Thank you Helix for sponsoring! Visit helixsleep.com/howtodrink to get 20% off your Helix mattress, plus two free pillows. Offers subject to change. #helixsleep Curiada: bit.ly/buythesespiritsonline Twitch: bit.ly/2VsOi3d H2D2: bit.ly/YTH2D2 twitter: bit.ly/H2DTwit instagram: bit.ly/H2dIG Blog: bit.ly/H2DBlog Patreon: bit.ly/H2DPatreon Gear: amzn.to/2LeQCbW This food made me sick but the drinks are great: ua-cam.com/video/CpMebzkNvss/v-deo.html Outback gave me a soap drink: ua-cam.com/video/94L-qkYZids/v-deo.html I tried desperately to fix the bad drinks from chilis: ua-cam.com/video/1mDN1XYYm6A/v-deo.html
So, I have a very bizarre food combination I have turned into a drink before. For some reason, getting people to eat the combo or drink the combo seems to be difficult. I would LOVE to see your reaction. It cant be worse than an infected whitehead or tapeworm crap you made!. The flavor combination is Pineapple and Cinnamon. When I worked at Pizza Hut, I turned it into my own little dessert pizza. When my wife and I went to a bar one night, I told the bartender about it. After making it, other bartenders walked by with coffee stirrers and gave it a try. The basis was something like, equal parts Pineapple Vodka and Goldschlager. Fill with pineapple juice for volume and then perhaps something bubbly (Sprite,Seltzer) that goes with the pineapple. Regardless, you get my subscription today and I will keep my eyes open for your thoughts on the "Rowdy Rustler" as the bartender named it :)
Greg, if you're looking for another amaretto recipe: The Cherry Lifesaver (elevated) Stir 2 oz. amaretto + 2 dashes Ango in rocks glass with ice Add 4 oz. cranberry juice and stir again Express orange oil over top
Do you ever get bartenders tag you on socials about selling drinks you made and/or modified? I'd be curious about hearing of your influence on the professional scene.
1.5 is 3 and you want 2 and end up with 0.5? That's... impressive. Edit: To be actually helpfull, it's easier to think of 1.5 as 3/2. So if you need 2 proportional to 3 it becomes 2/2 or 1.
Former Olive Garden bartender here: -strawberry passion fruit is the main mixing syrup to make all the drinks taste like red candy. - if you get an Italian margarita it’s going to be mostly orange juice -the Long Island Tea is a consistently decent drink at any Olive Garden! They use the premium rum instead of Bacardi in the base build so it doesn’t just taste like ethanol and coke!
I….have been using Castillo well run for our Italian rum punches??? Is that wrong now you’re gonna make me have to print the recipe tomorrow and check it 😭
As a jersey girl, I greatly appreciate your accurate Italian impressions, from that "uncle" who's always hanging around the deli who's voice sounds like he regularly gargles motor oil (and then uses it to slick back his hair) to your standard pizza-joint manager guy who greets the regulars with a "Ey paizano, how you doin? Plain slice and AHrange soda, yeh?" You've even perfected the hand motions. Pure artistry.
Its obviously pretty late into the chain restaurant drink series, but it would be interesting to know approximately how much the improved drinks would cost compared to the ones actually served at their respective restaurants
That idea at the end of taking a classic cocktail and exploring it with different countries/regions ingredients sounds pretty cool. There's so many regional variations on spirits & mixers that you could try out. Maybe have you spin a wheel of locations & pull 1 or 2 cocktails in a short, then you could show what you come up with in an episode after researching &sourcing whatever cool ingredients you need. Stuff like Taiwanese or Indian whiskey, Japanese or Irish gin, American Malt whiskey, Persian or key limes, yuzu, meyer lemons, blood oranges, etc.
I like the idea of taking a location (random or chosen) and then spinning a wheel for 2-3 drinks he has to try to convert or come up with to that "style" or something similar
@@Duganator I agree. What if he spun the wheel or pulled it out of the hat at the end of the previous episode so he has time to prep home made flavored simple syrup etc.
Greg and the gang put a chapter in the video to make skipping the ad read as easy as humanly possible and I still watched it because it was fun. These people are masters at their craft
And I can decide if that sounds amazing or disgusting. I'm assuming it would come down to the choice of amaro (probably would not want the standard campari).
YES THE EPISODE IVE WAITED FOR, too bad i dont work at OG anymore, they wouldnt have any of the ingredients though Edit: Greg, the "strawberry-passion fruit" is a simple syrup flavored strawberry and passion fruit. It is very artificial and super sweet.
The R.L. Seales is a rum made by Foursquare Distillery (they also produce special editions under their own name, Doorlys, Rum Sixty Six and then some) who's owner and Master Distiller, Richard Sealed, is one of the most prominent advocates of unadulterated rum.
It's True. All of it. Greg is drunk again. Barbados FTW! (was that the 12 or 10? Isn't one finished in sherry casks or something, that could be the issue. I have the 10 and it's great.)
How would you feel about doing an episode (potentially series?) where you let members of the community that work in restaurants/bars send you the recipes of one of the house cocktails where they work and you try them? I feel like that could be a cool and engaging idea!
if you want to continue the Chains of America series you can always go back and try different drinks from the places you've already been to, The Revenge of Chili's and so on
Greg, these episodes where you workshop the recipe live is so much fun! I appreciate you sometimes being like "well, I'll do the research beforehand" but seeing the process and your reactions to the various things, so satisfying and obviously seeing it all come together in the end, c'est magnifique!
Last time I was at Olive Garden, a guy in a Mario shirt barfed in the middle of the dining room and we left before we got our entrees. Can’t remember the cocktails, only the smell of Mario shirts barf.
