Personal Consumer Issues • Home Cocktail Bar Bottle Essentials -- $1K limit

That made me laugh. And if shaken gin gets you going about breaking rules, one time (with standard NYC close together tables) the woman of the couple sitting next to us ordered a Tequila Martini.

Tequila martini is fine as long as she didn't shake it.

Try a wet tequila martini with two parts reposado to one part Cocchi Americano. 4 dashes of orange bitters, serve with a lemon twist. Optionally add a heavy dash of Strega.

If you can track down Luxardo Triplum (their Triple Sec), it's a huge step up from base triple sec without going all the way to Cointreau. Fantastic with a Sidecar - transforms the cocktail. Only worth if for a Margarita if you're using better than average tequila.

I also love Aviations, so Crème de Violette for me.

Also worth investing in some great bitters - Dashfire has a great range. The right bitters can make all the difference between 'meh' and great.

I usually use Cointreau, but always on the lookout for something that gives me most of what Cointreau offers, but cheaper.

But I've never even heard of a Luxardo triple sec. I can't find it on Total Wine or Bev Mo. Where did you find it?

Gran Torres is an excellent Spanish orange liqueur, but I haven't been able to find it in a while. Used to be about the same price as Cointreau. Pierre Ferrand is also usually a bit cheaper than Cointreau and, IMO, superior.

Rhum Clement Creole Shrubb is fun if you want to try an orange liqueur with a rhum agricole base spirit.

Sweet Vermouth: Carpano Antica. Expensive ($30/bottle) but easily the best. I wish costco still carried it.

In most cocktails, using standard ratios, I actually prefer Cocchi di Torino.

When I used Carpano Antica, I feel like I need to adjust the ratios. For example, if I'm making a Negroni, I'll use 3/4 portion of Carpano rather than 1 portion of other red vermouths.

Same for Manhattans.

That being said, if I'm going to drink it solo on the rocks, I prefer Carpano Antica.

Try Punt e Mes. Annoying that it only comes in 1L bottles but it's sort of a less-intense Carpano Antica. It's made by the same distiller in Italy.

Rittenhouse Rye
Wild Turkey 101

I'm really torn about Rittenhouse.

On the one hand, I think it tastes good. The bottled in bond proof stands up in cocktails.

On the other hand, it's *barely* a rye whiskey. It's 51% rye, the legal minimum to be rye. So it tastes too me a little closer to bourbon than a higher rye mash bill.

I like the 95% ryes from Bulleit and George Dickel, but I'll admit, there is something special about the Rittenhouse.

I'm torn.

Rittenhouse gets the job done, who cares about the mashbill? It'll serve in just about any whiskey-based drink you care to mix and you can't beat the price, plus it's one of the few on the market that's not an IGP mix.

Statistics: Posted by HawkeyePierce — Wed May 15, 2024 10:49 pm — Replies 70 — Views 3674

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