Archive for category Mixed Drinks
Fentiman’s Tonic Water
Posted by Josh in Mixed Drinks on December 18, 2012
Maker: Fentiman’s North America, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
Brewer: ???, USA
Neat: Has a nice spicy, gingery nose with lime and lemon peel. Tart with a little quinine bitterness, but it’s an understated presence.
Mixed: I last tasted this tonic with some Old Tom gin and it was the perfect complement. This is an understated and complex tonic that works very well with understated, quality gins. A lemon slice is the best garnish for a G & T with Fentiman’s. I prefer a spicier tonic, frankly, but Fentiman’s really grew on me. It makes a great change of pace for me, but I can see it being a go-to for many people. This is a high quality tonic and it comes highly recommended.
Cola Head to Head: Faygo Original Cola vs. Towne Club Cola vs. Trader Joe’s Vintage Cola
Posted by Josh in Mixed Drinks on September 9, 2012
I don’t do a lot of reviewing of non-alcohol beverages but I thought it might be interesting to do a review of three colas as mixers. Coke, Pepsi and RC are known quantities, so I decided to taste some off brands and one generic. I tasted them by themselves, with bourbon (Very Old Barton 90 proof), and in a Cuba Libre (Olo Silver).
First, Faygo (I bought it in the bottle, can pictured). By itself it has a nice fizz. Syrupy like an old fashioned soda machine where the syrup and 
water come out separately. Heavy on the cane sugar, light on the spice. Refreshing but too sweet. In bourbon and cola it’s ok, but doesn’t really bring anything distinctive to the table. The bourbon has plenty of sweetness on its own. Faygo adds nothing but more sweetness. In a Cuba Libre it performs better, but it still adds very little. Meh.
Towne Club Cola: By itself it is fairly bland. The only thing interesting going on is a weird fruity note. Very little in the way of spice, just sweetness and stale fruit cocktail. With boubon, the fruity taste is covered up slightly, but still comes through. In a Cuba Libre, it clashes with the lime in a weird way and becomes very unpleasant. Not good.
Trader Joe’s Vintage Cola: Trader Joe’s is known for having good generics of almost every type of food or drink. Vintage Cola is firmly in that tradition. It’s certainly not as good as Coke or 
Pepsi, but it is on a level with RC. Like Faygo, TJ uses cane sugar, not Corn Syrup. Unlike Faygo, TJ’s is caffeine free. By itself, much more spice than the two others tasted. Works very well with bourbon, the spice and cane sugar complements the corny sweetness of the bourbon. It’s very good in a Cuba Libre too. Fills out the drink very nicely.
Overall, The Trader Joe’s Vintage Cola was is my favorite of the three. Faygo would be second, but might appeal to drinkers with more of a sweet tooth. Coke is still my favorite, but anyone looking to save a few bucks or cut back on the caffeine should give TJ’s Vintage Cola a try.
Summer Cocktail Fun, Pt. 2
Posted by Josh in Mixed Drinks on August 5, 2012
Rock & Rye
250 oz Rye whiskey (I recommend Knob Creek or Bulleit)
2 oz rock candy (or granulated sugar)
1 slice orange (preferably a juice orange)
Place all ingredients into a mason jar or other non reactive container. Place in a warm place for 3-7 days, or until sugar is dissolved. Shake at least once a day. Drink neat or on the rocks or pour 1 1/2 oz into an ice filled rocks glass. Add 2-4 dashes of Fee Bros. Barrel Aged (or angostura or orange) bitters. Top off with club soda to taste for a Rock & Rye cooler.
Rye Highball
1 1/2 oz Rye whiskey (any will do. Also does well with a flavorful Canadian whisky like Wiser’s)
Ginger Ale (I prefer Vernor’s)
2-4 dashes of orange bitters
Pour rye into a highball glass filled with ice. Fill glass with ginger ale or to taste. Add bitters and stir gently.
Bourbon & Coke
Dur. Add Cherry bitters for a fun twist.
Kentucky Mudslide
1 1/2 oz Buffalo Trace Bourbon Cream
1 1/2 Coffee Liqueur
1 1/2 oz Vodka
3-5 dashes of Fee Bros. Aztec Chocolate Bitters
Half and Half
Pour first three ingredients into an ice filled rocks glass. Stir. Top off with half and half to taste. Add bitters. Stir.
Rum & Coke
Really?
Bourbon & Coke
Yeah.
Cuba Libre
1 1/2 oz White rum
1/2 oz Lime juice
Cola
Pour first two ingredients into an ice-filled rocks or highball glass and stir. Fill the rest of the glass with the cola. Garnish with a lime wedge.
