coughtails

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Leuke

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Any other coughtail lovers on the forums? I love a good glass of red as much as the next person, but I find myself fascinated with the endless coughtail combos out there. My home bar just keeps growing and growing as I ad all sorts of different bottles in an attempt to create any drink I can imagine. One of the first things I think about when going overseas is what bottles of spirits I should bring back that are hard to get or super expensive here in Australia.
 
Its not a coughtail in my view..but on a recent flight to HKG with QF they had "Vodka and Ginger Beer" listed...Well..Im a lifelong lover of Ginger Beer so I had to try it... (never thought to put alcohol in it before!) Quite nice.
 
I'm with you - made a new years resolution to visit at least one new coughtail bar in Adelaide every month - was great fun - do enjoying creating them at home too
 
Its not a coughtail in my view..but on a recent flight to HKG with QF they had "Vodka and Ginger Beer" listed...Well..Im a lifelong lover of Ginger Beer so I had to try it... (never thought to put alcohol in it before!) Quite nice.

Little squeeze of lime and you've got a Moscow Mule. Simple drink for sure, but they're big in the states at the moment. It's always nice to have a simple drink like this that you can order anywhere I think!

I'm with you - made a new years resolution to visit at least one new coughtail bar in Adelaide every month - was great fun - do enjoying creating them at home too

Great resolution! There are so many great coughtail bars to choose from at the moment, it's good to force yourself to try new ones.
I like at home because I'm a bit of a cheapskate, but it's also a lot of fun.
 
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I'm with you - made a new years resolution to visit at least one new coughtail bar in Adelaide every month - was great fun - do enjoying creating them at home too

Any favourite coughtail bars you'd recommend?

I'm a simple man. I love a good gin Martini with an olive. A simple coughtail yet so easy to make a bad one.
 
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I'm a huge fan of coughtails and make sure to have 2 or 3 every day I'm on holidays. My all time favourite coughtails are upstairs at The Bunker in Queenstown. Had a Burnt Butter Espresso Martini at The Vineyard in Hervey Bay recently. It was divine
 
Any favourite coughtail bars you'd recommend?

I'm a simple man. I love a good gin Martini with an olive. A simple coughtail yet so easy to make a bad one.

I'm a gin person and one of my favourites is a White Lady - gin with lemon juice marmalade and sugar spirit :p
 
Any other coughtail lovers on the forums? I love a good glass of red as much as the next person, but I find myself fascinated with the endless coughtail combos out there. My home bar just keeps growing and growing as I ad all sorts of different bottles in an attempt to create any drink I can imagine. One of the first things I think about when going overseas is what bottles of spirits I should bring back that are hard to get or super expensive here in Australia.
Right here!
I love coughtails, and am in the process of building up my home bar too. My go-to is a margarita (I posted the recipe somewhere here, should move it into this thread). My other faves are an Old Fashioned and whiskey sour. I guess I'm a bourbon guy.

I will say that a proper lime/lemon squeezer is absolutely essential. I recommend this one from Dan's.
 
Over Christmas I decided to up my coughtail knowledge and recipes and this year I'm going to aim to try and perfect them.
My list:
  • Margarita (got a pretty good recipe down, just needs some minor changes)
  • Old Fashioned (getting the amount of bitters just right is a challenge)
  • Cosmopolitan (I think I got this down, just need to get a better strainer)
  • Whiskey Sour (very easy to make, a no brainer)
  • Moscow Mule (I think mine are ok, i have a friend who loves them and says I need more vodka/ginger beer balance)
  • Mojito (I find them a bit fiddly to make, might put it to the back of the list)
  • Manhattan (not tried yet)
  • Cuban Mule (a Moscow Mule with rum instead. Not tried yet)

Oh, and if anyone is wondering whether to get a Boston shaker or a cobbler shaker, get a Boston shaker.
 
I'm a simple man. I love a good gin Martini with an olive. A simple coughtail yet so easy to make a bad one.
Agree - and I have tried many...

Over Christmas I decided to up my coughtail knowledge and recipes and this year I'm going to aim to try and perfect them.
My list:
  • ...
  • Manhattan (not tried yet)
Oh, and if anyone is wondering whether to get a Boston shaker or a cobbler shaker, get a Boston shaker.
Strangely enough, one of the best Manhattans, My Better Half and I had, was at Disneyland, in what is now the Carthay Circle Lounge, in Disney California Adventure Park. Make sure you practice making the ice balls for the coughtail.
 
Over Christmas I decided to up my coughtail knowledge and recipes and this year I'm going to aim to try and perfect them.
My list:
  • Margarita (got a pretty good recipe down, just needs some minor changes)
  • Old Fashioned (getting the amount of bitters just right is a challenge)
  • Cosmopolitan (I think I got this down, just need to get a better strainer)
  • Whiskey Sour (very easy to make, a no brainer)
  • Moscow Mule (I think mine are ok, i have a friend who loves them and says I need more vodka/ginger beer balance)
  • Mojito (I find them a bit fiddly to make, might put it to the back of the list)
  • Manhattan (not tried yet)
  • Cuban Mule (a Moscow Mule with rum instead. Not tried yet)

Oh, and if anyone is wondering whether to get a Boston shaker or a cobbler shaker, get a Boston shaker.


