The Finer Things In Life

[FlaSoxxJim]

I love this time of year for beer. Sam Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale is one of the best pumpkin ales out there.

 

Pumpkin ales, harvest beers, Oktoberfests. . .I agree, what's not to love!!

 

[G&T]

Last night I used the Appleton to make a simple daiquiri. That was pretty damn good. Such a simple drink and so much better than premade stuff. I will probably cut back a bit on the syrup (not that I had too much) next time so I can get a bit more rum flavor. I also retried the mai tai, but I still dont have the orgeat. Nevertheless, I realized I had over done the rum on the first try so it was too strong. This time it was balanced enough that even my wife liked it. Can't wait to get that orgeat.

 

That Pusser's Painkiller is simple enough so I will probably try that soon.

 

Oh and today is the Octoberfest block party at the biergarten. I'll be drinking in about an hour.

Edited October 2, 2010 by G&T

[FlaSoxxJim]

A classic shaken daiquiri with rum lime and sugar served up is a thing of beauty. The standard rum-lime-simple ratio of 2-1-1/2 is a good starting point. More recently I've been hooked on booze logger Rumdood's tweaked ratio of 2 oz rum to 0.75 ps lime to 2 tsp rich simple as an almost bulletproof recipe. Add 1-2 tsp of maraschino liqueur for a Floridita daiquiri or a splash of fresh white grapefruit juice for a Hemmingway daiquiri. Yumm!

[G&T]

Pussers painkillers are yummy.

 

But how do I keep the coconut cream from congealing at the bottom?

Edited October 2, 2010 by G&T

[FlaSoxxJim]

Pussers painkillers are yummy.

 

But how do I keep the coconut cream from congealing at the bottom?

 

Prewarm the coco Lopez by putting it into a pan of water and heating it on the stove. Then shake it thoroughly to mix up the fatty layer with the thick syrupy layer. Then add it to the rest of the ingredients in the iced shaker last and shake like crazy again. Perfect every time.

[G&T]

A classic shaken daiquiri with rum lime and sugar served up is a thing of beauty. The standard rum-lime-simple ratio of 2-1-1/2 is a good starting point. More recently I've been hooked on booze logger Rumdood's tweaked ratio of 2 oz rum to 0.75 ps lime to 2 tsp rich simple as an almost bulletproof recipe. Add 1-2 tsp of maraschino liqueur for a Floridita daiquiri or a splash of fresh white grapefruit juice for a Hemmingway daiquiri. Yumm!

 

That seems overly syruppy, no?

 

And I did warm the cream but there still some chunks. Oh well, still awesome.

[FlaSoxxJim]

That seems overly syruppy, no?

 

And I did warm the cream but there still some chunks. Oh well, still awesome.

 

Two teaspoons of simple is about 2/3 of what is called for in the typical 1/2-oz specification. I find it a good balance of rum and tart and sweet, bu by all means back it down if you don't like much sweetness to balance the lime.

[G&T]

Two teaspoons of simple is about 2/3 of what is called for in the typical 1/2-oz specification. I find it a good balance of rum and tart and sweet, bu by all means back it down if you don't like much sweetness to balance the lime.

 

Frankly, measurements are foreign to me so i have no concepts of whats bigger than what. I need to work on that.

[FlaSoxxJim]

Frankly, measurements are foreign to me so i have no concepts of whats bigger than what. I need to work on that.

 

Ach! Measure everything! You're not making a jack and coke, precision counts. Especially as you are groundtruthing a new drink you're going to want to know how much of each ingredient you used so once you get it just right you can repeat it.

[G&T]

Ach! Measure everything! You're not making a jack and coke, precision counts. Especially as you are groundtruthing a new drink you're going to want to know how much of each ingredient you used so once you get it just right you can repeat it.

 

No no. I measure everything. But I cannot off hand tell the size of a tablespoon compared to an ounce.

[FlaSoxxJim]

No no. I measure everything. But I cannot off hand tell the size of a tablespoon compared to an ounce.

