eje

Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Friday, January 11, 2008 Make wine not war: Lebanon's new generation of winemakers, Gregg Carlstrom THE SIPPING NEWS: In our glasses: What we're drinking Rose flavored liqueur fills glasses, Jon Bonné Vine wine bar in Oakland opens, Deb Wandell A quick apple and cheese snack to pair with Riesling, Lynne Char Bennett 'Meritage' turns 20, Lynne Char Bennett Beer: A corner of rural Bavaria fosters farmhouse brews, Derrick Schneider The Tasting Room: A twofer for tasters in Santa Rosa, Carol Ness Letters to Wine: Road-testing pork stew, goose pairings The Cheese Course: Mellow feta from Israel is worth its salt, Janet Fletcher Pairings: Vegetarian oat-corn cakes shine for Sonoma Chardonnay, Lynne Char Bennett Recipes: Oat & Corn Cakes Chronicle Wine Selections: Sonoma Chardonnay, Lynne Char Bennett 96 Hours Bargain Bite: The Original Red Onion, Lynne Char Bennett "Old-timers like to reminisce about the local hamburger joint where they'd stop after school for fries, a malt and the latest gossip. Since 1963, Pinole's Original Red Onion has been where Pinole Valley High School kids have hung out after the last bell; it's the same place where those kids who are now parents bring their families." Bar Bites: Ana Mandara, Lynne Char Bennett "Ana Mandara - which refers to a 700-year-old legend and love story and translates to "beautiful refuge" - is often referred to as "the restaurant Don Johnson owns." But the draw is executive chef Khai Duong's modern, sophisticated, French-influenced Vietnamese cuisine, not a potential celebrity sighting. Many of Duong's intensely flavored dishes are starters and small plates, making them perfect bar bites, though the entire menu is available. The expansive second-floor Cham Bar is accessed via a wide, sweeping staircase with wrought-iron banisters."

Fair and Warmer Cocktail 1/3 Italian Vermouth. (3/4 oz Martini and Rossi Rosso Vermouth) 2/3 Bacardi Rum. (1 1/2 oz Havana Club 7) 2 Dashes Curacao. (1/2 teaspoon Luxardo Triplum) Shake (stir) well and strain into cocktail glass. I was going to use the regular Flor de Cana dry, but it seemed like all I would taste would be the vermouth. Glad to have an excuse to use the Havana Club, instead. I've been using the M&R sweet vermouth for a couple months now, and I gotta say, it's kind of won me over. The Cinzano just tastes really cloying now, with vanilla notes that distract me from the flavor of the drink. The Luxardo Triplum isn't a Curacao, strictly speaking, whatever that means, but it does pack the strongest bitter orange punch of the various orange liqueurs I currently have in the house. Seemed like a drink that called out for a cherry, but these Silver Palate Maraschino Cherries (no artificial color) just suck. Might as well eat sugar coated red cardboard. I'm going to have to track down some more of those tasty Toschi Amarena Cherries. They rocked. New supposed crystal glassware from ebay. A little top heavy and I find the stems a bit short, but I'm pleased to find them the perfect size for the neat drinks in the Savoy. What's not to love about a "Cuban Manhattan"?

Found this amusing passage regarding Pousse-Cafés in the 1948 edition of "Bartender's Guide...by Trader Vic":

Two batched cocktails I've made in the past are the Brazilian Daiquiri from Mark Miller's Coyote Cafe Cookbook and Chuck Taggert's Mother-In-Law Cocktail. To make the Brazilian Daiquiri (it's probably really a punch) you just cut up a whole pineapple, pour over 3 cups of amber rum (say Mount Gay Eclipse) and add a split vanilla bean and 3 tablespoons of brown sugar (or piloncillo). Let this stand at room temperature for a couple days, strain out the pineapple, and add the strained juice of two limes. You can either chill it in the freezer and serve it as shots (Miller's suggestion), or shake with ice to order with maybe a splash more lime (my preference.) Garnish by skewering the alcohol soaked pineapple pieces along with a cherry on a pick.

