eje

Jabberwock Cocktail* 2 Dashes Orange Bitters. 1/3 Dry Gin. 1/3 Dry Sherry. 1/3 Caperitif. Stir well and strain into cocktail glass. Squeeze lemon peel on top. Right well, Vorpal Sword at ready, I tried this apparently Lewis Carrol inspired cocktail a couple ways. First using the cocktaildb suggested Caperitif substitution Lillet Blanc: 1 Dash Fee's Orange; 1 Dash Regan's Orange; 1 Dash Angostura; 1 oz Beefeater Gin; 1 oz Bodega Dios Baco Fino Sherry; 1 oz Lillet Blanc; Stir, Strain, Orange Peel. Nope, no thank you. Next: 1 Dash Fee's Orange; 1 Dash Regan's Orange; 1 oz Broker's Gin; 1 oz Bodega Dios Baco Fino Sherry; 1 oz sadly ancient, tired, and nearly empty Cocchi Americano; Stir, Strain, Orange Peel. I don't know if I'd go so far as to say, "O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!" but, much better, anyway. Dammit! Anyone made any progress on a Kina Lillet replica? I'm thinking some portion of: quinine tincture, cinnamon tincture, orange tincture, brandy, and muscat cannelli for the wine base. It's probably not that simple, but that, at least, is a start.

Yes, I am embarrassed to admit the Engel's drink is indeed called the "Knickebein", not the "Knickerbein". I'm almost as bad as Harry Craddock, with the typos!

Irish Cocktail 2 Dashes Absinthe. (2/3 tsp. Marteau Verte Classique Absinthe) 2 Dashes Curacao. (2/3 tsp. Luxardo Triplum) 1 Dash Maraschino. (1/3 tsp. Luxardo Maraschino) 1 dash Angostura Bitters. 1/2 Glass Irish Whisky. (1 oz Redbreast Irish Whiskey) Shake well (stir, please) and strain into cocktail glass. Add olive and squeeze orange peel on top. Well, I was very tempted to double the whiskey in this one, but I restrained myself, and put it in my tiniest glass. Pretty much an "Improved Irish Whiskey Cocktail". To me, the portion of Absinthe seems a bit large for the small amount of Whiskey in this particular cocktail. Washing the glass with, or a single dash of, Absinthe would probably be plenty. And at that point, you'd have a very tasty cocktail indeed.

Just a friendly reminder that it is about time to sort out your green walnut plan for the year. Only a couple more weeks until St. John's Day.

Wow, great deduction! I like that idea hannhah. I do see "Ich Bein" on some german websites. I'm assuming it's sort of a contraction of "Ich Bin Ein", but can't really tell, my german is so rusty. In the case of the "Knickerbein", apparently that means something like "Bent Knee". Interestingly, also the name of one of the early German models of radar, but that wasn't until well after Leo Engel included the Knickerbein in his "American and Other Drinks". I'm actually a bit disappointed that Craddock didn't include the Knickerbein in the Savoy Cocktail Book. I may have to do a bit of extracurricular drink making, it sounds so interesting and fun.

Ink Street Cocktail 1/3 Canadian Club Whisky. (3/4 oz 40 Creek Barrel Select, 1/4 oz Buffalo Trace Bourbon) 1/3 Orange Juice. (1 oz fresh valencia Orange Juice) 1/3 Lemon Juice. (1 oz fresh Lemon Juice) Shake well then strain into cocktail glass. Taking perfumekev's advice to heart, I did a little on-the-fly blending, in an attempt to juice up the 40 creek. Definitely seems to lend a bit more character in the drink, to the point where I can actually taste the whisk(e)y, which probably wouldn't have been the case with just the 40 Creek. In regards the drink, 3 oz is a little large. Where 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 oz would have been a bracing tonic that you could throw back in a single go, at 3 oz, the Ink Street gets a bit sour by the end.

