Gary Regan

I think this might be a good recipe for gin haters (and for gin lovers, too). Doc was the one who first pointed me toward this drink. Text from Joy of Mixology The Twentieth Century Cocktail Family: International Sours Detailed in Café Royal Cocktail Book, 1937, this drink was created by a certain C. A. Tuck. Dr. Cocktail brought it to my attention a few years ago, and I've been mixing and drinking it ever since. The citrus juice acts as a foil to the sweet liqueur in this delightful drink, but it's the mixture of gin and chocolate in this drink that intrigues me. Who would think that these two flavors would have a harmonious marriage? Did C. A. Tuck envisage these flavors before he put the drink together? We'll never know, but however he came up with the formula, nobody can argue with the fact that this drink is a masterpiece. 1½ ounces gin ½ ounce Lillet Blonde ½ ounce white crème de cacao ½ ounce fresh lemon juice Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Gary has left the building!

No, I think the zen approach IS working. You didn't like the gin to start with. Switch to a different liquor--one that you do like. How about rum? The same drink should work well with rum.

Guys: I have to leave in about 45 minutes, and I doubt that I'll be back in time to post anything else today. Hope you all understand--I just have one appointment after another this afternoon and this evening. Anyway, I'll keep checking in for the next 45 mins or so, and I'll be back sometime next week to check in on your regular forum. Thanks for making this boy feel so welcome--I've had a blast.

No, it's not kirsch. Kirsch is an eau de vie, and although in a literal sence it IS a cherry brandy, the style you want for a B&S is a liqueur--it will be red and sweet, rather than clear and dry.

Gary was too busy getting wasted WITH Doc to remember the story. We did have fun, though!

Wow! That's nice to hear, Janet. Thanks. I think Peychaud's works best in that drink, but Angostura will certainly suffice.

I think the Dewars is a little light to use in this drink, though Teachers should work well, and I'm afraid I'm drawing a blank on the last time I tasted B&W so can't comment. Johnnie Walker Red works well, and I think that Dewars 12-year-old would be a good choice. And don't forget White Horse--a good whisky at bargain basement price.

Do you have bitters?

The Charry Marnier or Cherry Heering are both the correct sort of cherry brandy for this drink, but neither is currently being imported to the USA. So, if you have neither, and can't find a retailer with old stock, I'm afraid you'll have to use somethink like Bols or Marie Brizzard (both are decent brands, though). I don't remember posting anything about an upgraded B&S on e-Gullet. Are you thinking of this week's Ardent Spirits newsletter? We gave a recipe for a B&S using Johnnie Walker Blue Label--Mardee dubbed it a Blue-Blood and Sand!

A lot of that has to do with circumstances really. Mardee also has another business that takes up a lot of her time, and that sometimes dictates what we do together, and what we do seperately. Our 2 recent cocktail/bartender books reflect what we said in another thread--we think in different ways on lots of subjects (wouldn't life get boriing if we didn't?), and those books reflect, to an extent, our individual philosophies.

I'm a big advocate of freepouring, especially for professional bartenders. I think it looks better to the customer, gives a bartender a chance to show some style, and allows the bartender to "feel" his or her way through a drink. Freepouring does have setbacks, but it's far too long a discussion to open up here. (Unless Audrey wants to weigh in here!) There are some drinks, though, that I always measure, just because I know that exact proportions are very important in certain cocktails. I measure ingredients for Margaritas (3 tequila, 2 Cointreau, 1 lime juice), Negronis (= amounts gin, Campari, sweet vermouth), and the Blood and Sand (equal amounts scotch, sweet vermouth, cherry brandy, and orange juice). As an aside, the Blood and Sand can also be made as a tall drink if you use lots more orange juice, and this is a good drink to serve at Brunch for people who don't like Bloody Marys, etc. I should also add that many top-notch professionals (Audrey among them) taste each and every cocktail (by dipping a straw into the drink while it's still in the shaker, and capturing a few drops to drizzle on the tongue), and adjust the ingredients if they deem it necessary. I LOVE this concept. What chef would serve a sauce without tasting it and adjusting seasonings first?

Mardee says that she's going to address the glassware issue later--probably under the Galssware thread.

Will do, Marlene!

Hi Audrey: Good to see you here!

