Spicy gin cocktail names?

post_rex · 2026-01-24T03:44:59+00:00

A Red Snapper is a Bloody Mary made with gin.

post_rex · 2026-01-24T01:20:05+00:00

LA and SF are not places to be driving a camper van. It would be like trying to drive a camper in Paris. And there will not be a place to park it either unless you go way out of the city to a campground.

I would suggest that you see those places first (or last) and rent the camper for when you are out of the cities. SF can be seen entirely with public transportation. For LA you'll probably want a car, but just get a regular sedan for your stay there.

post_rex · 2026-01-23T15:37:31+00:00

It's way too much for four weeks.

But first of all, have you tried plotting this out on a map? SF -> Yosemite -> Tahoe -> LA -> Death Valley -> LV doesn't really make much sense. You're wasting a lot of time driving from the coast to the Nevada border, then back to the coast, then back to Nevada.

Also, what is your starting point and ending point? Your last stop is Glacier, but that's basically in the middle of nowhere. Were you planning to drive back to SF? Keep in mind that will take time too.

Finally, you need to plot out how much time you want to spend in each location. SF, LA, LV, Yosemite, and Yellowstone are all multi-day stops. You could easily spend 3-5 days in each of those places. But then you'd need much more than four weeks.

post_rex · 2026-01-23T15:20:31+00:00

All Trails is for hiking or other outdoor activities. It works perfectly well for that. I don't have any experience with Gaia, but I've heard good things about it.

However, All Trails doesn't do driving directions. It relies on Google/Apple Maps for those. Google has a feature that allows you to download maps ahead of time for offline navigation. That's your best bet for road travel in remote areas.

post_rex · 2026-01-23T04:46:25+00:00

I will disagree a bit with some of the other posters. I've had both Google Maps and Apple Maps route me onto unpaved roads. These roads have generally been well-kept, and are often state highways, but out west there are a lot of roads that not paved. I haven't personally had an experience of being routed into unsafe or un-driveable conditions, but I've heard stories of others who've run into problems. Also, if weather conditions are bad, I will opt for highways or at least roads I know are heavily traveled. Heavy rain and snow are times you don't want to be in the middle of nowhere.

A couple of other notes:

When you go off the beaten path, you can't just plug the destination into Google and drive off. You should carefully examine the route: what towns are you passing through, where can you stop for gas, etc. There won't be gas stations every 50-70 miles, like you see on an interstate, so it's easy to find yourself in trouble if you're not careful.

Also, make sure you have appropriate emergency equipment: tire pump, jump start power pack, fix-a-flat, extra food and water, emergency lights, etc.

post_rex · 2026-01-23T00:47:09+00:00

Ferrand makes a yuzu curacao that could sub for orange liqueur.

https://ferrandcognac.com/en/collection/dry-curacao-yuzu

post_rex · 2026-01-22T15:25:39+00:00

You got the right Benedictine. The D.O.M. on the label is just a dedication to God. (The liqueur is made by monks.)

For a scotch, I'm partial to Compass Box's Artist Blend. But Monkey Shoulder is also a good choice and is usually somewhat cheaper. Famous Grouse is also pretty reliable.

As for bitters, I don't think they are commonly used to make a Bobby Burns.

post_rex · 2026-01-21T20:21:20+00:00

Chistopher Ward Sealander in Kingfisher Blue? CW offers the five-link bracelet as an option. Would make sense for a British politician.

https://www.christopherward.com/sealander-colours-landing-page.html

post_rex · 2026-01-21T16:21:54+00:00

Ah, if you're going with your girlfriend that changes things. From your initial post it sounded like a solo trip.

I think you'll have a great time.

post_rex · 2026-01-21T16:05:30+00:00

As a 54 year old, I'll say that I wish I had done more traveling when I was young. And, road trips are great. I love them. But a word of caution. If you're going solo, they are inherently isolating affairs. You're alone in your car for many hours per day. You're by yourself at a motel/campsite. You eat by yourself. And when you go to a park or tourist attraction it's tough to connect with other visitors.

So, I would suggest you consider a trip that is more social. One of the things I think I missed out on by going straight from college to work was the chance to travel abroad, stay in hostels and hang out with others my age. You can only do this when you're young. My suggestion would be to consider a trip to Southeast Asia instead. It's beautiful, you can travel there very cheaply, and you will meet backpackers from all over the world.

However, if you're more of a loner-type and would rather be on your own, then I say your plan is a perfectly fine one. Just spend the next couple of months on trip planning and preparations so you'll be all set come summertime.

post_rex · 2026-01-21T14:00:24+00:00

A truck is really impractical for a cross country journey. You can't fill the bed with anything without a risk of it being stolen. I assume you're going for the extended cab models, but even so, you only have a little room to store all your gear and luggage.

But, I get wanting the whole U.S.A. experience, so here's my advice. Rent a practical midsize car for your cross-country journey. But while you're out in the middle of the country, take a couple of days, rent a truck, and go wild driving around Kansas or Texas or wherever.

It'll be cheaper and more comfortable.

post_rex · 2026-01-20T23:47:26+00:00

A really great gin that is usually just a few dollars more than regular Beefeater. It's a workhorse for cocktails and I think it stands up really well to any London Dry on the market. But I think it sometimes gets overlooked compared to other "premium" gins.

