tossing out liquor

[redduck]

PS - Love your neck of the woods. I'm in the Bay Area now, but worked at the corner of Sunset and Crescent Heights at the base of the Hollywood Hills for 16 years, right across from the where the Garden Of Allah used to be, and the parking lot that Joni Mitchell sung about in "Big Yellow Taxi."

Garden of Allah is gone. There is a restaurant "XIV" or something close to that name that is there now. (Wow, what a terrible sentence, must be the 1715 VSOP cognac kicking in). I drive through that intersection four days a week. (Guess why)? OK, so there's a restaurant and a Chevron Station (got gas there just today). (Should that have gone into the "What did you do today" forum)? There's a large strip mall and and the Sunset 5 Mall, which houses the "Crunch" gym. Crunch is just a little bit of heaven. Actually, it might be all of heaven. I mean the women really are beautiful and the guys are better looking than the women. And, somehow, there I was...

 

[redduck]

I just tossed a 30+ year old bottle of Angostura bitters--bet we could have whipped up a batch of (appropriately enough ) Old Fashioneds with some of the hard liquor you likely tossed.

I'm guessing HFWR is going through our garbage right now. HFWR, to speed this up, try first looking in the big blue (recyclable) bin. (Happy, Nords)?

 

[redduck]

Looking at the last four posts (not including this one) might be a great example of getting your (my) ducks in a row.

 

[Dawg52]

 

[meekie]

I've seen different brands of cream liquors either:
Turn completely solid
Turn chunky
Curdle when added to coffee

I've been the recipient of many bottles when people clean out their liquor cabinets, and I don't bother with trying to save Bailey's any more.
My home goal is to replace all the milk based liquors on a yearly basis.

 

[Nords]

I've seen different brands of cream liquors either:
Turn completely solid

OK, good point-- when you have to drink it with a fork & knife, it's probably past its "Best by:" date...

But you know that somewhere, someone is wondering when Baileys is going to sell a pre-solidified product.

 

[Moscyn]

I think there are only 2 times I can remember when I threw away good alcoholic drinks - once is a bottle of Bailey's I bought at the airport and at that time I did not know that they come with an expiry date on the bottle. It was at least one year past its expiration date when I intended to drink it. The second time was a bottle of sake - I had 2 cups and got an immediete headache. I then decided to pour the contents down the basin.

If you have nothing strong against other people drinking alcohol (at moderate amounts), why not give them away (esp cognac and whiskey) rather than pour down the drain. Can't say about wine or champagne because if they are not kept in good conditions, best not give them away. The drain maybe would be a safer choice.

 

[chris2008]

Even if a bottle does not meet your taste for drinking, try to soak raisins (or dried plums or other dried fruit) in the alcoholic stuff for at least one week.
Wine will not work, but anything stronger than that, like port, sherry, brandy does.
Then use the raisins in cakes, brownies and other goodies.
Or spread a spoonful over your ice cream.

Delicious.

 

[Amethyst]

+1, although I did detect a "marketing" term, which I just had to correct

Even if a bottle does not meet your taste for drinking, try to soak raisins (or [-]dried plums[/-] prunes or other dried fruit) in the alcoholic stuff for at least one week.
Wine will not work, but anything stronger than that, like port, sherry, brandy does.
Then use the raisins in cakes, brownies and other goodies.
Or spread a spoonful over your ice cream.

Delicious.

 

[NW-Bound]

Just rediscovered this thread with new posts after my participation. All right! Lots of merry drinkers here!

That sure is purty!

As I noted in the post, I linked that photo from Wikipedia to show the right glassware for cognac sipping. But now that I have more time to take my own photo, I think mine is "purtier". I mean the glass, not my hand in the following photo.

The bottle in the photo is a Remy Martin XO. It is unopened. And I discovered two more Camus XO bottles in the cabinet. My wife truly loves me! As I do not drink that much, these bottles will last me a while. My wife got me two sets of cognac glasses (she does not even drink wine, let alone 80-proof real stuff), but I am too scroogy to pour XO for so many guests.

