MBK wrote:uhm... 4loko... yes, i'm a hype and should be banned

needless to say i don't think we need any pics of the 4loke

just sent a can of that to my wife's book club X-mass party as a gag gift.

I had some four loko a couple weeks ago, just terrible stuff. And they've proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that there's no such thing as bad publicity.

Tonight I've been sipping on my go to single malt, Caol Ila 12 year. Smokey, salty, superb.

white russians

the 4lokos lead into watching the big lebowski... so i'm a walking cliche, sue me

Homemade hot buttered rum! It's that time of year. I use Emeril's recipe.

1 stick butter
2 cups brown sugar (he says light, I say dark)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Soften the butter and cream all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl until you get a homogenous paste. Place 1 tbsp of the batter and add 3 oz Gosling's Black Seal (or you can use Cruzan Blackstrap or maybe Sailor Jerry's). Fill with boiling water from a teakettle and stir it up!

DELICIOUS. Also, I promise you you'll want more than one, and if you have more than two then goodnight.

I'll upload pics tonight if I have the time.

Does the butter fat liquify and float on top? If so, frightening.

Some does, some stays blended. And if by frightening you mean delicious, then I agree.

No alchohol. Dogs and Suds diet root beer and also Arnold Palmers.

A glögg (and Knob Creek) manhattan in an antique champagne coupe.

It works.

Well.

Bridgestone wrote:A glögg (and Knob Creek) manhattan in an antique champagne coupe.

It works.

Well.

Cheers, my friend!

I'm trying out the new Parker's Heritage Collection 10-year Wheated Bourbon . . . Cask Strength/124.2 proof but incredibly smooth.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:

Bridgestone wrote:A glögg (and Knob Creek) manhattan in an antique champagne coupe.

It works.

Well.

Cheers, my friend!

I'm trying out the new Parker's Heritage Collection 10-year Wheated Bourbon . . . Cask Strength/124.2 proof but incredibly smooth.

=R=

Up next for me is some Black Maple Hill 23-year rye . . . cask #7, 95 proof. Really sensational stuff. Caramel aroma but decidedly not sweet at all. Grassy and herbaceous with a very velvety finish.

=R=

Parker's new stuff is pretty nice...wish I'd tasted more when we were visiting the HH Bourbon Heritage Center a few months back. If I remember well enough, the wheated gave the '10 W.L. Weller a run for its money.

Tonight, I had a few at the Violet Hour...including a spectacular Cynar/Apple Juice concoction and a more traditional Smash, both with Big Star's new single barrel bottling of Old Weller Antique (107 Proof). It's pretty hot straight, and a touch weedy, but add even a couple drops of water and it's got some crazy maple aroma on it. Going to be a great winter drink base.

both you guys (ron & kl) know how to drink and drink well, mad respect

tonight, its wild turkey 101 & monster energy drink

yes, i am trying to recreate 4 loko, and yes, i do call this mixture "5 loko," and yes, that is yet another point towards getting banned from this forum

trying a bottle of white whiskey from Deaths Door in Madison, Wi. It is a warming spirit--almost some good moonshine that has had a chance to mellow for a few weeks. May be better in a mixed drink vs in a tumbler

http://www.deathsdoorspirits.com/

Bell's Batch 10,000. Pretty good, actually. Not at all a sweet malty mess, which I usually expect with American-style barleywines and other big beers.

Well, I had a small glass of an open bottle and it sure is good
these bottle are for later..

Recommended by a guy at Binny's.

Spicy, caramel, vanilla.

Excellent neat. In a Manhattan, a treat.

An Admiral Schley Punch and The Famous Shanghai Buck at The Whistler's Charles H. Baker night this evening. Also sampled the Tiger's Milk II, Barbados Buck and Daisy de Santiago and each was befitting of the man/myth/legend. A terrific idea and execution by Paul McGee who says Beachbum Berry night is on tap for January...

Was great to finally run into Ronnie at the bar. Sorry we couldn't talk more...had an old college friend in from out of town; hope to see you again soon.

yeah u and ron are nuts... i hope to be at that level someday... right now its white russians and jim bean w/ cider (don't ask)

kl1191 wrote:An Admiral Schley Punch and The Famous Shanghai Buck at The Whistler's Charles H. Baker night this evening. Also sampled the Tiger's Milk II, Barbados Buck and Daisy de Santiago and each was befitting of the man/myth/legend. A terrific idea and execution by Paul McGee who says Beachbum Berry night is on tap for January...

