Be Excellent To Each Other

I am currently drinking an Old Fashioned, often called the "ur-cocktail" because it was literally the first. Documented in the 1880s in American literature, it was a breakfast drink (!) and simply called a "cock-tail" at the time.

1 part simple syrup
12 parts whiskey -- I use Canadian Club, which is a rye whiskey. If you use 1 tsp syrup, you need 2.5 oz of booze. You can use any brown liquor, in theory at least.
1-3 dashes Angostura bitters, to taste
One ice cube
Lemon twist
Maraschino cherry

Mix syrup and bitters (more authentic recipes call for a sugar cube to be muddled with bitters, but it's hard to dissolve all the sugar) in an old fashioned glass (or any tumbler). Add whiskey and stir with a small bar spoon. Garnish with lemon twist and cherry, add one ice cube.

What's your favourite cocktail?

Wine.

I like a long island Ice tea. but I don't know what is in it.

or Guinness and black

I like all the gay ones that come in pretty colours in margherita glasses, but if i'm trying act at least a quarter butch, i'll go for a Mojito.

When it comes to beer, i'm a stout man though, so stop looking at me that way...

All of them. I've never once in my life found myself, when confronted with the option of cocktails, deciding on one and drinking it all night. ALL OF THEM. AS MANY DIFFERENT ONES AS I CAN HAVE BEFORE PASSING OUT.

I once ordered a mojito in a bar in San Francisco in January. "That's a summer drink," said the snooty bartender, "order something else." "I'm Welsh', I remarked, pointing at the drizzle outside. "This is summer. Make my drink."

@WTB: me, Danielle, and a friend of ours once ran up an obscene tab at this place: http://www.sablechicago.com/files/menu/menu_76.pdf It was incredible. And my god, the hangover.

Oh my!

There's a place in York called Evil Eye which has a similarly insane cocktail menu. A night in there will cost you, but they make a hell of a good cocktail.

edit: http://www.evileyelounge.com/downloads/ ... 20Menu.pdf

I didn't realise people actually drank cocktails, or not men at least.

Great thread Doc, now we're talking!

My absolute fave is a Margarita, but it does have to be a hot, sunny afternoon (or early evening) in the garden. Dead easy to make. I like mine extra-sharp for that "zing factor", and the salted, correct triangular cocktail glass (a large one lol) is essential, since you've already gone to a fair amount of time, trouble and expense:

Serves 1

2.5 measures Jose Cuervo GOLD Tequila (MUST be this, not the el cheapo white stuff)
1 measure Cointreau
1.5 measures freshly squeezed lime juice (that you have just done yourself)
Large ice cubes
COCKTAIL salt (which is very finely ground and contains sugar, DON'T just use table salt like I idiotically did once, you'll end up with an emetic for your troubles)

Place ice cubes into your cocktail shaker - plenty of them. Pour all the ingredients in and shake until all the ice has melted and there's a frost forming on the shaker enclosure (min 3-4 mins of constant shaking).

Rub the rim of your cocktail glass with a fresh lime wedge, then invert into your sprinkled cocktail salt. You only want a very thin line of salt.

Pour in your cocktail (strainer on; no ice in the glass) and enjoy... pure bliss. Be warned though, they are very moreish and unbelievably potent! All that Vitamin C combined with good alcohol makes for a huge, feelgood energy boost as well, meaning you can easily get carried away...

Meh. You haven't lived mate; I have books and books full of cocktail recipes - love it.

I probably drink more Bloody Marys than any other cocktail (one of your five a day) but I do enjoy a good Margarita.

It's been a while since I've been to a place with a proper cocktail menu, generally I just grab some juice from the fridge and pour liquor in it. I have found that grape juice will float atop pineapple juice and make it look more 'professional'.

Cocktail salt........

Is that even a thing?

But calling Jose Cuervo 'good' tequila would get you killed in Mexico.

Fair do's mate, Tequila is one of those drinks I know bugger all about. All I know is, the Gold coloured stuff (which is quite pricey to be fair, relatively) tastes so much nicer in a Margarita than the really nasty stuff. Mind you, I'd love to try one with a really good Tequila in it, any recommendations please mate? (Including where to buy? I might need some in a couple of months )

I suppose you're too busy sticking dildos up your arse?

Yup, just bought some off Amazon, about a fiver and lasts forever. Here's the type of thing I'm on about

http://www.gotmartini.com/CocktailCrystals.htm

No doubt you can make it yourself, but I can't be arsed dicking about when I can buy a nice sealable container of it for a couple or three quid.

