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Drinks of the Month: Cold Comfort & Barbed Wire

August 1, 2010 / posted in Drink of the Month, Food / Comments Off

If you’re a long-time reader, you may remember the old days of the Drink of the Month. Well, we might not make this a monthly thing any more, but I think it’s time to try new things again. So, today, I fixed a Cold Comfort for the wife and a Barbed Wire for me.

Drink of the Month: Cold Comfort Martini & Barbed Wire

A few years ago, I picked up this book, the simply-named The Martini Book. The wife and I used to drink a lot of Martinis, and it seemed like such a book would get a lot of use. Not so, perhaps since I discovered Scotch. So, Courtney (formerly known as Mrs. DJ L’il Bit, even more formerly known as the AIG, and now approving the use of her real name in this here forum) has been suggesting that we crack open this book. Summer being perfect for clear liquors such as Gin and Vodka, this seemed the perfect weekend to do so.

Anyway, that picture: on the left is the Cold Comfort, which is:

  • Vodka
  • Juice of a lemon
  • A heck of a lot of honey

Honey-lemon martini? Absolutely! Heck, that’s one of the few things that could get either of us drinking a vodka martini, rather than the provably superior gin version. Now, I used mesquite honey, which is fairly mild, and I used a ton of it, and I got good honey flavor, but not a lot of sweetness, because, frankly, the honey didn’t enter solution in the cold vodka well at all, even after a lot of shaking. Next time, I’d use a stronger honey, maybe even avocado honey, plus a bunch of agave for sweetness, since agave will dissolve in a cold drink. (Simple syrup would even be easier, of course.)

On the right is a bastardized version of the Barbed Wire. The Barbed Wire is:

  • Vodka
  • Sweet Vermouth
  • Pastis
  • Chambord

We’re out of Chambord, so I made an ersatz version with Campari and a big chunk of the above-mentioned agave. I might’ve used Triple Sec too, were I not out of it. (It’s an odd feeling for any Certified Mixologist, such as myself, to be out of Triple Sec!) I’d love a little more berry flavor but, with enough agave to provide sweetness, it’s a very drinkable and refreshing beverage. The anise flavor really comes through.

It’s kind of a new resolution to put aside my stalwart Scotch for the hot summer and enjoy some gin and even vodka (as seen here! again, shocked, shocked that I’ve made two vodka Martinis today). So, probably more new drinks coming up!








Well, I’m Jewish and Scottish, so This Entry Will Be About Cheap Scotch

March 7, 2010 / posted in Drink of the Month, Reviews / Comments Off

I love Scotch. This is fortunate, since I pretty much can’t drink any other kind of whiskey. It’s that corn allergy thing — only a nice single malt Scotch is guaranteed to be corn-free. Poor me, stuck with single malts. Well, poor in the sense that I can’t afford a $60+ bottle to enjoy properly. So, at home at least, I drink cheap single malts, usually priced somewhere in the $20s. I have a few favorites, but I’ve been craving to branch out a little more. Recently, I grabbed a few options below $30 at local stores:

The Three Scotches

What we’ve got here is:

If one Scotch is good, then three must be better, right? That meant there was nothing to it but to have a little tasting.

Bowmore Legend

Bowmore

Typically, I like the Islay Scotches, famous for their peaty, aggressive flavors, the best. So of course I was excited to try Bowmore’s entry-level option. Reviews online are pretty harsh, which I can understand, because this is a harsh whiskey when it hits your tongue. It smells like a proper Islay, smokey and peaty, with a hint of maple. Then you sip it, and it’s… all iodine and burn? But it opens — it’s not a wine, but it opens — and the peat and smoke and maple come out in the flavor. Early or after a while, Bowmore Legend finishes sweet.

The Dalmore 12-Year

The Dalmore

This is halfway to Bourbon in my mind. It smells very, very sweet and caramel-y. Fortunately, it isn’t as sweet to actually drink, which is good because Bourbon is sweet enough to make my cheeks sweat. The Dalmore has a pretty syrupy mouth feel, almost like you’re drinking an after-dinner drink. It’s tasty, but it doesn’t scream “Scotch!” to me. And I’m not usually much for subtle. The palate delivers on the caramel nose and color, although there’s some surprising ashy flavors in the aftertaste.

