You might like other amari then. Amaro Nonino, Averna, Cynar, Montenegro, Fernet Branca, etc. are the ones I can see from where I’m sitting now. You might want to try some in a bar first if you’re not sure. Most can be made into a sour or a spritz. Some work well in a Last Word format (e.g. Paper Plane). Or just sipped neat or shaken with ice.
Fernets are kind of their own thing and might be less interchangeable. I use that in a Toronto or mixed with coke.
If you decide to go on a tiki kick, there are a lot of perishable ingredients so I found myself picking one or two ingredients and making every drink I could with them (fresh pineapple juice, orgeat, etc.) but then I was having like 10 sugary drinks a week, which caused some reversible weight gain.
Mix 2 jiggers each vodka, Midori and Coconutty-Rum thingy with 10 oz. pineapple juice. Pour over ice in a 24 oz. Mason jar. Garnish with a cherry and a pineapple wedge.
Why? You’re at home so you can drink any particular quantity of alcohol you want from any sized glasses by just refilling more. Martinis in particular need to be drunk cold but also shouldn’t be gulped so should be served in smaller quantities than most places serve them (IMHO, 3oz at most). Even 2 - 3 minutes in a glass can kill a martini so anything over 3 oz is difficult to drink.
Best when everyone is drinking martinis so you can do a round and split a single shaker between 4 or so mini glasses.
Sampling a wee dram of the Suntory Yamazaki 12 tonight. Yum.
Of course you can have them all, but do you need Cointreau,Triple Sec, and Curaçao, any single one of those, or combination? I have Cointreau and use it when any orange liqueurs are required.
My wife got me a 3-month subscription to Saloonbox, basically a cocktail of the month club thing. It includes nips for the alcohol and pretty much everything you need for more complex creations that I typically do for myself. We had the first one tonight, and while not completely my cup of tea it was interesting and fun to make.
I doubt I’ll continue after 3 months (6 cocktails) but I’m broadening my palate.
I had an absolutely wonderful smoked manhattan tonight, and now I’m interested in picking up a smoker. Any suggestions of types, specific models, and recipes?
1.5 oz blended Scotch
1 oz sweet vermouth
Dash Angostura bitters
Garnish with a cherry or lemon twist.
Or you could get a decent bottle of single malt and toast Bobby the right way!
ETA: My new favorite Bloody Mary mix is Filthy. Thick, rich and nicely spicy. So thick, in fact, that you have to double-up on the vodka to be able to drink it easily.
