The Crow's Bar

Intermittent drink recipes and micro-reviews.

[bunniope]

*walks up to the bar* get me a white gilgamesh. and make it warm, its gonna be a long night

[bunniope]

TWO THIRDS BEER AND ONE THIRD MILK

FROM A GOAT OR OF ITS ILK

GOES DOWN HARSH, IT ISNT GOOD

MAKES YOU FEEL YOURE MADE OF WOOD

[bunniope]

WHITE GILGAMESH IT MAKE YOU SICK

JUST TOO FOUL, JUST TOO THICK

[thecrowsbar]

White Gilgamesh

You know I had to do it. Got on a VC with some buddies and we all made and drank it together, because self-harm is more fun with friends.

12 oz beer (Fat Tire)

6 oz milk, from a goat or of its ilk (Meyenberg Goat Milk)

Combine in glass and stir. Bon appétit.

Man.

Maaaaaan.

I don't like beer, and I don't like milk, and I really, really don't like milk variants.

Well. Let's just put it like this.

goes down harsh

it isn't good

makes you feel like you're made of wood

just too foul

just too thick

Recipe's in the post above. Don't make this.

[thecrowsbar]

Moonlight

Creme de Violette gets a really bad rap sometimes. I was terribly fond of Aviations when I was first starting mixing drinks, but I'll admit it's not a bottle I've had much cause to use since. But I've seen a couple interesting recipes with it lately, starting with this one, itself an Aviation riff. I'm interested to see if I'll stand by Creme de Violette or if my taste has matured!

1 1/2 oz gin (Tanqueray 10)

3/4 oz triple sec (Cointreau)

1/2 oz Creme de Violette (Rothman & Winter)

1/4 oz lime juice (fresh)

1/4 oz lemon juice (fresh)

Shake all ingredients on ice, strain and serve up. Express orange zest twist and garnish.

Hoo boy does the Creme de Violette come across waaaaay too strong here. It's not a bad ingredient, I can still see a role for it in drinks, and quite clearly, but here? You could cut it back by about half and end up with a much better, balanced drink. Of note is how much the expressed orange zest ends up doing here. I'm one to frequently dismiss the importance of expression (or skip it entirely), but it brings out an otherwise absent dimension here.

Recipe from:

Moonlight Cocktail (Gaz Regans) Recipe

Discover how to make a Moonlight Cocktail (Gaz Regans) using Gin, Triple sec, Crème de violette, Lime juice (+ 1 more) in just 5 easy to fol

[thecrowsbar]

Ciro's Special

Looking for more drinks for my new creme de cassis, and this popped up. Blackstrap is an interesting spirit. An ill-defined category of rum, it's very hard to draw a firm line around it, but you know it when you taste it. And on the rare occasion that it's called for, nothing else will do. This drink forwarded a strange combination of the two.

1 1/2 oz blackstrap rum (Cruzan)

3/4 oz creme de cassis (Massenez)

3/4 oz lime juice (fresh)

1/6 oz Grand Marnier

Shake all ingredients with ice, strain, serve up.

I saw a lot of buzz on this one, and frankly I'm not sure what they're talking about. It's not bad by any means, but it's really just... blackstrap rum and creme de cassis standing in a room not talking to each other, ostensibly with lime and Grand Marnier somewhere nearby. And both of those are fine flavors that I enjoy, and they don't go poorly together, but they don't really interact in any interesting way. As I got further into it I started to get some pleasant acidity from the lime that made the drink livelier, but this one didn't live up to expectations overall.

Recipe from:

Ciros Special Cocktail Recipe

Discover how to make a Ciros Special using Dark/black rum, Crème de cassis, Lime juice and Grand Marnier in just 5 easy to follow steps

[thecrowsbar]

Champagne Cocktail

Quite the generic name, huh? Well, this one's a classic, sufficiently old to probably have been literally THE champagne cocktail when it was first made. Not only is it a classic, but it is pleasingly, almost shockingly simple.

Champagne (subbed Monistrol Cava Reserva Brut Nature)

1 sugar cube

2-4 dashes Angostura Bitters

Dash ango onto sugar cube and put in champagne flute. Top with champagne. Lemon twist to garnish.

It tastes, well, like sparkling wine with bitters in it. And it turns out that that's an absolutely fantastic taste. One of those combinations that doesn't scan when you think about it, but once you taste it, it becomes immediately clear just what a good idea it is. Honestly? Might be my favorite way to consume cava. Sometimes the classics are classic for a reason.

