My New Vice? (whisky)

[alanp]

Tried a scotch highball last weekend (scotch, soda water, no ice... I did put the soda water in the fridge for an hour or two, though.)

Very, very nice Almost like a RTD, but without the sugar that makes me want to brush my teeth after every can.

[alanp]

Got a shaker, and made a Whisky Sour for the first time tonight. This is a really, really nice drink. Creamy, slightly sour, some sweet, and the taste of the whisky is not holding a blowtorch to your tongue, but having a party with your tastebuds.

I used the How To Drink recipe --
60 mL Bourbon
15 mL simple syrup (I just used maple syrup -- I'm lazy)
22 mL lemon juice (couldn't find a juicer in the shops, so I used a bottle of lemon juice instead)
4 drops Angostura bitters
1 egg white

Dry shake all the components with no ice, and then add ice and shake again. Pour through a strainer into a glass, and enjoi.

[lars]

Not sure if this one has been posted in here yet, but this is a classic I've only recently tried. It's a good one.

The Oriental:
    1 1/2 ounces whiskey (Rittenhouse Rye Whiskey)
    3/4 ounce sweet vermouth
    3/4 ounce Cointreau Orange Liqueur (I've found Dekuyper Orange Curacao tastes even better in this)
    1/2 ounce lime juice (fresh)
   
1 )Add all ingredients in a mixing glass or cocktail shaker.
2) Add ice and shake vigorously.
3) Strain into a chilled martini glass.
4) Garnish with a cherry.

[alanp]

Thought about ordering some booze, or waiting to buy some off the shelf.

Then I realised that on level 3, it will still be internet-order only.

So, I have some Old Tom gin, some Punt E Mes vermouth, and Heaven Hill bourbon on order. (The idea is to try a martini, or vermouth, at the least.)

Modern martini seems to be a dry martini with a vestigial nod towards the vermouth bottle. I've tried Gordon's Dry. It tastes like a bloody bush.

[midwayfair]

Made this tonight, lime whisky sour:
1/2 lime
1/2 ounce syrup
2 ounces Johnny Walker Red that I found in the back of the panty (I used to make whisky mustard with it)
1 egg white
Some homemade lavender bitters
Shake the bejeezus out of it in ice and strain. Rub the rim with lime peel.

Note: I am not totally convinced that JW red has merits even in a cocktail. This probably would have been better with Green label or some Shackleton if I still had it.

Also, the bitters weren't made properly. I basically just toasted some spices and then stewed them with orange peel and a handful of lavindar for several hours in rum and added water when the liquid level started to get a little low. They smell like lavendar and orange, though, so I guess I did my job.

Edit: LOL, found an old comment of mine in this thread about JW red:

Red label JW is only good for giving to people you don't hugely like.

I disagree. It has a fantastic use in making whiskey mustard.

[matmosphere]

You guys are quite resourceful. The recipe for what I have been drinking is pretty much:

1 ounce Maker's Mark
3 cubes ice

I have been making the wife a Mojito's though, and they are good but a little on the sweet side for me.

Made this tonight, lime whisky sour:
1/2 lime
1/2 ounce syrup
2 ounces Johnny Walker Red that I found in the back of the panty (I used to make whisky mustard with it)
1 egg white
Some homemade lavender bitters
Shake the bejeezus out of it in ice and strain. Rub the rim with lime peel.

Note: I am not totally convinced that JW red has merits even in a cocktail. This probably would have been better with Green label or some Shackleton if I still had it.

Also, the bitters weren't made properly. I basically just toasted some spices and then stewed them with orange peel and a handful of lavindar for several hours in rum and added water when the liquid level started to get a little low. They smell like lavendar and orange, though, so I guess I did my job.

Edit: LOL, found an old comment of mine in this thread about JW red:

Red label JW is only good for giving to people you don't hugely like.

I disagree. It has a fantastic use in making whiskey mustard.

My dad used to drink JW Red, never had it personally though. He probably liked it for the same reason he liked Seagram's Lime Gin, it was cheap.

Lavender bitters sound interesting though.

[alanp]

Don't know if it's got a name or not, but I'm quite enjoying this.

45 mL bourbon
15 mL Punt E Mes
15 mL syrup
3 dashes Angostura Bitters

Add to ice, stir, and drink.

[midwayfair]

Don't know if it's got a name or not, but I'm quite enjoying this.

45 mL bourbon
15 mL Punt E Mes
15 mL syrup
3 dashes Angostura Bitters

Add to ice, stir, and drink.

Interesting, I just picked up a bottle of Punt E Mes over the weekend but haven't opened it yet. Also some Amaro Delle Terme. I might try this with one or the other. (Though to be honest I am not sure about adding sugar after intentionally using something bitter.)

I actually didn't know when I bought it that the Punt E Mes was a bitter vermouth. It was in with the sweet vermouth and I just wanted something a little different from the Martini & Rossi. So now I have two bitter italian aperitifs to do something with.

[midwayfair]

This is pretty good:



Bourbon, Bellini amaro delle terme (bitter spiced aperitif), apple blossom bitter, half a lime, some syrup to take some of the edge off the lime juice.

The aroma is outrageously good, super spicy and complex. I think this would be better with rye but I don't have any. Next time I'm going to make it without the juice or most of the syrup and just go with the lime twist, though.

I was too slow making it and it got watered down some, but I actually think that made it a little better. Boiurbon is so high proof that a little water really makes it better.

[thesmokingman]

total degen this evening, fighting cock bourbon and limeade ... I'm digging it

[midwayfair]

These continue to be frigging dangerous: