I feel like many of the cocktails I've ordered are pre-Prohibition. The sazerac? The old-fashioned? The manhattan? The martini?
Pittsburgh has had this group since before I was here.
Wasn't the cocktail as we know it only invented like 30 years before Prohibition? (that is, before that a mixed drink probably had eggs and sugar in it and was served hot)
It was a total thing in Boston about three years ago. It has cooled off quite a bit since then.
I believe, were you to read the archives, you could find a fair bit of discussion of the topic on this here blog circa the timeframe I mention in 4.
I bet I found those threads boring, so there.
I like your math, heebie.
I, personally, have never heard of this trend. I thought people were having Mad Men parties -- wouldn't that be 1960s cocktails?
The weirdest trend experience I can remember is seeing teenage girls (age 13 or so) in New Orleans in 2008 wearing t-shirts with dozens of tiny rips tied artistically into knots down the arms/sides. I am pretty sure that the last time I saw that style was 1980-something.
Anyhoo, I can point you to an excellent bar in Boston with lots of old-school cocktails, but it's far too crowded to go to most of the time, these days. I personally enjoy making such drinks as the East India, Toronto, and Pink Lady. I don't actually know if any of them are pre-prohibition, but I think they're all in that realm.
Ingredient-wise, if you can think of a way to combine brandy, champagne, and egg, you're probably on the right track.
Anything else I can tell you?
Since this is the alcohol thread: anyone have a recommendation for a really good tequila? I have a $50 gift certificate to a nice liquor store, and I have decided that the entire thing is going to a nice bottle of tequila. Unless someone highly recommends something cheaper.
if you can think of a way to combine brandy, champagne, and egg,
See, this doesn't sound at all like what my friend was describing. She was describing these complicated drinks that took like 8 minutes to prepare, that tasted super complicated and unique and not necessarily good, but interesting.
There was some move where you sqeeze an (orange?) so that it squirts through the flame of a lighter so that it caramelizes as it reaches the drink. Which doesn't sound bitter but I'm sure you could add something awful.
There was some move where you sqeeze an (orange?) so that it squirts through the flame of a lighter so that it caramelizes as it reaches the drink.
Yes. It's pretty easy, really.
It's just the peel of the orange, though.
I'm pretty sure the archives are chock full of Nosflow and Tweety talking about old timey cocktails. I'd say the trend came through here about 3 years ago; still a good number of places that serve them but it's not a new thing anymore.
I still feel like I'm missing the point. Is egg the point? I feel like a reasonably large fraction of standard cocktails are pre-Prohibition, but it seems like this means something more specific and out of the ordinary.
Is it worse to be pwned by three years or by 26 minutes?
Is egg the point?
The egg wasn't discussed much by my source. The bitters were much more prominent. But the egg can be your point if you'd like.
I have some eggs, an orange, a bottle of bitters, a lighter, and gin. What can I make?
17: First, put the egg in a plastic cup and microwave it....
I didn't say I had a microwave or a plastic cup.
What can I make?
Seventeen dollars, around here.
20: I have a can of baked beans, some dried lentils, and string beans (frozen).
Hornados anejo is nice tequile.
Chilled gin with cardamom and a shot of bitters is nice. Reasonably priced cardamom at south asian markets.
23: Ooh, I've been making my own gin by infusing vodka with juniper and cardamom and other herbs, but that sounds even better. I have one more week until I'm a mother, but I don't know if that'll be enough time for fancy cocktails.
(Maybe tomorrow I'll take the time to tell all of you about how awful and racist and just awful again little Mara's foster mom seemed. I've never been this sort of person, but I can't wait to get her out of there. We meet her tomorrow; in a week, she'll be with us full-time. Whoa.)
9: Don Julio 1942 is pretty damn tasty, if you're okay with spending a bit of your own cash in addition to the gift certificate. (Looks like it's running $80-$100/bottle, based on Google.)
I wish I could remember what I had at Little Branch w/ AWB. It involved rum and egg whites and later it involved thinking it was a good idea to go to a piano bar on a Monday night and sing "La Vie en Rose." What it did not involve was remembering the words to "La Vie en Rose."
