Freezer cocktails

Cocktailsavant · January 18, 2025, 9:34pm

Continuing the discussion from Freezer cocktails:

More on the “blooming bitters” from Toby Maloney in Robert Simonson’s recent Substack post:

martin:

I think there’s a prejudice against freezer cocktails, maybe because they sort of feel like cheating. But I’ve had some fantastic ones.

Thomas Waugh’s Martini at The Grill is one example:

1 1/2 ounces Plymouth Gin
1 1/2 ounces Tanqueray Gin
1/4 ounce Noilly Prat Dry Vermouth
1/4 ounce Dolin Blanc Vermouth
1/4 ounce spring water

You simply combine the ingredients and store it in the freezer. To serve, you just pour it in a coupe and add the garnish of your choice.

It’s maybe a bit light on dilution, but it tastes damn good.

Another example is Chris Hannah’s Jewel Sazerac, which is in heavy rotation at my house:

15 oz Rittenhouse 100-proof
3 oz H&H Rainwater Madeira
3 oz Matifoc rancio sec
2.25 to 2.5 oz Herbsaint (50º)
2 oz demerara syrup (2:1)
1 oz Peychaud’s bitters

Pour into a coupe and garnish with a lemon twist.

It’s just delicious. The two oxidized wines do not really stand out, themselves, but rather amplify the grain and the spices in the Herbsaint while contributing dilution. I describe the drink as a Sazerac, turned up to eleven.

martin:

I think there’s a prejudice against freezer cocktails, maybe because they sort of feel like cheating. But I’ve had some fantastic ones.

Thomas Waugh’s Martini at The Grill is one example:

1 1/2 ounces Plymouth Gin
1 1/2 ounces Tanqueray Gin
1/4 ounce Noilly Prat Dry Vermouth
1/4 ounce Dolin Blanc Vermouth
1/4 ounce spring water

You simply combine the ingredients and store it in the freezer. To serve, you just pour it in a coupe and add the garnish of your choice.

It’s maybe a bit light on dilution, but it tastes damn good.

Another example is Chris Hannah’s Jewel Sazerac, which is in heavy rotation at my house:

15 oz Rittenhouse 100-proof
3 oz H&H Rainwater Madeira
3 oz Matifoc rancio sec
2.25 to 2.5 oz Herbsaint (50º)
2 oz demerara syrup (2:1)
1 oz Peychaud’s bitters

Pour into a coupe and garnish with a lemon twist.

It’s just delicious. The two oxidized wines do not really stand out, themselves, but rather amplify the grain and the spices in the Herbsaint while contributing dilution. I describe the drink as a Sazerac, turned up to eleven.

martin:

I think there’s a prejudice against freezer cocktails, maybe because they sort of feel like cheating. But I’ve had some fantastic ones.

Thomas Waugh’s Martini at The Grill is one example:

1 1/2 ounces Plymouth Gin
1 1/2 ounces Tanqueray Gin
1/4 ounce Noilly Prat Dry Vermouth
1/4 ounce Dolin Blanc Vermouth
1/4 ounce spring water

You simply combine the ingredients and store it in the freezer. To serve, you just pour it in a coupe and add the garnish of your choice.

It’s maybe a bit light on dilution, but it tastes damn good.

Another example is Chris Hannah’s Jewel Sazerac, which is in heavy rotation at my house:

15 oz Rittenhouse 100-proof
3 oz H&H Rainwater Madeira
3 oz Matifoc rancio sec
2.25 to 2.5 oz Herbsaint (50º)
2 oz demerara syrup (2:1)
1 oz Peychaud’s bitters

Pour into a coupe and garnish with a lemon twist.

It’s just delicious. The two oxidized wines do not really stand out, themselves, but rather amplify the grain and the spices in the Herbsaint while contributing dilution. I describe the drink as a Sazerac, turned up to eleven.