James Brooke avatar
James Brooke

James Brooke

United Kingdom

  • Premium Member
  • Commenter #53
  • Appreciated Commenter #60
  • Conversation Starter #12
World Parkinson's Day
Not yet rated
3 Comments
Simon Difford

Many thanks for letting me know, James. I've now fixed the Singapore Sling link.

James Brooke

Wow, that was quick. Keep up the great work.
By the way, I really enjoyed listening to the podcast you did with Tris Stephenson, the Curious Bartender 👍🏻

Painkiller
14 Comments
James Brooke

According to Beach Bum Berry’s book ‘Grog Log’, the recipe for the Painkiller is
120 ml unsweetened pineapple juice
30 ml orange juice
30 ml Lopez coconut cream
75 ml navy rum or dark jamaican rum
Shake juices, Lopez, and rum with plenty of crushed ice. Pour unstrained into a tall glass or Tiki mug. Dust with cinnamon and nutmeg. Garnish with a pineapple stick, cinnamon stick, and orange wheel.

Sloe Gin Cocktail
4 Comments
Simon Difford

Thanks for sharing, James. "Half fill a glass with broken ice and add" suggests the Mee-Ho-Loong was served over cracked ice.

James Brooke

Yes, indeed, a cocktail like the Sloe Gin cocktail in terms of ingredients but not method or proportions.

Suffragette
3 Comments
Simon Difford

Thanks for bringing to my attention, James. Now corrected.

James Brooke

It still says ice-filled for me. I’ve cleared my cache and refreshed, but maybe all the servers haven’t repopulated yet?

Blue Riband
3 Comments
James Brooke

A bit on the sweet side for me.
I tried it again using 50ml of London Dry Gin and 20ml each of the Triple Sec (Cointreau) and Blue Curaçao (De Kuyper) and a lemon zest twist expressed over the drink and dropped into it and that is much more to my liking.
I suppose it is no longer a Blue Riband though.

King of Orange
11 Comments
Simon Difford

Could be. Grand Marnier is golden while Cointreau is crystal clear.

James Brooke

Except that Cointreau goes cloudy when mixed with any amount of water, as it does when mixed with ice which melts. If you want a clear drink don't use Cointreau.

Fall Back
11 Comments
Paloma Difford

Hi James, they’re both quite different to Amaro Nonino but of the two the Averna is closer.

James Brooke

Thank you. I thought that might be the case.
That brings up the question of how many different amaros one needs in order to cover all the amaro styles? I suspect the answer is too many for my storage space and budget!

Fall Back
11 Comments
James Brooke

Please can someone give me some advice. I don't have Amaro Nonino, but I do have Amaro Montenegro and Amaro Averna. Which one would be better as a substitute in this cocktail?

Old Etonian
4 Comments
James Brooke

I’m surprised Difford’s Guide doesn’t also feature the Harrovian cocktail, from the Savoy Cocktail Book, as Harrow is supposed to be the rival school to Eton!

Martini Riserva Speciale Rubino
Not yet rated
4 Comments
James Brooke

I'm curious and confused as to why, when you click on the link for "Rosso/Rojo (antica-style, sweet, fruity) vermouths 0" you don't get Antica formula or Cocchi Vermouth di Torino listed, but 10 other Vermouths are listed?

Simon Difford

I agree. The logic and formula look correct. My experiments with 3:2 syrup have shown how unpractical it is. It tends to crystalise and is so thick that measuring accurately is near impossible.

James Brooke

Yes, I agree, 3 to 1 syrup is simply unworkable, at least in the UK (it might work in much hotter climates). I have no idea how David Embury made his work!
However, that brings up a question and the question is whether a ratio of, for example, 8 parts (60ml) of light rum to 2 parts (15ml) of lime juice to 2 parts (15ml) of 1:1 simple syrup is considered "dry"?

James Brooke

Interestingly, as with the Amsterdam, it would appear that Victor Bergeron ‘borrowed’ this recipe from a book called “The How and When” by Hyman Gale & Gerald F. Marco, published by Harmanson in New Orleans in 1937. I don’t have a copy of the book, but the ios app "Martin's Index of Cocktails" says that the recipe for the Bonnie Prince Charlie is on page 98 and is
40ml Cognac
20ml Drambuie
15ml lime juice.
I wonder how many more recipies Trader Vic borrowed from Hyman and Gerald?