Comments on: Suffering Bastard

By: Marleigh

Marleigh — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 19:06:34 +0000

Brice,

Thanks for the info. Barrets is hard to come by in the States, so I usually use Maine Root Ginger Beer. Personally I find Jim Beam Black to be far too sweet, and Jack isn’t actually bourbon—it’s Tennessee whiskey. We usually use Buffalo Trace for our bourbon cocktails, and Beefeater is our go-to for a London dry gin, though Old Raj is nice in certain applications because of the saffron.

Cheers!

By: Brice

Brice — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 03:49:21 +0000

Oh I forgot to mention correct the ingredients to 1 oz of lime juice, 4 oz of ginger ale or beer (important) ! Plus if you triple the recipe you can use a whole can of soda and you will want to triple it anyway!!

By: Brice

Brice — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 03:42:37 +0000

This is a palatable drink using most gins, but cheap whisky will ruin it. At the very least use Jack or better yet Beam black. I prefer the gingerale version only because it allows the flavors of the liquor to come through a little more (if using ginger beer, I prefer Barrets and use brandy instead of bourbon) . If budget allows, go for the best ingredients! My preference is Cadenhead’s Old Raj Gin (which a gin lover should never be without, I prefer the higher proof, but then I drink too much) coupled with almost any higher end bourbon, but as before Beam Black mixes really well with a good gin (rye works well too). DO NOT use Rose’s lime juice, either squeeze it fresh or use Real Lime. Mint is a good way to top it off. Oh don’t forget the bitters. Oddly this drink helps my mother with her constant cough from chemical allergies, she swears by them as medicinal help.

By: Marleigh

Marleigh — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 15:12:03 +0000

Emily,

The ginger beer is definitely important—I’ve had a couple that were entirely too sweet to be palatable in cocktails. Thanks for the tip on the lime juice!

By: Emily

Emily — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 21:53:19 +0000

This is great to sip on a hot afternoon. I think it needs more lime juice than this recipe calls for. I’ve been using 1 oz dry London-style gin, 1 oz bourbon (I like one with a good amount of rye), 3/4 to 1 oz lime juice, generous dash of bitters, 4 oz ginger beer. pour into a highball glass filled with ice cubes. I stir in one of the lime shells for color, but I don’t think a cherry adds much to the drink. Maybe a sprig of mint would be nice. Be sure to use a nice snappy ginger beer.

By: Marleigh

Marleigh — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 04:36:58 +0000

Stevi,

Glad you liked it! I think it’s a pretty great little drink, though I prefer the tiki version.

By: Stevi Deter

Stevi Deter — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 03:30:40 +0000

Just gave this a try, using Plymouth, Bulleit, and Bundaberg as the ginger beer. A darn tasty tipple. I really like the way the flavor of the bourbon is still noticeable under the ginger beer.

By: Marleigh

Marleigh — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 01:26:44 +0000

Hmmm…I like Junipero very much, but I can see how it would be a problem in this drink. Glad someone out there is doing some experimenting for the team! :)

By: SeanMike

SeanMike — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 23:23:30 +0000

When I was using an “extra ginger beer” I needed to use more assertive gins and bourbons; the Maker’s Mark and Plymouth were just overwhelmed by the ginger beer.

Today I got some different ginger beer and went with very assertive liquors for both – Buffalo Trace bourbon and Anchor Junipero gin. They were too assertive, maybe, for the ginger beer, particularly the gin. I might stick with the Makers (or switch to Jefferson), but I’d definitely consider going back to the Plymouth. I just wish I’d remembered that before doing it. :-)

(PS – this has become one of my all time favorite drinks.)

By: SLOSHED! » Blog Archive » Q.B. Cooler

SLOSHED! » Blog Archive » Q.B. Cooler — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 15:57:46 +0000

[...] This drink, like so many of its ilk, is purported to be yet another child of the Don the Beachcomber-Trader Vic Mai Tai Supremacy battle. For those who don’t know, the creator of the Mai Tai was disputed amongst the two men, each claiming to have birthed the banner drink of the tiki craze. In the end the general consensus rules Vic the winner, but this is one of the drinks that has variously been claimed to be Don’s Mai Tai (yet another being the Suffering Bastard—though not the bourbon version). [...]

By: Marleigh

Marleigh — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 15:54:48 +0000

While I like Bombay, I can see how the botanicals would be an issue. Bacardi 8, you say? Hmmm. That sounds like a yummy combo. I’ll have to give it a try!

By: Cameron Bogue

Cameron Bogue — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 01:24:11 +0000

I happen to find myself spending time with a bacardi rep that has a supply of ginger beer! Coincidnece? No, i think Ill gice this one a go.

I tried this cocktail with Bombay original and makers mark that we had on hand. And your fore sight was correct, the botanicals were way too pronounced and over powered the drink.

With supplies at hand we tried the same recipe with bacardi 8 year substituted for the bourbon and surprise. The gin added a herbal note that worked well with the gingerbeer making this more of a ginny stormy i guess. Thanks for the inspiration to drink! I enjoyed browsing around your wesite, some great drinks.

By: Marleigh

Marleigh — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 17:30:22 +0000

Apparently Firefox has an issue with this post—I guess it prefers the Trader Vic version.

SeanMike—I used Plymouth for this because I was concerned about how the bourbon would taste with an especially botanical gin, but I think Tanqueray No. 10 might work well here. As for bourbon, I tend to keep Woodford as my general go-to for mixing, and it’s perfectly acceptable to sip if you’re so inclined.

Anita—It was a hit with dinner, so I think it’s right up your alley. ;)

By: Anita

Anita — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 20:26:55 +0000

I had the same Firefox problem as SeanMike, until I hit reload.

Sounds like my kind of drink :)

By: SeanMike

SeanMike — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 18:22:32 +0000

Oh, and heh, of course, as soon as I posted that comment it cleared up (though I’d refreshed a couple of times ahead of time). Cool!

I take it you used the Plymouth and Woodford? Have you tried any other good combinations of bourbon and gin?