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Thanks for all the suggestions! Now I just have to start saving money and tracking down these rums. I will post impressions as I accumulate. Anyone have suggestions for good books about rum? Cheers!

I know I've seen the Soho Lychee liqueur here in CA. I've also seen some unusual liqueurs/liquors in Asian specialty stores which have pictures of Lychees on them. Never had the courage to try them. Here's a link to one of Mr. Regan's Cocktailian columns with a cocktail based on the Soho liqueur.

Top 100 Bay Area Restaurants Michael Bauer introduces this year's top 100 by refuting Dan Patterson's NY Times magazine piece lamenting the lack of creativity in Bay Area cuisine.

Speaking of tequila, Mr. DeGroff's Big Spender cocktail is quite tasty. Had the deluxe version at the Museum of the American Cocktail tequila seminar a few weeks ago. Made a cheapskate version last night with Herradura silver and a Cremant d'Alsace rose. Still very tasty! PS. Liqueur Creole Shrubb is a rum based orange liqueur made by Rhum Clément in Martinique. edit - explain liqueur creole.

This turned out quite well. Deviations: I used a whole bone in pork shoulder cooked in 1 bottle dark beer, 3 cups water. When it was tender, I shredded it, and added it to the sauce. In "The Art of Mexican Cooking" Diana Kennedy includes a couple Mulatos in her Mole Negro recipe, so I added those. I don't have a big molcajete, so I used a combination of blender, coffee grinder, and food mill for the spices and nuts. My blender doesn't do a great job, so I soaked the chiles seperately and then passed them through the food mill to remove the larger pieces of skin. PS. Whole dinner menu posted here.

Tried a slightly drier version of the TMUTMD last night with Plymouth Gin and a dash of Regan's Orange Bitters (for two: 4oz gin, 3/4 oz syrup, 3/4 oz lemon). Delicious and elegant cocktail. edit - correct recipe

How about Caipiroshkas with your citrus infused vodka? Something like this: Kumquat Caipiroshka I find these sorts of drinks are a good way to take down a bottle quickly.

Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Thursday, March 30, 2006 New Zealand, A to Z: Here are 26 things you need to know about uber-cool Kiwi wine country, Linda Murphy The Cocktailian: Tea time gets a new, fruity kick, Gary Regan Recipe Mamere Adapted from a recipe by Kieran Walsh, bar manager at Solstice Lounge in San Francisco. Wine Business Insider: Three grapes dominate sales, Cyril Penn Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon still rule the U.S. market...Spain frowns on screw caps...Ferrari-Carano Vineyards and Winery's longtime director of winemaking George Bursick is leaving... Brewing behemoth sneaks into organics, Carol Ness Scorers rule Wild Hop an error, Carol Ness Pairings: Dress salad in citrus for Sauvignon Blanc, Joyce Goldstein Recipe: Blood Orange & Fennel Salad The Chronicle's Wine Selections: New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, Linda Murphy The Cheese Course: Mellow, yes, but Ewe's Blue stands out in the flock, Janet Fletcher 96 Hours Bargain Bite: Delessio Market & Bakery, Amanda Berne CRITICS' PICKS: Bitter? Absolutely., Amanda Berne "When it's still too early for those tender, fragile greens of spring and summer, heartier, sharper greens fill the bill. Their assertiveness can be tempered by slow cooking, and they pair well with fruit. Here are some places that make creative use of greens." Dining Update: Globe, Michael Bauer

I don't have any personal experience with them, unfortunately. Some googleing tells me they are often just chewed and eaten in Africa and in Jamaica grated nuts are used to make some sort of tea-like substance. Best Page I found. Where did you order them from? Some time ago I looked and didn't find many promising sources. Here's another page, this one with instructions on making the tea. edit - add another link.

Was thinking of making pork mole for dinner tomorrow. To my eyes, this one looks pretty good. Mole Negro Oaxaqueno con Puerco Anyone have alternative recommendations? -Erik

Oh, yeah, you're correct, I'm taking liberties with the recipe there. Just got some Aperol and wanted to try it in something. It is an orange flavored bitter aperitif, so subbing it in for the orange bitters in a Satan's Whiskers seemed like not much of a stretch. Tilts the flavor a little toward negroni-land; but, it's pretty nice.