I'm wondering if anyone has found novel uses for the Armazem Viera 4 Year. It really is an unusual and wonderful spirit, but was proving challenging for me to mix with. I tried a few things on Saturday night and everyone seemed to magnify some unusual aspect of the spirit or the mixers. The bitterness of bitters, for example, and vermouth seemed magnified when mixed with this Cachaca.

It almost has enough ingredients to be a tiki drink.... But now that I mention that, it is a bit like the Fog Cutter, is it not? If you used Rum and Cognac in place of the vermouths. And orange juice in place of the orange bitters (Trader Vic was bitters-phobic, anyway...)

I finally got around to trying some of the pizza at Beretta last night. I had a Broccolini and pancetta pizza with tomato and mozzarella. It was lightly dressed (as it should be) and the Broccolini was nicely bitter, the pancetta great, tomato sauce perfectly fresh tasting, and the mozzarella very good. Best of all, though, was the crust. Easily among the best traditional Italian pizza crusts I've had in San Francisco. Clean tasting, thin, and crisp. I was really impressed. I also had two appetizers. I can never resist Sardines, so I had the Monterey sardines en saör, which were excellent. I also had the Pepperoni, which is a roasted bell pepper stuffed with breadcrumbs, raisins, and pine nuts. I'm biased, but the cocktails are excellent (the bar was opened by Thad Vogler and the staff includes a number of San Francisco's best bartenders). They also have a nice wine list, pretty much, if not entirely, from Italy. Not much beer. There are some non-alcholic options for beverages. Fresh squeezed juices, ginger beer, and a hibiscus cooler. Anyway, I can't wait to get back and try some of the other menu items, including the nightly entrée specials. They were serving a grilled bone in ribeye as the special last night.

Inca Cocktail 1 Dash Orgeat Syrup. (1/3 tsp homemade) 1 Dash Orange Bitters. (dash Fee's, Dash Regan's Orange Bitters) 1/4 Gin. (3/4 oz Junipero Gin) 1/4 Sherry. (3/4 oz Bodega Dios Baco Fino Sherry) 1/4 French Vermouth. (3/4 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth) 1/4 Italian Vermouth. (3/4 oz Carpano Antica Vermouth) Shake (stir, please) well and strain into cocktail glass. (Orange Peel.) Apparently, I am crazy for liking this cocktail. I tried it a while ago for myself and thought it a really cool puzzle of tastes. I gave one to Mrs. eje to try. Interestingly, her first impression was that it was a whiskey cocktail, but she also liked it. Then I sent the recipe to a few friends. Crickets. I sent the recipe to some bartenders I know. The silence was deafening. I made it again a couple other times, including tonight, and still think it rocks. I do have to say I over-squooshed my almonds when making the orgeat, thus the kind of dottiness to the almond oils and solids in the cold cocktail. Still tasty despite the somewhat unappealing appearance. Robert Vermeire tells us, "This cocktail was invented by H.C. Harrison, who supervises the American Bars of the Gordon Hotels in England."

It occurs to me that Rainbow Grocery is a fun place to go. I mean, if you're the sort of person, like me, that finds going to a grocery store fun. It's kind of like Bell Bates in Tribeca, except bigger and weirder. They do have a very nice cheese selection. In addition, it's just kind of a cool, funny, San Francisco kind of place with a lot of really amazing things. Wacky bulk herbs, unusual condiments, herbal supplements, bizarre sweeteners, bulk nuts, etc. It's where I get my raw almonds and apricot kernels for orgeat. You can't find that everywhere!

