Drinking more under quarantine?

[Glengoyne]

Tonight I discovered a use for Campari. Bourbon and Campari are bosom buddies. My previous attempts with Campari have all resulted in things that taste really good but leave an aftertaste a little like a mostly dry heave left a little bile at the back of your throat.

The boulevardier, bourbon,Campari and sweet vermouth in equal parts, may be the recipe to get rid of that bottle of Campari I bought because I thought I was man enough.

[britrock88]

Boulevardier is an excellent choice. Did you try a Negroni? (1:1:1 gin/Campari/sweet vermouth) It's bitter, but pretty refreshing when served very cold.

[britrock88]

Spirits-wise, I am hopeful that I can find the Americanized version of Zubrowka (Polish bison-grass vodka) after sharing most of what I brought back from Poland with the in-laws. Zubrowka is technically a "flavored vodka," but it really works like a smooth gin with a slightly sweet, grassy note. It's rye-based in its original form--don't know how the recipe changes for the U.S. version to appease the FDA.

It's great served chilled. I also worked out a pretty happy cocktail using 1.5oz of the Zubrowka, 1oz of Luxardo/cherry liqueur (an homage to wisniowska, a Polish cherry cordial), and 0.5oz lime juice.

[Warhammer]

A few years back, I started going through and trying the "classic" cocktails.

The two I wound up settling upon are the Vieux Carre and the Sidecar, it was not a big surprise to me, as I love Cognac which is my favorite spirit, just need to get VSOP or better, leave the VS rock gut stuff alone.

The Vieux Carre is:

3/4 oz each of Cognac, Sweet Vermouth, and Rye
1 tsp of Benedictine
Dash each of Angostura and Peychaud bitters
Served on the rocks with cherry with a bit of maraschino syrup.

The sidecar is:

1-1/2 oz of Cognac
3/4 oz of orange liqueur (Grand Mariner, Cointreau, Triple Sec)
3/4 oz lemon juice

The Sidecar to me is better during the day, whereas the Vieux Carre is more of a dinner/after dinner drink.

[stevew]

Bought some Skrewball peanut butter flavor whiskey today. Not sure how to mix it of yet.

[Butter]

Originally Posted by Warhammer

The sidecar is:

1-1/2 oz of Cognac
3/4 oz of orange liqueur (Grand Mariner, Cointreau, Triple Sec)
3/4 oz lemon juice

The Sidecar to me is better during the day, whereas the Vieux Carre is more of a dinner/after dinner drink.

Good one! I will be trying this shortly.

[britrock88]

Vieux Carre and Sidecar are both excellent. I've had lighter base spirits in a Sidecar that have also worked well (though I can't recall which!).

Steve... have fun with the Skrewball!

Most recent sipper is a 10-year tawny port--the wife and I really enjoy port as a ritual aperitif on our honeymoon, so we've carried that forward occasionally.

[Glengoyne]

Originally Posted by britrock88

Boulevardier is an excellent choice. Did you try a Negroni? (1:1:1 gin/Campari/sweet vermouth) It's bitter, but pretty refreshing when served very cold.

I did give the negroni a go,but it was too bitter for me. The Boulevardier is much more balanced for me. I'll try it tonight with Rye.

[Glengoyne]

Originally Posted by Warhammer

A few years back, I started going through and trying the "classic" cocktails.

The two I wound up settling upon are the Vieux Carre and the Sidecar, it was not a big surprise to me, as I love Cognac which is my favorite spirit, just need to get VSOP or better, leave the VS rock gut stuff alone.

The Vieux Carre is:

3/4 oz each of Cognac, Sweet Vermouth, and Rye
1 tsp of Benedictine
Dash each of Angostura and Peychaud bitters
Served on the rocks with cherry with a bit of maraschino syrup.

The sidecar is:

1-1/2 oz of Cognac
3/4 oz of orange liqueur (Grand Mariner, Cointreau, Triple Sec)
3/4 oz lemon juice

The Sidecar to me is better during the day, whereas the Vieux Carre is more of a dinner/after dinner drink.

These are two of our staples too. My wife loves the side car, and I'll do the Vieux Carre as a change of pace from my usual manhattan.

[britrock88]

If you're looking for another Manhattan change-of-pace, you could always try a perfect Manhattan--split the usual dose of sweet vermouth between sweet and dry vermouth. It's interesting!

[Edward64]

I haven't drank beer in a while but am now enjoying some Sapporo beer.

Think I'm going to try some Asahi super dry next. I remember when dry beer was a thing back in the 80's.

[bhlloy]

I'm a big fan of dry beers like Asahi.

In an effort to find a hobby as it's pretty clear we're going to be at home for at least the next 6+ months I'm going to to try to get into home brewing. So that's probably not going to help the "drinking more at home" thing in the midterm.

