My god Tuscaloosa, Alabama pisses me off (drink thread)

[Daydreamer]

Ugh,

any follower of my threads by now should know that I love to cook and mix drinks, and right now I am thoroughly appalled at the drink list at EVERY fine dining restaurant in the town I live in.

The chef's at these places go through extraordinary lengths to make great food, and to that end they do their job well, but then their cocktail (oh I'm sorry...I mean 'martini') menu is nothing but unbalanced, one sided, bland drinks such as "peppermint, mango, or watermelon" 'martinis.' What is worse is that EVERY list at these places is made entirely from vodka based drinks (usually flavored vodka). The one exception is this very good American-Mexican fusion restaurant that has the lone Manhattan on their drink list...only it's made incorrectly...with old vermouth (because they don't realize vermouth is a fortified wine and therefore needs to be kept cold)...and no bitters.

Why is it that chefs go above and beyond to create amazing balanced meals, and then offer drinks that are not balanced at all. I'm sorry people, but the apple/peppermint/watermelon/whatever 'martinis' you enjoy are NOT cocktails. They are simply mixed drinks that are amateur at best. This is not to say that the aforementioned drinks can not be good, but ones made with a flavored vodka of some sort + some other additive of the same flavor != a drink. A good drink, like good food, needs a balance. A properly made drink is every bit as complex as that vintage merlot that these people cherish so much, but for some reason they won't give it a chance; most likely because some newbie bartender gave them a bar gin drink once that tasted like pine trees (which IS what happens when you mix gin improperly) and never went back.

The only reason people drink these kind of drinks is to get drunk. And do not try to argue that, because if it wasn't to get drunk you could just as well have fruit juice.

Ugh. Long rant I know.

What do you guys think? Please tell me some of you out there actually have taste when it comes to a balanced cocktail.

[Heian]

I was there for one week and I will never go back. Shitty town and a meh school .

[Kurp]

With all the talk about balance, hybrids, and newbs I thought I was reading the WoW boards.

[Daydreamer]

I was there for one week and I will never go back. Shitty town and a meh school .

Don't like the school? Really? I realize it's no ivy league or anything but I really enjoy UA. It's kinda like in it's own little bubble around the rest of the state.

But enough about that, back to topic!

[Heian]

I almost went there for engineering but had a change of heart, went into architorture instead. Was accept to Auburn as well but went to BAC instead.

[archibaldcrane]

I know I did this last time, but this is where I get to say "LOLAlabama" again right?

[berticus]

You know Chuck's, 12, and Cafe Venice all started as great restaurants and then devolved (almost typed deleveled, the FFXI is seeping in!) into bars that essentially serve only beer? Tuscaloosa is a really shitty town for anyone who's passionate about just about anything, ESPECIALLY things you might consider refined. All it's really great at is greek life and college football. If the drinks offend you then you should try to go to New York after you graduate. At least subscribe to the NY Times Dining & Wine feed, it's great for holding oneself over until he gets out into the real world beyond fried catfish and light domestic beer.

By the way, what's up?

[Andarvi]

You know Chuck's, 12, and Cafe Venice all started as great restaurants and then devolved (almost typed deleveled, the FFXI is seeping in!) into bars that essentially serve only beer? Tuscaloosa is a really shitty town for anyone who's passionate about just about anything, ESPECIALLY things you might consider refined. All it's really great at is greek life and college football. If the drinks offend you then you should try to go to New York after you graduate. At least subscribe to the NY Times Dining & Wine feed, it's great for holding oneself over until he gets out into the real world beyond fried catfish and light domestic beer.

By the way, what's up?

Is this a mirage or am I really seeing Bert?

[Anyway]

probably bert's gf

[Jerseyprophet]

When it comes to food pairing, are you unwilling to try beer and wine?

Beer and wine are excellent for food pairing, where as I can't necessarily see how a cocktail would be.

