Indeed!

Impressive selection Shelly. Have fun.

Me too!

Having a whiskey tasting party at my house with a couple of friends.

Having a White Lady but would much rather be taking part in that whisk(e)y tasting.

Start simple:

--> Macallan 12yo 43% (1.75l)

Nope - that is not a small glass

Shelly = cool.

Sazerac

EDIT:

Interesting thing I noticed tonight while experimenting in order to better understand cocktails. One I made earlier tonight without the lemon had a much stronger absinthe flavor, compared to the normal subtle absinthe flavor. It's surprising (to me) how much difference just a little essential oil makes.

I definitely wont underestimate the influence of seemingly trivial components to a cocktail in the future.

Edited July 29, 201114 yr by Fitz

Mo Sherry /w touch of Peat:

--> Caol Ila 1993/14 yo 46% Murray McDavid (Sherry) mmmmm sherry and peat...

Gawdayum, that sounds delicious.

Little bonfire on the nose.. little cooked blood oranges on the palate.. little nori on the finish ... all good to me

Me too!

Having a whiskey tasting party at my house with a couple of friends.

long ago I decided on Redbreast & Laphroaig...enjoy the RB 15, too bad you don't have any 10 Cask Strength in the mix...

more 120 Minute for myself...

.. and I was expecting some in-progress action shots as well..

Maybe we'll get some later. It's not a HC tasting so minute-by-minute updates are less likely to happen, unfortunately.

EDIT: I need some recommendations for good Lillet cocktails that work with the usual suspects for liquor, liqueur, and bitters. Any input at all from the senior mixologists is most appreciated.

Edited July 29, 201114 yr by Fitz

do wanna stress--that's an epic selection to be proud of...& wise to have a couple of each brand (in most cases)...but are you stretching it over the weekend?...where's the water cooler?...where's the judges' table?...

Couple of older bourbon HP's lined up:

--> Highland Park 1967/34 yo 40.30% #2/204 Duncan Taylor (peerless) bottling --> Birthday Beverage from last year

Whoa Shelly!

Allagash Curieux, nice and creamy, me likey.

Decided to BBQ some hot dogs and no wine I have seems to go with BBQ grilled hot dogs. Some people recommend Beaujolais but the Duboeuf Beaujolais I have doesn't go with dogs, Allagash does.

*edit* WTF is up with spell check? Is spellcheck using a Polish dictionary? All my spell checked words come up incomprehensible.

Edited July 29, 201114 yr by Augsburger

Wanted something bitter, but not in the mood for beer, so... a generously sized negroni!

Sorry, no minute-by-minute updates since I was busy pouring. We started on the right and worked to the left. Favorites were Pappy 20, Parker 27, Stagg (especially after adding a little water), Handy, Laphroaig 18, Redbreast 15. I could have guessed that.

Edited July 29, 201114 yr by shellylh

Nice Shelly ... enjoy... we knew you where here in spirit

Edited July 29, 201114 yr by mikeymad

A bit of in experimentation. First as the essence of a dry Martini.

Gale Force is very mild and subdued, reminds me a bit of Plymouth. North Shore 6 has the most complex herbal flavorings and the most bite. North Shore 11 has less bite and the herbal taste is less up front. Where you want the flavor of the gin to come through, i.e. a Martini, the winner is North Shore 6.

Next we have three mini Vespers.

The Gale Force is lost in the Vesper and North Shore 6 dominates the Cocchi Americano. Winner here is the North Shore 11. Very well balanced and you first notice the gin flavors but the Cocchi is not lost and makes a nice complex finish.

Edited July 29, 201114 yr by morphsci

Mini gin and Vesper tastings!

Fitz: Glad to hear that you are leaning quickly the way of the cocktail! I am embarrassed to say that sometimes I leave out the lemon or orange twist (mostly because I don't have it at the house).

Mini gin and Vesper tastings!

Fitz: Glad to hear that you are leaning quickly the way of the cocktail! I am embarrassed to say that sometimes I leave out the lemon or orange twist (mostly because I don't have it at the house).

I'm having a ridiculous amount of fun with cocktails so far. And don't get me wrong, I quite liked the sans-lemon Sazerac quite well too, it's just that it was surprisingly different than the "standard" version. If one is a big fan of absinthe and/or anise, omitting the lemon twist could actually improve the drink.

Sazerac

EDIT:Interesting thing I noticed tonight while experimenting in order to better understand cocktails. One I made earlier tonight without the lemon had a much stronger absinthe flavor, compared to the normal subtle absinthe flavor. It's surprising (to me) how much difference just a little essential oil makes.I definitely wont underestimate the influence of seemingly trivial components to a cocktail in the future.

Aahh, you are progressing well young Padawan.

...

EDIT: I need some recommendations for good Lillet cocktails that work with the usual suspects for liquor, liqueur, and bitters. Any input at all from the senior mixologists is most appreciated.

First make sure to realize that modern Lillet Blanc has a different, sweeter and less bitter, flavor compared to the older Kina Lillet. In cocktails that call for Kina Lillet, a good substitute is Cocchi Americano. For Lillet Blanc cocktails, one of my favorites is the Bourbon Dynasty.

   2 oz Bourbon

   1 oz Lillet (white)

   1 tsp crème de cassis

   2 dashes of Peychaud’s bitters

  lemon peel (garnish)

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

Twist a piece of lemon peel over top, releasing the oils and drop in drink.

Edited July 29, 201114 yr by morphsci

The other HP

-- > Highland Park 1967 35yo 40.1% 360/722 - Celtic Heartlands

Hmm, I'll have to pick up some creme de cassis to try that, then.

EDIT: I'll also look out for Cocchi Americano, which I'm pretty sure I've seen.

Edited July 29, 201114 yr by Fitz

Try this with the Lillet even though Cocchi is better:

Corpse Reviver (No. 2)

1/4 Wine Glass Lemon Juice (3/4 oz Fresh Lemon Juice)

1/4 Wine Glass Kina Lillet. (3/4 oz Cocchi Aperitivo Americano)

1/4 Wine Glass Cointreau. (3/4 oz Cointreau)

1/4 Wine Glass Dry Gin. (3/4 oz Bombay Gin)

1 Dash Absinthe. (Verte de Fougerolles)

Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

Awesome experiments in gin, Jim. Thank you for the info.

So far tonight, I have enjoyed a Southern Tier Gemini thanks to a care package from JP! Thanks man!

Edited July 29, 201114 yr by Voltron