Olive Garden gets a bum rap. I think the quote from Clone High is perfect "I love the Olive Garden. It's like the kitchen of a delightful Italian stereotyp e." No, it's neither authentic or fresh, but I've always enjoyed the meals I've had from there.
Obviously, if the episode aired, nothing bad happened. But, every time Greg moved the candle, my entire body tensed up. 😳🕯️🔥 Also. As an argentine, his reaction to the fernet shot was amazing. 🤣
Most brands of amaretto are indeed made either completely or at least predominantly using apricot stones, which contain some of the same flavour compounds you’ll find in bitter almonds (the ones we don’t eat because they contain toxic levels of cyanide). The aroma is adjacent to regular/sweet almonds, but not the same.
As a lifelong Ocean County resident I appreciate the distinctions made between the shore and North/South Jersey. Always love the show, thanks for mixing creativity, history, and great visual/audio production for this show
I would love to see a workshop episode on tiki basics, and I know there's plenty of episodes on that, but seeing you build it with specific ingredients (like Italian liquors) really helped me see the building blocks of that whole style!
it's funny how often I'd make those two drinks specifically; people love their candy! Then I got an order for an Italian Margarita with Jim Beam and honestly wanted to quit on the spot.
@@howtodrink I've never tried that particular expression, but I get your skepticism. That being said, Richard Seale and Foursquare distillery are pretty respected in the rum sphere. Rum nerds care a lot about additives in their rum, so if Seale was adding sugar or anything like that, they would find out and throw an absolute fit.
Brilliant episode. I had a blast watching it. Always love to see a new Tiki drink. And Olive Garden is very relevant to my life! I'm excited to see the next in this series of saving and improving drinks! Always love to see you riff, Greg!!!
0:07 Not gonna lie, was cackling seeing the "Plazas of America" image xD It's the local mall where I live, "The Plaza"... in Palmerston North, New Zealand xD
Because greg didn't elaborate on it (surprised he doesn't know much about amaretto) - It's made from peach pits. It vaguely tastes like cherries and almonds so it's described as cherry-almond liqueur despite just being distilled stones.
It also is one of the main components of doctor pepper, along with prunes. To the point where if you add it to coke it tastes EXACTLY like doctor pepper
Amaretto is often made from apricot pits which have a similar almond-like taste, and because it's sweet it will taste like almonds in a sweet context like a sweet almond paste or an almond cookie.
I really appreciated the quick breakdown of tasting notes on the different Amaros. I'd be curious to see you do something similar with others like orange liqueurs, vermouths, other liqueurs, etc as you build cocktails
Right, I'll need to give a bit of background first; I'm an American living in a small suburb outside of Melbourne, Australia. Recently, we went to a new burger place called Burgeroo. They had a Bloody Shiraz Negroni on the menu - an Aussie variation of an Italian drink using Shiraz infused gin. First, it was odd that I saw the bartender grab orange juice from the fridge (maybe for another drink, I hoped in vain) then he shook the drink rather than stirred. Not surprisingly, this drink tasted flat and watered down. However, I had a go at stirring up my own Bloody Shiraz Negroni when I got home. Just swapping the gin out for Shiraz gin. And it was bloody delicious!
Just wanted to say I downloaded this video to watch on the plane (conditional shout-out to UA-cam Premium); after TSA hell at Newark International and being stuck on a packed, hot, delayed plane, it took all of 60 seconds to get me openly laughing in my seat. Thanks for the cheer-up, Greg
It's so exciting to watch Greg get hyped about one of his creations. That's really the joy of any sort of creative art, and it's such a wonderful thing. ♥️
There is an Italian Margarita cocktail with amaretto, and it's pretty good. 2 ounces tequila 1 ½ ounces fresh squeezed orange juice or blood orange juice 1 ounce amaretto ½ ounce lime juice Kosher salt or flaky sea salt, for the rim For the garnish: Lime wedge
I was at a cocktail bar the other week and the special was a drink they called the Rosalita, which was basically a margarita with Amaro Montenegro in place of orange liqueur. It was good.
3:15 Trader Vic actually made a drink called Pinky Gonzales that's basically tequila Mai Tai (Mai Tai is also basically a margarita with orgeat) and it works imo. I now amaretto is not same as orgeat, but I do think almond and margarita works.
It was great to get inside Greg's thinking and watch the creativity in this episode. So impressive to see him take a bad drink and turn it into something amazing. Well done!
I work at Olive Garden and have been wanting to see these drinks on the show since the first episode. But somehow I missed it till I was watching the margarita mix video, and they mention the chains of America and said they did Texas Roadhouse and I had missed that one too. Went to look for the roadhouse video and found this and got so happy. Not surprised Greg didn't like them. We don't make drinks for a grownup palate. Their margarita also uses orange juice concentrate by the way.
If you like Averna, one that is similar in flavor profile that I love is Meletti Amaro. Where I am, it's almost half the price of Averna and for my preferred style of easy drink, amaro sodas (amaro, lemon or lime depending on the drink, soda water), I think it is better than Averna because it has a better texture (slightly more syrupy).
I'm so happy I'm watching you make a 1234 rum punch! I love making myself one splitting Wray and Nephew with another rum. They're so easy, versatile and delicious!
Ever since Redbull did it I've been obsessed with the combination of Strawberry and Apricot. Wondering if the rum punch would be better with that profile
Gregs geting closer to my personal favorite cocktail (and my own creation) The Fairy Godfather.. 1.oz Scotch+ 1.oz Amaretto (standard Godfather) then 0.25oz absinthe. Severe over Ice. Simple and lovely.