Whatever Craster gave me to taste at the cottage.

Tequila bottles, actually.

Was it a cock or a tail?

A Vodka Martini (either with a twist or olive) is another one of my faves, but these are brutal. Fantastic party-starter and all-round aperitif.

Serves 1 (VERY potent)

0.5 measure Noilly Prat Vermouth
2.5 measures Smirnoff Black Label Vodka (or better yet, Grey Goose if budget allows)
Large ice cubes
Twist of lemon peel

Pour all ingredients into shaker and shake for approx 1 minute. Strainer on, pour into large cocktail glass and add lemon twist garnish.

Mrs Caveman loves Champagne Charlies, but they're one of the few cocktails that I don't like. Feck me, they are also lethal as well though. (In fact, I don't like any Champagne, and very few brandy cocktails - what a waste of Champagne!)

I don't do whiskey so can't touch an Old Fashioned, but my youngest son in law adores 'em. They do take quite some stirring to make properly though.

So what's the appeal of cocktails then?

Serious question

Like most folks we had a phase of making them as students and I seem to recall me and Mrs AE sampling a few back in the day, but as best I can recall they're a massively expensive way to drink and half of them just taste like sickly shit and have dreadful names like 'Walt Disney's Cockbanging Snatchtickler'.

They're almost like a pub novelty at the end of the evening when everyone's too pissed to care what they're drinking or how much it costs.

I did go through a phase of drinking Mount Gay rum with proper ginger beer, freshly squeezed lime juice and crushed ice cubes - does that count as a cocktail?

I stopped on those because:

1) They were far too lovely
2) They were expensive to make
3) 'That' hangover I delivered to myself one fateful day.......

So up to now you've had 'unbelievably potent' and 'VERY potent' - are cocktails just a way for people with quite a lot of cash to get pissed in a socially acceptable way?

No, cocktails are socially acceptable way for people with quite a lot of cash to drink alcopops.

Hang on, they're just two examples of what I happen to like. There are plenty of less brutal cocktails; a nice Strawberry Daiquiri springs to mind.

Cocktails don't have to be any more expensive than 'normal' drinks (and much cheaper than fruit machines ). They just taste nice and are fun, and both men and women can enjoy them together. Lighten up.

I ordered a Vodka Martini once. Was feeling particularly 'Brosnan'. Somebody could've bloody told me it was basically neat vodka. A plant died that night.

The BETEO:

3 measures of Poteen
2 measures of Cocoroco
2 tablespoons of the rarest veal
2 pints of Naga chili extract
Spin cycle for 40 minutes at the hottest temperature your washing machine will go to.

Serve over broken fine crystal glass in a car.

I'd hardly call a Vodka Martini an alcopop. But even if it was, so what? If I make a home-made meal, is this somehow "poncey" or pretentious 'cause I could've bought a pre-prepared TV dinner?

The Browns chain of bars do a drink called a High-proof Mojito, made with Wray and Nephew rum. You may have heard me go on about them before.
By buggery they're good.

A few too many Wray & Nephews and you'd think anything was good, buggery included.

There's a really nice cocktail bar in Camden called Bar55. Well, I say really nice, it is a good cocktail bar that is quite cheap, but it is no way swanky or pretentious, I have spent many a happy-hour there sampling their extensive menu. If anyone happens to find themselves in Camden, I can thoroughly recommend it. As for favourite, it depends on what mood I am in, if it is a hot sunny day, something with fruit or even an ice cream based one, it is an evening, maybe a Martini or a champagne cocktail. I think in general though I like ones with lots of ice, like a mojito, Moscow mule or a Dark and Stormy (which is what your rum cocktail is AE).

When in Singapore, we had to go to the Long Bar in the Raffles Hotel and have a Singapore Sling. On first taste it was "Oh...not sure", halfway down it was "mmm, getting the hang of this" and by the bottom of the glass it was a case of "waiter, line up five more of these beautiful babies, right now".

I'm shameless, though. I just tend to have daiquiris by the pool/beach. And it has to have an umbrella. Not right without the umbrella.

Cavey, for tequila you want to get Patron.

But it is expensive.

They do silver, gold, and (weirdly) coffee. I have bottles of most of em for the rare times I want tequila. You would probably like the gold the best.

