Originally Posted by
JBord
They are freaking amazing. I bought them once, and haven't splurged since, but would if we were setting up the bar for a very nice party.
On the topic of pre-made mixes, here are my thoughts:
- As others have said, old fashioneds are easy to make. I use the sugar cubes, but it takes all of 2-3 minutes even with that method. Also, since I'm a Wisconsin kid, I prefer Korbel brandy to whiskey, and a splash of Sprite on the top. But we make them both that way and the traditional way at home. NOW, my brother in law brought over a pre-mixed old fashioned bottle (booze and all) at Christmas, and it was quite good. I don't recall the name, but will ask next time I see him. Of course, being a busy host who was finishing up slicing the beef tenderloin while I was pouring drinks, I didn't realize it was a full mix and so I added my whiskey to his "mix" on the first round. It turned out really sweet and of course really strong...got better with round 2
.
- Margarita mix: I haven't found out that isn't way too sweet for me. My wife makes a very simple mix to which you can just add tequila. Mostly lime juice, a little sugar and some triple sec...I think that's all. But controlling the amount of sugar leads to a much more pleasurable experience.
- Bloody Mary: several are good, but we usually go with the Zing Zang. It also comes in single serve cans which is nice. We have a friend who infuses Costco vodka with peppers and just pours that into tomato juice...inventive, spicy, but just not as good.
- My favorite: Olives jarred in Vermouth. Just plop them into a glass of gin with a couple ice cubes and you have a dry martini.
Excellent ideas here!
I've heard of the brandy old fashioned but have yet to make it to a real Wisconsin supper club to try one. We're moving back to Chicago later this summer (I'm partially excited to be near family and friends and partially sad to leave Maine) so I will have the opportunity.
For margarita mix I think the main option I usually see is Cuervo which I'm sure is all sugar. Margaritas are actually pretty simple to make as well so I'd suggest buying a bottle of fresh lime juice (not Rose's!) and some Cointreau, and giving it a try. A from-scratch margarita is really good - you realize how much sugar there is in the mixes (well, at least the cheap ones most people use I guess).
I don't care for tomato juice so I've never really gotten into Bloody Marys but I will say that I was once at a brunch place in New Orleans (I forget which) that had a make your own Bloody Mary bar. I used green tomato juice and it was AMAZING. I would drink those a lot if I had access to green tomato juice.
I've recently been converted to the "vermouth is good in a martini" club. I have started making them in the 1930s proportion of 1 part vermouth to 2 or 3 parts gin, with a dash of orange bitters. It's really a great drink! I don't know where this "just look in the direction of France and that's all the vermouth you need" machismo came from.