Cocktails

[wtburnette]

You know that I don't drink alcohol these days, but at one time, I was a marguerite specialist.
My best friend owned a bar / nightclub in Bloomington, and I learned his recipe.

I was just experimenting and found that I really like it this way. I read a ton of recipes and watched taste test YT videos talking about different ingredients in margaritas, but I didn't find any saying to use anejo tequila (several said to use reposado). I decided to try it for the heck of it and found that it makes a really nice margarita to sip on. Sometimes I prefer the "cleaner" version with blanco tequila and a triple sec orange liqueur, but more often I like the complex version.

 

[Tactically Fat]

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.

It won't ever really "go bad". You can re-boil it if you think it needs it. If you notice a colony of mold on it, scoop it out then you can re boil it.

 

[Cameramonkey]

I was just experimenting and found that I really like it this way. I read a ton of recipes and watched taste test YT videos talking about different ingredients in margaritas, but I didn't find any saying to use anejo tequila (several said to use reposado). I decided to try it for the heck of it and found that it makes a really nice margarita to sip on. Sometimes I prefer the "cleaner" version with blanco tequila and a triple sec orange liqueur, but more often I like the complex version.

the oak notes from the bourbon barrels adds a nice flavor.

 

[rosejm]

It won't ever really "go bad". You can re-boil it if you think it needs it. If you notice a colony of mold on it, scoop it out then you can re boil it.

Woof. It's just sugar water... dissolve some more and keep going.

How much simple syrup are y'all making at one time?!?



Reverend Palmer - bitters, lemon simple, bourbon. Over a cube, garnish with a big twist.
When you get the simple right, it's a bright lemony old fashioned. I recommend a ratio of 4:2:1 sugar, water, lemon juice.

How To Video

 

[Cameramonkey]

Woof. It's just sugar water... dissolve some more and keep going.

How much simple syrup are y'all making at one time?!?

2 cups. (1 ea). Or enough to fill a squeeze bottle similar to what DQ used for ketchup and mustard back in the day.

But I'm cheap and lazy.

 

[Tactically Fat]

I'm a big fan of cocktails. And my physique shows it.

Note: I'm lazy and my cocktails are RARELY ever garnished with anything more than a Traverse City Whiskey Co. cherry or 2.

My general go-to is an Old Fashioned:
Which ever bitters I'm in the mood for; 2oz inexpensive bourbon (Partial to Elijah Craig or 4 Roses), between a barspoon and a TSP of home-made simple, ice cube or two, cherry or two.

Mezcal Old Fashioned:
use Mezcal instead of whiskey/bourbon. (I once had a smoked mezcal old fashioned at a restaurant and it was so good, but I don't smoke my drinks at home)

Old Fashioned Riff:
Bourbon + Cointreau. SOME Bourbons go well with orange bitters. The ones that do also do well with Countreau. I suppose triple-sec would work too if you have it. Personally I think the bourbons that have a high vanilla note to them work best with orange bitters...

Poor Man's Mule:
3oz Reed's sugar free ginger beer (only kind of SF I can find), 2oz cheap Smirnoff lime-flavored vodka, crushed ice from the freezer door dispenser (which isn't super crushed but I don't care). BUT since the Smirnoff flavored vodkas are definitely approaching liqueur status, even a 1:1 ratio still works out vs. the "normal" 3:2 ratio.

Poor Man's Mint Julep:
Crushed ice from the dispenser (i don't crush further because I'm lazy), mix 2oz bourbon and mint syrup into another glass and mix. Don't have a ratio, but it's not quite 2:1. Maybe like 2 : 0.75? Scale your ratios to taste. Stir a bit then pour over the crushed ice that's in another glass.

Black Manhattan riff:
2oz Bourbon, 1oz amaro, angostura bitters, cherry.
To be Faithful to the Manhattan, you use a Rye and a sweet vermouth. A Black Manhattan uses a rye and an amaro. This gets a little pedantic here so bear with me: Much like there are rules for naming certain things whisky, Scotch, whiskey, and Bourbon - there are also naming rules for wines and such. Like Champagne, right? In order to be a true Champagne, it has to come from the Champagne region in France. Vermouth is a fortified wine product that has to be produced at a winery. If a distillery wants to produce a "vermouth" type product, it's called an amaro.

Further: a true Manhattan is served in a martini-style glass that's been chilled with ice and then the ice dumped out. My black manhattan riff: it basically ends up like an Old Fashioned (though no syrup, only the amaro for sweetness) with ice cubes in a rocks glass.

Super Simple Cocktails:
Then there's the riff on the 7 & 7. I may have some 7uP zero, but I don't ever buy Seagram's 7 whiskey. So I use whatever bourbon that I have. Tastes just fine

Rum & Coke: The spiced rum from Costco makes a tasty one in the Coke Zero. I prefer my R&C with a spiced rum. Though, really, ANY rum will work. A cherry-flavored rum liqueur tastes quite good.

Coke & Fireball: self explanatory. Ratio it however you want.

Fireball & cider: hot or cold, ratio it however you want.

Amaretto + cherry cola / dr pepper: Try an amaretto product in a cherry cola or a dr pepper. Divine - but definitely very sweet. Beware.

