57 replies to this topic

[Jason Panella]

Ryan H., on 18 April 2012 - 05:55 PM, said:

Will do. Might have to order it online; PA's liquor stores are state-owned, and the selection tends to be a bit limited.

Another PA resident who agrees with you. Though there is one larger wine & spirits store nearby that has a decent selection.

[Anders]

Judo Chop, on 18 April 2012 - 02:56 PM, said:

Best heavily-peated Scotch I’ve had is the Lagavullin 16 yr. (Imagine what a bottle of antiseptic might have tasted like before The Fall.)

Agreed. I think that's three recommendations for Lagavuillin 16 yr. now.

Judo Chop, on 18 April 2012 - 02:56 PM, said:

Grey Goose is my vodka. It’s the cleanest I’ve tasted, and as far as my palate tells me, that must be the one and only objective for vodka.

Yes. Grey Goose is the only vodka I feel strongly about.

[Judo Chop]

Ryan H., on 18 April 2012 - 05:55 PM, said:

That's quite a post there, Judo. (I mean that in a good way.)

Y'can't say I didn't warn ya.

[Judo Chop]

Anders, on 18 April 2012 - 07:28 PM, said:

Judo Chop, on 18 April 2012 - 02:56 PM, said:

Best heavily-peated Scotch I’ve had is the Lagavullin 16 yr. (Imagine what a bottle of antiseptic might have tasted like before The Fall.)

Agreed. I think that's three recommendations for Lagavuillin 16 yr. now.

Arts and Faith is such a smart place.

Anders, on 18 April 2012 - 07:28 PM, said:

Judo Chop, on 18 April 2012 - 02:56 PM, said:

Grey Goose is my vodka. It’s the cleanest I’ve tasted, and as far as my palate tells me, that must be the one and only objective for vodka.

Yes. Grey Goose is the only vodka I feel strongly about.

I once did a blind taste test that included Belvedere, Ketel One, Absolut, Effen and Grey Goose. The Goose won. On another occassion I did an open-label tasting between Chopin and the Goose, and the Goose won again.
After that I figured Grey Goose is good enough for my needs and so I pretty much stopped looking around. Have you sampled anything else that's challenged GG?

[Ryan H.]

There are a lot of votes in this thread for liquor served neat, but for those who do mix cocktails, any favorite concoctions? My wife and I are trying to get a list of some good refreshing summer cocktails to try.

Ryan H., on 18 April 2012 - 05:55 PM, said:

Judo Chop, on 18 April 2012 - 02:56 PM, said:

Ryan. Buy a bottle of Karmeliet Tripel and serve it in a tulip or wine glass. Please. And let me know.

Will do. Might have to order it online; PA's liquor stores are state-owned, and the selection tends to be a bit limited.

Good news, Judo.

Today, while I was downtown in Philadelphia, I visited an excellent pub named Euphoria that prides itself on its beer selection. They had Karmeliet Tripel, which I tried, and was extraordinary. I'm going to have to find a way to purchase more for home consumption.

(They also had another beer I adore, Russian River Supplication, which is hard to find and pretty pricey, but one of the best beers I've ever had.)

[Pair]

Ryan H., on 21 April 2012 - 03:32 PM, said:

There are a lot of votes in this thread for liquor served neat, but for those who do mix cocktails, any favorite concoctions? My wife and I are trying to get a list of some good refreshing summer cocktails to try.

Mint juleps and whiskey sours are standards for summertime in the Pair household. Super refreshing. Often I don't feel like bothering with a mint julep so whiskey sours are more frequent. Maybe it's just easier to keep lemon around than mint.

I adore absinthe year round, but especially in the summer with properly mega-chilled water. I find I'm usually alone in this. Anybody else into absinthe? Absinthe and chartreuse; I absolutely love them both. Absinthe and chartreuse are constantly neck-in-neck for my very favorite drink.

I make a drink involving absinthe, chartreuse and gin (plus some other secret ingredients) that is very aromatic, and not for the faint of heart. I typically only allow a guest one glass - one is plenty. I'm not about to be responsible for somebody getting smashed, it can definitely sneak up on a person.

Sailor Jerry's spiced rum over ice and/or with Cherry Coke is pretty tasty in the summer as well.

I don't always drink beer, but when I do, I prefer ...Orval. Any trappist will do, but Orval is king.

