Toreador (Drink # 9)

Let's start by discussing tequila for a moment.  As I indicated yesterday, I've given tequila a couple of chances in the past as a stand alone drink, with mediocre results.

The first time I tried tequila as a stand alone drink was back in the summer before college.  My good buddy Jeremy and I were about to head off to our respective institutions of higher learning, but before doing so we decided to purchase a couple of cigars (legally) a bottle of tequila (not legally) and sit on the edge of his parents' driveway, taking in the last of the summer.

He bought a bottle of Patron Silver, and was told that it was for "sipping" and not for taking shots.  At the time, taking shots of tequila was all we knew.

Sipping tequila proved difficult.  I could tell even then that the quality of the Patron Silver was markedly better than whatever I had drank in the past.  Even so, I didn't yet have the taste for drinking 80 proof alcohol neat, and I wasn't familiar with the tenant that some spring water can be used to open up the alcohol.  So I drank the Patron Silver, trying each time to like it more than the last sip, but it was not to be.  The cigar was welcome refuge from the taste of the tequila.

Fast forward to about 6 months ago, my second attempt.

Having just read an Esquire magazine article about tequila, entitled Things We Think We Know About Tequila, and featuring an accompanying article listing good tequilas, I was convinced to give it another try. 

I bought a bottle of Cuervo Tradicional, a modestly priced selection that the article said tasted of "Figs and chocolate" and was a "great value" at $25.  I poured a glass, throwing in a couple of small ice cubes.  I didn't love it.  I gave it a serious college-try too.  It was as though the pool water was just warm enough to put my feet in the wading area, maybe even my ankle.  But I didn't get much further though, the water was just too cold, the tequila too, I don't know, tequila-y.  I stopped sipping about half-way through the drink.

Here we are again, another try at the agave king.

So on my way to the soccer game (we lost in a crushing 3-2 defeat), I stopped by a liquor store I've never seen or been to, but apparently has been in the same location since August of 2008.  Funny how that works - a store sits in same the place for years and you only notice it when you need it to appear (kind of Lost-ish, in a way).

This liquor store was fantastic too, and will be on the short list of places to buy alcohol in the future.  On this visit, I needed the silver tequila for the Toreador cocktail.  My friend Eric had mentioned that 1800 Tequila is pretty good stuff, so I went looking for a bottle of their standard issue silver tequila.

This is what they had:

Now, in fairness, it wasn't all that they had.  In fact, this cool looking bottle was the same price as the neighboring regular 1800 Tequila Silver bottles.  From the picture, you've no doubt gathered that I bought the funked out bottle.  Apparently, 1800 Tequila commissioned artists to create these limited edition bottlings.  Learn more about it here, if you're so inclined.

With the tequila and the crème de cacao, I was good to go.

One other quick side note worth mentioning...this recipe, as you'll see below, calls for white crème de cacao.  The difference between white and dark crème de cacao is the color of the syrup used to make the liqueur.  And, the word "crème" in a name indicates that there is no cream used in the production of the liqueur.  A bit counterintuitive at first thought due to the sound of the word, until you realize that the word "cream" itself is used when cream is included in the contents of the liqueur (now it all makes sense).

Let's drink!

Recipe
The Ultimate Bar Book, page 301
 
Toreador
1 1/2 ounce silver tequila
1/2 ounce white crème de cacao
Whipped Cream
Unsweetened cocoa powder

Shake the tequila and crème de cacao vigorously with ice.  Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Float a dollop of whipped cream on top, and sprinkle with cocoa powder.


Wow, this is an interesting drink!  There is no doubt that this is tequila based, but it is well-paired with the crème de cacao.  The crème de cacoa doesn't provide too much noticeable flavor, but with the sprinkle of cocoa on the top, the chocolate aroma comes through really nicely.

And it makes sense that tequila and chocolate flavors and aromas should go together.  Latin cuisine is filled with a litany of chocolate flavors mixed with spicy flavors we're not used to coupling together.  If you've at all traveled to Mexico, or some other country south of the American border, you've probably seen hot chocolates made with various spices, chillies, or even anise flavored liquors - a real change from the hot chocolates available at the nearest Starbucks or Lavazza location.

This drink is similar to those hot chocolates south of the border.  The whipped cream though, doesn't impart itself into the rest of the drink when it moves about the glass with each sip.  Tip the glass into your mouth, and the whipped cream floats to the other side, as if it is taunting you.  Sure, some of the whipped cream creeps away from the mainland of foam, but not often enough.