For the italian margarita, at home I use 1 oz triple sec, 1 oz orange juice, 1.5 oz choice of tequila (a plata/silver is recommended though), and 3 oz of sweet and sour. Shake with ice and serve. Tastes good and a pretty cheap and simple cocktail.
I just spat my drink when at 0:07 the second example of a “chain of America” is actually The Plaza in backwater university town Palmerston North, New Zealand located like two blocks from my apartment!
The Jersey-Florida drive is absolutely just drilled into my brain by now from all the trips I've made with my family over the years. The town of Frog Level, the brass bed place, Steven Kent, of course South of the Border, the smell of Brunswick in the past, all the ways around/through Jacksonville, getting free OJ at the Florida Welcome Center, Stuckey's all over the place back in the day.... oh man it's a haul but it's an experience.
I love that you've finally given me something to do with that bottle of Angostura amaro I bought six months ago on a whim and haven't figured out how to use. Gonna definitely play with some tiki/punch ideas now. Thanks Greg. Love the channel! Any chance you'd do a whole episode on outside the box uses for amaro? I've been buying them seriously for a couple of years but still consider myself a noob.
"Italian Margarita" makes me imagine a room of relatives from Italy and Mexico, and I am cringing at the thought of how loud that would be. But it also gives such a close family vibe that it's almost scary.
I’m with you Greg, love me some good bourbon or Islay scotch, but rum has my heart. Probitas is one of my favorite rums at the moment, and Hamilton 151 is always a winner, so it’s great to see them mingle! I might have to start experimenting with that blend in some tiki drinks.
I used to have an "italian margarita" I'd make with Orendain Almondrado (which I can only find in Nogales). Was low proof, but good on a hot day. Back in the day, I used to be able to get a fifth of the almondrado for like $6-$8 in Mexico.
I had several interviews at Olive Garden as a bartender a few years back, and I remember them going ooooonnn and oooooon about how their bartenders and drinks are like, top tier best of the best.
It was honestly kind of nice to see DeKuyper show up in a drink just doing its job. Not as a novelty. As for chain restaurants, do you guys have Houlihan's up there? Their website indicates there's at least a few in New Jersey.
The thing I've learned from all of these chains of america videos is that these restaurants serve a different clientele than a bar. Restaurant drinks are for people who want "yummy" things that make them feel buzzed, not "alcohol tasting" drinks that you sip at.
Hey, you used my photo for the Olive Garden Italian margarita and the Olive Garden Italian Rum Punch ;) I just copycat drinks, I don't recreate them or even attempt to make them better. I will try your version though!
I ran a cocktail for our summer menu once called a Gringa Wasted that was 1.5oz blanco tequila, 0.5oz amaretto, 0.75oz lemon juice, and 0.75oz simple. Shake, strain, serve up in a coupe. It's far from my finest or most sophisticated creation, but people loved it, and it was expressly concocted as a love child between an amaretto sour and a margarita. Seems like that's what Olive Garden was going for with their "Italian Margarita."
i am so down for using certain regional ingredients (like italian) to make drinks from a TOTALLY different region/origin (like tiki)!! that sounds like a REALLY fun experiment! much more opportunity for you to drink Good Things, too, which i feel like you might like. and while i'm on this suggestion roll - i'd love to see an episode about glassware some time! do's and don'ts of what drinks go in which glasses, perhaps origins of drinks and/or glassware based on the other, the reasoning behind it all, etc... i think there might be a lot of potential there!
Italian marg creation sounded great. Interesting to see what other amaros can used. Quick correction on Probitas - it's a blend of Jamaican (Hampden) and Barbadian (Foursquare) rums. It's also a daiquiri workhorse.
I would %100 come back to Montenegro with any agave spirit, the citrus notes of Montenegro just jive so well with any agave spirit. One of my favorite 50/50 sippers is mezcal and montenegro.
RL Seale's is actually an unflavored and unsweetened rum from the Foursquare distillery in Barbados. It's some pretty good stuff in my opinion, very surprised by your thoughts on it! That being said most bottles that look crazy like that usually are weird flavored stuff so I could see that swaying your thoughts. Either way great video as usual!
Finally got around to making your Italian Rum Punch after all this time (I used Plantation instead of Probitas), and man I see what you mean. The flavors are very well balanced, you get that punch of demerara mitigated by the white rum so it isn’t overpowering, and then you get sweet, spice, and strawberries on the finish. Made two of them, and could have easily downed two more, which is the mark of a good tiki drink in my book.
A fantastic episode, probably my favourite of the series! Definitely going to try both recipes! Btw. Jersey to Florida is the same as from London to Rome by car.
There's a whole realm of drinks mixing tiki and Italian aperitivo traditions called, fittingly, "aperitiki." Pretty new concept, but a few recipes out there. Arguably, the Jungle Bird is already an example of this.
Alright, this is gonna sound like an insult but I SWEAR it’s not. It’s a genuine comment and just kinda funny. I’ll start with this, your content is real good and relaxing. Nice job. It’s so relaxing in fact that my boyfriend’s dog has seen every video. They’ll put your channel on for him before bed, anytime something else isn’t playing, when they leave the house, etc. He has to have your videos on, he loves them. He’ll actually watch and everything. 😂 He’s probably seen every single video multiple times at this point. He has issues with other animals, he’ll bark at the tv if something is even remotely animal shaped. But your channel is safe to show him apparently because you never show animals and you never get ads with animals. Point is, I’ve wanted to comment this for awhile. I find it absolutely hilarious that my boyfriend’s dog is a massive fan of yours and has literally seen every video. Keep making great content, we’ll be watching 😂
LOL the second photo in the malls and plazas speech at the start is in Palmerston North, New Zealand a tiny city half way around the world from the US. PS love your videos
Did you forget about limoncello? It seems like it would belong in the Italian Margarita (not that you did anything wrong with that, it sounds so good).