Edited by Pair, 21 April 2012 - 06:03 PM.

[Jason Panella]

Ryan H., on 21 April 2012 - 03:32 PM, said:

There are a lot of votes in this thread for liquor served neat, but for those who do mix cocktails, any favorite concoctions? My wife and I are trying to get a list of some good refreshing summer cocktails to try.

I like a couple of gin-based drinks, but old stand-bys — gimlets and gin bucks. The later is very refreshing, especially during the summer.

[J.A.A. Purves]

Judo Chop, on 18 April 2012 - 02:56 PM, said:

Best heavily-peated Scotch I’ve had is the Lagavullin 16 yr. (Imagine what a bottle of antiseptic nectar-of-the-gods might have tasted like before The Fall.)

Fixed.

[Judo Chop]

Ryan H., on 21 April 2012 - 03:32 PM, said:

They had Karmeliet Tripel

Hooray!

Ryan H., on 21 April 2012 - 03:32 PM, said:

which I tried

Hooray!

Ryan H., on 21 April 2012 - 03:32 PM, said:

and [it] was extraordinary.

Hooray!

Ryan H., on 21 April 2012 - 03:32 PM, said:

I'm going to have to find a way to purchase more for home consumption.

Hooray!

Hopefully the sample you got was fairly fresh. That's always a risk with overseas specialty beers. Though from your reaction to it, it sounds like it was fresh enough.

It makes me feel as though I'm drinking a billowed cloud kissed by heaven's sun.

When people ask me what my favorite beer is, I say it's impossible to choose, and that so much depends on my mood. When they force me into a response, usually rephrasing the question as the hypothetical "what if you could only have ONE beer for the rest of your life?", eventually 'Karmeliet' is the answer I provide. I hold no certainty that this is the correct answer (for I do not think there is a correct answer to that evil question), but then again, I haven't yet been able to prove it is the wrong answer.

If you truly enjoyed it enough to purchase more and more, you might try picking up a bottle of the Westmalle Tripel as well. It runs in the same vein (hence the style monikor), different by nuances. I prefer the gentler smoothness of Karmeliet, but the Westmalle is considered the quintessential Tripel, the one that started it all, so it's kind of required-tasting for the student of Belgian beer.
Anyway, sorry for the sidetrack. Back to liquor now. Unfortunately I've already revealed the fact that I don't do mixed drinks but for the margarita and G & T, so I will share some details on that.

My margarita:
4 parts blanco tequilla (reposado)
2 parts fresh lime juice
2 parts tripel triple sec or cointreau [edited: see what you made me do!]
1 part bar syrup
dash lemon juice
Shake over ice. Serve in a tom collins glass.

Edited by Judo Chop, 23 April 2012 - 03:45 PM.

[Darren H]

Pair, as a fan of mint juleps, you might like a drink I'm planning to serve the next time we have friends over on a warm evening. It's called Bees' Knees:

1 part honey
1 part lemon juice
1 part water
2 parts gin
Shaken over ice and served as cold as possible (I keep my gin in the freezer)

[M. Leary]

1. Pimms

1 bottle of Pimms
1 bottle of sparkling lemonade (snag one of the French brands that are common in upscale US grocers)
1 cucumber, sliced
2 limes, sliced
2 lemons, sliced

Let the fruit and veg steep in a bottle of Pimms. When ready to serve, add ice and the bottle of sparkling lemonade.

Options: You can substitute oranges for the lemon/lime combo. Some add strawberries. Some substitute ginger ale for sparkling lemonade

This is a brilliant spring/summer bevvie. If your guests have never had it before, introduce them. The botanicals lend ensuing conversation a whimsical vibe.

2. Gin

For the gin drinkers in this thread, have you explored all the Oregon distillers that are become popular this far east? Many of them have strong evergreen notes, which make them very sippable at arctic cold temps. I also muddle a glass with all kinds of herbs on my deck, lemon verbena particularly good with one of these distillers. The break from coriander/botanical is nice every now and then.

3. Vis-a-vis the bourbon/single malt discussion above. I don't really care what I am drinking as long as I get strong hints of the organic elements that were part of the distilling process. I like to get a sense of the mineral content of the water, hints of the storage process, lingering botanical/starchy whatnots, and above all: dirt. I like a little earth left on my palate.

