Comments on: Thanks for a ripping bash

By: ljclark

ljclark — Sun, 18 May 2008 16:29:59 +0000

Wow, John, and here I thought you were adhering faithfully to the Baker recipe! I made pretty much the Baker recipe of this drink at home prior to the event, using (I think) Buffalo Trace bourbon, 1.5 tsp of Luxardo maraschino and the called-for amount of absinthe, and I really liked it. That’s my two cents.

By: Myers

Myers — Sat, 17 May 2008 18:20:36 +0000

Ummm, That should be “clockwise”

By: Myers

Myers — Sat, 17 May 2008 17:47:49 +0000

On another note, I didn’t check to see if Dylan is right or left handed. According to Charles baker–from whom’s book I lifted the recipe–stirring the drink counter-clockwise makes it “sea-worthy”

By: Myers

Myers — Sat, 17 May 2008 17:30:20 +0000

We started w/ Baker’s rezept at Green St. and then I couldn’t stop fucking with it. We upped the Cherry Heering, as well as the Absinthe, even included some Regan’s Orange bitters (to make up the spice deficit between Rye and Makers Mark) and then we added still more Absinthe. The trick, I think, lies in the ambiguity of the ‘cherry brandy’ aspect of the recipe; while I have no doubt that Baker meant something LIKE Cherry Heering (vs cherry eau de vie or maraschino) Heering tends to be a little heavy, ponderous, even, with the bright-ish Bing-ish flavors mostly muted. In the spirit of WCD, I meant to hew closely to the original published recipe (and justified the bitters as being in the spirit of THE BALANCE definition of cocktail-ness) but in the “Real World” I’m likely to add some Luxardo.
Oddly, I thought our WCD version benifted from a little ‘warmth’. Fresh and bracing right off the ice the cocktail is just a heavily nuanced Manhattan. Giving it a minute to ‘Settle Down’ gives those muted hind flavors a chance to show themselves.

But than again, I’d been drinking…..your mileage, as they say, might vary.

By: Frederic

Frederic — Sat, 17 May 2008 01:07:30 +0000

The drink recipe we used was from Salvatore Calabrese’s Complete Home Bartender’s Guide and is definitely a lot more aggressive with the pastis and the cherry. My notes have it as: 1 2/3 oz Bourbon, 2/3 oz Sweet Vermouth, 2/3 oz Cherry Brandy (used Cherry Heering), 2/3 oz Pernod, dash Orange bitters

By: ljclark

ljclark — Fri, 16 May 2008 19:45:47 +0000

Hey! Well, remember, staying late always means the next day at work is even longer…

I think J.M. used Cherry Heering. If he doesn’t chime in here relatively soon, I’ll bug him.

When mixing drinks, I have a very dainty hand with Pernod, absinthe et al. The flavor is so strong, I always imagine it can be measured in PPM (parts per million).

By: Andrea

Andrea — Fri, 16 May 2008 18:27:53 +0000

Thanks for hosting a spectacular soiree! You and Misty looked lovely (and Dylan looked appropriately rakish). I like the new format, too. My only regret was not staying later to chat with the folks at the bar (it had been a long day at work).

The Remember The Maine was my favorite. Do you know if M. Myers used Cherry Heering? Fred made this drink about 6 months back, though he went much heavier on the Pernod and Cherry Heering.

–Andrea

By: Adam L

Adam L — Fri, 16 May 2008 14:19:42 +0000

It was a wonderful time! Thanks for hosting/throwing it.

Also, we really liked the new format, with a dedicated table and the drinks brought to us.

Cheers!