Shandy
Fill a beer mug with 1/2 lemonade and 1/2 beer (light lager or wheat beer works best. Try Full Circle or Whitsun)
Pimm’s Cup
Pour 1 1/2 oz Pimm’s #1 into an ice filled highball glass. Fill the glass with sparkling lemonade.
Summer Cocktail Fun, Pt. 1
Posted by Josh in Mixed Drinks on July 28, 2012
I still drink plenty of bourbon, beer and wine in the summertime, but I like to mix it up too. I just got a motorized citrus juicer and I’ve been giving it a workout making light, refreshing drinks for my friends and myself. Here are some of this summer’s most popular.
Cape Codder
1 1/2 oz vodka (fruit flavored is ok if you’re into that sort of thing)
1/2 oz lime juice (fresh squeezed is best)
4 oz cranberry juice cocktail
2-4 dashes orange bitters (or to taste)
Add ingredients into an ice-filled rocks or highball glass and stir thoroughly.
Lazy’s Man’s Tequila Sunrise
1-1 1/2 oz Silver/Blanco Tequila (1800 Silver, 100 proof)
4 oz Orange juice (fresh squeezed is best)
1 oz Pomegranate Juice
2-4 dashes orange bitters (or to taste)
Add ingredients into an ice-filled rocks or highball glass and stir thoroughly.
Old Fashioned
1 tsp sugar syrup
4-6 dashes Angostura bitters
1 1/2 oz Whiskey (Bourbon,rye, Canadian, or in Wisconsin, brandy)
club soda
Pour the syrup into a rocks glass. Add the bitters and stir until the bitters are dissolved. Add the whiskey and stir. Fill the glass with ice. Top off with club soda to taste. Garnish with a cherry.
Gin & Tonic
Really? You need me to spell this out for you?
Tom Collins
1 1/2 oz gin
1 1/2 oz lemon juice (fresh squeezed is best)
1 tsp sugar syrup
Club soda
Pour the gin & lemon juice into an empty highball glass. Stir to combine. Fill the glass with ice. Fill with club soda to taste. Stir lightly. Garnish with a cherry and/or an orange slice. Ingredients can also be shaken together in a cocktail shaker over ice, then poured into an ice-filled highball glass, topped off with club soda and stirred.
Mojito
Leaves from 1-2 sprigs spearmint
1 tsp granulated sugar
1/2 oz lime juice (fresh squeezed is best)
1 1/2 White rum
Club soda
Place the mint leaves into an empty rocks glass. Pour the sugar in on top of them and muddle until a pasty mush is formed. Add lime juice and stir to dissolve sugar. Add rum and stir. Fill glass with ice and stir. Top off with club soda to taste. Garnish with another mint sprig (also works as a stirrer).
Mint Julep
Leaves from 1-2 sprigs spearmint
1 tsp granulated sugar
2-4 oz bourbon (I recommend Buffalo Trace or Old Forester)
Crushed ice
Place the mint leaves into mixing glass. Pour the sugar in on top of them and muddle until a pasty mush is formed. Add bourbon and stir to dissolve sugar. Pour into stainless steel or silver julep cup (or rocks glass) filled with crushed ice. Stir vigorously. Garnish with a mint sprig and drink promptly.
Negroni
1 1/2 oz Gin (I prefer Ransom Old Tom for this)
1 1/2 oz Campari
1 1/2 oz Red/Sweet Vermouth (Cinzano or Dolin work well)
1-2 dashes orange or lemon bitters (optional)
Pour ingredients into a mixing glass or shaker filled with ice. Stir or shake to combine. Pour into a chilled cocktail glass.
Noilly Pratt Original French Dry Vermouth
Posted by Josh in Mixed Drinks, Wine on June 5, 2012
Maker: Noilly Pratt, Marseillan, Hérault, France (Bacardi)
Style: Dry Vermouth
ABV: 18%
Note: Current U.S. forumlation.
Appearance: Pale gold.
Nose: Sweet, sherry-like. Apple juice, Barlett pear.
On the palate: Sweet on initial entry, fading to bitter, herbal but nothing specific.
Finish: Sweet, juicy, long and bitter.
Mixed: Makes a fine, very herbal, martini or Rob Roy.
Parting Words: This is the first vermouth I’ve reviewed. I’ve reviewed mixers in the past but not very much. I drink more cocktails in the summer so I figured this week was as good a time as ever review another.
This vermouth was not as bad as some folks on the internet (besides me) seem to think. Not being familiar with the pre-2009 formula, maybe I’m not in a good place to judge, but it wasn’t bad. I like the herbal edge it adds to martinis. And it’s very cheap. Noilly Pratt Original French Dry gets a recommendation.