Alan, actually cowgirl gets quite a few cheeses from Neal's Yard in England and other places, so not all American. Beyond special trips down to Cowgirl, I tend to buy cheese at the local natural grocery, whole foods, or the Farmers' Market. About the only other places I can think of are 24th Street Cheese Company and Say Cheese. Both are pretty good, but nothing I would go out of my way for. I'm hoping someone else will jump in on the pastry/bread front, as it's not really my area of expertise. For what it's worth, I like the yeast breads at Arizmendi and the French style pastries at Boulange de Cole. A lot of people seem to like Tartine, but I don't really get the appeal. If you're lucky, Chris Cosentino's new Boccalone store front in the Ferry Building will be open by the time you visit in August. Not cheese, beer, bread or pastry, but did you know that that Le Sanctuaire now has a store here in San Francisco? I mean, if you want to blow through a bunch of cash...

Looks like a great place! I'll have to add it to my list for the next time I visit New York. For my money, the two stores with the best selection of esoteric beers are City Beer Store and Plump Jack Wines. City Beer is also unusual in that it has some beers on tap and a small selection of cheeses to nosh on while you drink. Even though it is primarily a cocktail bar, Alembic Bar, up the street from Magnolia, has a good selection of belgian bottles and some well selected taps. Tasty food, as well. Very similar look and style to Spuyten Duyvil.

Are you looking for places to consume Belgian Beer or places to buy Belgian Beer? Do they also need to serve food? Also, what sort of bar do you enjoy visiting? Monk's Kettle in the Mission District (very close to the 16th Street BART station) is quite good. Nice selection of beers and some pretty good food. I like Toronado, but the vibe of the place isn't for everyone. Surly bartenders and the music is likely to be either Heavy or Speed Metal. Good selection of Belgian Beers, though, and a very good Sausage shop next store to pick up take out food. They let you bring it in to the bar. It is hard to beat ACME Bread Company for Sourdough. And next door in the Ferry Building is the Cowgirl Creamery retail store. There's a place in North Beach called La Trappe that is supposed to have good Belgian Beer and food, but I haven't been yet to recommend it personally. For local beer, some in Belgian style, I'd be remiss not to recommend the Magnolia Brewpub in the Upper Haight neighborhood. Good food, too.

I think there may be some borough confusion. Isn't the Income Tax cocktail a variation on the Bronx, and not the Brooklyn? ← Ack! You are, of course, correct sir! How embarrassing!

Income Tax Cocktail 1 Dash Angostura Bitters. The Juice of 1/4 Orange. (1/4 quarter valencia orange squeezed right over the tin) 1/4 French Vermouth. (3/4 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth) 1/4 Italian Vermouth. (3/4 oz Carpano Antica Vermouth) 1/2 Dry Gin. (1 1/2 oz Broker's Dry Gin) Shake (haha, stir!) well and strain into cocktail glass. (Orange Peel.) I know I sometimes bang on about the Brooklyn* variations as the cocktails in the Savoy which I am most tired of. But this was really good. A nice stiff gin, a beautiful fresh valencia orange, generous portion of bitters, decent dry and sweet vermouth. When this cocktail is good, it is hard to beat! *This should say "bang on about the Bronx variations". How embarrassing. The Brooklyn is a lovely drink all of it's own with Whiskey, Vermouth, Maraschino, and Amer Picon. No Orange Juice involved.

I'm still experimenting with it in cocktails, but the Osocalis Brandy makes a pretty darn interesting Sazerac. Chewy.

A couple spirits geeks and bartenders have recommended to me Dudognon Cognac Reserve. The price is on the high side for me (pesky exchange rates) at around $56, so I went with the Osocalis Brandy this time instead. Next time I may have to break down and give it a try... I've heard it makes an excellent Japanese Cocktail.

Imperial Cocktail 1 Dash Maraschino. (1/3 tsp. Luxardo Maraschino) 1 Dash Angostura Bitters. 1/2 French Vermouth. (1 1/2 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth) 1/2 Dry Gin. (1 1/2 oz Junipero Vermouth) Stir well and serve with olive. Another cool and tasty Dry Martini variation. Yum! Kind of a Dry Vermouth version of the Martinez. Who can complain about that?

