Sweet vermouth and a dash of bitters
I really like Manhattans.
Sweet vermouth and a dash of bitters
I really like Manhattans.
This is out of season now, but should the bottle still be lingering in the autumn or should you - heaven forfend - come down with a cold then make hot whiskey (whiskey plus hot water, slice of lemon in which you stick cloves and honey or sugar). Many Irish people will claim this is the cure to practically anything.
You need to drink it slow. You probably used to do shots of whiskey, or drink it to get drunk. Whiskey must be enjoyed slowly. I prefer to drink Crown or Jack on the rocks. Fill galss all the way to the top with ice, then add whiskey to about the 3/4 level. Mix, then let sit for a few minutes. When I drink it I like to let it warm a little in my mouth before I swallow it. I don’t gulp it down either, I’ll take a few little swallows untill the mouthful is gone. It seems like evey little swallow has a different taste, probably because it’s warming up in my mouth and the natural flavor of the spirits comes out a little.
Don’t mix the good stuff with anything other than water. Save that for the $10 bottles.
Don’t forget the cousin of the mint julep, the old fashioned. In my view, this drink is the best way to test if someone is a “real” bartender.
My recipe: Mix about 3 teaspoons of sugar with an equal amount of water. Two dashes of bitters. Muddle orange slice. Add two fingers of whiskey – preferably bourbon – four ice cubes, and another dash of water if it is too strong. Add a cherry if you’re fruity like that.
Adding club soda instead of water (as every bad bartender does) turns this drink horrible.
I started a thread about whiskey with cream soda, and took a lot of flack.
I think the flavors complement each other quite well, though. Try it before you pass judgement.
Irish Coffee
1 tot (25ml or so) of Irish Whiskey
1 teaspoon of sugar (or to taste)
1 desertspoon of double cream (whipped cream can be used, but I don’t like it…)
Hot strong coffee to fill the glass
Pre-warm a stemmed glass.
Add the whiskey.
Add the sugar and stir in the coffee.
Float the cream on top of the coffee (pour over the back of a spoon to prevent mixing).
Drink the coffee through the cream (i.e. do not stir after adding the cream).
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Grim
I drink tea in the afternoons when I remember to. (I’ll go through phases where I’ll have a couple of pots every day, and then go a while without.) A few of months ago a friend was over and I made some Earl Grey tea. He’s not a tea-drinker, but deiced to try it. (He put sugar in it, which I don’t do with Earl Grey.) He saw a bottle of whiskey and wondered how it would taste in his sweetened tea. He said it was good. I had a sip, and it actually was rather good. But I’m not much of a drinker, so I haven’t made a cup for myself. And if I’m drinking tea, then I’m really not in the mood for alcohol.
Great plan altogether! How did I miss that one? :smack:
Pookah (who is almost literally within spitting distance of the birthplace of Irish Coffee)
One of those crops up every six months or so.
The most important thing in whisky (or whiskey, depending on what precisely you’re talking about) tasting, in my opinion, is trying a very wide variety and keeping notes. Write down what you smell, what you taste, what the whisky makes you think about. Jot down any other comments (e.g. “This would be a perfect follow-up to a steak!”) and keep tasting. I would recommend avoiding other people’s recommendations of high-end bottles until you’ve identified what your preferences are, and whether that bottle would match your preferences, or allow you to explore something new, or be something that you absolutely will not drink. Of course, ‘high-end’ depends on your liquor budget…
If you enjoyed Laphroaig, I would also recommend Talisker, and two other Islay malts – Lagavulin and Ardbeg. They’ve got similar characteristics to Laphroaig and would be a good first step to exploring the differences.
The recipe is correct as far as it goes, but the cream should be heavy cream, slightly whipped (tough to do for a single serving). Canned whipped cream is far to aeriated for Irish Coffee. I’ve noticed now that most places pour some kind of Irish cream liquor (like Irish Mist or Baileys) into coffee and call it Irish Coffee. Wrong! That is Bailey’s & Coffee, or Mist & Coffee. They’re fine drinks, but they’re not Irish Coffee.
