stash' of it, from back when it was a wholly-reasonable $35. or so a Fifth, but... It won't be drunk, in the future, with as much 'frivolity' as I used to.. I'd wantonly toss it back 50/50 with Disaronno, and that was an Amazing 'Winter Warmer-upper'..

Lastly, one of the great 'sippers' is "Lochan Ora" (again, If/when ya can Find it.. SO good...

jd

I think I need to find a bottle of that.

 

[SoJer]

I think I need to find a bottle of that.

Yep, was / is Totally worth it (well, at least when it was ~$40. a Fifth.. but Not at nearly $800. tho, Ouch..

Try some 'Well-stocked, but backwoods, nearly forgotten about Mom & Pop liquor-shack', one with Not a 'high-volume' of turnover / traffic.. (that's where We found our 'last cache', after I found out GM was discontinuing the stuff, ~2016, IIrc.. A little out of the way place S of Phoenix..) Yeah, it'll be a crap-shoot, but.. Worth a 'call-around', at the very least. Might get lucky.

jd

 

[Bacpacker]

No longer produced. Crap.

 

[SoJer]

..Lochan Ora...is that anything like Drambuie?

I'd say, "ish", I like Ora much better tho.. More complex.. Here's mor'a da' skinny: https://www.scotchmaltwhisky.co.uk/lochan-ora.htm Shame they deep-sixed it..

jd

 

[Magus]

Years ago when I worked overseas I'd make a bucket of jungle juice for my office staff, mechanics and equipment operators after work. I used a bottle of Everclear, frozen cans of orange, lemon, and lime juice. Usually added a couple bottles of vodka too.
Other times I'd inject Everclear in to watermelon with a horse syringe and let it sit for a couple days before enjoying.

Sounds like "hunch punch" We used to mix that stuff up in a 5-gallon cooler. what went in it was determined by who brought what.

Never EVER use moonshine, no matter how good it is by itself! it does NOT play well with others and you end up with more fights than people at your party!

 

[Tacitus]

Johnny Walker Black is daring scotch drinkers to treat them the same way as Bud Light. Latest commercial has a bunch of LGBTQ characters. So weird. I guess they think only rich liberals drink their scotch.

Granted, their commercial shows adults, and doesn't involve an adult male acting like a little girl, "celebrating girlhood" (like Bud Light did) as opposed to an adult male acting like an adult woman. The former is part of the sexualization of children, which I must oppose (so, no Bud Light for me). The latter is simply adults behaving the way they want, which I need not oppose, but I also need not support with my hard earned money when I don't personally approve of the way they behave. They can fund that behavior on their own.

Johnny Walker Black wants to limit their customer base to only half of their US audience--liberals. OK. I think I will honor their wishes, and not buy their scotch, since I'm a religious libertarian. Johnny Walker can support what they want to support; I will support what I want to support. Lots of other great scotch out there for me to drink.

 

[Magus]

Back to Dewar's and the grouse.

 

[Morgan101]

Thanks for sharing, Tacitus. I did not know that, and haven't seen the ads. I agree, and will be switching brands. Dewar's is a good choice. I drank that for years. I may also pick up some more Old Overholt. I believe it is now made by Jim Beam, bur supposedly made under the same formulation used when it was invented by Abraham Overholt in 1823. It'a a (not bad) rye that was the drink of choice of Ulysses Grant and Doc Holiday. I like to keep good company.

 

[Morgan101]

I made something special for my wife. Ever since we went to Florida she has wanted Pina Coladas. I bought the ingredients, and surprised her. The recipe needs a little refining. I made it as instructed, and she said all she could taste was the rum. I doubled the coconut cream and the pineapple juice, and it was better. So this is how it turned out.

My Pina Colada

2 oz White Rum
4 oz Coconut Cream
12 oz Pineapple juice
Blend with ice and serve in a tall glass. You can garnish with pineapple or orange slice and cherry.

The original recipe called for 2 oz rum; 2 oz coconut cream; and 6 oz pineapple juice.

 

[Tacitus]

Tonight, a Bourbon & Soda Highball:

• Woodford Reserve
• La Croix Peach & Pear
• Ice

Wife is having a Coors Light.

Apparently I turned out to be the high maintenance one.