Well, they do mention Moylan's Hopsickle in the article. It is easily the most absurdly over-the-top-edly hopped beer I have ever had (yes, I've had the Dogfish Head 90 and 120). Can't say I particularly cared for Hopsickle as anything other than a curiosity. Recently had the Victory Hop Wallop and thought it tasty. Unfortunately, it was near the end of a rather long beer drinking session, so that's about all I can remember. Russian River's Pliny the Elder would be one I would like to see on the list. Very hoppy and very delicious.

Spoiled Californian here... I really don't care for the "organic" lemons at Whole Foods. Purity is the brand, I think. They are too well scrubbed, oiled and waxed. While they do last a really long time after I buy them, the amount of oil and flavor just doesn't hold a candle to the ones I get at the Farmers' Market, Latin Markets, or from friends with trees.

Interesting article in Today's NY Times: A Taste for Brews That Go to Extremes*, Eric Asimov Tasted beers include Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA, Weyerbacher Double Simcoe I.P.A., Lagunitas I.P.A. Maximus, Oskar Blues Gordon, Victory Hop Wallop, Mad River Brewing Steelhead, Double Dog Double Pale Ale, Moylan’s Moylander Double I.P.A., Southern Tier Unearthly Imperial IPA, and Great Divide Hercules Double IPA. Oddly, about half of the beers are rated 2 1/2 stars and the other half 2 stars. Not much variety in evaluation of taste. *Link may require registration and/or payment.

Little industry news for you Wray & Nephew fans: Brown-Forman Sales and Marketing Agreements with Wray & Nephew and Distell to End

If any of you read (or write) blogs which cover cocktails, you might know that Paul over at Cocktail Chronicles has been organizing a monthly online cocktail event he calls Mixology Mondays. This month's event is being hosted by Marleigh over on her blog SLOSHED! The theme is Brandy. To quote Paul from his announcement of the topic: If you would like to participate, please write up a cocktail in this topic before Monday, January 14th at midnight. I will compile a list of cocktails posted and email them to the organizer. Pretty wide open topic here, let's show those pesky bloggers we mean business!

Thanks for the heads up. I did have to select it manually to get TiVo to record and it was the first of the new season. New intro with more tricky computer effects. Anyway, the sheer volume of amazing looking food had my wife thinking of canceling our anniversary trip to Hawaii and booking Singapore. Ha! Even at the Hyatt!

[...] ← Well, it is a nice selection of liqueurs and amaros in the article, (including my personal hobby horse Cocchi Americano,) and hard to argue with their opinions about most of the ones I have tried. Though, to me, pushing the VEP Chartreuse offerings is more about conspicuous consumption than anything else. Has a rap song been written about them yet? In regards the prunier, I have heard the, "it's time to rethink one's house orange liqueur," line so many times and have been disappointed so many times, that I would only really be willing to pony up for yet another bottle of orange liqueur if I tried the Prunier first before buying it.

I was thinking about Curacao based on some discussion over at the DrinkBoy MSN forums. Then, a friend asked to borrow some Orange Curacao so he could try to make himself a Mai Tai. Of course, one of the most famous uses of Curacao is Trader Vic's Mai Tai. To the best of my knowledge, however, Vic always recommended DeKuyper, (or another Dutch Curacao,) based on neutral spirits, rather than the ones blended with brandy, like Brizard or Grand Marnier. Were the original Curacaos then orange macerations, probably based on rum, like the Creole Shrubb liqueur? Then when the europeans got ahold of them, they started distilling the peels, and it evolved into the more sophisticated liqueurs like Cointreau and Grand Marnier. In reproducing older recipes, what is the best thing to look for in a Curacao? Is its function mostly for sweetness? If so, then why is it so often used in combination with gum syrup? Or is it also there for the bitter orange kick you'd get from a macerated liqueur?

Made myself a "Hanky Panky" tonight to (more or less) the Savoy proportions (I was killing a bottle of Plymouth, so there was a touch more gin.) Was a bit surprised (or maybe not) at how much the Fernet dominated the cocktail even at only approx 2 dashes. Nice, all the same, if you enjoy the minty-herby flavor of Fernet Branca. Kind of hard to imagine "enjoying" the proportions "Fernet Branca Cocktail" in any other than a tonic way. That would be a pretty bitter cup. But, then, it is not uncommon for Fernet to be drunk straight as a shot here in San Francisco, land of the Barbary Pirates, so who knows...