I'm a fan of this drink, but I struggle thinking of the occasion in which I would make it again.  Before a night out?  Probably not.  Random weeknight?  I suppose it's possible, but I'd rather make the Sidecar if given the choice. 

I think it's best chance is when making food that is related to its flavors, and likely its origin.  Fish tacos with chipotle mayo, or enchiladas with a spicy red sauce - something along those lines.

Has the drink changed my opinion of tequila entirely?  Not really.  But, I haven't given up on tequila just yet.  Consider this a push.

Pedro Collins (Drink # 8)

I watched the season finale of Big Love this evening.  If you haven't seen it, or don't want to know the general story line of the show - skip down to the recipe.


Big Love
This season has been a weird one.  I felt like the show had too many balls in the air, and every story seemed crazier and crazier.  Bill turned into an asshole, plain and simple.  And the idea that he'd come clean about his polygamist family right after the election never quite made sense to me.  How blinded must Bill have been to think that he'd be accepted and not run out of office immediately after he admitted his polygamist-ways? 

Let's talk about the speech for a moment...

Why would a state senator get a platform like that, in front of what I presume was the capital building, for his acceptance speech?  He wouldn't!  It's as though he became a U.S. Senator.  It looked ridiculous.

In any event, I did not think that he would follow through with admitting his family's secrets to the rest of Utah (and the world, I suppose).  None of the wives looked particularly happy, and who can blame them - they're all getting screwed out of what they want.  The end of the show mirrored this season's new opening - filled with blowing hair, and pouty lips.  I'm not sure where the show goes from here, but there isn't enough room for too many more story lines.

Recipe
The Ultimate Bar Book, page 271

Pedro Collins
2 ounces light rum
1 ounce fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon sugar
3 to 4 ounces chilled club soda
Lime slice
Maraschino cherry

Pour rum, lime juice, and sugar into an ice-filled collins glass. Top with clubs soda and stir gently.  Garnish with the lime slice and cherry.


I used my trusty old Bacardi Rum bottle for this one.  This bottle is getting more use in the last month than it had did in the 6-7 years prior.  I'm enjoying rum far more than I ever thought I would.  I guess the last few times I had rum would have been in a rum and coke, or something similar.  Rum and cokes aren't terrible, but they aren't my favorite.  As a result, I never gave rum much of a chance.

This is one hell of a refreshing drink.  Anything with rum, lime juice and ice is bound to taste a little lime-aid-ish - and it surely does, just like the Daiquiri.  And unfortunately, the sugar won't dissolve in the cold liquid, so it's left sitting in the bottom of the glass.  I'm not sure how much additional sweetness is really necessary for the drink.  If it did dissolve, the drink might become a little syrupy.

The Pedro Collins is fairly light on the alcohol relative to the rest of the drink's contents, so you can drink a couple of these and still be sitting pretty.  The club soda adds only a small amount of fizz, but just enough to add a little pop to the drink that would otherwise be sweet and flat.

This is another in a string of summer drinks (see also the Daiquiri and the Sidecar).  There's a reason rum is an alcohol out of the tropics - in the high heat, the Pedro Collins is a good bet.  Next time though, I may mix everything without the ice, in the hopes the sugar dissolves at least in part.  Like I said above, the sugar may be unnecessary in the end, but it seemed silly to have the sugar sitting idly at the bottom. 

I actually think that this phenomenon is a big reason artificial sweetners are so popular - they dissolve in cold liquids far better than regular sugar.  You can read more about this at my new blog:
www.randomthoughtsbasedonlittleornoscientificevidence.com.

Check back tomorrow when I try the dreaded tequila drink I wrote about the other day, the Toreador!  Honestly, I'm not looking forward to it.  I have a soccer game this evening, and there may be nothing worse than tequila after running around like an idiot for an hour.  Though what do I know, perhaps there's nothing better - only one way to find out...

Week of March 7, 2010

My friends!  All apologies for the delays between posts.  The end of last week ended up being a confluence of a crushing amount of work at the office, cleaning up the place for the impending St. Patrick's Day celebration, and admittedly, taking full advantage of the spring-like weather.

50 degrees feels like 80 degrees after the winter we've had.  And Barca, the Official Mascot of The Amateur Mixologist (a soft coated wheaten terrier) was having a blast outside.

