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Fun Stuff => CHATTER => Topic started by: Ishotdanieljohnston on 26 Apr 2008, 08:17
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OK, in two weeks I start my role as manager at the restaurant I work at, and my boss gave me an assignment today of designing a new cocktail for the place. They want it to be my thing, which I make and advertised with my name. I thought it sounded like fun. But as a fairly unexperienced nineteen year old, I soon realised I know next to nothing bout cocktails.
So people! Please help me come up with one! It needs to be fairly simple and classy and needs to suit romantic, candle lit kinda dining. Also nothing too exotic because we have fairly limited spirits in stock and any new stuff would need to be cheap and easy to buy.
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I don't know if you're from the US or what, but if you are, I think your boss is silly to give you an assignment like that.
Personally, all of my favorite cocktails have involved peaches. One place had peach puree with peach schnapps and champagne, which was amazing, and I had one recently that was peach schnapps, orange juice, and vodka. But I like fruity things, so some sort of puree or juice (peach, orange, cranberry, etc) mixed with two alcohols, one of which should have a fruit flavor, would be really easy. Vodka or white rum would probably be an easy alcohol to start with.
Really, I think you should buy a book of mixed drinks and base things off of what you like (if you've had good mixed drinks before). If not, ask someone you know who knows their alcohol to help you taste test things.
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Just make White Russians and give them a different name.
White Russians are the best.
You should also play 'the Big Lebowski' on a projector somewhere.
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asking a 19 yr old to design a cocktail is a little odd; is that even old enough to drink where you are?
some basic tips : try not to use too many flavors, keep it to 2-3. don't use the same flavor twice. remember to garnish!
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Boston Tea Party
2 shots gin, vodka, vermouth, or clear soda (whatever you happen to have but vermouth is best)
1 shot black or iced tea, Earl Grey is my favorite
1 shot cranberry juice
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Is an olive a fruit?
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Nobody worth a damn drinks cocktails with fruit in.
except them lady types.
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Nobody worth a damn drinks cocktails with fruit in.
I'm not worth a damn. :(
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Hey, it's cool. I don't matter to Joe Hocking.
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i saw a drink advertised somewhere called a "black tea martini", and i thought, "man, that's the most british thing i can think of -- gin and tea."
on the vein of the white russian: they make this new chai tea liqueur you can find here (http://www.voyantchai.com/).
i'm thinking: chai russian. like a white russian, but without kahlua or tia maria and this instead. so it would be vodka, this chai stuff, and cream on ice. i'd drink the hell out of it.
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Use tapioca!
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sure, if you want to have the worst drink in the history of ever.
ever.
which reminds me, i once went to a restaurant that served alcoholic bubble tea.
that was interesting.
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i saw a drink advertised somewhere called a "black tea martini", and i thought, "man, that's the most british thing i can think of -- gin and tea."
I've had a cocktail with Earl Grey Gin before. It was the tastiest thing ever.
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on the vein of the white russian: they make this new chai tea liqueur you can find here (http://www.voyantchai.com/).
i'm thinking: chai russian. like a white russian, but without kahlua or tia maria and this instead. so it would be vodka, this chai stuff, and cream on ice. i'd drink the hell out of it.
oh man. That sounds delicious
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Oh man, the chai russian sounds awesome. My favorite variation on the White Russian is a Blind Russian. At least, that's the name the local bar that I drink them at gives them, but I'm pretty sure there's another drink called a Blind Russian that's rather different. Basically it's a white russian with Bailey's instead of cream. More alcoholic, and tastes great!
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Gee, after forraging on the net for hours I've got the best ideas from here. And I'm 19 in Australia, where the drinking age is 18. Anyway, so I'm liking this talk of chai Russians and also of Boston Tea Parties, they sound like the kind of thing they'd buy.
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Godiva white chocolate liquor, unspiced rum and peppermint schnapps = tastes like a candycane. Sort of. That could be seasonal, for the winter?
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on the vein of the white russian: they make this new chai tea liqueur you can find here (http://www.voyantchai.com/).
i'm thinking: chai russian. like a white russian, but without kahlua or tia maria and this instead. so it would be vodka, this chai stuff, and cream on ice. i'd drink the hell out of it.
WANT. Chai is delicious in general, so I think I need to buy some of that stuff.
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Oh man, the chai russian sounds awesome. My favorite variation on the White Russian is a Blind Russian. At least, that's the name the local bar that I drink them at gives them, but I'm pretty sure there's another drink called a Blind Russian that's rather different. Basically it's a white russian with Bailey's instead of cream. More alcoholic, and tastes great!
