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I drank every cocktail

aaronson.org

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Re: I drank every cocktail

#111

Post by matsemann »

Avalaxy wrote: post #109
matsemann wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My second advice would be ice ice ice. A bartender uses copious amounts of ice. It's for a reason. If you make a mojito at home and just chuck two ice cubes in, you will either get waaayyy too much soda in when filling the glass, a too hot drink, too watered down etc.

> A bartender uses copious amounts of ice. It's for a reason. $$$$$$$$$

Hehe. But where I'm from (Norway) it's only allowed to serve drinks with 40 cl (edit, I meant 4 cl heh) of liquor (with exceptions for international recognized cocktails). So if you were to get less ice you wouldn't get anything more for your money anyways. Except more soda water and a diluted taste.

Re: I drank every cocktail

#112

Post by alex-moon »

Since no-one else has mentioned it so far, I wanted to say I appreciated the big warning at the top. As someone who has struggled with (and overcome!) alcohol dependency in the past, having a big reminder that literally says "You should probably stop reading this" shows a sensitivity to the issue I rarely see online.

The other thing I loved about this write-up was the photo of the "best cocktail bar in the world" being the skeeziest, most dangerous looking flat-top you've ever seen. Having known a few bartenders in my life, I am absolutely not surprised that a "bartenders' bar" would look like that.

Re: I drank every cocktail

#113

Post by Barbing »

matsemann wrote: post #111
Avalaxy wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> A bartender uses copious amounts of ice. It's for a reason. $$$$$$$$$

Hehe. But where I'm from (Norway) it's only allowed to serve drinks with 40 cl (edit, I meant 4 cl heh) of liquor (with exceptions for international recognized cocktails). So if you were to get less ice you wouldn't get anything more for your money anyways. Except more soda water and a diluted taste.

>40 cl of liquor

RIP all Norwegian drinkers

[typo correction and conversion likely: 4 cl = 40 ml ≈ 1.35 fl oz]

Re: I drank every cocktail

#114

Post by Barbing »

bryanlarsen wrote: post #44
owenversteeg wrote: post #19

For those that are getting into cocktails, by far the best piece of advice I can give is: know when the quality of ingredients matter and when they don’t. If it’s a very sugary/salty drink, or people are smoking, or already drunk, most people won’t care, but for a lot of cocktails the ingredients make a massive difference. The best bang for your buck is Carpano Antica, a sweet vermouth with real complexity to it; the…

> worst value is high end vodka. For mixing, definitely. If you're drinking it straight, the subtle complexity of a good vodka is nice.

Does this bear out in double-blind tests?

Re: I drank every cocktail

#115

Post by mgaunard »

The trick to having a good time at a cocktail bar is sitting at the bar and talking to the bartender. Tell him what kind of things you like and he'll be happy to make recommendations and even have you taste some unusual ingredients he recommends for a twist on any of the classics.

There are a lot more good addresses in London than the ones he listed, it's clearly a hot spot worldwide for this kind of thing.

In NYC there are a few good ones as well, but I feel it's below London. It's also a bit too busy.

Re: I drank every cocktail

#116

Post by mgaunard »

bryanlarsen wrote: post #44
owenversteeg wrote: post #19

For those that are getting into cocktails, by far the best piece of advice I can give is: know when the quality of ingredients matter and when they don’t. If it’s a very sugary/salty drink, or people are smoking, or already drunk, most people won’t care, but for a lot of cocktails the ingredients make a massive difference. The best bang for your buck is Carpano Antica, a sweet vermouth with real complexity to it; the…

> worst value is high end vodka. For mixing, definitely. If you're drinking it straight, the subtle complexity of a good vodka is nice.

People who never had Belvedere or Chopin simply don't know that a vodka shot doesn't have to be a painful experience.

Re: I drank every cocktail

#117

Post by octo888 »

mgaunard wrote: post #115

The trick to having a good time at a cocktail bar is sitting at the bar and talking to the bartender. Tell him what kind of things you like and he'll be happy to make recommendations and even have you taste some unusual ingredients he recommends for a twist on any of the classics. There are a lot more good addresses in London than the ones he listed, it's clearly a hot spot worldwide for this kind of thing. In NYC th…

Any particular recommendations for London? I feel a thirst coming on!

Re: I drank every cocktail

#119

Post by jansan »

matsemann wrote: post #111
Avalaxy wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> A bartender uses copious amounts of ice. It's for a reason. $$$$$$$$$

Hehe. But where I'm from (Norway) it's only allowed to serve drinks with 40 cl (edit, I meant 4 cl heh) of liquor (with exceptions for international recognized cocktails). So if you were to get less ice you wouldn't get anything more for your money anyways. Except more soda water and a diluted taste.

International recognized cocktails must be quite popular in Norway. I remember when going to Norway for a friend's wedding and they explicitly asked all guests to bring the maximum allowed limit of liquor with them. I understood this after I saw the ridiculous high prices at those liquor stores, which they shamelessly call "wine monopoly" and have higher security than bank buildings. You guys sure have a special relationship with ethanol.

Re: I drank every cocktail

#120

Post by dcminter »

alex-moon wrote: post #112

Since no-one else has mentioned it so far, I wanted to say I appreciated the big warning at the top. As someone who has struggled with (and overcome!) alcohol dependency in the past, having a big reminder that literally says "You should probably stop reading this" shows a sensitivity to the issue I rarely see online. The other thing I loved about this write-up was the photo of the "best cocktail bar in the world" bei…

Eh, that's also kind of the East London aesthetic for you. It used to be (maybe 30 years ago) very dodgy and is now (mostly) very hipster.

The Bar Americain which he mentions but doesn't show a picture of, on the other hand, is excellent, slap bang in the middle of Picadilly, and quite opulent. That's great to combine with a meal at the surprisingly cheap (given the location) brasserie Zedel.

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