So on the ice front, there are molds at Surly Table that you can get to make cubes pretty darn close to Kold-Draft. They can be a little smelly in the beginning, so it doesn’t hurt to make a couple of batches and toss them. Like pancakes.

You can also freeze muffin tins, cake pans or just fill up some ziplock freezer bags with water and toss them in the freezer overnight. Then wrap a towel around the bag an hit it with something, rolling pin, muddler, hammer, sautee pan, until you have all the kinds of ice you need. This method will yield , crushed ice shaking, cracked, shaking ice, ice and rocks ice and collins ice. (I think the crushed ice that came out of your fridge was too fine to allow the blackberry cordial to lace down through the drink.)

I don’t mind the little bits of mint floating on top op the cocktail, but you are welcome to double strain it if you want.

AAAh, Pimms and Cynar to great things to have in your home bar. There are so many things you can do before the summer is over.

Sounds like you had a great time, which makes me very happy. I would love to know how the home version compares to The Violet Hour version.

Cheers

Toby

Alchemist wrote:Sounds like you had a great time, which makes me very happy. I would love to know how the home version compares to The Violet Hour version.

I did, and it made me quite happy too. Maybe I'll have a chance for Thursday night, depending on what you have scheduled.*

Thanks for the tips on the ice...I've been on the lookout for better trays. I hadn't looked at Sur la Table.



*(There's an eGullet event at The Violet Hour on Thursday night, which I'm pretty excited about. I believe there are still a number of spots available, but you need to sign up and pay today, actually by 10:55 pm.)

Aaron Deacon wrote:I didn't realize before making the blackberry cordial that I'd end up with a pint for a recipe calling for 1/4 tsp. I'll be looking for more uses for this blackberry cordial.

Any kind of fruit syrup like that makes a refreshing soft drink mixed with seltzer. Maybe add a squeeze of lemon.

Hi Toby,

Thanks so much for the Sazerac recipe! I had tried traditional sazeracs before but have not had results that tasted as good as this one. Tried it tonight with Rittenhouse 100, and it was very good, but I think the Rittenhouse was a bit strong for the drink. I can see why 80 proof Old Overholdt may work better. I'll pick some up and try it again soon.

Thanks again,
Michael

LAZ wrote:

Aaron Deacon wrote:I didn't realize before making the blackberry cordial that I'd end up with a pint for a recipe calling for 1/4 tsp. I'll be looking for more uses for this blackberry cordial.

Any kind of fruit syrup like that makes a refreshing soft drink mixed with seltzer. Maybe add a squeeze of lemon.

Plus, it will keep for a very, very long time in the fridge.

Michael,
The Rittenhouse just needs a little more stirring, or a quarter oz cold, filtered water to make it a little less "hot". If I was making one for myself I would go with the Rittenhouse, and leave the Old Overholt for the purists and beginners. If you are heading to a liquor store, for go the Old Overholt, and get either a Sazarac rye or a Mictners rye, both of these make wicked Sazaracs.

Aaron,
Yeah, I guess that is a lot of Cordial for the home. We make it at TVH by the liter, so I brought the amount way down, but making less than a pint and the chance of overbittering it gets really high. But the good news is you can use it in so many cocktails. Blackberry gimlet or Marg, or Daq, or Mojito, or well the list goes on. Anything that has some booze, and citrus in it can be laced with the cordial.

Toby

Alchemist wrote:Yeah, I guess that is a lot of Cordial for the home. We make it at TVH by the liter, so I brought the amount way down, but making less than a pint and the chance of overbittering it gets really high. But the good news is you can use it in so many cocktails. Blackberry gimlet or Marg, or Daq, or Mojito, or well the list goes on. Anything that has some booze, and citrus in it can be laced with the cordial.

Oh, no worries, I'll use it up. I got about 4 lbs of blackberries from the market this weekend for $6, which went into the cordial and some conserve I'll be using for my sister's blackberry-lemon wedding cake. I've got blackberries coming out my ears. It's great.

LAZ, sodas were my first thought too, which I haven't yet done, but I've no doubt will be delicious. Thanks,

Aaron

Last weekend I tried my hand with the Juliet and Romeo. I had completely forgotten to get Beefeater and only had Bombay Sapphire in the house, but other than that, followed the recipe to the letter, using mint from my own little herb garden on the deck. Now, they weren't made by the gifted bartenders in the sanctuary that is the Violet Hour, but they made for mighty tasty sipping on the deck while the pork tenderloin was working on the grill. Some pictures below:


Mis


Side view



Top view

As you can see, I also got bits of mint and lime after straining, but I was just fine with that.

