I've been a Vodka Martini man for many years, but at the moment if I go to a cocktail place I'll usually have a Margarita or an Old Fashioned.
At San Giovanni, which is conveniently on one of my cycling routes, they somehow brand the name of the establishment into the orange peel. It was just about warm enough to drink outside yesterday so I took a pic.
(http://truth.justdied.com/images/sang_oldf220410.jpg)
Brandy Sour is often my tipple.
My most memorable cocktail (no need for a new thread) was a Hemingway daiquiri served by a very attractive waitress in an outdoor cocktail bar in Vegas. The cocktail was so refreshing in the stifling heat.
Quite seldom I'll have a cocktail, but when I indulge I'll have a Tequila Sunrise or Margarita.
Mainly because I had a sort of tequila epiphany some 25 years ago while sitting on a friend's porch in Lancaster, California. Marvellous. :)
A Tequila Epiphany, I must try one of those.
is Shandy a cocktail?
Quote from: Rufus_the_dawg on April 19, 2022, 03:49:07 PMis Shandy a cocktail?
:) No. I think a cocktail needs to contain spirits.
non alcoholic cocktails? I'm being annoying I know. I used to drink a Brandy Shandy- Shandy with a brandy in.
Any way found this on the web -Shandy cocktail.
4
bottles pilsner beer
4
lemons
1
teaspoon grated ginger
1
handful mint leaves
1/4
cup agave nectar
6
oz vodka
And 2 Paracetamol and 2 Ibuprofen.
Managed to get a free sample Daiquiri through the post from Nio cocktails. Perfectly nice but I'm sure would end up far too expensive in the long run, plus not very enviro friendly.
https://niococktails.co.uk/
Talk Radio's Mike Graham has a weekly spot on his show featuring booze/wine tasting. An 'expert' brings stuff into the studio for him to sample.
Yesterday, the featured drink was rum. I've always liked rum. It started with rum and raisin ice cream and Old Jamaica chocolate bars. I had a brief Bacardi and Coke phase in my late teens but progressed to dark rum with coke. So, one of the first drinks Mike tried was an 'Old Fashioned' but with rum, of course. Slim's penchant for the more usual version and the revelation that rum could be used (bourbon also) piqued my interest. Had a visit to Sainsbury's and I've now got everything I need to go with the years-old, opened bottles of whiskey and rum in the drinks cabinet. They need drinking and if I can find a cocktail or two that I enjoy it will be a good way to finish it off. I'm keen to try a rum punch too.
I wonder if it is sacrilege to use my single malt whiskey but it's not going to get drunk any other way. To cut a long story short, my taste for single malts took a turn for the worse one xmas and I struggle to go near it nowadays!
The Scotch whisky version of the Old Fashioned is also very nice, only tried it once but that was a DIY one with a single malt. Also tried the brandy version, but never rum. I must do that.
Don't use too much bitters, that's the rookie mistake - the hole in the nozzle is tiny for a reason.
I envy you for being able to leave spirits unmolested in the house.
I do remember a cocktail we used to have on a winter's night in the Hotel Prima in Wroclaw, Poland when I used to work out there in the early 00's.
It was called a "Mad Dog" and was great for warming you up ready for a walk into the market square (the Rynek) on a cold night.
It consisted of vodka (from the freezer), raspberry syrup, and Tabasco sauce.
Here is an annoying video I found which shows the idea . . .
Mmmm, that was nice! Tried a rum Old Fashioned first. I think the only error was using two tsps of sugar syrup. Rum is sweet and doesn't need two, one will suffice (according to the recipe on the BBC Good Food site, which I found too late!)
Gave me a nice little buzz too!
(https://ibb.co/cXt3rrw)(https://i.ibb.co/2YPhkkS/P4220581.jpg)
(https://i.ibb.co/MhCdHZB/P4220583.jpg)
Very clever, the spirit being the ghost ship!
Wow..just got back from my local Tesco, they have a clearance section for sell offs at a discounted price. They were selling premium Grey Goose Vodka (French before you point any Russian support at me) for £9/bottle. Normal retail is £39/bottle. Now have enough vodka for the rest of the year!.
Big rum fan at the moment, and have tried a lot, but I keep going back to the Aldi spiced rum at £17 a bottle. Its absolutely lovely neat, and with a mixer
Really recommend it
Quote from: Jonners on April 26, 2022, 12:35:39 PMBig rum fan at the moment, and have tried a lot, but I keep going back to the Aldi spiced rum at £17 a bottle. Its absolutely lovely neat, and with a mixer
Really recommend it
When I've done the dregs of the Havana Club and Woods I have left, I fancy some Mount Gay
Gin n tonic for me at the mo...
