What are your house cocktails
- Thread starter tknx
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Jack Rose
French 75
Manhattan
French 75
Manhattan
Can always make a Manhattan or Old Fashioned or classic Daiquiri or Whiskey sour at my house! Rye, bourbon, sweet vermouth, rum, bitters, and fresh citrus, are always on hand. I guess we also have Margarita and Martini ingredients. The list could get long.
Vodka lemonade (regardless the time of year)
Bourbon and Squirt
Bourbon and Squirt
The ones we usually make, more or less in descending order of frequency, are martinis, old fashioneds, Negronis, Manhattans, gin fizzes, Margaritas, Sazeracs, Campari and soda, and horse's necks.
What's a Horse's Neck?
What's a Horse's Neck?
Besides my standard OF, Boulvardiers and Port & Tonic
In order: martini, manhattan with rye, manhattan with bourbon, vieux Carré.
We do switch up the brands of gin, rye, and bourbon.
We do switch up the brands of gin, rye, and bourbon.
Old Fashioned - me
Appletini, Lemon Drop, Gin/Vodka tonic - wife
Appletini, Lemon Drop, Gin/Vodka tonic - wife
Negroni/Boulevardier/Tegroni (variations with Gin/Whiskey/Tequilla)
Old Fashioned
Martini
Sidecar
Sazerac
Old Fashioned
Martini
Sidecar
Sazerac
This is a Detroit thing, but I’ve never had it and I don’t keep chartreuse around. What makes it No. 1 for you?
I don't do many cocktails, and REALLY don't want to keep too many things around either. I usually have some bitters and simple syrup around to make an old fashioned. I've considered getting stuff to make a sazarac or Manhattan, but with the infrequency that I make a cocktail, feel they would just go bad.
I'm in the same boat, but that's what's good about Manhattans. You can keep bottles of sweet vermouth and bitters for years and then the main ingredient can be whatever you have around: whiskey, bourbon, rye, etc. or even brandy. If you don't have a cherry, a drop of anything sweet suffices.
Bitters, yes. I would not have said sweet vermouth. I keep my vermouths in the fridge with a Repour wine saver stopper in the bottle. I am pretty sure before I did that I had red vermouth lose a lot of quality. And I would say that was true for really good vermouth, such as Carpano Antica, and less vermouths like, say, Martini and Rossi. I think I will do a separate post on those Repour stoppers.
Interesting how often Manhattan's have come up in this thread. I would say that a Manhattan is definitely one of our house cocktails. A very long term favorite of mine and my wife's. I agree, a fairly versatile cocktail. I have never thought of trying brandy in one.
I guess I would say that the Negroni/Boulevardier family of drinks, maybe even along with Dark Sides, although ingredient list is different, probably belongs on our list of house cocktails, too. Nice overlap of red vermouth with Manhattans. Folks looking to limit the contents of their bar cart might think about those cocktails. I had named French 75s as one of our house cocktails, but they really require opening a bottle of champagne (or at least some white sparkling wine) every time, so not all that flexible.
I guess I was thinking of drinks my wife and I really like and like to share. I like to make my own grenadine, and it seems to keep reasonably well in the fridge, contrary to what one reads about DIY grenadine, although I add some lemon juice and some vodka as preservatives, and I keep various apple brandies around, so Jack Roses work for us, although they would not be a first choice for folks trying to keep things limited and flexible.
Another unusual house cocktail for us would be what Le Diplomate Restaurant in DC calls a Romarin--vodka, fresh rosemary, elder flower syrup, fresh grapefruit juice. Seems to be universally well-liked, but I cannot say even we keep fresh grapefruits around consistently, and elderflower syrup is something of specialty item, although can be used in another extra special, extra hassle cocktail, the Matador--bourbon or rye in which preserved ginger has been soaked, lemon juice, and elderflower.
Specialty ingredients do take up space and some tend to go bad. Although, I suppose, I keep white vermouth around, but only use it, it seems, for Martinis and Gibsons, which, like others who have contributed to this thread, we seem to pour fairly often.
Nice, underappreciated cocktail.
It might be just me, but I have tried a fair number of them, including at excellent cocktail bars that were "featuring" one or another or them, but I have never found cocktail based on Mezcal that I liked. And I really like tequila in all expressions. I guess I do not love Scotch drinks, other than, say, a Rusty Nail, which does not really count
, even though I love Scotch. Too smoky, I suppose, although I am not adverse to cocktails that are sort of infused with smoke by pumping smoke over them. What are you looking for in a summer cocktail? Gin and Tonic is a classic. You might try the aforementioned Port Tonico, although that requires the unusual ingredient of white port. We have found that a real Tom Collins made with fresh ingredients instead of some prepackaged syrup or, heaven forbid, powder, is really nice drink. I mean gin, lemon juice, sugar or simple syrup, and fizzy water, plus a lemon or lime wedge and/or a cherry, why turn to something premixed? Aperol spritz might be another one you would be interested in. Campari and soda is great, but not everyone is going to love the bittrness.
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We used to be Pimms Cup people for summer, definitely a nice drink after tennis or whatever.
But lately been thinking of just doing Campari and soda. To my mind a summer drink is a light alcohol, warm weather friendly drink. Something citrusy and light might work. I used to have a Mezcal-grapefruit drink that worked really well but can’t drink grapefruit juice anymore.
But I generally prefer Mezcal to tequila so may just be a personal preference.
But lately been thinking of just doing Campari and soda. To my mind a summer drink is a light alcohol, warm weather friendly drink. Something citrusy and light might work. I used to have a Mezcal-grapefruit drink that worked really well but can’t drink grapefruit juice anymore.
But I generally prefer Mezcal to tequila so may just be a personal preference.
Pimms Cup is a great drink. Is it generally liked? My experience is that Campari is not universally liked, although Negroni's seem well-liked. Palomas--tequila, grapefruit juice, a squeeze of lime, and fizzy water--are great for guests even if you can't handle the grapefruit anymore. How about a Ranch Water--tequila, fizzy water (traditionally Top Chico), and a squeeze of lime (some add triple sec), but I am not looking for a high ball margarita myself? Gin Rickey--gin, squeeze of lime, and fizzy water. I think a little sugar/simple syrup helps the latter, but you are not making an all lime Tom Collins. Vodka and Soda.
Only cocktail I ever make, and I only make it like once maybe twice a year, is one my uncle learned when he was an RCMP officer in the NWT.
Half and half Crown Royal and Bailey's over ice. Any whisky and any Irish cream will do. Skew the ratio in either direction as you see fit (it tends to get stronger if the Bailey's is running out before the whisky, heh). It is dangerously easy to drink. They call it Wolf **** (edit: apparently a version of pee is censored, who knew).
Half and half Crown Royal and Bailey's over ice. Any whisky and any Irish cream will do. Skew the ratio in either direction as you see fit (it tends to get stronger if the Bailey's is running out before the whisky, heh). It is dangerously easy to drink. They call it Wolf **** (edit: apparently a version of pee is censored, who knew).
I like a whisky sour. I make it with an odf the shelf sour mix and *Stranahans" single malt Whisky. Distilled herw in Colorado where I live. Great cocktail 
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