How to FIX a cocktail - improving the Brown Derby
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ก.ค. 2024
- Thank you Still Austin for sponsoring today's video! Check them out: bit.ly/3XfikFQ
Today I'm showing how to fix a cocktail! The Brown Derby has always fallen flat for me, so I thought I’d show you a creative process for workshopping a drink. By addressing each ingredient, we’ll take little steps to get closer to our preferred version - all the while staying within the confines of the original recipe. This process can be used for any cocktail - original or classic. Of course what makes a drink better is subjective, so have fun with it - and find the perfect drink for you. Cheers!
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TIME STAMPS
Intro: 0:00
The History: 1:13
Still Austin: 2:43
Take 1: 3:32
Take 2: 4:10
Take 3: 4:54
Take 4: 6:07
Final Drink: 7:01
Sips & Sign off: 8:00
Outtakes: 8:43
THE BROWN DERBY RECIPE 7:34
1.5 oz. (45 ml) Still Austin “The Musician” Straight Bourbon
1 oz. (30 ml) white grapefruit juice
1/2 oz. (15 ml) cinnamon-infused honey syrup*
1/4 oz. (7.5 ml) fresh lemon juice
Expressed grapefruit oil
Grapefruit peel for garnish
*CINNAMON-INFUSED HONEY SYRUP
2/3 cup honey (I like a lighter honey)
1/3 cup hot water
2 cinnamon sticks (broken in half)
In a small sauce pan, combine honey and water. Add cinnamon sticks. Cover and simmer over low heat for 20-30 minutes (don’t boil!). Once cooled, remove cinnamon sticks.
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What’s best is subjective - that what’s fun. Happy mixing everyone 🥃
Thanks to Still Austin for providing the whiskey for today’s workshop! Go check them out 👉 bit.ly/3XfikFQ
Can't wait to try this. I like the Brown Derby but it's not a go to for me. The addition of cinnamon definitely peaks my interest. Thanks for the great content my dude. 🍻
Omg this is such a fun idea! Please do more of these! I love playing around with mixers and spirits, so this is SUCH a great format!
Doooooooogggg!
As someone who hasn't had a lot of alcohol in their life, my favorite part of these episodes is when Oz (sorry idk how to spell your name) comes in and tries the drinks. It brings it down to my level of being just a normal person and not an expert on the subject. Great videos man!
Love the fixing of cocktails videos (the Mary Pickford video is a fav of mine too). Being able to experiment and tweak recipes isn't always super intuitive for a novice such as myself, so I appreciate you breaking down the iterations.
As a local Austin resident I can say with 100% honesty Still Austin has some of the nicest young bourbon around and I can’t wait to see what they come out with and how they grow in the next couple of years.
I love this format!!! Can't wait to see you workshop the Martini! 😁 Cheers Anders and Az 🍸
That could be a great one
Yes, I second this suggestion!
I’ll third it! 😂
You know it's friday night when Anders latest video comes out. It's so relaxing to watch one of these and then go to bed (it's 10:30 pm) thinking of what I've just learned. I get so many ideas from your videos. Cheers! PS. I would imagine even a hint of cinnamon would change the flavor of the drink pretty much?
The cinnamon does change the flavor profile, but works well with each component. It almost has a tiki element to it with the added spice
Lol this is exactly me right now as well . I always watch these right before bed and then lay there brainstorming new cocktail ideas
IKR? Same here. Like why are these cocktail videos so soothing? (I mean educational, Anders, educational. But also soothing.) Am I the only one re-watching these mostly because they are so nice to listen to? Or OK maybe I'm wierd...
Thank you for doing this video. I have done something similar with multiple cocktails. It's definitely helpful seeing the steps of how you changed up the different components in the drink.
I work at a Craft cocktail bar. We do version of this with jalapeno honey and an orange peel. Very popular it's not on the menu anymore but people still order it all the time.
Sounds tasty to me!
Happy Weekend everyone, remember enjoy! 😊
ANDERS!! This looks like a great way of improving/inventing a cocktail!!! I need to try this cocktail!!! Dont be like me and fail to write down improvements!!! CHEERS!!!
Haha great point Tim!! Always helps to document your progress
I've workshopped a few drinks. It makes you appreciate a really well balanced drink.
