Whisky | 12 Bottle Bar

Ready-to-Drink Cocktails – Part Two: The Bramble Bar’s Affinity

April 20, 2012 | 14 Comments

A few years back, Lesley and I were hanging out in London with a couple of days to spare when friends suggested that we head North to the Lake District. In preparation for our trip, we made a pit stop at our friends’ house to freshen up and gather a few necessities. Among the items deemed indispensable for the journey was a flat of mini Jägermeister bottles. It’s not a party without Jäger, right?

When we posted our 1912 – Ready-to-Drink Cocktails back in February, those mini bottles of Jäger came back to mind. Outside of carrying a self-filled flask, there’s not much on the market in the way of proper portable cocktails. While Bartles & Jaymes may help you get your buzz on — provided you don’t first get diabetes — no one is going to argue for its place in the Mixological Hall of Fame. Straight liquor minis don’t do much to solve the problem unless you’re open to a straight shot of booze (an option that’s never off the table), and while liqueur like Jäger has its charms — easy to drink and potent enough to do the job — it’s not the kind of bottle that James Bond might keep rattling around in the glove box of his DB5 (product placements be damned).

Villeroy & Boch Gourmet Whisky Glasses and GIVEAWAY

June 7, 2011 | 84 Comments

Villeroy & Boch and 12 Bottle Bar are giving away a set of Villeroy & Boch’s Gourmet Whisky glasses – just in time for Father’s Day. See below for details on how to enter.

When the company that makes the dishware for the Pope offers to send you some products for review, you respond in the affirmative. At least, we do. Over the past few months, we’d had requests to review lots of liquor, bar products, and even iPhone apps, but it wasn’t until Villeroy & Boch knocked on our door that we decided to invite these free samples in. Sure, we reviewed Whiskey Stones awhile back, but Lars bought those himself because he was intrigued by their prospect. Not so with the Gourmet Whiskey Collection glasses we received last month from Villeroy & Boch – these were free samples for us to take for a swirl. Excellent – and here at last, was a product that complimented the whole 12 Bottle Bar philosophy quite nicely: elegant, classic, and affordable.

The Buck

February 23, 2011 | 16 Comments

1.5 – 2 oz Brandy, Gin, Rum or Whiskey
Juice and Shell of half a Lemon or Lime
4 – 6 oz Ginger Ale

Squeeze lemon or lime juice into a collins glass
Add the juiced shell of the fruit
Add a couple of lumps of ice, then the spirit of choice
Top with ginger ale

Whiskey Sour Jelly Shot

November 24, 2010 | 13 Comments

Adapted from The Joy of Mixology by Gary Regan – By Lesley Jacobs Solmonson

2 oz Fresh Lemon juice
1 – 2 oz Simple Syrup
1 oz Water
1 package (.25 oz) Unflavored Gelatin
3 – 4 oz Redbreast Whiskey
Yellow Food Coloring (optional)

Place the lemon juice, simple syrup, and water in a small glass measuring cup, and add the gelatin. Allow this to sit for one minute, then microwave the mixture on high for thirty seconds.
Stir thoroughly to make sure that all the gelatin has dissolved, then add the whiskey and (optionally) a drop or two food coloring (stir after each drop until you’ve obtained the proper color).
Stir thoroughly again and pour the mixture into a mold or individual molds.
Refrigerate overnight.