Finleyville's Drink Journal

Finleyville's Drink Journal As some of you already know I am a very big cocktail fan. I have been lucky enough to be selected as the bartender in residence for our three OSD-Cons. So I wanted to start a space for my finds, gems, and treasures. Every so often when I find something worth sharing I want to - well - share it. Maybe perhaps others who have a chance to try some of my suggestions will find the same enjoyment. Tue, 16 Jun 2026 15:35:39 +0000 Tue, 16 Jun 2026 15:35:39 +0000 Silver Dragon Stronghold http://silverdragons-lair.net/index.php?forums/finleyvilles-drink-journal.172/ Orange Fashioned Fri, 02 Dec 2016 17:32:09 +0000 http://silverdragons-lair.net/index.php?threads/orange-fashioned.26505/ http://silverdragons-lair.net/index.php?threads/orange-fashioned.26505/ invalid@example.com (Finleyville) Finleyville

So I had another request by a guild member for a cocktail. Sook, our fearless leader, wanted an Old Fashioned recipe that you, "muddle the hell out of it," so in other words an Old Fashioned that was not an Old Fashioned. So I said, "Not a problem, challenged accepted."

The Old Fashioned is credited as being the oldest cocktail and should only have bourbon, sugar, bitters, and water. A sugar cube moistened with bitters...

Orange Fashioned]]> Rikers Sun, 20 Nov 2016 19:20:37 +0000 http://silverdragons-lair.net/index.php?threads/rikers.26480/ http://silverdragons-lair.net/index.php?threads/rikers.26480/ invalid@example.com (Finleyville) Finleyville

This is an original drink created by my friend Phil. His basement bar has more liquor and is more diverse than 90% of bars I have ever seen. No joke. In comparison to his some 30+ gins, 40+ bourbon/rye/whiskeys, and countless vodkas he only has 3 rums (2 of which I gave him, lol.) So after months of harassing and good natured ribbing from me he finally designed a rum cocktail to our standards. It is a smash-up of an Old...

Rikers]]> Finleyville Thu, 20 Oct 2016 14:30:18 +0000 http://silverdragons-lair.net/index.php?threads/finleyville.26380/ http://silverdragons-lair.net/index.php?threads/finleyville.26380/ invalid@example.com (Finleyville) Finleyville
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I have changed this one...

I realized that I had not created a drink based from my nickname/handle yet and wanted to remedy that situation. I aimed to create a cocktail that had a taste profile from the place that held many childhood memories. My grandfather's small farm located within the birthplace of rye whiskey and the whiskey rebellion included a tiny grove of apple and pear trees alongside tended...

Finleyville]]> Vieux Carre Thu, 20 Oct 2016 03:55:30 +0000 http://silverdragons-lair.net/index.php?threads/vieux-carre.26377/ http://silverdragons-lair.net/index.php?threads/vieux-carre.26377/ invalid@example.com (Finleyville) Finleyville voh care-eh)

This is another old New Orleans' cocktail like the above Sazerac. This drink was invented in the 1930's by Walter Bergeron, the head bartender at the Monteleone Hotel in New Orleans. It is named after the French term for what we call "The French Quarter" - le Vieux Carré or "Old Square". The Monteleone is one of the Quarter's grand old hotels and now features the marvelous...

Vieux Carre]]> Daasistgut Thu, 20 Oct 2016 03:51:11 +0000 http://silverdragons-lair.net/index.php?threads/daasistgut.26376/ http://silverdragons-lair.net/index.php?threads/daasistgut.26376/ invalid@example.com (Finleyville) Finleyville

This Finleyville original started when our own member Daas contacted me. He mentioned that he had ordered an Irish whiskey Manhattan recently and really enjoyed it. He asked if I had a recipe for a similar drink. So I told him I would work on a version. The classic Manhattan is made with rye whisky with sweet vermouth and bitters. I tried just substituting the Irish whiskey for the rye, but the sweet...

Daasistgut]]> Broadside Volley Thu, 20 Oct 2016 03:49:24 +0000 http://silverdragons-lair.net/index.php?threads/broadside-volley.26375/ http://silverdragons-lair.net/index.php?threads/broadside-volley.26375/ invalid@example.com (Finleyville) Finleyville

Well. This is another Finleyville original. This drink was inspired by a epiphany of a garnish: a cannonball on fire. Once I had that in mind I had a vision of a pirate battle on a bright sunny day. It took me about 6 months to not only create a drink that encapsulated my inspiration, but also to keep the ingredient list somewhat simple so all of you could make this one at home. I could make this drink...

Broadside Volley]]> Berry Smash Daiquiri Thu, 20 Oct 2016 03:47:34 +0000 http://silverdragons-lair.net/index.php?threads/berry-smash-daiquiri.26374/ http://silverdragons-lair.net/index.php?threads/berry-smash-daiquiri.26374/ invalid@example.com (Finleyville) Finleyville
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This one is another Finleyville original that I whipped up at a friends house using some loose ingredients. All I did really was to add some fresh berries to the classic daiquiri. (A true daiquiri has only rum, lime, and sugar.) However, how you prepare the drink will alter how it tastes.

Here it is: (My exact ingredients are listed in brackets)

2 oz. light rum (preferred: Havana Club 3yo.* -- acceptable: El...

Berry Smash Daiquiri]]> Sazerac Thu, 20 Oct 2016 03:46:01 +0000 http://silverdragons-lair.net/index.php?threads/sazerac.26373/ http://silverdragons-lair.net/index.php?threads/sazerac.26373/ invalid@example.com (Finleyville) Finleyville
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One of America’s earliest cocktails, the Sazerac is a New Orleans specialty invented in the long lost Sazerac Coffee House. Peychaud’s Bitters are a key element and were created by Antoine Peychaud, a French Quarter pharmacist. The Sazerac was originally made with a cognac, Sazerac-de-Forge et fils, but an insect epidemic during the 1870s destroyed many French vineyards. This resulted in the switch to Pennsylvania rye whiskey...