Sounds like we have pretty similar taste in coughtails. A year or two ago I started putting together a bar, starting with gin, scotch, dark rum, white rum, bourbon, tequila and contreau.

It's now grown to include a range of liquers, mixers, syrups and a few top shelf bottles. Each time I go away I look for something exotic (and expensive in Au but cheap where I am). On my list at the moment is an elderflower liquer and drambui.

It's been really enjoyable building a bar. I've discovered I like bourbon a lot. Gin, well lets just say I wish I liked it more.

I notice you like whiskey sours, sure it's a no-brainer, but there are a million variations. It's my favourite coughtail, my go-to at a bar and one I am always working on improving. I want to share my personal favourite recipe.

2 oz Rye (Bulleit rye is a great middle shelf, fit for purpose. Top shelf I like rittenhouse. Bottom shelf wild turkey, stay clear of jack daniels!)
0.5 oz fresh lemon juice
0.5 oz fresh lime juice
0.3 oz sugar syrup (vary this to your taste, I like mine quite tangy)
1 teaspoon contreau
Several dashes bitters. I use angostura, but I image there are better options
Shake the cough out of it over ice. That's right, no egg white.
Strain into a chilled short glass, preferably with no ice, can use an ice sphere if you really want.
Now using a spoon just touching the surface of the drink, carefully float about 0.5 oz red wine (shiraz or merlot) over the top.
Garnish with 2 (or 3) marachino cherries and a twist of lemon rind.

I know there is a lot going on in this coughtail, arguably too much. But, that's how I like it ! Hope you do too.

PS. Manhattans are AMAZING. But you need top shelf ingrediants and specialty vermouths. Check out a scoff law. Kind of a mix between a whiskey sour and manhattan with grenadine thrown in. Yum. With the mule, try a dark n stormy. Spiced dark rum, ginger beer, lime.

If anyone has any other recipes to share I'd like to give them a try.
 
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Any other coughtail lovers on the forums? I love a good glass of red as much as the next person, but I find myself fascinated with the endless coughtail combos out there. My home bar just keeps growing and growing as I ad all sorts of different bottles in an attempt to create any drink I can imagine. One of the first things I think about when going overseas is what bottles of spirits I should bring back that are hard to get or super expensive here in Australia.
Here here! coughies (my daughter's nic name for coughtails) continue to improve around the globe. Having just returned from 6 weeks away, I had, what to date, is the best coughtail I have ever tasted! "Nopi, Yotam Ottolenghi's fabulous restaurant in London has a very creative coughtail list - I sampled a Mexican Mist, the base being good quality Tequila. If you are in London - check it out. The food was exceptional too! My recommendation for purchasing a special spirit overseas is good Tequila. Options far surpasses what we have access to in Australia, and those options are much more reasonably priced.
 
but on a recent flight to HKG with QF they had "Vodka and Ginger Beer" listed...Well..Im a lifelong lover of Ginger Beer so I had to try it... (never thought to put alcohol in it before!)


I thought I'd invented this by accident about 5 years ago and was rather disappointed to find out its called a Moscow Mule. Well a poor mans version of the drink anyway as technically it needs some lime juice to complete it. But with the price of limes who can afford a Moscow Mule!
 
I thought I'd invented this by accident about 5 years ago and was rather disappointed to find out its called a Moscow Mule. Well a poor mans version of the drink anyway as technically it needs some lime juice to complete it. But with the price of limes who can afford a Moscow Mule!
You can also replace the vodka with rum for a Cuban Mule
 
After some heavy experimenting this week, I've found the right ratios for an Old Fashioned.

45ml bourbon (I'm trying Jim Beam Black at the moment)
4-5 dashes Angostura bitters
1tsp agave syrup (I've been using agave instead of sugar, as diluting the sugar in the bitters is too much effort, and I have a big bottle of agave I keep for margaritas. It also adds a deeper colour to the coughtail)

Add ingredients to an Old Fashioned/rocks glass and mix well. Add ice. Cut a thin orange peel, wipe the rim of the glass with the inside of the peel and then add as garnish.
 
After some heavy experimenting this week, I've found the right ratios for an Old Fashioned.

45ml bourbon (I'm trying Jim Beam Black at the moment)
4-5 dashes Angostura bitters
1tsp agave syrup (I've been using agave instead of sugar, as diluting the sugar in the bitters is too much effort, and I have a big bottle of agave I keep for margaritas. It also adds a deeper colour to the coughtail)

Add ingredients to an Old Fashioned/rocks glass and mix well. Add ice. Cut a thin orange peel, wipe the rim of the glass with the inside of the peel and then add as garnish.

I'll give your ratios a go. This is my go to in airport lounges, as they tend to have bourbon and bitters. The sugar I usually steal from the coffee machine. Of course the nicer the bourbon the nicer this drink is going to be.

Bulleit is a great go to 46 bucks for 700mL at DM
 
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