Hard Drinkers, Lets Drink Hard (Spirits, Liquors and Cocktails)
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@mclaincausey 1000% agree. Typically I go for very big, bold, unsubtle representations of those spirits like a tanqueray or rittenhouse rye for those cocktails or anything with another assertive modifier like campari. Though much like a martini or manhattan, ratios can be tweaked to preferences to let the vermouth or base spirit shine more.
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Picking up the “Endo made me do it” conversation (Boulevardier strand), the red bitter component can make a surprisingly big difference. I’ve been playing with Campari and Rinomato Bitter Scuro (keeping Cocci Storico Vermouth di Torino and Michter’s US*1 Sour Mash constant). The Rinomato gives a much softer and rounder effect but lacks the distinctive Campari edge. This is the version with 50:50 Rinomato and Campari.
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Riffing on a classic cocktail called the poet's dream I put this together to celebrate some family who just made it to Machu Picchu. I call it the The Incan Vision. 1.5oz pisco, .75oz dry vermouth, .25oz yellow chartreuse, 1 dash orange bitters, garnish with a twist of lemon.
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Unnamed Speyside (Macallan) 12yr Single Cask
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@pechelman I may have to dig deeper into Jamaican rum. We also have the Worthy Park Single Estate 12, which is fantastic as well
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@mclaincausey a bottle of Fortaleza is akin to a bar of gold these days...haven't seen that in the PNW in about a year.
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@Inorganic it was that way here for a couple of years but not hard to find now so maybe your luck will change.
I found a bottle of still strength in an Aspen liquor score behind a bottle of blanco. Was over the moon on that one. The cashier asked if I realized it was still strength and I exuberantly confirmed and he let me know it was the last one.
There are two other producers whom I esteem about at that level, and I know @Jett129 loves them as well:
https://www.tequilamatchmaker.com/distilleries/309-destileria-el-pandillo-s-a-de-c-v
https://www.tequilamatchmaker.com/distilleries/249-tequila-cascahuin-s-a
I haven’t had a sip from either of these that didn’t compete with Fortaleza in deliciousness.
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@Inorganic I’ve heard it somewhere,possibly on this thread, that Fortaleza is like the new “Pappy” Rarely see it in the NY/NJ area. But as @mclaincausey rightly pointed out you can’t go wrong with anything from NOM1123 or NOM1579.
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Looks classy @endo
I have never seen a riesling vermouth - would it work in a martini?
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Sounds like further research is required @endo
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If you like agave spirits, I recommend tracking down some raicilla. It’s kind of a fruiter mezcal without the smoke. Goes awesome with spicy mexi foods or sipped solo.
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Raicilla is just mezcal produced in Jalisco and maybe some neighboring states. As such, it can have any characteristics a mezcal can have. Unlike tequila, a tightly controlled term, raicillas have more species of agave and production techniques available to them.
This producer steams the piñas, but a raicilla could use a horno or a wood fired oven to cook the piñas and you’d have smoke in the flavor profile.
Conversely, even though most people associate mezcal with smoke, many regions like San Luis Potosí more often use ovens or autoclaves on their piñas, resulting in some expressions with zero smokiness.
Just making sure no one buys a raicilla with expectations it will necessarily be like this one.
La Venenosa has some crazy raicillas. Sierra del Tigre literally tastes like blue cheese. It’s a single distilled product and very primitively produced. One of the wildest tasting spirits you’ll ever love, hate, or be confused by.
