eje

Not being convinced I had ever really experienced that "ma la" flavor I chucked the old peppercorns and got new (mostly seed free). A quick batch of ma po tofu with the new peppercorns convinced me, I had never really experienced the "ma la" flavor. That certainly is a "strange" flavor! Fun! It dances on your tongue!

Picked up a sixer of Radeberger Pils from Dresden. It's lighter in body than most other Pilseners I've tried. Definitely got that grassy, herbaceous hop thing going on. I didn't detect much skunkiness, as I understand it. But, they nicely bottle in brown. A refreshing beer that I might drink on tap on a hot, humid day. Beats the heck out of Pabst or Budweiser (US). Don't think I'd buy a six pack again, as there are much more interesting beers around for less cash.

Not that the Savoy is consistent or anything. Take the After Dinner and After Dinner (Special). After Dinner 1/2 Cherry Brandy (1 oz Massenez Creme de Griotte) 1/2 Prunelle Brandy (1 oz homemade prune plum liqueur) 4 dashes lemon juice Shake well and strain into a sherry glass. After Dinner (Special) 1/2 Apricot Brandy (1 oz Vedrenne Liqueur de Abricot) 1/2 Curacao (1 oz Gran Gala Orange liqueur) Shake well and strain into a cocktail glass. Same name, and almost nothing to do with one another. Both are very sweet. I guess not so bad as a sort of port substitute or alcoholic liquid lolipop. Certainly, 3 oz is about the right size for these cocktails. The lemon in the After Dinner makes it a bit nicer for me.

...you first check out the back bar, then the bartender. ...you thought the bartender's attempt at making your cocktail was, "noble, but, flawed".

Well, you could take me to task for using a too nice whisky (Compass Box's Asyla) in this cocktail. But, I'm more of a bourbon and/or rye drinker and, strangely, I don't even have any friends or aquaintances who are scotch drinkers, so this is the only token Scotch in my bar. At least it's a blend and not over expensive. It's a fairly mellow whisky, though, at least by Scotch standards.

Affinity 1/3 French Vermouth 1/3 Italian Vermouth 1/3 Scotch 2 dashes Angostura bitters Stir well and strain into a cocktail glass. Squeeze lemon peel on top. I did remember to stir this one to chill, and a fine, fine cocktail it is. I'm not normally a big scotch guy, but, here it is quite nice. With the vermouth and bitters both tempering and accenting the briny and savory notes of the whisky.

Unless I'm mistaken, Point bought the rights to brew under the Augsburger name a couple years ago, and is now responsible for the beer in Augsburger bottles. If you haven't tried it for a few years, you might give it a try again. I don't think, though, that the recipe they are using has anything to do with any previous formulation of Augsburger. Ask about it when you do your tour and report back!

I was generous with the "dash" of orange bitters, thinking the same thing, taking them to the edge of detectability. Didn't hurt. I think the oils from a nice thick piece of lemon peel would do a lot more to give the Adonis a little snap and play nicely with the sour aspect of dry sherry.

I guess I don't necessarily disagree with their ratings that much. They are all on a scale of 1-10. I would probably put Becks higher, near the Heineken with both at around 5 or 6 out of 10 and the Rolling Rock a little lower. I haven't had Special Export for years. Is it still made by the same company it was in the 80s? Same flavors? During that decade I often conducted rather extended tasting sessions of the brand. Despite that, I generally preferred Augsburger, when I could get it. It is too bad they stuck with the most popular macro lagers. Surely, they get my favorite midwestern summer beer, New Glarus Brewing's Spotted Cow, in Chicago. edit - yes, I know it's not a lager.

Adonis 1 dash orange bitters 1/3 Italian Vermouth 2/3 Dry Sherry Stir well and strain into cocktail glass. Whew, finally finished that Noilly sweet vermouth last night and have switched to actual Italian vermouth. As far as the Adonis goes, I have to admit I've never really acquired a taste for dry sherry of any sort, so this drink puzzles me. It's not through lack of trying. I mean, practically since reading Poe's, "A Cask of Amontillado," in grade school, I have been buying bottles of dry sherry hoping to get it. Then I taste them and realize, I just don't get it. Possibly I need to travel to Spain some time. Oh, and I realize now I shook this cocktail when the instructions clearly stated it was to be stirred. I did think this drink would be a lot nicer with a nice thick lemon peel twisted over it.

Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Thursday, June 22, 2006 GRAPE FLICKS: SEE Steve Martin as a sommelier! HEAR playboys sing praises to Champagne! TASTE Hannibal Lecter's wine pairings!, W. Blake Gray Top 10 wine movies, W. Blake Gray Pairings: Rioja's traditional reds favor Spanish flavors, Lynne Char Bennett Recipe: Lamb Meatballs with Thyme-Scented Rice Pilaf The Chronicle's Wine Selections: Rioja reds, Lynne Char Bennett The Cheese Course: Same sheep, different cheese, Janet Fletcher Books: Mother-son team creates 'Perfect Pairings', Lynne Char Bennett "Perfect Pairings: A Master Sommelier's Practical Advice for Partnering Wine with Food," by Evan Goldstein with recipes by Joyce Goldstein Recipes: Pasta with Greens, Chickpeas, Toasted Breadcrumbs & Pecorino Toasted Breadcrumbs Osso Buco With Mushrooms & Tomatoes Benefits Celebrate the start of summer Friday with wine and live jazz at the El Dorado Wineries' Summer Solstice Celebration...The Napa Valley Center for Jewish Culture this weekend will sponsor L'Chaim, to Life, an event celebrating the ancient traditions of Judaism and wine...Sample Italian food and wine while helping the Los Gatos High School Millennium Foundation at the First Sip of Summer celebration... Letters to Wine: Whining and dining The Cocktailian: An award-winning cocktail to drink between the sheets, Gary Regan Recipe: The Wet Spot Adapted from a recipe by Willy Shine and Aisha Sharpe, mixologists at Bed, New York. 96 Hours Bargain Bite: Balompie Cafe, Bill Addison CRITICS' PICKS: Dining in the Castro, Amanda Berne "At the Pride fest this weekend, revelers will be marching down Market Street, straight into the Castro. Despite what are sure to be long waits and enormous crowds, you might as well eat well while you're there." Dining Update: Poggio, Michael Bauer

Trillium, I was thinking ice might be nice (and maybe some whiskey)! Addington: PS. Small bonus at work this week due to my, "exceptional commitment to customer service," has resulted in the reception of an email with the following subject, "Liqueurs de France Ltd : Order shipped". edit - oops, wrong cocktail name.

Just a fair warning kind of post. If you've tried Anchor's other whiskies and don't like them, you probably won't like the Hotaling's Whiskey either. A friend tried it, and even though I had warned him about the whiskey's pugilistic nose and initial impression, he was still was a bit put off. He did eventually enjoy it after adding a bit of water. In any case, this whiskey was reserved from the first batch of whiskey that Anchor distilled, so perhaps future releases, (cross your fingers,) will be more subtle. It was also released to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the great earthquake. Hotaling's was a brand of whiskey made in San Francisco, whose warehouses inexplicably survived the quake and subsequent fire. I particularly like the poem quoted on the back of the bottle:

Ktepi, First, check out Gunther Anderson's pages about "Liqueur Making principles and techniques". There are recipes there for many types of infusions and/or liqueurs, including some nut meat liqueurs. It's pretty common for whole green Walnuts (or other nuts) to be cracked and macerated in alcohol before the shells and nut meats have entirely developed. Check out the Nocino or Vin de Noix threads here on eGullet. Usually husks impart a bitter, herbaceous component to the end result. I would guess that any unsweetened nut husk infusion would be pretty unpleasant, even with quite a bit of age. More like a bitters than anything else. I do not know if hickory husks are toxic or not (walnut husks and leaves are nominally toxic, but more to plants than animals). That would be something to find out. Also, if the shells are developed and you don't at least crack or puncture the shells on your hickory nuts, probably you'll be getting flavor only from the husks. I don't think alcohol will easily penetrate the shells. Typically, green walnuts are macerated for around 3 months before being sweetened and then allowed to age until around thanksgiving before being consumed. I think the superstitious rule is something like 40 days of maceration and 40 days of aging. edit - added links to eGullet threads.

