Tweakin'

The official programming for Amaro Nonino week has ended but that doesn't mean I'm done!

The first drink I made, the Drifter, was completely underwhelming.  It was just...meh.  No character.  

The second drink was fantastic. Riff on a Paper Plane called a Broken Plane, subbing in St Germain for Aperol.  I liked it a lot and will 100% make this again.

The third drink?  Might need a bit of help.  This is the drink as written:

And, based on the ingredients, it should have been fantastic.  But it was wickedly out of balance, all I could really taste was lemon juice.  I'm going to re-spec it tonight and bring the Licor 43 up and the lemon down.  Watch this space.

I'm planning out for the next couple of months and I am stumped when it comes to uses for Pama.  I mean, it's great on it's own, or it can easily be used for Pomegranate Martinis, Margaritas, Daiquiris, Collinses, Sprtizi, etc.  But I am looking for creative. I'm thinking that pomegranate juice ticks a lot of the same boxes as tart cherry juice so I am going to see what kind of cherry cocktails I can come find.  At first I was thinking Cherry Heering, but that's a sweeter liqueur than Pama I think.  

Currently Reading:

• Physical - It's The End of the World as We Know It, edited by Christopher Golden and Brian Keene
• Audio - The Griffin Sisters Greatest Hits by Jennifer Weiner
• eBook - My Life as a Villainess by Laura Lippman

Tweakin'

Wait your turn, Rhum!

Picked up a new bottle this weekend, a bottle of Rhum Barbancourt, so expect I'll be playing with that one soon enough.  Not yet though.  

First need to finish up Suze week.  I made an Eponine Collins Saturday night.  As I was making it I was muttering to myself about how it was needlessly complicated but once I tried it I had to concede it's a very well crafted cocktail.  Very complex, nothing that I could easily slot into any other category.  I guess it can be called a collins because gin + lemon + bubbles, but really, did not seem collins adjacent to me at all.  A lot of well balanced complexity.  Even the husband liked it.  

Then last night I just made a smoked Old Fashioned.  Simple and reliable.

Tonight starts Amaro Nonino week:

Currently Reading:

• Physical - It's The End of the World as We Know It, edited by Christopher Golden and Brian Keene
• Audio - Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich
• eBook - His and Hers by Alice Feeney

Wait your turn, Rhum!

Kickin' it Old School: Taco Edition

 Y'know, eff it, this isn't a diary exactly, but it's a place to record things, right?  Right.

The hubs has been asking for what we are calling American Tacos.  Do other people call them that?  Or maybe Gringo Tacos?  I dunno, probably.  I've been making so-called street tacos for the past few years but he said he missed the way I used to make them, from a taco kit, with lettuce and tomato and shredded cheddar and taco sauce.  Double layer, hard taco encased by a soft taco, with a layer of refried beans in between.  So that's what I made Monday with ground beef.  And y'know, I still prefer a more minimalistic street taco but gotta admit, these were pretty good.

Tuesday, I did battle with an iceberg and I won.  It was a huge chunk that had broken off of the snowcrete wall next to my car, it had broken off and actually rolled over into the active road way, causing a hazard.  So I spent some time chopping at it and finally got it broken up enough to be able to move the individual pieces out of the way.  Then for Suze week I made a Clandestine cocktail.  It was very tasty.  I don't remember anything about it though, just that I liked it.

Last night I made another from the Eras Pour book.  It's from the Folklore chapter, inspired by Betty and is called "Only Seventeen" which has NOTHING to do with that Winger song.  This book is now three for three.  Everything I've made has been spectacular.  This one drank like a sweeter and slightly floral Old Fashioned. Monkey Shoulder scotch as the base, St Germain and demerara syrup to sweeten a bit, spritz of lemon on top.  

Tonight I'll make the last designated cocktail for Suze week.  Except, oops, I don't have basil OR cucumber.  Hrm.  Maybe I will save it for Sunday night, after we do our grocery shopping.  We will see!

