Chris Amirault

That's what I did for Thanksgiving and it worked out great.

I'm wondering: is it worth distinguishing between briefly cooked meats and LTLT meats? It's pretty hard to sear something that's as fall-apart tender as some of these 48-72h proteins.

Dave, have you bought from there? I mean, not to suggest that you're a more reliable source than Mr. K, but, well....

That's genius.

After thinking a lot about gateway drinks the last several days for the MxMo, I decided to try out something quirkier. 1 oz Ransom Old Tom gin 1 oz Laird's BIB apple brandy -1/2 oz demerara syrup 1/4 oz Cherry Heering 1/2 t Ardbeg 10 scotch 5 drops Regan's orange bitters Stir all but bitters; strain; bitters on top. If I had an orange, I'd twist a very small garnish. Or maybe not. It's delicious. It needs a name.

I'm interested to get some piment d'espelette to have on hand, but I don't know where to start. What are reliable brands? Online suppliers?

Wrapping things up for this MxMo, here's Nancy, the Backyard Bartender, making her Spice Island Ice Tea: 1 oz vodka 1 oz gin 1 oz amaretto 1 oz whiskey 1 oz cointreau 1 oz fresh-squeezed lemon juice 1 oz coca-cola splash of simple syrup 1/4 oz St. Elizabeth's Allspice Dram Yes, it's a Staten Island Iced Tea with allspice (pimento) dram, as Nancy explains here. But tackling the Long Island Iced Tea? That's the spirit of this Mixology Monday in a Collins glass right there! Thanks to everyone for their participation, and to Paul Clarke for his years of promoting cocktails online, in the pages of Imbibe, and throughout the mixological land. Me? I think that it's time for that Gintervention, don't you think? Cheers!

Agreed about the Leopold Bros. absinthe. I brought some back in a (customs-free thus heavily weighted) suitcase following a trip to Hi-Time Wines in CA. The only thing I can compare it to is the Marteau, and though I loves me the Marteau... I think... I may... like the Leopold Bros. better. A few drops in just about anything is remarkable.

Erp. Wrong version. Go to page 12 of this pdf.

Marc over at A Drinker's Peace got to thinking about the Cosmopolitan and what might be a good next step for the new kids on the stick. He explored both the Lucien Gaudin and the Opera in his post here. Mmmm..... The Opera....

The esteemed Paul Clarke, Master of Ceremonies and all around good guy, provides us with not one but two winners over at Cocktail Chronicles. The first is from Zane Harris, sort of a stoned Corpse Reviver #2: Stone Fruit Sour by Zane Harris, Rob Roy 3/4 ounce dry gin 3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice 3/4 ounce apricot liqueur 3/4 ounce Lillet 2 dashes Fee Brothers Peach Bitters Combine everything in a cocktail shaker and fill with ice. Shake well about 10 seconds; strain into chilled sour glass or cocktail glass. The other has a great story that I urge you to read over at Paul's blog, a mistake that turns out pretty tasty: Don Bruno (mistake version) 2 ounces gin (Martin Miller’s Westbourne – really, it makes a difference, but substitute Plymouth or another savory dry gin if you just can’t get it) 1/2 ounce Dolin Blanc vermouth 1/4 ounce Don Bruno Sherry Vinegar – lemon twist, for garnish Fill mixing glass with ice, and add vinegar. Stir a few seconds to splash the vinegar all over the ice; strain and discard excess vinegar. Add the gin and vermouth, and stir well until chilled, about 30 seconds. Strain into chilled cocktail glass; squeeze lemon peel over the drink and use as garnish. Do read more over at Paul's blog. Thanks, Paul!

A few more added just under the wire: Felicia over at (where else?) Felicia's Speakeasy decided to kick back, offering, instead of a recipe, the advice, " Like Midori sours? Then you'll love a shot of Bookers!" You can read more about that perplexing provocation here.

Welcome, squirrel! What does "half" mean in that second drink? Literally half a passion fruit? So luxurious if so....

Here's the pdf for that Khymos hydrocolloid collection.

Ye gods: left out the scant 1/2 oz demerara. Thanks for the eagle eye!

Here's a Society-friendly link to David Tanis's book.

