opinionated alchemist

In my Whiskey Sour experiment (and also in the taste of my last Whiskey Sours in the bar), I haven't been fully convinced about the taste of the whiskey sours. I did everything right: used quality bourbon, used proper ice, shook long enough, used fresh lemon... yet the whiskey sour was slightly too lemony - it had enough alcohol, the right sweetness, the sourness - yet it was somewhat off. No - it was not somewhat off - let me rephrase it - I was not 100% satisfied with the results. It wasn't as good as the Whiskey Sour in front of my imaginary eye (or on my imaginary tastebuds). Not that I tried a Whiskey Sour in another bar which has been better... That sounds crazy to you? Welcome to my world... The problem is that: as soon as I will change the ratios, the cocktail will also loose its balance... and to be honest, I don't really think, that solely tinkering with the ratios, will bring me anywhere... I have been breaking down how to improve cocktails before on...

So Jack Daniels want to make us believe, that it is not a bourbon - but it meets all standards of a bourbon - only it is better?! Half of it is true: Jack Daniels meets all qualification points for a bourbon. And yes it is true, that they add one more step - the charcoal mellowing. However this doesn't make it not  a bourbon. Well - point is, that the question is not really adequate. The answers to the rather vague question: "Is Jack Daniels a Bourbon?" is driven by semantics and interpretations. What you could ask is: Can Jack Daniels rightly be called bourbon? And the answer is: yes, it can. It meets all points to be even a Straight Bourbon [however please note the differentiation to Kentucky Straight Bourbon - as this is again a regional denomination, which Jack Daniels obviously doesn't meet]. The video is explaining exactly the laws. Before Jack Daniels also stated very proud, that they are sour mash. This was a bit... misleading, as most American S...

Jeffrey Morgenthaler stroke again with a brilliant video - this time it covers one of his last posts on his website - the Amaretto Sour [he calls it worlds best amaretto]. I have to say, that American bartenders tend to be a bit "self-centered". He reads out of an American bar book - but let me tell you something - the Amaretto Sour is already quite some time around in Europe - and in Europe there was nothing such as "sweet & sour mix". Traditionally lemon juice and in some cases sweeteners [most of the time simple syrup] used. Admittedly - seldom in the era before the late 90's fresh lemon or lime juice was used - but still... And I also don't get, where Jeffrey got it from, that the classic way in Europe is, to serve sours with an orange or lemon twist. Well nowadays maybe, but the "sour flag" with orange and/or lemon and maraschino cherry I have seen very often in Germany and other European countries [before of the mixology revolu...

After the high popularity of my Mojito post - as well as the also well liked post about the Diablo , I would like to highlight here, another bar staple: The humble Whiskey Sour. Also: if you can make a proper Whiskey Sour, you can do a lot of other Sours - basically you can take any distillate and make a Sour out of it... I call it the "perfect" Whiskey Sour to be obviously a bit provocative - but also, as you get often a less than perfect drink, when you are ordering one. So what are the ingredients of a Whiskey Sour? American Whiskey [yes - I say it: definitely no Scotch, also for sure no Canadian, no Irish and obviously no Japanese] Truth has to be told - there is definitely something like an adequate Scotch Sour. But it should simply not be called Whiskey Sour, as the character is totally different. Period! Lemon Juice Sugar Optional egg white Additional to the ingredients, these features are also important to consider: Balance between sweet and s...

Yes - there is another awesome video of Jeffrey Morgenthaler out, with his thoughts about the classic Mint Julep. I think the video is not as timeless as his first one about the daiquiri - but anyway - it rocks. But there is also some more to say about your humble julep... The first you can find is, that julep comes from the Arabic jallab - as they had a drink, made out of grape molasses and dates flavored with flower water [and all]. I think this reference is rather unimportant - you won't always refer to Karl Benz and his first car, if you are talking about a modern automobile, will you? But it is rather essential to understand, that this drink is already quite some time around. It predates the cocktail [1806] easily for at least half a century - maybe even longer. The notion to say, that it is a predecessor of an Old Fashioned cocktail I really cannot share. You have to understand: most cocktails were very similar - smashes, juleps, slings, sours - often only one in...