Quote from: Jonners on April 26, 2022, 12:35:39 PMBig rum fan at the moment, and have tried a lot, but I keep going back to the Aldi spiced rum at £17 a bottle. Its absolutely lovely neat, and with a mixer
Really recommend it
Really dislike spiced/dark rum but enjoy white rum in a cocktail.
Just made myself a vodka martini for the first time in a while. Was in Tesco earlier and I saw Tesco own brand vodka at £6 a half bottle. It's not great but it's not bad either. it's a bit like Russian Standard, with a bit of a bite.
I used a lime twist.
My favourite brand of vodka is Smirnoff Black Label which has a very distinctive taste, but I haven't seen it for ages now.
My martini method is documented here : http://www.jamesgibbon.com/martini/
Negroni de Sevilla at The Bank Housr, Hathersage. First time - enjoying it. Probably the Campari that reminds me of Cinzano. Very '70s!
Quote from: Matt2112 on April 12, 2022, 10:29:30 PMQuite seldom I'll have a cocktail, but when I indulge I'll have a Tequila Sunrise or Margarita.
Mainly because I had a sort of tequila epiphany some 25 years ago while sitting on a friend's porch in Lancaster, California. Marvellous. :)
For the first time in absolutely ages, and due undoubtedly to the fact that coastal Greek towns have really good cocktail bars (with a kids' play area to boot), I had a Tequila Sunrise this evening, which frankly, after all this time, was almost like taking methamphetamine with an orange juice chaser; I couldn't stop talking.
That wasn't even the highlight: the little Miss's mum had a 'Pink Elephant', which I sampled and was so extraordinary I took a pic of its ingredients so I could faithfully report them here:
"White Rum, Banana Liquer, Coconut Liquer, Pineapple Juice, Grenadine".
A few of those and you realise where the 'Pink Elephant' comes from... ;D
Sipping a Negroni in The Pearson Arms, Whitstable :)
Quote from: David L on October 15, 2022, 05:21:58 PMSipping a Negroni in The Pearson Arms, Whitstable :)
I'm jealous of this. I recently enjoyed my first Negroni and I think it would have become a regular tipple until I discovered that Campari and vermouth have traces of herbs which I'm best to avoid from a heart rhythm perspective. The gin's probably not a great idea either, but one has to draw a line somewhere.😁
It's the crushed beetles in the Campari that out me off a bit.
Oh apparently they stopped doing that in 2005.
https://vinepair.com/articles/now-you-can-put-bugs-in-your-negroni-just-like-the-old-days/
Currently enjoying a snowball of all things. I just took a notion for one after lunch. Proper Warninks Advocaat, Schweppes lemonade, a squeeze of lime juice and a cocktail cherry. Very nice I have to say.
Back at San Giovanni for lunch on Sunday and I'm pleased to say that they've added the "British Martini" to their cocktail list. Actually just a regular gin or martini, neither of which is of British origin but hey.
I had two, asked for them very dry. They came with a rectangle of lemon peel. Had to twist it myself.
Very smooth, very cold, unusually strong. Only downside was that the glasses weren't chilled.
Tried a tinned margarita from Tesco, yesterday. Actually not that bad, though at about half the price of the same cocktail from a proper bar that's the least you can expect.
Not quite as effervescent as a recently shaken margarita, though I suppose if you chilled it so that ice crystams start to form then gave it a good shake that would help.
Chilled glass, lime juice and salt round the rim and a lime wedge all add to the experience. Don't know what sort of salt they use in a proper bar. I just used bog standard table salt. Can't remember why we even bought it, it never gets used.
Went to a cocktail place in the centre of Derby on Saturday, called Revolution. Nice place, not posh, cosy and informal. Not many "classic" cocktails on the menu but I had a decent Negroni.
I enjoyed a Negroni experience for the first time last year with no ill effects. I've grown to really appreciate bitter tastes as I age. However, I later discovered that both Campari and Vermouth contain botanicals which may not be wise for anyone with the occasional arrhythmia problem. That said, I've had problems in that area just drinking lager in the past so maybe shouldn't overthink things and just live for the moment. I will definitely never try Buckfast though. Asking for it that would be.
Had two cocktails at Amalfi White this afternoon. An Old Fashioned, which is my usual tipple there - and a Manhattan.
