I don’t have any rum on hand and am going out as little as possible so stock up once a month. That looks good. I don’t drink enough rum tbh. I hate Morgan but have had more expensive stuff that is decent and some fire rums in Jamaica.
yeah the book has a ton of great rum recommendations and cocktail recipes. you can get some very good rums for cheap, especially compared to, say, whiskey. lot of variety in style too, both in aging and distillation (and then stuff like black rum), and correspondingly a lot of variety in flavor.
Hard to beat tanq for the money imo
Does anyone have beer fridge recs? I’m looking at two on Amazon:
hOmeLabs 120 Can Mini-Fridge
New Air 126 Can Mini-Fridge
They’re both well reviewed so I don’t really think I can go wrong, but I’m wondering if there are other contenders I should be considering.
Courvoisier VSOP and D’Usse are fine for that.
If you like pisco I would definitely recommend trying Singani– it’s a brandy from Bolivia with some very specific rules on how it can be made, and it’s nice both for cocktails and as a sipper (I like to keep mine in the freezer).
Pretty good cocktail recipe from that first link that I like–
Old Fashioned (Remix)
- 2 ounces D’Ussé Cognac
- ½ ounces Benedictine
- Squeeze of honey
- 2-3 dashes Jamaican bitters
- 2-3 dashes chocolate bitters
Add honey to mixing glass and stir until viscosity has broken down. Add bitters and stir until same. Add ice, cognac and Benedictine. Stir gently until cold. Strain and serve in a highball glass over ice, garnished with an orange twist.
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My favorite mixing brandy bar none is Paul Masson VSOP. R.C’s recommendations are better brandies, but at double or more the price, I think you’d have a hard time telling me your sidecar is twice as good with them (neat in a snifter is a different matter).
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Yeah the Paul Masson VSOP is a great value if you just want something to mix.
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Yeah, it’s a contender for sure. Taking a closer look at the local liquor store, there’s basically a void between <= $20/handle swill and >= $40/handle Tanq and co. New Amsterdam at $27/handle is about the only thing in between, and it’s not really good enough. I tried out a fifth of Broker’s on this last trip, as it was on sale (state mandated, lol), and while good, it’s too close to Hendrick’s while not being there in flavor to be worth it when there’s not a sale. The other option might be making a run for the (northern) border and stocking up at the Vancouver Costco on their brand every once in a while.
@R.C your cocktail recommendation has me jonesing for some Benedictine. I haven’t had any in several years, and that stuff is fantastic.
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I am partial to Pierre Ferrand 1840 for a sidecar.
I didn’t prepare properly for today by going to my offsite storage and grabbing an appropriate bottle. Perhaps because I refused to believe it was over until it was actually over. And anyway nothing at home in my basement seems to be special enough for today. So I ran out and grabbed a great bottle from the state wine and liquor outlet.
2012 Cristal (Everything else is just piss!)
Paid full retail, which I usually won’t do. But meh we want to celebrate and it will be good to taste this one (which is the current release) before deciding if I should get some more to age.
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I cracked open a bottle of blue label with the wife on the day Biden’s victory was called by all of the networks. Had some at various times over the holidays. Tonight we finish it in celebration of the end of the orange turd’s reign.
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Cheers! I had a pour during the swearing in (and prior to a work meeting lol).
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The Cristal was delicious but will be better in 10 years for my tastes. It was a nice way to celebrate a great day though. I’ve left the last two glasses for my wife (who absolutely loves good champagne) and cracked a 2016 Ramey Ritchie Vineyard - my favorite chardonnay.
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Ok I had to open up something nice considering the occasion. Surly Darkness Barrel Aged Mole.
Holy shit this is good. It goes right up there in my Top 10 for sure. You get every little flavor. Chilies are the most present but not overwhelming, chocolate is right behind, then comes cinnamon with a little tiny vanilla bean thrown in. Oh, and barrel heat as well. I’m kind of sad I opened it, but what better occasion then taking world domination away from a seven year old.
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Had a relatively cheap G. H. Mumm NV, pretty decent, but perhaps not quite as good as the occasion.
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I don’t if we have any sour heads here, but I can hook anyone up with some bomb Upland sours if there is any interest.
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Yeah I need a new display name, this one is pretty stale
And I think you pretty much got the point of it, although “mostly shittier” is a conjecture. The flavor profile is totally different, both from an anejo and across brands. The El Padrino has a kind of earthiness to it; cocoa and coffee and toffee and a little bit of marshmallow fluff. The first one I had was the Herradura Ultra-- I got a bottle in like 2015 and only opened it a few months ago-- which was a lot heavier on stone fruit flavor, peaches and stuff. The Maestro Dobel is lighter than that, but still on the fruity side, and that more pillowy texture you get from a reposado.
Personally I’ve really made a switch to lighter-aged liquors because they’re a lot easier on my stomach than aged ones, and because-- ref. my rum comments previously-- rum and tequila tend to be a lot cheaper than whiskey for similar quality, and you can get an unaged or lightly aged one that’s still good (or something like this).
Tonight I just wanted something different than the rums and blanco tequilas I have.
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