<p>Rye, and grenadine and Absinthe bitters. Its strange how the rye flavor lingers. It's my first time trying rye and I'm trying to distinguish it from the Absinthe bitters. Overall its very good and fits the fries and burger well, but it has a much heavier almost sandy dry yet very tart taste to it that may take a while for me to appreciate. I'll have to revisit rye again someday straight up.</p>
Today was my first wine tasting, and it was at a cool rural wine bar in Malibu, California. We did the Monster Flight, which was all red wines, blends. The picture explains them best.
The Purple Haze had the best flavor, somewhat dry, kinda fruity with a clean finish. I really enjoyed the Moulin Rouge, which was also a dry wine, a little heavy and somewhat berry flavored. The last wine, Black Widow, was floral and almost creamy in its finish. A great way to end the tasting.
A light and fluffy sake by the restaurant's description (at Bodega in Los Angelo's). It lives up to it's name being much more palatable than most sake I have tried straight up. It almost has a milky consistency, which I am assuming is due to it being unfiltered. I didn't even know sake came unfiltered, but I will be trying more unfiltered sake to see the difference soon.
1.25 oz vodka
0.75 oz peach schnapps
3 oz cranberry juice
This is a new favorite of mine. It's fruity tasting and you can tell there is alcohol in it but it is very smooth and crisp. The flavor of the peach schnapps surfaces the most, which is a good thing as the flavor is carried very well in this cocktail. Of the friends of mine that have tried it they have all liked it a lot.
I know what you must be thinking, I'm either crazy or just really bored to even try mixing banana rum with Dr Pepper. Neither, I just had nothing else to mix with.
So it really just taste like candy, specifically a banana flavored laffy taffy. I didn't measure anything, but it's roughly half and half. The Cruzan banana rum is really good by itself and I usually just mix it with 7up, but now I know what to do if I get a sweet tooth.
2 oz gin (New Amsterdam)
1 oz lemon juice
0.5 oz simple syrup
club soda
maraschino cherry and lemon wedge for garnish.
Built in a Collins glass or highball glass in order of ingredients.
Oh, the Tom Collins. It has been my go to drink since I started drinking. One of the first drinks I tried on my own and still one of my favorites. Now that I know how to properly make it, its flavor has become even more inviting. I concocted this beverage tonight after putting up with my glass of brandy and I instantly felt right at home. It has a mellow yet citrus filled flavor that accentuates the natural flavors of the gin. A must for anyone that appreciates a good gin. Normally I would prefer Bombay Sapphire or Junipero, but my budget dictates New Amsterdam, which works well in a pinch without hurting my wallet. It's nice also because the ratios do not need to be perfect for a good drink as it is still every bit as good a little strong or weak. More flavorful than a gin and tonic without the need for tonic water. Gotta love it.
Cheers and goodnight!
So tonight I tried something way different than I normally drink, brandy. My local liquor store had it on sale for less than half the price, so I just had to try it. First off, I've never had any kind of brandy before, and second off I am not a whiskey drinker at all. I read up on how to enjoy brandy, which is just by itself at room temperature in a brandy snifter. I don't have a brandy snifter, so I grabbed the closest glass I had available. I only poured about a shot, and I wasn't sure I would be able to finish it. It was apple based, but very closely resmebled Bourbon in flavor. I chilled it in the freezer to take the edge off and was able to pick out the finer notes of its flavor, not bad, but not what I look for in a drink. My friend who loves whiskey said it was very good stuff, and I was able to enjoy the rest of my glass (I usually can't finish a glass of whiskey), so.I.will agree with him. It will probably be a while before I come around to drinking more of it, but at least I know what brandy is like now.
If nothing else, the bottle is pretty cool. Definitely going to save it for containing infusions when I'm done with it.
2 oz light rum (Cruzan)
1 oz fresh lime juice
0.5 oz simple syrup
Shaken over ice and strained into cocktail glass.
*I added a maraschino cherry for good measure.
Tonight I decided to change up from my usual gin or vodka drink and try one with rum. After digging through my bar book I came across the daiquiri. Of all the drinks I haven't tried yet, the classic daiquiri? I was ashamed and read up quickly. I was use to the idea of a blended strawberry daiquiri, bit it seems the original recipe in my book was simply a cocktail. Excellent. I didn't feel like getting the blender out anyways. Most of the other daiquiri recipes were blended, but I'll wait til a laiter night. After assembling my drink I tried it, and to my surprise it was similar to a favorite of mine, the Kamikaze, but slightly smoother and less complex of a flavor.
This is the first post of many on my fresh adventure into mixed drinks, and I will have many more experiences to share. Some may be bad, but I think of all of them as an experience not had if I don't at least try them once. More often than not I have a new favorite, and curiosity always gets the better of me.
Cheers and goodnight!