"Hot Apple Pie": pour a big bottle of high proof corn alcohol, like Everclear, in a big stock pot. Add in 1 gal of apple cider. Add in cinnamon sticks and/or apple slices. Put stock pot on a stove burner, turn burner on LOW. Cover. Let heat up / serve hot. Warning: This is DANGEROUS because you can't really taste the alcohol due to all the sugar in the cider.

That's about the extent of it for me.

 

[ed1838]

Red Stag and Coke just keep it simple and it works.

 

[hoosierdaddy1976]

"Hot Apple Pie": pour a big bottle of high proof corn alcohol, like Everclear, in a big stock pot. Add in 1 gal of apple cider. Add in cinnamon sticks and/or apple slices. Put stock pot on a stove burner, turn burner on LOW. Cover. Let heat up / serve hot. Warning: This is DANGEROUS because you can't really taste the alcohol due to all the sugar in the cider.

My wife makes a similar version with caramel flavored vodka. As you said, very easy to drink, but that much cider always cleans me out the next morning.

 

[Tactically Fat]

How much simple do I make at a time?

I started out with 1 cup. But that takes a LONG time to get gone. And I just got tired of re-boiling it.

So then I cut down to 1/2 cup. But that was also taking a LONG time to get gone.

So my last batch I just made 1/4 cup. And I use brown sugar vs. demerara.

 

[Tactically Fat]

My wife makes a similar version with caramel flavored vodka. As you said, very easy to drink, but that much cider always cleans me out the next morning.

That sounds divine. But as I said in my post, some of those flavored vodkas are basically liqueurs. That's even MORE sugar in the mix...and not enough of the ethanol. And as a diabetic fat guy - it's dangerous.


Dang - I just realized that I didn't put in what my wife drinks or any of the frozen/blended concoctions that I make.

 

[Ingomike]

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.

Easily six months refrigerated…

 

[Ingomike]

I like a good old fashioned with orange bitters.

I make my own dark brown simple syrup. The holy grail is to get just a touch of scorch it render a slight burnt taste. Try black walnut bitters also…

 

[FN USA]

I call this one the Coffee Old Fashioned:

3 oz your favorite rye bourbon (I use Mitcher's Rye)
1 oz Kona coffee liqueur (Kona liqueur is key here)
1 oz Simple syrup
Couple shakes of black walnut bitters
Damn good over a large ice cube.

Favorite Margarita:

Equal parts-
Lime juice
Tequila
Agave syrup
Shake well before pouring

Favorite Fall drink:
Sailor Jerry's and Apple Cider
Tends to get stronger the longer I drink it

 

[EyeCarry]

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

For your margaritas, switch to Gran Gala for the orange liquor taste. Much less expensive than Gran Marnier.

 

[wtburnette]

For your margaritas, switch to Gran Gala for the orange liquor taste. Much less expensive than Gran Marnier.

I may try this, but I'm a bit wary. My stepson was told the same about another brand, brought it home and it tasted nothing like Grand Marnier. Due to that I'm understandably wary to try cheaper alternatives. That said, I do use Aperix instead of Aperol, which saves me a couple bucks a bottle and I'm told they're identical...

 

[rkwhyte2]

My stepmother made a drink she called a mosquito bite.
White rum to taste
1 can of fruit cocktail(not sure if it was drained or not)
Small amount of ice
Blend until all the fruit was broken down.
Enjoy

 

[Dirty Steve]

I have never liked beer. Always made me feel too full. I used to be a bourbon guy but have been stuck on Tito's vodka this summer. My go to is a Skinny B*tch:

Fill a water glass with ice.
Pour it 3/4 full with Tito's.
Fill the reminder of the glass with club soda.
Add in 1/3 of a fresh lemon, squeeze the juice in and throw in the rind.

3-5 around the pool or in the hot tub on the weekend makes for a great evening.

Dirty Steve

 

[BugI02]

When I'm cooking for friends and the dish is asian, a Sidecar makes a very good aperitif

2 ozs of a good middle shelf cognac like Pierre Ferrand

3/4 oz of Cointreau

3/4 oz of fresh squeezed lemon juice

Shake with ice and serve in a martini glass

 

[gregkl]

I’m not contributing much here but want to help my friend’s(OP) algorithms here on INGO, lol.

I’m moving away from beer and liquor except for special occasions but I do like Manhattans and bourbon on the rocks.

 

[Twangbanger]

My preferred version of a Martinez:

2 shots Tanqueray
2 shots maraschino liquor of your choice (can substitute 1 shot with Cognac for a different taste)
4~5 dashes of Angostura orange bitters
Shake, over ice

Alternate version of the above with more fruit notes:

2 shots Tanqueray Valencia orange gin
1 shot Grand Marnier or Cointreau
1 shot DiSaronno
2 dashes Angostura orange bitters
Shake, over ice, garnish with maraschino cherries


My wife's go-to chocolate-coffee "foo-foo" drink (that I actually like pretty well, too...whether I'm drinking it or not...but that's a different story):

2 shots Gabriello coffee liqueur
2 shots Fennelly's Almond liqueur or DiSaronno cream liqueur (add a half-shot of Almond simple syrup, if using the latter ingredient).