[Norelco]

with old vermouth (because they don't realize vermouth is a fortified wine and therefore needs to be kept cold

*tosses old bottle of dry vermouth*

Seriously, I didn't know this either. It's probably why my vermouth doesn't taste so good when I mix it into my vodka martinis. It's also probably why the last bottle of Tipsy olives (olives soakd in vermouth) I bought tasted rancid.

I'm going to need to try out gin martinis, the way they were meant to be drank.

edit: as an aside, I've lately been drinking straight alcohol on the rocks, so I don't see the need for much balancing. Stuff like Kettleone or Patron silver on the rocks is as good as it gets for me right now, and delivers the smoothest buzzes I've had in a long while.

[Daydreamer]

with old vermouth (because they don't realize vermouth is a fortified wine and therefore needs to be kept cold

*tosses old bottle of dry vermouth*

Seriously, I didn't know this either. It's probably why my vermouth doesn't taste so good when I mix it into my vodka martinis. It's also probably why the last bottle of Tipsy olives (olives soakd in vermouth) I bought tasted rancid.

I'm going to need to try out gin martinis, the way they were meant to be drank.

edit: as an aside, I've lately been drinking straight alcohol on the rocks, so I don't see the need for much balancing. Stuff like Kettleone or Patron silver on the rocks is as good as it gets for me right now, and delivers the smoothest buzzes I've had in a long while.

I'm not saying that good straight liquor is bad. I'm saying that mixed drinks have no balance are just, ugh...there's so much more you can do if you mix them correctly.

If you really want a real gin martini, get a quality gin and a quality vermouth (Noilly Prat if you can find it...we can't get it in here in bama) and mix it from a 1:2 to a 1:4 ratio. Do not tempt a dry martini AT ALL unless you REALLY like gin. That's why so many people don't like gin martinis, because they think they don't like vermouth because it's 'hip' to order them as dry as freaking possible. If you really want to go the extra mile, order a bottle of orange bitters from amazon (fee brothers or regans no 10 are great) and put a dash in there for a real old school cocktail. If you want to go even more old fashioned, use a sweet vermouth instead, however now and days this is really considered a completely different drink (sometimes referred to as a martinez).

When it comes to food pairing, are you unwilling to try beer and wine?

Beer and wine are excellent for food pairing, where as I can't necessarily see how a cocktail would be.

I LOVE beer and wine (in fact tonight I'm making a 3 course dinner and hope to have a different wine with each course). My point was that so many restaurants here have great beer and wine selections (The Globe comes to mind if you know the area), and even though the liquor section is decent, they don't know how to do a damn thing with it. The drinks are always bland, one dimensional, with no complex flavors. While the food is all about complex deep flavors that work well with one another.

As far as pairing cocktails, it's just like pairing wines. The quality of the drink really matters.

Examples:
Whiskey drinks go very well with beef, pork (especially roasted), and smoked fish (especially salmon)
Gin: Clams, crabs, oysters (this one's a big pairing), shellfish and the like
Calvados (an apple brandy): fantastic with cheeses

source: What to drink with what you eat by Dornenburg and Page.

Also the great thing about cocktails is, unlike wine, if the pairing is close, but not quite there, you can probably fix it. A simple "waiter could I have a wedge of lime" or something similar would suffice.

Certain cocktails are also very useful for opening up the palate in anticipation of food. My favorite example of this is the Negroni (equal parts gin, campari, and sweet vermouth, shaken and served up). This drink is slightly bitter and really helps open up your tastebuds to a really complex meal.

You know Chuck's, 12, and Cafe Venice all started as great restaurants and then devolved (almost typed deleveled, the FFXI is seeping in!) into bars that essentially serve only beer? Tuscaloosa is a really shitty town for anyone who's passionate about just about anything, ESPECIALLY things you might consider refined. All it's really great at is greek life and college football. If the drinks offend you then you should try to go to New York after you graduate. At least subscribe to the NY Times Dining & Wine feed, it's great for holding oneself over until he gets out into the real world beyond fried catfish and light domestic beer.

By the way, what's up?

