# Tell me something good



## Clintotron (Mar 24, 2015)

Good evening.
I’m looking for a new cocktail to try. I’m not really opposed to any ingredients aside from cucumbers (and the opposition isn’t titanium-clad). I’m looking for something with flavor. Color/appearance, alcoholic content, etc. are second violin. I do enjoy a gin and tonic, Long Island iced tea, etc. Must also be of ingredients available in most bar’n’grill establishments. I don’t mind explaining, so if it’s obscure, I won’t expect it to be common knowledge.
Thanks, partners.


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## Vecchio Vespa (Dec 3, 2011)

I assume you have already covered the “usual suspects” such as old fashioneds, martinis, Manhattans, Negronis, Sazeracs, and the like. I sort of enjoy tinkering with the tried and true. Of course start with a basic drink you like. For example, instead of a typical Negroni, use Aperol instead of Campari and Lillet Rouge in place of red vermouth or start with an old fashioned and substitute bourbon for rye and try bitters other than Angostura. The chief tinkering in our home is with martinis. We change gins, find the best vermouth to pair, mess with proportions, and lately have tried different garnishes, like jalapeño or garlic stuffed olives. My wife like Vespers, too. 

So do you want something tall, something with fruit, fizzy...? This could be fun (he typed at 7:30 a.m., half a day away from the cocktail hour).


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## SG_67 (Mar 22, 2014)

The last time we stayed at the Pierre I had this:


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## derum (Dec 29, 2008)

Try the wonderfully named "Corpse reviver No 2"
1 oz Gin, 1 oz Cointreau, 1 oz Lillet Blanc (or Vermouth), 1 oz fresh lemon juice, dash of Absinthe.
Shake all ingredients together in ice filled cocktail shaker, strain into chilled martini glass.
Enjoy!


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## Mr. B. Scott Robinson (Jan 16, 2017)

I tend to favor a dark and stormy on occasion, although it can be a bit sweet for my taste. Captain Morgan and ginger beer. 

Cheers, 

BSR


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## Vecchio Vespa (Dec 3, 2011)

Mr. B. Scott Robinson said:


> I tend to favor a dark and stormy on occasion, although it can be a bit sweet for my taste. Captain Morgan and ginger beer.
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> BSR


Reminds me of another classic, the horse's neck. Brandy (VS Cognac, usually) and ginger ale. My memory of that drink is that it was de rigeuer in the British Navy, much like the Oboe Fox (or Oscar Foxtrot) aka Old Fashioned in the USN.


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## SG_67 (Mar 22, 2014)

derum said:


> Try the wonderfully named "Corpse reviver No 2"
> 1 oz Gin, 1 oz Cointreau, 1 oz Lillet Blanc (or Vermouth), 1 oz fresh lemon juice, dash of Absinthe.
> Shake all ingredients together in ice filled cocktail shaker, strain into chilled martini glass.
> Enjoy!


The Peninsula Hotel in Chicago serves this in their bar.


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## Peak and Pine (Sep 12, 2007)

Fancy shmanzy these.

Try this. Go hiking in the White Mountains. Fly to New Hampshire first. Choose a hot August day. Carry one long-neck Schlitz in the back pack. Turn back the clock 30 years to find the Schlitz. When you get to the top of Mt. Moriah choose a mountain stream and nestle the Schlitz deep down by a rock. Wait twenty minutes. Use that time to take off ultra sweaty shirt and shorts. Hang on limb to dry. Reach into the water. Pull up the coldest, sweetest cocktail you've ever had in 1972. Or you could nancy around the Hotel Pierre.


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## SG_67 (Mar 22, 2014)

I’ll take my chances at the Pierre if it means not being found naked, dead and clutching a can of Schlitz in the New England woods.


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## The Irishman (Oct 21, 2013)

To be honest I tend to stick with the classics also... Negroni, Old Fashioned, Sazerac etc. I find that where variation is desired it is often enough to just keep trying different ingredient options... The choice of which sweet vermouth, which whisky, bourbon or gin utilised and so on.

Some interesting alternative efforts - still relatively classic - that are worth a shot:-

Sherry Negroni / Spanish Negroni : Substitute something like a Manazilla sherry for the gin, and the sweet vermouth and Campari stay as they are. Paco Tapas, a Michelin star Spanish restaurant in Bristol, made me a believer on this one. They do a tasting menu with matched sherries, and this was the mixed drink that kicked it off.

