Darren & Jen sit down with Ariel Suarez, the well-known (and loved) bartender from @bathtubginnyc and @the18throom as he shares his tips and tricks for how to make simple cocktails with home ingredients you may already have at home, with no need to venture out to the stores … as long as you have the alcohol! Patrick Owens also joins the ASYLUM fun. We even had 10 people in the chat room and LIVE callers to our “home show” for the first time! Thanks Jarrett! This Train Wreck continues to be cleaned up! Season 2 Episode 10

Hi Listeners,

First, we want to thank Ariel Suarez (https://www.instagram.com/a_suarez16/) for stopping by the Asylum and sharing his knowledge of drinks with us! Be sure to stop by Bathtub Gin (https://www.instagram.com/bathtubginnyc/) and The 18th Room (https://www.instagram.com/the18throom/) and say hi to him next time you are in the city.

Also, Ariel mentioned the “Cocktails to Go” program kicking off Wednesday, April 22nd, serving the 5 boroughs.  If you live in the city, you can go pick them up or have them delivered by going to https://eat.9fold.me/index.html (link goes live 4/22) or through Caviar (https://www.trycaviar.com/m/bathtub-gin-and-the-18th-room-21842). 

There are 8 cocktails to choose from.  All are 375mL, which is equal to 3 drinks, and cost $28 per bottle.

Darren and I are pushing for them to deliver to New Jersey 😉

Here is what we learned today…

There are 3 basics components to a drink

1. Citrusy agent – lemons, oranges, grapefruit
2. Sweetener – Sugar, Honey, Agave Nectar
3. Spirit – Tequila, Gin, Vodka, etc

You can make Simple Syrup at home!  It’s so easy, I think I can even do it:

1. Take equal parts sugar and water and combine into a pot
2. Put pot on stove and warm until the sugar and water combine (don’t need to boil…sugar melts pretty quickly)
3. Pour the liquid mixture in a container and put in the fridge to cool
4. Be proud of yourself

If you are looking for a typical London dry (Juniper forward) Gin, Ariel recommends Plymouth or Tanquerey.  These are best for people that like Gin Martinis.

If Juniper is not your jam, there are also Citrus-y Gins, also known as New World, or modern gins.  Ariel suggests trying Brooklyn Gin, made right here in New York.

We also learned how to make some classic cocktails! 🙌

Gin Ricky (for when you want something more than a Gin and Tonic)

• 2 oz (aka 2 parts) Gin
• 1 lime (freshly squeezed or 1 oz of the bottled lime juice)
• Club soda or Ginger Ale
• Ice

Gimlet

• 2 oz Gin
• 1 lime (freshly squeezed or 1 oz of the bottled lime juice)
• ½ oz simple syrup (optional)
• Water
• Ice

Margarita

• 2 oz Aldez Blanco tequila (https://www.instagram.com/aldeztequila/)…obviously 😏
• 1 lime (freshly squeezed or 1 oz of the bottled lime juice)
• ½ oz agave nectar (optional)
• Ice

Note: The only difference between a Gimlet and Margarita is the spirit 🤯

Batanga

• Aldez Blanco or Reposado tequila
• 1 lime (freshly squeezed or 1 oz of the bottled lime juice)
• Ice
• Pour Coke over the ingredients (don’t shake…trust me)

Paloma

• Aldez Blanco or Reposado tequila
• 1 whole grapefruits, squeezed
• Club soda
• Ice

Tequila Old Fashioned

• 3 oz Aldez Anejo tequila or Bourbon
• 2 sugar cubes or ¼ oz of agave nectar
• A dash of orange bitters
• A dash of angostura bitters
• Large ice cube

Ariel’s Wine

• Half a glass of red wine (Ariel suggested Malbec)
• Fill glass with ice
• Fill rest of glass with equal parts orange juice and Ginger ale
• Stir