Sazerac]]> Paper Plane Thu, 20 Oct 2016 03:43:38 +0000 http://silverdragons-lair.net/index.php?threads/paper-plane.26372/ http://silverdragons-lair.net/index.php?threads/paper-plane.26372/ invalid@example.com (Finleyville) Finleyville

This drink was created by New York bartender Sam Ross while listening to the song Paper Planes by MIA. It is a bourbon drink with a couple of liquors I would not have combined off the top of my head. However, it all works splendidly and is one of the reasons I love this craft. You just do not know how something is going to work unless you try it.

Here it...

Paper Plane]]> Mt. Vernon Iced Tea Thu, 20 Oct 2016 03:41:27 +0000 http://silverdragons-lair.net/index.php?threads/mt-vernon-iced-tea.26371/ http://silverdragons-lair.net/index.php?threads/mt-vernon-iced-tea.26371/ invalid@example.com (Finleyville) Finleyville
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As I have made it abundantly clear on many occasions I do not like Long Island Iced Teas. At all. I feel this drink resides just short of a college bathtub mix at a fraternity party for the sole purpose of prematurely removing a female's unmentionables. However, after persistent pestering from fellow guildies I have tried to create a version that I could enjoy let alone drink. This one replaces tequila and the triple...

Mt. Vernon Iced Tea]]> Spindrift Thu, 20 Oct 2016 03:38:49 +0000 http://silverdragons-lair.net/index.php?threads/spindrift.26370/ http://silverdragons-lair.net/index.php?threads/spindrift.26370/ invalid@example.com (Finleyville) Finleyville
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The first three months of the year is special to me. Why? Is it because of the below freezing temperatures, icy dangerous roads, and snow measured in feet? Nope. It is because it is citrus season! It is when the best citrus is shipped to our local farmer's market. More specifically, it is when the Blood (Moro) oranges and Meyer lemons are shipped here. And this drink highlights how good these varietals can be.

This is another...

Spindrift]]> French 75 Thu, 20 Oct 2016 03:37:35 +0000 http://silverdragons-lair.net/index.php?threads/french-75.26369/ http://silverdragons-lair.net/index.php?threads/french-75.26369/ invalid@example.com (Finleyville) Finleyville
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I wanted this entry to correspond during the New Year. RL, again, intruded onto my plan delaying this one. Sorry. If you have any unopened Champagne left over from New Year's this is what you want to do with it. (Forget the Mimosa or Bellini)

Depending on which story you believe, this cocktail was originally either gin or cognac based. I have only been offered or made the gin version. So if anyone has some decent cognac and...

French 75]]> Martinique's Revenge Thu, 20 Oct 2016 03:36:08 +0000 http://silverdragons-lair.net/index.php?threads/martiniques-revenge.26368/ http://silverdragons-lair.net/index.php?threads/martiniques-revenge.26368/ invalid@example.com (Finleyville) Finleyville
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This drink is based on another rare drink called Maharaja's Revenge. In that one an Indian rum is used, hence the name. This one uses a different main liquor: Clement Creole Shrubb.

Here it is: (my exact ingredients are listed in brackets)

2oz. Clement Creole Shrubb
1oz. Apricot brandy (Jacquin's apricot brandy)
0.75oz. Freshly squeezed lime juice

Measure all ingredients into a shaker with ice. Strain into a...

Martinique's Revenge]]> Last Word Thu, 20 Oct 2016 03:34:39 +0000 http://silverdragons-lair.net/index.php?threads/last-word.26367/ http://silverdragons-lair.net/index.php?threads/last-word.26367/ invalid@example.com (Finleyville) Finleyville
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This classic cocktail was first published in a 1951 cocktail book "Bottoms up" by Ted Saucier. The recipe was submitted by Frank Fogarty whom created the drink while working at the Detroit Athletic Club when Prohibition was repealed. The drink was summarily forgotten and lost until 2010's Bartender of the Year Murray Stenson of the Zig Zag Cafe in Seattle, Washington discovered it. It quickly spread to other cocktail bars on...

Last Word]]> Mai Tai Thu, 20 Oct 2016 03:13:38 +0000 http://silverdragons-lair.net/index.php?threads/mai-tai.26366/ http://silverdragons-lair.net/index.php?threads/mai-tai.26366/ invalid@example.com (Finleyville) Finleyville

This is a most mis-made cocktail and one of my all time favorites. When the original recipe is followed with great ingredients it can be spectacular. However, most places that have this one on their menu do it wrong 99% of the time. This is including most places in Hawai'i. Go figure. :|

Here it is: (my exact ingredients are listed in brackets)

1oz. aged Jamaican rum (12yo Appleton Estate)
1oz. amber Martinique rum...

Mai Tai]]> First things first...glassware Thu, 20 Oct 2016 03:10:04 +0000 http://silverdragons-lair.net/index.php?threads/first-things-first-glassware.26365/ http://silverdragons-lair.net/index.php?threads/first-things-first-glassware.26365/ invalid@example.com (Finleyville) Finleyville Glassware

First let me be frank and say that I did not write much of below. Instead I have taken some of the best info from the web on this subject, mashed it up, and combined it back together including some of my original thoughts.

Glassware can actually give you a much better cocktail experience. Using the right glass for the right drink can accentuate the smell, texture, and flavor of the cocktail. For example, in the use of a Collins glass for a Tom Collins. The Collins glass...

First things first...glassware]]>