mhill95149 wrote:Exactly! Never bought it due to it's size.

I just bought the 1L and I plan to pretty much make only sweet vermouth drinks (and drink it straight) for the next few weeks. Good to know that that a half fifth is available.

A 2011 bottle of Goose Island's Lolita. Glad I squirreled a few of these away--a great balance of funk, tart complexity. Still had good fizz too it, but bubbled out quickly. In terms of honest American wilds, this is up there with New Glarus' geueze and golden ale, for those familiar.

justjoan wrote:

mhill95149 wrote:Exactly! Never bought it due to it's size.

you might try a boulevardier. 1/2 part campari (though i've found aperol also works well

Aperol is a completely different profile from Campari--much sweeter, very little bitterness and lighter--think Apricot v. Grapefruit.

boudreaulicious wrote:

justjoan wrote:

mhill95149 wrote:Exactly! Never bought it due to it's size.

you might try a boulevardier. 1/2 part campari (though i've found aperol also works well

Aperol is a completely different profile from Campari--much sweeter, very little bitterness and lighter--think Apricot v. Grapefruit.

i know aperol isn't identical to campari, but they both come from the same category of italian bitters. i was curious to see if aperol would radically change the profile of the drink and i don't think it does. i know it's lighter and less bitter than campari but it's the smallest element of the drink and i find the drink made with aperol has enough bitterness for me. maybe i can't call it a boulevardier, but it is still delicious. i've read about aperol being substituted for campari in other drinks, so i don't think i'm the only one who sees them in a similar light.

justjoan wrote:

mhill95149 wrote:Exactly! Never bought it due to it's size.

i found the 375l. size bottles of carpano antica at the south loop binnys last week. i don't believe it's available everywhere- i had to call around to find it. if you like a negroni with the CA you might try a boulevardier. griffin, one of the terrific bartenders at scofflaw, shared his recipe and it's delicious: 2 parts bourbon, 1 part CA, 1/2 part campari (though i've found aperol also works well). i believe a boulevardier is kind of a subset of a negroni.

Not sure of the name but I've been drinking 2 parts Rye 1 part sweet vermouth, 1 part Campari
Stirred with a lot of ice then served up with a lemon or orange twist. If I'm lazy, I skip the swirling and serve with a 2.5" sphere ice cube

During the winter, we drink mainly wine and cocktails, but now with some recent warm weather our drinking habits move to more beer consumption. We are currently really enjoying the Sam Adams Hopology series Double Agent IPL - india pale lager. Its citrusy, a bit piney, smooth and a very easy drinking lager.
LO

So on Saturday night, my husband went to see "The Book of Mormon" and decided it would be fun to stay at the W City Center Hotel, the one on Adams in the Loop. We had a drink at the bar right at the front of the hotel before the show and met an amazing bartender/mixologist named Josh King, who not only made us these delicious drinks from the menu, but showed us a little barrel that housed his own negroni that he had made - he gave us a sample, told us some history, and gave us lots of information. After the show, we came back for another drink, and had the honor of being the first to actually order his lovely negroni. All his fruit is hand-muddled, and he makes his own bitters, and his drinks were the best I've had in a very long time - complex and delicious. One was called the Row 42, a sweet mixture of berries and cocoa and tequila, topped with a sage leaf and four dots of balsamic vinegar to stimulate the sense of smell while you were tasting something totally different. The other I had I can't remember exactly what was in it, but I believe it was called the Midnight Rose. It had vodka and fruit and a foam on top made from camomile tea. His entire menu changes next week, I understand, although he said a variation of the Midnight Rose would appear and the Row 42 might be moved to the dessert menu at the W's restaurant, which I think is called ipo.

I actually don't know anything about negroni, and am only a basic imbiber of cocktails, so I was wondering if anyone else had met Josh (he's apparently the mixologist for all the Starwood hotels) and had experienced his cocktails, and what they thought? Thanks.

W Chicago City Center
172 W Adams St Chicago, IL 60603
(312) 332-1200
Lobby bar was open on a Saturday till 1:30 p.m. (based upon amount of business)

Solstice nightcap


Once I got past the fleeting trip to childhood medications, the syrupy intensity was interesting. Might be best with some ice cream.

Okay Das, I give up. What the hell is it? From the pic (kinda small, so hard to tell), the name looks Slavic. Otherwise...?

Sorry Gypsy Boy - took pic, uploaded and posted earlier through unfamiliar devices. Should be fixed now...

Received a nice bottle of Waldmeister Sirup (Woodruff). Other than putting it into Berliner Weisse beer, what can we do with it?

Steigl Radler has been tasting perfect w/the hot weather. I had tried this in year's past but now that Glunz is importing (Or blending) it here it tastes really fresh and nice. I guess now that it's fall again I can lean back into the brown ales and stouts. Brrrrrrr.

If you like the Steigl then give the Shofferhofer grapefruit hefeweizen a try. I'm a fan of the Steigl radler but have found I like the Shofferhofer even more - a bit richer mouthfeel, more grapefruit aroma and taste and generally smoother.

I'll try that! I enjoyed the O'fallon Weach last year too. http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/3268/24059

Old Heaven Hill 101 proof bourbon

I tasted this at a friend's place and enjoyed it.
I really enjoyed it when I picked up some at my liquor purveyor and it was $11.99 per bottle.
The quality of this quaff belies its bargain-basement price.
More minerally than most bourbons so, to my palate, it makes a solid Manhattan when I am out of rye.

Cheers,

Davooda

I am making Lime Rickeys because they are so refreshing. I will put gin it it and make a Gin Rickey too.

Is a gin rickey just gin, lime juice (with the lime dropped in as well) and carbonated water?

Thanks,

I believe that is the basic recipe. You can add simple syrup or your sweetner of choice too. YOu can also make it without the gin. It will be like fizzy limeade. Very refreshing. I think there is something called the Gin fizz too, and it may be the same.

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I just got a soda stream, so I am drinking more fizzy water than ever! Plus I have sour mix I made up with mostly lemon, and a teeny bit of lime and a little bit of orange juice, making the best fizzy lemonade.

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Yesterday @ Barrelhouse Flat

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Pacifico and Beam!

Deshler @ Ward Eight

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A small glass of Oberweis egg nog with a shot of Kraken Black Spiced Rum mixed in. Lovely!

Lately I've been enjoying the Barreled Boulevardier from High West. It's a combination of 6 year old bourbon, Vya sweet vermouth and Gran Classico (a Swiss bitter liqueur) aged in bourbon barrels for 120 days. It's like having a really good drink at a bar without having to leave the house. It's not inexpensive at around $55 for a 750 at Binny's, but it's well worth it.

This in just a few min!

A bit warm but.....

Oh so good!

Did you get the HopSlam in Illinois or did you get it in Michigan?

A growler of Temperance Gatecrasher ... nicely hoppy due to late hopping with Falconers Flight hop mix. Not an over the top IPA, but well balanced and immensely drinkable.