Chris Amirault

Wow -- guy asks a question and gets a slew of terrific answers! Thanks! I think I'll be making 3-4 gallons today, and I'm limited in what I have on hand for equipment -- but I do have two deep sinks, so I'll use that quick-chill method. I've never tried the super-reduction approach so I'll give that more thought today. I do have a chamber vacuum sealer that I can set up for filling and sealing bags, so that end is set as long as I can get the stock to cool quickly. Will report back!

Okey doke. How about this, based on Audrey Saunders's Goodnight, Irene? Rough & Tumble 2 oz Brugal extra viejo or Smith & Cross rum (very different drinks, btw) 1/2 oz Branca Menta 1/2 oz Creole Shrubb or 1/4 oz rich simple syrup Stir; strain over crushed ice; add a (flamed, if you like) orange peel.

All right: I'll start combing through the files and try to get one up every night or two. Here's the first, from Ted Kilpatrick of No. 9 Park and Drink in Boston: Scotland the Brave 2 1/2 oz Talisker 3/4 oz Fernet Branca 3/4 oz sweet vermouth (M&R) 1/2 oz Mathilde Orange XO (Grand Marnier) Stir; strain over one large rock; orange twist.

We have lots of topics around here on stock, but I'm starting a new one in the hopes that we can focus on a particular component of stock-making. I make a ton of chicken stock every few months, vacuum-seal it, and stick the bags in my freezer to be taken out when needed. I'm going to be doing that this weekend, and I'm already dreading different stages like straining it, cooling it down quickly, and bagging it. Does anyone have any tried-and-true tips for production logistics of such an operation? I'm all ears.

Thanks, Andie and Matt -- you've both inspired me in many ways. I really appreciate these posts.

Boy, that's a tricky one to balance. I tried it tonight with a Dalmatian fig jam that, sadly, had big chunks of fig in it of which I was unaware until I strained. That, plus a dry Wild Turkey 101 bourbon, a too-tangy lemon, and a relatively dry Marie Brizard amaretto, meant that I had a mouthful of pucker with little figgyness. Into the sink it went... with a promise to work on balance next time. So I banged out an Eclipse: 2 oz Chinaco añejo tequila 3/4 oz Heering 3/4 oz Aperol 3/4 oz lemon juice What an amazing drink, a perfect embodiment of the PDT principles of provocation, balance, and deliciousness.

I've got so many of these I don't know where to begin....

FrogPrincesse, where did you get that blue plastic pasta rack?

Thanks, Merridith -- that means a lot to me.

It's finally tea season here, and I'm enjoying this robust mug of Ye Sheng Hong Cha Yunnan wild black tea. It's wild, all right, slightly sweet and malty but with all sorts of crazy stuff going on in a very long woodsy finish. My clear favorite tea of the moment.

Excellent! I use mine all the time, and hope you enjoy yours as much!

Always happy to help, Judiu, and will be subscribing to more topics and forums now that I'm over a few bumps here. And, as ever, I'm available via the PM system to try to answer any questions I can.

Thanks, Catharine, Nick, and Blether. As a sign of my cutting back on commitments, I'm... running a cocktail workshop tonight. Old habits die hard.

Bijou.

I've now done these workshops about ten more times and have another coming tomorrow night. The content above has changed a bit, but the basic framework is the same. In particular, I'm convinced that making an Old Fashioned or Improved when people arrive, using the Manhattan/Martini as a teaching pause, and then getting everyone to make a sour is a solid structure, stretching out the drinking but also getting people involved. Spirits tasting is also a must: watching people have their first taste of quality absinthe, in particular, is worth the many hours of prep and delivery. I'm doing tomorrow's here at the house, so I may try to snap a few photos. Will report back either way.

Thanks, everyone. Your words mean a lot to me. Yes, balance, precisely! I'm getting there.... (Oh, and congrats, Katie, your own self!) Ditto.

Made a substantial variation of the PDT variation of the Prince Edward: 2 oz Bruichladdich Port Charlotte An Turas Mor scotch 1 oz Cocchi Aperitivo Americano 1/2 oz Benedictine dash Jerry Thomas Decanter bitters dash Gary Regan orange bitters Stir, strain, lemon twist. Tasty, though I'd bump up the scotch to, say, a Talisker-level of richness next time.

