I'm about ready to switch to my winter drink - the Stinger. I'll also be swapping out some of the liquors in my bar from summer to winter. The Rye will be coming out of storage to add a little more warmth to my Manhattans.

+1

I tried this recently with some really good fresh orange juice and it was delicious. Not something I'd drink everyday, but definitely good for a treat ever once in awhile.

What is your recipe if you don't mind me asking?

2-3 oz rye or bourbon
1/4-1/2 oz Italian (sweet, red) vermouth

Shake and pour into a stemmed cocktail glass. Garnish with a cherry. Hopefully you can find real Maraschino cherries, not the vile neon red things that are everywhere.

This weekend I needed to improvise and discovered that gin and Fresca is pretty tasty.

Tonight at Lucques Restaurant I had a Vodka Gimlet made with fresh lime juice and mint. Delicious.:)

I'm sorry, the Gimlet must be made with Rose's Lime Juice, and only Rose's, cut with a little water. Even Tom Felten, author of How's Your Drink?, agrees. :)

Sounds pretty similar to mine. I usually use Canadian Club. Getting the right amount of vermouth is key and it can be tricky!

For a refreshing gin rickey--over ice in a tall glass, 1 1/2-2 oz gin, juice from half a lime, toss in the shell, club soda.

Now that it's getting hot again, it's going to be another summer great for Moscow Mules. Mmmmmmmmmmm...... I like mine extra gingery.

Juice from one large lime
1/2 t Freshly grated ginger, muddled
2 oz. Vodka
3 oz. Ginger Beer
Dash bitters

Strain into a copper mug over ice.

Chris

Call me a liquor snob, but life is too short for Canadian Club...though to be fair, I've never had it.

Bourbons I like: Basil Hayden, Knob Creek
Rye: I like Rittenhouse...and it's cheap too!

I'm glad I'm not the only one who's tried this. :eek::)

It's good with a lot of freshly squeezed lime.

(And none of that Rose's ca-ca. :))

nutty caramel bonbon
1oz spiced rum
2oz irish cream
1/2 oz frangelico

shake and serve in a lowball

terry's chocolate orange
1oz grand marnier
1oz creme de cacao
4oz orange juice

shake and serve over ice in a collins glass

recipes thanks to everyday drinker modified first drink for my own taste
http://everydaydrinkers.com/

Oh, that Gimlet is so much better when made with fresh lime juice and a little mint. Rose's Lime is awful... kind of like Margarita Mix.;)

Except it's not a "Gimlet". The cocktail was developed in an era and locale in which fresh limes were unavailable. "Rose's" was a familiar brand name for a old antiscorbutic product, containing lime juice, sugar and Preservative(s), readily available to barmen in the UK and pink parts of the globe.

Call your drink what you may (and it sounds "drinkable"), but Gimlet it's not....(just as the current "Martini" crop has naught to do with Martinis, within which folks may battle over the choice of Vermouths or the substitution of vodka, but with an onion instead of an olive it becomes a Gibson, and even that early explorer who tried Sherry instead of Vermouth was off the reservation).

That reminds me of White Rum + "Big Red". Add enough fresh lime and it's not bad, reminiscent of the once popular "Bacardi Cocktail", a companion to the Daiquiri, using Grenadine instead of simple syrup (and usually an aged rum)

THANK YOU.

The real martini purists will insist that a mixture of gin and vermouth, shaken with ice, is not a martini but a Bradford: real martinis are stirred. I think that's taking it a bit too far.

But using an onion instead of an olive or lemon peel turns the martini into a Gibson.

I like your idea - shall we call it a 'Mojitini'. I'm going to make a couple tonight. wj

The unique sweetness of rose lime juice is traditionally used but we often hear that fresh is always better in any drink.

<growl> Except the Gimlet </growl>

I got a bottle of Tequila (1800 Silver) for Christmas. I drank a couple of chilled shots on the rocks so far but still have most of the bottle in my freezer. Can anyone recommend a good cocktail using Tequila? I'm open to anything except a margarita as I don't like those.

http://www.barnonedrinks.com/drinks/...quila-907.html
I think you should be able to find something there

1800 is appropriate for mixing. Good not great.

My favourites are two classics.

1. Martini. Preferably in-and-out. Just wash the glass with vermouth, fill with cold gin and olives. Failing that, shaken with a few drops of vermouth is fine.

2. Sazerac. Absinthe, whiskey and bitters. When done right this thing is bliss.

1800 is a decent silver tequila, though I usually use Don Julio for this. But shake with some vermouth and you have yourself a Tequini.

