post #1648 had something about a rye-maple syrup fizz but I can't find the original post they're referring to. But that seems like a decent starting idea. If yours is bourbon and maple syrup I would really start by finding balance, sour/bitter to play off against the sweetness of the infusion. Lemon or Fernet might be some first-pass guesses. Or maybe a relatively dry sherry or Port.

if the maple syrup is amber or dark then I think some smoke would go really nicely if you have a Smoking Gun or can smoke the cocktail a la minute (not sure if you're mixing for work or home and what your timing needs to be). The 2013 Utopias is full of maple and smoke notes and is ****ing beautiful.

1:1 sounds like a lot of maple syrup no? If the ratio was different, or if you could use a small amount of this (3/4oz?) and top up with more Woodford (or other whisk(e)y) it sounds like you'd have a great Old Fashioned building. Maybe something like:

3/4oz infusion
1oz Woodford? rye?
1/4oz Islay Scotch, not too peaty (Ardbeg?)
3 dashes Angostura
ice, stir, serve on big ice chunk, *lemon* oil instead of orange?

flamed lemon twist might actually be cool here hm

First time it ever happened and I was pretty damn surprised.

I was staying at the Hyatt and went outside with a girl who wanted to smoke a cigarette. I brought my drink with me and a cop pulled up and gave me a ticket for public drinking. It felt ridiculous to me but obviously arguing would have made it worse. I was literally like a foot away from the building. Still a bit surprised.

Edit: More details. He asked for my license/ID and I gave it to him. I asked him what I was being written up for and he ignored me. Another cop car drove up and I told him I was staying at the hotel and walked outside for a minute with my drink. He asked what else I did. I said I didn't do anything else. He knocked on the other cop's window and got ignored. He shrugged and said "be safe" and then drove away.

Hi all,

Had a tasty take on a negroni I made at home on Friday:

2:2:2:1 (I used 35ml for the 2s) Aperol : Cynar : Gin : Dubonnet.

The original version called for byrrh, which I don't have, so Dubonnet as another red wine based aperitif seemed like a no brain swap. Garnished with an orange zest twist, I'd never believe it but despite all the bitter based liqueurs in there it was surprisingly sweet, you got all the rhubarb/gentian/orange up front from the Aperol, then the artichoke from the Cynar after. Recommended!

Best,
Pete

We have a private, Prohibition themed fundraiser at our bar this weekend I need some ideas for. There's a beer, whiskey, and cigar tasting a local distributor is supplying the booze for but their selection is bad.

For customers who order from the bar, I need a small classic cocktail menu. Thinking 2 whiskey drinks, 2 gin, 2 vodka. Two caveats:

1) No obscure liquors (no access)
2) Drinkmaking process should be simple as possible (Our bartenders have no experience with this)

I'll have plenty of simple syrup, demerara syrup, lime juice, lemon juice, and large ice cubes.

Any suggestions?

Squash,

Whiskey:
Classic old fashioned
Whiskey sour
Manhattan
Blood and sand

Gin:
Tom Collins
Martini
gin rickey

Vodka:
Moscow mule

squashington,

El D's choices are good, but a tad weighted towards what men like. I'd add gin fizz and cosmopolitan to that line up to keep the girls happy.

Diablo,

Your menu is missing something of the sweeter side (Women are going to ask for that). The lemon drop would fit nicely in that list.

Obviously, Adsman and I know what women like, and El Diablo doesn't

The cosmo was my second choice, but it's one more ingredient so I erred on the simple side.

Gin is essentially a flavored vodka. All the classic gin cocktails have a vodka version. That would help in keeping things simple and might even be interesting to let people try the gin version then a vodka version to see which they prefer. Examples: gin vs. vodka martini, Tom Collins vs. Vodka Collins, gimlet vs. vodka gimlet, etc.

Ads, ET:

Wtf dudes, chicks ****ing love Moscow mules.

They do, but they love sweet martini-like concoctions too!

El D,

Absolutely in agreement. But chicks also like a bit of choice, so I thought I'd throw a few others in there.

You can easily fight and beat this ticket. The hotel smoking area is not a public area it is private hotel property and you are allowed to drink anywhere in it.

I guess it depends on how far you have to travel back to go to court though. What an ahole of a cop.

Court appearance is not required, and it's only a $56 fine if I'm reading it correctly, so going to court will be a waste of time unfortunately.

I think this depends on the area. In my town in PA if outdoor drinking/eating is allowed the area has to be roped off in some way and you're supposed to stay inside that area.

But yea, dickbag of a cop.

I'm looking to buy some copper mugs for Moscow/Kentucky Mules. Does anyone know if there are any particular advantages/disadvantages to copper mugs with nickel lining vs. solid copper mugs?

JEP,

No idea, but having copper mugs for moscow mules is super money.

But do you have silver cups for mint juleps?

This. I thought MM was a boring average drink until I tried one in a copper mug. Usually switch out vodka for some other booze but it's amazing the difference the super cold vessel makes.

The fact that women enjoy a bit of a choice is actually an even worse reason to give them a choice at a function with inexperienced bartenders catering to a volume they may be unfamiliar with. It makes the entire process more difficult for everyone involved. I'd keep it plain and simple, with two drink choices for each alcohol type.

El D's list is pretty spot on concerning most of what I'd suggest. From what I glean from the information provided, it suggests that I would cut out drinks that would require the availability of differing glassware. I'd keep it all in rocks and collins glasses and limit the selection to those items, enabling you to have pour and serve cocktails instead of inexperienced bartenders making multiple stage drinks.

Forot to thank everyone for the suggestions here. Looked this thread up to complain about citrus prices and saw the responses.

re: Our prohibition night, everything went great. I gave up on the other bartenders immediately and had them take orders while I grinded the drinkmaking.

Menu in order of most to least popular:

Old Fashion (Dickel, demerera, angostura, orange peel, brandied cherry)
Manhattan (same as above, sub sweet vermouth for demerera)
Moscow Mule (Tito's, Barritt's, lime juice)
Cosmo (Tito's, Cointreau, Rose's lime, Cranberry, orange bitters)
_
_
Collins
Martini

Last 2 weren't big selllers.
____

So what's up with lime prices? Used to get 6-12 for $1 at the meximarts and today it was 2/$1 and $.69/each. Doesn't sound like much but when you toss a lime in every vodka cran then half the customers toss it that's 1/2 the cost of their well drink.

Hey Squashington,

Good to see people not just going martini. Old fashioned have a vogue just now, of course.

Very poor lime harvest in Mexico, to which the US is particularly exposed. UK also had a price spike but we have some euro suppliers to cushion the blow.

Best,
Pete

^ thanks. the biggest sellig point of the OF was the aesthetics. one large cube in a proper tumbler/old fashion glass with a thin orange peel is a conversation starter around here. always nice to push people's palates and make eyes wander.

__

also, i quote ED's post because I had a lady ask for something "refreshing but strong" and i recommended a MM. she was thrilled i could make one but when i didn't have the copper cup she changed her order to a UV blue and lemonade. part of me died that moment.

Squash,

This is a really big deal out here in the bar/restaurant industry:

http://www.alcademics.com/2014/03/ou...garnishes.html

http://m.sfgate.com/food/insidescoop...es-5351492.php

http://tacolicious.com/3409-margarit...asons-to-drink

Anyone ever tried Monkey 47 gin?

Anyone know where to get some in USA?

Cocktail lovers,

I thought this presentation was really sweet:



Mezcal Mule (mezcal, tequila, pomegranate molasses, angostura, ginger beer)