May Wine
Posted by Josh in Mixed Drinks, Wine on May 31, 2011
As the merry merry month of May winds down in a hot, sticky fashion, I thought it would be appropriate to share my take on the traditional German punch called May Wine. The following recipe is for a pitcher for home consumption, but could serve for a small party. For a larger party, double the recipe and serve in a large punch bowl with a ball of ice and garnishes.
2 Bottles of dry, white Mosel wine or sweeter if you like. A couple inexpensive Michigan or New York Rieslings would work very well too.
1 cup of powdered sugar or other sugar to taste depending on the sweetness of the wine.
6 sprigs of sweet woodruff
1/2 liter of club soda, seltzer or other sparkling water. An inexpensive dry sparkling wine can also be used.
Additional sprigs and orange slices or sliced strawberries (if in season in your area)
Pour half of one bottle (375 ml) into a large bowl or a pitcher. Add the sugar, 6 sprigs of woodruff and stir. Let sit for 30 minutes. Remove woodruff. Combine with the rest of the wine and stir. Just before serving add the soda or sparkling wine. Serve in glasses of your choice with a sprig and a slice of orange or 2-3 slices of strawberries.
Serving suggestion photo courtesy of O.V. Hightower:
Review: Fever-Tree Premium Indian Tonic Water
Posted by Josh in Mixed Drinks on January 20, 2011
Maker: Fever-Tree
Tasted: neat and w/a combo of two world-wide middle-shelf gins with a wedge of lemon
Neat: Delicate, sweet aroma, in the mouth a lot of sweetness, a touch of citrus, some quinine, fading to a bitter, but still very sweet finish.
In G & T: The sweetness comes through but is mitigated by the gin and melting ice. A nice bit of bitterness comes out in the finish, but this tonic is still one-dimensional.
Parting words
Frankly, I don’t know if I could tell the difference between this and, say, Schweppes’s or Canada Dry. I have no beef with those two brands but I don’t think it’s worth paying a premium price for a boutique tonic water like Fever Tree if I can get something that tastes the same for a fraction of the price at my local grocery store. As you might have guessed by now, this tonic water is not recommended.
Now Drinking
Posted by Josh in Gin & Vodka, Mixed Drinks on July 18, 2010
Martini
Ingredients: Boomsma Jonge Genever, Noilly Pratt Original Dry Vermouth
Makers: Boomsma, Leeuwarden, Netherlands; Noilly Prat, Marseillan, France
Garnish: lime-stuffed olive
This a definately a different kinda martini. Although made with gin and dry white French vermouth, there’s very little dry about it. If it were a musical, it would be La cage aux folls; its Big, sweet and fruity. Kinda of like a slightly herbal, higher abv kool-aid. But in a good way. Peaches, apricots, oranges, a bit of leftover licorice. Too bad this this the last couple ounces of my Boomsma gin. This is mad yummy.
Now Drinking
Posted by Josh in Gin & Vodka, Mixed Drinks on July 15, 2010
Gin & Tonic
Ingredients: Boomsma Jonge Genever, Q Tonic water
Garnish: Lime wedge
Makers: Boomsma, Leeuwarden, Netherlands; Q Tonic, Brooklyn, New York.
Boomsma Jonge Genever is a Dutch-style gin. For those who may not know, gin is vodka (grain spirit) infused with certain traditional botanicals, like juniper. As with most liquors, there are a number of different styles of gin, although with gin, the differences are more subtle. If this one is any indication, Genever is heavier bodied than London dry gins. Smelled and tasted neat, the traditional juniper scent of English gins seems to be practically non-existant. Delicate orange peel and licorice are leading the way here, but more by example than by force.
Q Tonic is a specialty tonic water that claims to be a return to traditional tonic water. It uses real quinine, a substance found in the bark of a South American tree called the cinchona, and agave nectar rather than high fructose corn syrup. Q tonic is much more citrusy than mass-market tonics, although whether that is a result of the quinine or the lemon juice added to it. It has a nice bitter finish, like a good tonic should.
But of course the point is to have them together. They are a good match for each other, and for the ice and the lime. The gin comes through on the nose and upon entry. The sour-bitter of the tonic is a perfect complement to the orange peel and licorice of the gin. If one might dare to say such a thing about a G & T, it’s a triumph. I’ve had this gin with the standard supermarket tonics and the sweetness of the tonic overwhelms the delicate botanicals of the gin. Not so with Q. It elevates this humble drink to another level.