I feel like a strong next contender is yardhouse! Actually had a decent cocktail there, their riff on a smoky old fashioned. Also there's a Yardhouse on W 40th street in NYC!
Lazzaroni also makes some great amaretto cookies. And he's right about Joisee. I was stationed in So. Jersey, and one of my troops was from No. Jersey and often said it was different.
To keep the series up, you may eventually have to start traveling for the regional chains. But I'm sure there's still untapped potential near you! What about Texas Roadhouse, Bennigan's, Hooters, Dick's Last Resort, Joe's Crab Shack, Red Lobster, Bubba Gump's, El Torito, Outback Steakhouse, Tilted Kilt?
Oh I've been doing the Amaro and seltzer and saying it tastes like cola ever since an Italian friend gave me some amaro! I'm glad I wasn't the only one.
The curved neck on the R.L. Seale's rum is because it's modeled on a historical hip flask. You tie a string around the neck of the bottle and then tie it to your belt. The curve on the neck means it sits better against your hip.
I'm really surprised you didn't use lemoncello in either of the drinks, especially the margarita, but they both sound good and I approve of using the probitas rum. Got turned on to that from a worker at my local liquor store when I was looking to upgrade from basic Bacardi.
I don't know the brand of Amaretto; the one I sampled in my youth in Skokie, IL tasted like a biscotti with a hint of cherry in it. That was a great sweet taste.
"Italian tiki drinks" isn't a strange idea at all. Some of the biggest sweet flavors in Italian cuisine are fruit, but are usually a bit more complicated. Limoncello, sour cherry, blood orange, candied dry fruits...and spumoni is already a rum and candied fruits with nuts (usually pistachios) and chocolate flavor. This is actually a really cool place to go. The fact that amaretto worked so well in a margarita type beverage isn't strange either...lime juice and amaretto are an amazing mix. My first thought looking at all of this is how much a very citrus forward Italian punch would be awesome. I'm picturing fresh-squeezed blood orange juice, limoncello, gold rum, and something to ground it all in savory sweetness...maybe fig or date syrup or possibly some apricot, with a subtle fennel finish...so maybe that same spritz of absinthe.
For me an Italian Margarita I would go with mezcal, cynar, lime, and curaçao. No need for amaretto in that one, but could split it with the curaçao. Mezcal and cynar pair perfectly together, in my opinion.
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This food made me sick but the drinks are great: ua-cam.com/video/CpMebzkNvss/v-deo.html
Outback gave me a soap drink: ua-cam.com/video/94L-qkYZids/v-deo.html
I tried desperately to fix the bad drinks from chilis: ua-cam.com/video/1mDN1XYYm6A/v-deo.html
So, I have a very bizarre food combination I have turned into a drink before. For some reason, getting people to eat the combo or drink the combo seems to be difficult. I would LOVE to see your reaction. It cant be worse than an infected whitehead or tapeworm crap you made!.
The flavor combination is Pineapple and Cinnamon.
When I worked at Pizza Hut, I turned it into my own little dessert pizza. When my wife and I went to a bar one night, I told the bartender about it. After making it, other bartenders walked by with coffee stirrers and gave it a try.
The basis was something like, equal parts Pineapple Vodka and Goldschlager. Fill with pineapple juice for volume and then perhaps something bubbly (Sprite,Seltzer) that goes with the pineapple.
Regardless, you get my subscription today and I will keep my eyes open for your thoughts on the "Rowdy Rustler" as the bartender named it :)
Greg, if you're looking for another amaretto recipe:
The Cherry Lifesaver (elevated)
Stir 2 oz. amaretto + 2 dashes Ango in rocks glass with ice
Add 4 oz. cranberry juice and stir again
Express orange oil over top
Do you ever get bartenders tag you on socials about selling drinks you made and/or modified? I'd be curious about hearing of your influence on the professional scene.
1.5 is 3 and you want 2 and end up with 0.5? That's... impressive.
Edit: To be actually helpfull, it's easier to think of 1.5 as 3/2. So if you need 2 proportional to 3 it becomes 2/2 or 1.
Can you tag-team with Guga and do the perfect drink for a Wagyu Steak?
Former Olive Garden bartender here: -strawberry passion fruit is the main mixing syrup to make all the drinks taste like red candy.
- if you get an Italian margarita it’s going to be mostly orange juice
-the Long Island Tea is a consistently decent drink at any Olive Garden! They use the premium rum instead of Bacardi in the base build so it doesn’t just taste like ethanol and coke!
Good ole Di Amore 🤮
I….have been using Castillo well run for our Italian rum punches??? Is that wrong now you’re gonna make me have to print the recipe tomorrow and check it 😭
castello rum is not premium
@@loulabean350 its castello, not premium
As a jersey girl, I greatly appreciate your accurate Italian impressions, from that "uncle" who's always hanging around the deli who's voice sounds like he regularly gargles motor oil (and then uses it to slick back his hair) to your standard pizza-joint manager guy who greets the regulars with a "Ey paizano, how you doin? Plain slice and AHrange soda, yeh?"
You've even perfected the hand motions. Pure artistry.
I legitimately grew up here, these are my people.
Greg has to have the most costume changes of anyone else in the cocktail/spirits YT scene. It's great.
Also, I'd love to see him in Music Man or Our Town.
You should see tipsy bartender
Roger from American Dad be like 😡
I'd argue Kevin Kos is up at the top!
