Liquor, Liqueur

I have spent the past several months fine-tuning my liquor cabinet. My goal has been to find the most adaptable liquors and liqueurs for making the tastiest cocktails. My research is far from complete, but here is what I have found so far:

Oh wait, before I get to that:

You only need a few things to mix cocktails with. Obviously, you need a shaker. The Boston shaker, which is simply a glass or pyrex (that’s what I use) glass shoved into a stainless steel glass, is deceptively easy to use. But you should probably also have a small proper three-part shaker so you can make drinks for yourself without over-exertion; get one where the strainer section connects inside the cup and not outside- the latter tends to leak (at least the one I had did). You’ll need a spoon to stir drinks with, a Hawthorne strainer to strain stirred drinks, a zester, a knife and a juicer (something simple; I don’t get those electric things). You have to be able to measure the following: a teaspoon (1/8 oz), ½ oz, ¾ oz, 1 oz (called a pony) and 1.5 oz (called a jigger). I guess if you want to measure a dash that’s the other measurement used. The only other thing you need is cracked ice, which is what is used for shaken or stirred cocktails. Cracked ice is 1/3 a normal ice cube, and I make it by putting ice cubes into a plastic bag and smashing it with a meat tenderizer. I had a plastic gadget I bought at a garage sale with a hand crank and blades that cracked ice really good for about two weeks until it broke.

If anything calls for a twist, that means a squeeze of the essence from the rind. You can just cut a section of rind, hold it above the drink and squeeze it in half, causing it to spray into the drink. If the drink doesn't call specifically for the rind or zest to be inserted, throw it out after squeezing it into the drink.

Okay on with it!

Hennessy Very Special Cognac is what I am using for any brandy or cognac. (Cognac is brandy made in the Cognac region of France.) I have found other brandies too sweet for my tastes. Don’t get me wrong, Hennessy is sweet also- too sweet for me on its own- but I have a very thin sweetness threshold. (Somehow, I have a spicy tooth.)

I’m using Cointreau for anything that calls for triple sec or curacao (I have found no definitive evidence that there is any difference whatsoever between triple sec and curacao). Cointreau is the real deal; I don’t know how else to put it. Too bad it’s $40/fifth.

If anything calls for bourbon or rye whiskey, I use Sazerac Rye. It has a very distinct “rye” flavor that feels right to me (although I recently had a Scotch that tasted like barley (Tamnavulin 12 year) and it seemed very wrong somehow). Again, bourbon has become too sweet for me, tasting like corn syrup, but as a mixer (but not straight), Maker’s Mark is an ideal bourbon choice. If you’re looking for “well” bourbon I’d recommend Weller’s Reserve or Dickel Tennessee Whiskey.

I’m not a tequila expert at all, but after sampling many that I flat out didn’t like, I stumbled across 1800 Reposado, a nice, peppery tequila (with a horrible “cork”), that I now buy exclusively. Patron is also good but really expensive and I’ve never actually bought a bottle. Maybe someday I will explore tequila further…..

I'm not a fan of Famous Grouse blended scotch whisky, but I’ve been getting rid of it by using it in any cocktail that calls for scotch, and it works superb in that context.

Gin; now gin is one I haven’t been able to narrow down. And I haven’t even had a sloe gin, Old Tom gin or Genever (Dutch) gin yet! I’ve had a ton of London Dry gins, and my favorite is Boodles, although nothing beats Tanqueray in a gin and tonic. My favorite, favorite gin is Plymouth, and some cocktails, like the Pink Gin, are impossible to make without it. Whenever I run across one of those irritating “I don’t like gin” people, I convert them using the ultra-smooth and gently sweet Aviation gin, which is made right here in Portland, OR.

I doubt I’ll ever understand the point of Vodka, although I have a bottle of Stoli I use to make Vespers.

I also don’t get rum; unsurprising since it’s made from sugar cane. I even knew a bartender who specialized in rum-based drinks and drank many of his concoctions, but was never impressed. Too sweet!

Don’t let anybody tell you pastis is an absinthe substitute. That’s like saying urine is a water substitute. That said; I have a few bottles of crappy absinthe I use as mixers, and I would never use my good absinthe (namely Jade’s 1901) as a mixer. Only use a tiny bit of absinthe in a cocktail or it will overpower the drink. In the best drinks using absinthe, you simply swirl a dash of it to coat the inside of the glass and pour out the excess (I admit; I pour it into my mouth).

I’m using Laird’s Applejack for anything that calls for apple brandy. It’s cheap ($18/fifth) and gross on its own (unless unlike me you like apple juice), but works as a mixer. I hope to buy a proper calvados soon, but they are in the $40/fifth price range.

I’m using Cherry Heering for anything asking for cherry brandy or maraschino liqueur, but plan to get a real maraschino liqueur, Luxardo, next week.

Green chartreuse, while very expensive, is an awesome herbal liqueur! Benedictine is another herbal liqueur essential for many cocktails, but it is quickly overpowering and tastes like cough syrup. If a recipe calls for ¾ oz. of it, use ¼ oz. (2 tsp) instead. You’ve been warned.

I think the only sweet (aka rosso or Italian) vermouth I’ve had is Martini & Rossi. It is not very good. I plan on trying punt e mes soon. I have tried several dry (aka French) vermouths, however, and the driest and most interesting I’ve had is Noilly Pratt. Martini & Rossi’s dry vermouth is very sweet by comparison and not good. Lejon is disgusting; don’t buy it! Vermouths last awhile, so there's no reason to buy a cheap one. You'll just be stuck with something gross, and believe, like most people, that you don't like vermouth.

Whatever you do, do not buy Rose’s grenadine. It is not grenadine at all, but dyed corn syrup. Real pomegranate grenadine is easily found these days.

Angostura, Peychaud’s and orange bitters are a necessity in every liquor cabinet.

One discovery I have fallen in love with is Lillet Blanc. It contains quinine and is similar to white wine. It is the sister to red Dubonnet, but I haven’t decided if I like that yet. It's essentially another sweet vermouth.

Fresh-squeezed is the only way to go. I don’t even like orange juice, but fresh squeezed oranges are awesome. Don’t even joke about using sour mix; squeeze a lemon or lime! All those pre-mix things you see at stores are crappy gimmicks.

Ginger beer is interesting. I wish I could find more brands to taste test. There has to be one out there that isn’t sweet. I know, I harp on things being sweet, but if I want them sweeter, I can add sugar. However, I can’t remove it! As a mixologist, I like having options under my control. Isn’t that the point?

I’m hoping to learn to make my own tonic and soda water soon. The commercially-available shit is bogus.