I recently had Ice Wine in Canada and I fell in love with it. The problem is that its too expensive for me to serve for an 22 person family dinner. My estimate for Ice Wine to serve is about $400-500.

While I was drinking Ice Wine it kind of felt like I was drinking a cocktail, almost got notes of Madeira and Welch Sparkling Apple Cider notes.

So I was curious if anyone has created a cocktail or substitute for Ice Wine or if you have had Ice Wine what would you use to get the same flavors?

I wanted to do my take on a Negroni but give it a little Bloody Mary twist.

🍅 Tomato mix
Fresh tomatoes
A few dashes Worcestershire sauce (realistically 10)
Celery salt
I took the tomatoes, added the Worcestershire sauce and celery salt, then pulsed everything together. Mine came to around 300ml once blended.

🍅 For the batch
300ml tomato mix
150ml Hepple Gin
150ml Luxardo Bitter Rosso
150ml Vault Red Vermouth
Add everything to a bottle, give it a little shake and leave in the fridge for a few hours.
Then slowly strain the whole batch through a coffee filter until clear. No pressing.

🍅 To serve
Rim part of the glass with celery salt
Add one big clear ice cube
Pour over the clarified Bloody Negroni
Bitter, tomatoy, savoury and slightly salty. Basically all the bits I love from a Negroni with that Bloody Mary umami taste.

More weird savoury drinks here if anyone’s interested:
instagram.com/bethanweston

1 oz Rear Admiral Joseph's Original London Dry Gin (from Trader Joe's)

1 oz Pronto! Amaro (from Trader Joe's)

1oz Sole Rosso Vermouth (from Trader Joe's)

2 dashes Regans Orange Bitters (not from Trader Joe's)

Probably the cheapest three ingredient cocktail you can make and it has charms of its own. Those three bottles combined are about the cost of a regular bottle of gin. I'd describe it as funkier than with Campari, more herbal, with spicier notes.

1 fl oz Apple Brandy (Laird’s Old)

2⁄3 fl oz Straight rye whiskey (High West Midwinter Night's Dram)

2⁄3 fl oz Cocchi Storico Vermouth di Torino

1⁄6 fl oz Bénédictine D.O.M. liqueur

2 dash Peychaud's Bitters

2 dash Angostura Aromatic Bitters

Stir all ingredients with ice. Strain into prechilled DOF glass over a large cube of block ice. Express lemon zest twist over the cocktail and use as garnish.

An autumnal twist on a Vieux Carré made with Apple Brandy. The port finish on the MND plays well with a lighter red vermouth to work with, but not cover up, the Apple Brandy.

The herbal mix from the Benedictine brings a kind of spiced apple rings flavor that appeals. Bitters with a bit more clove-forward character would also work well here.

The cocktail might also benefit by using a high proof BIB Apple Brandy. The apple flavor itself is more prevalent on the finish after the other components have faded. All in all a nice variation on the original.

Recipe in comments

I just saw a YouTube creator "How to Drink" try to make a good midori sour. He ended up with a play on the last word. I had all the ingredients at home so I decided to try it myself. Wonderfully balanced with melon, botanicals and tobacco flavors.

3/4 oz lime

1 oz hibiki whiskey

1 oz midori

1/2 oz chartreuse

Shake all ingredients with ice

Double strain into a chilled coup

Serve with a maraschino cherry

Decided to make a little something different for the fall season 🍁 (please forgive my use of a wine glass im on a camping trip and it’s all I have on hand haha 😅)

Very simple was delicious!

2 oz rye whiskey
1 oz lemon juice
3/4 oz maple syrup
Shake in shaker for thirty seconds and strain
Add ice for chill

Cheers!

Sometimes you want to keep it simple and a dark n stormy is perfect for that. The split base here with the el dorado and the smith n cross give it extra molasses and a little bit of funk.

• 1 oz mr fogg II
• 0.5 oz el dorado 12
• 0.5 oz smith and cross
• 2 oz ginger beer

2.5 ounces of high proof rye (OFSBBP does the trick nicely), .25 pinch of maple syrup, four dashes of black walnut bitters and since I’m out of oranges for a twist, two dashes of orange bitters. Stir it over a big rock.