I can't recognize him from one episode to the next
Its obviously pretty late into the chain restaurant drink series, but it would be interesting to know approximately how much the improved drinks would cost compared to the ones actually served at their respective restaurants
That idea at the end of taking a classic cocktail and exploring it with different countries/regions ingredients sounds pretty cool. There's so many regional variations on spirits & mixers that you could try out. Maybe have you spin a wheel of locations & pull 1 or 2 cocktails in a short, then you could show what you come up with in an episode after researching &sourcing whatever cool ingredients you need. Stuff like Taiwanese or Indian whiskey, Japanese or Irish gin, American Malt whiskey, Persian or key limes, yuzu, meyer lemons, blood oranges, etc.
I like the idea of taking a location (random or chosen) and then spinning a wheel for 2-3 drinks he has to try to convert or come up with to that "style" or something similar
@@Playgono agreed, but I also want to give him enough lead time if he wants to make special syrups or infusions.
@@Duganator I agree. What if he spun the wheel or pulled it out of the hat at the end of the previous episode so he has time to prep home made flavored simple syrup etc.
This is such a brilliant idea and a creative way to use shorts and create a through-line to an episode. Bit of cross promotion action
Greg and the gang put a chapter in the video to make skipping the ad read as easy as humanly possible and I still watched it because it was fun. These people are masters at their craft
Ikr? I mean hell look at the man’s fit, Greg oughta host an episode looking like that one of these days lol
The Olive Garden cocktail should be a mixture of flowers, olives, and limoncello.
Top it with whatever oil they soak the breadsticks with and I’m in.
with an uncooked stick of pasta as a stirrer
Olive oil washed limoncello negroni.
And I can decide if that sounds amazing or disgusting. I'm assuming it would come down to the choice of amaro (probably would not want the standard campari).
A dry martini with Oleo Saccharum and a floral liqueur like creme di Violette
YES THE EPISODE IVE WAITED FOR, too bad i dont work at OG anymore, they wouldnt have any of the ingredients though
Edit: Greg, the "strawberry-passion fruit" is a simple syrup flavored strawberry and passion fruit. It is very artificial and super sweet.
The degree of happiness and absolute PRIDE Greg took in his Improved Italian Rum Punch is absolutely adorable.
Do another chest of doom episode with your "what do I do with this" ingredients, like your good spiced rum
Your face after tasting your Italian Rum Punch after adding the Ango Rum is priceless
The R.L. Seales is a rum made by Foursquare Distillery (they also produce special editions under their own name, Doorlys, Rum Sixty Six and then some) who's owner and Master Distiller, Richard Sealed, is one of the most prominent advocates of unadulterated rum.
Everything made by foursquare is fantastic
Yeah, Greg, there’s no sugar or coloring or spice in that at all. Barbados pure
It's True. All of it. Greg is drunk again. Barbados FTW! (was that the 12 or 10? Isn't one finished in sherry casks or something, that could be the issue. I have the 10 and it's great.)
How dare you sully the good name of Foursquare with claims of additives! We shall have pistols at dawn!
Lmao bro called it a spiced rum. It is sweet which is crazy since its 4square
How would you feel about doing an episode (potentially series?) where you let members of the community that work in restaurants/bars send you the recipes of one of the house cocktails where they work and you try them? I feel like that could be a cool and engaging idea!
I was once a bar back … a bar tender got into milk and blue curaçao one week… it was just a mess
if you want to continue the Chains of America series you can always go back and try different drinks from the places you've already been to, The Revenge of Chili's and so on
Greg, these episodes where you workshop the recipe live is so much fun! I appreciate you sometimes being like "well, I'll do the research beforehand" but seeing the process and your reactions to the various things, so satisfying and obviously seeing it all come together in the end, c'est magnifique!
Hey Greg, the R.L. Seale's is a rum from Foursquare distillery in Barbados that hasn't been dosed or added to at all according to them.
Is it finished or is there a finished version?
Somewhere in the world Richard Seale had a stroke when Greg called it a spiced rum
@@chrisc9427 I believe there's a 10 year aged and a 12 year aged version out there.
Yeah Greg is waaaaay off on this one.
Last time I was at Olive Garden, a guy in a Mario shirt barfed in the middle of the dining room and we left before we got our entrees. Can’t remember the cocktails, only the smell of Mario shirts barf.
so he was wearing a red shirt, is everyone who does that a mario man to you?
@@jeccdog7584 I assumed that they meant a graphic t-shirt with an image of Mario on it.
Why would you think otherwise?
Why can I smell this
What did you do to me?
@@Oscar_Milde hmmm. I don’t often see people wearing Mario shirts but now that you mention it that makes sense lol
This is easily my favorite series you put out. Thank you Greg and Meredith.
Olive Garden gets a bum rap. I think the quote from Clone High is perfect "I love the Olive Garden. It's like the kitchen of a delightful Italian stereotyp
e." No, it's neither authentic or fresh, but I've always enjoyed the meals I've had from there.
Yeah i completely agree with that
Fun fact, the line was originally "racist Italian stereotype" but the network made them change it.
Obviously, if the episode aired, nothing bad happened. But, every time Greg moved the candle, my entire body tensed up. 😳🕯️🔥
Also. As an argentine, his reaction to the fernet shot was amazing. 🤣
"Let me have this lit candle in my set full of HIGH PROOF ALCOHOL. What could go wrong?"
@@DaveJoria Alcohol, wood and fire. 😂
Amaretto is an almond liqueur but it also has apricots, which is the dominant flavor in my opinion. Tastes like flat Dr. Pepper
Most brands of amaretto are indeed made either completely or at least predominantly using apricot stones, which contain some of the same flavour compounds you’ll find in bitter almonds (the ones we don’t eat because they contain toxic levels of cyanide). The aroma is adjacent to regular/sweet almonds, but not the same.
