CS Booze Club.

[blondemarmot]

Mead-arita Mix It comes with a pretty pitcher, so there may be different ways of making it without buying the pitcher but like I said, I'll be trying it this summer. They can ship to Florida! There seems to be alot of laws that prevent shipping liquor out of state. Sad. But they do reside in my state and I hope to convince the hubby to vacation up in the area so we can tour the meadery.

[Jester]

So....what? It's a margarita made with mead instead of tequila?

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Okay, tried a bottle of "Layer Cake" Primitivo last night. Bought it when the store was doing a special on "Female vintners from small vineyards" sort of thing. This one is from Italy. I was dismayed when I realized it had a screw bottle cap on it, but we forged on ahead.

It was really, really nice wine. I would totally buy it again. In fact, I hope I can find it again, it was that good.

I don't know anything about wine tasting or how to describe it officially, but I know what I like. It was dry, strong, very robust and flavorful, and went great with blue cheese burgers and mesclun salad I made for supper. This wine would pair wonderfully with a good steak.

This was everything I like about a red wine.

Okay, here's a link to it. After reading the description, I'll say yeah. That's pretty accurate. It had a lot of dark, complex flavors. Yum.

[KiaKat]

Layer Cake is a neat company. Worldwide, focusing mainly on buying from small vineyards, and keeping the wines as focused on "place" as possible (trust me, that's a good thing).

Neat thing about Primitivo - *that* is what California Zinfandel should taste like. They're the same grape, but the Italians still treat it carefully, rather than letting the grape get overripe, then adjusting the acid and tannin balances in the winery. It's a grape I happen to like a lot. Soleto makes a great one, as well, though that's running around $14 these days.

Jester - I frequently forget that outside NYC, a lot of bartenders *don't* make classic cocktails. If you're working a non-club bar in Manhattan, or even in most parts of Brooklyn, you're expected to know how to make all versions of a classic Martini, a real Manhattan, Sidecars, an Old Fashioned, and a few others, in addition to the typical Daiquiris, Margaritas, Cosmos, and Sour Apple Cocktails (I refuse to call them Apple-tinis). We still have a core of old-timers here, as well as a rather good-sized group of hipsters who like to brag that they drink Classic Cocktails.

[thansal]

Kai is right on that, and it explains my surprise at Jester's bars not carrying it (though I get it completely).

As for Ginger Beer. When I was picking up the ginger ale (I almost never have soda in my fridge as neither my GF nor I really drink it) I was hoping to at least find some Reed's. But then I remembered my local grocery store sucks, with the only redeeming quality being a good selection of Beer. I have to hit up the beverage store nearish to where I work and hope they have large bottles (or at least 6 packs) of a good ginger drink. While I am there I'm also going to pick up a large bottle of Manhattan Special, as I haven't had any in forever.

As for those infusers. The only rums I tend to have are dark rums (I'm kinda addicted to Bacardi's Black Strap), and some times spiced, which I don't think would work so well with Lemongrass/Mint (though I'm open to suggestions). However, I'm now going to try out rum and whatever ginger drink I can find (Seriously, how was I not aware of a Dark and Stormy? I love rum and ginger, wth?).

I don't come from a bar background (My family drink wine and beer, of which I don't touch wine, and my friends mostly drink beer or abstain), however I'm finding I love both making and drinking mixed drinks and cocktails, so this thread is really helping me out

[KiaKat]

Thansal - grab a Mr. Boston book (or use the website). Build up a good stock of base liquor (Vodka, Gin, Bourbon, Scotch, Whisk(e)y, Rum, and Triple Sec (orange liqueur), then work on building up the liqueurs - fruits, mints, chocolate, nuts, etc. Get a jigger and a bar spout (often called a pour spout), fill an empty liquor bottle with water, and practice counting & measuring shots. Play around with recipes, and come up with a selection that you like.

There's a formula to a good drink - that's why the classics work. Learn the classics, and you'll be able to start writing your own recipes pretty quickly.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

We have a local ginger ale which has a version that will literally leave you gasping for breath. Blenheim's number four, made right here in South Carolina. I don't know where they ship to. But if you can get a bottle of the number four (with the bright pink cap), throw some spiced dark rum in there, and then sink an Atomic Fireball in there for shock value, you will have made the Kink's very own "Atomic", a summer drink guaranteed to simultaneously cool you off and burn you to a crisp.

Blenheim's "red cap" as they call it is so spicy that when you pop the cap and raise it to your lips, you'll start coughing before you even make contact. No lie. AWESOME.

[Jester]

I was dismayed when I realized it had a screw bottle cap on it, but we forged on ahead.

