• Welcome to OGBoards 10.0, keep in mind that we will be making LOTS of changes to smooth out the experience here and make it as close as possible functionally to the old software, but feel free to drop suggestions or requests in the Tech Support subforum!

Good bourbon

tsywake said:
And as an aside, each of the distilleries I went to on the bourbon trail suggested a glass with a single cube of ice to slightly bring it lower than room temperature and to open up the flavors. The difference really is noticeable.
Click to expand...

Geebus, I said the exact same thing at the top of this page and got called dumb...

I am hanging out with Racer and his Blantons while y'all sling arrows.
 
So those who make manhattans at home, which sweet vermouth would you recommend? All we have at home is extra dry for my wife's dirty martinis.
 
Deacfan2009 said:
Ahh.. thanks for the advice. I love making manhattans at home, but mine aren't quite on the level of my favorite DC bar (The Passenger).
Click to expand...

Passenger makes a solid manhattan. I'll be spending a lot of time there soon since one of my best friends is moving to DC in January and just rented a place a few blocks from there.
 
I might go to The Passenger tomorrow night actually. Thanks for the inspiration 2009.
 
wfudkn said:
Passenger makes a solid manhattan. I'll be spending a lot of time there soon since one of my best friends is moving to DC in January and just rented a place a few blocks from there.
Click to expand...

Yeah. My GF lives right near Mt. Vernon sq apartments, and I work right at 7th and G. I'm actually kind of mad it took me this long to finally 'discover' the place.
 
WRS said:
The Columbia Room is basically the back room of The Passenger. Totally different bar though. It's only got 10 seats and pretty much constantly full so you have to make a reservation.

The sole focus is making the absolute best possible cocktails. Most people that go there opt for the tasting menu I think which is 3 drinks and a small food dish (braised pork belly when I went). First two drinks are selected by the bartender each night and the third they will make basically anything for you based on your tastes. The whole thing lasts about two hours and it's really cool because the bartender gives you a lot of personal attention and you can learn a lot of interesting stuff about what they do. They also hand cut the ice that they use out of a big block which I thought was cool.

Not cheap at all but now that you're moving up in the world it's something to keep on the radar :thumbsup:

ETA: Just saw your edit but that's my review in any event. Definitely worth a trip.
Click to expand...

Very nice. Definitely will keep it in mind for events/nice-dates moving forward.
 
tsywake said:
So those who make manhattans at home, which sweet vermouth would you recommend? All we have at home is extra dry for my wife's dirty martinis.
Click to expand...

As I mentioned above, Dolin is my favorite, but Vya and Carpano Antico are good as well. Also forgot to add Punt e Mes above. It makes a good manhattan as well.

And while a true manhattan has angostura bitters, I've been using Fee Brothers Old Fashioned lately and it's a nice little change.
 
Deacfan2009 said:
Yeah. My GF lives right near Mt. Vernon sq apartments, and I work right at 7th and G. I'm actually kind of mad it took me this long to finally 'discover' the place.
Click to expand...

I worked at 8th and G for a few years and loved that hood. I was right above Proof, which was trouble.
 
wfudkn said:
As I mentioned above, Dolin is my favorite, but Vya and Carpano Antico are good as well. Also forgot to add Punt e Mes above. It makes a good manhattan as well.
Click to expand...

We've got Dolin dry at home for martinis, do you use the rouge or the blanc for the manhattans?
 
RacerDeac said:
I'm heading to the ABC during lunch and plan to pick up a bottle of Blanton's to travel around with me and share with family during the holidays. :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

Well, they were out of Blanton's, so I picked up a bottle of Elijah 18. Haven't tried it before, but saw it recommended in this thread a couple times.
 
Does anyone experiment with different citrus garnishes? I really want to be able to create a long (3 inch) wide (1.5 in.) citrus peel, but having trouble doing so with a paring knife. I either can't get the size, or I get too much pith.

Bar Tonique in New Orleans would use these in drinks like the sazerac.
 
RacerDeac said:
Well, they were out of Blanton's, so I picked up a bottle of Elijah 18. Haven't tried it before, but saw it recommended in this thread a couple times.
Click to expand...

You wont be disappointed. It was my favorite on the tour, but slightly more than I am willing to pay week to week.
 
tsywake said:
You wont be disappointed. It was my favorite on the tour, but slightly more than I am willing to pay week to week.
Click to expand...

It was $39...how does that compare to what you've seen? Almost picked up a bottle of Four Roses after reading your posts about it.

My father-in-law typically goes for Irish Whiskey, but I bought him a bottle of Basil Hayden's for Christmas.
 
Thats comparable to the ABC prices up here. You may be able to find it a little cheaper at Frugle McDougalds. Its about $10 more than I prefer to pay on a regular basis. Living on one income, I'm having to resort to cheaper stuff daily and splurging every so often.

I really do like the Four Roses Small Batch. The yellow label isnt very good imo.
 
tsywake said:
Thats comparable to the ABC prices up here. You may be able to find it a little cheaper at Frugle McDougalds. Its about $10 more than I prefer to pay on a regular basis. Living on one income, I'm having to resort to cheaper stuff daily and splurging every so often.

I really do like the Four Roses Small Batch. The yellow label isnt very good imo.
Click to expand...

I hear ya. Four Roses Small Batch sounds about right from a price/taste perspective, but I'm currently in exploratory mode after being stuck on Makers and Basil Hayden for a while, so I'm willing to pay a little more until I get through my short list of those I'd like to try.
 
WRS said:
Been to The Columbia Room yet friend? When I was there two weekends ago they were serving a Manhattan variation that was incredible.

Also, I was literally just telling Nonny about The Passenger on Thursday night and saying it seemed like somewhere you would go :D
Click to expand...

The Columbia Room/Passenger was recently named to in the top 50 bars in America along with PX in the area.

Some friends and I went over there the night before the repeal day ball and hovered by the door to the Columbia Room long enough to beg our way in. At their typical closing time we were pretty much the last people there with Katie Nelson pouring one incredible drink after another, then in walks Derek Brown with maybe 15 other crazy good bartenders from around the country - one of them brought maybe a 20 pound cured/aged ham they started carving up and handing out.

Being a fly on the wall as those guys talked about drinks, served up some of their favorites (and let us sample them), etc... Pretty damn fun night. We drank until almost 4am when they had to kick everyone out of the back room (the Passenger had closed a while before that).

Anyway, that place is awesome, and one of the topics up for discussion that night was the Martini. Derek makes one of the best Martinis anywhere on the planet, and based off their conversation it's safe to say RJ's comments on this thread would have been thoroughly mocked.
 
tsywake said:
So those who make manhattans at home, which sweet vermouth would you recommend? All we have at home is extra dry for my wife's dirty martinis.
Click to expand...

My brother uses Dubonnet in his manhattans.
 
Brown Derby

Made a brown derby last night with four roses yellow label for the wife. It was surprisingly pretty good, light but good. Shaved a little nutmeg on top and added an orange twist. Next go around I am going to replace the honey with maple syrup.

2oz bourbon
1oz grapefruit juice
.5oz honey-water
dash of biiters
shake with ice

http://www.latimesmagazine.com/2009/09/brown-derby-cocktail-marcos-tello-recipe.html
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top