Greenpoint (Wiser’s Dissertation; Strega)

Number five of fifty-two Greenpoint cocktails 

Greenpoint 

2 oz J.P.  Dissertation 

0.5 oz Strega 

0.5 oz Gonzalez Byass la copa vermouth 

1 dash Angostura bitters

1 dash Angostura orange bitters


This week I decided to sub Strega for yellow chartreuse. I also used J.P. Wiser’s Dissertation (as it was still on the counter from yestwrday’s Human Rocket. He twist this time was grapefruit.

I found this variation to be delicious and herbal. Not any one ingredient dominated. Everything came together to make a lovely any-time-of-the-evening libation.

Cheers!
Be well 

Greenpoint (Jim Beam Bonded) Again

This week I stuck with the Jim Beam but went back to the MOFS and the Gonzalez Byass. 

Greenpoint 

2 oz Jim Beam Bonded 

0.5 oz Chartreuse MOFS 

0.5 oz Gonzalez Byass La Copa

1 dash Regan’s orabge bitters 

1 dash Australians Bitters Co. Bitters 

Stir; strain; twist 

I found this dry but not overly so. A well balanced drink that would be suitable any time. Not obviously for before or after a meal. Perhaps a pleasant second round after a Vieux Carré?  Not a loser but also not a winner. Much like that song you don’t care about at the end of side one or that house you never notice because it’s three properties from the intersection. A wholly capable whiskey drink but not a chart topper. Then again certainly not a pigeonholed drink either. Ah well. You know what they say about a Jack of all trades...

Cheers!
Be well

Greenpoint (Jim Beam Bonded)

This is the third in a year’s worth of weekly Greenpoint cocktails

Greenpoint 

2 oz Jim Beam Bonded 

0.5 oz V.E.P. Yellow Chartreuse 

0.5 oz Bosca Rosso Vermouth di Torino

1 dash Australian Bitters Co. Aromatic Bitters 

1 dash Regan’s Orange Bitters 

Stir; Strain; Twist

This week I decided to replace everything! The Jim Beam Bonded seems very rye forward to me and if given a glass without knowing I would’ve said it’s rye and not bourbon. Anyway, rather than 

ship-of-Theseus-ing my way to a new recipe I went “whole hog”.

My impressions with this combination was a drier, sharper, less sweet drink. This was certainly a whiskey cocktail but not obviously  a Manhattan variant. Whereas last week’s would have been nice after a meal this week’s was certainly a pre-prandial tipple. 

I’ve finished my Rittenhouse and have not much Jim Beam so a replenishment of rye is required. I think the Wiser’s bottles I have are more suited to other uses (and are strictly speaking Canadian Whisky) but with the American straight rye and the 100% rye Canadian whiskies available I’m sure I’ll not want. As with most of my trips to the LCBO a decision shall be the most difficult part. 

Stay tuned! 

Cheers!

Be well. 

Y

52 Greenpoints: 2

Greenpoint 
2 oz J.P. Wiser’s Canada 2018
0.5 oz Charteuse MOFS
0.5 oz Gonzalez Byass La Copa Vermouth 
1 dash Angostura orange bitters 
1 dash Angostura bitters 

Stir; strain; twist 


Since I finished my bottle of Rittenhouse I needed a different whisky for this week’s Greenpoint.  We can debate Canadian Whisky vs Rye some other time. Compared to last week this cocktail was much less “this is a Manhattan” and more “this is whisky and liqueur and sweetness”  the vermouth and bitters hid behind a curtain it seemed. A nice after dinner Manhattan/Brooklyn variation. What will I change next week? What will I keep the same? Stay tuned!

No you don't get a picture

Fifty-two Greenpoint cocktails. Not exactly twenty-eight Sazeracs or a month of Mai-Tais or even forty-nine hairflips. But here we go.  I've mostly kept to my plan of three drinks a week but the problem is most have been blogged or presented elsewhere. This leaves me with little to blog about, really.  So what's it all about Alfie Solomons? Here we go again for the upteenth time: trying to revive the blog!

Greenpoint
2 oz Rittenhouse rye
0.5 oz Chartreuse MOFS
0.5 oz Gonzalez Byass La Copa Vermouth  
1 dash Angostura bitters 
1 dash Angostura orange bitters 

Stir; strain; lemon twist. 