I'd never tried a Manhattan before. I was a little bit alarmed when I saw how much vermouth went into it, because although it's an essential ingredient in a martini, more than half a teaspoonful is too much. I actually hate the stuff on its own. I had a bad experience with it when I was 19.
But it was really nice.
Went to a cocktail bar in Ashby. Nothing I much fancied on the cocktail menu so I tried a Moscow Mule. Quite pleasant but more suited to a hot afternoon on a beach than a cold afternoon in Ashby, really.
Definitely preferred the two halves of Delirium I had in the micropub earlier.
Quote from: Slim on October 28, 2023, 10:34:44 PMWent to a cocktail bar in Ashby. Nothing I much fancied on the cocktail menu so I tried a Moscow Mule. Quite pleasant but more suited to a hot afternoon on a beach than a cold afternoon in Ashby, really.
Definitely preferred the two halves of Delirium I had in the micropub earlier.
What is Delirium?
Quote from: David L on October 28, 2023, 10:36:06 PMQuote from: Slim on October 28, 2023, 10:34:44 PMWent to a cocktail bar in Ashby. Nothing I much fancied on the cocktail menu so I tried a Moscow Mule. Quite pleasant but more suited to a hot afternoon on a beach than a cold afternoon in Ashby, really.
Definitely preferred the two halves of Delirium I had in the micropub earlier.
What is Delirium?
See here (http://betweenthewheels.net/index.php?topic=145.msg14949#msg14949)
Quote from: Slim on October 28, 2023, 10:39:30 PMQuote from: David L on October 28, 2023, 10:36:06 PMQuote from: Slim on October 28, 2023, 10:34:44 PMWent to a cocktail bar in Ashby. Nothing I much fancied on the cocktail menu so I tried a Moscow Mule. Quite pleasant but more suited to a hot afternoon on a beach than a cold afternoon in Ashby, really.
Definitely preferred the two halves of Delirium I had in the micropub earlier.
What is Delirium?
See here (http://betweenthewheels.net/index.php?topic=145.msg14949#msg14949)
Looks suspiciously like:
" Something like the contents of the mop bucket after they've cleaned out the vats at the Marmite factory"
No it's a pale blond, Belgian.
There is a darker one called Delirium Nocturnum but I don't think I'd like it.
https://www.delirium.be/en/beers/delirium-nocturnum
Quote from: Slim on October 28, 2023, 11:44:54 PMNo it's a pale blond, Belgian.
There is a darker one called Delirium Nocturnum but I don't think I'd like it.
https://www.delirium.be/en/beers/delirium-nocturnum
It's a beer......isn't it?
Quote from: David L on October 29, 2023, 09:11:14 AMQuote from: Slim on October 28, 2023, 11:44:54 PMNo it's a pale blond, Belgian.
There is a darker one called Delirium Nocturnum but I don't think I'd like it.
https://www.delirium.be/en/beers/delirium-nocturnum
It's a beer......isn't it?
Of course.
Quote from: Slim on October 29, 2023, 04:20:40 PMQuote from: David L on October 29, 2023, 09:11:14 AMQuote from: Slim on October 28, 2023, 11:44:54 PMNo it's a pale blond, Belgian.
There is a darker one called Delirium Nocturnum but I don't think I'd like it.
https://www.delirium.be/en/beers/delirium-nocturnum
It's a beer......isn't it?
Of course.
Very similar to a lot of the British real ales available now
Quote from: David L on October 29, 2023, 05:37:14 PMVery similar to a lot of the British real ales available now
What's an example? Will definitely give it a try if I can find it.
Quote from: Slim on October 29, 2023, 07:35:41 PMQuote from: David L on October 29, 2023, 05:37:14 PMVery similar to a lot of the British real ales available now
What's an example? Will definitely give it a try if I can find it.
There's absolutely loads of pale ales and blondes, many in the Belgian style, brewed in this country. All qualify as British real ale (as do the darker beers including Bitters,Porters, Mild and Stouts that you despise ;D ).
Personally, I'm a fan of IPA-style beer, especially those containing Citra hops like Oakham Citra. I also like the American Pale Ale style such as Goose Island (available at Waitrose) but I would imagine that would be a bit too 'fruity' and 'complex' for your own taste. Adnams Ghost Ship would be a gentler introduction (widely available). I could safely say that none of those would have the slightest hint of marmite about them ;)
I'll give Ghost Ship a try, I think I may already have tried actually.
