Cocktails

[wtburnette]

For those of us who aren't giving up on alcohol, I thought I'd start a thread on cocktails. I've always been more of a beer/wine guy, but the last year I've been watching a lot of videos on YouTube for making cocktails and have been making a few to try out. For a long time, my go to was a margarita. Delicious drink and quite potent when made with a bit of a heavy pour. Recently, a coworker turned me on to Aperol, as she returned from an overseas trip where Aperol Spritz was a mainstay drink. I tried that and liked it and had always wanted to make a Negroni, so I made one using Aperol instead of Campari and really enjoyed the result. Anyway, thought I'd share some of my recipes.

Margarita
2 ounces (60ml) of Tequila (sometimes I like blanco and sometimes anejo, depends on the mood). Use good 100% agave tequila (Patron, Espolon, whatever your preference is).
1 ounce of orange liqueur (sometimes I use orange curacoa and sometimes I use Gran Marnier
Juice of 1/2 fresh lime
1/2 ounce (15ml) or less depending on taste of agave syrup
Shake with ice for 20 - 25 seconds, dump into margarita glass that either has a salted rim, or sprinkle salt on top of the drink (if you prefer, double strain as you pour into the glass to remove further dilution)

Aperol Spritz
Traditional is a 1-1-1 recipe using Aperol, Prosecco and club soda. I prefer:
2 ounces (60ml) Aperol
1 ounce (30ml) prosecco
1 ounce (30ml) club soda
Juice of 1/4 to 1/2 fresh orange
Add ice to glass, pour in alcohol and lightly stir with bar spoon. Garnish with a fresh orange slice. Enjoy.

Aperol Negroni
The classic Negroni uses Campari, a very bitter and herbaceous citrus liqueur. I sub in Aperol which is slightly sweeter, less herbaceous and less bitter.
2 ounces (60ml of Aperol)
1 ounce (30ml) dry gin
1 ounce (30ml) sweet vermouth
add ice to cocktail mixing glass, add alcohol and stir with a bar spoon until nicely chilled. Strain into a tumbler with one big ice cube. Cut a piece of orange peel and spritz over glass, then drop inside. The oil from the orange peel is essential to this drink.

Okay, those are my favorites. Let's see what you got

 

[hoosierdaddy1976]

Ice, gin, tonic, lime

 

[Cameramonkey]

I like a good old fashioned with orange bitters.

 

[littletommy]

I don’t have an actual measured out recipe but, my two favorite mixed drinks are:

Evan Williams bourbon, about 2.5-3 inches of it in the bottom of a 30 ounce Yeti cup. Ice and a whole can of Diet Pepsi.

Bicardi rum (it’s the only kind of rum I like). Same mixture, 2.5-3 inches, ice, and a can of Diet Pepsi.

I can Sip on one of those for quite a while.

 

[Cameramonkey]

And for those of you that make your own simple syrup. How long do you keep it if kept refrigerated? Since our boiled sugar water doesnt contain any preservatives, its going to go bad eventually.

 

[wtburnette]

I just saw something recently about this. I want to say it was a couple weeks to a month for 1:1 simple syrup and up to 3 months for demerara syrup (2:1).

 

[DoggyDaddy]

I don't really measure either, but my "fall and winter" drink used to be about half a glass/tumbler of bourbon over ice, then topped off with apple cider. I think my local orchard (Adrian's) is out of business though. They had the unpasteurized cider which is a world away from the grocery store crap.

 

[Cameramonkey]

I just saw something recently about this. I want to say it was a couple weeks to a month for 1:1 simple syrup and up to 3 months for demerara syrup (2:1).

That has got to be room temperature storage. I've had mine at least 6 months in a capped squirt bottle on the fridge door. Looks and tastes fine. But I question longer than that.

 

[wtburnette]

I don't really measure either, but my "fall and winter" drink used to be about half a glass/tumbler of bourbon over ice, then topped off with apple cider. I think my local orchard (Adrian's) is out of business though. They had the unpasteurized cider which is a world away from the grocery store crap.

I occasionally like a hard cider with 2 shots of fireball added for effect

That has got to be room temperature storage. I've had mine at least 6 months in a capped squirt bottle on the fridge door. Looks and tastes fine. But I question longer than that.

Might be right on that. It was just something at the tail end of a cocktail video where I heard what I posted.

 

[cavallo]

Margarita
2 ounces (60ml) of Tequila (sometimes I like blanco and sometimes anejo, depends on the mood)...

If you like smoke, try switching out the Tequila in a margarita with a mezcal you like. I tried a mezcal-based Marg in broadripple and it opened up the whole world of mezcal for me.

 

[MindfulMan]

Gran Marnier

This is the way to happiness ..... please don't put orange curacoa in your Marg !

 

[cavallo]

I like sipping neat spirits. Some of my favorites include:
* Four Roses Small Batch (Bourbon)
* Glenlivet 12 (entry level scotch)
* Illegal Mezcal Repozado

(BTW: we are talking sipping slowly and savoring the depth of flavor, not slamming shots like a youngster.)

 

[DoggyDaddy]

I like sipping neat spirits. Some of my favorites include:
* Four Roses Small Batch (Bourbon)
* Glenlivet 12 (entry level scotch)
* Illegal Mezcal Repozado

(BTW: we are talking sipping slowly and savoring the depth of flavor, not slamming shots like a youngster.)

I do enjoy sipping Jagermeister.

 

[indyartisan]

Equal parts honey, fresh squeezed lemon juice and Everclear

 

[MuttX7]

In honor of John Prine, here is his instructions to make his favorite drink, a Handsome Johnnny:

Ingredients​

• 1 to 2 ozs. – Vodka. John recommend Red Smirnoff (not Blue)
• Ginger Ale – Enough to top off the glass. John recommends diet ginger ale, not regular. You don’t want it too sweet.
• Lemon – In the Summertime
• Lime – In the Wintertime

Instructions​

• Fill a cocktail glass with ice
• Pour in Vodka
• Pour in Diet Ginger Ale
• Stir and drop the lemon or lime in from approximately 6″ above. Do not squeeze it.

 

[Ziggidy]

Ice, gin, tonic, lime

Gin makes you sin…..

 

[Ziggidy]

If you like smoke, try switching out the Tequila in a margarita with a mezcal you like. I tried a mezcal-based Marg in broadripple and it opened up the whole world of mezcal for me.

Mezcal is much better than tequila, at least it was 35 years ago.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

Gin makes you sin…..

And apparently beer makes you queer...

 

[pute62]

Old Grandad 114 with Mt Dew

 

[Ziggidy]

It’s been a long time, but when I did drink it was simple.

Scotch on the rocks
Martini, waving the vermouth cap over the vodka
Saturdays we took can of frozen lemonade, 1 can beer and tequila - blended.
A good tequila or mezcal was also good.

Never liked beer or mixed drinks. I would go to a place “Charlie Club” that was a fitness center with a bar/nightclub upstairs, nice place. They would have specials every Thursday and would have 25 cent martinis. That’s all I remember.