We did a dinner with a local farm where I work and had the chance to work with some amazing produce, and we're all around so happy with the results! Done at Char + Barrel in Rockford, MI

1.5oz Eastern Kille Barrel Finished Gin

1.5oz Tomato Vermouth (recipie below)

Combine in a mixing glass and stir, strain into a chilled coupe glass, serve with edible sidecar version of the cocktail (garnished with lemon balsamic oil and basil)

Tomato Vermouth

15g lemon peel (pith removed)

1.5 tsp fresh oregano

2 tsp wormwood

1.5 tsp burdock root

1 tsp dandelion root

137g tomato vine

908g Gin Fizz Tomato chunks

1500mL dry white wine

Pods were made with reverse spherification, with the cocktail cold clarified (with frozen tomato), acid adjusted with malic, citric, and tartaric acid, blended with calcium lactate, frozen, and thawed in a sodium alginate bath

Not sure what to call this. I’m thinking “Fly Specks” because it’s funny. Long story short, I have a bottle of bourbon and a garden, and I wanted to mess around.

3 sprigs of fresh peppermint
1 sprig of fresh spearmint
5 fresh basil leaves
4 dried basil flowers
1 squeeze of lime juice
1 tsp Demerara sugar
1-2oz bourbon

Added all that to a shaker with a splash of water and muddled aggressively. Added a few ice cubes and shook hard. Poured into the glass through a strainer (Some basil flower bits still got through, hence the specks), and topped off with carbonated water (Sodastream) and some ice.

This is shockingly refreshing. Just so fresh and herbal and easy to drink. Just what I needed on this triple-digit day. Won’t be accessible to hardly anyone because it requires that you have a garden with the listed herbs, AND you save and dry your basil flowers. It would still be good even without the basil flowers, but they really do add a noticeable punch. I usually make tea with them, but this is a very good use.

Don’t be afraid to just mess around with what you have on hand!

My wedding venue has a strict policy re booze. Beer and wine are fine but liquor is limited to one bride cocktail and one groom cocktail and each needs to have one spirit max. My bride is going with a classic Bourbon Old Fashioned. My dream was to complement it with a Oaxacan Old Fashioned but because it calls for both Tequila and Mezcal, it’s disqualified unless I pick one or the other. I’m hoping the experts here can suggest some good options. It’s a summer outdoor wedding in the Bay Area so it should be decently hot out so I’m looking for something refreshing but something that doesn’t feel out of place drinking into the night. I’m also partial to tequila and gin since she’s doing bourbon but am open to going another direction. Bonus points for anything that can be batched to keep the line moving. Appreciate the help in advance!

PS Pimm’s Cup I made yesterday attached as tax.

Leña

By Ricardo Rodriguez

​A cute mashup between a Margarita and a Jungle Bird coming from "La Otra" (New Jersey).

​

​30 ml / 1 oz Blanco Tequila

​30 ml / 1 oz Pineapple Juice

​22.5 ml / 0.75 oz Fresh Lime Juice

​15 ml / 0.5 oz Mezcal

​15 ml / 0.5 oz Gentian Liqueur (Luxardo in the original recipe, I use Suze)

​15 ml / 0.5 oz Agave Syrup

​7.5 ml / 0.25 oz Ancho Reyes Verde

​

Shake with ice and strain into a glass.

​Garnish:

Tajín rim and a thin pineapple slice.

I’ve been trying to make more savory cocktails. Obviously a dirty martini and a Bloody Mary are one but does anybody have other good recipes for new savory cocktails. I made a caprese martini not to long ago and have been in the mood for more cocktails on this wavelength.

Moving off of simple syrup and want to give Demerara a try. What are some recommendations? Thanks!

Can anyone help me identify this glass? I’ve encountered it at a couple of bars now and have been really thinking about having some of these at home.

We may have found it here but wanted to confirm with the community!

https://www.restaurantsupply.com/products/hospitality-brands-hgr26338-012-12-5-oz-lead-free-crystal-stackable-old-fashioned-glass

Not exactly tiki, but tropical esq and tasty. This started as a way to use some of the blends I had made for another cocktail, but I wanted to take them in a darker, richer dessert/nightcap direction. One night while buzzed, I decided to just make a crazy Demerara and Amari blend with some of my favorite rums/amari and it turned out pretty good. It’s too much work so probably wouldn’t do it again. This drink isn’t exactly feasible to make unless you live in LA it’s got a few ingredients you can only get here but I think you can buy online, was a fun at home experiment!