Edited by M. Leary, 23 April 2012 - 02:07 PM.

[Jason Panella]

M. Leary, on 23 April 2012 - 01:42 PM, said:

For the gin drinkers in this thread, have you explored all the Oregon distillers that are become popular this far east? Many of them have strong evergreen notes, which make them very sippable at arctic cold temps. I also muddle a glass with all kinds of herbs on my deck, lemon verbena particularly good with one of these distillers. The break from coriander/botanical is nice every now and then.

Tell me more, Michael. Tell me more.

[Christian]

I'm having a group get-together tonight at which everyone brings a bottle of something to share. I'd like to bring pear brandy but haven't found it in the past at my local ABC stores in Virginia. Does anyone else drink -- I'm not sure what it's called, "fruit brandy," for lack of a more specific term? I was embarrassed to discover that I loved pear brandy a few years ago, and I sent a question to the Washington Post's spirits columist (yes, there's a devoted biweekly -- maybe weekly? -- column in the Post) asking if I should be embarrassed, thinking I might be drinking the equivalent of wine coolers. No, it turns out pear brandy, which has a fancy French name I can't remember, is highly regarded. I'm not sure other "flavers" of brandy are held in high esteem, though.

I think I paid $40 for the pear brandy I bought a few years ago. This explains why I haven't had any since. Are there cheaper varities of fruit brandies that you all would recommend?

[Jason Panella]

Christian, on 04 May 2012 - 10:06 AM, said:

I think I paid $40 for the pear brandy I bought a few years ago. This explains why I haven't had any since. Are there cheaper varities of fruit brandies that you all would recommend?

You can always make your own, Christian. Yes, yes you can.

[Christian]

Jason Panella, on 04 May 2012 - 03:59 PM, said:

Christian, on 04 May 2012 - 10:06 AM, said:

I think I paid $40 for the pear brandy I bought a few years ago. This explains why I haven't had any since. Are there cheaper varities of fruit brandies that you all would recommend?

You can always make your own, Christian. Yes, yes you can.

There's a thought.

Looks like the gang has requested some port, so I'll go with the ol' fallback choice.

[Christian]

Sarah bought a bottle of Absolut vodka recently for a recipe. She used two tablespoons. Now the bottle sits in our cabinet. I'm thinking I'll drink it, but slowly. Thing is, I have no idea what to do with the stuff, other than to drink it straight or mix it with orange juice. (We have no bar, no standard mixers that might see as part of someone's liquor cabinet.) I have Friday-night get together at which I'm supposed to bring something to drink. I think I'll bring the vodka. Should I bring something else for people to mix.

Sorry to be so dense about this stuff. I really have no idea how to consume vodka.

[Buckeye Jones]

With a match.

[Darren H]

As I mentioned earlier, I've been experimenting with gin martini recipes all summer. Christian, maybe you could do the same with your vodka. I prefer them as cold as possible, so I'd recommend storing your Absolut in the freezer.

[Christian]

I had my first martini ever -- two of 'em, to be exact -- last week in Asheville, N.C. These were "dirty" martinis. Why "dirty"? I have no idea. Each came with three olives. The olives were stuffed with blue cheese. That's why I chose that particular martini (twice).

[Anders]

Christian, on 26 July 2012 - 08:53 AM, said:

I had my first martini ever -- two of 'em, to be exact -- last week in Asheville, N.C. These were "dirty" martinis. Why "dirty"? I have no idea. Each came with three olives. The olives were stuffed with blue cheese. That's why I chose that particular martini (twice).

A "dirty" martini involves pouring some of the brine from the olives in with the liquor (usually gin) and dry vermouth. But vodka martinis are fine.

I like my vodka served straight on the rocks (I picked up a bottle of Grey Goose for my birthday), but a couple of other classic mixed drinks for vodka are the White Russian (popularized by THE BIG LEBOWSKI) - vodka, coffee liquor, and cream over ice - and I believe you Americans enjoy the Bloody Mary - vodka and tomato juice. In Canada we prefer the Caesar - vodka, clamato juice, Worchestershire sauce, hot sauce (or horseradish), and a slice of lime served in a high ball glass with ice and rimmed with seasoning salt. It's a delicious daytime drink.

Edited by Anders, 26 July 2012 - 09:18 AM.