Here's what is on tap this week - as always, the drinks have been picked at random (all pages from The Ultimate Bar Book):

Brandy Champagne Cocktail (page 151 - drink #1)

Pedro Collins (page 271 - drink #3)

Irish Coffee (page 403 - drink #1)

Toreador (page 301 - drink #3)

A few thoughts about the above.  It is an utter coincidence that we'll be making Irish Coffee so close to the greatest Irish holiday of the calendar year (OK, you caught me, I can't name another Irish holiday).  Coincidence or not, I'm definitely excited about the Irish Coffee, as it is a favorite drink of mine, usually made by way of eye-ball measurements and probably far more alcohol than the typical recipe requires.

I'm a little tepid about the Toreador - the ingredients of which are pretty much just tequila.  There are some other items, but they contribute so little to the drink, that I may simply be giving tequila yet another chance as a stand-alone drink (like scotch neat).  I've tried tequila on its own two other times, with mixed results. Maybe the third time is the charm.

Looking forward to trying them all, and will probably start mixing on Monday evening for an early Tuesday morning post.  Until then, I'm heading to an Oscar party in a seersucker suit - that's right - seersucker.  I'm ushering in spring a touch early, and throwing out the rules of style.

My pick for best picture is The Hurt Locker.  Even though they've had some rough press of late, between their producer bad mouthing Avatar, and soldiers questioning the authenticity of the movie, I just think it's the likely winner.

Drink Seven - Violet Champagne d'Amour

The Olympics are over.  Aside from the hockey game yesterday afternoon, I haven't paid too much attention to the Games in the last few days.  Figure skating doesn't do it for me.  When NBC turns to figure skating in prime time, it usually means that the other sports that I do care about have all ended.

In 4 years, the next winter games will be in Sochi, Russia.  Apparently, Sochi is a city more known for its beaches than its mountains.  It will be interesting to see Russia prepare for the games, since it is likely to be the warmest climate for the winter Olympics in the modern era.

Out with the Olympics, and in with random drinks...

Let's start with two numbers: 167 and 2.

What do these numbers have in common?

They are how we arrive at making the Violet Champagne d'Amour!

You see, I went ahead used this fine website random.org, putting in the pages between which The Ultimate Bar Book features its drinks (pages 92-407).  The first number represents the page number I have to use to find the next drink.  If a drink doesn't appear on the page, I have to try again until I reach a page with cocktails.

The second number is simply a number 1-4, also generated from the random.org website - to choose which drink listed on the page to use.  There are rarely if ever more than 4 drinks on any given page, so we're going to have no problem with a 5th drink going under the radar.

So what is this Violet Champagne d'Amour?  Without knowing a thing about it, I'd say that it's safe to assume that champagne is involved, as is love.  But, you ask, don't you put love into every drink that you make?  I do, I do. 

The Violet Champagne d'Amour might require additional love.  Either the Violet Champagne d'Amour is a stage 5 clinger (bad), or, it envelopes the drinker in love (good). Let's find out!

Recipe
The Ultimate Bar Book, page 167
1 ounce Parfait Amour
1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
1/4 ounce Cointreau
3 to 5 ounces chilled champagne
2 fresh violets

Pour all liquid ingredients but the champagne into a chilled champagne flute.  Slowly top with champagne.  Float the violets on top of the drink.


Wait a second. Did I see the word "violets" listed among the ingredients?  [looks again]  You have to be kidding me!  Who has violets readily available, as a drink garnish?!  No one!  No one does!  Florists don't have violets for garnishing drinks!  I talked to a florist just now, who said, and I quote "If you're using violets as a drink garnish, you sir, are an asshole."  A florist said that!*  You know that if the florists are against it, we all must be against it.

As a result of this very situation, I'm creating a NEW RULE for this website: A drink should never be avoided as a result of little-to-no garnish availability.

Garnishes often do not affect the flavor of the drink, and ultimately that's what we're interested in - the flavor of the drink.  Also, some garnishes are more important than others.  Throwing a lemon twist in the drink might change the flavor, whereas an inedible flower is simply meant to look good on the glass.

So, as a result - NO VIOLETS FOR THIS DRINK!  Done and done.

This drink also required another trip to the liquor store, because surprise surprise, I didn't have any Parfait Amour on hand - I just ran out, like, yesterday, as luck would have it. 

While at the store, I bought the following:

Parfait Amour - $25
Cointreau - $30
G'vine Gin - $33

I know what you're saying, gin is not a component of the Violet Champagne d'Amour.  True.  However, my local liquor store has been out of this particular gin bottling for some time, and only recently got a new shipment.  I had to buy it.

G'vine is outstanding gin.  It is made from Ugni Blanc grapes in Cognac, France.  In other words, gin purists probably hate this stuff!  It is excellent though, and smooth as hell.  If you happen upon a bottle, buy two of them - it's availability is always suspect.

