cocktails again

Hi folks,

I've been perusing a few previous cocktail threads, and have two questions for you:

--What is your favorite bourbon cocktail? Of course, I'm well acquainted with the Manhattan, which I make at home (using different ratios of bourbon/vermouth/bitters and, I confess, the syrup the maraschinos come in, depending on my mood/drink function), and I also like making a version of the mint julep, once our mint plants kick it into gear. I also plan on giving the sazarac another chance--the single one I've ever had made for me was just too sweet. (And this, coming from a guy who sometimes uses cherry syrup in his Manhattan.) What are some lesser-known or forgotten bourbon classics?

--What is your favorite non-bourbon cocktail? Again, I must confess to usually ordering a dry vodka martini with olives as an apertif. Good bang for the buck, and it makes a nice appetizer. If I'm feeling like something sweeter, there's a local place that makes what is, essentially, a tequila sidecar. Pretty tasty.

What are you favorites? What's worth checking out?

Not so much a cocktail as a highball, but bourbon and ginger ale is quite good, especially with a good spicy ginger ale. I also mixed bourbon with some sparklig cider, which made for a really refreshing drink.
I also like the occasional old-fashioned.

Spicy ginger ale, any particular brands you like or use?

For bourbon it's either an old fashioned or a Sazerac. My Sazerac's aren't too sweet.

I wonder what others use for the absinthe part? I use a Pernod wash of the glass.

For non-bourbon cocktails with whiskey it would be the sidecar.

I also like gin very much. A dry martini is a beautiful thing. I also like Negronis. I cut the sweet vermouth in half though. It looks kinda girly, but it's italian and how can anything italian be girly?

My favorite summer drink is the Tom Collins. Half a lemon, gin, soda water. Simple, delicious and a pleasure on the beach.

I'm not much for vodka. Bloody Mary's are about the extent of it.

Aside from bourbon and coke the only bourbon cocktail that I've tried is a Manhattan. I wasn't terribly impressed. May try it again when I can make it myself. Have to find some bitters.

Non-bourbon favorite is an extra dry Martini:

Fill glass with crushed ice and water
While chilling fill shaker with ice. Add about 1 oz. of dry Vermouth to shaker. Shake a couple of times to coat ice then discard.
Add gin to shaker (Beefeater or Saphire preferably)
Shake and strain into glass (after discarding ice and water)
Add two olives and 1 tsp (maybe) of olive juice

I generally drink my bourbon straight but my wife likes hers with cranberry juice.

Bourbon Old Fahioned is my only cocktail to be honest. For a change try it with lime instead of orange - it really works well.

Here's one I like. It was available at Trader Joe's in CA. Can't find it since I moved from the big city. Tried Vernor's last week. It's too sweet for my taste.

Yours truly,
Dave Morefield

My Sazerac cocktails are always too sweet. I like them too sweet. :cool:

I recently started making my own Manhattan cocktails and they are very nice. Every Manhattan I ever ordered in a bar was basically undrinkable. I honestly don't think there are many real bartenders left, anymore, just guys who can slop together a bunch of mamby pamby crap. I guess mamby pamby crap is what sells, these days. :skep:

I like a good dry martini made with good gin. Tom Collins, again made with gin.

I like rum drinks in the summer. Myers's Planters Punch, daquiri cocktail (NOT frozen), Hemingway daquiri (no sugar, just rum, lime, and lots of ice). I love pina coladas too much.

I even imagine I would still enjoy a rusty nail, but I haven't had one in probably over thirty years.

Tim

I'm relatively new to bourbon cocktails. For now, I like mint julep very much. And sometimes I prefer to mix bourbon with tonic water (Schwepps) on the rocks, with a sice of lime. I'll try some others during the summer.