Not sure where best to buy where you are, but good wine shops tend to stock it.

Singapore Sling is nice, Pliss!

Also, run punch! I can take a drink, but two of those in Barbados and you're struggling! The wife makes a very good version of it, and also a very good breakfast martini.

I like the look of those Singapore Slings!

It makes you happy.

I quite like sex on the beach (which I once drank, whilst almost having sex on the beach)

and moomoo (not sure of the spelling)

Malc

That bar is excellent, they do 2 for 1 on weeknights or something as well. They also have loads of really cool limited run band posters on the wall as well, I want a couple of them to frame and put on the wall.

My favourite cocktails are Bloody Mary's, French Martini's and Cosmopolitan's.

Look at the cocktail recipe I started the thread with. Triple shot of whiskey, dash of syrup, dash of bitters. Hardly an alcopop, so please stop cluttering my thread with pointless bollocks, AE.

Cavey -- even half decent tequila is hard to find in the UK, in my experience. For margaritas, I use El Jimador blanco. I don't like brown tequila or Grand Marnier in margaritas because you get a murky colour. For sipping, I have some Hereadura Añejo. Both came from Waitrose. They weren't cheap though; £30 and £45, respectively, I think.

(Also, for margaritas, we use 42:21; four parts tequila, two parts lime, two parts triple sec, one part sugar syrup. Plenty of sea salt on the glass. What do you use?)

WTB -- Sable in Chicago was one of the best places I've ever been drunk. It was astounding. There's a picture of the bar in my Flickr which is amazing. They had hundreds of bottles.

Here's a shot of the bar in Sable: http://www.flickr.com/photos/richardgay ... hotostream

They claim to have the widest selection of whiskey and whisky in Chicago. Every distillery I could think of was there, multiple times. They had half a dozen Glenfiddich's, for example.

Doc, you've *so* got to come the BeexBBQ2 man. We can talk about the perfect Tequila to the origins of the universe, as I mix the exotic booze , awesome mate. I'll not take no for an answer.

I'm pissed right now to be sure (a very nice Aussie red: "Battle Island", a typically brash Shiraz but I love it, sunshine in a glass), but I'm serious mate, you know it makes sense.

Thanks for the Tequila recommendations btw mate, I shall check these out. I'll bring 'em down with me for the BBQ, along with my other goodies.

I bought this a few years back. Lovely book. Bound in faux leather and yer kna, I'm an Playboy. *rubs bladspots and greases belly*

Awesome Dimmers - post a few choice recipes from it mate

Feck me, the <FINAL WARNING: CRITICAL ALCOHOL> light has just lit on my dashboard

Holy crap!

I love a cocktail before dinner on the weekend. If done correctly it’s a great drink and will stimulate the appetite before eating.

I like Cosmo, Martini , Margareta, Old fashioned and Manhattan, don’t like cocktails that are made with Gin (where you can really taste it) or those with creams etc in them.

There is a huge difference between a correctly mixed cocktail and the piss that a lot of bars serve.

Take a Margareta; it has 3 things in it, Tequila, Triple Sec and fresh lime juice. Some places make them with pre mixed cordials or even worse Cointreau (instead of Triple Sec)

Well worth reading The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks by David A. Embury, first published in 1948 its regarded as something of a “bible” for cocktail making.

Quite hard to find and is expensive, my copy cost me around £35.

I use this site for hard to find ingredients such as bitters, http://www.ahadleigh-wine.com/About+Us.html

Patron is ok, but its made specificaly for export, in Mexico it costs more that it does in the US as they have to send it to the US then import it again.

This is good http://www.donjulio.com/



Vodka Martini made to that sort of recipe is a almost perfect drink. I can’t believe that you make Margareta with Cointreau though. As soon as you introduce ice to Cointreau it changes from a clear liquid to very pale blue one. This makes the Margareta bitter in my experience.

That key thing to remember with cocktails is that the better quality the hard liquor is the better the drink will be. I don’t always stick to this myself though. I will use a lower quality spirit if I’m having a party at my house, but for myself or smaller gatherings I tend to use the better stuff.

... Ugh.
No-one mention cocktails to me this morning, ta.

I'm not much of a drinker full stop, but I do quite enjoy a Mojito and Long Island Iced Tea. Not together though. Obv.

There was another one I tried at the Slug and Lettuce near the London Eye, but I can remember neither the name nor ingredients. It was bloody nice though, and slayed me.