Tonight's cocktail was delightful and familiar. A nice twist on a Manhattan.

Stay tuned!
Cheers!
Be well!

Stirred, Shaken, Crushed, Crushed, Cold Brew, Beer, Beer,...

So my three drinks a week plan has failed. I blame the hot weather and a family get-together. Yeah, that's the ticket!  Anyway here are some drinks you might enjoy:

First up was Jason Schiffer's Hipster Bike. I came across this recipe in my Instagram feed and thought t myself, "I have all those things!"

Narator: "He did not, in fact, have any of those things but he soldiered on with substitutions."

Hipster Bike
2 oz champagne (Outset sparkling wine) 
1.5 oz Gran Classic (Martini & Rossi Riserva Bitter) 
1 oz Kina L'Aero (Berto Vermouth Apertiv Tradission)
0.75 oz lime juice 
0.5 oz orange juice 

Pour champagne into a rocks glass filled with ice. Combine remaining ingredients in a shaker. Shake with ice. Strain into the rocks glass. Garnish with a lime wedge.

With the remaining sparklinng wine I made myself an approximation of Martin Cate's Richard Sealebach  by dipping into my rum cabinet.

I enede up making two Crushed ice drinks. One was a quite sweet and approachable drink you might find in books or on other blogs. The other... well:

@tiarewhodat’s Guyana Bird

A post shared by dagreb (@dagreb) on Aug 24, 2018 at 5:22pm PDT

Guyana Bird
0.75 oz Campari
0.5 oz lime juice
0.5 oz simple syrup
2 oz pineapple juice
1 oz orange juice
1 oz Lemon Hart
1 oz Gosling's 151

Shake and dump with crushed ice as a Mail Tai. Garnish as you see fit. I found this to be dry but not austre like a Zombie. A delicate balance of sweet and bitter; a refreshing  slow sipper.

I posted a photo of the drink to Instagram and Tiare thought I'd named it wrong!

"Oh [I] forgot about that one!" She commented once I'd posted a link to the recipe. Ahh, to have so many recipes you forget about one.

I hope these recipes help quench your thirst and that I've pointed you toward good sources of drinks.

Cheers!
Be well

Shaken; Stirred; Crushed. Third Week of August

Greetings! It's been a while. Never mind about that...

I've got a new idea. Three drinks a week. Let's see how long I can keep it up shall we?

Last week's Stirred drink:

My approximation of @dhbraganca’s French Impressions via @fredericyarm’s instagram via @onthebar Cheers!

A post shared by dagreb (@dagreb) on Aug 15, 2018 at 2:35pm PDT

French Impression
0.75 oz Vermouth Berto Apertiv DLA Tradission
0.75 oz Nordesia Vermú Blanco
0.25 oz Citadelle Gin
1.25 oz Byrrh
Orange twist

For some time now I've used Nordesia Blanco as a sub for Dolin Blanc. I've also used it as a sub for Cocchi Americano/Kina.  So imagine my consternation when I came across (via Fred Yarm) a drink calling for Dolin Blanc and Cocchi Americano! I pondered for a while and ultimately chose a peidmont Bianco as my sub. Sure I could've just bought some Lillet but where's the fun in that? Ultimately I subbed everything else in this Dan Braganca drink too. I didn't notice the peach finish that Fred mentioned but definitely found the orange twist tied the impression together.

Shaken:

Culross
0.75 oz Cocchi Americano (Berto Apertiv DLA Tradission)
0.75 oz Smith & Cross (Appleton White)
0.75 oz Rothman & Winter (Luxardo Albicocca) 
0.75 oz lemon juice. 
Shake. Strain. Up .

I first encountered the Culross many years ago at FIG in Charleston. It's always a solid choice .

Crushed:

In the ever ongoing saga of trying to keep up with CVS my most recent lacking product has been Malort. I took to Twitter for advice on substitutions. Most were tongue in cheek responses alluding to its awfulness but some were genuine recommendations.  Unfortunately most of the most similar products are also not available in this jurisdiction. Nevertheless I soldiered on in my attempt to make Fred's Cutman.
So far one recipe falls in line with the iced tea description and one does not. I've got two more substitutes to try and I'll report my findings then. In then meantime these and many other delicious recipes can be found at cocktailvirgin.blogspot.com.

Cheers!
Be well