I usually don't like to discuss what I'm drinking but last night was a bit special. I feel kinda like the 85 year old Jewish man who told the priest he slept with 22 year old twins. When asked why he was passing this information on to the priest in confession he replied - "Are you kidding, I'm telling everyone".

Last nights lineup: 1990 Roederer Cristal followed by 1998 Bourgogne Blanc fro de Vogue (declassified Musigny blanc) followed by 5 more 1990 Burgundies. The first flight was Leroy Vosne Romanee Beaux Monts and Leroy Clos de la Roche. Flight two was Leroy Richebourg and Leroy Romanee St. Vivant. We followed it up with a 1990 Ponsot Clos de la Roche Vielles Vignes. Since everyone was still thirsty we downed a 1959 DRC La Tache. I can quit drinking now because it doesn't get much better than this, or at least take some time off before my impending descent upon Bern's in Tampa. All of the wines were very young save for the La Tache which was a bit tired but glorious in its own way.

It's nice to have generous friends.

deesher wrote:Last nights lineup: 1990 Roederer Cristal followed by 1998 Bourgogne Blanc fro de Vogue (declassified Musigny blanc) followed by 5 more 1990 Burgundies. The first flight was Leroy Vosne Romanee Beaux Monts and Leroy Clos de la Roche. Flight two was Leroy Richebourg and Leroy Romanee St. Vivant. We followed it up with a 1990 Ponsot Clos de la Roche Vielles Vignes. Since everyone was still thirsty we downed a 1959 DRC La Tache. I can quit drinking now because it doesn't get much better than this, or at least take some time off before my impending descent upon Bern's in Tampa. All of the wines were very young save for the La Tache which was a bit tired but glorious in its own way.

It's nice to have generous friends.

Holy jeez...was this a very, very special occasion, or are your friends such ballers that they cracked this stuff open to wash down a pile of hotwings while watching the Hawks game?

That's an amazing list!

Habibi wrote:

jsagoff wrote:Maybe we should start a good, cheap vodka list?

My faves: Boru, Tito's (more expensivish), Sobieski, Lukusowa.

Russian Standard, now starting to be more common (Dominick's on Ridge and Pratt carries it). I definitely agree with Tito's and Lukosowa.

I concur on Russian Standard. My brother-in-law turned me on to it a couple years ago, good stuff. I'm not a big vodka drinker (I prefer whisk(e)ys and tequilas) but I'd much rather have Russian Standard than the 'premium' vodkas I have had.

That NY Magazine article about the creation of Grey Goose vodka was jaw-dropping for me, but that just goes to show how I naïve I am about marketing.

jsagoff wrote:Maybe we should start a good, cheap vodka list?

My faves: Boru, Tito's (more expensivish), Sobieski, Lukusowa.

My good, cheap vodka list is headed by whatever is on sale at the nearest liquor store. Unless you're into vodka shooters and don't use it in mixed drinks, its taste (or lack thereof) is overwhelmed by the mixer. I'll admit that I sometimes indulge myself with a premium vodka martini, but not often.

The same does not hold true for beer, however. As price escalates, so does satisfaction. A bottle of Samuel Smith Old Brewery Pale Ale will set you back a pretty penny, but compared to Bud Light it's a steal in terms of bang for the buck.

speaking of good value beer, I am a huge fan of Red Tail Ale out of the Mendocino Brewing Company in California. You can get a six-pack for $6.99 at Trader Joe's, which is one of the best deals around in my opinion.

i went with sobieski... 1.75Ls of vodka are now steeping with 3 sliced up pineapples

should be good... thanks for the tips everyone

MBK wrote:i went with sobieski... 1.75Ls of vodka are now steeping with 3 sliced up pineapples

should be good... thanks for the tips everyone

I saw this at Binny's South Loop today for around $18 and when I, did I immediately thought of making some pineapple-infused vodka.

Good luck with it!

=R=

TEMPELTON RYE ,night cap

where can i purchase this TEMPLETON RYE everyone speaks so highly of? i checked Binny's site and it appears they are out of stock??

