The Finer Things In Life

[Heads22]

Relaxing with a Shandy.

 

For whatever reason, the Boulevard I had the other night was just delicious.

[FlaSoxxJim]

Relaxing with a Shandy.

 

For whatever reason, the Boulevard I had the other night was just delicious.

 

If the Boulevard you refer to is a cocktail, boy what a can of worms that opens up.

 

I have run into three totally different recipes all called Boulevard. Of the two historic cocktails, one is gin-based and one is based on a pastis liqueur. The only one I have actually tried is a third version made with rye, light vermouth and Grand Marnier and it is a winner. Is that the one you had?

[FlaSoxxJim]

someone start talking about beer again! ive never been a mixed drink guy, im more of a straight whiskey kind of guy, straight out of the bottle that is...

 

 

My upcoming beer adventures include a bottle of Sierra Nevada/New Clarvaux Dubel and a bottle of Ballast Point Sea Monster Imperial Stout that I just picked up today. I have been looking forward to trying both of these, so I was happy to see them on the shelves today.

Edited May 26, 2011 by FlaSoxxJim

[Heads22]

If the Boulevard you refer to is a cocktail, boy what a can of worms that opens up.

 

I have run into three totally different recipes all called Boulevard. Of the two historic cocktails, one is gin-based and one is based on a pastis liqueur. The only one I have actually tried is a third version made with rye, light vermouth and Grand Marnier and it is a winner. Is that the one you had?

 

 

[FlaSoxxJim]

 

Ah, Boulevard Beer is what I had originally thought, but then I thought maybe not. The IPA and the wheat are the only things I think I have had from them and I thought both of those were decent brews.

[Heads22]

It's just a treat to get anything off the tap that isn't Bud Light lately (simply, at the bar, gettin drunk beer).

[southsider2k5]

So would it be out of line to file a lawsuit against Miller for insinuating the Lite is somehow a manly beer? That stuff is tasteless.

[flippedoutpunk]

It's just a treat to get anything off the tap that isn't Bud Light lately (simply, at the bar, gettin drunk beer).

 

I agree.. Any place that has gumballhead on tap is A-OK in my book.

[bigruss]

If anybody lives in the NW burbs, check out Barleyhouse. Pretty good food, and awesome beer selections. They tend to have 10 or so good to great beers on draft, and have a weekly or monthly beer flight (can't remember which).

 

You won't ever have to worry about having a Bud Light or Miller Light there.

[chetkincaid]

If anybody lives in the NW burbs, check out Barleyhouse. Pretty good food, and awesome beer selections. They tend to have 10 or so good to great beers on draft, and have a weekly or monthly beer flight (can't remember which).

 

You won't ever have to worry about having a Bud Light or Miller Light there.

 

 

I don't know if it's been mentioned, but Two Brothers in Warrenville is also very nice. It's just hard as hell to find the place if you've never been there.

[FlaSoxxJim]

With ED 12 you are doing alright.

 

An interesting rum to try when you find it is Sergeant Classick gold. It is a pot still rum made in San Francisco with molasses from Hawaii. I bought a bottle back last September and I found it interesting but hard to mix with — just couldn't find the right cocktail for it despite it having a lot of interesting pot still esters in the flavor profile. So the bottle sat around half-full for months until last week when I was watching the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie with the family and I thought I try it in a traditional bumbo (the real pirate rum drink — grog was an attempt by the Royal Navy to keep its sailors from getting too trashed).

 

WOW!! This rum is absolutely brilliant in a bumbo, and I really wonder if it isn't rather similar to the type of rim that would have been a 17th pirate staple. Pot-stilled but unaged and a bit green, really needing a just bit of spicing up to really be enjoyable.

 

Bumbo is fun with any flavorful gold rum, but I think the Sergeant Classick is just a perfect fit in this drink.

 

• 2 oz. good gold rum

• 1 oz. cool water

• grated nutmeg to taste

• grated cinnamon to taste

 

Notice the lack of ice for 17th century pirate authenticity. Note also the lack of lime. Short haul pirates didn't need to worry about scurvy the way the Royal Navy's sailors did. Try this when you are looking for a change of pace.