Speyburn 10-year

Speyburn

This tastes like apples and smells like apples. It’s actually quite astounding. If any Scotch could be described as “refreshing,” this is it. If you think you can guess the winner from this description, well, you’re right. It’s just a satisfying, delicious Scotch, with a unique flavor.

The Bowmore Legend is good, if you let it open; a perfectly nice Islay. Nothing special, except at the price — that’s special. The Dalmore is nice but really lacks anything to make it stand out. It might be a good first Scotch, and it is certainly a nice enough tipple, but it’s not unique.

That said, I have few fears I’ll fail to finish off all three. I’ll get back to you in a few months when I buy another round to follow this set.








Drink of the Month: The L’il Bit

December 7, 2008 / posted in Drink of the Month / No Comments

One of the finest drinks out there is the Martini. I’m not talking about the modern version, ordered by the sleek and hip in clubs and bars out there, which is nothing but a triple shot of very cold vodka; I’m talking about a proper Martini, with enough Vermouth to provide, you know, flavor. But sometimes that Martini’s just too harsh, and you want something a little fruity — not too sweet, just a little fruity. That’s the L’il Bit.
I just made the L’il Bit up one evening,[1] principally to make something tasty for the AIG out of the spare remains of our well-used liquor cabinet. It worked great, so I named it after the AIG’s rapper name.[2] Now I end up making it for her almost every weekend!
The L’il Bit is an easy cocktail to make and to sip. Mix with ice in a shaker:
* 2 1/4 oz. Gin (I use Seagram’s for this, you could probably taste a fancy gin but stay away from those with more vegetal or floral taste profiles, like my otherwise-favorite Hendrick’s)
* 1 oz. Dry Vermouth. Don’t fear the Vermouth! Use it with abandon even in your Martini.
* 1/2 oz. Triple Sec. This liqueur, in any drink, will smooth out the flavor
* 1/4 oz. Cointreau (just a drop!)
* 3 dashes orange bitters (I’ve used Fee’s, which are sweeter than some others, and you’d like that sweetness here)
Pour into a chilled martini glass. If you’d like a garnish, try some frozen Gummi Bears, they’ll melt slowly and have a great flavor when you’re done. Enjoy!
!/images/dotm/lilbit.jpg!
fn1. There’s probably some other cocktail that matches the recipe here; in fact, what I’ve made resembles the “Martinez”:http://www.artofdrink.com/2007/08/martinez-cocktail.php — the progenitor of the Martini — and the “Opal Cocktail”:http://www.cocktailtimes.com/gin/opalcocktail.shtml. But I couldn’t trivially find a recipe online, so I’m calling it mine!
fn2. It’s not her rapper name in any particular way, just it got thrown out there and somehow stuck.















Homemade Margaritas

November 9, 2008 / posted in Drink of the Month, Food, Photos / 2 Comments

One of the benefits of living in California is the year-round summer. That means every day is a great day for a Margarita, and, with a lemon tree in our backyard, that means homemade sour mix for those Margaritas!
First step is to make the sour mix. You can use lemons, limes, or a mix of both, although limes alone are often too sweet. Since we’ve got that tree, lemons were the obvious choice. Mix an equal quantity, in cups, of lemon juice and sugar, then heat that over a flame, delicately, so that the sugar dissolves in the lemon juice. Stir periodically and you’ll get a nice, clear, and remarkably yellow-green liquid. Leave that to cool in the fridge overnight.
Get your sour, a good tequila — not really a sipping tequila, but, please, something better than your stock Cuervo — and some triple sec or other orange liqueur of your choice. Pour a tiny bit of the sour mix onto a plate and a coarse salt, such as kosher, onto another.
!http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/photos/352086971_dGeA4-M.jpg!
Dip the rim of your glass into the sour mix, then into the salt — get a nice rim.
!http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/photos/352087564_v6Y67-M.jpg!
Fill that glass with ice — it’ll make it seem more like what you get in a bar or restaurant, and they don’t just do it because ice = profit; the coldness makes the drink taste good and, as the ice melts, the bruising helps you finish it. Then pour in a good two ounces of tequila, and fill almost to the top with your sour. Try it — with your smooth, delicious homemade sour, and a slightly higher-quality tequila, you might not need the triple sec, which really just serves to smooth out the harsh edges.[1] Make another for later, and then another for a friend!
!http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/photos/352087827_Z75jW-M.jpg!
fn1. It does this for any drink, so try it!