Screw caps are no longer what they once were. There are many, many very good wines that come in screw cap bottles. Due to advances in technology, a lot more vineyards are using screw cap bottles for good wine, just as a lot of craft brewers are using cans for quality beer. Screw caps and cans no longer automatically indicate an inferior product.

I don't know anything about wine tasting or how to describe it officially, but I know what I like. It was dry, strong, very robust and flavorful, and went great with blue cheese burgers and mesclun salad I made for supper. This wine would pair wonderfully with a good steak.

Screw describing it officially. You did a great job describing it as you did. The more "official" descriptions of wine are often so ponderous and confusing that they don't really help choose a wine. I far prefer something like your description, that non-wine snobs can read and, more importantly, understand. As the founder of the CS Booze Club, I would like to unofficially officially request that we stay away from snobby and overly involved descriptions of our drinks. Since, ya know, we ain't fuckin' stuffy like that!

Jester - I frequently forget that outside NYC, a lot of bartenders *don't* make classic cocktails.

There are places where such classic cocktails are required, places where they are absolutely not, and all kinds of places in between. In Key West, people want beer and tropical drinks, mostly. Sidecars? Gimlets? Singapore Slings? No. It's just not what flies down here. Are there people that might order those down here? Sure. If they're lucky, they might even find a bartender who knows how to make them. For example, I can make a gimlet blindfolded....the other two, never made in my life. Never needed to.

If you're working a non-club bar in Manhattan, or even in most parts of Brooklyn, you're expected to know how to make all versions of [classic cocktails].

We still have a core of old-timers here, as well as a rather good-sized group of hipsters who like to brag that they drink Classic Cocktails.

And for those establishments, and that area, such knowledge and products are absolutely necessary. Down here, we are far more in need of blenders and fresh mint!

As for Ginger Beer.

Keep in mind, you won't find ginger beer in the beer aisle. Not sure if you'd find it in the soda aisle either, come to think of it. I would imagine it would be with the other bar mixers, such as tonic, grenadine, etc. Either way, as I think I stated earlier, Regatta rocks, Barrett's sucks.

The only rums I tend to have are dark rums (I'm kinda addicted to Bacardi's Black Strap), and some times spiced, which I don't think would work so well with Lemongrass/Mint (though I'm open to suggestions).

I once had half my bar drinking Kilo Kai mojitos. As I've mentioned many times, Kilo Kai is (to me) the greatest spiced rum out there. And while I was initially skeptical about the idea when one of the bar guests suggested it, it was a real hit, as it tasted great and word spread like wildfire around the bar that day. I can't comment on the lemongrass, but trust me when I say spiced rum absolutely works in a mojito! And remember, in food, mint is often used in collaboration with spices, and it works there, too.

However, I'm now going to try out rum and whatever ginger drink I can find.

The point is, ladies and gentleman, that rum and ginger, for lack of a better word, is good. Rum and ginger is right, rum and ginger works. Rum and ginger clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the alcoholic spirit.

I'm finding I love both making and drinking mixed drinks and cocktails, so this thread is really helping me out

If you are not currently tending bar, perhaps you should be.

Thansal - grab a Mr. Boston book (or use the website).

I'm partial to Gary Regan's work, especially The Joy of Mixology and The Bartender's Bible. I bought both when I first started bartending, and still have my original copies. Joy is especially fun, as it gives you many of the histories of the classic drinks, as well as Regan's own excellent humorous observations.

But if you can get a bottle of the number four (with the bright pink cap), throw some spiced dark rum in there, and then sink an Atomic Fireball in there for shock value, you will have made the Kink's very own "Atomic", a summer drink guaranteed to simultaneously cool you off and burn you to a crisp.

I haven't seen any Blenheim's here, though I will look. If I can't find any, I am still going to try to make a version of this drink using Regatta Ginger Beer, Kilo Kai Spiced Rum, and the fireball. I look forward to it!

[Marmalady]

I have been asked many times if I brew my own beer, and when I say no, I often get asked why not. Here's why not:

1. I'm a beer drinker and a cook, but I don't think I'd have the patience to brew.
2. I don't have the equipment, nor the money to get the equipment.
3. I definitely don't have the space.
4. I much prefer tasting the finished products of people who know what the fuck they're doing in this field.

Ah, now brewing beer, no that I haven't tried, I'm not that fond of beer to be honest (though I do love Golden Glory, which is made by the Badger brewery).

The liqueurs that I make are produced by adding commercial spirits to fruits or berries (or in the case of the arancello and limoncello, orange or lemon zest). I don't distil anything, so all I need are my big glass jars with tight fitting lids and a cupboard to store them in while they mature.
It all started when I had such a crop of blackcurrants that I was running out of ideas to use them - I made jam and jelly, froze a whole load, still they were ripening thick and fast - so I had a go at making blackcurrant rum. Now I always make sure that I do some every year, whether it leaves enough for jam or not....

