Hard Drinkers, Lets Drink Hard (Spirits, Liquors and Cocktails)
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@Seul I know the Brexit topic has been debated on this forum quite robustly and mainly in a negative light.
There is a small benefit to Brexit and this is duty free travel prices for us Brits flying abroad, they are now much better and much closer to the "duty free" name tag these bottles carry.
That Bowmore should sell for £94.40 and is in the airport at £56.59, a 40% saving.
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Getting drunk has been a national pastime / obsession of all the U.K. constituent nations. English, Scots, Welsh and Northern Irish are not frightened of a drink or several.
Maybe a big U.K. wide party with government subsidised drink is what's required to keep this fractured union together?
Oooopppss, I have dipped my toe in murky political waters and mentioned both Brexit and various Independence bids in a single forum post. Time to back away from the keyboard and open some Friday beer, yay!
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Pumpernickel
1.5oz rye
0.75oz punt e mes
0.75oz ramazzotti
7 dash Angostura
Lemon twistMaybe not the most traditional hot-weather cocktail, but one worth remembering for cooler climes.
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@tvenuto take a few days to think about it and recommend me a cocktail that will go well with the Monte Cristo cigars I ordered from Switzerland that you can't buy in the USA, please.
If I can find what you have on offer I will collect the ingredients and make it. They should be here in a week to thirty days. If they clear customs.
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@Filthy do you know which particular cigar you bought?
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I ordered some Monte Cristo number 4's per the recommendation of my esteemed colleague @Dishelveled
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Also, I sincerely appreciate it @tvenuto
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6 dashes Peychaud's bitters
1/4 ounce Punt e Mes
3/4 ounce sweet vermouth, preferably Carpano Antica
3/4 ounce blanc vermouth, preferably Dolin
1 ounce navy strength gin, preferably Hayman's Royal Dock
Garnish: lemon twistI picked up the bottle of Punt E Mes and it resulted in these two cocktails. I didn't use a navy strength gin because I usually only have 2 or 3 gins on the bar. I just can't convince myself I need more than that (unlike rum or whiskey). This one could definitely benefit from a stronger base spirit, but there's a lot going on and I do like the drink. 3 different vermouths!
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Now trying a Popinjay:
1oz Cognac
1oz Punt E Mes
1oz CynarI'm using Cynar 70, which is what I bought on accident, and happens to be higher alcohol, bitter, and flavor. Basically less water.
A fine drink. A tad bitter (probably due to the 70), but it's one where the Cognac actually works well (I don't often find a drink improved by subbing cognac for rye).
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@Filthy:
I ordered some Monte Cristo number 4's per the recommendation of my esteemed colleague @Dishelveled [emoji16]
Rad, Mike–Happy to help! Let me know how easy the process went once they arrive. Its been grip since I last ordered and I'm due to re-up. Their site mentioned shipping delays due to CV-19 when I checked some months back.
Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
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Will do
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Ok @Filthy here's my recommendation. For me, the right drink also depends on the weather when smoking (since I assume you'll be outside). My main recommendation is going to be the Manhattan, but if it's blisteringly hot where you are, I'm going to throw out a highball alternative.
Main recommendation is the classic Manhattan (booze recommendations follow)
2 oz Rye
1 oz red vermouth
1-2 dash bitters
Stir all with ice until very cold, then strain into whatever glass you prefer. I'm not fussy with the glassware and usually drink out of an old fashioned (rocks) glass because it's less likely to be knocked over by kids or tipsy me. And the straining can literally be a butter knife holding back the ice, you really need no specialized equipment for this.For the rye, I like a spicy high-ish proof rye for whiskey cocktails. These should be pretty widely available. Try to find Rittenhouse bottled in bond, which can be found for very cheap:
Pikesville 110 is another good option, it's a tad more expensive:
Knob Creek Rye is another fine 100 proof choice as a back-up if you can't find the others.
For the red vermouth, my main recommendation is Carpano Antica. I hate to saddle you with a giant bottle of vermouth, and it's not the cheapest, but not only do I think it makes a great Manhattan in general, I think it'll pair well with the cigar. Many people describe a vanilla character with the cigar, and this vermouth has vanilla:
Second choice is Cocchi Vermouth di Torino. To be honest this is a very close second as far as Manhattans go in general, but it lacks the vanilla notes of Antica. A damn fine vermouth, though, if you can't find or don't want to splurge on the Antica:
As a back-up every liquor store on the planet carries Martini & Rossi "Rosso" vermouth. I think you lose something compared to the other two, but it'll make a perfectly fine Manhattan and any Manhattan is better than no Manhattan at all.
For the bitters, I use Angostura and I've never found the need to switch it up (aside from specialty bitters like orange etc.). Plus via some sorcery my bottle appears to be infinite so I don't see that changing. Every liquor store on the planet also carries this:
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I think the Manhattan is a classic cigar cocktail, and will go with your cubano nicely. However, if the day is oppressively hot, a highball is what you need to cool things off. I think rum is a natural choice, and I like this riff on the dark and stormy using a lighter rum that won't have that sticky molasses thing going on like a true "dark" rum. Cuban rums are similar in style to the Puerto Rican rums we have, but I'm going to split the difference with something with a bit more character.
"Light and Stormy"
1.5 oz low age rum
0.5 oz lime juice (like 1/2 of a lime)
4-5 oz ginger beerFill a collins glass (or something smaller than a pint glass) with ice, then pour ingredients into the glass and give a brief stir.
For the rum, I recommend Plantation 5 year:
Another great choice is the slightly sweeter El Dorado 5 year:
As a back-up most places carry Mount Gay Eclipse (get the gold one, not the silver or the one labeled "black")
For the ginger beer, there are a million options and I have no idea what you'll have access to locally. I generally try and find one that's not ridiculously sweet, but it's really just a matter of taste. I think Reeds "Extra Ginger" one is good. And I assume Fever Tree's version is good, although I don't think I've actually had it.
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Holy crap @tvenuto thanks a lot!!! I am completely amazed. I'll let you know when I go to the liquor store
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Looks like all I need are limes
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Present from @Madame Buttonfly
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That's super awesome Giles
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I was looking up St. Giles to see what his patronage was:
beggars; blacksmiths; breast cancer; breast feeding; cancer patients; disabled people; Edinburgh (Scotland); epilepsy; noctiphobics; forests; hermits; horses; lepers; mental illness; outcasts; poor people; rams; spur makers; sterilityThe outcasts and mental illness resonated, but I was disappointed not to see denim addiction (perhaps this falls under mental illness…)
