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Thanks for the replies Katie and Moto! Not a chemist, so not sure how the whole oils dissolving in an alcohol solution works. There must be some point beyond which no more oil can dissolve in the alcohol and water solution (vodka). Oils don't really dissolve in water at all, so I would guess the larger the percentage of alcohol you have, the more oil you can dissolve. Probably there are nasty, complicated equations involving molecular weight and other gnarly variables. Last year I used more or less the same recipe and it didn't happen. This year I did use a microplane and might have steeped the zest for a bit longer. It makes sense to me that the finer zest of the microplane would allow you to extract more of the citrus oils from the peels. Following your recipe, I probably do need to add a couple more cups of vodka. I'll have to pick up a bottle of some 100 proof this weekend and see if I can get some more of the oil to dissolve. Hate to see them go to waste! My homemade Limoncello has proved to be quite popular with my friends, so having more to give away isn't really a problem...

If anyone is looking for an excuse to get to Tres Agaves, The Museum of the American Cocktail has organized a seminar there March 16th. It's from 6-7:30 and the cost is $45 in advance for non-members. Da-Me Agave! Great Tequilas from Mexico!

Happy accident last night. Wanted a Brooklyn Cocktail; but, didn't feel like pulling all the liquor out of the cabinet to get to the Torani Amer at the back, so substituted Punt e Mes. Very tasty! 2 oz rye 3/4 oz dry vermouth 1/4 oz (generous) Punt e Mes 1/4 oz (generous) Maraschino

The one we get most of the time in San Francisco, I think, is "bai hora bah". I don't think it gets hot enough for true holy basil, "kraphrao" to grow. At least I've never had any luck getting the seeds to germinate or the plants to grow. From what I can tell, not having been to thailand, "bai hora bah" is what I find in restaurants and farmers' markets. If yer interested, Kitazawa Seeds, here in the US, sells seeds for 5 varieties of Thai Basil. Thai Basil Seeds And, yeah, it seems like the restaurant is mixing their traditional Thai dishes. Tasty though. I'm gonna have to try it a couple ways to see which sauce comes out better.

Headline article of this week's Wine section of the San Francisco Chronicle is a profile of Scott Beattie of Cyrus in Healdsburg. Raising the bar Includes recipes for "Pelo del Perro (Hair of the Dog)", "PomIranian", and "Bleeding Orange" all of which (sadly?) involve vodka.

Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Thursday, March 03, 2006 Raising the bar: Scott Beattie of Healdsburg's Cyrus restaurant turns cocktail creation into an extreme sport, Linda Murphy Recipes: Pelo del Perro (Hair of the Dog) PomIranian Bleeding Orange Bargain Wines: Eureka! Ten good Zinfandels and Syrahs for $10 or less, W. Blake Gray Letters to Wine Gentlemen, start your pruning shears Wine Business Insider: Napa auction nets record cash, Cyril Penn Premiere Napa Valley brought in more than $1.87 million on Saturday...A report commissioned by the French trade organization Vinexpo predicts wine consumption in Asia will grow by 45.8 percent total between 2000 and 2010...Kunde Estate announced a search for a new winemaker... Pairings: Salmon swims into a bun for Pinot, Joyce Goldstein Recipe: Salmon Burgers The Chronicle's Wine Selections: Russian River Valley Pinot Noir $30 and Less, Linda Murphy The Cheese Course: If you like it rich, try Fromager d'Affinois, Janet Fletcher 96 Hours Bargain Bite: Al Hamra, Olivia Wu Review of Al Hamra a halal restaurant in the Mission. CRITICS' PICKS: Dining in the Mission, Amanda Berne "San Francisco's Mission District might be called the Bay Area's off-Broadway. It’s the place for cutting-edge restaurants to test the waters, but many find the area so welcoming they settle in for the long haul. Here are a few favorites." Chow Down: Mission for All Tastes, Amanda Berne Dining Update: Moose's, Michael Bauer Dining Update: Vik's Chaat Corner, Amanda Berne

Gary, I read and enjoy your cocktailian columns for the SF Chronicle. Since the fictional bar is located in San Francisco, I have always wondered if it was based on some real bar here or some other personal experience. Forgive me if you have covered this in some previous thread. Just Curious, Erik

Huh, I had no idea! No wonder they're making vodka and gin first. Though, I wonder where the Aquavit is! From the wikipedia shetland islands page, "Originally populated by Picts, the Shetland Islands were invaded and became a Norwegian colony for approximately 500 years, but ownership defaulted to the crown of Scotland on 20 February 1472 following non-payment of the marriage dowry of Margaret of Denmark, queen of James III of Scotland." In any case, it does sound like interesting Gin, as long as it isn't too expensive. I wonder if they are distilling their own base spirit. edit - added comment to try to get back on topic.

Paul, Thanks for the heads up. I haven't quite gotten to that step, yet. Perhaps, I skip it! I was already worried that the proof was getting kind of low, with the addition of the liquid from steeping the spices. -Erik

Filtered this through cheesecloth, did the boiling of the dry ingredients, and after a brief steep and cool combined both and added some molasses. Boy, they smell great! I really recommend that recipe. I can't wait to try these in cocktails! Still haven't figured out what to do with my gentian clementine bitters. I think I may macerate some orange zest in rye with more spices and combine with existing bitters to dilute and diversify the flavors. It's just too bitter at this point. Perhaps I should just give up and start over.

True enough. It just seems like an odd selling point. If I see a bottle with a viking boat on it, my first assumption will be that it is from Norway or Sweden. There are so many great things about Scotland and the Scottish Isles. Why advertise yourself as a Scandanavian gin (or vodka)?

