happyfckers

This past Christmas we got the Death and Company Bartender’s Choice Deck and their Cocktail Codex. The two are designed to work together. Let’s face it, so many of us have various cocktail books on our shelves loaded with cocktail recipes that we would love to get to and to make. These books have been opened, ogled over, pages dog-eared, but for one reason or another, the drinks often remain unmade. The Codex, however, is more than a recipe book, it is more akin to a text book. While it does have many of their recipes, the book spends time talking about the components of a cocktail, what makes the recipe work, and how to alter it for a unique taste and experience. And that is what got us thinking about our own home bartending.

One primary reason we have never really gone beyond so many of the classic cocktails and delved into the recipes in the many cocktail books at home is due to the ingredients: the liqueurs, the syrups, the bitters, the juices, the many different spirits. Having this deck and this book, however, provides insights in how to make use of these ingredients differently. For example, spending $30 on a bottle for a quarter ounce here or a quarter ounce there makes sense if it can be used in other cocktails. Then there is the hesitation with the syrups and tinctures. First of all, they take up space in the fridge. I know, this is sort of a shit reason, but it is also valid. As so many of you know, there are those moments when fridge space is at a premium! However, we figure we can scale these back with ratios. Rather than make full batches, we can do quarter batches (Go math!) as needed. This will also deal with the issues of syrups going bad. Keep batches small and as needed, then the spoil factor shouldn’t really be an issue. 

Then there is the bitters. Have you been to a liquor store recently! These can get very pricey. Felicia is a teacher and a mother, I am a retiree on a fixed income. The money ain’t exactly rolling in these days. That said, we have been making due without certain brands at the home base for sometime now. Bitters is a bartender’s primary seasoning, and each bottle and brand has its own profile which truly affects the final flavor of the cocktail. So, as we make our way through the Deck and Codex, we will have to make some changes of bitters and other bartender seasonings based on what we have on hand and can get.  

Next, there is a question of the booze necessary for the core to make these drinks. Death and Co is a bar that does not cut corners at all. Death and Co also has plenty of storage space to hold their bottles. We will have to make do with certain bottles from the middle shelves in the liquor store, along with our usual “go tos” for booze at the house. For example, Death and Co uses Elijah Craig Small Batch for their old fashioned. We use Evan Williams Bottled in Bond. In our mind, the taste does not outweigh the cost, especially in an old fashioned. 

As we make our way through the Deck and Codex, we will take you on our journey making the cocktail in our own way. This might include trips to the liquor store, conversations along the way, the liquor choices we made and why and how, making syrups, possibly bitters, and other adventures in making these drinks. And of course, our voyages to bars as we sip their libations for further inspiration. 

We hope that you will take what we do here and enjoy those special cocktails at home as we do. Feel free to share your own adventures in home mixology!