 

Ach, I just realized I left out a key Bumbo ingredient: 2 tsp. demerara sugar! Sorry!

[bigklita]

I don't know if it's been mentioned, but Two Brothers in Warrenville is also very nice. It's just hard as hell to find the place if you've never been there.

 

Two Brothers is great, but your right it is hard to find. However, they just bought The Roundhouse in downtown Aurora. I am really excited to see them turn that place around. The building is amazing, but over the past few years the management has just run the place in the ground. I think one of the best things about the Kane County Cougars is that I can get Two Brothers when I go to a game!

[G&T]

Ach, I just realized I left out a key Bumbo ingredient: 2 tsp. demerara sugar! Sorry!

 

Well I haven't tried it yet, so no worries there. Of course now I will have to bite the bullet for demerara sugar...damn.

[knightni]

http://www.curiosityshoptea.com/store/prod...ra-Sugar-Cubes/

[G&T]

http://www.curiosityshoptea.com/store/prod...ra-Sugar-Cubes/

 

Oh I know where I can buy it. But it's pricey when you can buy a giant box of sugar in the raw for that price.

 

Edit: actually that's a pound you linked to which is cheaper than I can get it for...I think.

Edited May 26, 2011 by G&T

[knightni]

Hard to believe that it's only $2.75.

[FlaSoxxJim]

The bargain basement price is because the grocery stores just call coarse brown sugar in the raw "demerara" even if it is not Guyana sugar cane. And for this purpose, grocery store demerara sugar is just fine.

 

The Mixoloseum Thursday Night Drink Night theme tonight is "In Memorial Of. . . " My original contribution tonight will be the The Elizabeth Reed Cocktail, made as follows:

 

1 oz Scarlet Ibis Trinidad rum

1 oz Old New Orleans Cajun Spice rum

0.5 oz. pure maple syrup

1 tsp. St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram

 

Shake w/ice, double strain up into a cocktail coupe. Yumm!!!

[G&T]

The lineup I went with last night was:

 

coconauts - awesome stuff

Painkillers - hadn't had one in a while but damn good

Hurricanes

Sidewinders

 

 

Seemed to go over well, but a pain in the ass to deal with in a small kitchen. One good move was warming the coconut cream and putting it in a plastic water bottle before going. It stayed liquefied and easy to pour. One thing I do forget is that these drinks are meant to show off the rum which these people weren't quite used to.

[FlaSoxxJim]

The lineup I went with last night was:

 

coconauts - awesome stuff

Painkillers - hadn't had one in a while but damn good

Hurricanes

Sidewinders

 

 

Seemed to go over well, but a pain in the ass to deal with in a small kitchen. One good move was warming the coconut cream and putting it in a plastic water bottle before going. It stayed liquefied and easy to pour. One thing I do forget is that these drinks are meant to show off the rum which these people weren't quite used to.

 

Quite a tropical lineup there. Very nice.

 

I played bartender a bit this weekend at a Memorial Day party at my parents' place on Kissimmee. Dad has a nice upstairs bar that I have finally taught him how to stock reasonably well. I only had to bring a couple handbags of specialty rums and other ingredients along which is quite a bit less than I usually have to haul anywhere I intend to do any serious mixology.

[G&T]

So many updates on my drinking life

 

First, I tried the bumbo and I'm impressed. made with VX. Came out perfectly sweet and a touch spicy but I figure a spicier rum would work better for balance. For a warm drink it is surprisingly drinkable. Great suggestion!

 

On the beer front, I grabbed Bells Double Cream Stout and Founders Imperial Stout while in Charleston. Both are very good, but the imperial stout is incredible. Poured dark as ink and thick as oil. Most intimidating beer I've seen. But the taste is anything but intimidating. Rich and sweet with the perfect hop balance. A touch of fruit lingers. Best imperial stout I've had. Just perfect.

 

Sipping a Dale's Pale Ale from Oskar Blues right now. Would fall into IPA territory for many breweries. Excellent citrus hop, but little malt for balance. Nevertheless, excellent brew with plenty of grapefruit in the nose and a touch of pine.