Thanks, FP. I'm glad to see you picking up the slack in the cocktail topics!

I'm writing to let Society members know that I'm stepping down from my position as Director of Operations for eG Forums. I'll remain a forum manager. It's been an honor to serve the membership and lead a crack team of volunteers over these past several years. However, shortly after my blowout Xmas 2010/New Years 2011 foodblog -- which coincided with the publication of the sous vide megatopic index -- professional and personal life demanded that I take (what I then thought would be) a breather. Over the intervening months, life didn't stop with the demands, so that breather has turned into a need to step back from the position of Director into a more reasonable role as manager. Of course, the volunteer directors, managers, and hosts around here are so good that it hasn't really mattered. So I'm stepping back, not out. I'll continue to contribute as a member on the forums and provide support behind the scenes, working with Linda as forums manager and serving Dave and Chris H as I'm able. Finally, I write to express my gratitude to every member who has contributed to this strange little online world we've built. Like you, I've learned (and forgotten) more than I can quantify here in eG Forums, and the relationships I've formed with folks both online and offline enrich my life in myriad ways. Plus, stuff tastes a lot better than it did all those years ago. So thanks -- and see you around.

This Bruichladdich Port Charlotte An Turas Mor is tasty, if a bit light -- remarkable to say for something as peaty as this. But I'm comparing it to the otherworldly Aberlour A'bunadh 19 that I found, miracle of miracles, on the shelf of a local store. It may well be that I'm a fan of a great big sherry fruitcake cuddle, but this thing is a black, burnt caramel bombshell.

Yikes. I'm scared, although you seldom steer me wrong, Chris. Corriander, orange, apricot, juniper, grapefruit, pie spice, oh my. That's a pretty advanced cocktail for a fundraiser. How did it go over with mere mortals? They loved it -- the first drink we ran out of that night. (Not so with another drink of my concoction, FWIW...) I think this libation is one of my best, a favorite for me and many guests.

Welcome, Van Stratten. Allow me to take a different approach to your contrarian one. If you snoop through this topic, you'll find many examples of cocktails where the specific characteristics of Cocchi Americano are perfect, if not extraordinary. I agree that the two you mentioned have not yet produced the sorts of results I'd have hoped for with the CA. But perhaps we've got it backwards, trying to shoehorn Cocchi Americano into those well-worn loafers, CR#2 and 20thC. I dunno. What I do know is that there are many great CA drinks out there. The Dry Season, about which I just posted, The Kina Cocktail, these two drinks using the Jerry Thomas Decanter Bitters, Dave Wondrich's Weeski, the PDT Brown Bomber and White Negroni... I could go on: these are all remarkable drinks that are either classic (or contemporary but founded on classic principles) that depend on Cocchi Americano utterly. An example of my own devising: I came up with the Lindberg's Baby recipe for a fundraiser here at which I was host bartender, and it showcases every good feature of the Cocchi Americano (as well as the outstanding Ransom Old Tom gin): 1½ oz Ransom Old Tom gin 1 oz Cocchi Americano scant ½ oz Marie Brizard Apry apricot liqueur dash Scrappy's or Fee's grapefruit bitters dash Bitter Truth Jerry Thomas Decanter or Angostura bittersNo need to throw out Lillet or CA. Each has a rightful place, methinks.

Enjoying a drink I found on Kindred Cocktails by Kyle Davidson of the Violet Hour. He calls it The Dry Season, a perfect drink for this early fall evening: 1 oz blanco tequila (he says El Tesoro, I had Espolon) 1 oz mezcal (he says DM Vida, I have DM Chichicapa) 1 oz Cocchi Americano 1/2 oz Aperol Stir; strain; up.

Made it again with WT 101 bourbon tonight for a guest -- using up the last ounce of the "natural carmine" Campari as a result! When I restock with non-bug Campari, I'll give it a go with the WT 101 rye.

The Arbitrary Nature of Time specifies Wild Turkey 101 -- but not whether it's rye or bourbon. I'll make the latter in a sec, but, meanwhile, does anyone know which it is? Or whether it's... wait for it... arbitrary?!? ETA: Based entirely on the deliciousness of the libation I'm enjoying, my money is on bourbon.