Thank you again Toby for sharing the recipes. I can't wait to make more.

WOW, those look great. The mint looks amazing. I think you will find it much less perfumey with the Beefeater. If you have some Hendricks, try that. Yopu may have to bump the gin to 2.25 oz, as Hendricks is much softer than Beefeater.

Juliet mentioned that there is no Angostura on top of the drink, which is a key element, as is the 1 (one) drop of rose water.

I am so glad that you enjoyed the cocktails.

Toby

Aaron Deacon wrote:Oh, no worries, I'll use it up. I got about 4 lbs of blackberries from the market this weekend for $6, which went into the cordial and some conserve I'll be using for my sister's blackberry-lemon wedding cake. I've got blackberries coming out my ears. It's great.

LAZ, sodas were my first thought too, which I haven't yet done, but I've no doubt will be delicious. Thanks

You can also pour it over pancakes or ice cream. Blackberry ice-cream sodas, maybe? Yum.

Juliet mentioned that there is no Angostura on top of the drink, which is a key element, as is the 1 (one) drop of rose water

Oh, I forgot about the bitters on top! I did remember the rosewater on the mint leaf. You can't see it in the picture, but it is there. But I forgot the extra drops of bitters. Next time I'll get it just right. Thanks for the reminder Toby.

And are there any others on the menus that someone would like to try? The weekend is coming up so I will be happy to set y'all up.

i tried (unsuccessfully) last winter a few times to recreate the chi-town flip and would love to be able to enjoy one from my home in Detroit once the weather starts to get a little cooler....

Chi-Town Flip
2.0 oz. Buffalo Trace Bourbon
.75 oz Tawny Port
1.0 oz. Cream
.75 oz. Licor 43
.25 oz. Simple Syrup
1 Whole Egg

Glass: Collins
Garnish: Grated Nutmeg
3 Drops Fees Old Fashioned Bitters
Ice: None

Mime shake all ingredients. Add KD ice. Shake long and hard. Strain into an empty Collins glass.

This is on the dry side you might want to bump up the 43 a smidge to get a little more vanillia.

Enjoy
Toby

I made this version of the Chi-Town Flip last Christmas and it was a big hit. I lost the napkin that I wrote the recipe on, so I'm really glad to see it here. Thanks, Toby!

Alchemist wrote:Sazerac
2 oz Old Overholdt
¼ oz Demerara Syrup
3 dash Peychauds Bitters

Rinse
Herbsaint (Can substitute Absente, Pernod or Ricard)

Glass: Rocks
Garnish: Lemon Peel (Discarded)
Ice: None

Toby

Hey Toby -

Just made this to your recipe and it's (once again) the best I've had. Couple comments/questions:

1) Love love love the mouth feel and sweetness level of the demerara syrup. I find it much better than using a sugar cube or 50:50 simple.
2) Why do you opt to not drop the peel in the glass after spraying its oil into the drink and rubbing the rim?
3) I know you use droplet bottles for bitters, so how many drops would you consider to be "3 dashes?"

Thank you...

avant-garde wrote:

Alchemist wrote:Sazerac
2 oz Old Overholdt
¼ oz Demerara Syrup
3 dash Peychauds Bitters

Rinse
Herbsaint (Can substitute Absente, Pernod or Ricard)

Glass: Rocks
Garnish: Lemon Peel (Discarded)
Ice: None

Toby

Hey Toby -

Just made this to your recipe and it's (once again) the best I've had. Couple comments/questions:

1) Love love love the mouth feel and sweetness level of the demerara syrup. I find it much better than using a sugar cube or 50:50 simple.
2) Why do you opt to not drop the peel in the glass after spraying its oil into the drink and rubbing the rim?
3) I know you use droplet bottles for bitters, so how many drops would you consider to be "3 dashes?"

Thank you...

Thanks, I agree with you on the demerara, I don't know if I mentioned it but I make my syrup 2 parts sugar to 1 part filtered water.

Since the Saz has no ice the peel floats around like a dead body in a kiddy pool. Not attractive. And it bumps against your lips and teeth everytime you take a sip. So since it is both ugly and annoying, and since you have gotten the essential oils out of it allready, might as well pitch it.

I call 3 drops a dash. Because 3 drops changes the drink noticeably. So three dashes would be 9 drops.

