Seeing the thread on bar drinks brought to mind the drinks that existed when I was first imbibing, that no one seems to talk about any more:
Old Fashioneds – hard to find nowadays, especially since rye whiskey, their usual spirit, is next to impossible to find itself. Still, even with a substitution of bourbon or blended whiskey, no one seems to drink them. It’s a more complicated recipe, too: mix sugar and water in the bottom of a glass, add bitters, add ice, liquor and a cherry and orange slice.
Manhattan: My father-in-law still makes these, but they seem to be vanishing. It’s really not much more than a martini made with whiskey or bourbon.
Tequila Sunrise: They’re made, but the recipe has been altered from the original, which contained gin and tequila. I’ve also had them with vodka in addition to the other two.
Sloe Comfortable Screw: A screwdriver made of Southern Comfort and Sloe Gin.
Does anyone drink these any more? And what other forgotten cocktails do you remember?
Impossible to find? Try Canadian whiskey: Canadian Club, Crown Royal, etc. In Canada, “rye” seems to be synonymous with “Canadian whiskey” (a term Canadians rarely if ever use, by the way), so the Old Fashioned you’d get in Canada would be made with those spirits anyway.
As for my contribution, I seem to recall a vogue for such things as whiskey sours and gimlets many years ago. I was just a child, but when having people over for cocktails, my Dad would have everything he needed for those drinks. And he would make them for whoever wanted one; it never seemed to be any trouble.
When I was in my early-20s, a few of my friends developed an affinity for something called a Gin Miller. No idea what was in them, except probably gin and some kind of sweet substance. They were too sweet for my taste; I stuck to beer.
I occasionally enjoy a manhattan. I usually prefer my bourbon whiskey neat, but I’ll mix a manhattan every now and then (perhaps once or twice a week on average) for something different.
If you can call it a “manhattan” since I use Kentucky bourbon whiskey instead of Canadian whiskey, dry white vermooth instead of sweet red vermooth, an extra dash or two of bitters, and never add a cherry.
Come to Canada. Go to a liquor store. Look in the section called “Rye,” or ask a clerk to direct you to it. You’ll see bottles of Canadian Club, Crown Royal–all the ones you’d call “Canadian whiskey” in the United States.
Go into a bar in Canada. Ask for (say) a rye-and-Coke. Watch the bartender reach for the Canadian Club, the Wiser’s, the Royal Reserve.
I wouldn’t say that “people make that mistake,” but I would admit that it is obvious that the terminology differs between our nations. In the USA, rye may well be what your cite refers to. But up here in Canada, if you ask for a “rye,” you’re as likely to get Canadian Club (or similar) as anything else.
Old Fashioneds and Manhattans are alive and well up here in the Frozen North. And when I lived in Colorado, I never had a problem getting an Old Fashioned. I don’t think they’re dead drinks at all.
On the other hand, I’m the only one I know who drinks Tom & Jerries.
I only order these if the bartender is of a certain age:
Planter’s Punch
Whiskey Collins
The first is a nice rum/fruit juice drink which is dryer than the ones we typically see nowadays, and the second is a kind of tart/sweet fizzy drink made with whiskey. If I ask a younger barkeep for either of these, I’ll generally get an open-mouthed gape.
I know a number of you drink Gimlets, but I’ve been to very few bars that both know what it is and know how to make it right. And it seems that if I order one and they know what it is, they give me a glass of something that tastes of rubbing alcohol. At least if they don’t know what it is, I can get it made properly.
Also, concerning Greyhounds: If the bartender is under 30, he or she probably doesn’t know what it is. Better to just order a gin/vodka and grapefruit juice.
Finally, I have never, ever seen anyone order a Moscow Mule.
As one of what must be the last twelve people on Earth that prefer what is legally termed “Straight Rye Whiskey”, the Canadian whiskeys listed above (fine products all, no disrespect meant) do not actually retain any rye character at all. People may call them “rye” but they sure don’t taste like it. And I don’t think they can legally be called rye here in the US.
