Also, your recipe for cocktail cherries has served me well for about a year now. I use the jarred Morello cherries from Trader Joe’s and they work like a charm. Thanks for that.

Sorry for the comment-thread archaeology, but I need a drink for the spring issue of Edible Rhody. The remit: local and seasonal. I love pairing tequila and rhubarb, and rhubarb’s seasonal to spring and locally available.

But in the past I’ve used Fee’s rhubarb bitters, and for this I’ll need the fresh stuff. I was thinking already about a rhubarb syrup and came across your Flor de Baya linked on another site. Do you mind if I alter your recipe to a rhubarb gastrique?

If the drink’s successful, I’ll probably also add it to the spring menu at the new restaurant, when rhubarb’s back. (For the article, I’ll be using some of last year’s crop, which we have frozen.)

Thanks,

Dietsch

Ack, I forgot to mention that the pan should be covered. Just add some hot water to your jam to thin it out to a syrupy consistency and give it a shot in a cocktail. If you haven’t dumped it by now, that is.

I’m a big fan of the Flor de Baya at the bar so I was extremely excited to try to whip up a batch of gastrique for myself. Mine came out extremely thick (like jam) and I’m trying to figure out where I went wrong. I was supposed to boil it uncovered wasn’t I?

I’m trying to get to Seattle to see all of you soon!

I wanted to speak to your comment about most cocktail bloggers not being bartenders…

Keep in mind that while bartenders are (assumed) good at making drinks, they are not always good writers. And, blogging, above all is writing.

There are a few who are blessed with talents both behind the bar and in front of a computer… like you and Jimmy… but that’s rather rare…

Next time, I’ll try more ginger and less honey.

Guess I’ll have to go home and make a gastrique to console myself.

It’s a fantastic vermouth, if a bit hard to find. Vya also works extremely well.

I love the addition of orange bitters to the Manhattan. I’ve been using them in my Manhattans for quite some time now.

I like to use Trader Joe’s Morello Cherries. They’re small and have a flavor similar to the real Maraska cherries. I just haven’t found anything that simulates the texture I’ve gotten from the Maraska cherries I’ve tried.

My previous brandied cherries were made by taking a batch of dried cherries and soaking them in brandy and a dash of Grand Marnier. Your way sounds much better. Do you have a preferred brand of cherries you use?

I’m glad you enjoyed the bourbon-cranberry gastrique concoction we came up with last night. I’ve always enjoyed bourbon with the flavor of cranberry. I guess we’ll have to revisit the matter in November!

And, for the record, I have no idea what that means, either.

Your improvements to these drinks are fantastic. And, thank you again for experimenting with me. It made me really concentrate on the subtleties of each ingredient and how they interact with each other. Thanks again!!! Your Midtown Manhattan puts the shizzle on the mizzle!

I have no idea what that means….

I think you guys did a really great job updating the drink menu. I was really impressed with the Gingered Honey Sour. The fresh ginger over the glass is simple but elegant and the aroma with every sip is genius. Having that strong aroma adds a dimension of ginger that is far more pleasant in my nose than I could have imagined.

Even if the Manhattan with orange bitters is a Trilby, the customers will be mesmerized either way.

Now fixed.

Thanks, J-Beau.

All three drinks are currently gracing the cocktail menu at Bel Ami, so do stop in and try one!

I don’t think that muddling the ginger would do much more than what’s already happening when I run it over a Microplaner in order to add it to the honey syrup.

However, gently muddling a lemon peel or adding a dash of lemon bitters would definitely add another layer of punch.

I’m no mixologist, and I feel shy to even suggest this, but I wonder if it might be fun to try muddling a wee slice of fresh ginger for the ginger-honey lemon sour, to add another layer of punchiness.

Alex, I haven’t tried the Canton ginger liqueur, I don’t believe it’s been listed in Oregon. Living in a control state means I don’t always have access to a lot of the products bartenders living in other states do.