The stuff at the back of the liquor cabinet...revisited!

I knew there was a similar topic a while ago on TC but now that we have a drink forum it would be interesting to revisit the discussion...What are the odd bottles that lurk in the shadows beneath the well-worn rum shelf? What are those bottles that take up space yet still have seals intact with odd or unfamiliar names emblazoned on their dusty labels? The last time this topic was in full swing I was actually able to identify a bottle of Zoco, a liquer from Spain, and was offered some recipes that ended up being rather delightful. Please share your mystery bottles and maybe, just maybe, someone out there can enlighten us all to the contents of said bottles and more importantly, what in the hell to do with it!

JohnTiki

Aloha from the enchanted Pi Yi Grotto in exotic Bel Air Maryland!

[ Edited by: johntiki on 2004-05-14 08:37 ]

The original topic...

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic-new.php?topic=1067&forum=1

This looks like a good discussion to dig up from the depths.......

And here is the bottle I have that needs some help....

I got this because of a recipe I found for a Mixology Monday, but now I can't find the link. And, I have the bottle drifting further and further back into the dark places under my bar....

Any suggestions?

A friend of mine bought some Strega back from a holiday last year and i tried some on the rocks.Definately an aquired taste.Very bitter,from memory.If you like Campari neat you'd probably like this.Don't have any recipes for it though.

They are opened, but dwindling slowly...

I have a bottle of Creme de Noyaux that I can't seem to get rid of. It's Hiram Walker, I believe. That's made from walnuts, right? As much as I try, I can't seem to think of it as anything more than a less flavorful Amaretto.

Also, I have a bottle of Lychee liqueur. It sounds great, tastes awful. If you put anything more than a couple drops of it in a cocktail, it makes it taste like medicine. If anyone's interested, though, I can go rummage around and come up with the brand name.

I agree about the Lychee liqueur.Very potent stuff.I was very happy when i finally finished the bottle.Wont be buying that again.

I always keep Strega on hand, and it has been the downfall of more than one party guest. It always tastes better after you've had a few drinks. I've read that this is the liqueur that they drink in the Godfather novels, although I haven't read them myself to confirm...

The "black sheep" in the back of my liquor cabinet is Midori. It has a nice flavor, but somehow it's not particularly useful in anything. Suggestions are welcome.

...now that I look, you can also help me figure out what to do with Cynar, Fernet Branca, Jeppson's Malort, Hpnotiq, Xtabentun, Chateau Pomari, and Frangelico.

On 2008-08-18 22:17, oysterschnapps wrote:
The "black sheep" in the back of my liquor cabinet is Midori. It has a nice flavor, but somehow it's not particularly useful in anything. Suggestions are welcome.

Put 1 oz. Midori, 2 oz. vodka or white rum in a large glass. Maybe add a squeeze of lemon and some bar syrup. Fill with ice and top with club soda. That honeydew melon flavor makes for a refreshing hot weather, cooler-type drink.
Have the Frangelico (hazelnut liqueur) with after-dinner coffee, on the side in a little cordial or shot glass. If you don't drink coffee, pour an ounce or two over a bowl of vanilla or chocolate ice cream. Also, you can take 1 oz. Frangelico, 1 to 2 oz. of white or gold rum, and an ounce or so of cream, shake with ice. Sort of like a variation on a White Russian.

[ Edited by: Limbo Lizard 2008-08-18 23:46 ]

Here is a recipe I made using Midori, for a Day of the Dead party http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=17053&forum=10&vpost=195154

Thank U, Drive Thru

[ Edited by: Mano Tiki Tia 2008-08-19 21:10 ]

Can anyone help me out with these? A couple are definite odd-balls!

Mangalore - I bought this hoping it would be pimento liquor. "...the flavour of the Indian coasts of Malabar, in which cinnamon and cardamom are blended to smooth out the pepper."

Yeni Raki (from Turkey, similar to ouzo)
Hallelujah (from Israel)

Try a "Watermelon Shooter" I saw a bartender mix one once:

It has creme de noyax and Midori in it (try and look it up online)
I also remember it having pineapple or sours mix too

It's shooter and it tastes like watermelon what more do you need.

The Reni Raki is traditionally consumed while eating fresh fruit. Mix half Reni and half water. This will cloud the drink and sip. The key to total enjoyment is the fresh fruit and lots of it, mellon, orange slices, strawberries etc...the natural sugars in the fruit mix well with the alcohol keeping you from getting sick from drinking.