Actually, that would be a Blonde Russian
A Blind Russian is actually kahlua, bailey's, butterscotch schnapps, chocolate liqueur (like Godiva) and milk
And yes, a chai russian sounds really delicious
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This cocktail might not suit your restaurant but we had one of these at a mexican restaurant and it was pretty cool, I think it would be an awesome summery style drink!
Ice, Chopped lime, a whole chilli and some mint in a glass... Use the bat thing to squish it all together, add tequila and cointreau. Put the silver cup on top and shake all fancy like. Pour into a large glass, top off with ginger beer.
Wah lah, terrifyingly spicy and deliciously refreshing drink!
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Godiva white chocolate liquor, unspiced rum and peppermint schnapps = tastes like a candycane. Sort of. That could be seasonal, for the winter?
Candycanes are associated with artificial Northern Hemisphere Christmas.
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Could taste like minties.
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Just start experimenting. Get a group of people together, have em all bring something different, and start mixing to your hearts content.
It's how I discovered AfterShock + Hawaiian Punch = tasty!
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^ this
actually that is probably not a good idea listen tothe [ep[; wpp ;eft actia; res[pm,ses/
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Godiva and Creme de Menthe make a good digestif. It basically tastes like mint chocolate chip ice cream. Probably has a name already, but I do not know it
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buzz buzz buzz
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Its easy!
1/4th Creme Chataigne (Chesnut Liquor)
3/4th dry white wine.
= epic awesomeness
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ooh here's one for ya! It's really common in Spain, I drank it there all the time. Sounds gross, but it's actually quite tasty.
Calimocho
Mix equal parts of red wine and coca-cola. You can also add a dash of blackberry liqueur for added flavor.
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I imagine it depends greatly on the quality of wine used. In Spain even the shitty wines you buy in liter boxes for under a dollar were still better than most cheap red wines you can find in the states, so it was a really cheap drink to make that still tasted pretty good. I haven't tried to make it since coming back, but I dunno if it'd be any good with Franzia or the like.
Oh, also, make sure it's all really cold or poured over ice. It'd probably be really gross warm. And a sweeter rather than drier wine works best.
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Hmm, cold red wine or warm Coke. Both sound bad.
Actually, I think that drink sounds interesting. I may give it a shot if I can find a decent yet affordable red wine.
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Bombay Sapphire, blueberry juice, tonic water
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That sounds pretty.
I know it was ages ago in the thread, but I believe strictly speaking, olives are a fruit.
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I am really miffed that someone made a drink called Blue Monday but used vodka instead of gin. But i believe what i posted should be thew Blue Monday
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What's wrong with it being the Blue Tuesday?
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several reasons.
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Wah lah, terrifyingly spicy and deliciously refreshing drink!
I like to make jalapeno lemonade in the summer, and mix it with gin (Tanqueray) for delicious results.
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3/4 shot of Jägermeister, 1/4 shot of 151 in a shot glass, set on fire and dropped into a glass of Mountain dew - Flaming Jew. More a LAN drink than a classy cocktail cocktail but maybe you can do something with it.
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Australia doesn't have flaming cocktails. It's not responsible service of alcohol.
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They want it to be my thing...
...So people! Please help me come up with one!
This. Right here.
Doesn't going and asking the internet to design your drink essentially completely defeat the purpose? No offense, but if your job relies so heavily on something you absolutely cannot handle on your own, maybe it's not the job for you to begin with.
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Australia doesn't have flaming cocktails, because we're a bunch of milquetoasts.
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I like fire more than booze. And I love booze.
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Give the poor guy a break, just because he doesn't know now doesn't mean he should quit his job (or something he should be fired for), he's only nineteen, and he's a manager, not a bartender. Getting ideas from the internet about cocktails to save your ass is not a sin.
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Calm down, Phil, I wasn't suggesting he should just up and leave. I just think he'd be better off going to his boss about it, explaining his relative lack of experience concerning the matter and getting help there. If he can't handle his first task on his own, it's only going to catch up to him later. Being a manager is about fending for yourself and it's a skill he's going to need to learn right quick if he expects to make it. Harsh? Maybe, but it's the truth. If that's something important enough to the job that he's been assigned the task, asking other people to figure it out for him is only going to hurt him in the long run.
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Meh, you have a point. But I'm assuming that if he's being promoted that his boss trusts him to at least some degree, and that he knows most of what goes on at the place already. And just because you're a manager doesn't mean you should be totally alone, especially at first. I doubt his job hinges on being able to make a good cocktail, and if its an area of little experience I don't see why he can't ask for help. I mean, in another industry like marketing or something where creativity has to come from you, I could see the objection to asking others to make something for you, but really, a manager at a restaurant? Designing a cocktail is about at the peak of creativity he'll ever need.