Blume: I like Patron Silver but I'm not a connoisseur.
24.2: I'm sure it is hard, but your patience will be rewarded.
I really enjoy good cocktails, but I usually avoid them in favor of straight bourbon or scotch because not many bars near me know how to make good cocktails and the bars where they do know how to are all obnoxious. It's a damn shame.
You know what else is a damn shame? 92 in the Shade isn't on DVD.
wait so what's the place you recommend in boston?
Other than a Manhattan or a gin & tonic, I really don't drink cocktails. I once drank a cement mixer, but I was already very drunk and I hated to see it go to waste after the person it was purchased for turned out to be perfectly aware of what happens when an acid hits a dairy product.
I recently heard someone order a tequila gimlet, which struck me as a bit odd, but I knew immediately what the person wanted, so.
but I knew immediately what the person wanted
Because her hand was on your junk.
I'll ask my brother's recommendation for Tequila, I remember him finding on that he liked, which was very tasty.
31: those were the favored drink of an old coworker of mine, and are kinda delicious.
I remember being at a party and some was trying to get every one to put amaretto in their beer because the result tasted like Dr Pepper.
I've been on a rye manhattan kick of late--I believe those are pre-prohibition. But I mainly drink straight whiskey in cooler weather. I found a new liquor store tonight, and brought home 3 bottles I've never tried before. I'll report back if they're any good.
37: I fucking love rye manhattans. And if you need any help with your whiskey tasting, lemme know. (What'd you buy?)
The liquor store by me has cheap port in the cooler. Apparently, if you ask nicely and buy it daily, they'll do it your way.
Also to 37: This place may also be relevant to your interests.
How about a gin fizz? I remember in "Love among the ruins" the lead character drinks gin fizzes. I think they have egg whites in them.
If you like a rye manhattan, especially if you like it because a bourbon manhattan is too sweet, you should consider the rye negroni. It may have an actual obscure name, but it's easier to say "make me a negroni, but with rye instead of gin". So delicious.
40: oh, damn. My liver just started crying in advance.
I picked up Black Maple Hill bourbon (interesting note of iodine at the end, but otherwise lacking in much complexity--I've got 3 or 4 candidates I'd go to first when buying again); Smokeheads Islay single malt--ok, but not great; and Redemption rye, which is a nice, balanced whiskey that lacks the "ryeness" I would expect. All drinkable, none anything to write home about. (YMMV--I tend to like flavors that come on like a sledgehammer. My gold standard scotch is Lagavulin, if that means anything to you.)
43: I'm not against sweetness per se, I just want a drink that's interesting--if you'll pardon the pretension, I like a drink that has something to say, and bourbon Manhattans don't, at least to me. That said, I'll definitely give a rye negroni a try the next time I have Campari in the house. /drink nerding
I remember being at a party and some was trying to get every one to put amaretto in their beer because the result tasted like Dr Pepper.
So if you can find a way to distill amaretto out of Dr Pepper, you're left with beer? Sounds like a win all the way, especially if you've got some 16-year-olds on hand to drink the amaretto.
46: I need to quit trying to do HTML on my phone.
Picked up a bottle of pot still rum the other day. So delicious.
Which Black Hill Maple, Chopper? I hear rapturous things about the (super-pricey) 23-year-old.
I hear rapturous things about the (super-pricey) 23-year-old.
Now that Craigslist stopped, where do you find them?
We had Black Maple Hill (the regular, not specially aged one) at our recent bourbon tasting, and it got okay but not great reviews.
Of course, it might have shined a little brighter if we hadn't had Pappy van Winkle 15-year. What were we thinking, putting that on a slate with anything else?
9: you'll probably be happy with anything labeled Tequila Anejo.
I'll ask my brother's recommendation for Tequila, I remember him finding on that he liked, which was very tasty.
I heard back, and it was the Aha Toro that he shared with me. Very tasty, and should be under $50.
For reference I like alcohols that are smooth enough to drink straight with clean flavors. That tequila definitely fell into that category -- very flavorful with a very smooth burn. Nothing harsh about it.
you'll probably be happy with anything labeled Tequila Anejo
Corollary: you'll probably be unhappy with anything labeled Pepe López or Aristocrat.