White Negronis are worth a spin also, as are a "dirty" Negroni (not sure this is the correct term) where olive brine is added.

If want something Negroni-esque then I'll make a Boulvardier or a Hanky Panky some evenings.


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## Clintotron (Mar 24, 2015)

Peak and Pine said:


> Fancy shmanzy these.
> 
> Try this. Go hiking in the White Mountains. Fly to New Hampshire first. Choose a hot August day. Carry one long-neck Schlitz in the back pack. Turn back the clock 30 years to find the Schlitz. When you get to the top of Mt. Moriah choose a mountain stream and nestle the Schlitz deep down by a rock. Wait twenty minutes. Use that time to take off ultra sweaty shirt and shorts. Hang on limb to dry. Reach into the water. Pull up the coldest, sweetest cocktail you've ever had in 1972. Or you could nancy around the Hotel Pierre.


Schlitz can be found in 2019, and it is a beer I enjoy simply because I know mine won't be stolen, even by the moochiest of individuals. And a hike in the mountains does sound nice. I spent my off time this summer in Wyoming and Colorado doing a bit of hiking.

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## ChrisRS (Sep 22, 2014)

SG_67 said:


> I'll take my chances at the Pierre if it means not being found naked, dead and clutching a can of Schlitz in the New England woods.


This approach may not be for everyone, but I'm pretty sure PnP just handed me a new life goal. We can dicker between White or Green at a later date.


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## Peak and Pine (Sep 12, 2007)

SG_67 said:


> I'll take my chances at the Pierre if it means not being found naked, dead and clutching a can of Schlitz in the New England woods.


I chuckled. And got something on me while doing so.


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## shadoman (Jun 8, 2014)

derum said:


> Try the wonderfully named "Corpse reviver No 2"
> ...


While the #2 IS most popular, the variations are all pretty good, too.
I'm mostly an Old fashioned and Sazerac guy, but lately I've been enjoying RobRoys and Bronx Cocktails.


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## The Irishman (Oct 21, 2013)

shadoman said:


> While the #2 IS most popular, the variations are all pretty good, too.
> I'm mostly an Old fashioned and Sazerac guy, but lately I've been enjoying RobRoys and Bronx Cocktails.


If I buy a Scotch whisky that turns out to be disappointing then I will sometimes use it up in a Rob Roy, if I just can't be arsed to drink it neat or with a tiny bit of water (my normal protocol).

Aside from the mixing ingredients muddying things the ice chilling the thing means you're getting a different experience palate wise.


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## Vecchio Vespa (Dec 3, 2011)

The Irishman said:


> If I buy a Scotch whisky that turns out to be disappointing then I will sometimes use it up in a Rob Roy, if I just can't be arsed to drink it neat or with a tiny bit of water (my normal protocol).
> 
> Aside from the mixing ingredients muddying things the ice chilling the thing means you're getting a different experience palate wise.


And an otherwise unappealing Scotch can be a good ingredient in a sour (made by hand, not with sour mix), but only if you like whisky sours. It's been ten or fifteen years for me, but I've gotten better at acquiring only Scotch is like neat or with a drop or two of water to wake it up.


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## The Irishman (Oct 21, 2013)

TKI67 said:


> And an otherwise unappealing Scotch can be a good ingredient in a sour (made by hand, not with sour mix), but only if you like whisky sours. It's been ten or fifteen years for me, but I've gotten better at acquiring only Scotch is like neat or with a drop or two of water to wake it up.


Yeah, likewise, I tend to know what I'm getting these days, it's not totally a shot in the dark if I know the distillery's output, and maybe I'll take a look at Jim Murray's whisky bible also.

But you can still get the odd lemon... Maybe your sister-in-law buys you a sherry monster when you hate sherry cask finishes... Or someone buys you Conor McGregor's or David Beckham's whisky as a 'joke'.

I'm a fan of Green Spot, so I acquired a bottle each of two cask finishes they recently did... Where the whisky is finished in wine barrels from vineyards owned by Irish immigrants (they called it the "Wine Geese" series"). I have Green Spot finished in Chateau Leoville Barton casks, and Green Spot finished in sherry then Chateau Montelena.

Haven't tried it yet but reviews of the Leoville Barton finish have been mixed... Some saying that the barrels must have been sulphured and that this taints the taste very badly... You can be up against that also, unfortunately...