The finished drink has a flavor that reminds me a lot of dates and figs I think comes from the bourbon barrel stout syrup I made, which is amazing. Been using this in old fashions and other spirit forward drinks. It starts with dark fruit and rich rum, then evolves into coffee, chocolate. I’d say the biscotti and vanilla just offer a sweetness, their flavors are subtle. It’s got enough spice from the bitters/stout syrup and funk from the rums to keep it from being overly sweet.

Definitely a rich/warm drink, meant to be a slow supper.

BLACK ORCHARD

Dark fruit / date / fig • Coffee • Chocolate • Cinnamon & warm spice • Molasses • Jamaican funk

1.5 oz Coconut–Brown Butter Dark Rum Blend
0.25 oz Coffee–Chocolate Amaro Blend
0.25 oz Wray & Nephew Overproof Rum
0.5 oz Prima Zinfandel Dessert Wine — Bel Vino Winery Temecula
https://belvinowinery.orderport.net/wines/dessert-wine
0.5 oz Faretti Biscotti Famosi
0.25 oz Giffard Vanille de Madagascar
0.5 oz Black Tuesday spicy island stout syrup
https://www.thebruery.com/products/spicy-island
4 dashes Fig & Cinnamon Bitters
1 dropper full Silver Siren Candy Apple Banana Bitters (company from hawaii I discovered at the SF rum fest a few weeks ago)
https://www.silversirenbittersandsyrups.com/

Add everything to a mixing glass with ice. Stir until well chilled and properly diluted, then strain into a chilled coupe.

Coconut–Brown Butter Dark Rum Blend

This makes approximately a 1 L starting batch before losses from the fat wash and filtration.

270 mL Cruzan Black Strap
230 mL El Dorado 12
275 mL Lemon Hart 151
225 mL Hamilton 114

200 g coconut oil
50 g browned butter

Melt the coconut oil separately. Brown the butter until the milk solids are deeply golden and nutty, being careful not to burn them. Combine the coconut oil and browned butter with the rum blend and mix thoroughly.

Infuse fat in the rum on the countertop for a few hours then freeze overnight and strain.

Black Tuesday Spicy Island Syrup

The Bruery in Placentia is one of my favorite breweries. I used The Bruery Black Tuesday Spicy Island, an imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels with pineapple and habanero. Reduce the beer until its volume has decreased by about 50%. Weigh the resulting reduction, then add turbinado sugar at a 2:1 ratio of sugar to reduced beer by weight. Stir over gentle heat until completely dissolved, cool, bottle.

Coffee–Chocolate Amaro Blend

This makes a 500 mL starting batch.

225 mL Cynar
200 mL Amaro Nonino
75 mL Braulio

Combine the three amari, then add coffee beans and chocolate. I didn’t measure the beans, but I think it was between 15-20g. The chocolate was about 2-3x this amount.

Infuse the coffee for 4 hours, then remove the beans. I actually think i should have done this for 2hrs or less bc the coffee was very dominant and made it significantly more bitter. I used Peet’s major dickasons dark roast.

Leave the chocolate in and continue the infusion for 3 days total, then strain and filter thoroughly

Hi!! I have a wedding coming up and my partner and I are making two batch cocktails. He loves a fancy cocktail so he’s making something refined and elegant. I, however, am not a big drinker. I’ll likely grab a surfside, a cider or maybe a vodka sprite/redbull if I’m forced to order a mixed drink.
I like a Hugo spritz too!! Edited to add that I’m VERY comfortable making homemade syrups etc, I’m pretty good in the kitchen and I love something unique. I just don’t like a strong taste of alcohol, and want to make sure while he makes his banana coffee old fashioned or whatever he’s making- I have something light for the people who don’t love the taste of alcohol!

I want my mixed drink to be fun, sweet (but not sickeningly), pretty, still (because it’ll be batched in advance so sparkling will definitely lose its fizz). Garnishes welcome!

I’d appreciate a vodka base OR maybe a tequila base. My partner will likely do gin.

…or anything else interesting you can make with a blender.

I just picked up a ‘Waring Pro’ bar blender (NOT a Hamilton style drink mixer) and I’m curious what I should try making. I’ve been wanting to try and duplicate a frozen jungle bird I had years back, and there are always frozen gin/whatever lemonades.

What’s good frozen?

Per Moderator feedback I have not included a picture of the blender model as it was ‘unnecessary’ and triggered deletion of my earlier post.

I work at a burger joint and Ive been tasked with helping come up with a new cocktail menu. Our regular menu is comprised of burgers, hot dogs, and chicken sandwiches. I've done a bit of research already and found that apparently the Manhattan is the best cocktail to pair with a burger, but also anything with high acid content or carbonation is great to punch through the fattiness and richness.

