Home Made Violet Hour

Alchemist wrote:But to get this thread back on track, has anyone tried any of the cocktails that I posted the specs for? And if so how did they turn out?

I'm through three, none of which I've had the pleasure to try at The Violet Hour, so I can't compare. My ice is lacking, for sure, but it didn't hurt me much.

Juliet & Romeo is really a wonderful cocktail. Only thing I would suggest is to at least 1.5 times it, maybe 2. One goes too quickly. Also, I've got the shaker that's not a Boston shaker, and there were bits of lime leaves and cucumber that made it into the cocktail. My wife actually enjoyed this, but unless you really strain it, you'll get some extra garnish. Maybe that's how it's supposed to be.

The Fox Hunt...wow, I love this too, and it's stuff like this that makes these recipes so cool. 1) It helps me stock my bar with liquors I don't buy (hello, Pimm's and Cynar) 2) what an interesting combination of ingredients which, even used so sparingly, add a noticeable and delightful complexity to the finished product. I should add that this was had near the end of the night, so my judgment may have been a bit off. I'm eager to try this again.

The Briar Patch...okay, here's where things broke down a bit. The ice gets me a bit here, I believe...standard freezer crushed ice out of the automatic ice thing. Bigger problem, perhaps is the glass size. I think my collins glass was 16oz, which was too big. The ice didn't recede enough, so the drizzle of blackberry cordial just layered the ice and didn't swirl like I imagine it's supposed too. I tried another one, but I did something wrong...needed more syrup for sure, it was way too tart. I didn't realize before making the blackberry cordial that I'd end up with a pint for a recipe calling for 1/4 tsp. I'll be looking for more uses for this blackberry cordial. Today, I also picked up a Lucien Jacob Creme de Mure (diacritical marks omitted), which I may try in this also.

And in the inspiration department, the cocktail making and ReverendAndy's mojito led me to a blueberry flavored gimlet. We make a lot of gimlets, because they taste pretty good even with Gordon's which is cheap, and they're pretty fast. I muddled a few blueberries and a sprig of mint before shaking the gin and juice, and added a couple dashes of Angostura. Mmmmm....good.

Thanks for sharing these recipes, Toby, it's a real treat.

Cheers,

Aaron