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I'm pretty sure I recall reading recipes in Thomas' guide that call for "Rock Candy Syrup" or something similar.

Yes, I know. Some people are lumpers and some are splitters. I'm somewhere in between. For example, I often find Gary Regan's cocktail recipes to be too sweet for me. If I make one of his recipes, I might increase the spirits by 1/2 oz, increase the sour component by 1/4 oz, and decrease the sweet by 1/4 to 1/2 oz. Is it the same cocktail? No. Does the cocktail taste different enough to merit a new name? Not really. Personally, if I write down or post the recipe, I would give Mr. Regan credit and name it Cocktail_Name Revised. I suppose you could also use a #2 or something. To me, if a cocktail is in the range of what you might call, "competent bartender free pour error," I don't think it merits a new name.

Aren't we all. Shochu is the english translation of the japanese name for a class of distilled spirits. Soju is the english translation of the korean name for a class of distilled spirits. Awamori is the english translation of the Okinawan name a class of distilled spirits. The thing they all have in common is they are usually bottled at around 25% alcohol, instead of the 40% which is common for European spirits. Off the top of my head Shochu can be made from rice, barley, buckwheat, or sweet potatoes. I think Shochus are usually not aged, the differentiation comes from the degree of distillation. The more highly prized ones are distilled less and therefore have more of the character of their base. Sojus are a Korean distilled spirit. I know the least about these. From what I've read, many of the more common ones are pretty much just rice vodka distilled at high proof and diluted to 25% alcohol. Hopefully others can add more information. Awamori is the Okinawan distilled spirit. I will note that distillation was not invented in Japan, and Okinawa was the first Japanese prefecture to begin distilling their rice beverages. Awamori is made from rice and is considered best when aged for extended periods in clay pots. More information edited for usage.

Was thinking more about the naming thing on the train this AM. Isn't it funny how connotation free the word "Martini" has become? No one would think of calling some new drink a "Manhattan Old-Fashioned" or "Negroni Aviation". Yet "Whatever Martini" (or "Whatever-tini") is OK. Surely, there must have been some previous discussions about naming conventions for cocktails? To me, as a home cocktail maker, it's OK to mess a little with the proportions of a cocktail recipe, as long as you stay relatively close to the spirit of the recipe. Once you start to change the actual ingredients, it's time to think of a new name. -Erik

George, That wasn't my point at all. I was just pointing out that Embury called the reformulated Alaska (with dry sherry) a "Nome". Personally, I don't think a cocktail which doesn't involve some combination of gin, vermouth, and optionally bitters should be called a Martini. But, I'm not a bartender or menu writer. -Erik

In "The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks" Embury's recipe for the Alaska suggests a ratio of 1 part Yellow Chartreuse to 5-7 parts gin with a lemon twist garnish. No orange bitters mentioned. About the Alaska, Embury states, "It can be greatly improved by using less Chartreuse and adding 1 or 2 parts dry Sherry. This is the Nome." It certainly wasn't his idea to call the drink, with the addition of sherry an, "Alaska Martini". added garnish.

Figured I'd bump this thread since we are now heading into prime citrus season. Pomelo's were so beautiful and fragrant this last week at the farmers' market, I had to grab one and start an infusion for a pom-cello. Just from the smell of the house when I was zesting, I think this will be tasty. Also need to start a double batch of eureka or lisbon lemons for limoncello. It's funny, now every time I use a lemon or other citrus without zesting it first, I get this twinge, like I'm wasting something. Anyone else got anything macerating? -Erik

Haven't seen it yet. Hopefully it will be on the TiVo when I get home tonight. I don't see why bacon ice cream would necessarily be bad. The physical properties of lard are really very close to those of butter. As long as you somehow get proper emulsification and keep the total fat content to "normal" ice cream levels, I'm for it. Freeze me a pigsickle. On the other hand, I've made some extra rich custard ice cream recipes and thought they were just too much.

Oh, I've had this idea for a drink for a while but haven't had a chance to work out the details. Add sweetened hibiscus punch to the bottom of a chilled tall glass. Fill with crushed ice. Pour on lime juice and light rum (maybe selzer?), add more ice, top off with dark rum (and maybe angostura bitters). I have this picture in my head of it starting in three layers. Maybe call it "Ice Cream for Crow". There's a 1234 rule for this kind of drink. I can never quite remember which is which. I think it is: 1-sweet 2-sour 3-strong 4-weak added gratuitous beefheart quote.