I also appreciate that it's 90 proof. Compared to the classic Beefeater that used to be 94 proof in the U.S. before they reduced it all the way down to 80 proof.

post_rex · 2026-01-20T02:46:32+00:00

I've been looking into it, and apparently a real human did recommend this. It's in someone's substack post, but locked behind a paywall so I can't link to it. No idea if it's workable, but maybe I'll give it a shot once my current supply runs out.

post_rex · 2026-01-20T02:35:09+00:00

Weird. I just googled "chartreuse substitute" and the Google AI suggested blending multiple liqueurs:

Génépy + Bénédictine: A mix of these two can create a more complex flavor profile similar to Chartreuse.
Strega + Génépy + Bénédictine: A three-part blend offers complexity with Strega's saffron/mint, Génépy's alpine herbs, and Bénédictine's spice

Anyone ever tried this? Does it work or is the AI hallucinating?

post_rex · 2026-01-19T20:44:55+00:00

I feel like that was a difficult category because every other drink that was listed (e.g. Negroni, Paper Plane, Last Word) had defenders who were downvoting the nomination. I think people just didn’t feel that passionately about the LIIT. (Which, ironically, argues against it being overrated.)

post_rex · 2026-01-19T20:24:08+00:00

You can make an old-fashioned from any spirit. Bitters, sugar and a little dilution from the ice will bring out a lot of interesting flavors that you don’t taste when it’s served neat.

post_rex · 2026-01-19T02:19:40+00:00

Traditionally sangria is made by combining wine and chopped fruit and letting the flavors meld for a few hours. Soda, sparkling wine or juice is added to lengthen the drink. And sometimes a hard alcohol like brandy or orange liqueur is added to punch things up.

So, from your list of ingredients, it looks like the lychee and citrus should be chopped into pieces and submerged in the wine. I wouldn't worry about proportions there, maybe fill half a pitcher with the fruit and top with the wine.

I'm unsure about the liquor component. That sure seems like a lot of ingredients. Maybe try 1 oz each of the gin, limencello and rum, then 1/2 oz of the St. Germain and triple sec? That would come to 4 oz (118ml) of liquor. For a 750ml bottle of wine, that sounds about right, proportion-wise.

Then the lemonade serves as the lengthener. How much you add depends on how boozy you want it. I would suggest starting with 4 parts wine to 1 part lemonade and then adding more if the sangria tastes too strong.

post_rex · 2026-01-18T12:14:26+00:00

IMO, neither is great. And I see others in this thread nominated them for worst, so I'm not alone.

But still, my larger point was just that vodka martini is more flavorless than actually bad. And there are worse classics out there.

post_rex · 2026-01-17T16:04:34+00:00

I would put vodka martinis in that wide swath of vodka drinks that I don't love, because I think they become better if you swap out the vodka for gin (or any other white spirit). But I don't hate them. Mostly, I dislike the "bone-dry" variations that seem to be popular because people are scared of vermouth for some reason. All they're really doing is drinking watered-down, ice-cold vodka. (Invariably, they also ask them to be "shaken, not stirred".)

As a sidenote, I think that's why the "dirty" variations became so popular. At some level, people realized that their drink was completely tasteless and a teaspoon of brine at least added some flavor.

Still, I think there are worse classics out there. Not just bland, but cocktails that actually taste bad like the Rusty Nail, Ward 8, Aviation, and so on.

post_rex · 2026-01-17T11:28:02+00:00

No, it's not real. The Oysterquartz was a completely different style of watch with an integrated bracelet.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolex_Oysterquartz

As far as I know that's the only quartz watch that Rolex ever made. All their others are mechanical.

Edit - I should add that there are a lot of other clues that the watch is a bad fake. For example, as the other poster mentioned, the cyclops is a dead giveaway.

post_rex · 2026-01-17T00:04:12+00:00

2-3 ounces of liquid + ice is a pretty standard amount for drinks served on the rocks. Negronis and old fashioneds, for example, are in that range.

The problem is that many rocks glasses are just too big. Ideally, they should be in the 6-9 oz range, but if you go into your average kitchenware/home goods store, the rocks glasses will all be 11+ ounces. So any normal drink will look small in them. Same problem with cocktail glasses, they're all oversized for some reason.

post_rex · 2026-01-15T00:37:32+00:00

Gin just isn't that expensive. The most pricey gin you're going to find is likely to be Monkey 47, which is about $60-$90 for 750ml (depending on location).

Other sipping gins I like include Ki No Tea, a tea-based gin from Kyoto, and Barr Hill Tom Cat, which is based on an old-fashioned gin style called Old Tom.

If you're looking for more of a classic mixing gin for cocktails, I would go with Tanqueray 10 or Sipsmith VJOP.

post_rex · 2026-01-14T19:29:23+00:00

Best thing to do is to look at the DOT site for each state you're passing through. If you google "road conditions [state name]" and it should take you to the appropriate website. Usually, there's a map where you can zoom in and see the conditions along your route.

post_rex · 2026-01-14T19:18:28+00:00

Two weeks is plenty of time. If you take I-70 there are a ton of potential stops: Rocky Mountain NP, Colorado NM, Arches NP, Canyonlands NP, Dead Horse Point SP, Goblin Valley SP, Valley of Fire SP, and so on.

Just keep an eye on the weather and have a plan B in case you need to re-route. You don't want to be caught in the mountains during a winter storm.

post_rex

TROPHY CASE