I don't do after dinner sipping of my cognac, I only use it for cooking. But I do admit to sipping the cognac after soaking raisins in it for my apple strudel.

For the cooks out there: we don't drink white wine but I have several favorite recipes that call for it (a dry white). I have found dry vermouth to be an excellent alternative. It doesn't have to be refrigerated and keeps in the pantry a long time and has a convenient screw cap. And it never gives any funky "off" flavors that some whites seem contribute.

This reminded me of a bottle of Marsala I had for a while since I last made chicken marsala. Recently remembered it, and made pork marsala with a 4-yr old opened bottle. Did not taste anything funny, though my palate is admittedly not that fine.

OK, I don't know how he did it but NW Bound highlighted VSOP in red (even though it doesn't show up in the quote above). So, I am drinking it knkow as weede speek (just kidding here). Anyhow, turns out the bottle had been opened and I don't recall opening it. Note to redduck: keep a closer on eye on the wife and the pool man. Further note to redduck: we don't have a pool. Anyhow, the box the bottle it came in states it's a "very fine cognac." And, apparently it was bottled in 1715 as that is the date on the box. Was that a good year for cognac?

Sorry, but I don't think cognac can be aged that long in the barrel. I think about 40 to 50 years is about the max, before all the alcohol seeps out and leaves the liquor watery. Still, the year of 1715 is on the label, so I did some research. It was the year Martell, the maker of your cognac, went into business.

By the way, I have drunk Martell, Courvoisier, Hennessy, Remy Martin, and perhaps a few other French cognacs. They all taste fine, and in a blind test, I may not be able to pick one from the other. Once in an A/B test, my brothers and I tasted the bottles of a same brand, one a VSOP and the other the XO grade. We were able to tell that the XO was "smoother". Was it worth the money? Well, that all depends on the stock market performance of course.

Years ago, I bought a bottle of American brandy, and did not like it. Recently, bought a bottle, and found that it was getting better. Or was it that my already poor palate is aging and getting even less discriminating? Ah, this retiree is living cheaper and cheaper, just like Bernicke's spending model.

Looking at the last four posts (not including this one) might be a great example of getting your (my) ducks in a row.

So, shouldn't your screen name be redducks now?

 

[audreyh1]

Originally Posted by audreyh1
That sure is purty!

As I noted in the post, I linked that photo from Wikipedia to show the right glassware for cognac sipping. But now that I have more time to take my own photo, I think mine is "purtier". I mean the glass, not my hand in the following photo.

Actually, I was talking about the color of the cognac LOL! I didn't even notice the glass.

This reminded me of a bottle of Marsala I had for a while since I last made chicken marsala. Recently remembered it, and made pork marsala with a 4-yr old opened bottle. Did not taste anything funny, though my palate is admittedly not that fine.

Hmmmmm - my bottle of Marsala may be older than that!

 

[NW-Bound]

Actually, I was talking about the color of the cognac LOL! I didn't even notice the glass.

Then, I should have poured out a shot of my XO to show in the photo how it had a rich and darker color than that in the Wikipedia photo. Yeah, my Cognac is better than his Cognac, whoever that photo poster is.

And then, I remember that Cognac makers are allowed to use caramel for color enhancement. Surely, Remy Martin does not do that. Or do they?

 

[Free To Canoe]

I wonder what pathogens start growing after the "Best Taste Before" date... and how we'd be able to tell!

I suspect Baileys would outlast a Twinkie, but I'm not sure that I'd survive the research.

As a ER project, I will start this important test in the name of science!
Thanks for the helpful encouragement. I will go have some now.

 

[CCdaCE]

Usually the only time I throw out alcohol is the same night I've had too much to drink. But, it's usually just foam.

-CC

 

[rmark]

I only have about 1 drink a week, but with 15-18 college student employees anything I want to get rid of goes to a good home.