fatdeko

I know. Which is why I took note of it, and zeroed in on bad citrus management as the culprit. The use of the term bitterness was what set off the alarms. I ignored the thesis that the overuse of bitters may have been to blame, based on the Lady Godiva theory. The flavor of bitters makes itself apparent faster than the bitterness of bitters, the same way that a naked babe on a stallion has us gawking at her breasts more than the tax policy she protests. I'll concede a little on the sugar front, and I knew I probably would when I mentioned it. Darcy's piece in "Mixologist" isn't very helpful as he compares ml's to grams and then thrills us with this sentence fragment: "About 50 percent more sugar than an average teaspoon". I'm still trying to figure out what that might mean. Or average. myers

I've had a myriad of thoughts while I've been following this thread, none of them, however, worthy of penning a full blown reply. Till now, that is. One thought that has clogged the holes of the sieve that is my mind is the apparent interchangeability of the terms 'sour' and 'bitter'. Fresh citurs juices are 'sour' by nature but not 'bitter'. Bitterness may be my natural state, and Campari's too, but it's not really what citrus is all about. Unless, that is, it's crudely extracted, or gets oxidized. Which is what my initial diagnosis was regarding the 5 ninth cocktails; they were described as 'bitter' in the original post, rather than sour. "Fresh" or frozen juice purchased from a local produce purveyor may seem like the logical thing to do, if your doing the purchasing for a bar--it's cost effective and there's no labor--but the two cardinal sins of citrus lurk just behind the invoice. Namely, the juice is "ground" out of the fruit, unleashing all the bitter compounds hiding in the zest and the vesicle membranes, and it's old. Lemon and lime juices have a fairly regular life cycle, going from delightfully sour to uncompromisingly bitter. Lime juice is useful almost 24 hours later, but lemon juice tastes like crap nearly 12 hours sooner and takes on an entirely different flavor to boot. Add to that paradigm the fact that you have to buy a case at a time, and you're aging your already feeble juice in your walk-in. What to do? Juice judiciously to juice deliciously. First, you'll need the right equipment. There's lots of contraptions out there, and they cost pretty much up and down the scale. What you want is something that 'presses' rather than grinds. Rule of thumb: if it spins, it's bad. If you've got $150 bucks to spend, your best bet is the Hamilton Beach 932, otherwise, there's a few knock offs that can be had for half that. Limes, lemons, grapefruits and even pomegranates will be your bitch when you wield one of these 'muthas. At home, I've got something I found on an eBay store for $20. (Parts of it are plastic and wouldn't stand up to commercial abuse, but I've been drinking a lot more healthfully at breakfast.) Strain your juices too. Primarily, it'll make your drinks look better, your glasses will clean up easier, and I have a sneaky suspicion that it retards the onset of bitterness. Second, you have to refrain from getting ahead of yourself. Juice what you will use each shift. If you have to juice again towards the end of the night, so be it. Sure it's a pain in the ass, but most of life's luxuries require a little effort. If you have leftovers, give 'em to the kitchen: they use citrus primarily for its acidity, flavor is usually secondary. Another hint: warm fruit yields its juice more readily. After I set-up my bar for the day, I fill a sink with hot water and dump my 'from-the-fridge' fruit into it for 10 minutes or so. Then I get to pressin'. Increases my juice yield 50-75%. Thirdly and finally, storage: I keep my juices in empty Orangina bottles. They accept a speed pour and fit right in the well. They don't hold much, but that's the point. Backups are kept chilled in the beer cooler, ready and healthy when I need 'em. I'm interested in Dave's (the Cook) daiquiri inquiry. My initial take on it is that we've got an apple v. oranges situation. Simple syrup and granulated sugar don't measure the same (don't even get me started on fine, superfine and 20x) so for sweetness sake, the competing recipes are maybe marginally different. But the differences in the citrus component is overwhelming! Hmmm.... I wonder what I'll be doing during a slow, quiet, Sunday shift, now that GMU is gone. myers

