Ambrosia (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
missroserose) wrote2011-01-05 12:55 pm
missroserose) wrote2011-01-05 12:55 pm
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How far along can you get with a project before it actually starts requiring effort?
I'm still mulling over this cocktail-blog idea, but it seems to be inching forward into something resembling a plan. I've decided that, were I to start one, I'd want it to focus on:
--Cocktails. I jokingly refer to myself as a "professional drinker" because I enjoy booze in all forms, and I have plenty to say on the subject of wine, beer, whiskey, etc. (as well as more specific sub-fields), but there's literally *so much* that could be addressed that I think it'd be better to stick to cocktails alone, and the various ingredients you use for them.
--Being beginner-friendly. One of the biggest complaints I had when I first came of age was that there didn't seem to be many comprehensive resources online for beginning mixologists. True, a lot of knowledge will only come with time and experimentation, but it seems like it wouldn't be that hard to make up a series of posts with advice for someone who wants to get into drink-making but is intimidated by the vast array of available ingredients, accessories, techniques, tools, etc.
--Presentation. Much as with food, even a perfectly pedestrian drink can really wow your friends if it looks particularly classy or impressive. Additionally, if your friends are watching you make it, there's a certain amount of performance art involved - nothing like shaking up a drink, pouring it out with a flourish, and watching people's eyes go wide at the color. So I'd probably have a series of posts regarding things like glassware, garnishes, technique, etc.
Given all of this, I've been trying to come up with a title idea that encapsulates all of these ideas. My favorite suggestion so far came from Brian - "First Date Drinks", since that implies a desire to impress as well as a newness to the subject. But I'm thinking it might imply a romance angle that's not really there. So, does anyone else have suggestions?
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I shall ruminate. Perhaps the title will arrive by lightning bolt flung from the fist of Zeus, as so many good names do.
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Bourbon. You want bourbon.
Jim Beam Black (http://www.bevmo.com/Shop/ProductDetail.aspx?N=40+4294966548+4294967162&area=spirits&No=10&ProductID=5985&Ns=Name|0) is possibly the ultimate self-pity drink - it's got that serious, almost masochistic burn going down the throat, but then it lights that warm comforting fire in the pit of your stomach that reassures you things will be okay.
If you want to be a bit classier and don't mind shelling out the extra ten bucks or so, there's a fantastic small-batch bourbon out there called 1792 (http://www.bevmo.com/Shop/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=22029) - supposedly named after the year Kentucky was named as a state. That stuff came recommended by an online friend of Brian's who works as a bartender at one of those bar/restaurant/private club places that costs $15,000 just to apply to be considered for membership. Remarkably cheap, too - runs about $27 a bottle. Only problem is it's a bit specialized, so you'll likely have to go to a real liquor store for it. (Woodford Reserve (http://www.bevmo.com/Shop/ProductDetail.aspx?N=40+4294966548+4294967139&area=spirits&No=10&ProductID=7607&Ns=Name|0), while somewhat pricier, is available at most grocery stores with a decent liquor selection, and is also very good, albeit much more oak-y to 1792's more honey-like flavor.)
Do yourself a favor, and skip the white-label Jim Beam - it's okay for cooking, but it's way too watery for much else, even mixing a whiskey sour. And the bottom-shelf off-brand bourbon isn't even good for cooking. I still mourn those poor bourbon lava cakes and their wasted lives...
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Just A Thought
Re: Just A Thought
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