Cocktails Thread

[seenred]

Pretty simple tastes here. I like bourbon neat or over ice.

My most usual cocktail - when I mix one - is bourbon and Sprite Zero over ice.

And I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Bloody Mary. I occasionally get the urge for a good Bloody Mary. My favorite BM recipe:

In a shaker, I mix:

Ice
Shot (or 2) of Absolut Peppar Vodka
Couple shakes of Tabasco
Dash of lime juice
Dash of Worcestershire
Dash of Green Olive brine
One shake bitters
Pinch of Salt, pinch black pepper
Mrs. T Bold & Spicy Bloody Mary mix (rarely measure this, but probably about 6 oz.)
Shake and pour over ice in a highball glass

Red

 

[chef k-dude]

I keep saying I am going to make me a Bloody Mary and keep not doing it! My wife would appreciate it, she loves them. And I do too, but my stomach cant handle more than one. Not heartburn, my stomach just doesn't feel right if I drink more of them.

I worked on tweaking this recipe for a while and finally landed on the prefect Bloody Mary for me. I dont do any commercial mixers. I never found one that meets my expectations of a real pro bar handmade Bloody Mary. If you've ever had one scratch-made by a proper bartender, you know what I'm talking about. You can see they arent using a commercial mix but sometimes they make a batch of "house mix", but it doesn't have stuff like HFCS, emulsifiers, etc...you know all that "factory stuff". Mr and Mrs T's at least uses real cane sugar, but sweet doesn't belong in a Bloody Mary in my mind.

Ken's Bloody Mary

2oz vodka (more if like but this makes an otherwise perfect ratio)

4oz tomato or vegetable juice

½ tsp old bay seasoning

½ tsp fresh ground fine pepper (16 grinds on our grinder is good)

2 tsp or about ¼ of a medium lemon juice (must be fresh, do NOT use bottled here)

½ teaspoon of Texas Pete or other preferred similar hot sauce
*Classically Tabasco is used, I think Texas Pete tastes better. By "similar", I mean run of the mill hot sauce. Crystal and Louisiana are similar to Texas Pete as are most store brand hot sauces. I would NOT use something like Franks in this.

1-2 tsp Worcestershire (A matter of preference)

½ tsp dill pickle juice or 1 tsp green olive brine

Dash of garlic and onion powder/granules (optional)

¼ tsp prepared horseradish (optional)(I dont like it but the wife does)

Celery salt or old bay on rim of glass (optional)(I no longer rim the glass)

Fill a shaker about ½ full of cubed ice and add all ingredients.

Shake vigorously. Allow to rest 2 minutes while filling preferably a short, wide glass (12/16oz) about ¾ full of cubed ice. Shake again and strain over the glass with ice. Serve with celery sticks if desired. I like the combination with the celery for some reason, eating along while drinking.
*Note: If your tomato or vegetable juice is not refrigerated, skip the resting and shaking again. It can water the drink down too much for some. It's also critical to use whole ice cubes, no broken or semi-crushed ice. Using crushed ice is a total no-no, it will seize a lot of the spices within the ice.

A straw is a great way to drink this because the spices settle in the bottom some. A straw collects up all this flavor while you drink. I almost never drink with a straw otherwise. Always thought straws were for women and children!

 

[Brokenhandle]

I keep saying I am going to make me a Bloody Mary and keep not doing it! My wife would appreciate it, she loves them. And I do too, but my stomach cant handle more than one. Not heartburn, my stomach just doesn't feel right if I drink more of them.

I worked on tweaking this recipe for a while and finally landed on the prefect Bloody Mary for me. I dont do any commercial mixers. I never found one that meets my expectations of a real pro bar handmade Bloody Mary. If you've ever had one scratch-made by a proper bartender, you know what I'm talking about. You can see they arent using a commercial mix but sometimes they make a batch of "house mix", but it doesn't have stuff like HFCS, emulsifiers, etc...you know all that "factory stuff". Mr and Mrs T's at least uses real cane sugar, but sweet doesn't belong in a Bloody Mary in my mind.