Quote from: David L on October 29, 2023, 11:39:40 PMalso like the American Pale Ale style such as Goose Island (available at Waitrose)
Not as good as it used to be, due to the corporate takeover. Their Honkers ale was very good (I used to work in Chicago)
QuoteAdnams Ghost Ship would be a gentler introduction (widely available).
Gah, if it's Adnams it has to be Broadside, Rich, Malty, Caramel and Treacle. Even better in Southwold.
Back to Cocktails, I might have one tomorrow night. Doesn't feel like a Northern thing to do though.
Quote from: Nickslikk2112 on October 30, 2023, 10:20:24 AMGah, if it's Adnams it has to be Broadside, Rich, Malty, Caramel and Treacle. Even better in Southwold.
A bit too close to the 'mop bucket marmite vat slop' for me, that one ;)
True to my word, I had a cocktail last night. A Rhubarb Negroni no less. An aperitif at the Black Swan in Oldstead, made with their Rhubarb Schnapps, their home-made Campari style beverage and their own red Vermouth flavoured with foraged herbs and seasoned with lavender, if their blurb is to be be believed.
It was OK, think the pint of Landlord hit the spot better the night before though. Proper Slop.
I really wanted to treat myself to a set of Scotch miniatures at Tesco last night. Pathetic though it is, I cannot trust myself with a proper bottle so typically that's how I consume whisky these days.
However, annoyingly, there wasn't a single decent Scotch miniature in the whole supermarket. So I bought this. It's only a 500ml bottle. And it's a bit less alcoholic than Scotch.
It is pre-mixed Scotch Old Fashioned. Tried one half an hour ago, quite nice. Certainly it doesn't quite taste like a freshly made Old Fashioned and for one thing it's not quite sweet enough, even for the Scotch variant (usually it's made with Bourbon). But with a slice of orange and a few chunks of ice it was very drinkable.
(https://i.ibb.co/zRZWsfH/lazy-oldf.jpg)
Received one of these for Christmas, consumed it about two hours ago. Very nice. Just about perfect.
https://niococktails.co.uk/products/old-fashioned
(https://i.ibb.co/PwR6Sy2/niococktail.jpg)
I had a freebie of one of these last year and agree it was excellent, too expensive to subscribe though.
I also saw a TikTok or similar showing a person who premixed his negronis into a kilner type jar and then kept them in the fridge (simple 33.3% ratio of mix). Then he poured them as required during the day/week/month.
Quote from: Nick on December 30, 2023, 08:09:15 AMI had a freebie of one of these last year and agree it was excellent, too expensive to subscribe though.
I also saw a TikTok or similar showing a person who premixed his negronis into a kilner type jar and then kept them in the fridge (simple 33.3% ratio of mix). Then he poured them as required during the day/week/month.
Wish I had the self discipline for that.
We had a nice day out in Derby - a bit of shopping and Pizza Express. We were going to visit a cocktail bar called Revolution where we'd had a drink last time - alas, we found it closed (https://www.restaurantonline.co.uk/Article/2024/01/05/challenging-trading-environment-pushes-revolution-bars-to-close-eight-sites).
So we called in at Amalfi White in Melbourne on the way home. Usually we come here to eat, but it does have a very nice cocktail bar.
No vodka martini on the cocktail menu but they did have a conventional gin martini - I asked the young man on the bar to substitute vodka for the gin and he gladly obliged. Job done. Made a very good job of the lemon twist as well.
Followed up with an Old Fashioned.
(https://i.ibb.co/C8sBQp3/amalfi.jpg)
Tesco on Saturday evening were selling off (yellow labels) the Xmas booze that was left over. Mostly it was that hideous gin/vodka/rum with lemon/raspberry/pinapple sugar type flavourings that I generally avoid. However I did find 3 bottles of Tanquerry 10 47% proof for £20/bottle from £35. I scooped the lot.
Had an Espresso Martini at Purnell's, bit sweet for an aperitif, but went down well.
We stayed at a hotel in Pembrokeshire called Penally Abbey this weekend. It certainly is a very nice place but cocktails are £14, or in some cases £16 a go.
Last time we stayed here a couple of years ago I tried a vodka martini and it was poor. I asked for a dry one and it was anything but. This time, I risked an Old Fashioned. Too dilute.
Quite honestly no-one should be asked to pay £14 for a cocktail but if you do, the least you can expect is that it will be expertly made. That didn't happen here, unfortunately.