MBK wrote:where can i purchase this TEMPLETON RYE everyone speaks so highly of? i checked Binny's site and it appears they are out of stock??

I've found Binny's website to be pretty hit or miss (mostly miss). I hoped they'd make more use of Sam's Wine's much more extensive & useful site after the buyout, but alas, no dice. Anyway, they usually have plenty at the River North Binny's, and I even saw it on sale at the Clark & Division Jewel on Saturday.

It's good stuff, and very reasonably priced...definitely worth trying.

Khaopaat wrote:

MBK wrote:where can i purchase this TEMPLETON RYE everyone speaks so highly of? i checked Binny's site and it appears they are out of stock??

I've found Binny's website to be pretty hit or miss (mostly miss). I hoped they'd make more use of Sam's Wine's much more extensive & useful site after the buyout, but alas, no dice. Anyway, they usually have plenty at the River North Binny's, and I even saw it on sale at the Clark & Division Jewel on Saturday.

It's good stuff, and very reasonably priced...definitely worth trying.

Templeton has had some supply issues lately. They release monthly allotments and had run out of their April allotment before the month had ended (according to Killmer @ Templeton, whom I ran into at WhiskeyFest on 4/23). My guess is that supply will be tight for a while but May was supposedly bringing new bottles to the supply line. Maybe the shortage in April has reverberated into this month. My guess is that there are plenty of bottles on the shelves at certain retail outlets, where it isn't quite as popular an item as it is in other areas.

=R=

MBK wrote:where can i purchase this TEMPLETON RYE everyone speaks so highly of? i checked Binny's site and it appears they are out of stock??

got mine at binny's on rt 83. willowbrook,il.

MBK wrote:where can i purchase this TEMPLETON RYE everyone speaks so highly of? i checked Binny's site and it appears they are out of stock??

Honestly if you want to try it stop in to any half decent bar and try it, it is fairly common out there from what I've seen. As far as retail goes, I know that the Grand Binny's had it on Thursday when I was in there.

SSDD

Templeton goes for, what, $35-40 a fifth? Sazerac 6yr is better and $10 cheaper, and if you want something premium go for the Thomas Handy.

jsagoff wrote:Templeton goes for, what, $35-40 a fifth? Sazerac 6yr is better and $10 cheaper, and if you want something premium go for the Thomas Handy.

Honestly I don't know what it goes for, I don't particularly like it; it is why I suggested going to a bar and trying it vs buying the bottle. And while I haven't had the Sazerac 6yr in a couple of years, I do know that I did prefer it when I had it. As far as sipping ryes go, I actually have my eye on a bottle of Rittenhouse 23, but it will probably have to wait until next month as I just bought my birthday scotch.

SSDD

headcase wrote:

jsagoff wrote:Templeton goes for, what, $35-40 a fifth? Sazerac 6yr is better and $10 cheaper, and if you want something premium go for the Thomas Handy.

Honestly I don't know what it goes for, I don't particularly like it; it is why I suggested going to a bar and trying it vs buying the bottle. And while I haven't had the Sazerac 6yr in a couple of years, I do know that I did prefer it when I had it. As far as sipping ryes go, I actually have my eye on a bottle of Rittenhouse 23, but it will probably have to wait until next month as I just bought my birthday scotch.

SSDD

Good advice. What I've learned about spirits is that "better" is most definitely in the palate of the beholder, price isn't necessarily an indicator of quality and certain ones work better than others in many applications. This is why I try to go to as many tasting events as I can. I have many spirits that I only use in specific cocktails. I can't remember ever wanting to drink Bulleit straight, for example, but it's my preferred bourbon in on Old Fashioned. Most decent bars with good selections will give you a taste of something without insisting you buy a shot of it (as long as you're buying drinks in general). Take advantage of these hospitable places -- and barkeeps -- and increase your knowledge.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:Good advice. What I've learned about spirits is that "better" is most definitely in the palate of the beholder, price isn't necessarily an indicator of quality and certain ones work better than others in many applications. This is why I try to go to as many tasting events as I can. I have many spirits that I only use in specific cocktails. I can't remember ever wanting to drink Bulleit straight, for example, but it's my preferred bourbon in on Old Fashioned. Most decent bars with good selections will give you a taste of something without insisting you buy a shot of it (as long as you're buying drinks in general). Take advantage of these hospitable places -- and barkeeps -- and increase your knowledge.

