Rant/Rave: Bourbon

[jim]

I have really gravitated toward Bourbon. I really haven't drank whiskey that long - 5 years maybe. I stuck with Jameson's because I knew it was something I liked, and pretty much only drank it in the winter when I was watching a Bulls game. Once I started branching out I realized that there were things I liked much better, and there were some things I liked less. Scotch - the more expensive it is the less I like it. I would be frightened to take a sip of a $100 a bottle Scotch - I'm guessing it tastes like mud. Irish Whiskey is ok, I definitely prefer Bourbon over Tennessee whiskey, and I've had Rye but only once and I wasn't all that impressed.

But without a doubt I have just meandered over to Bourbon as being my go-to whiskey.

Jameson is probably the most mellow whiskey on the planet and bourbon is sweet. Real men drink rye and scotch, not old lady whiskies.

I'm not listening to anyone who knows what pith is, how to peel it, or how much or little of it to use in a drink.

So....you're not listening to a pro who spends their life obsessing about spirits and cocktails when they talk about spirits and cocktails. Got it. Have a seat. We'll pour you what you want and let you enjoy the small small box you've decided to cram into.

You are losing the prediction thread numbers.

http://gatewayredbirds.com/forum/viewto ... =1&t=54195

[JL21]

I've heard that if you light the pith and zest on fire and drop it into your bourbon, it's amazing.


(sorry, Gantz, I'm just teasing)

I'll spark a lemon peel in my martini.

I do martinis gin, up, olives. I might get it dirty from time to time. I also reserve it for very special baseball occasions. The last two WS championships and McGwire's 62nd are the three that come to mind.

There aren't many drinks where I want citrus added in any way.

[thrill]

Real talk though. What is a pith? Is it the white stuff?

[Jocephus]

i think ive had a james bond martini before with olive. it was ok. after 31 years and maybe 12 or so years of drinking ive discovered that im a terrible drinker. my gag reflex is just too much. i can feel the liquid slide down my gullet and poison me.

[33anda3rd]

I've heard that if you light the pith and zest on fire and drop it into your bourbon, it's amazing.


(sorry, Gantz, I'm just teasing)

I'll spark a lemon peel in my martini.

Flamed orange peel in a Negroni is pretty standard. I don't get it. Some (like Degroff) swear by it.

[33anda3rd]

I have really gravitated toward Bourbon. I really haven't drank whiskey that long - 5 years maybe. I stuck with Jameson's because I knew it was something I liked, and pretty much only drank it in the winter when I was watching a Bulls game. Once I started branching out I realized that there were things I liked much better, and there were some things I liked less. Scotch - the more expensive it is the less I like it. I would be frightened to take a sip of a $100 a bottle Scotch - I'm guessing it tastes like mud. Irish Whiskey is ok, I definitely prefer Bourbon over Tennessee whiskey, and I've had Rye but only once and I wasn't all that impressed.

But without a doubt I have just meandered over to Bourbon as being my go-to whiskey.

Jameson is probably the most mellow whiskey on the planet and bourbon is sweet. Real men drink rye and scotch, not old lady whiskies.

I'm not listening to anyone who knows what pith is, how to peel it, or how much or little of it to use in a drink.

So....you're not listening to a pro who spends their life obsessing about spirits and cocktails when they talk about spirits and cocktails. Got it. Have a seat. We'll pour you what you want and let you enjoy the small small box you've decided to cram into.

You are losing the prediction thread numbers.

http://gatewayredbirds.com/forum/viewto ... =1&t=54195

It's ok. I won the Albert and the Lynn/KMac and a bunch of other [expletive] and I really don't need to keep score or make bones on this board for my baseball thinkin' anymore. Also I can tell the difference between Kershaw and Wainwright, so if I didn't guess good about who'd win this year it's ok.