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maybe you can do something with it.
Yes, not use Mt. Dew.
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Candycanes are associated with artificial Northern Hemisphere Christmas.
Who cares? They're delicious!
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Couldn't you argue that he is capable of handling this, since he rightly went to the internet for help in something he has little expertise in?
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I ask everyone I possibly can for advice, suggestions, and comments constantly, and as a result of which, I am pretty fine baker by this point. I am nowhere near a master chef, and I still have plenty to learn, so I still ask questions all the time and demand reviews of my food, and frequently ask what people's favorite pies are.
When I started I knew dick all. Asking everyone you possibly can for input will get you good ideas, because more often that not, you might ask a question like this and get a lot of the same answer or a lot of dull answers, but maybe somewhere in that massive mess of cocktails, you'll get inspiration for something else.
Like, reading a book on cocktails would be pretty much the same thing, except more weird stuff and less filler to make pages.
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I like to make jalapeno lemonade in the summer, and mix it with gin (Tanqueray) for delicious results.
Holy crap, that is combining 3 of my most favourite things. Sounds amazing!
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maybe you can do something with it.
Yes, not use Mt. Dew.
Jäger and 151 sounds... like a shot not a cocktail.
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It's like a mutated oversized jägerbomb gone horrible horribly wrong.
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It's almost the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
1/4 151
1/4 Jagermeister
1/4 Rumpleminz
1/4 Goldschlager
It's layered, so its interesting to look at before you shoot it, and it will absolutely fuck your world up. Only recommended for the brave or foolhardy
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Dear Ishotdanieljohnston,
I understand that you're 19 and maybe a bit new to cocktails. I am also 19. It is valid to ask for ideas from this forum, but I really think your own personal cocktail should reflect your personality and tastes. Especially if, as manager, you will promoting yourself and the restaurant - you want to associate this your strengths/quirks.
Surely you have an idea about what you like to drink, and what kind of cocktails you like. There are also certain connotations with different drinks. You should make sure you've tried all the most popular cocktails at least. For example: very fizzy and sweet things kind of appeal more to women. Drinks without a strong after-taste appeal to people who are not big on alcohol.
I'd say you want something classy and understated, but also slightly unique. Give us some ideas for what is your type of drink or what are you strengths/tastes.
If it has a snappy name and a distinctive taste, it will be a winner. Personally, I'd go for one of emilio's blue mondays.
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A few drinks that get mixed often by my cadre of serious drinking friends:
the Atlanta: A manhattan spiked with a squirt of coca cola.
a George Jones: A screwdriver topped off with champagne (or some other bubble substitute)... i.e., a mimosa for people who really want to party. looking back, a pitcher of this drink alone has saved more than a few lame parties I've had to endure.
the LP: Southern Comfort and pineapple juice (same mix as a jack and coke). It gives off a simultaneously sexy and obnoxious "I'm so class I can be trashy" sort of vibe.
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the LP: Southern Comfort and pineapple juice (same mix as a jack and coke). It gives off a simultaneously sexy and obnoxious "I'm so class I can be trashy" sort of vibe.
Oo, in this same vein: bourbon and sprite.
Y'know, maybe we should start suggesting drink names. They're crucial to drink success, as fatty said, and actually having a good name may help us come up with a drink.
For example: when I worked at the ice cream palace, we all had to come up with our own drink with our picture on it. The name "The Dirty Tramp" popped into my head, and I immediately combined dark triple chocolate icecream with strawberries.
IT WAS A HIT.
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WANT
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A really good drink would be Chocolate snapps or Creme de Cacao, passionfruit juice/puree, and some gin.
Chocolate and passionfruit is one of the best mixtures ever created.
Also you could do something like peanut butter and jelly. A peanut butter thinned out with cream, mixed with strawberry juice/grape juice/some other juice similar to a jelly you like. Then add whatever liquor fits best into it. It would work well because it is somewhat high end but kind of evokes memories, also every chef ever has some variation of peanut butter and jelly, so why not a drink?
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A few drinks that get mixed often by my cadre of serious drinking friends:
the Atlanta: A manhattan spiked with a squirt of coca cola.
a George Jones: A screwdriver topped off with champagne (or some other bubble substitute)... i.e., a mimosa for people who really want to party. looking back, a pitcher of this drink alone has saved more than a few lame parties I've had to endure.
the LP: Southern Comfort and pineapple juice (same mix as a jack and coke). It gives off a simultaneously sexy and obnoxious "I'm so class I can be trashy" sort of vibe.
Honestly, all these sound absolutely terrible, the last one isn't even a cocktail, and none of them sound like something I'd want to drink in a restaurant.