Old standard, no particular recipe used.

[thecrowsbar]

Death in the Afternoon

Trying to use some more of this cava before it goes flat. As a pleasant coincidence, I'd recently picked up a 200 ml bottle of St. George absinthe that I've been looking to put through its paces. "Champagne" and absinthe? That's the two ingredients in (one of) Ernest Hemingway's famous cocktail(s), the Death in the Afternoon.

1 1/2 ounces absinthe (St. George Verte)

4 1/2 ounces champagne (subbed Monistrol Cava Reserva Brut Natural)

Pour absinthe into glass, top with chilled champagne.

This is an impressive showcase for good absinthe, and is much more anise-forward than the traditional 'drip' preparation (admittedly, because it's much less watered down here than the typical drip ratio). One of the most fun- and famous- things about this particular drink is the color change as you pour the champagne in, becoming an interesting milky white-green. More appetizing than it sounds! It's close to, but not quite the same as, the famous absinthe 'louche'.

Old standard cocktail, no particular recipe used.

[thecrowsbar]

Kir Royale

I woke up this morning having finally decided to go out and get some creme de cassis. I've been substituting chambord for it, and that's... rarely an ideal replacement. So, I grabbed a bottle, and some decent cava (so much cheaper than champagne, for an equivalent quality), and made the iconic creme de cassis drink.

1/2 oz creme de cassis (Massenez)

Champagne (subbed Monistrol Cava Reserva Brut Nature)

Pour creme de cassis in glass. Fill glass rest of way with champagne. Garnish with lemon twist.

It's a simple drink, but immensely refreshing. I went with ultra-dry sparkling wine so as to get more of the blackcurrant from the creme de cassis, which I think paid off immensely. Bright, fruity, and very easy to drink.

Recipe from:

https://www.liquor.com/recipes/how-to-make-a-kir-royale/

[thecrowsbar]

Flor de Jerez

Not much to say about this one. My experience with sherry is quite limited, I would like more, this seemed appealing.

1 1/2 oz amontillado (Doña Luisa, I was at Trader Joe's)

1/2 oz Jamaican rum (Appleton 12)

1/4 oz apricot brandy (Rothman & Winter Orchard Apricot)

3/4 oz lemon juice (fresh)

1/2 oz simple syrup (Portland Syrups)

Shake on ice, strain, serve up.

This is quite tasty! The amontillado and apricot brandy are what comes through most clearly. I cannot taste the rum and lemon very well, but there's a distinct sense that I'd notice them missing. The result is a complicated but sherry forward drink, that remains quite bright despite that. It's a fun time.

Recipe from:

[thecrowsbar]

Necromancer

One of my recent favorites has been the classic Corpse Reviver No. 2. It's a playful, biting drink that is the epitome of balance, and one of those flavors that is indescribable except to taste it yourself.

And today I saw some maniac suggest switching the gin and the absinthe. I was intrigued.

3/4 oz absinthe (Lucid)

3/4 oz St. Germain

3/4 oz Lillet Blanc

3/4 oz lemon juice (fresh)

Dash gin (Drumshanbo)

Rinse glass with gin and discard. Shake all other ingredients with ice, strain, serve up. Garnish with lemon twist.

Holy shit. That was my first thought. I love the Corpse Reviver No. 2 and this blows it clear out the water. Using absinthe as the leading note may seem more bold than it was wise, but it pays off beautifully. All the other ingredients work expertly to accentuate the beauty of the absinthe, and they neither let it overwhelm the drink or overwhelm it in turn. And there's just a lovely tail of pure absinthe that tingles the tongue. Lucid's a decent absinthe, my workhorse, but I think this one would really be hurt by an inferior, cheap absinthe, so use a good bottle. That aside, this is one of my new favorites.

Recipe (very lightly modified) from:

https://www.liquor.com/recipes/necromancer/

[thecrowsbar]

Black Lily

I don't drink as much as my ownership of this blog probably implies. I've got a long list of drinks to make, and it grows far more quickly than it shrinks, because I do not move through it very fast. When something gets added, it might be a month or two before I get around to it, and that's if it's particularly exciting.

And occasionally I see a drink so interesting it skips right to the front of the line. Enter the Black Lily.