Well, it's almost time for the siren to sound again, so I'm starting to pack up my desk for the day. Tomorrow's our last day--though we'll be back to visit your regular forum. Promise. You guys have been great. We still haven't come up with a new cocktail for you guys, either. May I buy us a little more time? We'll post a recipe on your regular boards soon. Anyway, I point out that tomorrow is Friday in case we've left any questions unanswered that I haven't spotted (I've been through the whole list a few times and can't see anything). Please let us know if there's anything else you'd like answered. And if any of you would like to receive our newsletter, Ardent Spirits, along with regular links to my bi-weekly column in the SF Chronicle, just sign up at www.ardentspirits.com. Cheers, Gary

I'm usually a Herradura man, but recently we compiled a list of a dozen highly recommendable brands for an upcoming article in Wine Enthusiast (June). Here's a sneak peak (in alphabetical order, and noting which styles are available in each brand): Casa Noble (Blanco, Reposado, and Añejo) Cazadores (Blanco and Reposado) Chinaco (Blanco, Reposado, and Añejo) Don Eduardo (Blanco, Reposado, and Añejo) Don Julio (Blanco, Reposado, and Añejo) El Tesoro de Don Felipe (Blanco, Reposado, and Añejo) Herradura (Blanco, Reposado, and Añejo) Jose Cuervo Tradicional (Reposado) Patrón (Blanco, Reposado, and Añejo) Sauza Hornitos (Reposado) Sauza Tres Generaciones (Blanco and Añejo) Tequila Corazon de Agave (Blanco and Reposado)

Sorry Janet--book and magazine editors sometimes make me write about "essential glassware" and it bores me silly! I will say a little about cocktail glasses, though. First off they are getting bigger for the same reason that most restaurants in the USA serve you enough food to take home and live off for 3 or 4 more days. People like big. I don't like cocktail glasses because, when filled to the brim, they are so darned hard to get to your mouth without spilling. Simple as that. I use champagne flutes at home--just as stylish, easy to hold, and the aromas get concentrated at the neck.

Thanks Doc: That is my usual advise! I was taking it easy, though, since Fat Guy seemed real nervous . . .

I should have added that you should start tasting this infusion as soon as it's been resting for 48 hours. There's a risk of the chile taking over the whole thing, and if you think it's getting to that point you should strain it immediately.

My all time favorite infusion is in our New Classic Cocktails book (there's also a great Limoncello recipe in there from Al Forno restaurant in Rhode Island). Here's my fave, though: The Lark Creek Inn Tequila Infusion Created by Bradley Ogden, Lark Creek Inn, Larkspur, CA, 1995. 1 pineapple, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks 1 serrano chile 1 sprig tarragon 1 750-ml bottle reposado tequila 1. Cut the top and tail from the chile and discard them. Slice the chile lengthways, down the center, remove the seeds, and place it into a large glass container with the pineapple chunks and the tarragon. 2. Cover the mixture with the tequila and allow it to rest for 48 to 60 hours in a cool, dark place. 3. Strain the tequila from the pineapple, chile, and tarragon through a double layer of dampened cheesecloth. Return the tequila to the bottle and chill it in the refrigerator or freezer for at least 12 hours.

This can be hard to find, but look for Van Gogh O'Magifique triple sec. NOT Van Gogh Magnifique. Look at the proof on the bottle--the O'M is 40% abv. Very good product.

This is a fairly easy thing to prepare--I have a piece on the subject in the upcoming June issue of Gourmet. I can't really go into all the details here without writing the whole article, but basically you take a cocktail recipe that you enjoy, add the amounts of all the ingredients, and add 1/3 of that amount in bottled water. Pour it into a bottle, refridgerate, and when guests come over you can simply pour straight from the bottle into chilled cocktail glasses. If the drink contains fruit juice, shake the bottle before serving. The water is added to make up for the water that melts from the ice when you shake or stir a cocktail. Here's an example Margarita 3 ounces tequila 2 ounces Cointreau 1 ounce fresh lime juice That's 6 ounces total, so add 2 ounce bottled water. Of course you wouldn't do this to make just one cocktail, so multiply ingredients to get a bottle full. To fill a 750-ml bottle the recipe would be 9 ounces tequila 6 ounces Cointreau 3 ounces lime juice 6 ounces bottled water

It's also possible to adjust the ratio of syrup to soda on most guns, but few operators bother to tinker with that. Although there have been occasions when I've tasted decent cola or lemon-lime soda from a gun (few and far between), I've never had good tonic water from a gun. They just don't seem to be able to get it right.

If the bottles are unopened, and the level of the contents are still up to, or in, the neck of the bottle, the spirit or liqueur should be okay. Sometimes even unopened bottles allow spirits to evaporate a little, and oxidization can occur if too much air gets into the bottle, and it's left there for too long. Once a bottle of spirits is opened, as a general rule you should try to finish it within 6 - 12 months. Again, this depends on how much air is in the bottle. I once had a rare bottle of Irish whiskey, got down to the last 3 or 4 inches, and decided to save it for a special occasion. By the time the occasion arose, the whiskey was completely oxidized & we ended up pouring it down the sink. Be warned!