• Physical - It's The End of the World as We Know It, edited by Christopher Golden and Brian Keene
• Audio - Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich
• eBook - Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier

Kickin' it Old School: Taco Edition

Monday Means Memory Mist

Whoops!  Last week was busy, busy, busy and of course I forgot to take notes on what I drank when, but to the best of my recollection it went something like this:

Perfect Manhattan - Nothing remarkable.  If I did anything different with this I don't recall

Rose from the Dead - This one was from The Eras Pour book.  It was very very good.  I don't remember the specs and I can't find it online so....I know there was tequila and rum, also absinthe.  I'm guessing it might be a Corpse Reviver #2 riff maybe?  Anyway, it was delish, I will make it again!

Negroni - I mean, it's a negroni.  I used Carpano Antica.  

Cranberry Lime margarita -  This one is going into my bar book.  The specs I found called for cranberry juice cocktail and I had 100% cranberry juice, so I added some simple syrup and it was perfect.  2 oz blanco tequila, 1 oz cranberry juice, .75 lime juice, .75 triple sec, .50 simple syrup, two dashes orange bitters.

Lastly, I started Suze week yesterday, Sunday.  Started off with Swiss Account and it was also a winner.  Bitter and complex

• Physical - It's The End of the World as We Know It, edited by Christopher Golden and Brian Keene
• Audio - The Office of Historical Corrections by Danielle Evans
• eBook - All Her Fault by Andrea Mara

Monday Means Memory Mist

Scofflaw and Rosita

Still trying to finish off a bottle of dry vermouth.  First I made a Scofflaw, I used specs from Anders Erickson.  I didn't take notes on this one - do not ask me why for I will never understand how my brain works - but I remember liking it.

I also made a Rosita.  To explain my initial reaction to this cocktail I first have to go back about....thirty five years???  More?  Anyway.  There was a restaurant in Baltimore called Gampy's, stood for Great American Melting Pot.  I loved that spot.  I loved the servers that would walk through the restaurant calling out a warning every other step "HOT OIL!"  "HOT!" "OIL!"  "HOT OIL!".  

They also had this one frozen drink, I don't recall what it was called, but there was something about its overwhelming banananess that elicited the same reaction from everyone who tried it.  It went something like this:

::sip::
BANANA!
::hands to next person to try::
::sip::
BANANA!

And so on.

And that is what happened with this Rosita cocktail.  One sip and I was all "TEQUILA!".  It was VERY tequila forward.  I am not a huge tequila drinker but I will keep this one in my back pocket for when I want something other than a marg or Paloma.

Probably one more week of dry vermouth and then I am moving into Suze week.

Currently reading:

• Physical - It's The End of the World as We Know It, edited by Christopher Golden and Brian Keene
• Audio - The Office of Historical Corrections by Danielle Evans
• eBook - China Rich Girlfriend by Kevin Kwan

Scofflaw and Rosita

January Reads

 

January Reads

Sometimes Two is Not Better Than One

 I realized the other day that I had accidentally opened two bottles of dry vermouth and they were both mostly full (One Martini & Rossi, the other Dolin) so I'm going to try to use one of them up before moving on to my next themed week (which will be Suze BTW).

So last night, I made a Contessa.  Bit of a Negroni riff.  Equal parts gin (I used Plymouth), Aperol and Dry Vermouth (I used the Martini & Rossi).  I meant to give it an orange spritz but grabbed lemon instead which I think was a happy accident.  (Oh, and I figured out my issue with the spritzes - I need to not spritz directly into the drink.  Instead, think of it as something akin to spraying a cloud of cologne and walking through it.  I've been standing back and spritzing over top of the glass from about two feet below and the mist gradually settles into the glass but with much less intensity that way.  Been working pretty well).  

I liked this Contessa a lot and bonus, it's what I call a Water Bottle Drink.  By which I mean a drink I can batch and pour into my big ass water bottle.  I can usually fit three drinks in there and then I can take it with me to house parties.  Much better than cans of Cutwater cocktails.  

Ooh, also, I bottled the allspice liqueur that had been infusing for the past ten days.  It still needs to age in the bottle for a few days but I am very much looking forward to giving it a taste.  I'm using the Serious Eats recipe and am optimistic.  Hooray tiki drinks!

Currently reading:

• Physical - It's The End of the World as We Know It, edited by Christopher Golden and Brian Keene
• Audio - The Office of Historical Corrections by Danielle Evans
• eBook - One Shot by Lincoln Child

Sometimes Two is Not Better Than One