That was fun. The final version can hardly be called "brown" anymore, but that's beside the point. When I tweak my recipes, I usually have to do over different days, else on the third or fourth try things tend to get messy.... and thanks for another Rye Whiskey to try out. See whether I can find this locally.
I love this concept
The great thing about this video is that you are doing the work and we can reap the benefits. Much appreciated Anders!
PLEASE MORE OF THESE, this is exactly what im looking for in this channel
Anders, please PLEASE come out with your own version of a (spiral-bound) recipe book! All these recipes you do are so good with the way you "tweak" them. Incredible.
A Dog??? Love this, We workshop stuff at work all the time. Good Vid!
Yeah it was time to get a bar dog. Thanks Uncle Pete!
Absolutely loved the progression… do more of these!
Awesome video, Anders! Would love more of these videos where you walk through your process and improve classics. Cheers!
Love the intro and love the format of fixing unbalanced old cocktails, awesome vid!
Great tips! Love the addition of doggo and bloopers. 🤣
Absolutely love this video!!!! It's all about how you get there!!! Very inspiring! Keep these coming!
What a brilliant idea - well done!
Great work on this one, Anders. I think this format of video lets your unique author's voice shine. Thoughtful, helpful, fun.
I love Still Austin. They are actually what got me into cocktails all together. During the pandemic they produced tons of alcohol for hand sanitizing and gave it away for free, back when it was really hard to get ahold of. I went to get some and figured I would support them and bought a bottle of Whiskey and a pre-mixed Old Fashioned syrup (prebatched with bitters, etc). Anyway, I started making it and that opened my eyes to what a "grown up" cocktail could be. I stuck with that for a while then eventually decided to try to branch out to mixing my own when they stopped selling the mix. That's when I found you Anders, and you basically lead me on this cocktail journey. So thanks Anders, and thanks Still Austin.
Love this - thanks for sharing. Cheers!
Hi neighbor! I too love Still Austin. That reminds me, I need another bourbon.
I absolutely love this channel. This is my GO TO cocktail resource
Really like this format and idea! I've been trying to find more resources for creating my own cocktails so this is perfect for working off of existing cocktails
Missed the video drop on Friday, but this recipe was worth the wait. Great video.
Great video. Really fun and interesting to see you go through the evolution of improving a drink.
Great format! This is just like what I do at home for allergen free baking recipes. Love to see how you draw ideas for the next step from all of your background expertise.
This was a super cool episode!
Can't wait to try this. We have fresh grapefruit and lemons. I love the touch of cinnamon!
I love Still Austin, glad to see them getting a shoutout. My best friend was sent a whole case of their products for winning a comedy competition in Austin, he shared them with me and I've been obsessed ever since. They've also got a gin that slaps
Curious to try the gin. Good to hear you liked it!
This was just what I needed, thanks! Quite recently started trying to make up a few cocktails of my own, and I’ve been going through iterations to improve them.
Your video helped me understand how to better balance each drink, so now I’m inspired to keep going and finish each idea
Love Still Austin. Just down the road from me, glad to see another way they're supporting the cocktail community!
Still Austin, so good! The cask strength is real nice…
Loved the video .. these experiments helps us learn a lot abt mixology ❤
As someone who is working on a few orgional cocktails, this was an amazing video.
Thanks
I appreciate this channel. More puppers, plz. ❤
I LOVE a brown derby. Looking forward to seeing how you tweak it and playing with these recipes on my own.
Yup, absolutely loved this. More workshopping vids please. Definitely great to get friends in to help "carry the load" - Cheers!
Excellent video Anders! Also very relevant to me right now as I am working with some friends to workshop and create an elevated Long Island iced tea. I am currently on my fourth iteration and just on the brink of the final build. Last step is to take that extra wild out there leap to see if that sticks. Thanks for this video which gives me some more ideas.
THANK YOU!!! So very cool to help in this respect. I love when bartenders have "worked" a cocktail to make it suit, best story is from NYC I hope to tell you some day, and that is artistry.....a craft.....an art. Thank you sir!!!!
Anders, you need to make more videos like this. This is definitely an enhancement. Really good cocktail. When we get closer to the spring, please make more minty, refreshing or floral cocktails (i.e. Lavendar Bees Knees, Frozen Daquiris, etc.). I really enjoy your quality cocktails, thank you!