I've got a bottle of Balinese arak that I don't know what to do with. Any suggestions?

On 2008-08-18 22:17, oysterschnapps wrote:
...now that I look, you can also help me figure out what to do with Hpnotiq.

Blue Randola*

Equal parts
pineapple juice
Hpnotiq
coconut rum

Shake over ice strain into martini glass

• I'm sure it has an actual name but I've forgotten it. It's my friend's favorite (nickname of affection is Randola) so we call it the Randola. If it's made with Hpnotiq it's blue. If you use another passionfruit liqueur it becomes a Gold Randola or Green Randola.

On 2008-08-22 09:42, Naneki wrote:
Blue Randola*

Equal parts
pineapple juice
Hpnotiq
coconut rum

Shake over ice strain into martini glass

Add a half-part grapefruit juice and you've got a winner. I love it.

Strega is an herbal liqueur, similar in a sense to Benedictine in that it is herbal, sweet too, and has a bit of a bite. But it isn't bitter like Cynar or Campari. I enjoy it mixed with soda. The old (fake, but I like it) legend is that Strega, which means Witch, has been bewitched, and two lovers who drink of it together will fall in love forever. I like a dose of magic in my drinks!

Anyone have bottles in your cabinet old enough to have the old paper tax seal across the top?
I'll have to do an inventory, and take a "group picture", but I know I have 2 500 ml bottles of St. James Rhum with the seal, that I bought in the early 80's. I have a Bols Dutch Chocolate Liqueur and some other liqueurs. And a few months ago, I found this in the pantry at an estate sale:

[ Edited by: Limbo Lizard 2009-03-11 08:19 ]

On 2008-08-18 22:17, oysterschnapps wrote:
I always keep Strega on hand, and it has been the downfall of more than one party guest. It always tastes better after you've had a few drinks. I've read that this is the liqueur that they drink in the Godfather novels, although I haven't read them myself to confirm...

The "black sheep" in the back of my liquor cabinet is Midori. It has a nice flavor, but somehow it's not particularly useful in anything. Suggestions are welcome.

...now that I look, you can also help me figure out what to do with Cynar, Fernet Branca, Jeppson's Malort, Hpnotiq, Xtabentun, Chateau Pomari, and Frangelico.

try my recipe for a honolulu hand grenade. that has midori in it. pearl harbors are also pretty good. just 1 oz of vodka 1/2 oz of midori and oj. theres a polynesian place in my town that serves these. my girlfriends sister always rodersthem and one day asked me how to make them.

Hypnotiq: Cognac-based liqueur. No offense intended in this, but it was aggressively marketed to the African-American community, apparently due to an opinion that cognac is popular in that part of the market. Interesting stuff, a Seattle bar (Noc Noc) uses it in a number of tasty mixed drinks.

Frangelico: Very sweet hazelnut liqueur. Probably mixes well with cream liqueurs, definately goes in coffee. I drink it neat, warmed in a snifter.

Fernet branca, Cynar: Acquired tastes, very bitter, but not AS bitter as, say, Campari. Good neat over ice, or half-and-half with soda water. If you like bitter things, you'll enjoy these. Cynar tends to be inexpensive, and is made from a part of the artichoke, though not the flower portion we usually eat.

And yes, I too have some bottles with the paper tax stamp - all vintage, unopened (until now) but all of which I bought recently: 70s-vintage Yellow Chartreuse, Benedictine, and DeKuyper brand white Creme de Cacao, Cherry Liqueur, and Harvest Pear Schnapps (this last one is definately early 80s). All but the Chartreuse have been tested, and all are very much drinkable still - in fact, they're wonderful.

If your state allows independent liquor stores, go find the dumpiest, dustiest joints, places that look like they do little business, and hunt the shelves at the bottom, behind other items, or at the far back ends where few people go. Also look behind the counter, since things there must be fetched by the employee, thus might just sit there if no one asks for them. You can also ask if they've got any old stock. Most I've been to in California will honor old prices on the labels.

oysterschnapps: A very simple but effective way to use up your Midori is to turn it into a Sour. I use plenty of lemon and lime juice and balance with the merest touch of sugar syrup if necessary.

More Midori: see this thread.