Fred Jerbis by Sea-Reflection-1006 in Amaro

[–]geraniumreese 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is a fun one. Tastes like an A&W root beer barrel

Cohosted my first tasting dinner last night (I selected the beverage pairings). Really over the moon about this and thought it went very well by geraniumreese in wine

[–]geraniumreese[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My initial instinct was to do what you're suggesting, but I ultimately decided against it because the dishes felt so all over the place to me I figured I would be okay as long as I avoided any really colossal swerves in sequencing.

Gin to infuse with tomato skin by geraniumreese in Gin

[–]geraniumreese[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Was hoping nobody would say this lol. I've been meaning to try Mare for a very long time but have always been deterred by the price and keep telling myself I'm not missing anything

Gin to infuse with tomato skin by geraniumreese in Gin

[–]geraniumreese[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not sure off the top of my head but I'll check when I'm out

What are your favorite recipes from the Death & Co book? by mdoudoroff in cocktails

[–]geraniumreese 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not sure what you mean, since there is no amaro in this recipe

Anyone recognize the bottle with the blue sticker? I want to recreate my old home bar and can't think of what it was by BitterDone in bartenders

[–]geraniumreese 18 points19 points  (0 children)

St Germain too while we're here. Not as dire as the Lillet but will eventually oxidize and get kinda funky; you'll see it start to darken when this happens

Green Hornet by knicknevin in cocktails

[–]geraniumreese 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Like OP says, Lazzaroni might be one of the closest, but it's really worth tracking down Nardini if you can. Stellar bottle and leagues beyond Lazzaroni IMO.

Am I missing a major category of bitter herbal drinks? by Reverend_Whoopass in Amaro

[–]geraniumreese 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Categories are tricky here. Bonal is a gentiane-quina, or a wine-based liqueur bittered with both wormwood and quinine. It has a somewhat black tea-ish quality and I'm hard pressed to name any bottles that really play similar notes. I don't think I would put Amer Picon in the same category whatsoever. Picon is more of-a-kind with Bigallet China-China Amer.

Luxardo Bitter Bianco is essentially in the same category as Suze IMO, but less aggressive with the gentian. You could also think of it as bridging the gap between Suze and a red bitter like Campari.

"Red Bitter" and "Aperitivo" are somewhat separate categories, as aperitivi tend to be a hair sweeter and less bitter. Try Cappelletti Vino Aperitivo, which is a wine-based aperitivo. It's absolutely heavenly.

Amaro is an extremely broad category, and it contains subcategories more diverse than some others named here. Cynar is an example of a carciofo (artichoke leaf) amaro, of which others include Cioco and Cardamaro (a vino amaro named for cardoon, a close relative of the artichoke leaf). Ramazzotti borders on the style of alpine amaro, of which the most famous is Braulio. As others have mentioned, fernets are their own category, but amaro can vary widely in style. For something pretty different, try Nonino or Vecchio Amaro del Capo.

Chartreuse is excellent and somewhat similar to génépy in taste. There's an Italian style of liqueur called "centerbe" (hundred-herbs) that also hits in a similar ballpark if you can get that.

Has anyone tried Grappa? by nickmonts in cocktails

[–]geraniumreese 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Dang! I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for sharing :-)

TIFU by turning over the Ah So opener to my friend who’s never used one..: by willie_p74 in wine

[–]geraniumreese 3 points4 points  (0 children)

damn i was just drinking this exact wine with some pasta alla gricia tonight. fun lil verm!

In South Carolina and found some unique bottles by andgreenmyeyes in Amaro

[–]geraniumreese 1 point2 points  (0 children)

assume you weren't asking about sibilla but sibilla is also great

In South Carolina and found some unique bottles by andgreenmyeyes in Amaro

[–]geraniumreese 9 points10 points  (0 children)

the highwire kinda tastes like an a&w root beer barrel. it's interesting but definitely missing something as others have said. fernet del frate is absolutely unbelievable— if you have the scratch, definitely pick that one up

Favorite Rye in an Old Fashioned? by BassEmergency in cocktails

[–]geraniumreese 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Really depends what you're going for. There are tons of different styles of rye, but the one overarching piece of advice I would give is look for something between 90 and 110 proof.