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## Vecchio Vespa (Dec 3, 2011)

The Irishman said:


> Yeah, likewise, I tend to know what I'm getting these days, it's not totally a shot in the dark if I know the distillery's output, and maybe I'll take a look at Jim Murray's whisky bible also.
> 
> But you can still get the odd lemon... Maybe your sister-in-law buys you a sherry monster when you hate sherry cask finishes... Or someone buys you Conor McGregor's or David Beckham's whisky as a 'joke'.
> 
> ...


Come to think of it a couple of years ago I was given a bottle of Port finish Glenmorangie. It's sitting in my liquor cabinet, taking up space. I foolishly thought a tad might be good in an orange marmalade. I was wrong. I'll stick to buying it with Aberlour already in it or even use a decent blend for home enhanced versions.


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## derum (Dec 29, 2008)

Yesterday evening I tried wine aged in Irish whiskey barrels. It was different, but not unpleasant at all.
For info it was Jacobs Creek Double Barrel Cab.


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## Clintotron (Mar 24, 2015)

As my wife and I welcome our fourth child (third boy) later this year, we’ll be looking to relocate to a more suitable abode. As this happens, I’ll be incorporating a wet bar and now have a good idea of what to stock. Thank you all for the suggestions.


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## irish95 (Sep 27, 2011)

I am shocked that a member with the username "The Irishman" is a contributor to a thread on drinking. Damn those stereotypes! Lest anyone be offended, please check my username. All in good fun.


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## The Irishman (Oct 21, 2013)

irish95 said:


> I am shocked that a member with the username "The Irishman" is a contributor to a thread on drinking. Damn those stereotypes! Lest anyone be offended, please check my username. All in good fun.


There's often a grain of truth in stereotypes, for better or worse.

On cask finishes, I have to say that I often don't mind them. Sherry cask finishing is a massive part of many distilleries output, and the more creative use of things like Sauternes casks, red wine casks etc often works out OK in my view.

However, has anyone tried some of the recent Jameson Caskmates series? They aged their blend in barrels which previously were used to hold a strong Irish stout... That one wasn't bad. Lately they've done one with barrels which held an IPA... Struggling to imagine that would be a good combination.


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## SG_67 (Mar 22, 2014)

The Irishman said:


> There's often a grain of truth in stereotypes, for better or worse.
> 
> On cask finishes, I have to say that I often don't mind them. Sherry cask finishing is a massive part of many distilleries output, and the more creative use of things like Sauternes casks, red wine casks etc often works out OK in my view.
> 
> However, has anyone tried some of the recent Jameson Caskmates series? They aged their blend in barrels which previously were used to hold a strong Irish stout... That one wasn't bad. Lately they've done one with barrels which held an IPA... Struggling to imagine that would be a good combination.


It's interesting you bring this up because, though not a beer drinker, I quite enjoy the barrel aged beers available at one of our local brew pubs, sort of the reverse of what you're referring too.

I'm partial to a very dark, stout beer that has been aged in oak whiskey barrels. The alcohol content about doubles that of a regular beer due to the concentration.


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## Clintotron (Mar 24, 2015)

So, the negroni is excellent. I still haven’t had a proper Sazerac due to nobody carrying absinthe. Still atop my list. Thanks for the suggestions.


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## Vecchio Vespa (Dec 3, 2011)

Clintotron said:


> So, the negroni is excellent. I still haven't had a proper Sazerac due to nobody carrying absinthe. Still atop my list. Thanks for the suggestions.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


Use Pernod. It's widely available and excellent for the wash in the glass before building a Sazerac in it. BTW I'm enjoying a bottle of Punt e Mes these days. It's good on the rocks.


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## The Irishman (Oct 21, 2013)

I use Pernod as a substitute also - hits a similar note.

The only difficulty is that if you accidentally overdo the wash of the glass then it overpowers the whole drink.

Not drinking much these days, compared to the Christmas period... I feel so much better in terms of my sleep quality. Even a 1-2 drinks seems to be suboptimal for really restful sleep in comparison with a block of several days alcohol free. My few cents only. I'm going boozeless Monday to Thursday (Yes, really all out..).


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## irish95 (Sep 27, 2011)

Nobody likes a quitter!


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## Clintotron (Mar 24, 2015)

Gents, this evening I had a true Sazerac AND a Corpse Reviver No. 2. Both were incredible and I’ll be glad to try some more suggestions, old and new.


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## Clintotron (Mar 24, 2015)

I’d like some suggestions on bottles to stock at home. Should I do that here or start a new thread?


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