[Glengoyne]

I've always liked asahi. For years I swore off of beer, saying I really didn't care for most of it. On a business trip a few years back, I shared that with a beer aficionado While we were visiting a brew pub. He asked me a few questions about beer and then ordered me a flight. I liked almost everything he suggested, and found that I'm a fan of wheat beers, saissons and well I guess most beer that isnt bitter. I guess I was most surprised at how many options there were that I liked.

[stevew]

Long Island Ice Tea goes down far too easily.

[britrock88]

Originally Posted by Glengoyne

I've always liked asahi. For years I swore off of beer, saying I really didn't care for most of it. On a business trip a few years back, I shared that with a beer officianado While we were visiting a brew pub. He asked me a few questions about beer and then ordered me a flight. I liked almost everything he suggested, and found that I'm a fan of wheat beers, saissons and well I guess most beer that isnt bitter. I guess I was most surprised at how many options there were that I liked.

The spectrum of flavor in beer has exploded in the last 10+ years. There's something for most everyone.

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by stevew

Bought some Skrewball peanut butter flavor whiskey today. Not sure how to mix it of yet.

I saw some of this the other day. I wouldn't know what to do with it either frankly.

I've really enjoyed Uncle Bob's Root Beer Flavored Whiskey on ice this summer. It's been a great find. I need to get some more. My usual haunt is out.

[JonInMiddleGA]

fwiw, Google turns up a variety of recipes for Skrewball

(I'd heard of it prior to this thread so I figured that might be the case, and I was curious enough to look)

[stevew]

I bought some kind of Rootbeer Schnapps the other day. I have to look up stuff for it. Might be something as simple as rootbeer plus rootbeer schnapps plus ice cream

[Glengoyne]

Originally Posted by stevew

I bought some kind of Rootbeer Schnapps the other day. I have to look up stuff for it. Might be something as simple as rootbeer plus rootbeer schnapps plus ice cream

I definitely did this when I was in college. I don't recall the recipe, but a quick google search shows a lot of very similar options. My tastes have changed significantly since then, but there is some sentimental appeal.

[BYU 14]

Originally Posted by stevew

Bought some Skrewball peanut butter flavor whiskey today. Not sure how to mix it of yet.

Skrewball is really amazing, and I am not a whiskey at all. I just have it chilled over ice.

[Noop]

I use to socially drink (usually one beer the whole night) and now I do not drink at all.

[Glengoyne]

I went back to the vieux carre. I came to post that I went with a lemon twist as opposed to the cherry, but I noted that my recipe is slightly different. I go with an even ounce of cognac, rye, sweet vermouth and a half oz of Benedictine. I think mine will be sweeter than yours. I'll have to try a little less.

[Warhammer]

Originally Posted by Glengoyne

I went back to the vieux carre. I came to post that I went with a lemon twist as opposed to the cherry, but I noted that my recipe is slightly different. I go with an even ounce of cognac, rye, sweet vermouth and a half oz of Benedictine. I think mine will be sweeter than yours. I'll have to try a little less.

Yeah, the Benedictine is pretty dang sweet. I could see a lemon working there though as the acid will cut the sweetness a bit. It might not be as different as you think though, you have 3x the Benedictine, but 33% more of everything else, so you will only have slightly more than 2x the amount of Benedictine.

That said, I think the cherry works for mine because I love cherries, and the sweetness helps with the drier flavor.

I would also make sure to try it with the bitters as well, the aromatics do add a twist to the flavor.

[stevew]

Originally Posted by Glengoyne

I definitely did this when I was in college. I don't recall the recipe, but a quick google search shows a lot of very similar options. My tastes have changed significantly since then, but there is some sentimental appeal.

2:1 mix basically made it like 7%. It was pretty good. Probably should have just bought a 6 pack of hard root beer instead. That’s far more economical

[Coffee Warlord]

My wife has grown quite fond of me whipping up French 75's for her.

Can be looked up, but:

1oz Gin
2oz Champagne
Juice half a lemon.
Sprinkle of sugar (or simple syrup).

Mix and top cocktail with additional champagne.

[BYU 14]

Originally Posted by Coffee Warlord

My wife has grown quite fond of me whipping up French 75's for her.

Can be looked up, but:

1oz Gin
2oz Champagne
Juice half a lemon.
Sprinkle of sugar (or simple syrup).

Mix and top cocktail with additional champagne.

Gin is my go to, do you put the sugar around the rim, or actually in the drink?

[Butter]

Originally Posted by Warhammer

The sidecar is:

1-1/2 oz of Cognac
3/4 oz of orange liqueur (Grand Mariner, Cointreau, Triple Sec)
3/4 oz lemon juice

The Sidecar to me is better during the day, whereas the Vieux Carre is more of a dinner/after dinner drink.

Tried this tonight, really good! Almost tasted like tequila.

[RainMaker]

Am I the only one that thinks IPAs suck?