 

[Tacitus]

Served an Aperol Americano to a guest last night:

• 1 part Aperol (replaced the usual Campari; Aperol has less alcohol and has a slightly less strong flavor)
• 1 part Sweet Vermouth (my father-in-law requires Antica Formula, so I use that consistently)
• on the rocks
• topped with club soda (I almost always use the La Croix Peach & Pear)

I drank a bourbon-heavy Grand Old Fashioned:

• 2 parts bourbon (could use rye; could use 1 part bourbon/rye instead of 2...I went with 2, thus the "bourbon-heavy")
• 1 part Grand Marnier
• single splash of bitters
• light double splash of simple syrup
• serve on the rocks

Old Fashions don't usually have the Grand Marnier, instead having more simple syrup. But, this recipe was quite good.

 

[Morgan101]

Served an Aperol Americano to a guest last night:

• 1 part Aperol (replaced the usual Campari; Aperol has less alcohol and has a slightly less strong flavor)
• 1 part Sweet Vermouth (my father-in-law requires Antica Formula, so I use that consistently)
• on the rocks
• topped with club soda (I almost always use the La Croix Peach & Pear)

I drank a bourbon-heavy Grand Old Fashioned:

• 2 parts bourbon (could use rye; could use 1 part bourbon/rye instead of 2...I went with 2, thus the "bourbon-heavy")
• 1 part Grand Marnier
• single splash of bitters
• light double splash of simple syrup
• serve on the rocks

Old Fashions don't usually have the Grand Marnier, instead having more simple syrup. But, this recipe was quite good.

I had an Old Fashioed this week that used normal (Angostora) Bitters and orange bitters. It was quite good. I have never had that strong an orange flavor in an Old Fashioned.

 

[Tacitus]

I had an Old Fashioed this week that used normal (Angostora) Bitters and orange bitters. It was quite good. I have never had that strong an orange flavor in an Old Fashioned.

Grand Marnier is an orange liquor, and I was afraid it would take over the drink...I'm not a fan of too much orange. But, at a 2:1 ratio bourbon:GM, it was perfect.

And, I guess Grand Marnier is cognac based. I could try a cheaper cognac/brandy instead of the bourbon and see what that is like. Then again, why mess with a good thing.

Oh yea, I forgot to mention: I did put some cherries in the Grand Old Fashion. We were entertaining, so I was in mixing mode.

[Edit to add: I dare say that my guests got a kick out of it. You don't see someone mixing drinks at gatherings a lot these days, and frankly, beyond the occasional Manhattan, I've never really done it much. It was kind of fun to see their eyebrows raise when I got creative. The Aperol Americano was for a guest who I knew was looking for something light. She had never heard of it, and I told her if she didn't like it, we'd pour it out. She loved it, and finished it off.]

 

[Tacitus]

Last weekend, I had an Artillery cocktail:

• 2 parts gin (Beefeater)
• 1 part sweet vermouth (Antica Formula)
• orange bitters (Angostura)

In a chilled martini glass that I hadn't used in years. I felt very sophisticated as I grilled on the back deck with my martini glass.


Tonight, as the wife had a beer as we prepared dinner, I enjoyed a Perfect Martini:

• 2 parts gin
• 1 part sweet vermouth
• 1 part dry vermouth (Dolin)
• orange bitters
• jalapeno-stuffed olives on the side

This one I put on the rocks, because I didn't take the time to chill the alcohol. I didn't feel half as sophisticated without my fancy martini glass. The melting ice, however, took nothing away from the drink, IMO.

A Perfect Martini is different from a classic Martini in that it includes gin, sweet vermouth and dry vermouth, but the classic Martini includes just gin and dry vermouth. Honestly, I didn't think it would work initially, but the Artillery worked, so I decided to try the Perfect Martini, which also works.

Some recipes for the Perfect Martini call for 4 parts gin, and 1 part each of vermouth (in other words, a 2:1 ratio of gin to total vermouth). But, I like the 1:1 ratio of gin to vermouth...a little less alcohol, and a little less harsh on the palate.

 

[Morgan101]

You can also make a Perfect Manhattan or a Perfect Rob Roy using equal parts of Sweet and Dry Vermouth.

I am not a fan of Sweet Vermouth ergo I will opt for the dry version. I'm not sure if it is a blessing or a curse, but having tended bar for so long I can tell if the drink is made correctly by the color. As soon as the server puts the drink on the table I will know.