Disaronno is really good with dr.pepper and coke
I like amaretto and ginger ale-they play well together and the ginger cuts the sweetness.
As a lifelong Ocean County resident I appreciate the distinctions made between the shore and North/South Jersey. Always love the show, thanks for mixing creativity, history, and great visual/audio production for this show
I would love to see a workshop episode on tiki basics, and I know there's plenty of episodes on that, but seeing you build it with specific ingredients (like Italian liquors) really helped me see the building blocks of that whole style!
it's funny how often I'd make those two drinks specifically; people love their candy! Then I got an order for an Italian Margarita with Jim Beam and honestly wanted to quit on the spot.
Everything I can find on the R.L. Seale says there is no sugar or other additives, so any spice or sweetness is from the rum itself.
I’m calling bs on that.
@@howtodrink I've never tried that particular expression, but I get your skepticism. That being said, Richard Seale and Foursquare distillery are pretty respected in the rum sphere. Rum nerds care a lot about additives in their rum, so if Seale was adding sugar or anything like that, they would find out and throw an absolute fit.
Brilliant episode. I had a blast watching it. Always love to see a new Tiki drink. And Olive Garden is very relevant to my life! I'm excited to see the next in this series of saving and improving drinks! Always love to see you riff, Greg!!!
0:07 Not gonna lie, was cackling seeing the "Plazas of America" image xD
It's the local mall where I live, "The Plaza"... in Palmerston North, New Zealand xD
Thanks!
If this ends up being the last of the Chains Saga, it's one hell of a good ending. Great work with these, they sound amazing!
Would definitely love to see regional cuisine takes on classic cocktails as a new series.
Because greg didn't elaborate on it (surprised he doesn't know much about amaretto) - It's made from peach pits. It vaguely tastes like cherries and almonds so it's described as cherry-almond liqueur despite just being distilled stones.
To add onto this, apricot pits are also used. That almondish flavor comes from the compound benzaldehyde which is present in stone fruit and almonds.
It also is one of the main components of doctor pepper, along with prunes. To the point where if you add it to coke it tastes EXACTLY like doctor pepper
No shit!? That's wild, didn't know that.
I think you could argue that the Guardian Angel qualifies as Italian tiki. Leandro has done that one, and it is a fan-friggin-tastic cocktail.
Amaretto is often made from apricot pits which have a similar almond-like taste, and because it's sweet it will taste like almonds in a sweet context like a sweet almond paste or an almond cookie.
I really appreciated the quick breakdown of tasting notes on the different Amaros. I'd be curious to see you do something similar with others like orange liqueurs, vermouths, other liqueurs, etc as you build cocktails
Right, I'll need to give a bit of background first; I'm an American living in a small suburb outside of Melbourne, Australia.
Recently, we went to a new burger place called Burgeroo. They had a Bloody Shiraz Negroni on the menu - an Aussie variation of an Italian drink using Shiraz infused gin. First, it was odd that I saw the bartender grab orange juice from the fridge (maybe for another drink, I hoped in vain) then he shook the drink rather than stirred. Not surprisingly, this drink tasted flat and watered down. However, I had a go at stirring up my own Bloody Shiraz Negroni when I got home. Just swapping the gin out for Shiraz gin. And it was bloody delicious!
Just wanted to say I downloaded this video to watch on the plane (conditional shout-out to UA-cam Premium); after TSA hell at Newark International and being stuck on a packed, hot, delayed plane, it took all of 60 seconds to get me openly laughing in my seat. Thanks for the cheer-up, Greg
Definitely would love a series of episodes approaching regional ingredients with unconventional uses (Italaian Tiki drinks for example)
It's so exciting to watch Greg get hyped about one of his creations. That's really the joy of any sort of creative art, and it's such a wonderful thing. ♥️
The R.L. Seal and Probitas rums are from Four Square distillers. No additives
Really love it when Greg workshops his drinks. Gives an idea not only of his own tastes but also how his process is thought out. =)
There is an Italian Margarita cocktail with amaretto, and it's pretty good.
2 ounces tequila
1 ½ ounces fresh squeezed orange juice or blood orange juice
1 ounce amaretto
½ ounce lime juice
Kosher salt or flaky sea salt, for the rim
For the garnish: Lime wedge
I was at a cocktail bar the other week and the special was a drink they called the Rosalita, which was basically a margarita with Amaro Montenegro in place of orange liqueur. It was good.
If I was Helix and I paid you a sponsorship and this was what you gave me, I'd be effing delighted. 10/10
3:15 Trader Vic actually made a drink called Pinky Gonzales that's basically tequila Mai Tai (Mai Tai is also basically a margarita with orgeat) and it works imo. I now amaretto is not same as orgeat, but I do think almond and margarita works.
It was great to get inside Greg's thinking and watch the creativity in this episode. So impressive to see him take a bad drink and turn it into something amazing. Well done!
I work at Olive Garden and have been wanting to see these drinks on the show since the first episode. But somehow I missed it till I was watching the margarita mix video, and they mention the chains of America and said they did Texas Roadhouse and I had missed that one too. Went to look for the roadhouse video and found this and got so happy. Not surprised Greg didn't like them. We don't make drinks for a grownup palate. Their margarita also uses orange juice concentrate by the way.
Great to see Averna on the show, my first Amaro! Been hoping for an episode comparing different Amaros for a while, this'll have to do!
If you like Averna, one that is similar in flavor profile that I love is Meletti Amaro. Where I am, it's almost half the price of Averna and for my preferred style of easy drink, amaro sodas (amaro, lemon or lime depending on the drink, soda water), I think it is better than Averna because it has a better texture (slightly more syrupy).