Some Hotel Bars that also may not have great cocktails, (YMMV,) but are worth checking out for one reason or another. The Tonga Room at the Fairmont is probably worth visiting, if for no other reason than the fake hurricane when the band stage is mechanically pushed out into the middle of the tiki lagoon. Very Disneyland. The Pied Piper Bar at the Palace hotel is nice; but, the last time I went they told me they couldn't make a Sazerac, so I've been holding a grudge. Pretty good Martinis and not a bad Old-Fashioned, if I remember correctly. I haven't been to The Redwood Room at the Clift Hotel; but, some aquaintances say that it is very nice. Might be a velvet rope kind of place, though. Another bar/restaurant I've had good cocktails at in the past (haven't been for a couple years) is Absinthe. I know The Ministry of Rum's Edward Hamilton did a rum tasting there a couple weeks ago, so they must still be paying some attention to cocktails. Oh, and for some stiff drinks and cranky old school bartenders in one of the longest running restaurants in San Francisco, I would be remiss if I didn't mention The Tadich Grill. edit - added Tadich Grill

Enrico's in North Beach is always fun, and you can pick up a Mr. Mojito muddler! Tuesday night (and Friday) is a good night to check out the Orbit Room Cafe, as Alberta should be behind the stick. Some bars that are classic; but, may not have great cocktails are Vesuvio and Tosca. For drinks and food two places I haven't been to that are high on my list to try are Range and Aziza.

Hmmm... I seem to have an odd problem with this batch. I steeped the microplaned zest of 12 lisbon lemons and two satsuma mandarins in 4 cups of 80 proof vodka for a couple weeks. I've now squeezed it through cheesecloth, added simple syrup, and topped it off with vodka to fill a 1.5 liter jar. However, it appears I have over expressed the citrus oils. I have about 1/4 inch of lemon oil floating at the top of my jar. Should I split it into two jars and add more vodka in the hopes that adding more alcohol will allow more of the lemon oils to dissolve? Or siphon off the lemon oil and use it for something else? -Erik

The scoop is about two tablespoons (normal coffee dosage). However, you're only making the volume equivalent of about 1 shot of espresso per "cup". If you want anything resembling American coffee you have to add more hot water.

I don't quite get the "Nordic" aspect of the Blackwood gin. "Thanks for plundering us, now we're naming gin in honor of you!" Maybe Scots are different; but, I take no end of guff from my Irish friends for my viking ancestry. In any case, does anyone have tasting notes for Martin Miller's gins? Of the high end gins I have yet to try, those seem to be the most interesting to me right now.

Baraka or Aziza, perhaps, for Cal/Mediterranean/Moroccan. Depending on time, money, or inclination, you might try to get to Chez Panisse or Chez Panisse Cafe, for one of those meals, while you are in the area.

I was a little worried about the theme ingredient and couldn't quite imagine doing a whole menu around Andouille. It seemed like both Batali and Besh poured their hearts into this battle. Mario looked exhausted by the end. I was a little surprised by the outcome and thought it odd that the victor won mostly on presentation. All the food looked pretty fantastic. Anyone know where they got the sausage from? And, in a surprising turn, it appears they have returned the choice of Iron Chef to the challenger. All in all, I thought it was one of the most exciting Iron Chef Americas so far.

I second the recomendation for Bovolo My wife and I ate there the last time we were in Healdsburg and really enjoyed it. Pretty casual and in a sort of mall; but, really tasty food. If you like beer, don't forget Bear Republic! Keep us posted about the possibility of an eGullet shindig at General's Daughter. I'll try to make it; but, April is a bit busy and the tax man was not kind this year... -Erik

Thanks! I'll poke around a little more and see what I can find.

Those are both pretty close to the one I found in "Cracking the Coconut". The dish I had was vegetarian. I'm not sure what sort of tofu to use for the "marinated tofu". It had a very meat-like texture. I'm pretty sure "Gra Prow" refers to the Thai Basil in the dish. Or does it also mean a certain kind of sauce?

Though, I am a bit confused about alcohol percentages. If you started with a 750ml bottle of 190 proof grain alcohol and added another 4-5 cups of liquid, you should have been somewhere around 80-90 proof. Nowhere near the 50 proof ice crystal forming zone.

Just use 2 parts sugar to one part water for your simple syrup. Should get you where you want to go. I read somewhere that the magic number is somwhere a little above 30%/60 proof for the alcohol concentration to prevent ice crystals in most home freezers.* * I think it was this LA Times article, "In the case of 50-proof limoncello, you may see some of the water freeze and form ice crystals on the walls of the bottle at that temperature; the part that remains liquid will be closer to 60 proof....A bottle of 60-proof limoncello will not show any freezing of this sort unless the temperature falls below 0 Fahrenheit." edit - add LA Times article link.

Hello, Had what a restaurant called "Pad Woonsen Gra Prow" for the first time the other night and quite enjoyed it. I would like to learn to make it myself; but, haven't had much luck finding a recipe on the internet. The menu description is, "Sauteed silver noodles, marinated tofu, mushrooms, vegetables, with spicy chili garlic sauce, sweet basil." There is a sauteed silver thread noodle dish in "Cracking the Coconut" which I suspect might not be too far off. I would appreciate any suggestions of recipes or cookbooks. Thanks! Erik

Last night's Cocktail: Guava Hurricanes for 2, based on the Hurricane recipe from the Gumbopages website. * 1 1/2 ounces Wray and Nephew Overproof White Rum * 2 ounces Myers dark rum * 1 Satsuma Mandarin, Juiced * 2 ounces fresh lime juice * 1/2 cup Guava Juice (I used Ceres) * 1 teaspoon rich simple syrup * 2 teaspoons grenadine * Cherries with stems, and orange slice to garnish * Ice cubes Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker and chill. Strain into two iced collins glasses.