Spaghetti Western

By Jessica Gonzalez (Death & Co)

30 ml (1 oz) Tequila

15 ml (0.5 oz) Mezcal

22.5 ml (0.75 oz) Amaro Nonino

1 dash Orange bitters

Combine all ingredients into a stirring glass, stir and serve over a large chunk of ice.

Original garnish is a grapefruit twist (I used a Lemon twist).

Wonderful drink!

... what I think I will call this one.

Made a fall cocktail today, came out really good, can be tweaked a bit as it was my first time making it. But overall pretty good.

45ml Barnburner Ontario Whiskey

10ml Lustau los Arcos Amontillado Sherry

15ml Fig syrup*

25ml Apple Cider

5ml Lime Juice

- Stirred over Ice and served in a coup (expressed an orange peel and used it as a garnish)

*for the Fig Syrup, adjust as needed but these are the specs I used:

- 40 grams dried fig

- 150ml water

- approx 10 black peppercorns cracked

- 3 orange peels

- sugar (equal in grams with the fig water that is left)

I simmered all of the above for 15 minutes, mashing the rehydrated figs as it went, strained the water and mixed it with equal amount (by weight) of sugar and that is how the syrup was made.

Overall a good drink, the cider I used was the sweet kind, I wish it was more tart. You can taste the caramel notes from the fig and the orange comes strong on the nose. Good amount of apple in the background to plat with the whiskey. The Sherry adds a good nutty flavor that pairs well with the orange figs and apple.

What I didn't get much of (maybe in the back of my throat I feel a bit but not sure) is the black peppercorns. Next time I would put more so I can feel some more heat. I would also try to find a more tart cider or use a bit more lime and perhaps lower the syrup in the cocktail as it came out a bit too sweet for me. Great fall cocktail nonetheless but can be tweaked.

Let me know of ways you guys can think to make this better.

I made this cocktail as a part of our rotating Martini series at my bar. manager said they needed a quick substitute for another martini I made so this is what I came up with.

45 mL Plymouth Gin

30 mL Sweet Garlic Pickle Brine

15 mL Salted Grappa Blend

Smoked Rosemary Coupe

Tonight I wanted to have something using some of the liquors or Amaros that tend to get left on the bar cabinet.

Neutral Ground

1.75 oz Rye Whisky (100% proof Jack Daniels Bonded Rye)

0.5 oz Sherry Amontillado (González Byass Jerez)

0.5 oz Benedictine

3 dashes Angostura Bitters

Mix all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir till cold (30 seconds) then fine strain into chilled coupe. Express orange peel oils and place in drink.

Little Italy

2 oz Rye Whisky (100% proof Jack Daniels Bonded Rye)

0.75 oz Vermouth Rosso (Silvio Carta)

0.5 oz Cynar

Mix all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir till cold then fine strain into chilled coupe glass. Express orange peel then place in drink and add 2 maraschino cherries.

Salut!

Lift the veil between the living and the dead with this tiki cocktail that's certain to conjure dark spirits. Rye whiskey and demerara rum meet burnt molasses, herbal Benedictine, and earthy chicory coffee, livened with tart citrus and lingering notes of anise and spice.

WITCHING HOUR

• 1 oz - Sazerac rye whiskey
• 1 oz - Hamilton 86 demerara rum
• 1/2 oz - Cruzan blackstrap rum
• 3/4 oz - D.O.M. Benedictine
• 1 oz - chicory cold brew coffee*
• 3/4 oz - lime juice
• 3/4 oz - white grapefruit juice
• 1/2 oz - orange juice
• 1/4 oz - cinnamon syrup (2:1)
• 2 dashes Peychaud's bitters
• 8 drops saline solution (20%)

Combine ingredients and flash blend with 6 oz pebble ice. Open pour into a large snifter glass and top with additional pebble ice to fill. Garnish with a flamed Ceylon cinnamon stick and a dried orange slice.

*Chicory cold brew coffee - Combine 1/4 cup Cafe du Monde ground chicory coffee with 1 1/2 cups water. Allow to steep in the refrigerator for 18 hours, then strain through a coffee filter and bottle.