1.5 oz of Cointreau

1 oz Fernet Branca

3/4 oz lime juice (fresh)

Shake on ice, strain, serve up.

Cointreau as the leading ingredient. Wild, huh? Apparently this comes from an employee at Rémy Cointreau, which explains a lot.

Results in one hoot of a drink. It's not great (not bad, to be clear!) but it's fascinating, which is the next best thing. The Cointreau serves as a good base, and the Fernet actually somehow serves as a moderating influence. Crazy, crazy, crazy. But worth making.

Recipe from:

[thecrowsbar]

Gin & Tonic

Confession time! I've had about three Gin & Tonics in my entire life until tonight. I like gin plenty, even a cursory read of my other stuff will prove that. Hell, before I really discovered my love of rum, gin was my go-to.

There just always seemed to be something more interesting to do with it! It was just what I got when I didn't trust the bar at a wedding reception. But I bought some Drumshambo tonight, mostly on a lark, and decided now was the time to figure out the big deal.

2 oz gin (Drumshambo)

6 oz tonic (Fever Tree Premium)

Mix in glass with ice. Garnish with lime wedge.

Well, I get the big deal now! Took me one sip that almost involuntarily became a swig. I don't think I have ever had a more refreshing drink. The Drumshambo is lovely, was worth the price of admission, and it holds up perfectly with the tonic.

No recipe, easy 3:1.

[thecrowsbar]

Alaska

Another yellow drink! No Cointreau this time, though. This one's been floating around my 'to make' list for some months, and it seemed the most appealing option on it tonight.

1 1/2 oz gin (No. 3 London Dry)

1/2 oz Yellow Chartreuse

1 dash orange bitters (Feegan's)

Stir with ice, strain, serve up. Garnish with lemon twist.

Imagine gin and yellow chartreuse. Imagine how they would taste together. That's the Alaska. It is not a bad drink, but it is so exactly the sum of its parts. There are worse things to be, especially if you bring a decent gin to the table, but it's pretty boring. Suppose it might make a fun martini variation if for some reason you have yellow chartreuse to waste.

Recipe from:

https://www.liquor.com/recipes/alaska/

[thecrowsbar]

Yellow Bird

Two very yellow drinks with cointreau in them tonight. A coincidence, I promise.

Galliano's one of the bottles I find myself reaching for the least. If it weren't for the actual (brilliant and distinctive) bottle itself, I think it would be on far fewer counters and bar carts. Not like people still order Harvey Wallbangers. And even if they do, I'm not sure it's actually ethical to serve a Harvey Wallbanger, even to a willing subject.

But I'm a sucker for a weird drink.

1 oz white rum (Probitas)

1/2 oz Galliano

1/2 oz triple sec (Cointreau)

1/2 oz lime juice (fresh)

Shake on ice, strain, serve up.

It's an appealing color, but that's about it. It's one of those very special drinks that manages to fail even in being a disappointment. The Galliano's not helping by any means, but I was hoping it would at least be amusingly ghastly. But no, the drink just tastes like Probitas put on a strange perfume that doesn't entirely suit it.

Back to the far rear of the bar cart the Galliano goes. Better luck next time, whenever that is.

Recipe from:

Yellow bird (cocktail) - Wikipedia

[thecrowsbar]

Deauville

I'm really starting to turn around on calvados, and as such have been keeping an eye out for interesting recipes. And, as such, I came across a really old reddit post with this cocktail, sporting a cognac/calvados split base.

3/4 oz cognac (Pierre Ferrand 1840)

3/4 oz calvados (Berneroy VSOP)

3/4 oz triple sec (Cointreau)

3/4 oz lemon juice (fresh)

Shake with ice, strain, serve up.

Very expectedly, it's brandy forward, with it being half cognac/calvados by volume. The cointreau and lemon add very evident fruit notes, resulting in a lovely mix of dry and bright. It's very much what you'd expect from looking at the recipe, but that's no problem when a recipe looks as good as this one.

Recipe from:

[thecrowsbar]

Witch Word

Man, I seem to be doing a lot of Last Word variants (and the actual Last Word) lately. It's not on purpose! There's just a thousand of them, it's a really easy drink to riff on. And so: here's the Witch Word, a Strega Last Word riff.