Thank you gentlemen for the kind words and you all are welcome anytime. Does anyone have any idea when White Heart might swing open its doors or what kind of drinks the new Bandol Gastro-Pub might look to serve? myers

Ummmm....... That recipe should include LEMON JUICE. I don't know how I forgot that part. Well, actually, I do. Oops. myers

Goodness Gracious, Gents! I thought for sure that I had posted the answer and finally put this thread to bed, but alas, I may have dreamed the whole thing. My apologies. The little Tome goes to young Mr Kinsey--both for being nearly spot on and for wasting mere minutes on the puzzle. (My point was, afterall, how a drink's name can readily drop a dime on its contents) A tip of the Hat goes to eje for his Basilology and a free drink to Jack Rose for keeping me to task and tempting us all with a BH Sour. (I'm still waiting for you and JohnnyD to pop in and put me through my paces) Truth be told, I was reminded of the Rathbone after a Jorno queried about drinks that should have hit, but missed. I dusted off an old recipe that I could never quite get right but still had affection for. I make no claims for its quaffability. So Sam was right as it is nothing more than a gin sour with a bit of THAI basil muddled into the simple syrup. I lean toward Thai Basil for its relative ease in muddling, ie. Thai Basil really likes to release its oils, and the flavor profile has a more pronounced anise/fennel/licorice attitude and not nearly so much "weediness" as Italian Basil. And you can't beat it for the subtle spice notes, too. A slice of cucmber while muddling works well here too. It seems to lighten the ponderousness of the basil and cut through some of the lemon's acidity. Recipe? I'll give you a measure-free Regan-esque version: your mileage will vary at nearly every turn. Get some simple syrple in a mixing glass, along with some Thai Basil and a slice (or 2) of cucumber. Muddle till your heart is content. Or, If your anything like me, stop when it's all mashed. Add Ice and pour Hendrick's Gin over the top. Something in the neighborhood of 2 ounces should do. Don't forget to annoint with a few dashes of some bitters. Ango works well, as does Fee's. An additional dash or tow of ROB #6 is de rigeur. Give the whole mess a good shaking and either strain into a pre-chilled cocktail glass or right over top some crushed ice in a DOF. If you've chosen the latter, go wild with the final flourish--a grate of nutmeg, or even long pepper or (my favorite) a pinch of smoked paprika. myers ps: PM me Sam, so I can send you the book. Or I can just C/O it to PEGU.

My understanding when these whiskeys started trickling out about 10 yrs ago goes something like this: Some years after the Michter's distillery was mothballed, a fairly large cache of the whiskey was discovered still snoring in barrels. The hootch was transferred to storage facilities in Kentucky and released as the 16 yr bottling and named after an exec at Schenley. Another portion of the remainder continued to age in barrels (released as the 20yr old) while yet another fraction was transferred to stainless steel to halt any further maturation. So yes, when it's gone, it's alllll gone. BTW: The Michter's whiskey that's currently out there is not from the resurrected plant in Pennsylvania. Some other folks have simply purchased the name. myers

Probably is too small for Whole Foods, and they've already committed to Marginal Way. Trader Joes, on the other hand....... myers

