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I have a hard time taking any of these brands seriously, since my most common interaction with them is picking up empty airport, pocket size, or regular bottles out of the planters in front of my house. With the volume of "cognac" these brands produce to cater to urban consumption, can the lower end really be anything but industrial alcohol?

I've said it before in this forum and will probably say it again. One of the best value for dollars purchases you can make in distilled aged grape spirits is Germain-Robin's Fine Alembic Brandy. OK, it's not quite as cheap as Eagle Rare. But, it is reasonable enough, where you don't feel too guilty about putting it in a cocktail. At least an upscale cocktail like an absolutely perfect Sidecar for yourself or cocktail fancying friends. And it certainly is tasty enough that you won't mind pouring yourself a snifter straight or with a splash of Benedictine for variety. Not sure if I would use it to flame steak au poivre. Kind of a judgement call, there. In any case, I feel fairly secure in saying it is head and shoulders above many of the big name V.S. Cognacs.

Well, at least the Previous Cocktails link (with recipes!) still works: Click Me! I can't believe it was 11 years ago I was dragged to the launch party for HotWired...Sigh...I feel like I'm aging on Internet time.

There's a "Gentleman's Cocktail" that is typically 1.5 oz Bourbon, 1/2 oz brandy, 1/2 oz creme de menthe, and topped with club soda in a highball glass. Not so far off. Though, ultimately, with the addition of the citrus juice and ginger syrup, it is closer to a Gin Gin Mule or Ginger Rogers made with Bourbon. Sounds nice and refreshing!

Another really tasty one, this time in a style I don't normally drink all that often. Russian River Brewing Company's ESB. An English style ale tweaked a little toward the west coast with a little more floral hoppiness than is normally found. A very well rounded and satisfying beer. I knew these guys made great belgian style beers; but, I was pleased to find this one to be quite tasty as well.

First I have to confess my wife TiVos the martha show. I think it is a similar impulse to being unable to keep your tongue away from a broken tooth or cold sore. In any case, last night she yelled down to me to come look as she was cruising through the inane celebrity chatter and musical guests. Believe it or not, Mr. Chris Cosentino appeared and made pomegranate marinated game hens with sauteed treviso and cipolini onions. He also apparently broke Martha's mortar and pestle when he was prepping for his segment and showed off his stove tattoo. If yer interested, it is the one with Trisha Yearwood.

Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Section for Thursday, November 17, 2005 SWEETS FOR THE SWEET , Lynne Char Bennett Pairing dessert wines with food. Recipes: Pear Upside-Down Polenta Cake The slightly sweet cake is good on its own, served with vanilla ice cream, topped with fresh fruit or with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream. Most white dessert wines, including demi-sec sparkling wine, pair well with this cake. Fuyu Persimmon & Goat Cheese Tart This wonderful tart is perfect for dessert or as part of a brunch buffet. The herbs enliven the tart and make it sparkle. White dessert wines with fruit aromas and flavors, including ice wine, will complement this tart. Gorgonzola-Stuffed Dates Serve these nibbles as a mildly sweet ending to dinner or as part of a cheese course. A triple-cream, washed-rind cheese also works in this recipe. Serve with an oxidized or fortified wine. Pear & Fromage Blanc Crepes The sweetness of this dessert is adjusted by the amount of honey in the sauce...Serve the crepes with a slightly sweet sparkling wine or late harvest white wine. Sweet Crepes This recipe is adapted from the Food section's Roving Feast columnist (and eGullet contributor!) Marlena Spieler. SWEETS FOR THE SWEET , Lynne Char Bennett Various methods used to make sweet wines. Wine Business Insider:This year's cool weather could mean lower-alcohol wines, Cyril Penn Grape growers from around optimistic about the quality of 2005's harvest...In October, Yellow Tail became the first varietal wine brand in industry history to sell more than 1 million cases in the United States in one month...the French extremist group CRAV (Comite regional d'action viticole) struck again during the night of Nov. 9, emptying vats in three different wineries near Beziers....Constellation Brands chief executive Richard Sands "may be willing" to increase a $900 million takeover bid for Canadian winemaker Vincor International Inc...Pennsylvania, a state with a monopoly on wine sales, is expected to open to winery-to-consumer direct shipping...Who's who and where. Bargain Wines: A loaded table calls for fruit-forward wines, Leslie Sbrocco For Thanksgiving, "...your best bet is to uncork wines with loads of fruity character, so stay away from whites with too much oak and reds with strong tannins." The Cocktailian: Bartender dreams up the Menage au Poire, Gary Regan Recipe: Menage au Poire Adapted from a recipe by Victoria Damato-Moran, bar manager at Tony Nik's in San Francisco. Letters to Wine The Cheese Course: A triple-cream is thrice as nice, Janet Fletcher Pairings: Roasted vegetables versatile enough for a holiday table, Lynne Char Bennett Recipe: Roasted Vegetable Couscous with Lemon-Mustard Sauce The Chronicle's Wine Selections: Oregon Pinot Gris

Watched the Turkey battle with Flay vs. Two Hot Tamales (Feniger and Milliken) and was surprised to see it come out a tie. While I wasn't thrilled with Flay's idea of Turkey Breast, stuffing, and cranberries prepared 5 different ways, I thought his food looked much more appealing than that of Feniger and Milliken. Just glad I didn't have to taste their Turkey "scotch eggs" or Turkey Broth Sorbet. I'm not opposed to savory sorbets; but, then to serve it covered in chocolate in a chocolate tuile? Bleah. Maybe, if they had played up some sort of mole connection...

