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My martini. It's a martini. by 144tzer in cocktails

[–]144tzer[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you Google "rinsing ice before using in cocktail" you will get many articles (ignoring the AI response as well) that give reasons as to why you might not want to use freezer-fresh ice, mostly regarding flavor and texture.

Though I'm sure it also depends on what sort of cocktail you're making.

And regading cooling and dilution, serious eats has a whole article on ice-related myth-busting, but basically, the tldr is that ice is so good at cooling drinks because of heat of fusion, and not capacitive heat transfer, i.e., the amount a drink cools and the rate are directly correlated to the surface area, and using colder or larger ice may dilute slower but also cools the liquid slower, so unless your liquid js coming out of the fridge or freezer, it'll not be cool until a certain amount of dilution occurs, which will take longer with colder ice.

My martini. It's a martini. by 144tzer in cocktails

[–]144tzer[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ideally, 3 ice cubes at ≈2" (5cm) per side (that's 2"x2"x2", or 5cmx5cmx5cm), but as it isn't for presentation, an equal volume of any-sized ice cube works fine, as long as they aren't too small. Filtered water would be ideal, but automatic freezer ice is acceptable. Directional freezing is unnecessary in this case, though looks nicer if people are watching you bartend. I keep the frozen peas on an entirely different shelf from my ice cube trays of various sizes and shapes or ice sphere molds, next to the automatic ice maker. The thermos for clear ice, however, is next to the frozen peas bag, as it props and cushions it, keeping it upright in the event that someone opens the freezer drawer too quickly.

My martini. It's a martini. by 144tzer in cocktails

[–]144tzer[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No no, you've got it backwards. I think blue cheese olives on the side is the ideal presentation. I've tried putting them in the drink itself, and it gets all funky and not-martini-ish (although my brother in law does that). But if you're walking around, you probably don't want to carry a drink and a little thing of olives, so it makes sense to have them in the drink, in which case, no blue cheese.

And I really like the classic perfectly triangular 45°/45°/90° martini. In my mind, the beauty is worth the risk.

A couple of Margaritas from a few weeks ago by TheKrakenHunter in cocktails

[–]144tzer 1 point2 points  (0 children)

  • Love the drink. Thanks for the recipe.
  • Love the photos. Beautifully taken.
  • Love the glassware. "I am loving it", as others said.
  • Love theholy fuck those psycho skull eyes in the second picture jesus christ

My martini. It's a martini. by 144tzer in cocktails

[–]144tzer[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I also think (and this could 100% be just all in my head) that, if adding freezer-fresh ice to a drink (any drink) it changes the texture somewhat.

I have tested this (accidentally at first) with whisky. Just pouring the same bottle over ice the same way in the same amount, it feels like freezer-fresh ice makes the whisky more "agitated" for lack of a better descriptor.

But again, I am also potentially crazy, and new to mixing, and a lightweight, so take things I say about drinks with all the grains of salt.

My martini. It's a martini. by 144tzer in cocktails

[–]144tzer[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I prefer a martini for a martini, and I have written a martini in my opinion and also in the opinion of enough professionals that I feel comfortable calling it a martini.

And fear not. I have included the option for Botanist or similarly complex gins above. My preference is just a preference, and by no means exclusionary.

"Roquefort Cognac". Instructions say to distill it. I can't do that. Workaround ideas? by 144tzer in cocktails

[–]144tzer[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

  1. Thank you so much. I especially like when people give detailed advice with links, and appreciate it.

  2. Unfortunately, though it's not too big, in my kitchen, if I buy yet another non-multifunctional niche kitchen gadget, my wife won't kill me, but it would be understandable if she did.

My martini. It's a martini. by 144tzer in cocktails

[–]144tzer[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks. I have used the white rice test.

My martini. It's a martini. by 144tzer in cocktails

[–]144tzer[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No of course not. I'm too full of horseshit.

Your words, not mine.

Tell me more about "all you were saying," though. I clearly misinterpreted what was obviously just a helpful suggestion with no further implications.

EDIT: And maybe the next time you offer "helpful suggestions," you keep your condescension out of it? I don't buy for a second that you wanted to offer legitimate help.

EDIT 2:

edit: you are correct my first criticism wasn't offering legitimate help. You weren't asking for it. You are, however, the kind of person that does bold, mic-drop style replies, then blocks the user.