You're losing this thread and you're losing it because you've asked for advice on spirits recently, you have a few people on here who really know what they're talking about, we've taken our time to give you some advice, and in return you're just contributing noise to the conversation. That or you're doing what you think is a funny bit, but which maybe you should consider comes across as just noise.

[Fat_Bulldog]

I for one applaud 33's superior knowledge in regards to spirits.

[33anda3rd]

Real talk though. What is a pith? Is it the white stuff?

Yeah.

The exterior of the orange has a bunch of pores. This is where the orange holds its oil. Take a y-peeler. Start at the top of the orange, or the bottom, doesn't matter, and while applying some force cut a strip or orange from top to bottom. You should get some pith, the white stuff. If you look at the front and back of the orange peel you just cut, you'll see the pores on both sides. Hold the orange in front of you and up to a good source of light and squeeze, and you are squeezing with the pith facing you and the peel facing out so you're shooting the oil out of the skin not the pith, and you'll see the oil burst into the air. You do this over a drink to add aroma and flavor. When you peel the orange (or a lemon or grapefruit or lime) if you hold it up to the light you should see oil being released like a burst into the air as you peel.

Going too light on the zest, if it's papery and light and structure-less (try it: use your peeler and barely scrape the surface) means you won't be able to express it over the cocktail. It will be a limp mess and you can't get that burst of oil when you squeeze--you've already released most of the oil when you cut through the pores, bisecting them and missing the pith. Also without pith you can't make a decent twist after you've expressed it. If you're going to try at home, squeeze your orange at the market. If it's squishy, pass. If it's firm, it's good for zesting.

The white stuff, the pith, is bitter. Done right, there will be enough pith to give the peel some structure so you can twist it and make an attractive garnish, and the amount of pith, even if it seems a lot, will be negligible in the flavor of the drink. When we make bitters we use a ton of dried orange peel in several varieties (orange, cherry blossom, angelica) where we've removed the entire rind with all the pith and dehydrated them--this carries a lot of bitterness, but a bit of pith on the back of a strip of zest isn't going to harm a cocktail, it's going to enhance it by giving the zest some structure.

[letsgocards89]

All that yoga is allowing jim to really stretch those trolling muscles.

[jim]

I have really gravitated toward Bourbon. I really haven't drank whiskey that long - 5 years maybe. I stuck with Jameson's because I knew it was something I liked, and pretty much only drank it in the winter when I was watching a Bulls game. Once I started branching out I realized that there were things I liked much better, and there were some things I liked less. Scotch - the more expensive it is the less I like it. I would be frightened to take a sip of a $100 a bottle Scotch - I'm guessing it tastes like mud. Irish Whiskey is ok, I definitely prefer Bourbon over Tennessee whiskey, and I've had Rye but only once and I wasn't all that impressed.

But without a doubt I have just meandered over to Bourbon as being my go-to whiskey.

Jameson is probably the most mellow whiskey on the planet and bourbon is sweet. Real men drink rye and scotch, not old lady whiskies.

I'm not listening to anyone who knows what pith is, how to peel it, or how much or little of it to use in a drink.

So....you're not listening to a pro who spends their life obsessing about spirits and cocktails when they talk about spirits and cocktails. Got it. Have a seat. We'll pour you what you want and let you enjoy the small small box you've decided to cram into.

You are losing the prediction thread numbers.

http://gatewayredbirds.com/forum/viewto ... =1&t=54195

It's ok. I won the Albert and the Lynn/KMac and a bunch of other [expletive] and I really don't need to keep score or make bones on this board for my baseball thinkin' anymore. Also I can tell the difference between Kershaw and Wainwright, so if I didn't guess good about who'd win this year it's ok.

You're losing this thread and you're losing it because you've asked for advice on spirits recently, you have a few people on here who really know what they're talking about, we've taken our time to give you some advice, and in return you're just contributing noise to the conversation. That or you're doing what you think is a funny bit, but which maybe you should consider comes across as just noise.

What Bourbon do you like thirds?