Wine, Scotch, Rum, Tequila, Vodka, and the like

Postby **count2infinity** » Sun Jul 31, 2022 7:52 pm

Wife left Saturday morning for a conference, so I’m on my own for the evenings. Once the kid goes down, I decided to make a cocktail. I want to try new things that I’ve never made.

Last night I made a gin-Campari sour. I used empress gin, so that plus the Campari made a raspberry kind of color which was nice. The egg white cocktail is new to me, and awesome. Love the foam. 8/10. It was good.

Tonight I made a strawberry daiquiri. I’m not a rum guy, but had a bottle of Don Q to open up and a couple fresh strawberries on our strawberry deck plants. Enjoyable. Would be great on a really hot day. Not as good on a cloudy overcast sub 70 evening. 6.5/10.

Any suggestions are welcome. I usually do old fashions, manhattans, Negroni/boulivardier, margaritas kind of stuff, so looking for other stuff past that.

Postby **Dickie Dunn** » Mon Aug 01, 2022 1:46 am

I've never made any of these with Empress (go to with that is either a Paloma or their version of a margarita), but for gin drinks I like gimlets, Gordon's cup, and Gordon's breakfast, which is better than the cup.

Postby **blackjack68** » Mon Aug 01, 2022 2:46 am

Had my first taste of a Pappy 12 this weekend. I can tell it’s good, but can’t say it was worth the $$$ my friend spent.

Postby **Shyster** » Mon Aug 01, 2022 3:56 am

I mostly make just three cocktails: old fashioneds (more in cold weather), whiskey sours (more in warm weather), and whiskey highballs (year round). Bourbon highballs are usually Japanese style with just soda and maybe some lemon, so they end up like dilute sours. Scotch highballs I like to make with ginger ale.

Handles of Cutty Sark were on sale this month. It's not complex at all, but for a cheap blended scotch it's actually not bad at all. Honey and shortbread with a floral note. Goes nicely with the ginger ale.

Postby **willeyeam** » Mon Aug 01, 2022 8:19 am

I've been hitting the transfusions this summer.. especially post golf/when I'm outside.

Postby **LITT** » Mon Aug 01, 2022 8:26 am

was at a wedding this weekend and was talking with the groom and they had a few bottles of glenlivet 21 stashed behind the bar for the wedding party. i enjoyed about half a bottle

Postby **count2infinity** » Mon Aug 01, 2022 8:26 am

Hmm... more or less a vodka highball with lime and grape. Sounds good. I'm not a grape fan, but would try it.

Postby **Dickie Dunn** » Mon Aug 01, 2022 9:06 am

Transfusions go down EASY

Postby **LITT** » Mon Aug 01, 2022 9:13 am

tell me you belong to a country club without telling me you belong to a country club: i drink transfusions

Postby **willeyeam** » Mon Aug 01, 2022 9:20 am

Postby **MR25** » Mon Aug 01, 2022 9:25 am

Had a transfusion last week at Shooters (the old Golf In/PA Golf Academy transitioned toward a more TopGolf-lite atmosphere).

They put ginger ale in it instead of Sprite. I would've preferred Sprite.

Postby **genoscoif** » Mon Aug 01, 2022 9:27 am

Transfusions go down EASY

So does meow. On low shots.

Transfusions are dangerous, especially if you love grape juice as much as I do. They are seriously one of those summer drinks that you can be sitting on your deck enjoying a nice evening and have no idea you've just sucked down 4 in an hour.

Spare no expense on the concord grape juice, though.

Postby **willeyeam** » Mon Aug 01, 2022 9:42 am

Had a transfusion last week at Shooters (the old Golf In/PA Golf Academy transitioned toward a more TopGolf-lite atmosphere).

They put ginger ale in it instead of Sprite. I would've preferred Sprite.

well they're supposed to be made with ginger ale so

Postby **MR25** » Mon Aug 01, 2022 9:47 am

Hmmm... I could've sworn the one I tried at Hickory Heights had Sprite

Postby **Dickie Dunn** » Mon Aug 01, 2022 10:27 am

I remember Chartiers using Sprite as well.

Postby **dodint** » Mon Aug 01, 2022 10:43 am

Southern Living says Ginger Ale, with Sprite or Fresca as alternatives.

Postby **count2infinity** » Mon Aug 01, 2022 8:41 pm

We had some watermelon from our farm share left over. I mashed it up, and used the juice to make a watermelon margarita tonight. Glad I tried it, wouldn’t do it again.

6/10.

Postby **Dickie Dunn** » Mon Aug 01, 2022 9:19 pm

If your watermelon margarita was a 6/10 you made a bad watermelon margarita. What the hell did you do?

Postby **count2infinity** » Mon Aug 01, 2022 9:24 pm

I muddled the watermelon in a bowl, strained off the liquid.

2 oz watermelon juice
1.5 oz fresh lime juice
1 oz Cointreau
0.5 oz simple syrup
3 oz tequila

Everything into a shaker with ice, poured over ice with some salt. Just wasn’t a fan of the watermelon with everything else.

Postby **Dickie Dunn** » Tue Aug 02, 2022 6:08 pm

I typically blend and leave the pulp. Agave syrup instead of simple. Cointreau is unnecessary. Lime to taste.

Postby **count2infinity** » Tue Aug 02, 2022 6:11 pm

You’re unnecessary

Postby **Dickie Dunn** » Tue Aug 02, 2022 6:35 pm

It's unnecessary in all margaritas

Postby **count2infinity** » Tue Aug 02, 2022 6:37 pm

Ah. Well, it’s what I typically use. I usually just do 2-1-1 tequila, lime, Cointreau. I usually skip any sweetener. I skipped it in the watermelon one until I tasted and decided it needed it.

Postby **Dickie Dunn** » Tue Aug 02, 2022 7:27 pm

Hmm. Skipping sweetener probably makes it fine then. Using both definitely pushes a margarita to being too sweet.

Postby **count2infinity** » Tue Aug 02, 2022 8:06 pm

Yup. Tonight was something that I had zero expectations or hope for… the cantina band

1 1/2 oz fernet branca
1 oz lime juice
3/4 oz simple syrup
1/2 oz gin
A few slices of cucumber

Shaken with ice, poured over ice in a tall glass and topped with ginger beer.

It’s so freaking good. 9/10