Around these parts, the booze people say they don't like is -- shockingly -- rum. Given that grapefruit are in season, I thought it was time to bring out the Nevada variation that I fiddle with now and then. The main tweak here is to deepen the cocktail a bit with the dark rum and demerara. I had some nice stuff on hand, so here's... Carson City 3/4 oz light rum (Matusalem Platino) 3/4 oz dark rum (El Dorado 15) 3/4 oz lime juice 3/4 oz grapefruit juice dash Angostura bitters dash Bittermens xocolatl bitters grapefruit twist Better than the photo suggests: rich, complex, and -- thanks to the combination of xocolatl bitters and El Dorado rum -- looooong. If that doesn't convert rum haters, nothing will.

BK over at Raised Spirits has Piña Coladas on the mind, and drug out Beachbum Berry's version of the Painkiller for his MxMo drink: 4 oz. unsweetened pineapple juice 1 oz. coconut cream (Coco Lopez preferred) 2 1/2 oz. Pusser's Navy Rum (sub dark Jamaican if unavailable; I like Myers for this) Shake juices, coconut cream, and rum with crushed ice, strain into tall glass or tiki mug, dust with cinnamon and nutmeg. Garnish with a pineapple stick, cinnamon stick, and an orange wheel. Read more about it here on his blog!

Dennis over at Rock & Rye is taking his own crack at the Lemon Drop and provides not one but two drinks: Improved Lemon Drop 2 oz Citrus Vodka 1 oz Cointreau 3/4 oz Lemon Juice 2 dashes Lemon or Orange Bitters or Gin Sour 2 oz Gin 1 oz Simple Syrup 1 oz Lemon Juice 2 Dashes Lemon Bitters Full post here, including an interesting genealogy for the drink.

Had some leftover pineapple syrup after a workshop that included a Regent's Punch last night, so I made a Saratoga per this cocktaildb recipe: 2 oz Hennessy VS 1/4 oz pineapple syrup 1/4 oz Luxardo Maraschino 2 dashes Angostura Excellent -- though I wanted to get home right quick and try it with Adam's Bokers bitters.

Rowen at (the terrifically named) Fogged In Lounge offers the Abraxas Margarita: Liquid ingredients: 1 1/2 oz reposado tequila 3/4 oz Cointreau 1/2 oz lemon juice 1 tsp blue curacao Plus: 1/4 oz Galliano Rim: several pinches unsweetened cocoa (Green & Black’s) sea salt, to taste cayenne, to taste Assemble the powdered ingredients in a saucer. (The measures for the rim are given loosely. Not too much cayenne or you lose the flavors of the drink to the heat.) Rub outside edge of chilled cocktail glass with a cut lemon and roll carefully in plate. Combine liquids except Galliano in glass with ice and shake. Pour Galliano in the bottom of the glass. Strain the Margarita mixture, pouring gently over the back of a spoon and down the side of the glass for a sunrise effect. Sounds delicious -- and when you click here, you'll see that the drink doubles as a night light. Get out the turntable, blast "Oye Como Va," and settle into this baby!

It's hard to move into a house in this shape and then proceed to blow out a wall to accommodate a Rational Combi or Cadco. The cost, the design issues.... It makes the head spin. You know, we have this "three seasons room" just off the kitchen. And those professional items are nearly all free-standing.....

Oliver, I don't think it's a textbook. Rather, I think it's trying to capitalize on the Ruhlman/Polcyn popularity and aim for that "professional home cook" readership CIA sometimes targets. The inclusion of oddly rudimentary charts like those bizarre herb/spice pages Chris Hennes mentions; several pages dominated by diagrams indicating the different parts of a grinder in a poor imitation of the Dorling Kindersley design; and recipes that are hard to fathom (buffalo wing sausages?!?): it doesn't add up to a textbook. Not sure what it does add up to.... More as I explore.

Kim over at understandingcocktails.com whipped up a Whiskey Sour that tweaks the classic DeGroff ratios (2 whiskey; 1 simple; 3/4 citrus) into tart turf: 2 ounces of blended whiskey or rye 2 ounces of lemon juice (sometimes less if we are feeling surly) half ounce of simple syrup You've got your pucker fan covered right there! Read more over at Kim's blog.

Scoop, that sounds wonderful to me. If I had the cash to spring for a series of wines to go with some really terrific artisanal charcuterie and cheese, I'd do it. (There's your "cheese course" answer, David! ) Got the prunes macerating in the armagnac this weekend. Hoping to get the battle plan laid out sometime this week.