Cocktails

[Dannyalcatraz]

Went to a restaurant and was told they didn't do cocktails, despite the extensive cocktail menu that was on their website. "There's not much call for them," the waitress told us. The wall behind the bar was covered with shelves of cocktail ingredients and tools. Oh well.

I would not have been able to resist further inquiry.

 

[Old Fezziwig]

I suspect that this is actually code for “The bartender doesn’t know how to make one” more often than not.

I actually had an experience where I asked if they could make a Negroni, they assured me they could, and then gave me a G&T with a splash of grenadine in a collins glass. It was suboptimal.

 

[Dioltach]

I would not have been able to resist further inquiry.

I settled for a glass of wine. Also not on the menu, although it included about 20 different beers. "We only have red, white and rosé. There's not much demand for it, so if someone orders wine we have to open a bottle specifically for them."

Not the best service I've ever had.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

"We only have red, white and rosé. There's not much demand for it, so if someone orders wine we have to open a bottle specifically for them."

Hey they had rosé, that's something!

Personally I love cocktails but only if I'm not making them, otherwise oof, what an effort! sazeracs and old-fashioneds are my main ones of choice, but it is annoyingly hard to find a good sazerac in London. One bar which claimed to "specialize" in cocktails, the bartender had never heard of one, I didn't even know what to say to that.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

Still haven’t even been able to try one! Every time I order one, I’m told they’re missing an ingredient.

I suspect that this is actually code for “The bartender doesn’t know how to make one” more often than not.

Where are you ordering your cocktails, Denny's?

Negronis are about as basic a cocktail as you can order at this point, once you're past the point of a Vodka & Soda. If a place can't make a Negroni, you shouldn't be ordering cocktails from that place.

Now, if you're looking for something a little lighter than the classic Negroni, I would recommend trying the Negroni Sbagliato (the broken Negroni). You replace the gin with prosecco, and you have a great spritzer that is a little boozier and lot less sweet than those Aperol Spritzes everyone and their toy chihuahua are drinking right now.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

I adore Negronis. Have you not had time to try it or have you not had one you enjoyed? If you like whisky, the Boulevardier is worth trying. You may know this, but it's a Negroni with rye instead of gin (all equal parts). I've seen recipes that do 1 1/2 parts rye to 1 part sweet vermouth, 1 part Campari — I tend to find that a heavier hand on the rye tends to push the flavor into Manhattan territory a little bit. Which may or may not be desirable. (I find it to be just fine either way.)

The Boulevardier is a favorite of mine, easily in my top 10 cocktails.

So now we exist in a world where Chartreuse is almost impossible to find. Right now I'm using Strega for Yellow and Dolin Genepy for Green.

I recently got a classic Mai Tai at a bar and it was a both gorgeous and delicious:

 

[Nikosandros]

Where are you ordering your cocktails, Denny's?

Negronis are about as basic a cocktail as you can order at this point, once you're past the point of a Vodka & Soda. If a place can't make a Negroni, you shouldn't be ordering cocktails from that place.

Yeah, I gotta agree with that one.

and lot less sweet than those Aperol Spritzes everyone and their toy chihuahua are drinking right now.

I remember, about 15 years ago, I went to Padua (in northern Italy) as a tourist with some friends. A friend of mine was living there at the time, serving as a lieutenant in the Carabinieri and he showed us around. He brought us also to a fancy place in the city center where we could try this Spritz-thing that was quite popular in the region, but almost unknown in Rome. Little did I know about the relentless Orange Tide that was about to sweep the country...

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

I remember, about 15 years ago, I went to Padua (in northern Italy) as a tourist with some friends. A friend of mine was living there at the time, serving as a lieutenant in the Carabinieri and he showed us around. He brought us also to a fancy place in the city center where we could try this Spritz-thing that was quite popular in the region, but almost unknown in Rome. Little did I know about the relentless Orange Tide that was about to sweep the country...

If you're going to board the Crazy Spritz Train, I would suggest using something other than Aperol.

If you're going full Venice, then the Select Spritz (using Aperitivo Select) is pretty good. It's definitely worth seeking out as it is a lot more complex in terms of flavors, while still maintaining that refreshing and vibrant flavor.

Meletti 1870 also makes for an interesting spritz (or you can substitute it for the Campari in a Negroni).

Finally, if you're like me, and you think to yourself, "Self, I like the Negroni, but what about really getting it on?" Then I will recommend the Cyngroni (pronounced Cheen-groni). Sub the Campari for Cynar.

 

[Mannahnin]

I like Aperol in a Naked & Famous. I'm lucky that I was able to find another bottle of yellow chartreuse recently.

I'm down to a couple of ounces of green and lamenting it.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

I like Aperol in a Naked & Famous. I'm lucky that I was able to find another bottle of yellow chartreuse recently.

I'm down to a couple of ounces of green and lamenting it.

I say this without any sense of hyperbole; the disappearance of chartreuse is a greater problem to the world than global climate change and hunger, combined.