Not yet; but, many of the recipes for Jamaican Sorrel Punch I've found on the internet contain a pretty healthy dose of ginger (and other spices). The next time I make hibiscus tea I'm planning on trying something similar to one of those. Probably spike it with some Wray & Nephew and see how it goes down.

Chris, I'm very fond of Hibiscus (Jamaica, Jamaican Sorrel, Karkarde...) as well. Around Halloween last year I came up with what my wife named the Chupacabra. It's a pretty tasty sour. I don't know if you've experienced this part, but, when I made the hibiscus tea (1 cup rinsed flowers, 3 cups hot water, steep for a couple hours, strain through cheesecloth, squeezing out as much liquid as possible, sweeten with 1 cup sugar) it thickened to a certain extent. When vigorously shaken it created a fairly stable foam and the drink did have a thickened texture not dissimilar to those made with egg whites. -Erik

It's funny, I was trolling the magazine section at the bookstore thinking, it's odd that it's "the year of the cocktail"* and, aside from "Modern Mixologist," there isn't even a publication dedicated to the art of the cocktail. There were a couple nice sounding David Wondrich recipes in Gary Regan's column in a whiskey magazine. Then the clouds parted and a bolt of light shown down upon the Difford's Guide. I found the interview with Tony Conigliaro, a barkeep who has worked with Heston Blumenthal at the Fat Duck to be the most interesting part. I've been trying to figure out some way to make some of his more exotic concoctions in my home kitchen. There was one with a chamomile foam that seemed particularly appealing for some reason. Unfortunately, they didn't include recipes for the more unusual elements of the cocktails. There has to be some way to come close without a laboratory. As far as the recipes go, it seems like there is a preponderence of sweet and/or layered drinks. And who knew there were so many cocktails with Blue Curacao? I'm also guessing any time you see a brand name, the company paid to get it in there. Why else would every cocktail with scotch call for "Famous Grouse" or every one with liqueur call for a Bols product? *According to Food and Wine Magazine.

Ame got a very good review in today's Chronicle Magazine and sounds intruiging. Ame Review

I scanned the menu and have uploaded a pdf of it to my web site. Incanto Menu It contains notes on the menu items and wines. Cheers!

Guerilla Gourmet "Culinary Speakeasies" is the term the article uses for these events, where individuals throw dinner parties and charge their guests to attend. I enjoy giving a dinner party every so often; but, can't imagine doing it in my home for 30 strangers on a regular basis. edited because I forgot to add article link. duh.

Hmmm... Basil Mojito doesn't sound so bad. Better than parsley IMHO. My three bartender pet peeves are: 1) The Dry Martini-ization of other cocktails. You order a negroni and get 4 oz of gin with a dash of campari and a dash of sweet vermouth. 2) Under chilling cocktails. Bartender gives the shaker a couple anemic shakes, pours you out 5 oz of barely chilled gin, and calls it a martini. 3) Filling Martini glasses all the way to the rim. It is impossible to carry these to your table without spilling, I don't care what anyone sez.

Matt The recipe I used is upthread a bit, I'll also PM you with it. I omitted the cooking step and added allspice and a couple limes. I'm unclear why the cooking step in this or the orange bitters recipe is necessary. -Erik

Hey! The Toronado Barley Wine Festival 2006 is coming up February 18-25. Last year they had more than 50 Barley Wines from around the country. Some of the beers are available in fairly limited quantities, so if you want to sample the widest variety get there early on. Be warned, it is usually very crowded and the bartenders overworked and surly*. *This is not unusual for the Toronado. Well, the surly part, anyway.

Current new drink I am working on is a version of the Ramos Gin Fizz. I made a Lemon Grass infused simple syrup last week, and was thinking a Gin Fizz with that, coconut milk, lime and tamarind might be pretty tasty. Based proportions on the Ramos Gin Fizz for two from Joy of Mixology. Am not sure if it is a great cocktail but it is pretty tasty. I'm experimenting with my new stick blender and am not sure about it, either. It seemed like the foam volume and texture was better with a 60 seconds of manual shaking than with the stick blender. Thai Fizz 2 oz Gin 1 oz coconut milk 1 raw egg white 3/4 oz lemon grass infused simple syrup 1/2 oz fresh lime juice 1/2 tsp tamarind paste dash orange flower water 1/2 cup crushed ice Sparkling Water (selzer, soda...) Mint Chiffonade Blend the liquid ingredients together with the ice. Divide the mixture between two champagne flutes, top off with cold sparkling water, and garnish with mint chiffonade. edited - Forgot the soda water and its not really a fizz without it.