I'll cop to being one of those rigid folks when it comes to cocktail nomenclature/taxonomy--a thing is a thing, afterall and words should mean something at the end of the day. Which isn't to say that riffing on a tried and true formula is to be discouraged--to the contrary--I just think you can give it a clever name that pays homage to its heritage without sullying the good family name. I'm thinking along the lines of The Screwdriver Variations, (waltz time, in the Key of V, natch) Screwdriver Sloe Screw Sloe Comfortable Screw Sloe Comfortable Screw Against the Wall The name is a thing, the drink is a thing and they work together. Personal real world examples: I took a Champagne Fraise and turned it inside out, reversing the flavor of the sweetener and the flavor of the spirit, using Hangar 1 Fraser River Raspberry Vodka. "Down Goes Frazier" seemed the only natural thing to call it. A riff on the Dark and Stormy became The Lytton Fizz in homage to (Samuel? Edgar? Edwin?) Bulwer-Lytton who gave us "It was a dark and stormy night and the rain fell in torrents, and at intervals...." (And George would be correct in calling me out for a slight misnaming of this drink, it is properly called Lytton Buck) A riff on a Rusty Nail, subbing Galliano for Drambuie and punching up the peat with an Islay malt became The Golden Spike named after the ceremonial final nail that finished the TransContinental Railway and the convention that "Golden" often refers to the presence of Galliano. I guess my point, finally, is that a cocktail's name should be pleasing to the ear, spur a little curiosity, and give some indication as to the drink's ingredients and format, his identity. And to that end, I'll bet that y'all can suss out the recipe for the "Rathbone Sour". I'll send the first person who does a copy of Irwin S Cobb's Own Recipe Book. Barring that, the closest entry by Friday noon (EST) gets the book. myers

I couldn't agree with you more re: the half-assed shakes. What's even more perplexing is what I've dubbed the "Old Port Chisel" wherein a cocktail spoon is pumped up and down rapidly for all of 5 seconds in an iced glass. If you like old school bar technique, get yourself over to Oolong and introduce yourself to John. Tell him Fat D sent you. You may even get a decent Jack Rose out of it myers

Wrong forum or not, the reduction in entertainment licenses available for bars needs some clarification. Nearly everywhere I've read coverage of the concil's last meeting, with the possible exception of the Bollard, has really misled readers about this issue. Some history is in order, and I promise to be as brief as possible. In '96 the so called "Overlay" scheme was put into place. If an entertainment venue (coffee house, pool hall, arcade,bar etc) was located within an arbitrarily drawn portion of the Old Port, it required an entertainment license. 40 were to be established, with 28 set aside for bars. To simplify things--and it also seems to be the only category that the Council has kept its collective eye on--we'll deal only with bars. A bar needs an "Overlay license" if 50% or more of it's sales comes from Liquor, Beer and Wine AND it resides in the Overlay Zone. There is some pretty sound speculation that forcing a business to comply with a Licensing scheme over and above the State's requirements, is at best, barely legal. At the last council meeting, I watched as some councilors and Coporation Counsel contorted themselves and the proceedings so as not to trigger a legal challenge to one license that was up for approval. The combination of the oddly drawn map and this 50% trigger creates for some head scratching when one looks at the list of Overlay License holders. The Industry never needed the Overlay License since a majority of its income was derived from cover charges and the sale of energy drinks/bottled water. Bull Feeney's doesn't have one. (presumably selling more food than booze?) Jay's has one. (presumably selling more booze than food?) Ri-Ra does not. (not in the overlay zone) Porthole doesn't have one When the Council voted to reduce the Overlay licenses to 24 from 27, (Gorham's original proposal did indeed call for reduction to 22; 24 was reached as compromise) there was some concern among councilors that a new multi-million dollar hotel proposed for the Jordan's property would require an overlay license for its lounge and there might not be one for them. "We're the council. With 5 votes we can create more" was the prevailing attitude. There seemed to be a majority on the council that has realized that this scheme is not working and Councilor Leeman and Mayor Cohen have proposed a "Stakeforce" to examine and revamp the scheme. When the council agrees that permits that have quotas can be destroyed and created willy-nilly, you've lost the quota aspect which was the permit's raison d' etre in the first place. I'd say it's broken too. So it's not Liquor licenses per se, that the council is limiting. That comes from the state and you can get as many as you want. Just don't expect to make most of your money with it. Unless, that is, the council says you can. myers