Tequila also goes surprisingly well with just sprite, or in a few juice cocktails. Tequila Sunrise is the obvious one, but I find a good solution is 45mL of Tequila, 15mL of Blue Curacao and about 90mL of Pineapple juice shaken with ice and poured into a glass goes down a treat.

La Paloma

Indeed. A Gimlet is properly made with Roses. If you want to make it fancy, make your own lime cordial.


Now, if you want to make a gimlet, use fresh lime. And feel free to tweak the sweetener. I like to use a ginger simple syrup.

New one at work:

Seaside Martini

Muddle two basil leaves and rind from one orange wedge in 3/4 oz of simple syrup. Add juice from half of a lemon, a pinch of allspice, and 1.5 ounces of decent vodka. Shake, serve up in in a martini shell and top with a bit of soda water.

Yum.

Chris

"Sunset Gun"

1.5 ounces "White" Tequila
.75 ounce Blood Orange Syrup
Juice of 1 key lime
1 ounce Orange Juice

Stir, serve "Up", the color of a dramatic sunset, the moment of the firing of the traditional "Sunset Gun".

Sounds great. I'll give it a whirl. Stay away from the rind though. It's bitter and nasty. Orange skin only.

A regular favorite, and a variant on a typical Rob Roy:


Johnny Black
Sweet and dry vermouth, mixed perfect
Dash of bitters
Splash of Cointreau

Garnished with a lemon peel, served on the rocks. I've also used Lillet in place or with the Cointreau and its consistently a tasty and versatile drink.

You actually want some of the bitter. Counteracts the sweet and sour. Feel free to just use zest if you like though.

Chris

I was at one of my favorite bars last night and noticed they had Bitter Lemon in the fridge. I asked what they could make with it and they made me a Negroni with Tanqueray, Vermouth, Campari and the Bitter Lemon on top. Absolutely excellent ^

Harvey Wallbanger
 

1&1/2 or 2 oz vodka, Orange juice, & 1/2 oz Galliano liqeur with 2 maraschino cherries. Very tasty before dinner drink!

No one has mentioned the Aviation and, considering this is Flyertalk, it should be added:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aviation_(cocktail)

Hard to find a bar that can make one though because Creme de Violette is not commonly stocked. Delicious.

I love the Stinger - Christmas in a glass.

Manhattans are also a favorite.

Ohhh, I think I'd like to try an Aviation... it does sound delicious.

CMK10 - I see we are local to one another. Which bar are you talking about?

Hey Andy! That would be Whiskey in Downtown Durham...347 W. Main Street. http://whiskeydurham.com

What's your favorite around here?

Aviations are fantastic, but one of the easier drinks to get wrong in the hands of a novice bartender.

Too much lemon juice and it's terribly sharp. Too much creme de violette (or a substitute) and it tastes sickly.

For something in a vaguely similar vein, but which is a bit more idiot proof, check out the Corpse Reviver number 2:
3/4 ounce gin
3/4 ounce lemon juice
3/4 ounce Cointreau (triple sec)
3/4 ounce Lillet
1 dash absinthe

Shake ingredients together in a mixer with ice. Strain into chilled glass.

Don't forget the cherry at the bottom.

One of my favorite drinks right now is the Hotel Georgia, I had it while I was dining at Hawksworth in Vancouver.

1 Fresh Egg White
1 3/4 ounce Plymouth Gin
1/2 ounce orgeat
3/4 ounce lemon juice
6 drops of orange blossom water
whole nutmeg

Combine egg whites, gin, orgeat, lemon juice and blossom water in a shaker and shake for 15 seconds. Add ice and shake for another 20 seconds. Strain into a chilled glass and top with grated nutmeg.

It's pretty easy: Wine, which is 10-14% alcohol, will freeze.

Vodka and other 'hard' liquors are usually 80 proof = 40% alcohol and they don't freeze.

Liqueurs, which are usually 40-proof = 20% alcohol, usually don't freeze. Sugar does make it more difficult to freeze, so that may be part of the reason liqueurs don't freeze. I'm not sure if 20% alcohol (think equal parts vodka and water) would freeze - that would be a good experiment. ;)

In any case, I assume you will have sugar in your popsicles, so better to get them down into the 'wine' range. So to get 40% alcohol like vodka or tequila to freeze, estimate you need to get it down below 15% alcohol.
.
I would guess any dilution more than 2 ounces of water/juice per 1 ounce of hard liquor (=13% ABV) would be a decent place to start experimenting.

If I were planning for a party and didn't have time to experiment, I think you would be safe at 3:1 (= 10% ABV), even if your mixture is relatively sweet.

That would be a 'Ramos Fizz'. Made famous in New Orleans a million years ago and a brunch staple everywhere.