3/4 oz Strega

3/4 oz gin (No. 3 London Dry)

3/4 oz Luxardo Maraschino

3/4 oz lime juice (fresh)

Shake on ice, strain, serve up.

I was worried about this one, but it proved me wrong. Strega and Maraschino seems like a match made in hell, but it's impressive how they cooperate here. Is it as good as a regular Last Word? No, and that's not a fault, almost nothing is. It's a spectacularly fun variation, though, the Strega leading to a gentler, more outwardly agreeable taste. Hell of a lot cheaper, too.

Recipe from:

Recipe: Witch Word

Liquore Strega is a sweet herbal liqueur with a fascinating and lengthy history, and on a recent Zoom event, the brand walked a group of boo

[thecrowsbar]

Accoutrement

As I mentioned in the last one, I got some Strega recently, and frankly it's been an absolute stand-out. My relationship with Yellow Chartreuse has always been a bit contentious, but I have found Strega nothing short of delightful. Underloved in general, but I think it has the chance to become a bottle I use quite frequently. For the first proper cocktail, I choose a fascinating looking one from Frederic Yarm. Also decided to put a bit more effort into the pictures; we'll see if I stick with it.

2 oz calvados (Berneroy VSOP)

3/4 oz Strega

3/4 oz lemon juice (fresh)

1/2 oz Creole Shrubb

2 dashes Peychaud's

Shake on ice, strain, serve up. Garnish with three cherries.

This one is delightful. Calvados and I have had our disagreements before, but this has made a believer of me. The flavor is fascinating. It is about as fruity as possible- you absolutely taste the apple, the orange, the lemon, each distinctly and fully. But unlike many fruity drinks, it is bone-dry, barely any sweetness to be found. The Strega provides a valuable, subtle substrate. Really complex, interesting drink.

The recipe link is not cooperating with anything, so I'll do my best:

https://cocktailvirgin .blogspot .com/2014/07/accoutrement.html?m=1

[thecrowsbar]

Tongue Twister

Picked up some Genepy and Strega tonight on a whim. When I revealed this to my friends, one of them had a special request for me, and so we arrive here. A Genepy/Mezcal Last Word variant.

3/4 oz Genepy

3/4 oz mezcal (Del Maguey Vida Clásico)

3/4 oz falernum (JDT)

3/4 oz lime juice (fresh)

Shake on ice, strain, serve up.

I think the most interesting part of this drink is how surprisingly well mezcal and falernum play together. I get a strange sense of deja vu that this isn't new information to me, but I can't recall trying that combo elsewhere. The Genepy's a mild disappointment here, barely present in the flavor. As people usually say whenever Genepy's involved: it would have been better with Green Chartreuse. It's still a good time, though, and a good use of mezcal, a spirit I'm not generally inclined to use in much.

No link, got the recipe from a friend.

[thecrowsbar]

Industry Sour

So, a day or so back I was talking with buddies about drinks, specifically the ones that people get judged for (your jägerbombs, silly fruit 'martinis', wine coolers, etc.). My position, and I'm not going to pretend it's particularly novel or heroic, is drink what you like and fuck everyone else. But that got me thinking about drinks that were slightly inaccessible, with a pronounced 'cool' or 'in-the-know' factor, however silly and useless those things are (very!).

And in that line I realized it'd been quite some time since my last Industry Sour. I'm not in the industry and will make no pretensions towards being so, so consider this stolen valor if need be.

3/4 oz Green Chartreuse

3/4 oz Fernet Branca (subbed Fernet Vittone)

3/4 oz lime juice (fresh)

1/2 oz simple syrup (Portland Syrups Cane)

3 dashes Fee Foam

Dry shake ingredients. Add ice and shake. Strain, serve up.

This is one I love. The fernet and chartreuse fight, but in a way that makes them both far more interesting, leading to a staggeringly complex flavor profile. The lime and simple don't seem to be doing a ton, but I'm sure I'd notice if they were absent. But honestly, while it's usually not something I regret doing, I think subbing Vittone for Branca here was the wrong call. Ultimate drink is missing a certain je nais se quois from what I remember of the first time. I also saw someone suggest orgeat instead of simple, which I will absolutely be trying whenever I get back around to this.

Recipe from:

Industry Sour Cocktail Recipe

Discover how to make an Industry Sour using Fernet liqueur, Chartreuse Green, Lime juice, Sugar syrup (2:1) (+ 2 more) in 7 easy to follow s