Dave: On the subject of gentian--powdered or root? myers

For these sweet-yet-tart syrups (some of these are absolutely stunning), I like to take a "Bramble" approach as a way of getting to know them. Dick Bradsell, the UK's Potentate of Potables, came up with the Bramble, and it's basically pretty simple: Gin, Lime Juice, Simple Syrple over crushed ice and then a drizzle of Creme de Mure. (Raspberry liquer--hard to find. You can sub Chambord) I'm not a huge fan of the drink itself, but the template for the drink....now that's a different story. In the original Bramble you start with a more or less finished concoction, something of a gimlet. But what happens next is pure genius. Mist-ify it over crushed ice, then crown it with a liquer. The liquer floats there, adding aroma as you drink, and as the ice melts, soothing the drink, the liquer slowly permeates the rest of the cocktail. Like a well made Old Fashioned or one of Chris Macmillian's Juleps, the drink evolves with each sip and is never the same drink twice. So the next steps are to build your own Brambles. 1). Get y'self some straight, red blooded Hootch, be it Whisk(e)y, Rum, Gin, Tequila, Akvavit, Pisco etc (Vodka was omitted for a reason) 2). Modify it (citrus juice, bitters, muddled fruit/herbs etc, some type of liquer) 3). Sweeten it (sugar, syrup, flavored syrup, some type of liquer) 4). Build and crown I recently picked up some sour cherry syrup too. Ferrara, I believe, and have been enjoying it Brambled with Cruzan Blackstrap Rum, Angostura, and Falernum. Sometimes I whack it with an orange twist. Other thoughts: A Jack Rose with Cherry syrup instead of the grenadine A Blinker subbing the raspberry for cherry myers

OK! It's driving me a bit mad. I conceed, already!! I'll let Sam at the PEGU win this event if it means that all my co-workers will leave me alone, or at least stop bugging me for "The Drink"! Ed, Dori, et al: what's the upshot of the BIGGEST AND BESTEST SHOWCASE OF THE MOST CANE BASED SPIRITS EVER ASSEMBLED FOR A PUBLIC TASTING IN THE HISTORY OF NORTH AMERICA? myers

Add to that list Maine Distillers and their flagship product, Cold Creek Vodka which hits the shelves (at least here in Maine) today. Maine potatoes, Maine water, pot distillation. And it STILL tastes almost like Vodka. myers

A martini is a bad example. An extra dry martini does indeed take no skill to make. After all, it's merely a shot of cold gin or vodka. A proper martini is only slightly more complicated, as then the only thing to do is to determine how much vermouth the person is looking for. There are some drinks that are more complicated than a Martini, however. If someone were to order a Mai Tai or a B-52 it'd be a slightly different story. ← And I thought I knew You! Any Martini takes a bit of skill and panache to pull off. Too often the cold gin is not cold enough, or worse, shaken, or even worser, barely stirred. And why order an extra dry Gin Maritini in the first place? There's Synergy in that there dance between the Vermouth and the Gin--they have relatives in common, don't you know. And the glass has to be prepped too. Our first sensation of our Martini, the one that we've waited all day for, our first impression comes not from the drink itself, but from the glass! If it is warm, or even just room temperature, or worse, simply lifeless on our lip, then the whole illusion is shattered. Our prayers have gone unanswered, God is elsewhere than in His Heavens and even momentary transcendence is futile. Cold, crappy, American Pilsners are more satisfying, if quickly drunk and in quantity. Ales will do in a pinch. myers

I nearly lost a friend over Gary's book. A fellow bartender borrowed my copy of Gary's book and then went through a messy divorce. While he languished/mellowed in a hotel, my book rested in his wife's house and she wasn't letting anything out untill she got satisfaction. It was almost 8 months before I had the book back in my hands, after a stressful time of wondering if she would make good on her threats to throw everything into the fireplace or the bay or the ocean or simply set fire to the whole mess in order to save the decision making. In that sense, I suppose you're right, JOM shouldn't be leant to friends. How JoM clashes with "Cocktail Culture" is beyond me. Insofar as we're talking about real cocktail culture versus the oxymoronic version, (neither 'cocktails' nor 'culture'-- like that which is practiced in "Clubs") I think Regan picks up where Grimes leaves off, and does a real handy job of distilling the weird and rich tradition of American Drinking into something of a jouneyman's handbook, a primer, if you will, for those who want to 'Get' the drinks that they serve. If stew is too rich, perhaps you like soup. Wondrich is great also. His works have a smart-alecky, cynical and snarky voice, tinged with a heavy-metallist's frustration at having spent the last 18 hrs in the New York Public Library. myers

