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My own experience with Absinthe is pretty limited; but, I don't think it should be overly bitter. There are a couple exceptions. There are some Absinthes and Absinthe-like liqueurs (Versinthe) which include gentian among the herbs used to flavor them. These are somewhat bitter. I don't know the SA recipe. However, green Absinthes do include a post distillation coloring stage where they are are infused with herbs. The classic Perrenoud (Pernod) recipe, as reproduced in Mixologist Volume 2, includes Hyssop and Petit Wormwood for coloring. If the herbs were macerated too long or if the maker used Grand Wormwood instead of Petit Wormwood for coloring, it might be bitter.

Thanks Ronnie! I'm familiar with Goose Island; but, didn't know about Hopleaf. Excellent! They have Three Floyds Alpha King! I was hoping to find some of Three Floyds' beers this trip. Not to mention Rodenbach on tap. I didn't even know that was available in the US.

You mean aside from the Fine Spirits forum? I don't have a problem, really... Though I did pick up some Pedro Ximinez Sherry, and I completely blame you for introducing me to that particular sweet vice. Thanks for the suggestions!

We'll be in Chicago for a couple days at the end of the month and are looking for somewhere good to go with visiting friends that isn't super formal. Looking for more of a Babbo type experience than a per se or French Laundry type thing. Currently have reservations at Custom House. How formal is it? Other recommendations? Also looking for a good Cocktailian bar and/or local microbrew type pub. Cheers! Erik

I was thinking of something along the lines of a sliced version of this guy: Lingzhi (Chinese: 靈芝 or Japanese: 'reishi') They can be quite large.

Looks tasty, Ah Leung. Will definitely go on the list of dishes to try. Though, I bet it would be better with bone in thigh meat!

Interesting, looks like the pieces of wood the fungii were growing on are still there. Maybe sliced pieces of some sort of shelf or bracket fungus?

Is the Wray & Nephew white overproof aged?

Nice little write up about Rum, Pegu Club, and the Ti' Punch in today's NY Times, "Shaken and Stirred". By the Rum's Early Light*, Jonathan Miles Includes a recipe. *Link requires registration, and will likely expire after a couple weeks.

Michael Bauer reviewed Patterson's Coi in today's Chronicle Magazine. At Daniel Patterson's Coi, a complex interplay of flavors

This is the edition of the Savoy, I am working from. It's a very handsome book, with color illustrations like the following on most pages. Often the illustrations will mirror one of the recipes on the page. For example, there is a plane on the two pages which contain the Aviation. The recipes/receipts are from The American Bar at the Savoy Hotel in London. Harry Craddock, an expat American, was the head bartender when the book was first published in 1930. It is my understanding "The Savoy Cocktail Book" was one of the first cocktail books published in the US after the repeal of prohibition and thus holds an influential place in the history of the American Bar. The current edition is a reproduction of the edition which was published in the 60s. In that edition, they changed the recipes/receipts from using 10ths as a standard unit of measurement to a fractional notation based on halves, thirds, quarters, etc. If anyone knows more about the history of the book or Mr. Craddock, it would be great to hear.

Absinthe Cocktail 1/2 Absinthe (1 1/2 oz Absinthe Verte de Fougerolles) 1/2 Water (1 1/2 oz Water) 1 dash Syrup (Rich Simple Syrup) 1 dash Angostura Bitters Absinthe (Special) Cocktail 2/3 Absinthe (1 oz Absinthe Vert de Fougerolles) 1/6 Gin (1/4 oz Beefeater Gin) 1/6 Syrup of Anisette or Gomme Syrup (barspoon Rich Simple Syrup) 1 dash Orange Bitters 1 dash Angostura Bitters Instructions for both are, "Shake Well and Strain into a Cocktail Glass". The Special is on the left. With the real Absinthe I preferred the plain Absinthe Cocktail to the Special. It is pretty much just really cold Absinthe, though. With Bardouin Pastis, I preferred the Special. Woo! Finally finished the first two pages! Off to Alaska to Allies next, with a possible detour to Nome.

I would suggest Brooklyn cocktails, except the odds of finding Maraschino liqueur in most bars are so slim as to be nearly non-existent. Not to mention that the substitution of Punt e Mes for Torani Amer, turning it into a Red Hook, makes it at least a 10 times tastier cocktail than the Brooklyn. My recent Savoy experiments have suggested a nice cocktail (sorry, only aa-ak so far) in the Affinity. Equal parts scotch, dry vermouth, and sweet vermouth. It's hard to imagine a bar that couldn't make an Affinity and it is far nicer than its parts might suggest.

I'd try Molly Stone or Drewe's for veal. I've seen too many scary things in the Safeway meat department, to even try there. Carts rolled out with uncovered meat and left sitting for hours... There is also a butcher on Mission near 22nd. Check this thread for some previous cogitation about Mission neighborhood groceries. If that doesn't work out, there is a butcher in North Beach on Stockton at Vallejo, Little City Market. Surely, they must have veal.

