Do you have a favorite cocktail?

I've already confessed my liking for, yes, Piña Coladas.

Jeff

[Robin Garr]

Does Campari and soda with a lime twist in a tall glass full of cracked ice count?

[Jenise]

Rum gimlet: Myers or other dark rum, Rose's lime concentrate, green mint cherry, lots of ice, hot summer day.

Not a big consumer but I do have several favorites. In the summer, gin, tonic and a lime wedge quench my thirst. And I love the blend of sugar, lime and mint in a Mojito...not to mention the vision of Halle Berry that one evokes. In the winter, Redbreast Irish whiskey with just a little bit of water.

I guess I drink more rye Manhattans than anything else, but that's partly because they're easy to make perfectly. I also like anything with a good, strong ginger kick to it, so the Horse's Neck, the Dark and Stormy, and the Gin-gin Mule are all high on the list.

In any good bar, though, my favorite cocktail is the one in front of me.

Bloody Marys made with white rum. Got sick on vodka when I was a teen, and haven't been able to touch it since.

#1 with me is the Gin and Tonic - #2 the Sazerac - #3 is most likely the Black Russian. My son does a Sous Vide Sazerac that is fabulous (after refrigeration, of course).

I have to add Manhattans, especially in cool weather.

I almost never drink hard liquor, but once or twice a year I do enjoy a Bombay martini.

Not a big drinker of hard liquor, but I do enjoy a vodka martini now and then only for the two Tom Olives I put into it.
However, I know I could love a lot of fancy cocktails...and for that reason, I stay away.

Rum gimlet: Myers or other dark rum, Rose's lime concentrate, green mint cherry, lots of ice, hot summer day.

Oh, Jenise, Jenise, what to do with you? Stylish, sophisticated, polished...and then you go and use Rose's Concentrate Lime Juice. Tsk, tsk, tsk!

You know that drink---good to begin with---would be sooo much better with fresh lime juice and it's not that much more difficult to squeeze a lime (and even better to muddle that sucker just a bit to relaese the essential oils) than it is to pull that old bottle of Rose's out of the fridge and pry open the heavily crusted top to pour a sip then put it back for further aging. Plus, you do know there's sugar in the concentrate, don't you?

I, too, notice how big a difference fresh ingredients make with the "champagne cocktails" I've played around with. At least as much as is practical, I try to stay away from concentrate syrups etc. Even with the Piña Coladas I love, I notice they taste so much more...authentic if real pineapple juice is extracted and if the coconut cream is at least semi-true and not just "coconut syrup" or flavoring.

Jeff

Does Cranberry Juice on the rocks qualify?

Margaritas. The real kind - just tequila, triple sec and lime juice (and maybe a touch of agave syrup) - not ones made with that awful "Margarita mix".

Second would be gin & tonic, then tequila sunrise, if properly made.

Mostly if I want a drink it's "pure" stuff -- Scotch, Cognac, vodka.

But in the summer, it's hard to resist gin and tonic, and that's probably what we have the most often. We also like "on the rocks" Margaritas, with good tequila, Cointreau, and fresh lime juice. None of that "Italian Ice" stuff or even salted rims. Once a year we have a couple of Mint Juleps. After discovering rye, I've tried a few old fashioned cocktails, like the old fashioned itself or a Manhattan. Not crazy about those, though. I could probably get into whisky sours.

On occasion I really do like a Martini, but the way I drink 'em they are more or less pure gin/vodka with an olive.

[Robin Garr]

Mostly if I want a drink it's "pure" stuff -- Scotch ...

Gimme an ounce of Talisker and a quiet place, and I'm happy. Maybe a little chip of ice in it, but nothing more.

Rusty Nail - Drambuie and Scotch (single malt or blended) in proportions to the individual's taste. Otherwise, I have a strong tendency to drink things neat.

Mostly if I want a drink it's "pure" stuff -- Scotch ...

Gimme an ounce of Talisker and a quiet place, and I'm happy. Maybe a little chip of ice in it, but nothing more.

Talisker is a current favorite of mine. I found some older Talisker, can't remember if it was 16 or 18. The smoky character is stronger, I suppose everything is stronger. I don't think it's going to replace the regular stuff (what is it, 10?) as my favorite tho.

[Jenise]

Rum gimlet: Myers or other dark rum, Rose's lime concentrate, green mint cherry, lots of ice, hot summer day.

Oh, Jenise, Jenise, what to do with you? Stylish, sophisticated, polished...and then you go and use Rose's Concentrate Lime Juice. Tsk, tsk, tsk!

You know that drink---good to begin with---would be sooo much better with fresh lime juice and it's not that much more difficult to squeeze a lime (and even better to muddle that sucker just a bit to relaese the essential oils) than it is to pull that old bottle of Rose's out of the fridge and pry open the heavily crusted top to pour a sip then put it back for further aging. Plus, you do know there's sugar in the concentrate, don't you?

I hear you, but I just love the taste of Rose's lime--and in pretty strong quantity, too. Real lime juice doesn't get to the same place. And notice I said "hot summer's day". It's a fruity mid-day tropic island kind of libation for me, and that's when I desire it. I'm otherwise not a cocktail drinker, period, which is probably less about proclivity than exposure. I just don't run with a crowd that does that, or to the extent I do they're into vodka-based martinis and I won't touch vodka. I'll happily have a good margarita in the right circumstances (Susan B makes good ones), and if I were to name a cocktail I'd love to form a habit for any day of the year, it would be my latest discovery, the Sazerac. But otherwise, I'm definitely a novice when it comes to bar drinks.

I, too, like rye Manhattans. Just had one this evening.

John

I'm probably over 50% on Manhattans, mostly bourbon, but I really enjoy a number of other cocktails as well. The Aviation, Negroni, and Ten and Tonic are some of my favorites with gin. Many variations on the margarita, including mezcal. A fair number like the Dirty Girl Scout or Black Russian (sans vodka). Maybe a 7&7 from time to time. It's funny, I can't even remember the last time I drank a cocktail, but I just love them all so much. Except the ones with brandy or vodka.

[Jenise]

Except the ones with brandy or vodka.

I would drink with you!

Margaritas are a must with Mexican food.
I love a vodka Madras on a hot day, mostly cranberry and just a little orange.
My go to drink though? Please don't laugh... Captain Morgan and Diet Coke (no lime). It's a holdover from college that I've just never grown out of. They just taste sooo good!

... the Dirty Girl Scout ....

OK, I had to go look that one up.

gin and tonic and bloody mary's don't count - not cocktails; so i guess i'd have to say Sazerac.