Moving on!

Where the Jack Rose failed, the Violet Champagne d'Amour succeeds.  This is a sweet, but complex drink.  The lemon juice is probably the most prominent flavor first tasted, but it quickly gives way to the parfait amour, which has an almost velvety texture and taste.  It is a tart on the one hand, but smooth on the other.  Each sip seems to have its own essence.

The Asti adds some additional sweetness, to be sure.  A dryer sparkling wine, like a brut, may change the drink for the better.  However, the sweetness of this version of the Violet Champagne d'Amour is not overwhelming.  I drank it before dinner, and it was a perfect aperitif.  And the picture above doesn't quite do its color justice - it's purple, because of the Parfait Amour.  How often do you get to drink something that's purple in color, and not revolting?  Never! 

I know that most of you will have no reason to purchase Parfait Amour, but if you're interested in expanding your drink selection, this particular cocktail is a solid addition.  You'll probably have some Cointreau or Grand Marnier lying around, and even a bottle of champagne that you've been meaning to open.  All told, it's an excellent drink.

One last note:  I added one step to the recipe above, because I didn't want to drink a room temperature cocktail, it just didn't seem fitting.  So what I did was shake all of the contents, apart from the Asti, in a cocktail shaker, straining it into the champagne flute before topping it off with the sparkling wine.  It was chilled, and refreshing.  If you choose not to do this, I think the result will still be good, but it will be room temperature, or maybe slightly cooled if you're using a chilled champagne flute and chilled champagne. 

*no florists were harmed in the creation of this post (or spoken with, for that matter)

Drink Six - The Old Fashioned

The final recipe of the first six drinks...The Old Fashioned!

According to Wikipedia, the Old Fashioned may have been the first cocktail.  There are many different recipes for this drink, and it has so many components, it's easy to see why some would be replaced with others (or omitted entirely).

Recipe
American Bar, page 145

1 sugar cube
dashes Angostura bitters
2 oz bourbon
soda
stemmed cherry
orange
lemon

Place sugar cube in an old fashioned glass, saturate with Angostura, add orange and lemon wedges, press with a pestle, add bourbon, stir well, add ice cubes, fill with soda or water, stir again, garnish with cherry.


This is by far the most complicated recipe to date.  I used what little Woodford Reserve I had left for the bourbon, real deal Angostura bitters, and thankfully our local Farm Fresh Delivery service had sent oranges and lemons this past Thursday.  I had everything in the recipe at the house, except for the sugar cube and the ice cubes.  I know, I know.  You're saying to yourself "how does he not have ice cubes"?  A good question, though, if you saw the state of the freezer, you'd understand. 

It's not that my freezer is gross or anything, it's merely packed to the brim with a ton of great Costco purchases.  And, my freezer doesn't have its own ice-making machine.  The result of all of this is that I need to pick up an ice bag from time to time.  That's what I did - running to the local Village Pantry (specializing in ice bags and monthly hold-ups).

Once I had everything in place, I started trying to find something that looked like an old fashioned glass.  Not knowing what one would look like, I tried to find a lowball glass that might fit the bill.

And then...and then I gazed upon the finest glass in my collection.  Was it my quirky economics based glass that tracks the NYSE ebb and flow in the 1960's?  No, but alas, that is an outstanding piece of hardware that will definitely be used in the future.

What glass was it?  What I saw, and what would serve as the vessel for this very drink, was my Al Harrington, The South Pacific Man, glass.  I have two of them - somehow finding the pair at a thrift store many years ago.

You're saying to yourself - but I've never heard of this gentleman - who is this man of mystery?!?  I will show you...

Here is the front, announcing Mr. Harrington:

And here is the back -with Mr. Harrington himself:

Genius!!  Love this guy.

Alright, so here are all of the drinks components, including Mr. Harrington:

To the drink itself... 

I'm not sure what to make of it.  When I mashed the sugar, angostura bitters and the wedges together, the glass smelled great!  It was kind of a summer-like spice mixture that I thought would pave the way towards something excellent.

But when it came to sipping time, I was getting bits of pulp with each sip.  I like pulp in my OJ, but not in my cocktails.

It tastes like a watery bourbon drink, with a touch of bitters.  Whatever addition the sugar and fruits are adding gets diluted by the soda water.  I can taste some of the orange at times, which is a nice compliment to the bourbon, but I'd probably cut back on the soda water, or not use any at all.  I think the soda water just takes away from the flavors one would want in this drink, namely: bourbon, bitters and sweet orange and lemon.

