Currently browsing Vermouth
A toast to Old Tom
Old Tom gin, a sweeter gin that was very popular during the eighteenth-century and is often called for in classic cocktail books, has been unavailable for many years. However Christopher Hayman, whose great-grandfather created Beefeater gin, recently launched Hayman’s Old Tom gin, so just how different is Old Tom to London Dry?
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Exploring the Borough
The Brooklyn is one of my favourite cocktails, and there are many great variations on the drink named after Brooklyn neighbourhoods. Vincenzo Errico’s Red Hook started the trend, and drinks inspired by the Red Hook like the Greenpoint and Bensonhurst soon followed.
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Chocolat
As something of a chocoholic I’ve always been disappointed in the quality of both the spirits and the cocktails available. However Austrian distiller promises to change this with a brand new spirit that provides all the flavour of chocolate with none of the sickliness – Mozart Dry
Martini Bitter
More than a year after coming across a cocktail that called for the mysterious ingredient “Martini Bitter” I’ve finally tracked down a few bottles. But was it worth the wait, and how does Martini Bitter stack up to its more famous rival – Campari?
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MxMO – Vermouth
It’s been a little while since I last managed to take part in a Mixology Monday, so I’ve celebrated this months MxMO on vermouth by talking mainly about rum. However the cocktail contains vermouth, and more than makes up for it.
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Le Martini Dijonnais
Liqueurs come in all manner of weird and wonderful flavours. From orange liqueurs to crème de menthe there aren’t many tastes you can’t find in alcoholic form from someone. I thought I’d seen it all, until I received a bottle of mustard liqueur…
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Ransom Old Tom
One of the things I love about travelling is the chance to get hold of rare and exotic ingredients, and top of my list when I headed over the the US for Tales of the Cocktail last month was Ransom Old Tom. But was it worth the effort?
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MxMO – Amaro
This month Mixology Monday features amaros – bitter liqueurs traditionally from Italy that are drank after dinner over ice. The Berlioni is a delicious Negroni variation that uses Cynar, an unusual amaro that is flavoured using artichoke lending it a distinct vegetal note.
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Cocchi Americano
Kina Lillet was immensely popular during the first part of the twentieth century, but its popularity waned during the later half and in 1986 it was reformulated and renamed Lillet Blanc. Many older cocktails still work best with Kina Lillet, and a little-known product called Cocchi Americano may just prove to be the perfect replacement for it.
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Something oude, something new
The first Mixology Monday of this year looks towards New Horizons, and happily coincides with my visit to Amsterdam last weekend. Being in the land of genever and corenwijns I took the chance to explore this spirit I had previously paid little attention to and, now thoroughly sold on it, look forward to exploring more genever-based drinks.
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Coronation Cocktail
I love a good, strong Martini or Manhattan as much as the next lush, but there are occasions where such a strong drink may not be the best course of action. When I find this is the case I often reach for a cocktail based on sherry, a fortified wine that packs plenty of flavour but not so much punch.
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Playing favourites
When people first learn I have a passion for mixology they often ask me what my favourite cocktail is, a question I’m never quite sure how to answer. On certain evenings though, under certain circumstances, I do have a temporary favourite. Tonight that drink is a Manhattan variation that for one day at least, is my favourite cocktail.
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Remember the… er…
A look at a drink from Charles H Baker’s Gentleman’s Companion, the Remember the Maine, which I tried last year and then promptly managed to forget. Two separate occasions whilst I was out in the US brought it back to my attention in two different forms, and I now won’t be forgetting either in a hurry.
