"I'm like a chocoholic, but with booze!"
Feb. 28th, 2009 10:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
burnunitTitle quote taken from a tee shirt.
Preliminary results from the St. Germain are positive. It's very sweet, however. In fact, so sweet that I almost recommend one substitute it 1:1 for simple syrup. Why dilute all that delicious booze with sugar water, I ask you? When you can sweeten it at forty proof?! Hee hee I will be substituting St Germain for the syrup in a mojito shortly, to put my theory to a real test.
Here's actual recipes I've tried
The French Gimlet (from the St. Germain booklet)
2 oz. gin
1 or 1 1/2 oz. St. Germain
1/2 oz. fresh lime
Stir or shake with ice, strain and serve. This is really where I got the whole "simple syrup" thing: the St-G really did all the sweetening of this gimlet that I could desire. While totally bringing the lovely floral freshness that it's legend it build upon. Pretty much worth the price of admission, this particular drink.
Also tried out a version (don't have all the precisely same ingredients) of the Cheapskate/Unwelcome Houseguest from Cocktail Chronicles.
The Cheapskate (adapted)
2 oz. gin
3/4 oz. sweet vermouth
1/4 oz. St Germain
1 tsp absinthe (I only have pastis)
dash of orange bitters
Stir with ice, serve. Oh man this was quite delightful—warming, refreshing, and how can I put it... constitutional. It was a rich gold/amber color. It was almost what I imagine an ent-draught to be.
In fact, it was this Tolkienesque thought that led me to start fiddling with a recipe of my own, and throw open te whole cabinet. This is a first draft. Still working on this, because I think the combinations don't quite do it. I know I want the floral parts, and at least a little rum. But I want to massage the rest of the flavors. Maybe more sweetness, or maybe some fruit. Or maybe let it stand as it.
The Garden of Earthly Delights
2 oz. gold rum
2 tsp. Herbaint
2 tsp. St. Germain
1 tsp. Cynar
1 tsp. Maraschino
1 tsp. Creme de violette
2 dashes bitters
4 mint leaves
Rub a mint leaf around the inside of a cocktail glass and set aside. Put all ingredients in a shaker with plenty of ice. Shake good and hard—not only does this chill, but it will pulverize the mint and distribute tiny mint flakes throughout—it's quite a striking visual effect.
Obviously I can't exactly put hashish in it, but I think to really implement the "garden of delights" concept, I'm going to have to work a little further east. Maybe some rose water with the bitters, maybe some lemon or muddled lemongrass. Or I know: sumac, and saffron! I was also thinking to amp up the effect of the suspended particles, it'd be fun to include some gold leaf along with the mint. You know, the kind of edible gold leaf you can get, the stuff they use for Indian desserts. That distributed amid the mint flakes? That'd be gorgeous.
I played with vermouth in this, but I was dissatisfied. I'll also try different base spirits, but I have rum in mind. So maybe a split with something else—whisky, cachaca (when I get some), gin of course...
cheers
Preliminary results from the St. Germain are positive. It's very sweet, however. In fact, so sweet that I almost recommend one substitute it 1:1 for simple syrup. Why dilute all that delicious booze with sugar water, I ask you? When you can sweeten it at forty proof?! Hee hee I will be substituting St Germain for the syrup in a mojito shortly, to put my theory to a real test.
Here's actual recipes I've tried
The French Gimlet (from the St. Germain booklet)
2 oz. gin
1 or 1 1/2 oz. St. Germain
1/2 oz. fresh lime
Stir or shake with ice, strain and serve. This is really where I got the whole "simple syrup" thing: the St-G really did all the sweetening of this gimlet that I could desire. While totally bringing the lovely floral freshness that it's legend it build upon. Pretty much worth the price of admission, this particular drink.
Also tried out a version (don't have all the precisely same ingredients) of the Cheapskate/Unwelcome Houseguest from Cocktail Chronicles.
The Cheapskate (adapted)
2 oz. gin
3/4 oz. sweet vermouth
1/4 oz. St Germain
1 tsp absinthe (I only have pastis)
dash of orange bitters
Stir with ice, serve. Oh man this was quite delightful—warming, refreshing, and how can I put it... constitutional. It was a rich gold/amber color. It was almost what I imagine an ent-draught to be.
In fact, it was this Tolkienesque thought that led me to start fiddling with a recipe of my own, and throw open te whole cabinet. This is a first draft. Still working on this, because I think the combinations don't quite do it. I know I want the floral parts, and at least a little rum. But I want to massage the rest of the flavors. Maybe more sweetness, or maybe some fruit. Or maybe let it stand as it.
The Garden of Earthly Delights
2 oz. gold rum
2 tsp. Herbaint
2 tsp. St. Germain
1 tsp. Cynar
1 tsp. Maraschino
1 tsp. Creme de violette
2 dashes bitters
4 mint leaves
Rub a mint leaf around the inside of a cocktail glass and set aside. Put all ingredients in a shaker with plenty of ice. Shake good and hard—not only does this chill, but it will pulverize the mint and distribute tiny mint flakes throughout—it's quite a striking visual effect.
Obviously I can't exactly put hashish in it, but I think to really implement the "garden of delights" concept, I'm going to have to work a little further east. Maybe some rose water with the bitters, maybe some lemon or muddled lemongrass. Or I know: sumac, and saffron! I was also thinking to amp up the effect of the suspended particles, it'd be fun to include some gold leaf along with the mint. You know, the kind of edible gold leaf you can get, the stuff they use for Indian desserts. That distributed amid the mint flakes? That'd be gorgeous.
I played with vermouth in this, but I was dissatisfied. I'll also try different base spirits, but I have rum in mind. So maybe a split with something else—whisky, cachaca (when I get some), gin of course...
cheers