spirits Manhattans or martinis

texas blues said:
Tequila master race checking in here.
 
But when I do vodka.
 
Its a bloody mary.
 
4 olives.
 
2 tbs. of the brine.
 
Tomato juice.
 
Wedge of lime squeezin's n' pleazins.
 
Because.
 
I ain't James Bond.
where`s the fresh cracked black pepper?
 
and where`s the heat!?!?!?
 
we need more cowbell!!!
tenor (1).gif
 
My go-to gin drinks are:
 
White Linen
Gin (I use Gunpowder or a local brand)
St. Germaine Elderflower liqueur
half a lime, squeezed
5-6 cucumber slices
 
Shake with ice, serve in a tall glass with ice and top with a splash of soda water and garnish with a cucumber slice.
 
Refreshing and dangerously easy to drink
 
Last Word
 
Equal parts gin, green chartreuse, maraschino liquor, and lime juice.
 
Shake with ice and serve in a coupe glass.
 
 
If its a martini, just give me a Dry Fly gin martini, hold the vermouth, dirty. Aka a "dirty, cold-ass double" as my bar tender friend would call it.
 
No bourbon for me, I'll stick with my rums and Irish whiskeys. That Four Roses Small Batch is pretty good though. If you can find it, give the Small Batch Select a try. About twice as much, but very good.
 
texas blues said:
Tequila master race checking in here.
Any recommendations on a good straight sippin tequila por favor? Can ya get anything decent for like under 40/50 bucks a bottle range? I usually only go for scotch above that pricepoint.

AzJon said:
My go-to gin drinks are:
 
White Linen
Gin (I use Gunpowder or a local brand)
St. Germaine Elderflower liqueur
half a lime, squeezed
5-6 cucumber slices
 
Shake with ice, serve in a tall glass with ice and top with a splash of soda water and garnish with a cucumber slice.
 
Refreshing and dangerously easy to drink
 
Last Word
 
Equal parts gin, green chartreuse, maraschino liquor, and lime juice.
 
Shake with ice and serve in a coupe glass.
 
 
If its a martini, just give me a Dry Fly gin martini, hold the vermouth, dirty. Aka a "dirty, cold-ass double" as my bar tender friend would call it.
 
No bourbon for me, I'll stick with my rums and Irish whiskeys. That Four Roses Small Batch is pretty good though. If you can find it, give the Small Batch Select a try. About twice as much, but very good.
This is gettin fancy up in here! I like it! Like seeing what people are drinking, will say I dont think Ive ever stocked St. Germaine or Chartreuse at home. But very interesting. I did grab a bottle of gunpowder gin once though, if u mean the Drumshanbo Irish one in the blue bottle.
 
 I did grab a bottle of gunpowder gin once though, if u mean the Drumshanbo Irish one in the blue bottle.
 
That's the one! Makes a good gin and tonic, or just a gin and soda with a splash of lemon.
 
Junipero Gin from Anchor Distilling (same company as Anchor Steam beer) out of San Francisco is also really good if you like a juniper heavy dry gin.


 
 
On the tequila front try

Olmeca Altos Plata or really any higher altitude grown agave tequila, but altos Plata is very hard to beat at any price point.


Wyborowa Vodka is a rye based vodka from Poland , there are a couple of the so called premium vodkas that I liked better in a blind neat tasting but only slightly . Not close to being worth the 2x -4x price difference imo.

If you are using those premium ones in a mixed drink you are just paying for brand status marketing hype .

I won't even get into the sketchy but legal so called craft vodkas and gins except to say that most started life in Indiana or Saskatchewan depending on if the craft distillery is in Canada or USA
 
Ashen said:
On the tequila front try

Olmeca Altos Plata or really any higher altitude grown agave tequila, but altos Plata is very hard to beat at any price point.


Wyborowa Vodka is a rye based vodka from Poland , there are a couple of the so called premium vodkas that I liked better in a blind neat tasting but only slightly . Not close to being worth the 2x -4x price difference imo.

If you are using those premium ones in a mixed drink you are just paying for brand status marketing hype .

I won't even get into the sketchy but legal so called craft vodkas and gins except to say that most started life in Indiana or Saskatchewan depending on if the craft distillery is in Canada or USA
 
I'll keep an eye out, thanks for the recommendations.  I hear ya on the mixing,  I don't mix anything good, except gin in martinis.
 
On that note,  got my new pellet smoker going with its first brisket going,  having some ranch waters-  Topo Chico, lime, and (this is really embarassing, but full disclosure)  Kirkland brand tequila.  lol, gonna look for something better for next weekend...
 
I wish Kirkland could/would sell their branded alcohol here. Some of their stuff does really well at blind tasting competitions like San Francisco spirit awards.
 
Ashen said:
I wish Kirkland could/would sell their branded alcohol here. Some of their stuff does really well at blind tasting competitions like San Francisco spirit awards.
The tequila actually isn't awful.  I can drink it straight, unlike a Cuervo or something.  I don't sit around and drink it straight though.  The only other spirt I bought of theirs was the gin and vodka.  The gin was ok, but don't think I'd get it again.  I used it up making dirty martinis.  There is no reason to ever use good gin to make dirty martinis to me.  
 
boutros said:
 There is no reason to ever use good gin to make dirty martinis to me.  
Arguably, using a really nice gin and adding nothing to it is just serving a cold-double, shaken, up.
 
Besides, the salt from the brine can bring out different botanicals from the gin on your palate.
 
Tanqueray London dry is my mainstay. I don't mind Aviation, Gordon's,or botanist, and if I forget to ask and get beefeater at a restaurant I can deal , but tanq. And Schweppes tonic with lime is my go to G&T. If I wants to be fancy pants I will upgrade the tonic to Fever Tree
 
AzJon said:
Arguably, using a really nice gin and adding nothing to it is just serving a cold-double, shaken, up.
 
