cocktail notes » margarita

trip report: ???; more playing with pear liqueur

tyler k — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 14:42:31 +0000

part 3 in the “better know your neighborhood bars” series…

jp, kue, and i went to this place for dinner. i knew from a previous scouting that the cocktail menu was two parts boring one part nightmare: one of the drinks contains spiced apple puree (from a bottle no less) which, for reasons posted previously, i couldn’t bring myself to try.

i’ve been considering this place for employment because compared to other restaurant-bars i think i’d have more responsibility more quickly, and that they’d be more open to revamping the cocktail menu to my direction. it would be a case of walking-before-crawling, since i don’t really know anything. and as usual i could be wrong about everything.

but before i approached them i wanted to try the food first because, glancing at the menu, the food seems dated and lacks philosophy. but, as it turns out, is pretty good.

i also ordered a margarita. mine are better, but i’ve had worse.

…

latest with the pear liqueur

4 oz pear liqueur
1 oz cachaca
1 oz lime
2 short drizzles of maraschino (prob 1/4 tsp)
2 dashes ango
1/4 tsp sugar

this was very good, but–i realize now–didn’t use the same proportions as before.

margaritas, a rumination (tequilination?)

tyler k — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 15:15:38 +0000

one of the tenets of the machinery of freedom is that the merits of a particular system (for example, a form of government) should be evaluated as if besieged by incompetence.* in other words, expect the worst. in other words, don’t say “democracy works as long as we keep people like dick cheney out of the white house”. say, “democracy doesn’t work because it failed to keep people like dick cheney out of the white house.” don’t say, “if that asshole hadn’t been talking on his cellphone he wouldn’t have sideswiped me.” say, “im going to assume that any car might be driven by someone on a cellphone.” don’t say (as i did), “i’m going to learn uston apc and the 500-cell strategy matrix because it’s the most powerful system as long as you aren’t retarded and don’t make any mistakes.” say, “i’m retarded and am going to make mistakes, i better stick with the ko count”

i thought about this as i made margaritas last night. one reason margaritas are so ubiquitous and popular is because they are almost impossible to fuck up. even one with bottom-shelf hangover-tonic and biohazard-green syrup is not a complete travesty.

and there’s no perfect recipe. erring in either direction with any ingredient will still produce something drinkable or at least salvageable.

margarita

4 parts tequila
3 parts citrus
1 part sugar
1 part triple sec

whisk, stir, or shake until sugar is dissolved. add ice, and stir or shake until very cold. add water to taste; the drink should be strong and tart but refreshingly, not painfully.

for the citrus, i used half lemon and half lime, as per jeffrey morganthaler’s recipe.

i used luxardo triplum which is sweeter than citronage; i could/should have cut down on the sugar.

drinkhacker says hiram walker is just fine.

this also works:

margarcheata

4 parts tequila
2 parts citrus
1 part bacardi frozen margarita mix
1 part triple sec

…

*friedman actually goes one step further and says “corruption” rather than “incompetence”, asserting that the more power a government has, the more earnestly corrupt people will seek and obtain government positions. but i find that the tenet has a wider application when you assume incompetence or apathy rather than corruption. or maybe assume self-interest, with the understanding that most people are interested in being lazy. including me.

the intro post

tyler k — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 19:59:51 +0000

this blog will be about cocktails: trip reports to various bars, kitchen experiments, barely filtered notes and ideas and flights of fancy.

let me first say what cocktails often are but should not be: cocktails should not taste like cough syrup. they should not taste like rubbing alcohol. they should not be sickly sweet, nor should they taste artificial. they should not taste of a common commercial product such as Coke, Tang, Froot Loops, or Lemon Pledge. they should not be watery.

cocktails should, instead, taste lively. often complex, yet clean, clear, and bright.

unless you are at a purposefully kitschy tiki bar, drinks are not made better with toothpick umbrellas, fruit wheels, elaborate glasses or bowls or props. they are, however, often improved with rimmed glasses, with ignited or twisted citrus peel, with herbs, spices, or fresh or candied fruit stirred it or floating atop.

key moments from my history of drinkery

margarita from picante. the first time i’d had a margarita with fresh lime juice. my world was rocked. a group of us put away three pitchers. later, someone fell into a pile of tires.

sidecar from michael mina. this was the first time i’d had a non-margarita cocktail that didn’t taste like cough syrup. i felt very old-school sophisticated and $15 poorer.

things from cyrus and west. my current favorite bartenders are scott beattie (formerly of cyrus) and colin macdougall and david wolowidnyk from west. from scott, i love the waverly place echo (mandarin, kaffir lime leaf, five spice) and pelo del perro (grapefruit, coconut, and smoked salt). the latter might be my favorite drink of all time. from colin and david: kaffir fling (kaffir, ginger, orgeat, lime), pie (pumpkin and spice), four o’clock (bourbon, vanilla, orange blossom foam), passage to india (mango, jalepeno, cilantro, curry), and a dozen others they’ve invented on the spot.