Personally, I think a tot of Jameson in a cup of steaming coffee is loverly (with a splash of carmel syrup for those who are inclined to sweetness). And a hot toddy (whiskey, lemon, and hot water) or breakfast tea, lemon, and whiskey are dandy for a sore throat or a conjested head.
I don’t understand this desire to mix whiskey with fizzy drinks (soda, creme soda, cola, et cetera.) Neat, or with a splash of water is appropriate.
Irish whiskey should never be served on the rocks. I shudder at the horror of it.
Stranger
I’m now a regular Johnnie Walker Black Label drinker. Mostly, I drink it on the rocks (I know, I know, but I’m not an originalist). But sometimes, I drink it with Perrier and ice. Mighty fine drink. Try it.
I bought my mom and her husband Johnnie Walker Blue a couple of Christmases in a row. They never opened one bottle. My sister is holding it for me until I can get down there to get it.
I’ve only tried Blue Label once. I was at a hotel bar, and this rich show-off decided to buy everyone in the bar a shot of Blue Label. At $22 a pop, this guy was either very wealthy or very drunk. The girl I was with didn’t want hers, so I got 2 shots. Unfortunately, since we had to drink them in shot form, I couldn’t really savor the flavor. But I can tell that you’re a good son. I hope mine does the same for me in about 20 years.
Tell me you weren’t expected to toss it back in one gulp! :eek:
Good whiskey[sup]1[/sup] goes well with good cranberry juice[sup]2[/sup]. Something that retains a little of the tartness of the cranberries is best; I prefer Knudsen’s, linked above, which is available at Whole Foods and other “high-end” grocery stores. I like it served about 3:1 or even 4:1 in a highball, mildly chilled (cold juice, room temp whiskey). White cranberry has a different flavor and is also good, and is also whiskey-colored – so men, you can drink it at a poker table without taking too much crap.
Coke belongs with rum, not whisky IMO.
But Sprite or a similar lemon-lime soda? Ahhhhhh!
i wasn’t aware this had a name, but i was going to suggest whiskey & milk, plain and chocolate.
i am constantly amazed by the growing list of things that taste good with milk.
Definately start a thread…they are very interesting to read. To give you an idea, our liquor cabinet currently holds the following whisk(e)y, in various states of depletion:
Glen Rothes 1989
Cragganmore 1984 - Distiller’s Edition
Highland Park 18
Edradour 19 - Signatory
Glenlivet 22 - Signatory
Talisker 10
GlenGoyne 17
Glenfiddich 12
The Macallan - Cask Strength
Highland Park 20 - Cooper’s Choice
Tomatin 12
Glenfarclas 10
Bowmore 17
Glenmorangie 12 - Port Wood
Mortlach 12 - Murray McDavid
McDuff 27
Linkwood 12 - Murray McDavid
Beam Rye - 8
Elija Craig 8
Elmer T. Lee - 12
Pappy Van Winkle - 15
Pappy Van Winkle - 12
Old Rip Van Winkle - 10
Old Weller Antique - 12 (the world’s best bourbon!)
Knob Creek - 8
W.L. Weller Centennial - 10
Jefferson’s Reserve - 10
The empties of Wild Turkey Russell’s Reserve 10 and Rare Breed, which got emptied last night.
When you only have a dram or two in the evening, it takes time to go through a bottle. Most of the bottles above are at least 50% depleted.
Remember, people! Whiskey is for drinking, not collecting! If you never open the bottle, you have insulted everybody involved with the production of that wonderful liquid.
L’chaim!
Yep. The dude that was buying made that the rule. I expected to be able to shoot the first one and then savor the 2nd (the shot that the girl gave to me). But the dude forced me to shoot that one too. He was really pissed that girl wouldn’t do the shot and had given it to me instead. On a side note, this guy was just a total punk. He probably just received his first bonus of his life and blew it all that night. He kept on telling everyone how much the shots cost. Kind of the like the guy at my gym who, in every conversation with a female, drops in the fact that he owns a $70K Porsche (but neglects to mention the fact that daddy bought it for him).