Anyone else remember the Harvey Wallbanger? It was essentially a Screwdriver with some Galliano poured on top (you weren’t supposed to mix it…the Galliano was supposed to float on top)
There’s a whole website about the fad for it in the '70’s [url=http://www.browningmcintosh.com/plocktonwest/harvey_wallbanger.html"]here0/url]
…and after reading it, it’s gotta be the inspiration for the “Flaming Homer” episode of The Simpsons.
I’m only 22 and I had a whiskey sour at a locally owned small town Applebee’s-esque restaraunt about six months ago and the bartender didn’t bat an eye.
Fair enough, and perhaps there is a legal designation of some sort in the US that doesn’t exist here. Guess we’ll just have to be careful what we order when visiting each other’s countries, eh?
But now you’ve got me curious about what you call “rye.” Although it’s unlikely I’d be able to find it, except in some extremely well-stocked local liquor store, can you recommend a few brands of Straight Rye Whiskey? I could try my own taste test. (Or “tashte tesht,” depending on just how many drinks I’ll need to judge them accurately. )
I don’t think I’ve had one in about 25 years, but I still don’t think my friendly neighbourhood bartender could make one. I’ll keep this in mind though, for when I’m not at my local hangout–perhaps, just as you found, some other place can make me one. I remember them as being rather good.
I salute you, sir! Whiskey old fashioned are my favorite drink when I feel like mixing whiskey (a rare occassion.) I’ve found that rye whiskey isn’t TOO difficult to find, if you’re persistent. There’s actually a few bars in Chicago that have them (although I’ve been told they’re more popular out east.) And most liquor stores around here will carry at least Jim Beam Rye, if not Wild Turkey Rye and Old Overholt Rye (my favorite of the lower-end ryes. The best fifth of spirits you can get for under $15. Local liquor store here sells it for $13.)
Canadian whiskey, while made with rye, is not at all a rye in the American sense. The flavor is quite different. Canadian whiskey is the only whiskey I haven’t developed a fondness for, while rye is perhaps my favorite. (Although, really, how can one really choose between rye, bourbon, Scotch, and Irish? They all have so much to offer.) Rye used to be the whiskey style of choice for American drinkers.
I feel in the next ten to twenty years that rye will experience a renewal in interest from US drinkers, as it rightfully should.
Whiskey Sour? You’re listing a Whiskey Sour as an odd drink?
I’ve been all over the US, and IMO a Whiskey Sour is one of the most common drinks out there.
Getting a GOOD Whiskey Sour, on the other hand, is difficult. I make my own with sugar syrup, lemon juice, and Whiskey. When I go out, a Whiskey Sour is typically a shot of Whiskey and sour mix, or even just 7-up or Sprite if it’s a particularly bad bar.
I don’t know if it is so much forgotten as never been popular, but I sure wishi I could go to a bar and order a proper Diablo. Its tequila, creme de cassis, fresh lime, and ginger ale. I have only had one at one bar, it was on the drink list, and wish I could always drink it. Too many ingredients to properly explain to a busy bartender, and I don’t know the exact proportions. . .
I second the want of good gimlets, the ones I get around here taste like a tangy syrup, ew.
Ditto. Whiskey sour, along with amaretto sour, are the most popular of the “sour” drinks out there. If your local bartender can make one, then there’s a problem. I mean, the ingredients are in the bloody name of the drink.
Whiskey with Sprite or 7-up != Whiskey Sour. That’s a sure sign of a bar that can’t make a drink.
Ideally, as Athena rightfully says, any sour drink should be made with sugar syrup and fresh lemon(or lemon and lime) juice. However, it is the rare bar indeed that does this. Since I don’t drink many mixed drinks, I couldn’t really hazard a guess, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bar that doesn’t use prepackaged sour mix. It’s too bad, because sour mix is foul stuff.
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