Puff Daddy":9lyu7rnu said:
Well I got ahold of some Rittenhouse rye at BevMo, and some Noilly Prat sweet and a bottle of bitters. I discovered that the Woodford is just too good to be mixing, it deserves to be enjoyed neat in a nosing glass and is one of the finest bourbons I've ever tried.
It's truly fine stuff. I kept a bottle in a secret place for a while, before my mate found it. "What's this? You sneaking tipples in the middle of the night, or something?"
"Well, um, no. Not exactly. Medicinal purposes, you see. Besides,
you bought me this bottle, a lovely gift, I'm sure you recall it, and, um, I don't want guests to drink any of it, you know, accidentally? Such a shame if someone were to put it over ice, or something dreadful like that." The baloney stains were forming under the arms at this point, I'm sure. Bad day not to wear an undershirt.
"Is this glass for medicinal purposes, too? You need a fancy glass for medicine?"
"But, the glass was a gift at the same time the Bourbon was, don't you remember? I'd be just crushed if anything were to happen to it."
Things just weren't going right, by this point. Fact is, she wasn't buying any of it. The Woodford is in the liquor cabinet, now, and my Reidel bourbon glass is safely on the shelf...
I didn't get the 100 proof Rittenhouse, they were out, so I went with the 80 proof. I'll give this a crack in a nosing glass as well just to get a good grip on it's personality. The Manhattans are tasting 'Right' now, with the rye and the bitters. Fine stuff. I had one served 'Up' earlier but I still prefer mine on the rocks, in a 3/1 ratio rye to vermouth with these two brands. Yum! 8)
Amazing, innit? The Rye? The other night, a friend poured a
High West Distillery Rendezvous Rye. Outstanding stuff. Definitely not Manhattan fixin's.
I still need to pick up a bottle of Punt Y Mes, and explore its use in a Manhattan. It comes from Carpano, though it is supposedly a bit more bitter than the Antico, but not quite Campari.
Speaking of Campari, here's a recipe for my eponymous cocktail, loosely based on the Negroni. Very refreshing, and a wonderful aperitif: (Hey, what good is it being a Dark Lord and all that rubbish, if you can't name a cocktail after yourself, right? This one is actually served in a few respectable restaurants in the area.)
The Gregorio Cocktail
In a shaker with plenty of ice, stir until well chilled:
2oz Campari
2oz Sweet vermouth
1oz Rye
Squeeze of orange
Serve in a cocktail glass with a twist of orange or lemon peel, or in a rocks glass, over ice, with a splash of Pellegrino and an orange garnish.