While she may have been the first to use yeast from that particular source, she certainly wasn't the first to use body cultured organisms to kick start fermentation. I've read both Native Americans and Asians used chewed grain to inoculate porridges and get fermentation started for their grain beverages. Aztecs allegedly used a "sock" full of human feces to encourage the fermentation of their agave nectar based fermented beverage, Pulque. Yum.

I believe this is one of the methods Julia Child advises in "The Way to Cook". I'm also thinking of trying it this year and would love to get some feedback. I've butchered my share of fowl in the past, so that part doesn't bother me. -Erik

Oh, Ouch!

I've never seen purple spots; but, I have had them turn to mush and still not be all the way cooked a few times. As far as I can figure out, it has something to do with either the season, the age of the potatoes, or a combination of both. As others have said above, it seems to work best to boil them whole in their skins. Steaming might also not be a bad idea; but, will give you a denser mash.

The most fun restaurant website I've come across lately is for fish. in Sausalito. Simple and tasteful, like The Boonville Hotel, is nice too. I hate the ones that require me to download something to experience them or are huge bandwidth hogs.

I still haven't seen any quinces this year. I'm hoping they will show up at my farmers' market soon. I can't stand overly sweet liqueurs either. As a starting point, I routinely cut the sugar or sugar syrup of most recipes in half. I seldom end up adding more. I just like the flavor of the thing. edited to clarify.

Thanks for clarifying. I keep getting these things confused. Where do the Schnapps, like Berentzen's, fit in? Are those made like liqueurs or Eau de Vie? Seems to me at 20% ABV they may have more in common with liqueurs. But then there's the high power stuff like Rumplemintze. I've read that true European schnapps are largely unavailable here and are not usually sweetened. PS. Checked on the web and most of Berentzen's "schnapps" products appear to be flavored grain neutral spirits.

Finally got around to filtering some liqueurs. This is the pomegranate after first filtering through cheesecloth on the left and the pluot after second filtering through chemex on the right. Here's the SugarPlum (Prune Plum). This is darker than my Nocino! The pluot smells great. The apricot seems to come to dominance after macerating. The SugarPlum still smells like cough drops to me.

My wife and I had a very nice dinner at The Boonville Hotel this last Saturday. Low-key friendly service, tasty food, and a very good (amazingly well priced!) wine list. They need to remember to spell check their menus before they print them; but, other than that, I have no real criticisms. -Erik

I recently found out about a distillery in Graton/Petaluma (Sonoma) called Stillwater Spirits. I guess the proprietor's name is Donald Payne. My impression from the gentleman I was talking to was they had some relationship to the now defunct Gan Eden winery. I know they make a grappa. Beyond that, I am still trying to track down more information, as I am hoping they might be a reasonable, local source for Eau de Vie and/or grappa. -Erik

I was looking at the Berentzen today at the liquor store. 20%? That is barely a liqueur, let alone schnapps. How is that even shelf stable? Curious in CA. -Erik

Depending on your interest in the, uh, botanic component, Gernet Katzer's spice pages may or may not be of interest. http://www.uni-graz.at/~katzer/engl/ Short answer is, most things considered cinnamon are from the same Genus. Slightly longer or more complicated answer is for various reasons different cultures "default" cinnamon may be a different species in that Genus. Fer example, in America, Cinnamomum cassia is most apt to be considered cinnamon. However in Mexico, what they call "Canela" is probably going to be Cinnamomum burmannii or Indonesian cinnamon. To me, Cinnamomum cassia is a little harsher and more like clove in its flavor. Indonesian cinnamon is mellower and more complex.

I am so bummed that these folks have pre-empted my idea for a dr. of mixology lab jacket. I still hope to go to the bookstore on the campus of the university I work for and order a lab jacket with my name on and the department "Mixology". Hopefully before the thanksgiving holiday! Certainly, protective eye wear may be in order for any drinks made with hellfire bitters... -Erik

Two pizzas tonight: House Roasted Niman Ranch Pork Loin, last of the season garden cherry tomatoes, and Aged Provolone. Backyard Meyer Lemon slices, Farmers' Market Asian Pears, and Bellwether Farms Fromage Blanc seasoned with lemon zest and oregano. Whee!

True enough. Though, when your choices are cryovac'd beef, lamb and pork cuts from Niman Ranch at Drewes' and cryovac'd beef, lamb and pork cuts from IBP/Tyson just about everywhere else... Which is not to say, I don't find Drewes' small selection and limited options frustrating. They don't even normally carry T-bones fer cripes sake! I just compare the service/price/quality of meat I get from them to the service/price quality of meat I get from the meat dept's at Whole Foods and Good Life. I will be checking out the place at 22nd and Mission! -Erik added comments.

Oh, and I know a lot of people my age and younger like to shop at Trader Joe's. Both of the Trader Joe's in San Francisco are a pain to get to and park at. From Bernal, if you have a car, the one in Daly City tends to be less crowded, has parking, and is a short hop South on 280. Click here for a map. And while you're in Daly City, for a trip back to the 50s complete with vinyl booths, stiff cocktails, and cranky senior citizen waiters, don't forget Joe's of Westlake. There is also a Todai across the freeway in the same mall with the Century 20 Theater.

I know there is a big asian supermarket somewhere around here. Daly City or South City, maybe. I can't remember the name at the moment. Some googleing has turned up a 99 Ranch in Daly City that I didn't know about.