The more I type this post out though, the more I'm sipping this drink, and liking it.  It has a refreshing quality, sitting over the ice.  And as the ice melts away, yet more of the flavor does as well.  On second thought, just skip the club soda entirely.  The ice will provide enough liquid to balance the drink out - no need for any additional water (unless watered-down drinks are your style).

The old fashioned, with the necessary adjustments, is a winner.  But the real highlight this evening is being able to share the moment with Al Harrington, The South Pacific Man!

Drink Five - Jack Rose

Our fifth cocktail is the Jack Rose.  Never heard of it before starting this blog. 

My lack of knowledge about drinks never ceases to amaze me - this, despite a solid four years spent in the frat house (Keystone Light, Natural Light and Natty Death...err...I mean, Natural Light Ice were the drinks of choice).

So what is this thing?  I'll give you three choices from which to guess...is it:

a) A whiskey based drink that contains Rose's lime juice as one of the additional ingredients.

b) A vodka based drink that is noticeably red in color due to the grenadine that is also in the drink.

c) A drink whose main traditional component is Applejack, an alcohol made from hard cider.

Have you picked your answer?







It's C. 

Applejack?  Never heard of it either, eh? 

Apparently, no one makes applejack anymore.  Not only that, I'm not sure anyone is making the Jack Rose anymore!  The Ultimate Bar Book - a book that has 1,000 drink recipes - A THOUSAND!!! - doesn't have a Jack Rose cocktail recipe. 

Thankfully, American Bar does have a Jack Rose recipe.  In it, they use something called calvados.  So, I've never even heard of this crap, and I definitely do not have it on hand.  Apparently, after some trusty internet research (the best kind), it appears to be apple brandy.

Already, I'm thinking to myself There's a reason this drink went out of fashion - it had calvados in it for Christ's sake!.  I had to run to the liquor store.  No big deal, except I had no way of knowing if they'd carry this calvados stuff.

And, I'm dressed like a schlub. 

I'm wearing a hoodie with a cardinal bird's face made to look like the ubiquitous Che Guevara face that adorns t-shirts in every Spencer's Gifts location (don't ask about this hoodie's origin...if you know, you know).  Not only do I look under 21 years of age, but I look like I might be robbing the place, as opposed to buying apple brandy.

The store did carry calvados.  They had a selection of calvados.  I could have spent over $100 a bottle if I had wanted to do so.  I decided against the expensive bottlings, and went for the middle ground - a $30 bottle called Calvados Noble-Dame.

Now at the store, the scotch aisle happened to be right next to the brandy/cognac aisle.  It wouldn't hurt to take a peek, just to see what they had, right?  What do you know - Balvenie Doublewood on sale?  Don't mind if I do!

So before I've even made this drink, I'm already out of pocket $75.  Yeah, that's right, I'm including the price of the scotch.  There's a chance that I make the Jack Rose this once, and never again.  I don't suppose I'll acquire a taste for apple brandy either, though we'll see.  I've spent more money on worse things.

Here's the recipe:

Jack Rose
American Bar, page 121

3/4 oz lemon juice
1 barspoon powdered sugar
dashes grenadine
1 1/2 oz Calvados

Shake over ice cubes in a shaker, strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Even before my first sip, we know that this drink is going to be crazy sweet.  Between the lemon juice, the grenadine, the POWDERED SUGAR?!?!  Are you kidding me?  Who puts powdered sugar in a cocktail?

I'll cut to the chase - this thing is really awful.  I won't say it's undrinkable, but it's close.  It tastes like lemonade that's gone bad, if that's possible. You can't taste the apple brandy in any way, not that I know what it would taste like. 

It is very sweet too, in a chalky kind of way, in the way that ice tea mixed with too much Splenda tastes chalky.  Someone has to feel me on this one.

The drink was a dud - but maybe all is not lost - I mean, I still have the apple brandy, right?!  I'm going to pour myself a glass in a good ol' brandy snifter.  Look how classy it looks!

Holy hell this stuff is awful too!!  It tastes like it was made in the backyard of a meth lab.  How can anyone drink this?

Thank the lord I bought some scotch tonight - anything to wash this terrible terrible taste out of my mouth.

I do this all for you, my loyal reader, all for you.

Drink Four - Daiquiri

I've been watching a lot of the Olympic coverage.  I'm a sucker for the Olympics, always have been.