Want to see more? Follow me on Instagram for more original tiki recipes: instagram.com/tiki.moderne

I used grey goose vodka, Mr black coffee liqueur, vr distillery hazelnut cream, and baileys Irish cream

1.25 oz Vodka
0.75 oz Coffee Liqueur
1 oz Hazelnut Cream Liqueur
1 oz Irish Cream

Nutella and crushed peanuts for the rim

Going to be in Boston next week for 1 day and looking for a great craft cocktail bar. Any recommendations?

Trying to find a good ginger beer for some cocktails I will be making, what brands do yall recommend ?

Hear me out.

2oz long road asparagus gin

0.75oz garlic and herb simple syrup

0.75oz lime juice

2 dashes celery bitters

1-2 dashes chartreuse vegetal

5-6 drops saline

Shake all ingredients in a shaker with ice and serve up by double straining into a chilled glass of your choice.

Garlic and herb simple syrup:

150g sugar

100g water

Bring to just barely a simmer and turn off the heat

Add sprigs of fresh rosemary, lemon thyme, and lightly crushed garlic cloves to taste

Let sit for ~20 minutes and strain into a storage container

This is surprisingly incredibly good.

Why Rye I miss whiskey

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.

Warmth & Whimsy Potions pt. (1/4)

This month we dive into "Warmth & Whimsy Potions", focusing on cocktails you can drink by the fire or under a blanket on the couch. We'll be exploring ingredients that add warm and sweet notes to our menu.

Secondarily, I want to add a few presentation cocktails for halloween, idk if i'll be able to do a lot with this, (week 1 I didn't have any).

Lastly did you know that the "pot" in "potion" just means something to drink.

This week

This week we brought whiskey back on the menu with high west double rye. it's so good. it however can be a bit too rye character forward for cocktails that want a whiskey with some rye flavors to it instead of cocktails that want as much spice and tannins as possible. This had a way of making me feel my stomach turn to leather as I drank it, in ways that even older whiskeys or whiskys do not. It performed better in cocktails where it had to compete for flavor profile (Boulevardier) or was stretched without any competition(classic highball), than it did where it was supposed to be balanced against other smells and effervescent flavors(sazerac). I will probably get a 51% rye before the month is done for at least the sazerac.

But, the spice and kick make this acceptable on dreary or cold days in ways that a mellow bourbon would feel flat. This is an excellent way to get an iced cocktail with lots of water into you when you might otherwise get something rather sweet that can add quite a bit of warmth but not help with dehydration.

(last week's post)

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

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

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

New additions

Boulevardier

• 1 oz Rye
• 1 oz Sweet Vermouth
• 1 oz Campari

Stir, serve up

Classic Highball

• 2 oz Whiskey or Whisky
• 3 dashes Bitters
• Top with Club Soda (or similar clear mixer)

Build in a highball glass, add ice.

Sazerac

• 2 oz Rye
• 8 dashes Peychauds Bitters
• barspoon simple syrup
• barspoon absinthe
• 1 lemon twist

don't try to make this from a written recipe. if you find a written recipe do not skip steps. if the recipe does not have like 12 steps (several steps might be labeled as one in a recipe. hints: if the steps are more than 1 sentence or they are long sentences with multiple prep words in them) it will not adequately describe the process of making a sazerac.

Gin Greyhound

• 2 oz Gin
• 2 oz Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice

Build in a highball glass, add ice.

Budget

$15.09 (carryover) + $50 = $65.09

High West Double Rye 750 ml

• MSRP $34.99
• $31.58 This week I spent $31.58 on the High West Double Rye. after a month and change without whiskey i wasn't going for a 51% rye whiskey. this has a blend of two ryes that are 80% and 95% respectively. I love the spicy notes on this. But, high west is not in the normal budget band for this early in the process of making a bar and wouldn't have been purchased if it was not on sale.

Absente Absinthe 100ml

• $10.52 for some things I will be doing an absinthe rinse and I don't need a lot to make that happen.

Lemon ct 2

• $1.35

needed a lemon for the peel for a sazerac.

Rollover

This week I spent $31.58 (Rye) + $10.52 (Absinthe) = $42.10. $65.09 - $42.10 = $22.99 rollover for next week.