It is a bit odd. According to this essay on the Drinkboy site, Angostura bitters, the brand, were named after the city in Venezuela they were developed in, not the ingredients, and are made with Quinine Bark. True Angostura Bark is an altogether different bitter substance that is sometimes used medicinally. This page from botanical.com has details. I keep forgetting to pick up a bottle of the fee bitters. How do they compare to Angostura? edit - I was reading back through this fascinating thread and one of the previous posts said Angostura was made with gentian, not quinine. Since Baker's Angostura clone uses Quinine, I had assumed Angostura did too. Reading the Angostura bottle closely, it does say it is a gentian bitters.

Sam, Cocktologist? Not sure I would want to chance calling a bartender a "cocktologist". Though, certainly, in some San Francisco neighborhoods, the term might well be embraced. What are the components of a Silver Gin Sour? White Lady type thing?

Kurt, According to plants.usda.gov, Blackthorn's range in the US includes the NE, NW, Michigan, Tennesee, and Missouri. Blackthorn More info on the plant. Even more info. I could be wrong; but, I don't think blackthorn is really grown commercially anywhere. It's a very spiny plant, and the fruit is small, tart and bitter. It is too bad Plymouth doesn't export these products to the US (or their Fruit Cup or Navy Strength gin).

Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest, Thursday, January 19, 2006 WANTED: Texas-size talent to make West Coast Pinot Noir, Wes Marshall Re-creating the beer Ben Franklin drank Several Bay Area Brewpubs have beer from recipe of Ben Franklin's on tap this Winter. Austria's Gruner groovy with food, Steve Pitcher Wine Business Insider: U.S. wine consumption keeps going up, Cyril Penn Per Capita wine consumption at an all time high...Helping Napa flood victims...Sidney Frank passes away. Pairings: Gruner Veltliner swims with the fishes, Joyce Goldstein Recipe: Tunisian Inspired Fish Soup The Chronicle's Wine Selections: Gruner Veltliner, Linda Murphy The Cheese Course: Move over, chocolate cake -- here comes Prima Donna, Janet Fletcher Bargain Wines: Wines for frugal Francophiles, W. Blake Gray fixed URL

I do have one of these. I don't have much to say beyond what I put in the nalgene thread. I didn't end up bringing it along to the holidays. My wife thought it would be too weird for us to sit in our bedroom brewing coffee. We brought Peet's coffee along and Mom was good about making a slightly stronger pot for just us. I haven't really ended up using it all that often. Mostly, I think because you can only make what amounts to 4 "cups" at a time. We drink 7 or 8 "cups" of coffee a morning, so I would have to brew twice to make enough coffee for us with the aeoropress. I do think the coffee you get from the aeropress gives better expression to the smell of your cup of coffee than any other I have tried. As others have noted, it isn't french press coffee and its not espresso. You've got a brief steep of ground beans at regular brewing temp. Then the air and coffee are expelled from the syringe-like chamber using pressure. You end up with a highly aromatic and concentrated cup. If I get a chance this weekend, I will try and photograph a little show and tell session. BTW, I saw some toddy filters at the store last weekend, and I'm pretty sure that is exactly what is used in the aeropress. -Erik

Cool! Can't wait to hear how they come out. I've wanted to try those for a while. Is there any method to the madness of bitters making? In, "Jigger, Beaker, and Glass," Baker gives three distinct methods. To my imperfect memory the methods were: 1) Macerate ingredients in spirits, filter and bottle. 2) Macerate ingredients in spirits, filter through cheesecloth. Steep seperated dry ingredients in warm liquid, cool and age. Re-incorporate two essences. Filter and bottle. 3) Briefly cook all ingredients in liquid, cool, add high proof alcohol, age, then filter and bottle. If I remember correctly, 1 was used for his Angostura clone, 2 for his orange bitters, and 3 for the Hellfire Bitters. The Stoughton bitters recipes I've seen usually use method 1. edited for stupid usage.