=R=

Absolutely, it is definitely good to try as many things as possible, and events are usually the most cost effective way to do so.

SSDD

well... i'll try and find a bar in the suburbs that stocks Templeton (tumbleweed rolls by)... anyone know of one in the Rosemont area? perhaps Gibsons... i might just buy a bottle anyway since i bought Sobieski w/o tasting it and it was great based on the recommendations of Ron and a couple others here... thanks for the advice and good (and safe) drinking

BTW: the Pineapple infused Sobieski was a major hit

As long as we are on the subject of rye, I just polished off a bottle of High West Rendezvous Rye. It didn't last very long around my house and while it isn't inexpensive (maybe $45 or so) it was outstanding. It's a blend of their 6 year old and 16 year old ryes. Definitely worth a try.

frickin' o.j. fighting a little cold

at least I grabbed some cold medicine with the highest dosage of DXM...

About to go taste a bunch of Willamette Valley Pinot Noirs at various wineries...

leek wrote:About to go taste a bunch of Willamette Valley Pinot Noirs at various wineries...

oh so jealous!!!!!!! Have a blast!

Leek - have a great time. I've been there and had a blast. If you don't have it planned out already, try the following...I really enjoyed them.

Winderlea
Ayers
Brickhouse
DePonte Cellars
White Rose
Vista Hills

Today was Cristom, Westerley, Carlton Winemakers Studio and St. Innocent

Sounds like quite a trip!

Tonight it's a 2001 Pegau CnP (wife hated the touch of brett... so more for me...)

Had a hibiscus old fashioned at Violet Hour last week and it was one of the best old fashioned versions I've ever had. So I'm trying to recreate it at home tonight. It turned out pretty good -- but not close to as good as the VH version. Go figure. This is what I did:

Hibiscus Syrup:
I cup water
1 handful hibiscus flowers
1.5 cups granulated sugar
Bring water to boil, then turn off heat; steep flowers for 4 minutes, then strain and discard flowers. Add the sugar to the "hibiscus tea" and simmer until dissolved. Cool to room temp then refrigerate.

Hibiscus Old Fashioned:
2 oz buffalo trace bourbon
1.5 tsp hibiscus syrup
3 dashes fees orange bitters
Lemon peel garnish

Anyone have any ideas on how I can tweak this to make it better?

inter4alia wrote:Hibiscus Old Fashioned:
2 oz buffalo trace bourbon
1.5 tsp hibiscus syrup
3 dashes fees orange bitters
Lemon peel garnish

Anyone have any ideas on how I can tweak this to make it better?

I'd suggest switching from Bourbon to Rye...Wild Turkey 101 works very well with hibiscus. If you must use Bourbon, go with something a bit harsher than Buffalo Trace...maybe Four Roses Single Barrel or something else close to 100 proof.

I like Angostura Orange with Hibiscus...Fee's Old Fashioned or Whiskey Barrel Aged Bitters would also be a good choice.

Are you using dried or fresh flowers to make the tea? I found dried hibiscus calyces already portioned into tea bags in a shop in Chinatown awhile back...I use these in basically the same process you described (make a tea, then cool and add an equal volume of sugar).

This might sound like a weird recommendation, but I think you're making the hibiscus syrup in the wrong order. I always make a simple syrup first before infusing it w/whatever I plan on, and I think that making a "tea" first changes the taste dramatically. Just a thought.

inter4alia wrote:Anyone have any ideas on how I can tweak this to make it better?

Whenever possible, I try to avoid using heat of any kind to make flavored syrups. This often requires allowing things to steep for a longer period of time (days in some instances) but I've been much happier with the results than with cooked syrups. The flavors are completely different and, IMO, much more "accurate."

=R=