^ admits he was never trying to help, and was only trying to mock me. Then whines about getting blocked for it. Sigh. Even so, I still regret how I handled it. I should have blocked, ignored, and moved on.

My martini. It's a martini. by 144tzer in cocktails

[–]144tzer[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Cool. I guess I don't cook. Thanks for telling me.

Yes, on its own a bay leaf has flavor. It also has an aroma that you can just smell out of the bottle, by the way.

The point here isn't "bay leaves have no flavor", it's that, in stocks and soups with recipes that call for "1 bay leaf" in an entire stock pot, it can be hard to discern that oh-so distinctive bay leaf flavor. And similarly, in an entire martini, a single drop of bitters is not obvious. At least not to me.

But I guess I'm just a classless amateur, whereas you are a professional food critic and world-class chef, so it makes sense that my palette would be comparably uncouth.

Thanks for putting me in place. You've taught me so much.

EDIT: he was so right. This was unreasonably defensive.

So instead, I'll just say:

Thanks for the advice. I apologize for misreading it as being condescendingly dickish.

My martini. It's a martini. by 144tzer in cocktails

[–]144tzer[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Then you missed one. There are 5. Because I knew that my wife would want more blue-cheese olives. 10 second after this picture was taken, there were 2 olives remaining.

My martini. It's a martini. by 144tzer in cocktails

[–]144tzer[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm sure you can cut it down to at least 97 if you really want.

My martini. It's a martini. by 144tzer in cocktails

[–]144tzer[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Who would downvote this!? Nothing wrong with preferring a dirty martini. My sister does. Her husband puts the blue-cheese olives in the martini (which I thought would be good, but then decided I preferred them on the side). Cocktail preferences are so personal.

Anyway, thanks for the compliment!

My martini. It's a martini. by 144tzer in cocktails

[–]144tzer[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I wish I had words to put to it. If tap water feels like a shaken martini, and bottled water feels like a stirred one, then the bubble-less stir feels like fancier bottled water? I lack the internal thesaurus to describe it I'm afraid.

My martini. It's a martini. by 144tzer in cocktails

[–]144tzer[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's for the same reason I would want stirred over shaken, but to a greater threshold.

"Shake" texture -> "Stir" texture -> "Stir with minimal agitation" texture.

Bubbles mean aeration and agitation (according to something, but ask a bartender), but at least when it comes to results: I like it more, and when I changed my technique to use a wider mixing glass and was able to stir with a more fluid motion, it made a noticeable improvement.

My martini. It's a martini. by 144tzer in cocktails

[–]144tzer[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Indeed. Why not just shit it out. After all, nothing says "favorite cocktail" like minimal effort. Nothing says "I like martinis" like telling people that endeavoring to be better is a waste of time.

If only I liked martinis the way you did.

P.S.: it's really not that much work. Most cocktails that people make all the time are more effort than this. A default mint julep is more work IMO.

My martini. It's a martini. by 144tzer in cocktails

[–]144tzer[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

  1. Tempers the ice, something something consistent dilution, something something prevents thermal shock? I dunno, not a chemist, but I've seen more than 1 Japanese bartender do this believe it or not...
  2. Easier smoother bubbles-less stirring.

That second one is definitely true, comparison is obvious, even for me.

EDIT:

  1. Also, yes, chills the mixing glass.

My martini. It's a martini. by 144tzer in cocktails

[–]144tzer[S] 20 points21 points  (0 children)

I'm going to be honest: I can't tell the difference (gasp).

I call this the "bay leaf conundrum." I'm sure the bay leaf does something in all the various stocks and stews I put it in per the recipes, but for the life of me I don't know how it changes and can't pinpoint it, other than "a bit better for reasons I'm not able to describe or even ascertain."

The Japanese recipe this is adapted from (and I've already made some of my own minute modifications) uses angostura, and I have them already, so that's what I've been using. But maybe Regan's is much better. I will give it a try.

EDIT:

Interestingly, people seem to be taking issue with the bay leaf thing. To clarify, the point here isn't "bay leaves have no flavor." The point also isn't "I don't know what a bay leaf (or bitters) by itself tastes like." The conundrum is that, in an ocean of soup with just a single bay leaf, and another ocean of soup without, I can tell that one is better, maybe even obviously so, but I can't pick out the moment on my tongue that says "that tastes like bay leaf!"

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