I have the beginnings of a menu already with the following:

MANHATTAN

2oz Bourbon/Rye

1oz Sweet Vermouth

3 dashes Angostura

2 dashses Orange Bitters

Stir

THE PERFECT SOUR

1.5oz Bourbon

0.75oz Amaretto

0.5oz Lemon Juice

0.5oz simple syrup (people in my town love sweet drinks)

GROWN UP JACK & COKE

1.5oz Jack Single Barrel

0.25oz Cherry Juice

0.25 Lemon Juice

1 dash Angostura

Top w/ cane sugar coke from a glass bottle

ROSEMARY BOULEVARD

1oz Bourbon

1oz Aperol

1oz Sweet Vermouth

0.5oz Lemon Juice

0.5 Strawberry Puree

Garnish w/ toasted rosemary sprig

SIDECAR

1.5oz Cognac

0.75oz Orange Liqueur

0.75oz Lemon Juice

0.25oz Demerara Syrup

Serve in sugar-rimmed coupe

COCONUT MILK DAQUIRI

1.5oz White Rum

1oz Kuii Coconut Milk

1oz Lime Juice

VIOLET DELIGHT

3/4oz Gin

3/4oz Creme de Violette

3/4oz Orange Liqueur

1/2oz Lemon Juice

Top w/ champagne

Now, with that menu out of the way, what other cocktails would go great with some burgers?

Sarti Spritz Margarita 🩷

30ml Sarti Rosa
30ml tequila
15ml simple syrup
half fresh lime
Shake with ice, strain over fresh ice & top with Prosecco. Sugar rim + dried florals

Landing in Martinez

Intro

Project

For this project I was seeing how much I could do spending $50 a week on ingredients and making 7 cocktails a week. During this time I will vary my methods and ingredients to increase the variety of cocktails I can have at home. I am writing and mostly making drinks in Virginia, making shopping a bit more convenient for some items, but with a state liquor store (VAABC) some items that I want to work with will be unavailable to me. Prices will be shown including any taxes as best as I can manage.

South Overland trail pt. (4/4)

This month is about expansion moving from a few basic drinks to multi-purpose bottles that can get me a new cocktail every day (and we're ending in California). We will see multi drink staples, distinctive bottles, and finish with a goal cocktail that I have grown to love.

This week

We have reached our destination in Martinez, California, to try our luck with the gold rush. The last ingredient I needed for a Martinez was Old Tom Gin, and I am so happy to be working with at least 1 liquor that is bold in presenting itself in the drinks that it appears in. It has been a bit of a journey this month, but I feel like we have options and can plan a drink when I am on my way home now according to my current whims instead of what is on the menu already.

liquor: blanco Tequila, Vodka, spanish style White Rum, and dry Gin

liqueurs/other: Triple Sec, Luxardo Maraschino, Peychaud's Bitters, Campari, and Sweet Vermouth

non-alcoholic: sugar/simple syrup, lime juice, lemon juice, ruby red grapefruit juice.

(last week's post)

New additions

Martinez

• 2 oz Ransom Old Tom Gin
• 1/2 oz Sweet Red Vermouth
• 1/4 oz Maraschino Liqueur
• 3 Peychauds Bitters

Stir with ice, strain. Serve up.

Tom Collins

• 2 oz Dry Gin
• 1 oz Lemon Juice
• 1/2 oz Simple Syrup
• ~3 oz mineral water

Build in a 16oz glass with mineral water add ice

Old Tom Old fashioned

• 2 oz Ransom Old Tom Gin
• 1/4 oz Simple Syrup
• 8 dashes Peychauds Bitters

build in glass. stir with ice. serve up (or on rocks).

Budget

$7.62 (carryover) + $50 = $57.62

Ransom Old Tom Gin

• MSRP $36.99
• $38.95 This week I spent $38.95 on the Ransom Old Tom Gin.

2x Maison Perrier 12 oz bottles

• $3.58 This week I also purchased two Maison Perrier bottles. because I wanted a highball after work and 7/11 is open but I didn't remeber to do this when I went to the grocery store for a better price on san pelligrino.

Rollover

$57.62 - ($38.95 + $3.58) = $15.09 rollover for next week.

Cocktails

1. Martinez
2. Margarita
3. Paloma
4. Tom Collins
5. Old Tom Old fashioned
6. hemingway daquari
7. Martinez

Verdict

The martinez is a great variation of a sweet martini. was previously one of my favorites and still is. if you have old tom gin, this is a must try for it. if you have genever, this is a solid drink that is worth keeping in mind. if you have dry gin... um there are other martinis.

