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LeBlon Cachaca has started appearing in some liquor stores in California. Anyone tried it yet? Opinions? Inside scoop? Looks like Southernwine is distributing it and it is aged and filtered in Southern France for some inexplicable reason.

Another cool cocktail, raxelita! I wonder how straight, uncooked, rhubarb juice would work in a cocktail. Really sour, I imagine. Sadly, I think juicing rhubarb without a vegetable juicer would be a thankless task.

myers, Finally got around to having all the ingredients at once and of the cocktails I offered for the fourth, your rathbone sour was the clear winner among those requested. Delicious! ~Erik

I'm going to have these available for the party tonight. Sorry not all rum. Floridita Daiquiri (Rum, lime juice, grapefruit juice, maraschino, Simple Syrup) Liberty Variation (Applejack, Rum, lemon juice, Simple Syrup) Liberal (Bourbon, Sweet Vermouth, Torani Amer, Orange Bitters) Rathbone Sour (Cucumber, Thai Basil, Simple Syrup, Gin, lemon juice)

Sounds like fun, John! What's the Violet Femme? Sounds like one real gone, daddy, gone, cocktail. Please add it up for me. ~Erik

I always think those Jarritos (or Penafiel) sodas seem like a good idea; but, end up putting them back in the cooler after reading the ingredient list. Get an Agua Fresca or a beer. I dunno about the grapefruit one; but, a lot of them seem to have pretty tenuous connections to the natural ingredients they are supposed to represent. I know I've looked at some of the varieties and realized they have only artificial flavors and/or colors.

I've read the most popular tequila drink in Mexico is Tequila and Squirt. Keep meaning to give it a try, as Squirt was my favorite soda as a child. Another interesting mixer to try might be Ting, a grapefruit soda from Jamaica. I've started seeing this around in some stores that specialize in unusual sodas. Trader Joe's sells a tasty grapefruit soda, if you have one of those in your neighborhood. Paloma Recipe from tommysmargarita.com, scroll down. Build over ice in highball glass, Pinch salt, Tequila, 1/2 lime, top with Grapefruit Soda.

Hey chiliheadmike, That sounds really good! I have all the ingredients, so I believe it will go on the menu for tomorrow. I was going to do potato salad; but, this sounds more fun. Hmmm... With a little alteration, I bet you could do it in foil packets on the grill. I'm always up for a good succotash with Barbeque.

My Mom used to make something every spring from the year's first rhubarb, which she called "Spring Tonic". It was stewed rhubarb, orange peel, and enough sugar to make it edible. I think there is a good drink there; but, have only been able to find crap rhubarb this year (don't get me started about actually paying for rhubarb). Anyway, finely chop up a bunch of rhubarb stems, sprinkle with sugar, and let it sit in a non-reactive pot until it starts to release juice. Cook until soft and puree in a blender. If you can only find flavorless rhubarb you might have to add a little lemon or lime to perk up the cocktail. Spring Tonic 2 oz Amber Rum (Santa Teresa Gran Reserva) 2 bar spoons rhubarb puree 1/2 oz Orange Liqueur (Gran Gala) (1/4 oz lime juice) Shake in an iced cocktail shaker to chill and strain into a cocktail glass.

Finally got to range for cocktails and dinner last night, and have to say they did not disappoint. I had a delicious "1794" (Old Overholt, Cinzano, Campari, flamed orange twist) and my wife had their cocktail of the day, the refreshing "Peach Bum" (Muddled Peach Leaves(!), Santa Teresa Rum, Lemon, Blenheim Ginger Ale). The food was good, too...

I wonder if anyone in the Southwestern US or Mexico has ever tried doing something similar with Mesquite seeds. I know they are also edible, sweet, and high in protein.

I would prefer a very good pie to a very good cake. However, given the choice between a mediocre pie and a mediocre cake, I would choose cake. Mediocre cake is at least edible. I can't stand the horrible crumbly, gummy crust and brightly colored gelatinous filling that passes for 90% of the pie in the US. But, I would take a steamed pudding, like this Steamed Persimmon Pudding, over either. I can't wait for persimmon season to roll around, so I can make it again. Its flavor haunts me!

Wow, that was an amazingly impenetrable burp of stream of consciousness narration, even for me. Sorry, it was a busy day at work, and last night's research was taxing. I eagerly await the verdicts from the various East Coast Hedonism parties. Scotch or not, I want to know! Is a cocktail made with Hedonism closer to a Manhattan or a Rob Roy? Or does it need a new name.

Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Thursday, June 29, 2006 Fine whine: The sound of NASCAR's engines brings wine marketers running, Linda Murphy Bargain Wines: California bottles spark fireworks, Leslie Sbrocco Wine Business Insider: Jess Jackson buys Murphy-Goode, Cyril Penn Jackson Family Wines has signed an agreement to acquire Murphy-Goode Estate Winery...Fetzer Vineyards will place what it calls the wine industry's largest solar system atop its winery bottling facility in Hopland..Rodrigo Soto is the new director of winemaking for Benziger Family Winery... Beer: Do the white thing with Belgian brews, Linda Murphy Letters to Wine: Readers' favorite wine flicks Pairings: Blue Cheese Onions cry for grilling, Lynne Char Bennett Recipe: Blue Cheese Onions The Chronicle's Wine Selections: Lodi Zinfandel, Lynne Char Bennett The Cheese Course: Feeling sheepish? Try a P'tit Basque, Janet Fletcher 96 Hours Bargain Bite: Pagolac, Amanda Berne CRITICS' PICKS: Burgers, Amanda Berne "Burg’s and burbs’ best They’re the subject of blogs and songs, they’re the fare of comic book heroes. But making a great burger isn’t as easy as just patting some raw meat into a ball. No way — especially not in the Bay Area. Here are some of our favorite hamburger places." Dining Update: Helmand, Bill Addison Dining Update: Village Pub, Michael Bauer

Well, in your rant, it makes sense that a customer would order a "Hedonism Manhattan". I doubt many people order Rob Roys* these days. For the reasons Sam gives, it seemed like an interesting question to me. Is Hedonism a Scotch or is it a Whisky from Scotland, if you catch my drift. Which name is the most appropriate? And then I realized that was a pretty geeky line of thought. *Bizarrely, when I was 19, or so, I decided Rob Roys would be "my" cocktail. Other people would order Margaritas or Gin and Tonics and I would go with the Rob Roy. Other than sheer perversity, I have no idea where that idea came from. In its previous incarnation as a cheesy Italian Supper Club, Lombardino's used to make a mean one.

...If you wonder whether Hedonism plus vermouth and bitters equals a Manhattan or a Rob Roy.

jsolomon, Sorry, don't quite get this. What is Rule Number 1 of Emergency Medicine? How does it involve mint, lime or rum? ~Erik

Woo! Someone else posted to this thread! It's that time of the year. Anyone else doing the walnut do? Got a double batch going on with the nocino di flannestad minimalist recipe of 2 # of walnuts per bottle of vodka with the zest of 1/2 lemon.

Absinthe Drip Cocktail 1 liqueur glass absinthe Dissolve 1 lump of sugar, using the French Drip spoon and fill glass with cold water. So, here we have three competitors, from left to right, Absinthe Verte de Fougerolles, Henri Bardouin Pastis, and an Arak. I didn't add sugar to the Bardouin or the Arak. Sadly, I tasted the Absinthe Verte first. Totally blew out my taste buds. Bardouin tasted like candy and the Arak tasted like anise scented water.

And then to add to the confusion there is the After Supper. After Supper 1/2 Apricot Brandy (1 oz Vedrenne Liqueur de Abricot) 1/2 Curacao (1 oz Rhum Clément Liqueur Creole Shrubb) 4 dashes Lemon Juice OK, this is still really sweet; but, it is also really tasty. Of the three "After..." cocktails, this is my favorite formulation. Yum! BTW, Some recipes for the "After..." cocktail with Cherry Brandy, use Swedish Punsch instead of Prunelle. Also, In my edition of Duffy's "Official Mixer's Manual", the Cherry Brandy and Punsch version is the "After Dinner (Special)" and the half apricot half Curacao is the "After Dinner". Sheesh, how confusing is that? edit - post-absinthe mistakes corrected.

Ooooh! Them's fightin' words! Uh, Ed, opinions differ on which spirit needs the most "cover". Personally, I like them all, and am glad that obsessed folks like you and Mr. Cachaca_Dave are working to bring us what you think are the best examples. Cheers!

When Royalty Comes Calling The letter is a nice tribute to Bourdain, and additionally, an insight into the history and daily operations of Incanto.

I don't have tasting notes or particular insight into rauchbier; but, I've had both the Alaskan Smoked Porter and Stone Brewing Smoked Porter and think they are both truly outstanding beers. I had a bit of an American stout and porter fest for a couple months last year and these two were my favorites of the many I tried. You do have to be in the mood for a "meal in a bottle", especially with the Alaskan.

Hard Root Beer! The mind boggles. I can't quite tell from the press release if the Ginger Honey Ale is a Ginger Ale (mead?) or a Ginger and Honey flavored beer. I eagerly await your report.

I'm certainly not "in with the in crowd". Have you seen the "Muddle" Bacardi ads on cable TV? Apparently, Bacardi mojitos are also a featured cocktail in the upcoming Miami Vice movie. If it isn't past its prime yet, it will soon reach market saturation. Not sure what the kids are drinking; but, the cane spirit drinks I've been enjoying lately are, Floridita Daiquiris, Calamansi or Key Lime Caipirinhas, and a drink I make with La Favorite Rhum Agricole that is sort of half way between a Ti Punch and a Caipirinha.