Zimmerdrinks

This blog is simply a place for me to put down the ideas I find for my own personal bar. I will mostly be putting in pictures or links to the things I try and like. Please enjoy this blog and alcohol responsibly, and if you have any suggestions, feel free to share!

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Long tie no update, eh? Today, I’m going to be talking about one of my favourite beers from my time in France. I admit that I am not the biggest fan of beer in the world, but Kronenburg has a nice mild taste, and gentle finish that pairs with anything. I am always a fan of eating/drinking local and this was a relatively local (although mass market) beer to me in my 5 months abroad. 

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Simple Syrup is one bar staple to always have around. But, never, ever, ever, buy it. All simple syrup is, is sugar dissolved in water. We use simple syrup to sweeten drinks because it dissolves more readily than sugar, with a similar sweetness. Making simple syrup is easy: just take a 1:1 ratio of sugar and water, and put it over heat until all the sugar dissolves completely. Make sure you stir so the sugar does not burn. You can adjust the sugar to water ratio and the type of sugar to change the sweetness to your liking. Also, it is easy to flavour it in any manner you like. Just add something like cloves or cinnamon to the syrup while boiling, and remove before bottling (or you can leave it in, but make sure that you do not let any get into the drinks you make).

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Whiskey old fashioned (adapted/improved from Jamie Olivers Recipe) 

Invented simply to disguise bootleg whiskies, a few dashes of bitters and a twist are the best way to smooth out a whisky and bring out the residual sweetness.

Equipment

A shaker or stirring glass

A bar spoon (or teaspoon)

Rocks glass

Ingredients

1 teaspoon caster sugar simple syrup (or less depending on your taste; dissolves better and faster than regular sugar)

4 dashes Angostura Bitters

50ml Dewars Scotch whiskey

Cubed ice

1 blood orange

How to mix

Add your sugar to a rocks glass with 4 dashes of Angostura Bitters and a splash of hot water. Stir the mix until you have dissolved all of the sugar. Add the simple syrup and 3 or 4 ice cubes and half of the Scotch whiskey and stir for around 60 seconds. Top up the glass with more ice and add the rest of the rye whiskey, then stir for another 60 seconds.

Cut a piece of blood orange peel about the size of your thumb (be careful not to bend it). Cut a thin sliver of the blood orange and squeeze the juice directly into the drink, drop the orange peel into the drink, stir a couple more times and serve.

Read more at http://www.jamieoliver.com/drinks-tube/recipe/whiskey-old-fashioned/#24gWLEusi1FhtemZ.99

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Whisky in Westerns

In every single western I have seen (or rather been forced to watch) there will always be somebody who goes to a saloon and orders a shot of whisky and downs it in one gulp with an expression of pure disgust on their face. This makes me question why drink the whisky in the first place? Whisky is a drink that should be sipped and savoured, not shot like you are some college frat boy. And, if the whisky is so bad then maybe they should find a different drink or something less turpentine-ish.

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This post will be all about wine essentials!

 Starting off the first thing that you need is a good quality corkscrew. I like ones like the picture above because it is easier than a waiter’s model to use and is easy to start. Like most things, simpler is better than flashy, so a solid stainless steel one will fulfil most uses perfectly.

Secondly, a good set of wine glasses. Each shape is used for a different style of wine; the tall narrow one is for champagne/sparkling wine because it helps to keep the bubbles going, the wider glass is for red wine because it provides more area for the wine to incorporate air. The other glass is for white wine, its shape with a narrow bottom helps to keep the warmth from your hand from heating up the wine. Nowadays you will find a lot of wine glasses without stems. I don’t like them because they warm up the wine too much from your hand. They would be fine for a dinner party where the glasses rest on the table, but if you are holding onto it all night opt for stems.

This last one is the only optional essential. It is a wine decanter/aerator. Its purpose is to help incorporate air into red wines. You do not need one of these per se, but it is a nice addition if you have the space. 

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This is by far the best pub I’ve been to since I arrived in Lyon. The atmosphere is not only great, but the bartenders are knowledgable and friendly. The first time there I was with a group of people, and they were accomidating to all of our different tastes/wants. The second time I went (other than for just a quick pint) was on St Patrick’s Day. That day I was by myself and wanted to enjoy myself at an Irish pub. I had a Guiness, and one of their signature drinks the “James Joyce” (more on that later). A little while later me and a group of five strangers split a bottle of whisky between us and a few rounds of Danny Boy. The James Joyce is a cocktail made of Guinness, Kilkenny, Jameson, blackcurrant liqueur, and a few other items. This goes to show that it pays to look around you when you walk.

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In defense of a Whisky and Soda. 

There is no other drink that I have encountered that has so much stigma or fighting around it as a whisky and soda. People on bothe sides argue that it either exists only to cover up bad whisky or it exists to cover up the whisky for pansies. But, in my humble opinion, this is a drink that needs to be resurrected from the ashes like a phoenix.  

To start off with, the first thing is to start off with good ingredients. I like either Irish or Scotch Whisky (I detest most American Whiskeys like Jack Daniels), blended or single malt is up to your preference. Then find a quality cola (I personally like Coke Zero, but if I am feeling fancy I will find a craft cola) that you like and make sure it is chilled. Then just experiment until you find the right proportions for you. I like (the completely arbitrary) ratio of 2 1/3 parts cola to 1 and 2/3 part whisky. I do not like ice because it makes it too cold for the whisky, but if your cola is chilled enough it should cool the whisky just enough for you.

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Recipe #1-The classic Bloody Marry

This recipe is  extremely customizable and can be adjusted to any taste. I never really measure anything, so the ingredients will be listed in order of decreasing volume. If there is something that you don’t like feel free to leave it out or substitute whatever you want!

1-Good quality tomato juice, chilled. Here is the one area where I would insist on paying more for absolute top-shelf quality. Homemade would as always be best, but anything that is 100% tomato is fine. Avoid mixes and any juice targeted as a mixer specifically for bloody’s. 

2-Vodka, chilled.  Do not be fooled into paying $60 for a spirit whose mark of quality is being: odorless, colourless, and tasteless. Just find a good medium of the road bottle and go with that. Do not pay attention to the fancy bottles as they are only there to make it look more expensive, a simple glass bottle is just fine for holding hooch :).

3-Sriracha. The classic hot sauce to use is Tobasco, but I prefer the heat and more complex flavour of sriracha, but again use whatever you like.

4-Worchestire Sauce. A traditional part of a bloody, it lends a complex flavour, but I use it sparingly because it can overwhelm the drink easily.

5-Seasonings. This is just a list of what I like in mine, but again feel free to change it up and experiment! Celery salt, cracked black pepper, cumin, garlic powder. (Feel free to get weird with these if you want. One time I tried taco seasoning and it was surprisingly good).

6-Ice/Garnish. I am putting ice as the last ingredient because it is not exactly necessary if you use well-chilled ingredients, but it can be used to keep it cool. People have garnished bloody marry’s with many things, but unless they double as a flavouring (i.e. pickles,-and their brine, or citrus) leave them off!

Then just mix it all together (in any way you want, it’s your drink, don’t let anyone tell you how to mix it).