So tomorrow is new years eve and I got a bottle of angostura bitters that I want to use. I'm thinking of celebrating the new year with Old Fashioneds since I like whiskey.
The question is this. what kind of whiskey do I get? Should i go for bourbon or rye? I'm spanish so the prices are in euros, I'm aiming at a 10-15€ range, not bad but also not expensive.
old fashioned is more of a bourbon cocktail. rye's one-note spiciness lends itself better to drinks with more ingredients
You don't have to be limited to whiskey. Old Fashioneds can also be made with brandy. Spain I've heard makes some fine brandies.
Childhood is sipping old fashioneds, adulthood is slamming Manhattan ups.
I actually like both, just wanted to mention get some sweet vermouth as well and then you can make two types of cocktails.
Also, bourbon all the way. I like Buffalo Trace and its derivative products (Benchmark at the low end, Blantons and Eagle Rare in the higher end, WL Weller for wheated bourbon, etc.), but anything labeled 'Kentucky Straight Bourbon' has legal standards. Avoided anything that says 'blended American whiskey'.
>defining your maturity by your cocktail taste
>taking things too literally
It was more of a commentary on descent into alcoholism. I didn't actually drink old fashioneds as a child, but I can make and drink Manhattans way faster.
Speaking of alcoholism and drinking fast, when I tried the Vesper martini for the first time (at the appropriately named Vesper Bar in the Cosmopolitan in Vegas), he slid it over and said "This is why James Bond was an alcoholic." Thirty minutes and two more later I saw his point.
Cosmopolitan is a cool venue for trying cocktails, by the way. Chandelier Bar has three levels with different menus that focus on classics, experimental and infused spirits, respectively.
I just switched over to Benchmark. I used to be an Ancient Age guy, but the Benchmark tastes just the same and costs a buck less.
I'd actually go with the AA if it's just a buck difference for that extra ABV. How much do you get handles for, pic related was 20.02 at my neighborhood liquor store (can get cheaper at Specs but I can't get there and back in 7 minutes).
>drinking anything but cheap lambrusco overlooking the gianicolo
A handle goes for $19-$20 around here.
I use Old Overholt (rye) or Evan Williams (bourbon) in old fashioneds and manhattans. Don't go overboard with price because any bourbon/rye can be made to taste good with sugar and bitters.
These are good too and completely agree about expense.
I do wonder about what OP has available in Spain. I've not been to Europe but in Asia and Central America Jim Beam was the easiest bourbon to find. I know Buffalo Trace products get exported because my friend is currently living in Melbourne and can get them there (albeit for a shit ton of money). OP may only have access to Jim or perhaps Makers Mark.
My cocktail of choice is a manhattan, which I usually get dry with bourbon, as sweet vermouth usually makes the drink almost candy-like. Sweet vermouth is better used with rye.
So you drink bourbon and bitters?
My gf and her friend are getting ready to go out. Got a bottle of Uncle Val's Botanical Gin I'll make em Strawberry Gin Fizzes with.
Started the strawberries under some sugar to get that sweet syrup going about an hour ago. Goin to be the tits
Vespers are great. I prefer the double gin, double vodki, and double lillet.
A dash helps break up the sweetness of the bourbon, but with sweet vermouth it doesn’t do much. Plus some bars don’t bother carrying bitters which is why I stick to dry.
Though I must say after using carpano antica, no other vermouth can compare.
I agree with the first part, but you aren't drinking a manhattan.
>some bars don’t bother carrying bitters
You shouldn’t be ordering cocktails at a bar like that
A manhattan is traditionally Canadian whiskey or rye, sweet vermouth and bitters. Using bourbon has become common, but there’s nothing wrong with using dry vermouth either. I find sweet vermouth works better with rye than with bourbon.
Trust me I don’t frequent them, but I’d rather run off the assumption that bitters is not available.
I like you because carpano antica indeed is the tits, but I gotta bail on the dry vermouth in a Manhattan. IMO dry is only acceptable to line a martini glass for a gin martini. I've had it with whiskey before (barkeeper accidents) in a Manhattan and wasn't too happy with the results.
I suppose it’s an acquired taste, then. When I make my own, though, I prefer to use a spicier bourbon like Beam black or Bulleit, carpano and a dash of bitters.
if prefer with cognac, it's amatter of taste
bourbon-orange peel
rye-lemon peel
What;s a suitable substitute for Campari?
I want to know what it's like before I spend a bunch on a bottle just to make negronis that I might not like.
What's a good brandy cocktail?
The Sazerac is perhaps the most sublime whiskey cocktail ever devised. It is my favorite.
What's shaking tonight, bros? I call this one the Prickly Pear:
1 1/2 oz prickly ash bitters, 1 oz pear brandy, 1 oz oloroso sherry, 1 oz lemon juice, 1/2 oz maple syrup, dash each of maraschino, absinthe and chocolate bitters. Shake, strain into coupe glass, lemon twist. Might tone down the pear brandy on future attempts.
Short answer: there isn't one. Anything that can sub for Campari is pretty much guaranteed to be more expensive than it (I prefer Gran Classico, for instance, which is about $5 higher where I live). But Aperol, while not a perfect swap, can loosely approximate it, and it's usually pretty cheap compared to most amari.
I can always go for a good Sidecar. But if you're in a tropical mood, maybe try a Scorpion Bowl.
Do you spin the glass with Herbsaint or add it to the cocktail?
Don Draper agrees about the Old Overholt.
I rotate the glass to line it with the Herbsaint/absinthe. That way you can be sure you're not adding too much and destroying the balance of the drink.
Derp. Meant for
Pic related ice and cloudy apple juice.
My new years eve drink of chose.
Post your New Years splurge Veeky Forums
For me, it's pink champagne.
Dude, sazerac is indeed one of my favorites ever, but I only have had them in New Orleans because I don't trust ordering them around here and don't want to buy expensive high proof aperitifs for home.
If I were getting sparkling beverage for tonight it would be DeuS Brut de Flanders, a beer brewed in Belgium and then conditioned and bottled in France like a champagne.
Lately I've developed a strong distaste for champagne. Used to love it and now I associate it with holiday stress.
I'm staying home and drinking this.
I prefer rye but it's traditionally burbon.
I haven't tried a lot of whiskey but I just tried Angel's Envy for the first time yesterday. Like Jack Daniels, but to a lesser extent, there's this weird sort of aftertaste to it that I can't put my finger on. Almost tastes like roasted peanuts or something. I've tried Woodford Reserve, Maker's Mark, and Buffalo Trace and none of them have it. Any connoisseurs know what it might be or how I can avoid it?
Fucking hell. I was going to make a Dragon's Kiss or 10 tonite and I didn't know there were 50 different recipes that have very different ingredients.
Googling it with the ingredients I know are in it still doesn't get me the one I want.
I guess I'm going to shoot blindly with cinnamon, vodka, orange juice, and cranberry juice.
Happy New Years Eve fellow drinkers.
Here.
This bottle was just now finished. Unfortunately the rest of the night will be cheap red wines followed by a 24 pack of Miller. We saved a couple sam winter lagers for midnight toast.