 

Ok that makes me feel better. Get yourself a measuring shot that has ounces, tablespoons, teaspoons, and ml on it and you'll very quickly get a feel for converting between units. A tablespoon is about a half-ounce, and there are three teaspoons to a tablespoon. That is the most common interconversion you'll have to make.

[G&T]

I am definitely becoming fond of the Appleton as opposed to the Pussers. The sweetness, unsurprisingly, draws me in. Not unlike my love of belgian beers. Nevertheless, I made a pussers daiquiri just to try it out and I found it hot and just not right. I could have put in more syrup but that makes me sick eventually. I will stick with the Appleton.

[FlaSoxxJim]

Isn't it amazing how different a drink can come out when you use a different rum? I mostly save the Pussers for paikillers and navy grogs or for sipping. There's actually I think six different runs from different stills from Jamaica, Guyana and/or Trinidad (I can't remember), aged in vats and barrels stored beneath the Thames in London. There's a lot going on in that rum

[G&T]

Im totally ODing on coconut cream. I think my teeth are rotting. Meanwhile I got the orgeat and made a damn fine Mai tai. I will a proper revue when I feel I have the recipe down. But what I'm drinking now is really good.

[FlaSoxxJim]

I can load you up with some excellent coco cream recipes when you are ready.

[FlaSoxxJim]

I have been eying Ron Atlantico private Cask rum from the Dominican Republic for about a year, and finally picked up a bottle tonight. It's a solera style (fractional blending) aged rum blended from select small casks aged 15-25 years and it has been compared favorably to similarly aged fine rums like Zaya and Zacapa 23. Looking forward to sipping this one tonight.

[FlaSoxxJim]

OK, I'm sipping the Ron Atlantico neat and finding it to be most excellent. Quite like Zacapa 23 or Zaya Gran Reserva — maybe slightly less sweet than Zacapa. Gorgeous dark amber color with heavy legs that give way to beads of rum on the sides of the glass. Caramel, vanilla, toffee and maybe a bit of smoke on the nose. All that and more on the swallow with a long lingering caramel finish. At $27, this rum is an absolute bargain.

 

Need to try it in a couple of cocktail next. I make a shaken/served up daiquiri with Zaya and Canton ginger liqueur that I think this will work equally well in. It might also be a nice rich tum to pair with an agricole in a mai tai.

[dasox24]

I'm going to miss the Fall seasonal beers. They're already being phased out it seems to some Winter ales.

 

But I will say, I had a fantastic pumpkin-spice beer from Cottonwood last week, and Hacker Oktoberfest was delicious as well.

[FlaSoxxJim]

I'm going to miss the Fall seasonal beers. They're already being phased out it seems to some Winter ales.

 

But I will say, I had a fantastic pumpkin-spice beer from Cottonwood last week, and Hacker Oktoberfest was delicious as well.

 

The Hacker Oktoberfest was indeed delicious — probably my favorite of the Munich festbiers this year.

 

I actually baked some pumpkin meat during Halloween pumpkin carving and made pumpkin juice to do a nice pumpkin grog with Sailor Jerry and Old New Orleans spiced rums and some fresh apple cider. Very seasonal and tasty.

[FlaSoxxJim]

Oooohh, an all Dominican mai tai with Ron Atlantico and Matusalem Gran Reserva is quite exceptional. Using a homemade orgeat syrup that really gives it a velvety smoothness.

[hogan873]

I like the winter beers, as well. I think that fall and winter are the best time for beers. As a matter of fact, I may have to drop by Binny's this week and take a look...

[bigklita]

 

This is why I love The Discovery Channel.

[dasox24]

 

This is why I love The Discovery Channel.

Sweet! Thanks for posting that. I will be watching.

[FlaSoxxJim]

 

This is why I love The Discovery Channel.

 

Very Cool!

[BigSqwert]

World’s Most Expensive Beer Made From Melted Antarctic Ice