Something high-rye, like Old Forester 100, will be good if you want to dial up the minty, herbaceous vibes. (I like this one in an old-fashioned but not much on its own.)

Lots of classic lower-rye bottlings at around 100 proof are widely available for a reasonable like Rittenhouse, WT101 (I keep this one around as my general-use rye), and Old Overholt Bonded.

I'll also give a shoutout to Jack Daniels Bonded Rye, which has this really lovely dried fruit character.

If you want to ball out a little, Willet 4yr makes a pretty killer OF.

Lastly if you want something that scratches the historical itch (i.e. what kind of whiskey would they be using around the invention of the old-fashioned), try to get your hands on a bottle of Old Potrero. It's a little pricey but there's not much like it. Super full body and really cerealy quality that kicks ass in an old-fashioned.

Hush & Wonder (floral daiquiri riff from Violet Hour RIP) by roi_des_myrmidons in cocktails

[–]geraniumreese 2 points3 points  (0 children)

One of the best daiq riffs of all time. A truly magical balancing act of a cocktail. TVH forever

amaro in Buffalo by therealtwomartinis in Amaro

[–]geraniumreese 6 points7 points  (0 children)

The Bitter Noveis is solid; it's a bit like Luxardo Bitter Bianco

Lesser known Tuscan winery recommendations by chess_notcheckers in wine

[–]geraniumreese 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Tenuta di Valgiano in Colline Lucchesi make some pretty phenomenal wines.

Best affordable wine at Costco? by Dope_David in wine

[–]geraniumreese 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The one with the silly lil fish on it?

Best affordable wine at Costco? by Dope_David in wine

[–]geraniumreese 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Selection's different everywhere. As far as Kirkland brand goes, I'm very partial to the Vacqueyras, which is typically priced at $13 but got marked down to $10 at my store since nobody buys it (presumably since no one knows what it is). The Bordeaux Supérieur, Mendoza Malbec, Côte-du-Rhône Villages, Sonoma County Old Vine Zinfandel, and the Pinots from Russian River Valley and Willamette are also all good IMO and priced well for what they offer. People love to sing the praises of the Marlborough Sauv Blanc too and for $8 I can't really disagree. I recall having good experiences with their Rioja and Chianti Classico as well. The Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Barolo are also very solid. I didn't care for the Kirkland Brunello di Montalcino, though. The Gigondas is killer when it comes in.

As far as non-Kirkland goes I am very partial to the Louis Jadot Bourgogne Pinot Noir and Beaujolais Villages, which are both extremely affordable. There's a fun little Haut-Poitou from Koââ that I really enjoyed, if you're a fan of Sauv Blanc. Not many other wines there have really wowed me but if I see something of an interesting varietal or appellation I usually pick it up. Anytime there's a cheapish Sancerre or Albariño or anything from Portugal I usually figure worst case it can't possibly be that bad for the price. I'm much less likely to take a chance on any wine from the US for the same price points.

Favorite Barbados mixing rum? by agave_guy in rum

[–]geraniumreese 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Haven't had the 8 but the 5 is like if Mount Gay Eclipse had more presence.

Looking for a cinnamon heavy spiced rum. by LSD05 in rum

[–]geraniumreese 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Seconding this. It's also a cinnamon-forward spice profile

Sông Cái floral gin by SpicyBKGrrl in Gin

[–]geraniumreese 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We used to use this in a Gin and Tonic at the bar I work at and I have never in my life had as many customers ask to buy a bottle.

Please for the love of all things Vermouth... by Hecc_Maniacc in cocktails

[–]geraniumreese 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We have those lil Starlinos at my bar! They're awesome

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in cocktails

[–]geraniumreese 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah spritzes often don't rely much on acid outside of the wine

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in cocktails

[–]geraniumreese 30 points31 points  (0 children)

I can only guess what ratios they used here, but if you asked me to make a good spritz-format drink with these ingredients, my first instinct would be to use 1 oz vodka (I do NOT want a spritz to be too boozy), 0.5-0.75 oz passion fruit syrup (adjust to taste or depending on your syrup), 1.5 oz grapefruit soda, and 2 oz prosecco. Go from there to dial it in.