I guess I should have asked: are you making cocktails, or just sipping straight?
Pappy van Winkle
Argh. I had this exactly once and have lamented ever since that nothing else tastes like it. And of course it costs a month's salary per bottle.
I should add, for those of you who can get a hold of it, that the Dry Fly vodka is really, really tasty.
Pappy van Winkle is indeed delicious. IMO, something less expensive, probably not as delicious but still incredibly fucking delicious is: http://www.oldpogue.com/
56: You'll be most unhappy with something labeled Tequila Anejo but containing something that is correctly labeled Pepe López or Aristocrat.
A true entrepreneur would take the $50, buy some agave plants, hire some displaced workers, and set out to fulfill the American Dream (of getting oneself and others drunk).
Picked up a bottle of pot still rum the other day. So delicious.
That reminds me... my dad brought me back a bottle of this from Barbados a few years ago. Hot damn is it tasty.
you'll probably be happy with anything labeled Tequila Anejo
I had Don Julio the other night, and while it was lovely, I'm looking for something a bit more complex for straight sipping. I should probably go somewhere a few different times and get a tequila flights to try more of them out.
And I've never heard of Old Pogue! Can you get it outside of Bourbonland, I wonder? It was already a big deal several years ago when Buffalo Trace started getting distributed in Massachusetts.
And of course it costs a month's salary per bottle.
Maybe you're thinking of the 20-year stuff? That really is insanely expensive. The 15-year is still pricey, but at least it doesn't break the three-figure threshold. We make up for it by drinking Evan Williams most of the time.
Evan Williams
I've got a buddy whose dad swears by Evan Williams and won't touch any other liquor. Apparently, people often get the preference wrong, leaving him with bottles of Jim Beam, such that whenever we visit, the dad goes to great lengths to get everyone to finish off "the undrinkable stuff" (the Jim Beam) and not to touch the Evan. It's not a bad problem to have.
I quite like the 10-year Eagle Rare, which about the same price as Maker's Mark but a nicer bourbon.
I should probably go somewhere a few different times and get a tequila flights to try more of them out.
And bring somebody else with you so you can compare subjective impressions.
67: it shocks me how much better Evan Williams is than Jim Beam, not least considering that it's like half the price.
I live in a control state, so I've never seen half of the top-shelf labels mentioned on this thread. Pity me!
I live in a control state, so I've never seen half of the top-shelf labels mentioned on this thread. Pity me!
You can probably get the Dry Fly vodka, which would be well worth it.
Yeah, we get that, along with all the competing Oregon boutique products. But I know when I go into an OLCC store I'm getting a fraction of, say, the bourbons available elsewhere, and liquor control is one area in which I'm eager to see bureaucracy yield to the free(r) market.
The governor here wants to sell off the state-run ABC stores and privatize liquor sales, and one of the concerns I found a bit surprising is whether doing so might work to limit selection, with some of the small-name brands (including some local-ish stuff) possibly getting squeezed out. I don't know what's happened in other states though.
whether doing so might work to limit selection
Which is why I say the free(r) market, but I can't imagine the selection getting worse here under privatization, and in this market the exclusion of local stuff is highly improbable. Washington has a pair of privatization initiatives on the ballot; I have no idea how they're projected to do.
People should please keep offerring bourbon recommendations. Shipping may be prohibitive on the Old Pogue, but I'll try to pick some up when I'm in California next month.
I tried some Russell's Reserve recently but was decidedly underwhelmed by it. I'll probably go back to Buffalo Trace when I get rid of that. I got some Elijah Craig 18 Year as a present last year and that was awfully tasty.
People should please keep offerring bourbon recommendation
I recommend drinking it. You could rip-cord the stuff, but that seems unwise.
76: hmm. The higher-end offerings from Four Roses are all also very good.
I know a number of people who fawn over Willett. It's never gotten me overly excited, but it's worth a try if you've never had it.
78: I like the jumping bottle on the Four Roses page. Haven't tried Willett, but will keep and eye open for it.