There are some weird aspects to the Vancouver games, namely, the important events are tape-delayed despite occurring in the same hemisphere, and the fact that the US has dominated the medal count - something that hasn't happened since the 1930's.

First, I think NBC does a pretty good job with the Games.  I think an argument could be made against one network covering the games, as opposed to multiple networks, but I'm not going to get into that discussion.  As the sole broadcasting entity, I think NBC is well positioned to show its US audience a lot of sport on its various channels.  Apart from the ABC/ESPN, I can't think of another network that has as many stations that comprise their available stations.  This allows NBC, among other things, to show curling on CNBC - which is pretty cool.

Even though they have a large number of channels upon which they can show the events, NBC has chosen to tape delay broadcasts for prime time.  I don't like NBC's decision.

We all find out results by way of the internet, or other TV or radio broadcasts, whether we're seeking them out or happen upon them.  It's inevitable with all the media available in this day and age.  And yet, tape delaying events presumes that either this is not the case, that we won't find out results, or, that even if we know the results we will watch the event anyway. 

The former is obviously incorrect - we do find out results.  That is, unless we go well out of our way to avoid the news.  We're talking log-off-the-internet level avoidance, given the breadth of news options available at every turn.  The latter is true for many, and would seem to be a good reason to go ahead and show the event live and in primetime.  I believe that the Games are performing really well in prime time, so what the hell do I know.

In my opinion, NBC should show important events live, and if warranted, repeat them in prime time.  What's wrong with that?  In doing so, people can choose to see the event live if they are able, and anyone else can avoid the news until primetime to see the big event.  NBC has at least 4 stations in which to broadcast events.  Use them!

Second, the US has been very successful in this year's Olympics, leading in the overall medal count and the number of gold medals won (or are at least tied for most gold medals at last count).

At one time, Nordic countries won medals because as Dan Jansen famously said (and I'm paraphrasing) "a lot of these sports are grocery store trips in these other countries."  It's weird when the US wins winter sport medals over Norway, Finland, and Switzerland.

And it doesn't hurt the American team that newer sports have been added that the US is particularly good at, like the half-pipe and mogel freestyle (which was introduced into the Olympics in the 1990's).  None of this is to say that the new sports are bad.  I love watching the half-pipe, I love watching mogels freestyle, I love watching ski-cross.  I think all of these sports have their place in the Olympics.  If you look at each of these sports individually, one can see why they belong, and we can safely root for our home team's athletes. 

In the aggregate though, particularly when the US dominates the Olympics in a way it traditionally has not, the Olympics begins to look like an Americanized-event, and less-so a world event.  I want the US to win, but not at the expense of whatever international quality made the Olympics so appealing in the first place.

Alright, let's drink.  Today we're making daiquiri's - very exciting!

Daiquiri

The Ultimate Bar Book, page 260

2 ounces light rum
1 ounce fresh lime juice
1/2 ounce simple syrup
Lime slice

Shake the liquid ingredients vigorously with ice.  Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.  Garnish with the lime slice.

For this drink I used Bacardi Rum, Nellie and Joe's bottled lime juice, and completely took the easy way out and bought some Simple Syrup (that's the name on the bottle - it's made out of Nantucket).  I normally would have made the simple syrup - it is after all just water and sugar - but I really wanted to make chocolate chip cookies!!  No time for both this evening.

This is the first time I've used this bottle of Bacardi Rum.  I think I bought it from Costco 5 years ago, thinking "Hey, someday I'll need some rum, so I might as well buy a handle of rum."  Well, 5 years later, I was right.  

I might be pulling out the bottle far more often because this daiquiri is freaking good, and tart.  Very tart.  I tastes kind of like a lime-aid frozen drink.  There is little alcohol flavor as the rum is heavily masked by the lime juice and simple syrup.

And this is nothing like all the daiquiri's I've had in the past.  Now granted, they were overwhelmingly of the "strawberry" variety, but still - this is very different.  I can't get over how little alcohol I can taste.  You could finish off quite a few of these without realizing you're downing over a shot of rum in each glass (and these aren't big glasses).

As a kid, my family didn't go out to eat all too often, but when we did, typically at some family restaurant, my brother and I would order non-alcoholic strawberry daiquiris.  They were the highlight of eating out!  They were slushy and sweet, and probably now, as an adult, entirely undrinkable.  But back then - whoah buddy - you could have given me a keg of strawberry daiquiri and I would have been cloud nine, tapping that sucker like it was water in the Sahara. 

Just like the Sidecar, I will definitely have to bring this one back out in the summer.