Was great to finally run into Ronnie at the bar. Sorry we couldn't talk more...had an old college friend in from out of town; hope to see you again soon.

Very nice meeting you, too. I honestly can't believe it took that long for our paths to cross and I hope they do again soon.

It was like Saturday on Monday last night at The Whistler...bustling.

Paul's interpretation the Baker cocktails was as masterful as his conception of the entire evening. I had the Pendennis Club's Special, the Rosy Dawn, the Admiral Schley Punch and the Cap Haitian Rum & Honey. All were tasty (maybe too much so) and my only regret is that I couldn't try more of them. Still, after Whistler, I headed over to The Bristol for a late-night bite and couple of Glenkinchie 12-years. After that, I made my way down to Bar DeVille, where Matty poured me a couple customized Old Fashioned variations and several glasses of water.

Hard to believe it was only Monday

=R=

Bare sunshine drenching stone swept valleys and sturdy cactus tentacles. A bit of chicken juice might have gotten in there too.

Habibi wrote:Bare sunshine drenching stone swept valleys and sturdy cactus tentacles. A bit of chicken juice might have gotten in there too.

Unfortunately I think you have to pay an additional hundred-plus bucks a bottle for the chicken juice. I believe I've tried all the Del Maguey offerings except this one. I'll keep my eyes open for it.

kl1191 wrote:Old Heaven Hill Gold Label, Bottled in Bond...on the rocks. Starting a write-in campaign to get Binny's to carry this stuff (it's distributed in IL -bars carry it- but it's not for sale in any stores AFAIK). At $9 per 750 ML ($19 for 1.75) in Kentucky, it is a total steal. Drinks like bourbon more than double the cost.

Looks like your campaign was successful; it's available at Binny's now. I saw it at both the South Loop and Ivanhoe stores for $11.99 + tax + tax…. Not quite the steal it is in Kentucky (I picked up some when I was there in September) but still one of the better bourbon values in Chicago stores. It's rye-heavy, spicy, dry; not an elegant bourbon but not boring either.

Rene G wrote:

kl1191 wrote:Old Heaven Hill Gold Label, Bottled in Bond...on the rocks. Starting a write-in campaign to get Binny's to carry this stuff (it's distributed in IL -bars carry it- but it's not for sale in any stores AFAIK). At $9 per 750 ML ($19 for 1.75) in Kentucky, it is a total steal. Drinks like bourbon more than double the cost.

Looks like your campaign was successful; it's available at Binny's now. I saw it at both the South Loop and Ivanhoe stores for $11.99 + tax + tax…. Not quite the steal it is in Kentucky (I picked up some when I was there in September) but still one of the better bourbon values in Chicago stores. It's rye-heavy, spicy, dry; not an elegant bourbon but not boring either.

The Marcy Street Binny's has it as well; I picked some up to try to recreate a cocktail I had at Sable. Great mixing bourbon and not bad neat. Incidentally, was at Big Star today and the $3 bourbon special was Old Heaven Hill bottled in bond. I opted instead for a pour of this year's William Larue Weller, which I really enjoyed. Pretty fair price at $12, considering what the Buffalo Trace antiques are going for at retail these days. I really enjoyed it, just a few drops of water helped open it up and expose a fairly complex and layered flavor profile, dry wheat giving way to some sweeter notes, not as hot as I expected for a 120+ proof bourbon.

Rene G wrote:

kl1191 wrote:Old Heaven Hill Gold Label, Bottled in Bond...on the rocks. Starting a write-in campaign to get Binny's to carry this stuff (it's distributed in IL -bars carry it- but it's not for sale in any stores AFAIK). At $9 per 750 ML ($19 for 1.75) in Kentucky, it is a total steal. Drinks like bourbon more than double the cost.

Looks like your campaign was successful; it's available at Binny's now. I saw it at both the South Loop and Ivanhoe stores for $11.99 + tax + tax…. Not quite the steal it is in Kentucky (I picked up some when I was there in September) but still one of the better bourbon values in Chicago stores. It's rye-heavy, spicy, dry; not an elegant bourbon but not boring either.