Ideal Cocktail 3 Dashes Maraschino. (1 tsp. Luxardo Maraschino) 1/3 Italian Vermouth. (3/4 oz Carpano Antica) 2/3 Dry Gin. (1 1/2 oz Aviation Gin) 1 Tablespoonful Grapefruit Juice. (1 TBSP Fresh Ruby Grapefruit Juice) Shake (stir, please) well and strain into cocktail glass. (Grapefruit Peel.) Serve with a small nut. This is actually rather unexpectedly good! I dunno if I would quite rate it as "Ideal", but certainly above average. The Aviation Gin, is, of course, a non-traditional choice. Just seemed like it would be an OK in this drink, and, indeed it was. I did add a quarter of a pickled walnut after I took the picture. Not bad, but it was kind of distracting, blowing away the rest of the drink flavors. I'd recommend sticking with the Grapefruit Peel alone unless you're a real fan of pickled nuts. edit - I know I'm kind of going against the grain by stirring this drink which has fruit juice in it. But, it has such a small amount of juice and it has vermouth... Just seemed like a stirry kind of drink. Can't wait to see what kind of controversy I generate by stirring the Income Tax in a couple days... This was a really neat color which the picture doesn't quite capture. Kind of a glowy pink-ish tan.

Oh, Patrick Gavin Duffy, who is more particular about most things like garnish and spelling, does spell the name of this cocktail, "Ichbein" not as the Savoy, "Ichbien". I kind of wonder if it has something to do with the Knickerbein?

Not really. The only references I can google for Ichbien are drink recipes. "Ich" of course being "I" in Germain. "Bien" being something like "good" in French? It could be mis-spelled, I suppose...

I continue on my bizarrely Wisconsinite struggle to define my ideal Cognac/Brandy. I've discarded some early predilections (Korbel VSOP, E&J, etc.) and tried to move things a bit more cosmopolitan. I can't say my early flirtations with California Brandies have been entirely successful. Germain-Robin's alembic brandy seeming a bit tedious after drinking a whole bottle. The French. There's some sort of French Chortling sound here. Oh, the French. I do like Pierre Ferrand Cognac and Cerbois Armangac. Ah, but the exchange rate. It seems like they go up $5 every month! So here we are today. Osocalis have been distilling brandy for about 10 years. They released their first brandy in 2006. I'm just getting around to tasting it now, and it is pretty darn OK. I'm no expert, but I like that there is a bit of the flavor of the wine in the spirit. It's a bit tart and, well, winey. Definitely on the young and feisty side, which is OK by me. To get around to Savoy Cocktails... Ichbien Cocktail The Yolk of 1 Egg. 1 Port-wine Glass Milk. (2 oz Half and Half) 1/4 Orange Curacao. (1/4 oz Luxardo Triplum) 3/4 Brandy. (1 1/2 oz Osocalis Brandy) Shake well and strain into medium size glass, with nutmeg on top. I'm not normally a big milk cocktail fan, but I liked, and finished, this. I guess if it were Scotch instead of Brandy, it would be "Auld Man's Milk". Thanks! Old man eje says, "Lovely and perfect."

Because I hate to waste good booze, I find tea syrups to be an interesting avenue of experimentation. Basically make a 2x batch of tea, strain out the leaves, then add an equal amount of sugar. Stir until it dissolves, cool and have fun. Darjeeling was fantastic, Dragon Well pretty interesting... I think Keemum will be next... Much faster to make and easier to control amounts and steeping times than with a room temp alcohol infusion.

Some friends gave me a mostly full but somewhat aged bottle of Vya Sweet Vermouth. Ironically just after I'd bought my own and pretty much decided I didn't really like it. I'm frustrated with trying to use it in cocktails, so I'm trying to think of what to do with this embarrassment of sweet vermouth riches... Maybe reduce it by about a third, hit it with some Brandy/Cognac, and then spike it with a touch of wormwood tincture. Maybe steep some additional spices in it after reducing? Or maybe just keep reducing it to a true syrup... There has to be some way to make this product more interesting.