Ken's Bloody Mary

2oz vodka (more if like but this makes an otherwise perfect ratio)

4oz tomato or vegetable juice

½ tsp old bay seasoning

½ tsp fresh ground fine pepper (16 grinds on our grinder is good)

2 tsp or about ¼ of a medium lemon juice (must be fresh, do NOT use bottled here)

½ teaspoon of Texas Pete or other preferred similar hot sauce
*Classically Tabasco is used, I think Texas Pete tastes better. By "similar", I mean run of the mill hot sauce. Crystal and Louisiana are similar to Texas Pete as are most store brand hot sauces. I would NOT use something like Franks in this.

1-2 tsp Worcestershire (A matter of preference)

½ tsp dill pickle juice or 1 tsp green olive brine

Dash of garlic and onion powder/granules (optional)

¼ tsp prepared horseradish (optional)(I dont like it but the wife does)

Celery salt or old bay on rim of glass (optional)(I no longer rim the glass)

Fill a shaker about ½ full of cubed ice and add all ingredients.

Shake vigorously. Allow to rest 2 minutes while filling preferably a short, wide glass (12/16oz) about ¾ full of cubed ice. Shake again and strain over the glass with ice. Serve with celery sticks if desired. I like the combination with the celery for some reason, eating along while drinking.

A straw is a great way to drink this because the spices settle in the bottom some. A straw collects up all this flavor while you drink. I almost never drink with a straw otherwise. Always thought straws were for women and children!

There's one bartender at The Franklin hotel in Deadwood S.D. makes the best dang bloody marys I've had! Maybe the ambience... not sure but doesn't matter the time of day. Less than a month away now... and now I have a craving!

Ryan

 

[912smoker]

No hard stuff for me. There's a fight in every cap full. I turn into SuperMan....according to my wife
" I can take y'all one at a time or stack you up like cord wood".

Keith

 

[Timber II]

 

[Timber II]

Blackberry whiskey lol - pretty good!!

 

[TNJAKE]

Can’t drink them anymore but loved me some smoked old fashioned

 

[radioguy]

I love a good Bloody Mary. I just mix it up starting with V8 or spicy V8.

Here is a good one I got from a bartender at a great fish restaurant in Lake Wales. We were chatting and she mixed one for my BIL. she said she always plays around with mixing drinks and she remembered to write this one down. We named it after my BIL.

So refreshing

Orange Gregory

1-1/2 oz Orange Jamison
1/2 oz vanilla vodka
1 oz mango purée
3 oz sour mix

Shake with ice then pour over ice

 

[texomakid]

Today I'm gonna have a cocktail. It will probably be a little crown over some ice croutons. :)

Happy 4th of July

 

[chef k-dude]

There's one bartender at The Franklin hotel in Deadwood S.D. makes the best dang bloody marys I've had! Maybe the ambience... not sure but doesn't matter the time of day. Less than a month away now... and now I have a craving!

Ryan

There is nothing like a proper Bloody Mary, old school, IMHO. It should be a light cocktail, not a heavy, thick drink. I used to make tomato water bloody Mary's back when I grew a garden and had buckets of tomatoes during harvest. I would process tomatoes by blanching and shocking to remove the skins, then cut them and remove the seeds and whatever the gel stuff is called before canning or freezing.

I would remove all that stuff by hand over a sieve over a bowl and save all the tomato water. Made wonderful light bodied bloody Mary's.

I made my recipe last night for the first time in a long time. Very nice and close to the classic bartender construction. One note I added to my recipe above is, if your tomato or vegetable juice is not refrigerated, skip the resting and shaking a second time. I started doing that to dilute the drink more, but using cold juice. Warm juice melts a little more ice than wanted with a double shake, but still a great drink.

I was also reminded why I dont drink bloody Mary's often...I cant stop drinking it. Like chocolate milk, I cant keep the glass from my face. Within 10 minutes, maybe less the drink was gone and I was in happy town!

