Recipe Sheets, please mix and review the following:
Reviews for a few of the cocktail recipes above:
The French "75", or "Soixante-quinze"
The French 75 is names after a WWI artillery piece of that diameter, yet the Americans used a 75 and the French did not; the cocktail also appears in a British Cocktail book called the “Savoy”. The origination could be up for debate, but what we do know is the French officers drank this before going “over-the-top” so it must be good if you were going to make it your last. This is gin, lemon, sometimes powder sugar, and a top of dry/ Brut Champagne. Both easy to make and drink, but very much like artillery she will leave you shell-shocked if you under estimate her. I love this cocktail, she is the reason I do this as finding those great recipes makes it all worth the effort. This is the highest scoring cocktail so far. Recipe Guide #2 / Score: 8.5
The Barcelona
The Barcelona is a kind of margarita style drink that uses tequila, Cointreau, sweet & sour, lime juices, and orange juice. I love a great top shelf margarita that upgrades from cheap tequila and triple sec to something more. This drink uses Patron silver and Cointreau to do just that, and then it requires a healthy portion of orange juice that blends and brings the flavors tighter as well as creates generous foam on top with vigorous shaking. This is delicious; you would be hard pressed to find someone who would not like this cocktail. It takes some time to make though and this costs the score some, but the taste, and appearance are high so she maintains a tie for the highest score yet. Recipe Guide #3 / Score: 8.25
The Aviation
The Aviation is a great drink; she is above the rest and has a nice look, smell, taste, and overall score. This mixed up well with the strong citrus base in the New Amsterdam Gin that pairs well with maraschino cherry liqueur and lemon to create a sweet, yet refined cocktail. I had to make my own liqueur but I am sure nothing was lost. I will revisit this one again. Recipe Guide #2 / Score: 8.25
The Cable Car Martini
Aside from being a little slow to make and using the martini name in vain without possessing either gin or vodka, this drink is great and a sure winner at any party. The Cable Car martini uses spiced rum, Cointreau, and fresh juices. I have made this with both regular and select Captain Morgan rum; both excelled, yet the select is much sweeter so a choice should be made whether you want sweet or sour. The cinnamon sugar rimed glass adds to the whole flavor and makes this score high despite the prep-time. Recipe Guide #2 / Score: 8
The Dry Manhattan
I tried the “Dry-Manhattan” this week and find it to be a great cocktail; this cocktail is a classic original when served with sweet vermouth, but this dry variation is excellent. The whisky is flavor full and arrives early in the taste, yet the vermouth adds to the drink brining a taste of refinement to the cocktail. With time the lemon twist and cherry garnishes that influence the flavor you end up with a great anytime drink – this is a great aperitif as well. Recipe Guide #3 / Score: 7.5
The Old Fashioned
This past Sunday we took the "OF" recipe out for a spin and the night revealed great results with the above recipe. Maker's Mark is the way to go with this one. Avoiding the rind during the "muddle" is best as it makes the drink bitter. I tried to use "Club Soda" as well and found the Maker's lost some flavor, so I suggest leaving it out which also makes the drink somewhat easier to mix. Recipe Guide #1 / Score: 8
The Whisky-Sour
The wife and I tried our hand at this drink sometime ago, and we found the secret is Jameson's 12 Yo Reserve and fresh squeezed juice. We need to try this with egg white next as many recipe's call for this. Leaving the egg white out makes this drink pretty easy to mix; the whisky is great and smooth with a nice tart presentation from the lemon juice. Recipe Guide #1 / Score: 7.75