Makes sense. Though I would make the Savoy Hanky Panky as: 1 1/4 oz Gin; 1 1/4 oz Italian Vermouth; 1/2 tsp Fernet. The Savoy measurements for the Fernet cocktail would be: 1 1/4 oz Gin; generous 1/2 oz Fernet; generous 1/2 oz Italian Vermouth.

Not really that big a fan, myself, of the Anchor Bock. Tastes pretty much like their Holiday Beer without the spices. As a point of fact: Apparently, for years, a friend had been bothering Mr. Maytag, the proprietor of Anchor Brewing, to produce a Bock Beer. Anchor was his favorite brewery and Bock was his favorite type of beer. As a matter of coincidence, Potrero Hill, where Anchor is currently located in San Francisco, used to be called "Goat Hill" because a farmer grazed goats on a pasture there. Bock is the German word for Billy-Goat. In any case, after his friend died, Mr. Maytag produced the beer as a sort of memorial.

Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Friday, January 04, 2008 Hang time: Kenny Likitprakong makes the leap from skateboard to vineyard, Olivia Wu World View: Riesling gains popularity, fills up the world's wineglass, Jancis Robinson THE SIPPING NEWS: Label watch - Bonny Doon 'comes clean', Stacy Finz Deep-clean the decanter with steel cleaning balls, Lynn Char Bennett First look: A screaming deal at only $950?, Stacy Finz In our glasses: What we're drinking Uncorked: Argentine vintners make wine a family affair, Jon Bonné The Cheese Course: A low-fat option in Bellwether Farms fromage blanc, Janet Fletcher Pairings: Napa Zinfandel to match with pork stew, Lynne Char Bennett Recipes: Napa Zinfandel to match with pork stew Chronicle Wine Selections: Napa Valley Zinfandel, Lynn Char Bennett The Tasting Room: Roshambo takes a fun-loving approach to wine, Amanda Gold Cocktailian: Silent monks get the Last Word, Gary Regan Recipes: The Last Word 96 Hours Bargain Bite: Dim Sum Bar, Cindy Lee "Next time you have a craving for some ha gow (shrimp dumplings), siu mai (pork dumplings) or baos (steamed/baked buns filled with meat or vegetables), check out Dim Sum Bar in the Tenderloin...Because dim sum consists of a wide variety of small plates and hot tea, people can eat to their heart's content. Many restaurants that offer dim sum only serve it for a few hours midday. At Dim Sum Bar, it's available all day, including for dinner or even a late-night snack. " Bar Bites: Sam's Chowder House, Lynne Char Bennett "When you drive along the coast, hunger often turns to thoughts of seafood. If you're within shouting distance of Half Moon Bay, you're in luck. Paul Shenkman, the former owner of Cetrella in Half Moon Bay, opened Sam's Chowder House, drawing on memories of his time on the East Coast. Executive chef Lewis Rossman, who was Cetrella's chef for six years, took over the stoves six months ago, adding his flair to the seafood-centric menu."

Depends what you're after. If your head is ringing after a night of drinking, the bitter tonic resulting from the proportions of the "Fernet Branca cocktail" might be what you need to settle your nerves. If you're looking for a pleasant pre or post dinner libation, the "Hanky Panky" proportions might be a better choice.

They appear to be doing a marathon of sorts next Monday (Jan 7, 2008) running episodes all day. Anyone know when the new episodes start? I saw a print ad that said Jan 1 and the travel channel website ads say Jan 7, but I see no new episodes showing up in the TiVo schedule or on the Travel Channel website schedule. Just curious, hoping to avoid something like the name change debacle that happened a couple years ago, if that's what's up.

Oh and, by the bye, among the 7 cocktails in the "Savoy Cocktail Book" containing Fernet, there is a cocktail called the "Fernet Branca Cocktail": Fernet Branca Cocktail 1/4 Fernet Branca. 1/4 Italian Vermouth. 1/2 Dry Gin. Shake well and strain into cocktail glass. Mr. Craddock (or the Savoy editors) state:

What temperature is your freezer? If I keep a tempered mixing glass in my freezer (currently -3 F) and then add water it instantaneously freezes. This tells me the same thing likely happens with spirits added to the glass. That is, their temperature drops below freezing pretty much instantaneously. To be sure, this results in a very cold cocktail, but it seems to me you would have to stir for a very long time time to get any decent amount of dilution in alcohol that cold stirred with ice.