No hard stuff for me. There's a fight in every cap full. I turn into SuperMan....according to my wife
" I can take y'all one at a time or stack you up like cord wood".

Keith

Yea, I've met guys like you. You give liquor a bad name

I have a huge extended family in the mountains of WV. Family reunion for a whole weekend every year. Dry as a bone. Something happened in those mountains in previous generations and nobody talks about it, but nobody even has a beer at the reunion. I am the black sheep seen going to my van topping of my insulated tumbler...good grief, its torture for me and I cant wait for it to be over so I can go have a drink like a freaking adult!

Thing is, I've always been able to keep my shiznit together, so I dont have the social problems...just liver problems! But, those people up in those mountains assume any existence of any alcohol is going to bring out the "912smoker". They may be right, but it wouldn't be me causing the problems. I'm a happy drunk. But not "too happy". It's a curse. If I had a DUI or woke up naked in the front yard, or got an axe handle to the skull because I became superman and thought I could

" take y'all one at a time or stack you up like cord wood"

I might have had to quit by now!

My wife and mom caused a stir last year at reunion when the wife picked up some coconut mango canned malt beverage and her and mom sat right there in the open drinking them. Pray Tell! My dad was beside himself...then went back to the rental house and poured himself a glass of Kahlua!

 

[clifish]

There's one bartender at The Franklin hotel in Deadwood S.D. makes the best dang bloody marys I've had! Maybe the ambience... not sure but doesn't matter the time of day. Less than a month away now... and now I have a craving!

Ryan

Just can't get into bloody marys, can't get past the tomato juice.

No hard stuff for me. There's a fight in every cap full. I turn into SuperMan....according to my wife
" I can take y'all one at a time or stack you up like cord wood".

Keith

Luckily I am a quiet drunk, drink, slur, go to bed...lol

 

[912smoker]

Just can't get into bloody marys, can't get past the tomato juice.


Luckily I am a quiet drunk, drink, slur, go to bed...lol

I'm that way with beer Cliff. Came as part of the job from my playing in bands other life. That's also where I learned the lesson on the hard stuff

Keith

 

[Smokin Okie]

There is nothing like a proper Bloody Mary, old school, IMHO. It should be a light cocktail, not a heavy, thick drink. I used to make tomato water bloody Mary's back when I grew a garden and had buckets of tomatoes during harvest. I would process tomatoes by blanching and shocking to remove the skins, then cut them and remove the seeds and whatever the gel stuff is called before canning or freezing.

I would remove all that stuff by hand over a sieve over a bowl and save all the tomato water. Made wonderful light bodied bloody Mary's.

Mrs Okie and I canned salsa the past few days and we've had a lot of that " tomato water " . We blanch and use a tomato press, then run the meat and juice through a sieve. What's left is the " tomato water " .

We're pouring it down the drain and we talked the other day about finding a use for it. We were gonna research how to make juice of it.

I now use Clamato for my Bloody Mary's. I like it a lot. And this talk is making me thirsty for one and its only one o'clock.

 

[crazymoon]

Cheap ice cold beer and expensive single malt Scotch is my "undoing" . Editing this post as another early AM drink is any beer mixed with Clamato Michelada Especial. This juice makes the perfect redeye !

 

[mneeley490]

The axiom, "There's not enough time to drink cheap whiskey" is wrong. If anything, there is a surplus amount of time to drink cheap whiskey.

 

[chef k-dude]

Mrs Okie and I canned salsa the past few days and we've had a lot of that " tomato water " . We blanch and use a tomato press, then run the meat and juice through a sieve. What's left is the " tomato water " .

We're pouring it down the drain and we talked the other day about finding a use for it. We were gonna research how to make juice of it.

I now use Clamato for my Bloody Mary's. I like it a lot. And this talk is making me thirsty for one and its only one o'clock.

There's plenty of folks making tomato water cocktails out there in a web search. I too was pouring it down the drain until one day the light bulb went on. And that was before I had even heard of using the water for cocktails, even without alcohol the stuff is going to at least be good for you. Some seasoning required of course, I dont even eat tomatoes without salt and pepper!