Besides, the salt from the brine can bring out different botanicals from the gin on your palate.
I didn't mean that being a hater...  that is why I said to me when it came to dirty martinis.  I do always add vermouth to my martinis.  Dolin or Noilly Prat usually.  People like what they like, it is interesting seeing what people enjoy even if it isn't something I mix up.  Hell, finding somebody that likes gin at all is difficult.  I plan on keeping an eye out for the Anchor Steam gin, I love juniper forward gins.  A local brewery where I grew up made a gin also (Ballast Point in San DIego)  sadly never got a chance to try it.
 
Ashen said:
Tanqueray London dry is my mainstay. I don't mind Aviation, Gordon's,or botanist, and if I forget to ask and get beefeater at a restaurant I can deal , but tanq. And Schweppes tonic with lime is my go to G&T. If I wants to be fancy pants I will upgrade the tonic to Fever Tree
 
Have had my share of Tanqueray gin for sure and still enjoy it.  Have their vodka for making bloody marys right now as well..  I actually actively buy Beefeater too, haha,  really like it.  The Botanist though is def my fave gin!  I don't make martinis with it, just drink it straight up sippin!  So good.  My wife hates it when I get a bottle of it.  She says it turns me into an idiot, but I think it really brings out my inner genius!  :lol:
 
boutros said:
I didn't mean that being a hater...  that is why I said to me when it came to dirty martinis.  I do always add vermouth to my martinis.  Dolin or Noilly Prat usually.  People like what they like, it is interesting seeing what people enjoy even if it isn't something I mix up.  Hell, finding somebody that likes gin at all is difficult.  I plan on keeping an eye out for the Anchor Steam gin, I love juniper forward gins.  A local brewery where I grew up made a gin also (Ballast Point in San DIego)  sadly never got a chance to try it.
That's fair. I honestly like my martinis 3:1 gin:vermouth, which a number of bartenders have sneered at.
 
I didn't know Ballat Point was distilling! I'd be interested to try their gin. Their beer is certainly very good.
 
AzJon said:
That's fair. I honestly like my martinis 3:1 gin:vermouth, which a number of bartenders have sneered at.
 
I didn't know Ballat Point was distilling! I'd be interested to try their gin. Their beer is certainly very good.
Haha that’s funny. I always do 3/1. Around here it is rare to find a bartender that knows much about classic martinis in any capacity, much less give ya shit about the ratios. Unless you’re in some sort of throwback supper club with an old guy behind the bar.

Also, not sure if Ballast Point is distilling anymore after Modelo bought them out.
 
boutros said:
Haha that’s funny. I always do 3/1. Around here it is rare to find a bartender that knows much about classic martinis in any capacity, much less give ya shit about the ratios. Unless you’re in some sort of throwback supper club with an old guy behind the bar.

Also, not sure if Ballast Point is distilling anymore after Modelo bought them out.
Lol. Yup.
 
Inevitably, there will also be somebody at the bar that just has to comment something along the lines of, "Man, that's a lot of vermouth. When I have a martini, I like them to open the bottle of vermouth, set it in front of a fan, and let it waft over the glass. Even that might be too much."

Its also exactly as funny the 100th time as the first.
 
Ashen said:
On the tequila front try

Olmeca Altos Plata or really any higher altitude grown agave tequila, but altos Plata is very hard to beat at any price point.


Wyborowa Vodka is a rye based vodka from Poland , there are a couple of the so called premium vodkas that I liked better in a blind neat tasting but only slightly . Not close to being worth the 2x -4x price difference imo.

If you are using those premium ones in a mixed drink you are just paying for brand status marketing hype .

I won't even get into the sketchy but legal so called craft vodkas and gins except to say that most started life in Indiana or Saskatchewan depending on if the craft distillery is in Canada or USA
 
So I grabbed the Altos Plata Blanca yesterday and dear god,  it goes down really quick...  I saw the Reposado at Sams Club today and snagged that just in case.  Tried the blanco in a rocks glass neat.  I had no idea I liked tequila.  I grew up in San Diego and somehow never found a tequila I liked.  It blows my mind.  Maybe I'm just drunk?  A Canadian turned me on to my favorite tequila  :lol:
 
I looked for the KAH at my bottle shop, no dice...  Also all the different vodkas from Poland, Finland  (knew I saw Sobieski (sp) and Finlandia there before...  gone!  Just a bunch of domestic vodkas all over the place, that's it.  
 
I just panicked at bought some The Botanist and Plymouth gin instead.
 
I was stuck on the resposado for a couple years, until my wife did a Google deep dive on tequila trying to find a better one after an afternoon of tasting shots at a Mexican restaurant. Convinced me we needed to try the altos and we haven't looked back .

I was informed that apparently it has been designated our "house " tequila now.

We don't have a house any other liquor.

Except gin I guess but the Tanqueray hasn't been officially designated.
 
I used to be a huge snob until I moved to South East Asia and realised that putting ice cubes in white wine is fully acceptable when it's 35 degrees C outside. The Texas summer is no better.
 
So my summer Manhattan is 2 parts Bulleit Rye, 1 part sweet vermouth, a liberal dash of Angostura bitters and a Luxardo cherry or two shaken over ice and poured straight into the glass (with the ice).
 
Not a fan of Martinis but I'm a huge fan of Gibsons, the dirtier the better. Basically it's a dirty martini but instead of olives and olive juice, you use pickled onions and the pickling liquid. Really suits my palate.
 
I'm gonna have to try the same but with pickled chillis instead...
 
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