Probitas is the Jamaican rum I tend to keep on hand for cocktails. Cool to finally see it on the show and even cooler to see you enjoy it.
I'm so happy I'm watching you make a 1234 rum punch! I love making myself one splitting Wray and Nephew with another rum. They're so easy, versatile and delicious!
Ever since Redbull did it I've been obsessed with the combination of Strawberry and Apricot. Wondering if the rum punch would be better with that profile
Am I crazy for thinking that a rum punch with strawberry apricot Red Bull or my favorite, the peach nectarine as the "weak" part would be fabulous?
Gregs geting closer to my personal favorite cocktail (and my own creation) The Fairy Godfather.. 1.oz Scotch+ 1.oz Amaretto (standard Godfather) then 0.25oz absinthe. Severe over Ice. Simple and lovely.
For the italian margarita, at home I use 1 oz triple sec, 1 oz orange juice, 1.5 oz choice of tequila (a plata/silver is recommended though), and 3 oz of sweet and sour. Shake with ice and serve. Tastes good and a pretty cheap and simple cocktail.
I just spat my drink when at 0:07 the second example of a “chain of America” is actually The Plaza in backwater university town Palmerston North, New Zealand located like two blocks from my apartment!
The Jersey-Florida drive is absolutely just drilled into my brain by now from all the trips I've made with my family over the years. The town of Frog Level, the brass bed place, Steven Kent, of course South of the Border, the smell of Brunswick in the past, all the ways around/through Jacksonville, getting free OJ at the Florida Welcome Center, Stuckey's all over the place back in the day.... oh man it's a haul but it's an experience.
OG bartender here, the strawberry-passionfruit is a syrup that we use in several drinks. Great episode, was so hyped when i saw this!
I love that you've finally given me something to do with that bottle of Angostura amaro I bought six months ago on a whim and haven't figured out how to use. Gonna definitely play with some tiki/punch ideas now. Thanks Greg. Love the channel! Any chance you'd do a whole episode on outside the box uses for amaro? I've been buying them seriously for a couple of years but still consider myself a noob.
"Italian Margarita" makes me imagine a room of relatives from Italy and Mexico, and I am cringing at the thought of how loud that would be. But it also gives such a close family vibe that it's almost scary.
Oh, good lord. I can only imagine. Feel like a cocktail called the "Pendejo Italiano" might come out of that 😭
@@mitchellclendening7682
Sounds like a bomb cocktail to be honest.
I’m with you Greg, love me some good bourbon or Islay scotch, but rum has my heart. Probitas is one of my favorite rums at the moment, and Hamilton 151 is always a winner, so it’s great to see them mingle! I might have to start experimenting with that blend in some tiki drinks.
I used to have an "italian margarita" I'd make with Orendain Almondrado (which I can only find in Nogales). Was low proof, but good on a hot day. Back in the day, I used to be able to get a fifth of the almondrado for like $6-$8 in Mexico.
I had several interviews at Olive Garden as a bartender a few years back, and I remember them going ooooonnn and oooooon about how their bartenders and drinks are like, top tier best of the best.
It was honestly kind of nice to see DeKuyper show up in a drink just doing its job. Not as a novelty.
As for chain restaurants, do you guys have Houlihan's up there? Their website indicates there's at least a few in New Jersey.
The thing I've learned from all of these chains of america videos is that these restaurants serve a different clientele than a bar. Restaurant drinks are for people who want "yummy" things that make them feel buzzed, not "alcohol tasting" drinks that you sip at.
I think the easiest way to italianize the drink would be switching the lime for citrons, Sicilian oranges, or lemons.
That was my thought as well, and maybe a hit of lemon rind at the end
Hey, you used my photo for the Olive Garden Italian margarita and the Olive Garden Italian Rum Punch ;) I just copycat drinks, I don't recreate them or even attempt to make them better. I will try your version though!
I ran a cocktail for our summer menu once called a Gringa Wasted that was 1.5oz blanco tequila, 0.5oz amaretto, 0.75oz lemon juice, and 0.75oz simple. Shake, strain, serve up in a coupe. It's far from my finest or most sophisticated creation, but people loved it, and it was expressly concocted as a love child between an amaretto sour and a margarita. Seems like that's what Olive Garden was going for with their "Italian Margarita."
loved that add. pure gold
i am so down for using certain regional ingredients (like italian) to make drinks from a TOTALLY different region/origin (like tiki)!! that sounds like a REALLY fun experiment! much more opportunity for you to drink Good Things, too, which i feel like you might like.
and while i'm on this suggestion roll - i'd love to see an episode about glassware some time! do's and don'ts of what drinks go in which glasses, perhaps origins of drinks and/or glassware based on the other, the reasoning behind it all, etc... i think there might be a lot of potential there!
Italian marg creation sounded great. Interesting to see what other amaros can used. Quick correction on Probitas - it's a blend of Jamaican (Hampden) and Barbadian (Foursquare) rums. It's also a daiquiri workhorse.
That add read was mesmerizing, I was so confused but could not look away.
Can't wait to see the Italian tiki episode. Could be a whole series of turning drinks from around the world into tiki drinks
Tiki is something I only learned about from Greg. Would love to see this episode. Even a world series of tiki.
Aperotiki is most definitely a thing. I love white Negroni Pina colada's
@@canucker how have I not tried one of these yet?
I would %100 come back to Montenegro with any agave spirit, the citrus notes of Montenegro just jive so well with any agave spirit. One of my favorite 50/50 sippers is mezcal and montenegro.
RL Seale's is actually an unflavored and unsweetened rum from the Foursquare distillery in Barbados. It's some pretty good stuff in my opinion, very surprised by your thoughts on it! That being said most bottles that look crazy like that usually are weird flavored stuff so I could see that swaying your thoughts. Either way great video as usual!