For them, particularly the scriveners among 'em, I like "Liquoratti". I bristle at Barchef and Mixologist too, but barchef did seem to work in Tony's program. I guess it works as a TV hook but irks when used as a title. And mixologist also works in some contexts--you'd call Embury one--but neither term is a substitute or even accurate description for bartender. The bartender's role does not start or end at the drink. We're Constables when we keep the peace, Accountants while we keep the till, Entertainers when we tell the jokes, Priests when we hear confession, Doctors when we cure hiccups, Matchmakers when we make introductions, Shrinks when we simply listen, Salesmen when we get you off your Jack and Coke to Booker's and Coke, Judges when we settle disputes, Bookies when we settle your bet. We're the Gas Station when we give directions, Zagat's when we tell you the best Italian in town and Local Historians when we tell the story of the building you're now drinking in. Which reminds me, somewhere along the way, we make you the best Sidecar you ever 'et. So what do you call someone like that? Bartender works just fine. myers

I'm not much of a genius or 'nuthin, but I remember when Vodka Infusions first attempted to catch on back in the early 92's. I did a couple or 4 infusions for a Russian themed joint in DC and they worked out really well. Some better than others. What it taught me was this: Depending on the subject of ya'lls infusion, you gotta figure out how close an eye you have to keep on it. Depending on how fast things sell will tell you something about your production schedule. F'rinstance: 5 pepper infused vodka: Infuse it as fast as you can sell it. It also didn't take long to infuse... Garlic and Dill Vodka: Pull the Herbs and make a label 'cause it gets fawnky after 2 days. Ginger Vodka: Let it sweat and let it Purrrrrr. Mary Anne is usually right around the corner but Ginger likes to wait around. Now, as I write this, it occured to me that a lot of things tend to find their own level, travel the path of least resistance and flow downhill etc. Our 5 Pepper Vodka sold the best, and it only took a couple of hours to get it infused. The Garlic/Dill took a few days, but it rarely sold. The Ginger Vodka took almost 24 hours to get "just right" and that's about the par level I had to keep for it. This is a really LONG preamble to the post. I apologize. But this is why I've (more or less) given up on the Infusions and gone for syrups. I know, I know, I know.....some flavor compounds aren't extracted in water, but can and will be expressed in alcohol. I concede that point. Those of you with the patience, energy and outright-nerdiness can have that parcel of the High Ground. BUT: Ginger syrup, 5 Spice syrup, Piloncillo syrup, Cardamon syrup and on and on just can't be beat. In syrups, you have the versatility of a sweetener (nearly all drinks/cocktails have one) and they play well with the Iced Tea that I'm rarely outside of arm's reach of. (I know that's a bad sentence, but it is one, up with which I will put!) myers

Better to share than let go to waste, though I guess the waitstaff would have finished it. BTW, nothing wrong with dreads, from one deadhead to another. ←

I have to say--and by that, I mean that I can't believe that I'm saying it at all--but up in this here New England, the ART of the LIIT has either been lost, forgotten or it's time for the Rosetta Stone to turn up in a potato patch. TOWIT: I fully expected my new fellow 'tenders to have trouble gathering fresh juice into their Margiarita kits, and even anticipated a couple of overly sour 'Sours' once we de-constructed sourmix. But the flummoxification of the LIIT, I was not prepared for. As it turns out, up in this here New England, the LIIT is finished off with 3oz Sour mix and a SPLASH of Cola. I was, as you may have guessed, Flummoxed! As soon as I turned those inside out over-hauls back into a drink, it was too late. "Gimme one of those LIIT's that tastes like Iced Tea!" was all I heard. "And give the other one a Cosmo". I hate being good.... myers (Tip o' the Hat to Beans)