[thesloppy]

IPAs are the worst. That attitude isn't as rare as it used to be though, there's a lot of breweries here in PDX finally starting to feature different directions.

[NobodyHere]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

Am I the only one that thinks IPAs suck?

Sometimes I wonder if there's anything in the world you and I can agree upon.

[stevew]

IPAs are trash

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

Am I the only one that thinks IPAs suck?

Good Lord no, they're a joke.

A bad joke with not much of a punchline not even worthy of a facepalm, but a joke ne'ertheless.

[RainMaker]

I do like those bourbon barrell aged stouts though. That's as trendy as I get.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

I do like those bourbon barrell aged stouts though. That's as trendy as I get.

I've had a few, but haven't found one that I thought was more enjoyable than a regular stout either.

The tradeoff in expanding the flavor profile seems to be a harsher drinking experience, and that's not a trade I generally want to make past a very rare occasion.

[Warhammer]

Originally Posted by Butter

Tried this tonight, really good! Almost tasted like tequila.

If you want to get fancy, you can sugar the rim of the drink. Unfortunately, I don't have proper glasses to do it right.

[Warhammer]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

Am I the only one that thinks IPAs suck?

Whenever I see IPAs, I always remember the old Keystone Light commercials about the never bitter beer. Then I look at the IPA IBUs and shake my head.

I prefer stouts and porters to IPAs. I find the more malt in a beer, the better I like it as compared to one with a lot of hops.

[stevew]

There’s such a wild difference in Ginger Beer. Wish I knew why certain brands like to hit with the intensity of a flame thrower. Kinda overpowers a Moscow Mitch.

Canada Dry Bold Ginger Ale is similarly fire

[JPhillips]

Irish Mules are the shit.

[stevew]

Bundaberg is the Ginger Beer I really like. Powell and Mahoney was the stuff I’d consider super spiced with zero warning on the can.

[CU Tiger]

I prefer a Kentucky Mule...

And regarding IPAs...Im a hop head. I hate a stout though and Porters bloat me too much.

[stevew]

The Sidecar was great. I settled on a $30 bottle of Courvaiser VS but I’ll get something nicer next time.

[CrimsonFox]

I drank an entire bottle of Pinot Noir.

[damnMikeBrown]

2 beers at new brewery a guy I used to work with opened up. Lowest abv, having eaten a full dinner....and was hung over like mad. Sleeping on a tile floor in the bathroom hung over. And that is it, done with alcohol.

[NobodyHere]

Damn Mike Brown

[Glengoyne]

Went for the Rusty Nail tonight. A smoky Islay scotch with some Drambuie.
Usually a winter thing,but I was struck with an irresistible notion. Smoky but maybe a little sweeter than I remembered. It was 2:1 I might have to cut the drambuie back to 3/4.

[stevew]

Originally Posted by Warhammer

A few years back, I started going through and trying the "classic" cocktails.

The two I wound up settling upon are the Vieux Carre and the Sidecar, it was not a big surprise to me, as I love Cognac which is my favorite spirit, just need to get VSOP or better, leave the VS rock gut stuff alone.

The Vieux Carre is:

3/4 oz each of Cognac, Sweet Vermouth, and Rye
1 tsp of Benedictine
Dash each of Angostura and Peychaud bitters
Served on the rocks with cherry with a bit of maraschino syrup.

The sidecar is:

1-1/2 oz of Cognac
3/4 oz of orange liqueur (Grand Mariner, Cointreau, Triple Sec)
3/4 oz lemon juice

The Sidecar to me is better during the day, whereas the Vieux Carre is more of a dinner/after dinner drink.

Did you try the Rolls Royce?


0.75 OZ COINTREAU
1.75 OZ RÉMY MARTIN VSOP COGNAC
1 OZ FRESH ORANGE JUICE

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by CrimsonFox

I drank an entire bottle of Pinot Noir.

My problem with wine is my wife doesn't drink and I can't drink the whole bottle. So once in a while I buy the 4 pack ones in small bottles.

I've seen wine in aluminum bottles but they cost a premium. Has anyone tried them, tastes okay?

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by Edward64

My problem with wine is my wife doesn't drink and I can't drink the whole bottle. So once in a while I buy the 4 pack ones in small bottles.

I've seen wine in aluminum bottles but they cost a premium. Has anyone tried them, tastes okay?

Is cask wine a thing in the US?

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

Is cask wine a thing in the US?

Had to look it up.

Yes, I've seen wine in a box being sold at package stores. Not sure how well they sell, my guess is folks here still prefer a bottled wine.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by Edward64

My problem with wine is my wife doesn't drink and I can't drink the whole bottle. So once in a while I buy the 4 pack ones in small bottles.

I've seen wine in aluminum bottles but they cost a premium. Has anyone tried them, tastes okay?

Bota Box lasts for 3 weeks and is pretty good