[G&T]

One more thing. As I've mentioned many times, I don't get Coruba around here so I've been drinking Myers. I was told last night by a friend that Myers is pretty terrible compared to other dark rums and I've read that before. He suggested Trader Vics. I know Goslings and Blackstrap are available here as well.

 

What's the suggestion based on those options?

[G&T]

Quite a tropical lineup there. Very nice.

 

I played bartender a bit this weekend at a Memorial Day party at my parents' place on Kissimmee. Dad has a nice upstairs bar that I have finally taught him how to stock reasonably well. I only had to bring a couple handbags of specialty rums and other ingredients along which is quite a bit less than I usually have to haul anywhere I intend to do any serious mixology.

 

 

So do you do any prep before going or do everything on location? Like, if you were doing a mai tai, would you consider combining the orgeat, simple, and curacao (or whatever you're using) into a mix and do rum and lime for each drink to speed things up?

 

If I were to play bartender and had to do sidewinders again, I think I would combine the juices and syrup and just mix in the rum for speed and space.

[FlaSoxxJim]

So many updates on my drinking life

 

First, I tried the bumbo and I'm impressed. made with VX. Came out perfectly sweet and a touch spicy but I figure a spicier rum would work better for balance. For a warm drink it is surprisingly drinkable. Great suggestion!

 

On the beer front, I grabbed Bells Double Cream Stout and Founders Imperial Stout while in Charleston. Both are very good, but the imperial stout is incredible. Poured dark as ink and thick as oil. Most intimidating beer I've seen. But the taste is anything but intimidating. Rich and sweet with the perfect hop balance. A touch of fruit lingers. Best imperial stout I've had. Just perfect.

 

Sipping a Dale's Pale Ale from Oskar Blues right now. Would fall into IPA territory for many breweries. Excellent citrus hop, but little malt for balance. Nevertheless, excellent brew with plenty of grapefruit in the nose and a touch of pine.

 

Bells Double Cream is solid, and sadly I have yet to be able to try anything from Founders. The Oskar Blues stuff is all very good too. I think I will push to take a lot of their stuff out on our next camping trip just because the crushable cans are so easy to haul out.

 

Try the Bumbo with Pusser's and see how that turns out.

[FlaSoxxJim]

One more thing. As I've mentioned many times, I don't get Coruba around here so I've been drinking Myers. I was told last night by a friend that Myers is pretty terrible compared to other dark rums and I've read that before. He suggested Trader Vics. I know Goslings and Blackstrap are available here as well.

 

What's the suggestion based on those options?

 

I would say Gosling's for sure out of that lineup. Cruzan Blackstrap is an awesome rum, but it is too overpowering to sub in all the Jeff Berry drinks that call for dark Jamaican.

 

As far as Trader Vic's rums, they changed their lineup a coupld of years ago and the product they now label as dark rum is more equivalent to a Jamaican or PR gold rum. 10 years ago they had a rum labeled as "mai tai rum" and it was supposedly a mix of Jamaican and Martinique rums that came mai tai ready. I have looked for years for a dusty bottle of this on a store shelf somewhere but have never found it. I thought I had found that rum relabeled as "Trader Vic's Autehntic Dark" a coupld of years ago and snatched up that bottle only to be disappointed by it in the end. It was a great dark looking rum but there was a a funky chemical taste to it that really marred soem of the interesting flavors that were in there.

[FlaSoxxJim]

So do you do any prep before going or do everything on location? Like, if you were doing a mai tai, would you consider combining the orgeat, simple, and curacao (or whatever you're using) into a mix and do rum and lime for each drink to speed things up?

 

If I were to play bartender and had to do sidewinders again, I think I would combine the juices and syrup and just mix in the rum for speed and space.

 

I have no problem premixing if I know I am going to serve up a lot of something. If Painkillers are the drink of the evening I wouldn't hesitate to premx a big jug of pineapple, OJ, and Coco Lopez and just add the Pussers to individual drinks.

 

I have been able to get away with that less and less, however, as various friends have each started to count on me to make them each their own favorite drink when we all get together. Our get-togethers are typically a dozen people or less though, so it's not a huge deal either way.

Edited June 5, 2011 by FlaSoxxJim