Mmminty Cocktails

Before the bottom of my first bottle, Creme de Menthe has become an ingredient I should have bought long ago. After drunkenly adding it to a shot of brandy a few nights back because I wanted a stinger to go, I decided I should go ahead and try out a few good looking recipes that make different uses of Creme de Menthe.

First off is the Consolation Cocktail. I chose this to start because of my love for gin and the simple ingredients. With ingredients only a step removed from a Gin Cocktail or a Gin Sour, the Consolation does a great job of smoothing over a bunch of pretty strong tastes.

Consolation Cocktail
1 1/2 oz Gin
1/2 oz Creme de Menthe
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
Dash Angostura Bitters

I thought the lemon was a little too much, so I lowered it to only 1/4 oz the second time around. I think this is a better balance of the four, but whatever you prefer. The refreshing quality of the mint goes well with the juniper taste of good strong gin. I'd drink one of these again!

Image from Absolut website recipe

Although I'm fairly certain it is not a problem too many men encounter, I'm sure there are times when your ladyfriend needs to be reminded not to be a bad girl? Anyway, I can't seem to find any information on where this cocktail comes from or what gives it its name. The base of brandy and sweet vermouth is such a palate pleaser that there are dozens of variations you can add to them to make a suave-tasting cocktail.

Lady be Good
1 1/2 oz Brandy
1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth
1/2 oz Creme de Menthe

The Lady be Good did not surprise me. It tasted like a Stinger with sweet vermouth, and I'll gladly try this one again.

Congratulations, Yuengling!

D.G. Yuengling and Son is now the largest All-American brewery, having just passed Boston Beer Co. in production a few weeks ago. Thankfully, Budweiser and MillerCoors do not count since they are no longer American companies and some of their production is overseas.

As a personal fan of Yuengling lager as well as Yuengling Black & Tan, I tip my glass to them. It is refreshing to see such a successful family owned & operated business.

-Mr. Beerd
Primary: Chilly FeBREWary Lager; Rastafar-Rye
Aging: Witch's Brew Double Pumpkin Ale; Edwort's Organic Apfelwein
On tap: Chilly Guestroom Lager; Dunkeldude; Shovel I.P.L.

Happy FeBREWary!

So I had a freezer bag of huckleberries hiding in the back of my freezer. Knowing that frozen berries always turn mushy after thawing (due to the destruction of cellular tissue in the freeze-thaw process), I decided to try an experiment that now will definitely become a new constantly rotating side-project to my home brewery... fresh fruit liqueur! (Legal notice: The method I am illustrating here is for information only. To my knowledge "freeze-concentrating" is not the same as distilling as it requires no still, and is thus legal. If you decide to do it yourself, it should be strictly for personal use and not for sale or distribution.)

This method works with almost almost any fruit or berry as long as it is not extremely acidic (i.e. don't try this with lemons) as it will be harmful to your precious yeast.

Step 1: Freeze your fruit, for a while so you're convinced the cells have no chance of surviving the next step.
Step 2: Thaw your fruit (or berries).
Step 3: Mix approximately equal portions of your fruit (by volume, not mass) with water and corn sugar.
Step 4: Bring up to a boil to homogenize your solution and to kill any pesky lactobacteria.
Step 5: Allow to cool to room temperature, then pitch some champagne yeast into it.
Step 6: Wait a few weeks for the fermentation to stop bubbling. Then wait a few weeks longer.

Step 7: Strain out your fruit-wine. If you want to just stop here, that's your choice. Mmmm.... wine.

Step 8: Pour into a vessel & stick in the freezer for a few days.
Step 9: The freezing point of alcohol and of juice are both lower than that of just water, so when you take it out to thaw, the alcohol and juices should thaw first before the water. It'll take some time, but pour out all of the good stuff you can even if it means towards the end it's looking water because you can repeat step 8 again for more Oomph.
Step 10: Imbibe responsibly! What was once around a 10-13%ABV fruit wine is now over 30%ABV. I plan on enjoying this drink with the person who so graciously gave me her spare huckleberries!

Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some new equipment to test out... all-grain batches of greater volumes of beer ahoy! Why is it that the only month whose name commands me to brew is also the shortest month?

Cheers,
Mr. Beerd

Primary: Shovel I.P.L.
Secondary: Witch's Brew Double Pumpkin Ale
Conditioning: Dunkeldude
On tap: Chilly guestroom lager; Slippery willy