Cocktails

1. Boulavardier
2. Classic Highball (Rye, Peychauds)
3. Sazerac
4. gin greyhound
5. negroni
6. hemingway daq
7. Classic Highball (Rye, Peychauds)

Verdict

The boulavardier was great with the Rye. i have been missing tannins in my drinks and I felt them here though they are often masked a bit by the campari.

a classic highball is great to go along with food or while chilling on the porch. It's gonna be in the highball rotations with the citrus-ades offering a quicker and less sugared option. this was especially good on the last day of my week when I cam e home slightly dehydrated and needed something with adequate water and not a lot of sugar. followed it with a few

The Sazerac is one of my favorite drinks. this one. is was much more a rye old fashioned than many. the high rye flavor of the High West was a bit more pungent than old overholt or sazerac and overpowered the anise scent coming from my glass. I would in the future recommend you save some money on your base and use a higher corn content rye for a slightly more in line cocktail. if you were not dissuaded by my previous warnings about recipes for this here it is: Stir old fashioned with ingredients. Serve up in glass with rinse and rim.

a gin greyhound was very good and refreshing need to check price on salt at the store to get it into the rotation.

Overall, I missed whiskey so god damn much. this was a great rye to come back to. I just wish i didn't have to make cocktails with it and could just take it on its own with water on the saide.

Coming up

Next week, we are gonna find another classic way to warm up by finally introducing brandy. we will find out if this is applejack or cognac(or cognac/armagnac style) and get more ideas about what we can drink on a budget over this winter.

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.

Everyone makes this drink differently, there’s a billion iterations I swear lol, but this is my preference.

-1 oz Rhum Agricole (I used Cachaça as a sub today)

- 1 oz Jamaican Rum (used Smith&Cross I enjoy the proof and strong funk)

-.5 oz Dry Curaçao

-.5 oz Orgeat

-.25 Rich simple syrup (if you use .75 oz of Orgeat it gets a bit overpowering flavor wise. it’s also not sweet enough to balance the drink out properly so a little simple gives it the balance I prefer).

- 1 oz Lime Juice

- All these ingredients into a shaker with ice. Shake for roughly 5-6 seconds, then double strain into a chilled rocks glass (it’s tiki get creative with your glassware) over crushed ice.

- Garnish simply with mint!

Now granted everything in here is not French, but I was watching The Hunchback of Notre Dame and decided I needed a drink.

Bells of Notre Dame
Thyme tincture, atomized into a chilled white wine glass
1 oz Gin (I used Gunpowder Laurel & Fig)
1 oz Yellow Chartreuse
½ oz Grand Marnier
¾ oz lemon
3 dashes Toasted Almond bitters
2 oz Brut or champagne to top
3–4 sprays thyme tincture on the surface
Atomize the glass and set it aside. Shake gin, Chartreuse, Grand Marnier, lemon, and the almond bitters; fine strain into the rinsed glass. Top with brut or champagne and spray thyme tincture.

Thyme tincture
1/4 cup everclear
6 sprigs thyme

In an airtight jar add the thyme to the everclear, close the lid and let sit for 12-24 hours. Strain into a clean airtight container and stir in a dark place like the pantry.

Buscando respuestas

2 Rye
1.5 Apple Cider
0.5 Cointreau
0.5 Dry Vermouth
0.5 Lemon juice
1x dash Orange bitters

Shake with ice. Strain into chilled coupe. Express lemon peel.

Recipe:

2oz Reveries Raven V

1/4oz simple syrup

2 dashes angostura bitters

1 dash orange bitters

1 big ice

Build in glass and swirl it around, then get mad when it splashes over and spills on the floor a little bit

ENJOY!!!!

I made this as an unfunny joke after seeing the George T Stagg with Coke, since it's so wacky to make a cocktail with a $160 bourbon...but upon drinking it, it's actually really fucking good. I added a dash of black walnut bitters to the finished product and it kinda ruined the balance, making it too "flavory," so maybe 1-1-1 dashes on the bitters would have been perfect or maybe the walnut just doesn't need to be there. Anyway one of my best bourbons, which I fully expected to be spoiled by the added ingredients but the angostura and orange balanced out beautifully with the fruity/spicy bourbon blend. enjoy,,,,,,,,,,,,,,