Corpse Reviver Variations

The Corpse Reviver #2 is one of my all time favorite drinks. But let's be honest, you barely notice the gin. Which got me wondering - what if we just replaced the gin with something else?

 

We'll use the same spec for all our taste tests.

• 1oz Base Spirit (normally gin, here we replace with something else)
• 1oz Orange Liqueur (we're using Blue Curacao because I ran out of Marnier and I don't have enough Dry Curacao left)
• 1oz Cocchi Americano
• 1oz Lemon Juice
• Shake together with ice
• Strain into glass
• Add a drop of absinthe (Saint George) and express an orange twist overtop.

Let's revive some corpses.

 

Drinks Post - Runoff

For all the recipes that were either too simple or not good enough to make it into the main drinks post series.

Dutch Russian

This is a stock photo from Wikipedia.

Availability: Tricky. I had to go to a megastore to find genever, and they only had one kind.

This is a White Russian with genever instead of vodka. It tastes like a malted milkshake. Delicious, but nothing to run home about.

mellonbread's Favorite Drinks to Make at Home - Part 2

Building on the wild success of the first drinks post, let's have another!

APEROL SOUR

Availability: Easy. Aperol isn't hard to find, though I don't actually like it for anything besides this drink.

I doubt I invented this drink, but I can't find any mention of it anywhere else. I find the Aperol Spritz is too sweet for my taste. This recipe tames the sweetness and lets the rest of the flavors express themselves better.

• 2 oz Aperol
• 4 oz Prosecco (can use a drier sparkling wine if you want the drink to be even less sweet)
• Juice of one lemon
• Carbonated water

Shake the Aperol and lemon juice with ice, strain into glass with ice, add prosecco and top with carbonated water to taste. Garnish with lemon wheel and cocktail cherry of choice.

Consider also: just a splash of absinthe or Pernod to turn it into a Death in the Aperol Sour.

mellonbread's Favorite Drinks to Make at Home - Part 1

Mixing drinks is not difficult. Getting all the ingredients and utensils together can be an expensive chore. But once you have them, making the drinks is rarely more difficult than squeezing, stirring, shaking and pouring.

 

These are my favorite drinks - mostly small variations on established recipes. I'm going to list how I make them, which isn't always going to be the proper recipe. Sometimes I substitute things. I'll list the overall level of availability so you can gauge how difficult it might be for you to find the ingredients.

ACID SPIT 

Availability: Easy. If your grocery store has liquor you can pick up everything you need in one trip.

 

This is the first real cocktail I ever made, a simple gin and tonic variation. It's sweet, sour, boozy, and you can customize as you drink it until it's exactly the way you like it.

• 2 oz of a gin with a strong flavor. Delicate, artisinal gins will get lost against the background. Something cheap or mid shelf is ideal.
• Juice of half a lemon
• Juice of half a lime
• Cracked ice
• Tonic water to taste (I use Fever Tree. I know the pros prefer Q, but I find the sweetness of the tree offsets the harshness of the gin and sourness of the citrus perfectly)

Combine in a glass and take a sip. If it's too sweet, add more citrus. If it's too sour, add more tonic. If you can't taste the gin, add more gin.