The Hanky Panky Cocktail is commonly attributed to the head bartender who preceeded Mr. Harry Craddock at the Savoy Hotel's American Bar, Ms. Ada Coleman. The "Savoy Cocktail Book" version of the Hanky Panky is as follows: Hanky Panky Cocktail 2 Dashes Fernet Branca. 1/2 Italian Vermouth. 1/2 Dry Gin. Shake well and strain into cocktail glass. Squeeze orange peel on top.

I found a 1934 edition of Duffy over the holiday. It's a pretty cool artifact, bound in a 2 ring binder, saying, "And so the Official Mixer's Manual has been made loose-leaf, and every 4 months or as often as necessary a supplement will be sent to subscribers containing the recipes for whatever new concoctions have proved themselves worthy of recognition. The Official Mixer's Manual not only preserves the hoary old stand-bys, but insures the bartender, professional or amateur, of being up-to-the minute in all his operations." It also has a fantastic introduction from Mr. Duffy, and an illustrated list of glassware, with every cocktail numbered for appropriate glass. On the cocktails Mr. Duffy states, "The great majority of this list of Cocktails are wholesome and well concocted but we cannot approve of those which include Gin, Scotch, Brandy, Vermouth and cream in one drink. Nor indeed, can we give our support to any concoction consisting of Gin and Rye, Gin and Scotch, Gin and Brandy or to any beverage where two kinds of strong liquors are shaken together with bitters, cream and Raspberry Syrup. Old Barkeepers know well that drinking different strong liquors at one session often brings on sudden intoxication and sick headaches afterwards...As a means of precaution, I have placed a * opposite each Cocktail which I personally do not recommend." Fun stuff! Plus, I've already found several discrepancies between this edition and my 1950s James Beard edited version. I've always wondered why Duffy had changed Ensslin's Aviation recipe to call for Apricot Brandy instead of Creme de Violette. In the 1934 version it is nearly verbatim from the Ensslin recipe, only the modern edition calls for Apricot.

So here's an odd thing! Over the holiday I found a 1934 edition of Patrick Gavin Duffy's "Official Mixer's Manual". In this book he gives the "Duppy Cocktail (6 People)" as: Given that Mr. Duffy is often far more accurate with recipe transcription than Mr. Craddock, this does give me a bit of pause. From what I remember I didn't think clover leaves have a great deal of flavor. The flowers, though, appear to sometimes be used to Flavor Syrups and other such things. Puzzling. Well, it appears to be fairly commonly available as an herbal remedy, so I may have to give the Duppy another try!

Lately, I've been making all my stirred drinks with cracked ice cubes in the 28oz stainless half of my WMF boston shaker and have found the results much more consistent than mucking about chilling a mixing glass or using a mixing glass at room temp. I understand the visual appeal of making a stirred drink in the tempered glass mixing glass, but given the usual state of bar ice, I wonder if it is ultimately the best method. I find the temperature of the tempered mixing glass makes one of the larger differences in the temperature and dilution of the cocktail. If you're not free pouring, is there any compelling reason to use the tempered clear mixing glass? Why not just use the stainless tin so you don't have to worry about the temperature of the glass sucking all the cold out of your drink? I did have one person float the idea past me that the taste of a martini mixed in stainless was noticeably different from that of a drink made in glass. I'm kind of dubious, especially if we're talking about 18/10 stainless, but who knows...

I can say from experience that big pitchers with rounded bottoms work great for Sazeracs for groups. Once you get the sugar dissolved, you don't need the spoon, just swirl the pitcher as slkinsey suggests. In fact, I prefer making Sazeracs in pitchers to individually. Doesn't hurt that it is a crowd pleaser of a drink. However, it really is a drink where batching the steps makes preparing them much more efficient. Takes almost the same amount of time to make a big pitcher of Sazeracs for 6 that it does to make a single drink. The only real challenge is finding an appropriate utensil for the straining. Especially since every time I've done this its been at friends' or families' houses, where I don't have access to proper bar equipment. Maybe I should start checking that second bag with proper mixing and measuring tools when traveling!