Mmm absolutely love that cinnamon infused honey syrup idea. Also love the Don the Beachcomber inspiration
Oh this is definitely going to be a good reference point for the project I’m working on- I wrote up a bunch of descriptions for cocktails in a D&D game and I’ve been wanting to actually make the recipes for a while now, so we’ll see how that goes!
Fun video. I enjoy doing these exercises at home with friend for another set of taste buds and to stay upright. We typically grab a notebook, scale the cocktails down to 1/4 size and take notes on the ratios until we like it.
Good koncept👍
WOW, that was interesting !!!
One strategy I use, typically for a first pass at this sort of thing is to reduce it all down to tsp. It obviously gets tricky depending on the methods/measures (how does one measure bitters this way?) but like I said, first pass.
Came here to say this! It’s a lot easier with stirred drinks that don’t need the citrus balance and agitation, but a sure fire way to get on the right track quickly without pouring $$$ down the drain.
I tried this tonight. It started as a 4/5 and with every sip it when up a tenth of a point. So good! Now it is a 22/5. Yum.
When I do this, I make the drinks at teaspoon scale, since you likely have measuring spoons for all the necessary fractions, and you go through booze much slower, but it’s enough to taste and iterate.
Now I want a Cobb salad. It's the most famous dish from the Brown Derby restaurant.
Great video! Recently, I had one made with a grapefruit shrub, fresh lemon and bitters. It was delicious!! I think it was the shrub that made it nice and citrusy but with touch of tang from the vinegar that goes in the shrub. This is a really tasty cocktail!!
I like how you ended up kinda recreating Donn's mix! Looking forward to trying this!
I made a traditional brown derby last year and it was fine but underwhelming. Just made your recipe Anders. Yes! Much better! Thank you.
Great idea for a video. I’m a newbie and learning. I love your straightforward delivery of information. And your humor. Thanks for including the dog at the intro! I’ll have to figure out how to use angostura aromatics bitters, because I bought a bottle for a Tom and Jerry, but decided not to make that drink.
Tried out your version today, damn it's good. If this is not a series, it should be.
Bloopers! Yay!
You cool man, thank you)
I well be use your mix)
I love you energy
Great content, Anders! Love watching your creative process. Would love to see you do more of these types of videos. Perhaps on an original of yours?
I think two dashes of grapefruit bitters would really add to the final version!
Hello ! Just a little comment from a french viewer. I have found your channel a few weeks ago and I diving into the cocktail"verse, and your videos are really great (the image, the format, the different part and explainations). Thank you for adding the milliliters and not only using oz, it's perfect ; ) And not related, but god, it's not easy to find Rye Whisky in shops in France, one day I will drink an Old Fashioned with something else than Schotch ! Well I wish you the best and I look forward for your next videos.
Get your hands on Still Austin's cask strength bourbon! Secrets out and it's great!
You should do a video on how to make your own balanced cocktail with what you have at home. I usually have some sort of juice, berry, limes, and maybe a sprite. It rarely goes well when try to ad lib a cocktail.
I do a chai infused bourbon and pair it with pink grapefruit, lemon & honey. It’s delicious. I call it a Delhi Derby.
Love this. Was wondering if he’d use dons mix at some point and was happy to see it
A couple things that could help...
Use 1:1 honey syrup, as it's less sweet and not as honey-forward.
Use 2oz of whiskey instead of 1.5. It brings the whiskey forward so it doesn't get lost with the sweetness.
I agree with the white grapefruit, its delicious. And ripeness makes a huge difference.
Finally, add 1oz egg white and shake hard before adding the ice. This changes the mouthfeel and adds a delicious foam layer on top.
Overall, it is such an underrated gem of a cocktail!!
I loved the cheeky "I know it works because I've already tried it"
Just made it and yes, it does need a splash of lemon juice to lift the honey.
Great!
This was great! I would love if you did a couple of these a year to keep getting new dead of how to adjust the drinks
I love this drink Anders, like a more mature version of the Greyhound. I prefer using a pinch of salt to temper the bitterness of grapefruit, and I garnish with grapefruit twist. Thanks for the video Anders, happy weekend.