[Jester]

This has nothing to do with the general conversation, but I thought this was the appropriate place for this photo of yours truly this last Fantasy Fest in his almost legendary Beer Pimp costume:

[Mishi]

Bundaburg Ginger Beer is great for mixing as well. On it's own, it's refreshing with a good strong ginger flavour and a slight hint of yeast. I like to mix it with Bundaburg OP Rum.

Since you do fruity cocktails Jester, would you please tell me if there's a name for the two that my best friend and I love?
#1
- One shot of Cherry Brandy
- One shot of Gin
- Splash of Cointreau
- Splash of lemon juice
- Touch of simple syrup

Made into a long drink with good lemonade or club soda.

#2
- One shot of Chambord
- One shot of Vodka
- One shot of cranberry juice
- Dash of lemon juice

Shaken with ice, served in a martini glass.

The second is the one we ask for (politely) when we go out, but so far we've only found one bartender that makes it without whining. Guess who got tipped very well?

[BamaBabe]

Great idea for a club, Jester.

I like wines. I'm currently drinking Yellowtail Bubbles, a sparkling wine from Australia.

I like Pinot Grigios. The best one I ever had was served in Pappadeaux's Seafood Kitchen in Arlington, TX. Much to my chagrin, I haven't been able to find it in a retail establishment.

Cheers!

[thansal]

I'm actually fairly familiar with all sorts of ginger drinks, ranging from the 99c 2 liters of random Jamaican Ginger Beer (surprisingly good, but my current neighborhood apparently isn't the right demographic for stores to stock it), to Ginger People and Reed's (Reed's being my favorite). I haven't run into any of the ones mentioned here though. Blenheim's sounds really good, and it would run about $1.70 a bottle (shipped), which is kinda tempting.

The place I get lunch at has a good selection of soft drinks (including a really hot unfiltered ginger brew that I never remember the name of). I'm pondering grabbing one of those and mixing with some rum for tomorrow night.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Jester, that pic made me laugh out loud! Awesome!

[Jester]

Since you do fruity cocktails Jester

I do all kinds of cocktails, thank you very much!

would you please tell me if there's a name for the two that my best friend and I love?

I myself was not familiar with either one. However, a good bartender uses good resources, so I turned to the mighty mighty Webtender, an amazing online resource for such things.

#1
- One shot of Cherry Brandy
- One shot of Gin
- Splash of Cointreau
- Splash of lemon juice
- Touch of simple syrup

Neither myself nor Webtender had ever heard of any such thing.

#2
- One shot of Chambord
- One shot of Vodka
- One shot of cranberry juice
- Dash of lemon juice

Shaken with ice, served in a martini glass.

This, however, is not that dissimilar from a cocktail Webtender found using all these ingredients, called a Superb Cosmopolitan. It's not the exact same, of course, as the Super Cosmo does add lime juice and a lemon peel garnish, and builds the drink slightly differently, but they are similar enough to bear mentioning.

By the way, according to bartender etiquette, if you are the inventor of a drink (as you and your friend may well be with the first one), it is generally considered your right to name it.

The second is the one we ask for (politely) when we go out, but so far we've only found one bartender that makes it without whining. Guess who got tipped very well?

If the other bars weren't busy, they other bartenders should be smacked in the head with a blender. I have made many, many odd drinks I have never heard of when guests ask me for them....assuming, of course, the guests knows what the hell is in the drink, and doesn't just blindly ask for "Mishi's Motorized Mambo," which may be a specialty drink at a bar somewhere, or a regional drink, or something unique to an area, but is not something I've ever heard of.

Great idea for a club, Jester.

Thank you. I'm all about great ideas!

I like Pinot Grigios. The best one I ever had was served in Pappadeaux's Seafood Kitchen in Arlington, TX. Much to my chagrin, I haven't been able to find it in a retail establishment.

Well, what's it called? Maybe someone here can help you locate it!

Jester, that pic made me laugh out loud! Awesome!

Thanks. I can often pull together pretty good costumes, and that one was based upon the t-shirt, which I got a few months prior from one of our beer reps. When he came in wearing one, I practically begged him to get me/sell me one. He did.

Today he came in wearing another great beer t-shirt, which simply read "Beer is my life." I must have this shirt. Apparently it is from a brewery, Horizon, which I believe is in Minnesota. I will strive to find and acquire this absolutely brilliant t-shirt.

More later, when I dive into my well-deserved craft beer(s) of the night.