Have you tried this with a little ballsier rye? A 100, or 101? The stirring time is longer, and you may need to bump the bitters to 13 drops.


Toby

Amazing thread. I have recently moved to Los Angeles from Chicago and very very much miss TVH.

After reading this thread I found a few videos of the spherical ice ball things from japan. Seems like they really do get them pretty close to perfectly clear.

http://www.kilian-nakamura.com/catalog/ ... p-244.html

Just scroll down a bit. Kinday neat.

Thanks for all the recipes Toby! Now I can recreate a little VH at home by the beach.

Bryan

Based on that link, it appears to just force the premade ice into a sphere shape through pressure and heat. Kind of a brilliant idea. So, the quality of the ice is roughly the same as whatever you put into it.

Alchemist wrote:

avant-garde wrote:

Alchemist wrote:Sazerac
2 oz Old Overholdt
¼ oz Demerara Syrup
3 dash Peychauds Bitters

Rinse
Herbsaint (Can substitute Absente, Pernod or Ricard)

Glass: Rocks
Garnish: Lemon Peel (Discarded)
Ice: None

Toby

Hey Toby -

Just made this to your recipe and it's (once again) the best I've had. Couple comments/questions:

1) Love love love the mouth feel and sweetness level of the demerara syrup. I find it much better than using a sugar cube or 50:50 simple.

Thanks, I agree with you on the demerara, I don't know if I mentioned it but I make my syrup 2 parts sugar to 1 part filtered water.

Count me as another fan of the demerara syrup -- agree about the mouthfeel/sweetness, but I also catch a little whiff of creamy molasses which I think balances the other sharper flavors/aromas in a great way.

Now that I have a batch, what other cocktails is this syrup best used in ?

Alchemist wrote:I don't know if I mentioned it but I make my syrup 2 parts sugar to 1 part filtered water.

I made it according to your recipe (2-1). I notice it really tightens up in the refrigerator (which makes sense, just sayin'.) I'm surprised that it doesn't have as strong a molasses flavor once in the drink. I thought it would overpower it, but nope.

Alchemist wrote:Since the Saz has no ice the peel floats around like a dead body in a kiddy pool. Not attractive. And it bumps against your lips and teeth everytime you take a sip. So since it is both ugly and annoying, and since you have gotten the essential oils out of it allready, might as well pitch it.

Makes perfect sense. I have always dropped the peel in because that's the way I've always seen it done. But you're right. I hate when it just gets in the way of sipping the drink. Not to mention the fact that if the peel sits in there too long it may begin to pull a little too much bitterness. Either way, no longer dropping in - good to know.

Alchemist wrote: I call 3 drops a dash. Because 3 drops changes the drink noticeably. So three dashes would be 9 drops.

That's what I thought. Just wanted to double-check.

Alchemist wrote:Have you tried this with a little ballsier rye? A 100, or 101? The stirring time is longer, and you may need to bump the bitters to 13 drops.

I have made this with stronger Rye in the past: Wild Turkey Rye 101 and Rittenhouse 100. I've also used Bourbon from time to time. But I really enjoy this combo of Old Overholt and Demerara. The balance is very nice. I just recently purchased an all-wheat whiskey called Bernheim Original Wheat Whiskey (pictured below). I'm curious to know what this would taste like in a Sazerac. I'll soon find out I'm sure, as it is 90-proof and is supposed to have minimal alcohol burn.

[/quote]Now that I have a batch, what other cocktails is this syrup best used in ?[/quote]

You can use the demerara in any cocktail that has brown liquor. Switch the ¾ oz of regular simple for between ¼ and ½ oz of the Demerara.

Another of my favorite cocktails that uses the double strength Demerara, is a cocktail by Dave Wondrich. He conceived of it for a pilgrimage out to the Bronx to visit the grave of the late great Professor Jerry Thomas. It goes a little something like this.

The Tombstone

2.0 oz Good, Stiff Rye (100 proof at least.)
.25 oz Demerara Syrup
3 dash Angostura

Shake the living s*#t out of it. Twist a big fat lemon peel above the drink. Drink it quickly, before it dies. Careful, a couple of these and you will be toe up.

Toby

Alchemist wrote:The demerara syrup is 2x1 sugar to water.

Just confirming, since the recipe doesn't actually say so, this uses demerara/raw sugar?

LAZ wrote:

Alchemist wrote:The demerara syrup is 2x1 sugar to water.

