COCKTAILS Anybody?

I have to agree that Manhattans are far and away one of the greatest cocktails ever created. I say that, but lately I have just been into sipping the peatiest, smokiest, saltiest Scotch I can find. Mention Islay in the description, and I'm already there!

I've had a thing for Scotch for many years too. Though because of friends I drink with, I've gotten mostly away from it and gone over to bourbon for the last couple of years. Lagavulin was always my favorite peat monster. On the recommendation of my spirit store manager, I bought bottle of this one a month or two ago. It's complex, peaty and smooth. The 10 is the one I have sitting on my desk at home :)

https://manofmany.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/15-Best-Peated-Whisky-Distilleries-for-Smoky-Scotch-Port-Charlotte.jpg
 
Been a fan for over 30 years, now I've been on a Tullamore Dew kick. Round Ice is the sh*t! ;)

Have you tried Jameson Black Barrel? Its about $10 more than the regular but worth it, IMO. It's incredibly smooth. Not quite Red Breast but at half the price it doesn't have to be. I remember when I could find Red Breast at $40.
 
I can’t do it. Just can’t. I want to love it.

I've tried it a bunch and it remains the least favorite of all the whiskeys on my list. I did find one that I do kind of enjoy. Deanston. The 12 is more price friendly than the 18 but the 18 is incredibly smooth. I don't drink it often but I have a friend that prefers scotch, so when he comes over, that's our drink.
 
Scotch.

I love bourbon. Can tolerate whiskey.

You just need the right person to start you off slowly and gently and then educate you. You'd be an aficionado before you knew it.

I've posted this elsewhere. Start with the Whisky in the lower left of the graph, the light delicate ones. You could handle those. Acquire the taste, have them on ice and sip slowly. Then work your way outward and upward. The ones Xian was talking about are in the far upper right corner.


https://foodanddrink.scotsman.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Flavour-Map.jpg
 
Yeah, Ardbeg 10 year is my new love. (I just can't afford the $650 price tag for the 22 year old.)

https://cdn2.masterofmalt.com/whiskies/ardbeg/ardbeg-10-year-old-whisky.jpg

Description:

Nose: Pungent. A hint of lemon precedes a torrent of smoky peat. The peat is redolent of campfires, with toasted wood, charcoal, woodsmoke, and smouldering dry grass. Beneath the peat is a subtle layer of vanilla and brine.

Palate: Full-bodied. A tinge of sweetness greats the tongue, of pure malted grains and oaky vanilla. This is quickly obliterated by smoking hay, dry seagrass, slightly bitter charcoal, and dense, woodsy peat. While the flavors are intense, they are also very well-balanced, and the tongue burn is minimal, considering its robust 46% ABV. One could contemplate this smoky complexity for hours.

Finish: Very long (I will be tasting Ardbeg on my lips and tongue throughout the evening). A swath of bitterness is balanced well by a resurgence of malty, nutty grains and a strong spike of anise and black pepper. This all fades together, leaving a fugue of grassy, boggy peat and smoke.

Like your style,my brutha!:rolleyes:
 
I made my weekly stop at my spirits shop last week, they had a lone bottle of Ardbeg 19 on the new arrivals table. I lifted it and looked at the store manager, he said $295. I put it back on the table.

I read about it later and due to it's quality and limited production I think it's a bottle that you could buy today and resell it for twice that in a couple years if you were into that sort of thing. I have a cousin who used to do that with wines. He'd buy two cases of something good that aged well and resell one case a couple years later effectively getting his one case for free. I think he ended up drinking his investments eventually :rolleyes:
 
I made my weekly stop at my spirits shop last week, they had a lone bottle of Ardbeg 19 on the new arrivals table. I lifted it and looked at the store manager, he said $295. I put it back on the table.

I read about it later and due to it's quality and limited production I think it's a bottle that you could buy today and resell it for twice that in a couple years if you were into that sort of thing. I have a cousin who used to do that with wines. He'd buy two cases of something good that aged well and resell one case a couple years later effectively getting his one case for free. I think he ended up drinking his investments eventually :rolleyes:

I will never understand the buying and selling. I am all about the enjoying. Hi AF :) how’re you doing?
 
Why not both?

Got called off the bench last minute to cook dinner, so I went lazy. Clyde Mays Alabama Style Whiskey is the current drink of choice.

I picked up St.Germain almost 2 years ago to make something and I can't for the life of me remember what. I know it's used in making some drinks with clear liquors (gin, vodka, rum) and inknow there is a drink you make with white wine/champagne, soda water and St. G but I don't remember what it's called. I'm thinking I might have grabbed it to make a drink called the Lavender Fields of Kentucky (with bourbon) but maybe not.
 
So, I bought this, because I’m trying to refine my bar, but... what the fuck do I do with it?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/St-Germain_(liqueur)

Go to their website, it probably has some cocktail ideas.

I've got a shelf in my basement. It's like the island of misfit booze. Lots of bottles of stuff I bought for a certain cocktail and never used again. Flavored stuff. Stuff I don't have room for in my main cabinet. I bet I have a bottle of that down there.
 
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