Cheap ice cold beer and expensive single malt Scotch is my "undoing" . Editing this post as another early AM drink is any beer mixed with Clamato Michelada Especial. This juice makes the perfect redeye !

Cheap, clear beer is best for micheladas. Using good or darker beer is not only a waste of good beer but will "muddy-up" the michelada. I have a michelada recipe I used for years then ran across Don Chelada's mix. Great stuff. Salted glass rim, a small cap-full of high octane Everclear to jack up the ABV without distracting from the flavor. Just had one last night...well two because I used a pilsner glass that wont hold 12oz plus the mix, so I make two smaller ones.

They make a mango chili that is not super mango forward, I like it and didn't think I would. They also have a clammy version. I love the stuff because its a concentrate and keeps in the fridge for a good while. Walmart stopped carrying it so having it shipped gets a bit pricey.

I just noticed our Walmart has two other options, a Clamato branded one you mentioned with the typical clamto ingredients of HFCS and MSG and another brand that is very affordable that uses real sugar and no MSG. I'm OK with MSG but could go without the sugar. I may go back to making my recipe after thinking about it. It has neither and is great.

I used to love Clamato, but stopped drinking it when we went low carb...the stuff is super carby. We're allowing more carbs these days though. Heck, back then just tomato juice was off the table. In fact I stopped drinking all juice and most fruits were off the table! I'm eating fruit again but still no fruit juice. Our bellies definitely show we have slipped on the carbs again!

The axiom, "There's not enough time to drink cheap whiskey" is wrong. If anything, there is a surplus amount of time to drink cheap whiskey.

Agreed, but there IS some cheap whisky that is terrible. I've tried everything on the bottom shelf, most of it is terrible. But then again I dont mix it with anything other than crushed ice. If you bury it in a cola or something almost anything will work. Benchmark #8 is the best plastic bottle half gallon cheap bourbon I can find around here. It really does have some rye hints to it and is from the Buffalo Trace Distillery. I "step up" to Evan Williams Black when it goes on sale and about the same price as Benchmark's regular price.

I keep several fine bourbons/whiskeys for whenever we may have a guest, and break those out to share. I dont even keep them in the house (climate controlled garage) to ensure I keep my hands off. I would run out of money with top shelf whiskey drinking as much as I do

 

[chef k-dude]

This is the recipe I've tweaked for Michelada.

1-12oz light beer (meaning not a heavy or dark beer. Yuengling Flight works well)

4 oz vegetable juice

½ lime juiced (no bottled stuff here)

2 tsp Texas Pete Hot sauce or equiv. (NOT Tabasco or Franks!)

2 tsp Worchestershire

Dash soy sauce

1 tbl ice cold vodka or 1.5 tsp. approx. of Everclear grain alcohol (preferred if you can get it)

>Put everything but the beer in a large glass or measuring cup capable of holding 17 oz or more. Mix with spoon or whisk, then pour beer over top and gently mix. Making in a measuring cup allows to pour in to smaller glasses.

>Can serve over ice if desired, but otherwise everything should be cold going in. Salt or other on the rim of the glass if desired (before pouring anything in it obviously). Like a margarita, I like a lick of salt with every sip.

 

[WaterRat]

Blackberry whiskey lol - pretty good!!

Looks good!

 

[BrianGSDTexoma]

Margaritas are a favorite. One I enjoy making, and am still working to perfect, is the Caipirinha, Brazil's national drink. It's simple, just lime chunks muddled in a glass with sugar and cachacha, which is a South American sugar cane brandy. If you look for it, you can often find it in larger liquor stores, but the limes we have here are different...so I've never gotten them to taste as good as the one's I've had in Brazil.

I found these at my local mom and pop place today. Oh my this is good! Will still work on it but this a keeper.

 

[chef k-dude]

That Cachaca is available at my local ABC store, I'll have to give it a try.

I noticed in your signature the Amazon link suggestion. Is that just the insert link thing or is there something other specifically that one should do? I will definitely do that, this is a well built site.