Just confirming, since the recipe doesn't actually say so, this uses demerara/raw sugar?

You are correct. I used:

2 Cups Demerara Sugar
1 Cup Water

Because the grains are a bit bigger, it took about five to seven minutes over medium heat to dissolve.

I'd love to see the recipe for the White Lady with St. Germaine that Octarine had.

I had (well, my wife had) a cocktail called the Silver Elder Fizz at Justus Drugstore here in KC last week, and it was terrific.

St. Germaine isn't distributed here, but he used a locally made elderflower syrup instead. I asked the proportions, which I've now forgotten, but it's something like

2 oz Tanqueray
1/2 oz lemon juice
3/4 oz lime juice
1/2 oz vanilla-infused vodka
1/2 oz elderflower syrup
1 egg white

That's not quite right, but when I get a chance I'll fiddle with it and try to get something close. Really, a superb cocktail when the proportions and construction were correct.

The gin, citrus, elderflower, egg white combo is one I'm interested in exploring.

Oh, by the way, from the other Violet Hour thread:

Daiqiri

2.0 oz FdC 4
.75 oz Lime Juice, fresh squeezed
.75 oz Simple Syrup 1x1

Glass: Coupe
Garnish: none
Ice: None

Shake, strain.

Thats it. Nothing but the basics. This is THE hardest drink to make. If it isn't to your taste add a couple of DROPS of lime or simple. This is my desert island drink. It just doesn't get better than this.

I definitely want the recipe for the Madmoiselle! According to Mr. Cooper, there are slight differences from batch to batch as it's made in small amounts from a fresh flower infusion. I'm going to checking out Binny's and Sam's and cross referencing the batch number of the bottle I had last night (A 09586 of 2008) made in May of this year.

It's really a wonderful flavor, to me it is the essence of the pithy tangy oil that you get in the rind of grapefruit and good oranges. I've always loved that and can't wait to see what it will do to a cocktail with Limoncello or just with some Tonic and a twist of lime.

Aaron Deacon wrote:1/2 oz elderflower syrup

You can buy elderflower syrup at Ikea. Or make your own with Bridgestone's recipe.

Thank you so much for posting all these great recipes and techniques, Toby! I can't wait to try some of these out! It's really great to see when business owners get involved in the LTH Forum.

A Mademoiselle is simply a White Lady with St-Germain replacing an orange liqueur. My recipe for a White Lady is two ounces of Bombay, a quarter ounce shy of half as much lemon juice, the same for Cointreau and just a bar spoon of simple syrup. Shake all that with an egg white without ice to whip up a meringue, then with ice to get it nice and cold, but not too much (about 15 seconds unless you're shaking lightly and using small ice cubes, neither of which is ideal). It's also nice to serve it in a glass with the rim coated by superfine sugar. But that's only for fancy people and people who aren't concerned with seeming pretentious. I'm more concerned that the imbiber is smelling lemon just before the first sip. This can be achieved by squeezing the peel of said fruit above the drink with a motion like a man of the cloth blessing the afflicted. For the Mademoiselle, forgo the sugar rim, up the simple syrup, and use less St-Germain than would be Cointreau, as St-Germain is beautiful, and a Mademoiselle is delicately so.

Note: This drink is most appropriate for sensitive women and strong men. Strong women and sensitive men should drink beer.

Troy Scout wrote:A Mademoiselle is simply a White Lady with St-Germain replacing an orange liqueur. My recipe for a White Lady is two ounces of Bombay, a quarter ounce shy of half as much lemon juice, the same for Cointreau and just a bar spoon of simple syrup. Shake all that with an egg white without ice to whip up a meringue, then with ice to get it nice and cold, but not too much (about 15 seconds unless you're shaking lightly and using small ice cubes, neither of which is ideal). It's also nice to serve it in a glass with the rim coated by superfine sugar. But that's only for fancy people and people who aren't concerned with seeming pretentious. I'm more concerned that the imbiber is smelling lemon just before the first sip. This can be achieved by squeezing the peel of said fruit above the drink with a motion like a man of the cloth blessing the afflicted. For the Mademoiselle, forgo the sugar rim, up the simple syrup, and use less St-Germain than would be Cointreau, as St-Germain is beautiful, and a Mademoiselle is delicately so.

Note: This drink is most appropriate for sensitive women and strong men. Strong women and sensitive men should drink beer.

Beautiful first post...thanks!