Well, I'll "put a bookmark" in the 3 Absinthe cocktails for the time being. --- Addington 1/2 French Vermouth 1/2 Italian Vermouth Shake well with ice and strain into a medium size glass and fill with soda water. Squeeze orange peel on top. --- Made with Boissiere dry & Noilly sweet it is an OK but not very exciting drink. I wouldn't turn it down, but, can't imagine I would ever order it. However, with Vya dry and Noilly sweet it is quite a bit more tasty. I bet it would be even more interesting with Vya sweet or Carpano Antica instead of the Noilly. Seems to me like a watching tennis on a hot summer afternoon with Muffy and Biff while Jeeves makes cucumber sandwiches kind of beverage.

Reminds me of fatdeko's Rathbone Sour, which I've been meaning to give a spin. Even picked up some thai basil last week with that intention. Hmmm... I wonder if it is still OK.

Well, they promoted him from Chef de Cuisine to Executive Chef. The Sous Chef does all the real work (along with the nameless latino workers)...

I have really good memories of drinking this beer in London years ago, but, when I've tried it recently it's underwhelmed me. Maybe it's just the things taste better on vacation phenomenon. Has anyone tried Trumer Pils? They've done some sort of partnership with a brewery in Berkeley and are brewing it here, now. Any good?

Though, the original chef and Pizziaolo at A16, Christophe Hille, has left, and, according to this week's Inside Scoop, is now working as a personal chef for Annie Leibovitz. PS. They sent the new chef, Nate Appleman, to Naples to become a certified pizziaolo, as well. edit - add new chef's name.

Humboldt Brewing makes a hemp ale which I've never tried. I used to like their Red Nectar, but, haven't had it for a couple years now. Hmmmm... It appears they were acquired last year by Firestone-Walker. I don't mean the sort of nice resinous smell of decent weed, (which I do not recommend to children and have only ever experienced second hand, of course,) but the nasty smell of someone who has been smoking particularly awful ditch weed. Kind of grassy, bitter-ish and decidedly skunky.

I think these two quotes get to the essence of pilsener and many german lagers. We're talking about beers, at least in Germany, whose components are very strictly regulate by law and tradition. Water, malted barley, hops, and yeast. That's it. It's about the naked ingredients and the skill of the brewmaster to balance them. If there's a bit of an off taste or skunkiness in a beer like a "Hop Devil" or "Arrogant Bastard", odds are the consumer won't even notice. To use a cocktail analogy, it's like the difference between balancing the flavors of a three ingredient cocktail, like an aviation, and making a planters punch. A quarter ounce one way or another in an aviation can throw off the balance of the whole drink. In a fruit juice driven drink, like a planters punch, (as it is usually made in the US,) a whole ounce of spirits one way or another doesn't make a whole lot of difference. In any case, I was at a concert last night, (Elvis Costello and Alan Toussaint rocked!) and thinking about this thread. I happened to pass a person who had obviously been smoking some pretty poor quality weed and it occurred to me that that is exactly what I think skunked beer smells like. Yeah or no? Or is that what pilsener is supposed to smell like? edit - grammar.

OK. So it's the hops which are breaking down due to the light? Fair enough. From the linked article. "What you might call skunked due to lack of knowledge could be a tasty German-style Pils to another." But, I dunno about that statement, though. Perhaps it's just the condescending attitude, though.

One thing that always confuses me about Pilseners, is they are usually described as being strongly hopped. Perhaps, 30 years ago these beers would have been considered strongly hopped; but, as a modern beer drinker living in the US, they end up being some of the least hopped beers I consume. I was going to try to paraphrase what I've read about Pilsener, however I found this fantastic and well researched article about the history of Pilsener style beer with more information than even the most fanatic beer geek might require: The History and Brewing Methods of Pilsener Urquell Being fairly lightly hopped, they also do not keep all that well. Sometimes it seems like 9 out of 10 pilseners I consume are skunked.

I'm pretty sure they get their bread from ACME, next door to Cafe Fanny on San Pablo. I believe the founder of ACME is a Chez Panisse alumni. So it's all in the family, kind of.

The white clam pizza at Amici's is good. The owners are transplanted New Enlganders, so it's probably your best bet. Though, they also put bacon on it. I could be wrong; but, I doubt the clams are freshly shucked. I could find out, if you really want to know.