There's not really a lot of room for experimentation with the classic straight spirit cocktails. Most of the good combinations have already been invented, and even the variations are famous enough in their own right. If your job is actually to invent a new cocktail, and not just rip off an old one, there's a few areas of cocktails that have almost unlimited potential however and while most combinations have been tried, few are famous enough to really worry about ripping off.
1) Fruity cocktails. Grab some white rum, a good dark rum, some vodka, (hell maybe some Gin if you're feeling sassy) some Cointreau, some Blue Curaco, and some of the other liqueurs with fruit flavours like Grenadine, experiment with these and various combinations of fruit juices. Women love fruity cocktails and you can do cool shit with layering that they go crazy for.
2) Milky cocktails. This one is a lot harder to do and a lot easier to fuck up, but if you have the time, inclination, and resources to experiment, have a crack at it, you can make some really good cocktails with milky ingredients. Baileys, Kahlua, white and dark creme de cacao, maybe some amaretto or Frangelico, milk, cream, strawberries, use your imagination.
Remember that while you typically shake these sorts of cocktails, you can always just build them over ice for a different texture, which also allows you to make extremely pretty, presentable drinks if the ingredients are different enough colours, which a lot of people value almost as highly as the taste in the first place.
Incidentally, while you don't really make shots in a restaurant I am guessing, I just wanted to share a shot my manager makes me sometimes. He is fucking batshit crazy for chartreuse and every-time he makes me a drink he makes me something with it in it. Once he ordered a bunch of us shots of Chartreuse topped with tobasco (which actually helped the taste I'll admit) but the other night he actually made me one that was really good. He called it a Three Wise Men on Acid, and is basically Jack Daniels, Johnny Walker and Jim Beam in a shot, topped with Chartreuse.
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try and sneak in the one from Casino Royale
3 of Gordons
1 of vodka
1/2 Kina Lillet
shake over ice
serve with a slice of lemon
I actually made one the other day. Very tasty it was, I wholeheartadly recommend it.
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That is a lie because you can't buy Kina Lillet any more.
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Are you sure? (http://www.lillet.fr/home.jsp?lang=uk&rubrique=&sousrubrique=&typerecette=&nomrecette=)
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That's Lillet Blanc, which isn't the same as Kina Lillet.
I shan't press the issue.
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The Colin Collin's
Mix 2oz gin, 2 oz Reallime limeaide, and a dash of sours mix in cocktail shaker with 3 ice cubes.
Pour into large Picardie bar glass, add soda water to taste and garnish with a slice of lime
Invented as a result of the local bar failing to make a Tom Collins worth a damn, so this was my substitute to drink at home.
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Australia doesn't have flaming cocktails. It's not responsible service of alcohol.
Since when? I've had a cocktail that involved a cloud of flaming cinnamon. Also numerous flaming sambucca shots. This was maybe a year ago?
Re: designing a cocktail. Maybe a combination of something tart like Limoncello and something sweet like Butterscotch Schnapps would make a good restauranty after dinner thing. Kind of a lemon meringue pie vibe.
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RSA is defined by state laws, not Federal Laws. I know the QLD laws don't allow any kind of flaming shot, or more than four shots in a cocktail, and a bunch of other crap, but I was under the impression they were a lot stricter up here than they were anywhere else.
Actually while we're here, is the new tax on premixed spirits in stubbies a national tax or a state tax, because it is insane
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I think it's a national tax, Brett. Somehow it's supposed to cut down on binge and underage drinking, so I am guessing it's applied to the whole country.
About the flaming shot/RSA thing, I will have a look in my RSA information I got when I was trained, but at this point in time I don't have the spare time. I am pretty sure that was what was stated in my course, though.
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I enjoy a pre mixed fizzy drink every now and then, but I tell you what, it's barely worth it now.
All this talk of inventing cocktails makes me want to invent my own. Except I'm lazy and I'm unsure what I would do with it once I had it. if I had friends I would get together for a cocktail experimentation day.
maybe that's what you should do person who started the thread. try things out on your friends.
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I have done that several times. The trick is to stay sober for long enough to invent something worth drinking by giving all the failed experiments to your friends and then when you hit upon something that is fucking incredible, just run with it until you are so drunk you are using a whole lime as a garnish in a cocktail that is basically several kinds of hard liquor in a pint glass.
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Maybe ~ Limoncello ~ good
NEVER.
That shit is just nail polish remover (The acetone kind) and lemon juice.
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If you are looking for a cocktail that will sell well in a restaurant you need two things; it has to be sweet, and it needs a catchy name. Then offer them for 1/2 price on "ladies" night and let nature take it's course.