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comment by cW
cW  ·  4421 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Letters to a Young Mixologist
Okay, perfect. If gin works for you as a primary color, you'll have no shortage of fascinating cocktails to explore. I'll list three of my favorite discoveries in case you feel a mad-scientist urge coming on. They are, in order of least # of expensive ingredients to most, the bees knees, the white spider #2 (first served to me by thenewgreen, incidentally), and the aviation.

a few links: http://notwithoutsalt.com/2011/06/26/bees-knees/ http://www.voxmagazine.com/blog/2011/06/drink-this-the-aviat...

All the links I could find for the white spider #2 called for sour mix, which is appalling, and no egg white, which is tragic. So here's the recipe as thenewgreen transcribed it for me:

1oz gin .5oz cointreau 1oz lemon j .25 simple syrup 1 egg white

(Combine in shaker with ice, shake vigorously, strain into a chilled cocktail glass)

I perfectly well understand club aversion. I suppose some might call me outdated, or just prematurely cermudgeonly, but I've always preferred the conversation of my companions to the deafening cacophony of the jukebox and all the other barflies bellowing to be heard over it. Still, there are a few spots here and there where good cocktails coexist with serene atmosphere. The bars of really good restaurants sometimes offer this. (And by good, I mean imaginative, rather than just posh and expensive -- the latter type often skate by on name brands and perceived opulence rather than relying on any real innovation).

Assembling a repertoire of drinks to sling in the comfort of your home is a time consuming process, no doubt about it. But if you do, you'll have even less reason to suffer the club, and all of your friends will love you for it. Best of luck!

p.s. I was thinking of including some of our exchange in an upcoming blog post, but will only include text from you by your own permission. Would you like your comment posted? No pressure, either way.





forwardslash  ·  4421 days ago  ·  link  ·  
I'd be totally fine if you used any of my comments in your blog. Thank you again for the help, the drinks look delicious!
cW  ·  4419 days ago  ·  link  ·  
My pleasure! And thanks for permission. How may I cite you? I can attribute quotes to "forwardslash, of hubski," "a mysterious stranger," "a distinguished gentleman," or whatever else you prefer. Cheers!
forwardslash  ·  4419 days ago  ·  link  ·  
"forwardslash, of hubski" is alright with me.
thenewgreen  ·  4419 days ago  ·  link  ·  
Thanks cW for the nod regarding the White Spider. One thing I would point out in regards to preparation is that you should do a dry mix first (without the ice) to ensure a good "froth" from the egg white. I actually think you taught me that cW. After you shake all the ingredients (30 shakes or so) add some ice and repeat. I usually double the ingredients and pour myself a tall one :)

Enjoy, it's one of my favorites.

P.S. Tonight I'm making Corpse Reviver #2's. -Another favorite.

cW  ·  4419 days ago  ·  link  ·  
oh, good call. also, i should learn how to do a proper shout-out, as my citation would have been a perfect usage for such. so many tech tools, so little time. i couldn't agree more, the ice-free shake is really key for achieving the proper frappe quality. happy shakin, friend.
thenewgreen  ·  4419 days ago  ·  link  ·  
Thanks, the shakin was indeed "happy". I made this fella: http://i.imgur.com/NY63e.jpg Which is essentially a corpse reviver except that I didn't have any absinthe left (forgot that I drank it all) and so in order to add some dimension, I used muddled blueberries. -It was good but really all the blueberries added was color.

I really loved the St. George's absinthe I was using. Any recommendations otherwise?

mk  ·  4419 days ago  ·  link  ·  
Sounds like some sort of futuristic clan name. :)
cW  ·  4419 days ago  ·  link  ·  
i would sooo join! wait ... are their rituals? dues? i should probably do some research first...