Cocktails and good booze

[xiphias]

For the most part, you shouldn't drink really, really cheap nasty booze, even in mixed drinks. In mixed drinks, you want decent, middlin' booze. And you keep the really, really GOOD stuff for drinking straight. Really, really good stuff shouldn't be mixed.

Bu there are some exceptions to mixing the good stuff. There are a handful of cocktails that you can make with good booze. A martini, for instance -- it's not shameful to take a really good gin and mix some really good vermouth with it.

Yesterday, fibro_witch, temima, vonbeck, and I decided that the mint julep is also in this category. See, the day BEFORE yesterday was Derby Day. So I'd been thinking about juleps. And folks came over yesterday. And I wanted to make mint juleps.

But we didn't have any fair-to-middlin' bourbon. I had Booker's, and Ben had Woodbridge Reserve.

We argued about the proper way to make juleps, of course, and how to best make an approximation, given that we didn't have silver cups or shaved ice. So, naturally, we had to try a few different methods and do taste tests.

In general, what we discovered is that putting crushed mint and sugar in bourbon doesn't drown out the bourbon -- you can still taste the complex flavor profiles -- and it is therefore perfectly reasonable to use good bourbon in mint juleps.

We also discovered that muddling the mint with sugar and bourbon, then adding ice and water and stirring, keeps the color amber and bright, while muddling the mint with water and sugar, and then adding the bourbon and ice, leaves it muddy-looking. Still tastes good, though.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

We use this: http://www.bartonbrands.com/bartonbluewave.html

It is the very best alcohol for making up fruity fufu drinks. My favorite is mixing a shot or two of that with most of a can of pomagranate selzter, some raspberry ice cubes, a cherry with juice and some triple sec. Other variations include blue shit + pom dry, blue shit + orange juice (looks like puke, but SO GOOD), and blue shit and cherries. NEVER DRINK IT STRAIGHT. It's like $5 a bottle, but it's the best mixer EVER.

[navrins]

I am now imagining the day when companies have servers (or, I suppose, employees in low-wage countries) that scan the internet for posts like this one, and post anonymous comments like this one, and call it advertising.

I'm pretty sure we're not actually at that day yet. Pretty sure.

[gilmoure.livejournal.com]

I've seen similar 'personalized ads' posted in other lj sites lately. PitA!

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

I just don't think that the company would, on their own, come out with "looks like puke, but SO GOOD". Which is why I didn't delete this one.

Obvious spam is the one type of comment I do delete. If this one is comment spam, it's done well enough, and close enough to on-topic, to stay.

[aethelflaed2.livejournal.com]

Oooh, I love mint juleps. They can be pretty powerful. Maker's Mark also works well.

In last week's NY Times, there was an article about gins. If you are interested, here's the link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/02/dining/02wine.html?ref=dining

[cheshyre]

Thanks, that reminded me I wanted to share this link with Ian, in which marykaykare uses that tasting panel as a springboard for further recommendations: http://marykaykare.livejournal.com/240288.html

[ellettra.livejournal.com]

ha. i should have come to you with my "which middlin' gin" query. i was in the mood for pomegranate and gin, but i only drink tanq and bombay and hendricks, none of which seemed suitable for mixing with sweetness. i ended up with... hmmm, well, i can't remember, but it was okay. what's your pick for decent gin in froofy cocktails?

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

Beefeater. But that's because I LOVE juniper.

Actually, Lis did once find some actual Duch genever, made by Bols.

You may notice that most gin is listed as "London Dry Gin". What does "London Dry" mean, as a style? That appelation exists to disambiguate that gin from something else -- what kind of gin is there OTHER than "London Dry"?

Olde Genever is the older style of Dutch gin -- it's a sweeter style. Old Tom is an even sweeter style of gin, but I've never found an example of it.

However, genever or Old Tom would be my choices for sweet gin drinks.

[ellettra.livejournal.com]

hmmm. i've never tried beefeater. i like juniper a lot, too, so i bet i'd like it. and i never noticed the "london dry" distinction! interesting!

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

To me, Beefeater is sort of my "basic default gin". Hendricks is my favorite -- Bombay and Tanqueray are okay, but don't do anything for me, and Beefeater is my fave.

But I have nothing againt people who prefer Bombay and Tanqueray to Beefeater -- it's a style thing. Most people I know would list Beefeater last of those four gins. But for me, Beefeater and Hendricks are pretty much tied for first.

[ellettra.livejournal.com]

Hendricks is my fave, but it's expensive, so I generally drink Tanqueray. They've got a new one out that I want to try, infused with lime leaves, perhaps. Sounds subtle and tasty.