I want to like Satan's Whiskers; but, I find it a tad too sweet. This time (a little on the XL side): 3/4 oz gin 3/4 oz sweet vermouth 3/4 oz dry vermouth 3/4 oz orange juice 1/2 oz Orange Curacao 1/2 oz Aperol Maybe if I knock the Curacao down a bit? edit - was looking at the cocktaildb recipe when I wrote this up, instead of the one from "Vintage Spirits..." and wrote down the wrong amount for the curacao. This morning I was thinking, instead of decreasing the curacao further, of subbing in some lemon juice with the orange or using Meyer Lemon juice instead of orange.

Thought the cocktails looked awfully familiar. Wish you (and Katie) would consult at more restaurants. On my recent trip to Boston and Providence, despite the presence of many fine bottles behind the bar, most featured almost nothing but very sweet sounding vodka cocktails on their menus.

For what it's worth, I used 1 cup of honey to 1/2 cup of water. Brought to a boil in the microwave, dumped in the TBSP of rosemary flowers and a couple stray leaves, let it steep for about 10 minutes and then strained through cheesecloth. If anything it's a little mild; but, that's all the flowers I had on my rosemary bush.

They look pretty Wondrichful to me! 5 Ninth Cocktail Menu

Did you see the bartender making them? Sounds like he or she might be using bitters a little too enthusiastically. A little is good, the right amount is great; but, too much can be worse than none, even for bitters loving folks. Idle question: Do they make their own bitters?

Well, I guess you could get some, if you need another bottle of vodka. Or just buy a scorpion at the pet store and preserve it in under alcohol in a decorative jar. I haven't had a chance to try them yet; but, the Mezcals cocktailgeek mentions are supposed to be pretty good, if you're looking for something you're planning to consume.

Do you recommend Hi-Time? They do have some stuff I've been looking for and been unable to find in the bay area. These were definitely already up for consideration. I would like to get a rhum agricole on the list. Do you think that should be the splurge or something like the Santa Teresa 1796? These I will have to research more. As far as organizing a tasting goes, does anyone think I should try to find representative sipping rums of different styles or similar style rums from different regions. Likewise, if you find yourself thirsty for Rye and are in this neck of the woods, be sure and drop me a line. -Erik

Thanks woodburner! I particularly enjoyed the one about the chufas. Interesting that Horchata may or may not involve dairy. I don't usually drink milk. From what I can tell most horchata I find in burrito joints in SF is made with dairy and/or far too sweet. Now I'm going to have try and make it myself. edit - grammar

Pineapple Guava is one of my favorite fruits! Around these parts they appear in local farmers' markets in late fall. As far as I know, they aren't really grown commercially in the US. I like to give them to unsuspecting guests and watch their faces as they try to wrap their minds around the flavors and textures of the fruit.

Deviating slightly from Katie... I made a 2-1 honey syrup flavored with about a tablespoon of rosemary flowers and a few stray leaves. I tried a bee's knees variation with my rosemary syrup, juice of half a lemon, a couple dashes Regan's orange bitters, and a good squirt of soda water. Quite a tasty and refreshing drink! I can only imagine how much better it would have been with gin!

Have you tried the Smuttynose Old Brown Dog? Had it on tap last week and was quite impressed. It's definitely a thicker beer than yer Newcastle. Nice body, some hops, and a not too sweet chocolatey flavor.

Ah, ok. Chinese Foxglove (Rhemannia glutinosa) is a completely different plant than the common garden Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea). Pretty, though. I think I have seeds for it somewhere. Didn't know it had an herbal use.

The pictures are the portions presented for the whole table to share, not individual portions. Like the reviewer we were a group of four, so our portions were about the same size.

At Jai Yun, here in San Francisco, the chef presents a family style tasting menu. Jai Yun Website We went this last February and had a menu similar to the one written up on this website: Part 1 Part 2 It was a really wonderful experience, and I recommend it to anyone in the area.