Drink of the Month: Presbyterian

March 23, 2008 / posted in Drink of the Month / No Comments

As the weather turns to summer — well, at least as it does here in sunny Southern California — we may be coming to the time of year when “brown liquors”:http://juniorbird.com/archive/003616.html are replaced by clear ones in your everyday drinks. But, if you want something a bit refreshing, something that can stand up to a bit of spring sunlight and warm air, then let me recommend the Presbyterian.
Now, everybody loves the Jack and Coke, but, let’s face it, there’s a time to grow up, a time to select more moderate and complex flavors, a time to be refreshed rather than trashed. The Presbyterian is — as one might guess from its name — an appropriate mix of abstemiousness and indulgence. Take a highball glass, and fill with ice. Pour in an ounce and a half of the Scotch of your choice — I recommend a Speyside, or something less peat-y and with more even, caramel-y taste. Of the remaining space in your glass, fill half with a good ginger ale — not a ginger beer, which will overpower your scotch, but a more moderate ale with a bit of a bite and not too much sweetness — and half with soda water.
!/images/dotm/presbyterian.jpg!
The Presbyterian is a fairly light drink that can be enjoyed with a meal or sipped for refreshment. Not quite a gin and tonic on a hot day, it’s still a good standby when you want a bit warmer, sugarier flavor, with a real kick of spice.















Drink of the Month: Rob Roy

January 5, 2008 / posted in Drink of the Month, Food / 2 Comments

The regularly-updated content I promised here on Juniorbird.com? Well, here’s part 1 of the complete calendar: a monthly fun drink that you can join me in boozing it up with! This month’s drink is the Rob Roy — a version of the Manhattan made with Scotch. (A Manhattan is basically a Martini, but with whiskey, traditionally Rye.) A Manhattan should be sweeter, richer, and more flavorful than the dry, understated Martini; the Rob Roy adds on to that Scotch’s traditional peaty flavors.
So why’d I pick the Rob Roy? Well, first of all, I love Martinis, but sometimes one wants to go a bit afield. Also, I wanted to make sure that — as is a requirement for all the drinks in this series — the ingredients are fairly easy-to-find; let’s face it, I don’t enjoy rooting around for rare liqueurs, and it’s more fun to make drinks that my friends can share in anyway.
And I wanted to have a whiskey.[1] Since I’m allergic to corn, this means that blended whiskeys and all Bourbons are verboten for me. Single malts on the other hand, are safe; Irish whiskeys are usually blended, so this really leaves Scotch.[2] I found a couple of affordable single-malts and determined to see what I could do with them.
Scotch #1 is “Lismore Single Malt”:http://www.bevmo.com/productinfo.asp?sku=00000002173. From the Speyside region, whence comes most Scotch, this is a pretty accessible beverage when drunk neat, with just a little peat and an overall sweet, caramel-y[3] taste. Scotch #2, “Finlaggan”:http://www.vintagemaltwhisky.com/product-finlaggan.html, is an Islay single malt; Islay Scotches are typically the peatiest of the Scotches, and Finlaggan didn’t disappoint, with a tremendous peaty, smoky flavor that was much more challenging when drunk neat. Of course, the real test was the Rob Roy.
!/images/dotm/robroy.jpg!
A Rob Roy typically contains a 2.5:1 or 3:1 mix of Scotch to Vermouth, with a few shots of bitters to round it out. I found that the Speyside worked much better with Dry Vermouth and Angostura bitters, and the Islay with Sweet Vermouth and Fey’s bitters, which are a bit sweeter than the Angosturas. I substantially preferred the flavor of the Finlaggan Islay single malt, which had more flavor, as well as a rounder taste. Overall, I’d definitely drink a Rob Roy on a regular basis; it’s not as refreshing as a Martini, but it’s delicious, matches well with food, and provides access to a whole new set of flavors. I’ve found that most bartenders know the Rob Roy, so this is a drink I could order out, too; I’ll have to learn the names of a few common Islay single malts so I can get a Rob Roy with my choice of call liquor.
fn1. Or, as the Scots spell it, “whisky.”
fn2. There are a small number of all-rye American Ryes, but these challenge my “easy-to-find” rule. For people who can tolerate corn, the Jim Beam Rye, which is pretty common, is supposed to make a good Manhattan.
fn3. I’m told that the proper term for whisky-philes is “toffee.”