Wow, hey Bert. You are sorta right on the mark with that comment, except for Chuck's and Cafe Venice they devolved into bars that really only serve wine, though I will give them this, they do have good wine lists. As far as 12 goes, well I have no desire to eat there because all I hear is that it's amazingly over priced for insane portions of food (like they make you buy 2 pounds worth of steak...wtf?) that really isn't that great.

I have plans after I graduate to move to Austin, Texas and attend the culinary school there that is associated with Le Cordon Bleu, which is probably the second best group of schools there is (CIA being the first).

Hell Bert, if you're bored tonight wanna come over for a 3 course meal with wine pairings...and guitar hero???

[Norelco]

I'm not saying that good straight liquor is bad. I'm saying that mixed drinks have no balance are just, ugh...there's so much more you can do if you mix them correctly.

Ah, no worries. I didn't take it as such. I was just going on a tangent. Anyway, what do you consider "good" gin? I have a bottle of Bombay Sapphire and Tanqueray.

[Daydreamer]

I'm not saying that good straight liquor is bad. I'm saying that mixed drinks have no balance are just, ugh...there's so much more you can do if you mix them correctly.

Ah, no worries. I didn't take it as such. I was just going on a tangent. Anyway, what do you consider "good" gin? I have a bottle of Bombay Sapphire and Tanqueray.

Both are good gins, though I think the Sapphire is a bit more "giney" and not as good of a starter. I also hear that plan Tanqueray makes the best martinis =D

[Norelco]

I'm not saying that good straight liquor is bad. I'm saying that mixed drinks have no balance are just, ugh...there's so much more you can do if you mix them correctly.

Ah, no worries. I didn't take it as such. I was just going on a tangent. Anyway, what do you consider "good" gin? I have a bottle of Bombay Sapphire and Tanqueray.

Both are good gins, though I think the Sapphire is a bit more "giney" and not as good of a starter. I also hear that plan Tanqueray makes the best martinis =D

See? I have all of this good booze and I don't know how to use it properly. Give me a holler next time you're in Buffalo. We'll have a good time.

I have the gin because my dad and brother are both gin martini fans (and I'm vodka martini like my father in-law), but I'm willing to give it another shot. Just need to pick up a new bottle of vermouth.

I also saw this little ditty to expand on the refrigerated vermouth:

I have been doing a lot of research on this lately for a series of articles I'm working on. Vermouth should be kept in the fridge and out of the light. Also that you only buy it from stores with fast turnover where it has only been on the shelves for a few days or weeks. It should be used within six months of bottling, max. up to around 8 months. Before the one year point it will have started to go off in taste. This is for unopened bottles. Opened bottles should be used well within 1month for best flavor. Vermouth doesn't have enough fortification to prevent it from going off quickly. I did a taste test between unopened bottles that were new vs. a few months old and you could easily tell the difference. Also between just opened and in the fridge for two months and the difference was very noticeable. The older they were, the more oxidized and off tasting they became.

[Daydreamer]

Hah, I was actually about to tell you that it really only lasts about a month in the fridge. If you'd like a really good cocktail book pick up a copy of

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/ ... 4/drinkboy

[berticus]

Rock on with the culinary school, your posts read like a well-written food column. I'm in bham 'til Monday but ya I'd like to come over to play GH3 and have some good food to boot.

[Popeh]

I think I need educating.

I love eating out and have recently started different and challenging cooked meals (courtesy of Gordon Ramsey ;p), but I simply cannot get past a beer with food.

No matter where I eat, it always has to be a soft drink or light chilled beer.

I have never associated Whiskey or cocktails with a meal ... maybe it's just my area. Boring as hell!

Then again, all white wine tastes equally horrible to me. Cirtus and Melon with a hint of vanilla? Where the hell did they out that - I certainly can't taste it! /xmas wine rant

Jack Daniels and Ginger beer. Do you need anything else?

[Remyo]

aw berticus and daydreamer gonna have a gh3 date.

[Norelco]

Hah, I was actually about to tell you that it really only lasts about a month in the fridge. If you'd like a really good cocktail book pick up a copy of

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/ ... 4/drinkboy

I'll look into this. Thanks.