Finally got around to making your Italian Rum Punch after all this time (I used Plantation instead of Probitas), and man I see what you mean. The flavors are very well balanced, you get that punch of demerara mitigated by the white rum so it isn’t overpowering, and then you get sweet, spice, and strawberries on the finish. Made two of them, and could have easily downed two more, which is the mark of a good tiki drink in my book.
South and north jersey be heaven. The shore is hell
A fantastic episode, probably my favourite of the series! Definitely going to try both recipes! Btw. Jersey to Florida is the same as from London to Rome by car.
Best written ad ever. 5⭐️'s 💯❤
There's a whole realm of drinks mixing tiki and Italian aperitivo traditions called, fittingly, "aperitiki." Pretty new concept, but a few recipes out there. Arguably, the Jungle Bird is already an example of this.
i don't usually watch sponsor segments in yt videos but you execute your characters and bits so well
I hope this gets lots of views, because this was a great episode, Greg. Thank you!
I just love to see you riffing on drinks, Greg!!
Yeah, that's right! I said it twice!!
Alright, this is gonna sound like an insult but I SWEAR it’s not. It’s a genuine comment and just kinda funny.
I’ll start with this, your content is real good and relaxing. Nice job. It’s so relaxing in fact that my boyfriend’s dog has seen every video. They’ll put your channel on for him before bed, anytime something else isn’t playing, when they leave the house, etc. He has to have your videos on, he loves them. He’ll actually watch and everything. 😂 He’s probably seen every single video multiple times at this point. He has issues with other animals, he’ll bark at the tv if something is even remotely animal shaped. But your channel is safe to show him apparently because you never show animals and you never get ads with animals.
Point is, I’ve wanted to comment this for awhile. I find it absolutely hilarious that my boyfriend’s dog is a massive fan of yours and has literally seen every video. Keep making great content, we’ll be watching 😂
I tried the improved Italian margarita, and it's one of the best cocktails I've ever had, well done!
LOL the second photo in the malls and plazas speech at the start is in Palmerston North, New Zealand a tiny city half way around the world from the US. PS love your videos
glissando = seamless, portamento = in steps (like the mentioned harp)
Greg.. I love you're Channel. You are truly gifted. I've been watching your channel since 2022 and I've always loved the Slurm from Futurama
Episode.
Love the ambiguity of "since 2022"... could be anywhere between 'a month and a half' to 'over a year' lol
@Chris O'neill I meant to say Since September of 2022. But I didn't add it because I forgot. Lol
RL Seale is foursquare distillery in Barbados. Really tasty IMO but I prefer Doorlys
Did you forget about limoncello? It seems like it would belong in the Italian Margarita (not that you did anything wrong with that, it sounds so good).
I've tried to like limoncello but it's just so sweet. Are you supposed to drink it straight or am I just ignorant? Might work with soda water?
@@otaharmstrong6149 Generally as a cold shot.
An Italian Margarita is already an established cocktail.
I feel like a strong next contender is yardhouse! Actually had a decent cocktail there, their riff on a smoky old fashioned. Also there's a Yardhouse on W 40th street in NYC!
I just want to say this is the best ad copy Ive seen in a long time and I really hope Helix deserves it
The Italian Marg at my job is made with limoncello in replace of the triple sec and or gran mariner. Gives a bitter sweetness which is pretty nice.
I work at Brio btw. Do an Ep. with their drinks!
Lazzaroni also makes some great amaretto cookies. And he's right about Joisee. I was stationed in So. Jersey, and one of my troops was from No. Jersey and often said it was different.
To keep the series up, you may eventually have to start traveling for the regional chains. But I'm sure there's still untapped potential near you! What about Texas Roadhouse, Bennigan's, Hooters, Dick's Last Resort, Joe's Crab Shack, Red Lobster, Bubba Gump's, El Torito, Outback Steakhouse, Tilted Kilt?
Oh I've been doing the Amaro and seltzer and saying it tastes like cola ever since an Italian friend gave me some amaro! I'm glad I wasn't the only one.
The curved neck on the R.L. Seale's rum is because it's modeled on a historical hip flask. You tie a string around the neck of the bottle and then tie it to your belt. The curve on the neck means it sits better against your hip.
I'm really surprised you didn't use lemoncello in either of the drinks, especially the margarita, but they both sound good and I approve of using the probitas rum. Got turned on to that from a worker at my local liquor store when I was looking to upgrade from basic Bacardi.
I don't know the brand of Amaretto; the one I sampled in my youth in Skokie, IL tasted like a biscotti with a hint of cherry in it. That was a great sweet taste.
"Italian tiki drinks" isn't a strange idea at all. Some of the biggest sweet flavors in Italian cuisine are fruit, but are usually a bit more complicated. Limoncello, sour cherry, blood orange, candied dry fruits...and spumoni is already a rum and candied fruits with nuts (usually pistachios) and chocolate flavor. This is actually a really cool place to go. The fact that amaretto worked so well in a margarita type beverage isn't strange either...lime juice and amaretto are an amazing mix. My first thought looking at all of this is how much a very citrus forward Italian punch would be awesome. I'm picturing fresh-squeezed blood orange juice, limoncello, gold rum, and something to ground it all in savory sweetness...maybe fig or date syrup or possibly some apricot, with a subtle fennel finish...so maybe that same spritz of absinthe.
Awesome episode! The rum punch sounds delicious. I'll have to make one
For me an Italian Margarita I would go with mezcal, cynar, lime, and curaçao. No need for amaretto in that one, but could split it with the curaçao. Mezcal and cynar pair perfectly together, in my opinion.