Cafe Atlantico, one of DC's best restaurants, used to grind up altoids into fine powder and sprinkle some on raw oysters. Weird, but wow! myers

Steve: Thanks for your apropos props to Portland, particularly it's "neighbor-hood-ness". A former DC'er myself, I was struck by the same thing when I moved here 3 yrs ago. Give us a shout when you come up in August and let's get a drink. I'd love to hear what Chris Vazguez is up to and where Kevin Delaney is now etc, etc. It just occured to me: Of course you "get" Hugo's. Everytime I've eaten there, I was reminded of Cafe Atlantico's deconstuctionist sort of innovations. Different, of course, but similar. And folks just look at me cross-eyed when I tell them to grind Altoids and sprinkle them on their oysters. But then again, I looked at Thrasher cross-eyed when he told me the same thing. The name of the Italian Grocery is Miccuci's. It's awesome. The first thing that hits you when you walk in is the smell! It absolutely reeks of cold cuts, cheeses, olives,and on and on. Plus, they carry SanBitter. Prtland Green Grocer had an issue with a new neighbor who has rights to their right-of-way in the back alley. They forbade Green Grocer from accepting deliveries to their back door so they've truncated their offerings and their space. No more greens at the Green Grocer, but good wines, good deli and some specialties. myers PS: Siren: your avatar reminds me of NatalieDee.com

In Nevada for a time, the lawyer, the editor, the banker, the chief desperado, the chief gambler and the saloon-keeper, occupied the same level in society, and it was the highest. The cheapest and easiest way to become an influential man and be looked up to by the community at large, was to stand behind a bar, wear a cluster-diamond pin, and sell whisky. I am not sure but that the saloon-keeper held a shade higher rank than any other member of society. His opinion had weight. It was his privilege to say how the elections should go. No great movement could succeed without the countenance and direction of the saloon-keepers. It was a high favor when the chief saloon-keeper consented to serve in the legislature or the board of aldermen. Youthful ambition hardly aspired so much to the honors of the Law, or the Army and Navy as to the dignity of proprietorship in a saloon. To be a saloon-keeper and kill a man was to be illustrious. MarkTwain's "Roughing It" Chpt 48, 1872 myers

Regarding steeping in your boiling pot: Besides the above mentioned aspect of having to clean it (you really do have to clean it between pots as you don't want the residue to boil anymore than you want tea to, whereas your pot can be simply thoroughly rinsed) it's also about using the right tool for the job. The pot that's for boiling is made for heat conductivity--a pot that heats quickly (watched or not) is a good thing. It's usually metal for stovetop use or (in my case) plastic and electric. They heat quickly and cool quickly too. Your pot for steeping and holding your tea will be (should be) made of bigger stuff--it's role is heat retention, and once scalded will hold temp a lot longer, cozed or not. myers

Methinks yonder glassy tubey thing is one of those contraptions that Wine Enthusiast and the like used to sell--I haven't seen one offered since about '98. It was a sort of Chem-lab-ish system for making your own distillates, "for display" only or "educational purposes only" caveated deal. If I recall, they didn't work all that great, you'd distill about a 1/2 tsp at a time and the glass with the distill-ee would get too hot and there was really no way to recycle the cool water in the funny thing the condenser was in and on and on and on. And they cost about 250.00 American. The good thing was that you could make grappa on-the-fly in case you needed to scrub the lipstick off the only coffee cup in your bachelor pad--and then you'd only use it if the old shade didn't match the color of your latest paramour's pucker-paint. (Edited to delete some off color foolishness of questionable taste/value. Vodka like) myers