Yes, I tweeted at them and they asked me where I shopped most and said they'd start stocking it*...it was pleasantly surprising to see that level of customer service from a company that I really didn't have a very good opinion of after the Sam's take-over. $12/fifth is still a pretty good deal...I can't think of another complex mixing whiskey at that price. It's half the price of basic Buffalo Trace, which is fine but entirely unremarkable as bourbons go, and 10% higher ABV to boot. With Rittenhouse creeping north of $20 when it's available and Laird's Bonded now listed at $25...it's nice to see a whiskey with some character at a sub-$15 price point.

*Perhaps serendipitously, they've also just started carrying my favorite gin, Leopold Brothers...on my last visit to the South Loop store they had a wide range of Leopold products, including their excellent cranberry liqueur.

Bought a bottle of Old Heaven Hill based on this thread, and I'm a fan. Currently enjoying a glass with a splash of Carpano Antica.

I'm very glad folks are liking the Heaven Hill Gold Bonded...we made plenty of old fashioneds with it for a party last weekend and got lots of good feedback. I was tipped off to it by Troy Sidle (formerly of the Violet Hour, now with Alchemy Consulting in NYC), and I believe it was brought to the city only after dogged pursuit by Michael Rubel (Big Star and Violet Hour) who happens to be one of the most learned persons on the topic of bourbon I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. I finally got the nerve to start asking for it at liquor stores when it also showed up on the cocktail menu at The Whistler. So, good pedigree there...

Anyway, all that aside, tonight I combined some of the plunder from my last two trips (Kentucky and France) for a Sazerac with Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye & a Jade Edouard absinthe rinse. It's long since empty, but I never want to wash this glass. The smell is heavenly.

Prior to my early, early flight tomorrow out of O'Hare (why, why did I pick a flight so early??), nothing is going to beat my Manhattan -- 2 parts Dolin sweet vermouth, 5 parts (you might guess) gold-labeled, bottled-in-bond Heaven Hill 100 proof, and a few shakes of bitters. Wonderful whiskey and I'm thankful for the suggestion.

Prior to this Heaven Hill, my 'go to' bourbon has been Very Old Barton 90 (you know, for when the night doesn't quite warrant something nicer). It doesn't quite have the depth of the Heaven Hill but it is also an absolute steal at ~$10-15 (everything in the Very Old Barton range is a 6 year old bourbon, but in 80, 86, 90 & 100 proofs). It's been available for a while now and is never out of stock. It might be a "bottom shelf" bourbon but I think it's great.

Sobieski, ice cold. It's been a crappy day and I just needed the numbing. It's a great vodka for the price, better than many that cost much more.

Bell's Batch 10,000. It doesn't seem as alcoholic as it is, but it has a very deep, rich, roasty stout-like flavor, but with more complexity. I'm kicking myself for actually drinking two bottles. The other four will probably be a lot better in a year or four.

danimalarkey wrote:Prior to this Heaven Hill, my 'go to' bourbon has been Very Old Barton 90 (you know, for when the night doesn't quite warrant something nicer). It doesn't quite have the depth of the Heaven Hill but it is also an absolute steal at ~$10-15 (everything in the Very Old Barton range is a 6 year old bourbon, but in 80, 86, 90 & 100 proofs). It's been available for a while now and is never out of stock. It might be a "bottom shelf" bourbon but I think it's great.

The Heaven Hill made bottled in bonds (they also distill and bottle other BIB labels including J.T.S. Brown, J.W. Dant and T.W. Samuels plus the wheat recipe Old Fitzgerald) along with the Very Old Barton line are definitely the top shelf of the "bottom shelf" bourbons. Very Old Barton, I find is drier and more green fruit versus the Heaven Hill spice, citrus and sweet. Good enough to take neat or mix at killer prices. Very Old Barton and other Barton brands, are now owned by Sazerac and the folks who bring you Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare, Weller and affiliated with Van Winkle. Barton brands, originally started from Chicago with further history from Chuck Cowdery here http://chuckcowdery.blogspot.com/2009/0 ... -sale.html

kl1191 wrote:Anyway, all that aside, tonight I combined some of the plunder from my last two trips (Kentucky and France) for a Sazerac with Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye & a Jade Edouard absinthe rinse. It's long since empty, but I never want to wash this glass. The smell is heavenly.

This though really has me drooling. I have the Van Winkle Reserve Rye but no Jade Edouard.