Recently I've been into this alternate version of the Vesper Martini from 007 Casino Royale. I was actually making this drink at BC this year.

Vesper Martini Alt.:
3 oz. Gin
1 oz. vodka
1/2 Lillet
4 dashes Angostura Bitters
Orange peel (for the orange flame and garnish)

THAT SHIT WAS AMAZING.

I've only just discovered liquor infusion, but I love it. I still hate "Men's Health" but I will thank it for that.

Rum Old Fashioned is pretty much my goto when I'm out in town. There's a lot of amazing cocktail bars here, even an Alice in Wonderland themed one, it's pretty slick.

Also just had a Blood and Sand made with this recently. www.gunpowderrum.com

It was pretty damned amazing.

Dark and stormies are my jam lately.

monkeyg0d said:
Rum Old Fashioned is pretty much my goto when I'm out in town. There's a lot of amazing cocktail bars here, even an Alice in Wonderland themed one, it's pretty slick.

Also just had a Blood and Sand made with this recently. www.gunpowderrum.com ...

Cocktail snobbery is the name of the game, which is why I even bring this up...
::Begin wine-fueled Cocktail Classic Rant::

If you have a Blood and Sand made with rum, it is not a Blood and Sand. I don't know what it is, but when you replace the scotch in a scotch based classic cocktail, it becomes something else. Next you're going to say "Man, I had the greatest Tom Collins made with Captain Morgan!" No, that is a Ron Collins. It has a name and does not cause confusion on what the drink is.

Find the proper ingredients and/or names for your drinks. I already cringe when I think of my Kraken and Canada Dry as a "Dark and Stormy" in my own head since it should be ginger beer, not ginger ale. That is my confession for the night, my quick and dirty Dim and Cloudy is a regular favorite. See that name right there, I made it up, instead of sullying the name of the correct drink. (Oh yeah, wine-fueled tonight)

You see how I'm letting that "Rum Old Fashioned" slide? It's against my better judgement, but since there is a Brandy Old Fashioned in some regions I suppose a Rum Old Fashioned would be possible. It's at least specific to the changed ingredient. As long as you're not muddling maraschinos in there. If you are, your knuckles should be rapped with the muddler. I think I already had that rant earlier in the thread. Sorry.

::End wine-fueled Cocktail Classic Rant::

... Thank god for spell check. Sorry about that guys. I'll go drink more wine now.

(Sorry, monkeyg0d)

Thank you Nomi, that's just what this thread needed.

Cocktail snobbery my ass....

Fair call on the Blood & Sand I suppose. I dont know any better when it comes to those so I'll take that. It's what the bartender called it when I told him to make me something with the gunpowder rum.

As for the Old Fashioned though... I've seen them made with different spirits and as you mentioned there have been regional variants as well (brandy and gin), so I'll argue that the rum variant is "legal".

As an aside, was looking for other rum drinks today and came across something called an Imperial Mojito credited to PF Changs which sounds just fucking horrid. It made me very sad.

I pulled out my copy of The Savoy Cocktail Book (which I recommend everyone have), and indeed, changing the alcohol in an Old Fashioned is completely fair game.

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Diana, if you're reading this then I'm sorry, I still haven't been to Rivoli yet.

Alright, but I still want my Old Fashioned with whiskey, preferably rye. I concede the point on that one.

I've been drinking:
- one part Scotch
- one part Bailey's
- one part Milk

Needs a name...

Britishly Delicious said:
Diana, if you're reading this then I'm sorry, I still haven't been to Rivoli yet.

GOD DAMN IT DAN.

Bought some Black Seal Rum to make real Dark and Stormy's. Accidentally grabbed Sasparilla instead of Ginger Beer. Tastes like ass, do not reccomend.

Back to the store.

Last night I mixed 1 part sprite with 2 parts cotton candy liqueur. So good.

All I've been drinking lately is vodka and soda or vodka mixed with either citrus or some kind of cranberry juice.

I've got to say, though I love Kettle One best for vodka sodas or vodka tonics, this Tito's vodka (gluten free, though I don't think that's uncommon in vodka) is probably the cleanest, smoothest vodka I've had under $20/750ml, and I'd probably do shots of it over Grey Goose any day. Grey Goose has more flavor, but Tito's is just insanely clean.

Plus, Tito's comes in a clear bottle with a lable that makes it look like it should be hicksville $5 tequila. And it's made in TX (San Antonio, I think). It's just so many kinds of wrong that end up tasting so right!

I like the flavor of Ciroc, but it's grossly overprices. Honestly, anything more than about $21-$23 for a fifth of vodka is overpriced.

Crystal Head? One of the most overpriced boondoggles in hard alcohol I've ever seen. You're basically paying $25 for a cool-looking bottle plus $20 worth of $15 vodka. It's too harsh to be worth more.

Seriously? Fuck that skull right in the eye hole. Only strictly figuratively because I'm not shelling that much out to get a bottle to do it literally.

Vodka/Soda is pretty much my go to when I'm out at clubs because I don't trust their bartenders to know what they are doing and its pretty hard to fuck up.

Try Russian Standard. Both the regular bottle and the Platinum are quite good imo. Also the Absolut 100 is pretty damn good for a 100 proof.

I also had the Smirnoff extra strength recently which was damn good as well.

Anyone have any awesome recipes for hot alcoholic drinks/cocktails?

It's been raining like mad lately, and I'm single again, so I've been craving a nice "winter warmer" to keep me company on my long weekends (I have weird days off).

I've had hot toddies before, and liked one recipe (but I don't have it). Do you guys swear by anything to keep you warm during the freezing Philly/Chicago/etc nights?

I plan on investigating some hot buttered rum recipes pretty soon, so if I find a good one, I'll definitely post it!

The hot beverage I've been drinking spiced cider and whiskey. If you only have regular cider you can mull it with some cinnamon, nutmeg, and alspice or cloves depending on your taste. Spiced rum is a great alternative to whiskey.