Why can't I wake up with the gin already in me? (BOOZE)

[Antero]

This has some excellent body and spice to it, and a strong menthol hit.  I hear it's LDI rye, like Bulleit - that makes sense, because it tastes like an older, richer, better-curated Bulleit. 

[El_Josharino]

Whoa, went to Extreme Beerfest today, where there are 300 beers at 7% or higher. Yowza. Lots of barleywines, stouts, imperial something or others, barrel-aged something or others and otherwise crazy stuff. All the best stuff at those things ends up being at the homebrewers section, and there seem to be a number of local brewing clubs doing some pretty great stuff. One of them had a sweet potato stout that was pretty tasty. Also had some great great stuff from O'Dell's, Green Flash, Lagunitas and plenty of others. Had an imperial IPA that was 17% but unfortunately wasn't that good. Feeling pretty salmon-handed.

[Antero]

That's intense as fuck.

nd: a Red Hook cocktail (2 of rye, 1/2 Punt e Mes, 1/2 Luxardo, up).  Very good use for the Willett rye.

[elpollodiablo]

Was hunting for a gift for D today and happened upon some orphaned bottles of various years of Stone Vertical Epic! Grabbed an '08 and an '09 for $9 apiece!

[The_Tourist]

i've been a drunken klepto lately. i came home from a bar last night with a 64 oz jar of olives.

it's kind of a problem. in this case, a delicious problem.

[elpollodiablo]

Holy shit midwesterners

holy shit that is some good, good, good beer

[Ignatius]

I am in Indiana and all the beers and fancy ass cocktails you guys talk about are available everywhere. It's like an LPTJ candy shop.

[elpollodiablo]

I'm now having an Old Fashioned with Bulleit rye & Fee bros. bitters. Really hitting the spot

[FreddyKnuckles]

I'm having gordons gin and diet tonic.  also spot-hitting.

[Antero]

I am taking a couple weeks dry.  I am drinking so much fucking seltzer.

[dumbfish]

Ha. Been there. When I was a kid watching Cheers, I always wondered why Sam didn't drink something good, like a Pepsi.
All I wanted was a Pepsi.

[elpollodiablo]

I am taking a couple weeks dry.  I am drinking so much fucking seltzer.

Haha oh man those couple/few weeks in January where I wasn't drinking I got into a two 12-pack a week habit with the Canada Dry Lemon-Lime seltzer. I'm having one right now in fact.

[Antero]

I can get cans of seltzer at Safeway for a buck fifty per six.  I've been going through a six pack every day, my roommate is looking at the recycling bin all "What the fuck are you doing."

[davy]

L & I did some hard drankin' last night as we made our way through the final five episodes of Freaks & Geeks (which I liked every bit as good as all my friends promised me I would). Started out with rusty nails made with Michael Collins Irish Whiskey. Finally killed that bottle and the Drambuie, too. Then we drained the rest of the Cutty Sark, which I'd originally bought to make the rusty nails with. Finished things off with Talisker, neat, reading Michael Jackson's tasting notes and actually making a sort of breakthrough in tasting awareness. (I've been reading through one of his guides lately and it's all finally starting to make sense to me.)

All in all, three emptied bottles and a severely depleted supply of Talisker, which makes me sad.

[elpollodiablo]

Hey which Michael Jackson are you reading? I need to get me a book on scotch

[davy]

http://www.amazon.com/Michael-Jacksons-Complete-Single-Scotch/dp/0756658985/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1329752054&sr=8-1



The narrative portion (with the background info) is actually quite readable, and then probably 2/3 to 3/4 is ratings, tasting notes, and little biographies of all the distilleries, which I find really fascinating.


There's also this one, which I may read next:



They're both published by DK, which means they're chock full of great images and maps and photos:

[elpollodiablo]

Damn, nice!

[elpollodiablo]

What's the least I can spend to get a good cognac for cocktails?

[hannah]

I wish the "WHISKEY" in the lower-right corner were spelled "WHISKY," so as indicate that he does indeed cover everything.

[davy]

I'm guessing there was an editorial board meeting about that.

[Antero]

What's the least I can spend to get a good cognac for cocktails?

Tricky, and depends on availability.  Usually start thinking above $30 - garbage-in-garbage-out, right?

Camus VS cognac is about $25 - that's a really great value, and it's much, much better than Henny/Remy/Courvoisier VS, which are basically swill.  I went through a lot of the Camus making punches last year.  Pierre Ferrand Ambre is popular with the sleeve-garter demographic, that's like $35.  Ferrand also just released 1840, which was designed particularly for the aforementioned demographic and which I hear is awesome, that's like 40-45.

A good trick is to look for armagnac instead of cognac.  Armagnac is cheaper for the quality, less mass-produced, and the brasher character is very good for mixing.  But, you know, my corner store doesn't have any armagnac.

[elpollodiablo]

Yeah I kinda doubt the sole liquor store in Oxford, OH will either. But thanks, I'll probably look for the Ferrand! And I'm glad I asked because otherwise I probably woulda just bought some Remy or Courvoisier. I've never bought a bottle of cognac in my life.

[Antero]

The VSOP bottlings of the big obvious houses will be fine, if that's all that you run into.  I prefer Hennesey Privilege to the omnipresent Remy VSOP - drier, less syrupy.

Totally going to get some brandy once I'm done with this dry spell.

[elpollodiablo]

What's your favorite brandy cocktail?

[Antero]

Sidecar probably, or Vieux Carre.  Those are reliable favorites, without dipping into realms of esoterica.

For a Sidecar I'd suggest 2 parts cognac, 1 part Cointreau, 3/4 part lemon juice, but tastes differ.