Salt's a good call. Thanks David - Cheers to you!
Wake up babe new Anders Erickson
I just got a bottle of Still Austin Cask Strength on Wednesday 🔥
I like the idea about using cinnamon with honey syrup😊very good with any bourbon // from Bangkok Cheers
Great video. One thing, the signature dessert at the original Brown Derby was a grapefruit cake, hence the grapefruit forward cocktail homage. Cheers!
Really cool to see the process! Just bought a bottle of Muyu Vetiver Gris that I am trying to build a cocktail out of so was really useful to see how you do it! Current idea I have in my head is to try to see it works on a Last Word Mezcal/Tequila variant in place of the chartreuse and with Grapefruit (maybe acid-adjusted) for citrus. Have no idea what to use in place of the Maraschino Liqueur (maybe will start with it and go from there)
Great video and a really interesting insight into the process of cocktail creating. Because of your love for it, I'm surprised you didn't add any Angostura bitters to the improved version, even just a dash, to heighten the cinnamon-infused syrup.
The first time I made a brown derby i actually couldn’t finish it cuz i thought it was so bad. It tasted like old candy to me but im excited to try this new and improved version 😂
That looks great. Gotta run to the store real quick, brb...
Cheers Mark!
I live in Texas and STILL have not tried Still Austin Whiskey! I will soon, though. I enjoyed the video and want to try your improved Brown Derby. By the way, your dog is adorable!
I just bought a bourbon and i haf a Honey syruo and some grapefruit juice .... Only a red grape... But an awesome cocktail in the end! :)
Anders, I don’t know if you know, but I want you to know that you are the best bartender/friend/teacher that everyone can have.
I love your channel, i learn so much and the way you teach things I know i’ll be here fooor a long time learning and learning and never being in boredom.
Thanks Deyse. Happy you're enjoying the vids - Cheers!
I found it’s best to write everting down when doing this. I keep a notebook, with lots of attempts scribbled out.
The difference between screwing around and science is writing it down.” ― Adam Savage
Hey Anders! I noticed you used Still Austin bourbon. If you and Az get down to Austin sometime, call me as I own one of the oldest wine (and distillery and brewery) tour companies in Texas, Heart of Texas Wine Tours. I’d love to drive you around the area and show y’all what all we have to offer. No charge of course, I’m just a huge fan of your channel. You probably know many of our distilleries already, Tito’s, Deep Eddy, Garrison Bros., Desert Door, etc., so send me a message and come on down. Lots of awesome eats here too if you’re a foodie!
thanks for inspiring me to add weird stuff to a gimlet today Anders, Dubonnet Rouge turned out to be pretty tasty
Love it. Never know until you try - Cheers!
Love the Doggo, and your videos also 😉
I run a bar program in Los Angeles. When creating original cocktails, this is exactly what we do. There's a little more trial and error. Complicate, then simplify. If it doesn't work, complicate and then simplify again until you have something that makes your eyes light up.
Cute dog ♥️
Ohh also loved the new merch 🐻❄️… do send some here in India
This is basically a tiki/tropical drink by the end - Donn the beachcomber was big on white grapefruit/cinnamon syrup combo
I just did something similar with friends and family making Manhattans and Perfect Manhattans. Trying to find the rye that I like to make it “my go to”.
I wondered, with the addition of lemon juice, is it still a Brown Derby? It seems if you change one ingredient the cocktail is called something else.
This was fun to watch, can’t wait to see what my Brown Derby drinkers think!
Just hand picked about 1000lbs of grapefruit (yellow) in the phx ax area from a friends place. Was liking for a recipe and this just might be the ticket. Now to get rid of at least 980lbs of fruit…….
Someone is had a good time finishing off the rest of these drinks after this video! Haha
Love your music! I'd love to know what you're playing as background in your videos - maybe add it along with the other vid details?
I've done this to original cocktails. I created a wintery cocktail for a Christmas book anthology. I was not happy using my Chartreuse and it only doing well on one of the four versions, but I pulled out ten bottles worth. The final version really needs a spotlight somewhere but my bar doesn't have the ingredients for it.
All the puppy content. I can’t remember her name but she is absolutely a cutie!!!
Freya steals the show for sure