I dunno if the decorative relative of purslane, Moss Rose (Portulaca grandiflora), is edible or tasty. Couldn't find any definitive statements pro or con on the Internet. It appears it has been used medicinally by some cultures.

Hmm... Well, it has grown as a weed everywhere I've lived or gardened. Maybe you are doing too good a job weeding? I don't think it will grow from a cutting, though. Maybe if you tried sprouting the cutting first in water. If you are looking for seeds, the plant latin for it is "Portulaca oleraceae".

Hi fellowpeon, If you're looking for Asian Veggies, try the Alemany Farmers' Market on Saturday morning. It does skew a bit more toward Chinese/Filipino/Vietnamese; but, I've found most of the the vegetables you mention there from time to time. Though, I am not familiar with pandan. I recently found a pretty awesome Chinese grocery near 20th and Irving. Sorry, don't know the name. Rainbow is the best source for bulk dry culinary and medicinal herbs, dry goods, and other odd health foody type items. Rainbow Grocery Casa Lucas near 24th and Harrison is reputed to be a very good Latino market.

Has anyone seen both the DVD and the broadcast of "Decoding Ferran Adria"? Did they have to cut anything for commercials? ~Erik

I don't think this is the case. One of the more science minded folks can correct me if I'm wrong; but, I believe, as long as we're talking about spirits distilled in an alambic or column still, almost all the sugars get left behind, no matter what that base spirit. There might be some minimal difference between spirits distilled to lower proofs and those distilled to higher proofs. Also, some vodka and flavored spirits may get sugar added back in after distillation. In the case of "straight" spirits this is not allowed. There is also an important distinction to be made between chemical "calories", like those in ethyl alcohol, and calories with food value, like those in sugars. Your body does very different things with them. Most of the calories with any food value in mixed drinks are going to come from fruit juices, sugar, mixers, and liqueurs.

A not very positive Dining update for Campton Place in today's 96 hours. Campton Place, Michael Bauer

Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Thursday, July 06, 2006 Tawny time: Portugal's aged tawny Port is accessible, affordable and ready to drink now, Dawn McIntyre Cocktailian: Devious Cocktail's secret hangs in the balance, Gary Regan Receipt: Devious Cocktail Letters to Wine: Was the Paris tasting a stacked deck? Bargain Wines: Refreshing German Rieslings are sweet, but not to a fault, W. Blake Gray Benefits Wine and volunteers...Charity wine auction...Get Lucky in Sonoma... Pairings: The umami of miso lifts Chardonnay, Lynne Char Bennett Recipe: Fish in Coconut-Miso Broth The Chronicle's Wine Selections: Carneros Chardonnay, Lynne Char Bennett The Cheese Course: Luscious Montbriac oozes appeal, Janet Fletcher 96 Hours Bargain Bite: Pakwan, Amanda Berne CRITICS' PICKS: Say Cheese, Amanda Berne "A cheese course is served either in place of or before dessert, and provides a nice way to stretch out the end of meal. A cheese course can range from a thin slice drizzled with honey and paired with nuts to a choice of three cheese with seasonal fruits, breads and other accoutrements." Dining Update: Iberia, Miriam Morgan Dining Update: Campton Place, Michael Bauer

Oddly, Palomas have been swooping by everywhere, it seems. Here, Drinkboy forums, Martini Republic yesterday. Inspired me to search out some Squirt on the way home. Quite tasty!

Got the second volume of Mixologist: The Journal of the American Cocktail a few weeks ago and have sadly already finished it. Some fantastic articles in there. Good insights and a dash of humor. As a non-professional I was a little afraid some of the more bar-centric articles wouldn't have as much interest for me as the drink centric articles of the first issue. But, I really enjoyed Ryan Magarian's article about implementing cruise ship bar programs and Dale DeGroff's piece about building the perfect bar.

Along with their sparkling wines, Korbel makes a domestic brandy that is pretty widely available. I always stuck with my initial-sake E & J brandy when I was younger, though never quite progressed as far as making brandy Cock-tails with it. Usually just brandy and whatever soda in the dorm vending machine seemed most appealing at the time. Brandy and Ginger Ale is not bad. Brandy and Mr. Pibb, on the other hand, is a "Killer Cocktail" but not in a good way. I also cannot recommend orange soda or root beer.

Well, this does seem like an odd thread to post this in. If any of you do get to Madison, WI, I recently learned of a Tavern called, "The Old Fashioned". The Old Fashioned Their drinks menu includes 6 "Old Fashioned" cocktails, including the aforementioned Brandy version. I imagine anyone who grew up in WI will get a hoot out of the dinner menu. I know I chuckle every time I look at it. Includes such things as fish fry, deep fried battered cheese curds, devilled eggs, and summer sausage sandwiches. Hoping to visit later this summer and will be sure to report back. edit - grammar