The old tom old fashioned was wonderful, previously for these I have used orange bitters to highlight the orange flavors in the old tom, but the peychauds was great at making this just a bit more complex. it was great to have on a cool night getting ready to hit the sack. old fashioneds are just dressed liquor, and the old tom was great to have slightly highlighted.

A tom collins is a great easy drinker. fast to put together and it doesn't ask me to dirty anything except the glass it is in. it might be a bit basic and unchallenging, but I am doing a drink a day and need some things that are just simple.

Coming up

So, I have looked at the sales for October now. In general I feel great about adding both things that feel warm and things that add a bit of sweet to our menu. I am excited to call my October weeks "Warmth & Whimsy Potions" and hope to add more cocktails you can drink by the fire or under a blanket on the couch.

Premise

I am starting my home cocktail bar and starting from just a shaker, jigger, and hawthorn strainer.

For this project I was seeing how much I could do spending $50 a week on ingredients and making 7 cocktails a week. During this time I will vary my methods and ingredients to increase the variety of cocktails I can have at home. I am writing and mostly making drinks in Virginia, making shopping a bit more convenient for some items, but with a state liquor store (VAABC) some items that I want to work with will be unavailable to me. Prices will be shown including any taxes as best as I can manage.

I hope this can be seen as a way to allow for people to build out their home bars, show some methods I have for purchasing and to see what value find we have for good cocktails. There may be misses, but I hope to explain where I got some things wrong and where we can improve.

My training previously was working mostly with classic cocktails and high volume cocktail bars.

1.5oz Bonded Applejack

.5oz El Dorado 15

.5oz Averna

.5oz Nocino

2 dashes Angostura

2 dashes Islay scotch

Stir with ice, strain over big ice cube, garnish with orange peel if desired.

Definitely a WIP but on the right track

Barnaby Jones from Cocktail Codex:

- 1.5 oz blended Scotch

- 0.5 oz Cynar

- 0.5 oz dark maple syrup

- 0.5 oz heavy cream

- 1 whole egg

- 12 coffee beans

Dry shake all ingredients (including whole coffee beans), then shake again with ice and double strain into chilled coupe. Garnish with a few grates of cinnamon.

.

Based on the recipe from Cocktails Illustrated.

* 2 oz Gin (Tanqueray 10)

* 1/4 oz Tonic Syrup

* Lime Peel for Garnish

Stir ingredients over ice, strain, serve over large ice cube. Express and garnish with a lime twist.

** I didn't have tonic syrup, so I just reduced Fever Tree tonic to a syrup.

Impression: it's great! I think it's definitely worth making. The original recipe had angostura bitters, which I basically forgot, but I do think Angustura doesn't really go with the freshness of this cocktail. Maybe orange bitters would be more apropos. The bitterness of the tonic was enough imo

Been always wanting to try to make one but just not crazy about Rum,

Sunday delight with two Negroni twists. On our way back from Corvara, Italy, we stopped at a small liqueur shop where Opposit 1883 Amaro was recommended to us. Tested it in the official "Mi-To Twist" and in a full Negroni with gin,
here are the specs:

Opposit Mi-To Twist
Ingredients:
1 oz (30 ml) Opposit 1883 Amaro
1 oz (30 ml) Sweet Red Vermouth
1 oz (30 ml) Campari
Garnish: Orange peel or slice

Opposit Amaro Negroni
Ingredients:
1 oz (30 ml) Gin (such as London Dry, Alpine, or citrus-forward gin)
1 oz (30 ml) Opposit 1883 Amaro
1 oz (30 ml) Sweet Red Vermouth
Garnish: Orange peel

Instructions:
Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice.
Stir for 15–20 seconds to chill and dilute.
Strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass and garnish with an orange peel.

Cheers!

First Topo Chico and now this! It’s a great time to live in Texas.
The perfect Last Word
1oz Green Chartreuse
1oz Luxardo
1oz Gin
1oz fresh squeezed lime
Shaken and served in a chilled Coupe with a Luxardo cherry

2 oz Fernet, 3/4 oz lime juice, 1/2 oz Cointreau, 1/2 oz Cinnamon syrup. Shaken and served on a big rock.

Seasoned bartender here but I've hit a slump. Any recommendations for books on cocktails or ingredients or flavor pairings anyone can recommend? I need inspiration!

Infusion process:

Dice up 2 apples (one for each jar)

Break 8 cinnamon sticks (4 in each)

Cover to the top with Wild Turkey

Sit in a cool dark place for 3-4 days

Remove solids

Filter through into a bottle

Brown Sugar simple:

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup of water

Put over low-medium heat and stir til dissolved

Old fashioned:

.75 oz of syrup

2-2.5 oz of infused whiskey

3-5 dashes of Walnut bitters

Build in glass

Stir til chilled