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San Francisco journalist (and eGullet member) Camper English had an article about local bars using Maple Syrup a while ago: Smells like 'tini syrup

I don't really detect drying sensations or much tannic overtone. [...] ← Well, I have to admit a bit later I did get some tannic aftertastes. I guess the sugar syrup covered it up initially. Definitely more like the tannins from soaked oak or mesquite chips than grape tannins. Still the syrup is kind of nice. I do wonder if unprocessed gum arabic would have similar flavor and character? It seems that bartenders might have gotten less processed acacia gum back then, than we do now. The candy and food industries are just interested in it for its chemical properties, not its flavor. By the way, they call the Mesquite sap globules "Mesquite Marbles" in Arizona. There are also syrups, candies, and other things made from Mesquite pods and beans. Mesquites are legumes, so the beans and pods of the trees are actually quite nutritious.

Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Friday, November 22, 2007 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE, Jon Bonné Holiday Gift Guide: Happy hobby days, Stacy Finz Holiday Gift Guide: Top sommeliers' gift tips, Ben Narasin Holiday Gift Guide: Bikes, trains and yoga - holidays in Wine Country, Stacy Finz Holiday Gift Guide: Gifts that get better with age, Jon Bonné,Lynne Char Bennett Holiday Gift Guide: Bargain wines, Jon Bonné,Lynne Char Bennett Holiday Gift Guide: Wine giving etiquette, Stacy Finz Books: Intoxicating reads for armchair boozehounds Sorting through the glass menagerie, Camper English Spirits: Must-have bottles for a liquor cabinet, Gary Regan Holiday Gift Guide: Stocking stuffers ..., Stacy Finz, Jon Bonné, Lynne Char Bennett, Camper English "...And Then some!" Beer: Beer run for a world-class six-pack, Jay Brooks "With the holidays just around the corner, it's time to consider buying the beer lover in your life something he or she really wants: beer. "Here is a six-pack of choices from across the Atlantic to across the street, in a variety of different styles that are sure to please even your most difficult secret Santa." The Cheese Course: Splurgeworthy selections for the cheese board, Janet Fletcher "The holidays are all about splurging, right? That means loosening up the wallet to purchase a cheese you wouldn't allow yourself otherwise." 96 Hours Bargain Bite: Bakesale Betty, Stacy Finz "There's something about the scent of mesquite smoke and slow-roasting meat, with a hand-lettered sign proclaiming "BBQ," that can make you stop and take notice. A rustic-looking cabin, set back from the road a bit, has six very large, black grills front and center. Here's a place that clearly makes barbecue its mission." Bar Bites: The Hobnob, Karen Reardanz "Alison Barakat, a former cook at Chez Panisse, founded the bakery in 2002, after success selling her popular baked goods at local farmers' markets. As with her sandwiches, brownies ($2), ginger cookies ($1), lemon bars ($2.50), banana bread ($1.50) and pieces of pie ($3.50) blow out the door. On nice days, people sit outside the shop and eat on vintage ironing boards used as tables."

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 Jeffrey over on his blog Jeffrey Morgenthaler. The theme is "Repeal Day!" Jeffrey explains the criteria: If you would like to participate, please write up a cocktail in this topic before Monday, December 3rd at midnight. I will compile a list of cocktails posted and email them to the organizer. Post those prescriptions and I'll get them to the apothecary before the 3rd!

I don't really detect drying sensations or much tannic overtone. It is not neutral in taste, however. Not dissimilar to a mild maple syrup with some flavors that remind me a bit of marshmallow. Definitely formed a thick stable foam when brought to a boil. Gave some of the foam to my wife to taste as a second opinion and received a solid, "Yum."

What, you ask, is this picture of what appears to be translucent pebbles doing in the Spirits and Cocktails forum? I was in Arizona over the Thanksgiving holiday and happened to look up into the branches of a Mesquite tree and saw these hardened sap globules perched in breaks in the bark. As I started collecting them, my family asked, "What cocktail are you going to use that in?" They know me so well. Gum Arabic is sap exuded from the bark of Acacia trees in Africa. I knew Mesquites were similar trees in a similar climate; but, I had no idea that Mesquites also produced gum. Imagine my surprise to look up randomly see raw Mesquite Gum in Arizona! Imagine my further surprise to discover it is already under consideration as a substitute for Gum Arabic. So, yes, I do believe a small batch of syrup fortified with mesquite gum is in my future!

Douglas Cocktail. 1/3 French Vermouth. (3/4 oz Noilly Prat Dry) 2/3 Plymouth Gin. (1 1/2 oz Plymouth Gin) Shake (stir - eje) well and strain into cocktail glass. Squeeze orange and lemon peel on top. Finally tracked down some tovolo silicon ice cube molds and experimented with them. I think 1 1/2 inch or so cubes. I can see how these would be of benefit for shaken cocktails, as they don't shatter like regular automatic freezer ice. I think the IKEA ones are even larger, aren't they? In any case, they are much harder to break than the regular cubes because of their size. So for cracked ice, I guess I'll stick with regular automatic ice for the time being. The Douglas Cocktail is a perfectly fine dry Martini variation. I have to admit I miss the orange bitters, Absinthe, Italian Vermouth, etc. of the many other Martini variations, so dunno if it would go on the short list. Also, boy, martinis without garnishes are tough to make exciting looking or even get the camera to focus on. Guess I should have left the twists in the drink!

Damn that sounds good. Yeah, the St. James Ambre (if that's what yer using) ain't much of a sipper. Definitely requires special care to take advantage of its qualities. The first time I tried it, it completely took me back to being in Hawaii when I was in 2nd grade. Somehow the smell of burning sugar cane in Hawaii seemed completely expressed in the spirit. Brave of you to use it as the sole spirit in a drink. I almost always cut it with some other light rum or spirit.

The big difference between Absinthe and most Absinthe substitutes (Herbsaint included) is the amount of sugar. Most Absinthes are not (or only minimally) sweetened and almost all Absinthe substitutes are heavily sweetened. There are modern cocktails created with Absinthe substitutes and their sweetening power in mind. These may need to be rebalanced to work with Absinthe. Also... Slkinsey points out there are varying quality levels among Absinthe substitutes. There is also a lot of quality variation among modern Absinthes. The two available in the US currently, Kubler and Lucid, are actually both pretty good. However, there are quite a few where I, when given a choice between them and Ricard, would choose Ricard. Also, if yer interested in a reasonably priced Absinthe Substitute, a Lebanese Arak like Razzouk or Sannine is often considered more appealing than many of the modern over sweetened Pastis and other Absinthe substitutes.

When I was giving Josey Packard my spiel trying to convince her to appear in Savoy topic, it turned out another of the patrons at the bar was a bartender, Mr. Erik Adkins. Mr. Adkins is the bar manager at The Slanted Door here in San Francisco. I told him how impressed I was with the bar program at the Slanted Door and he said he reads eGullet. Oh ho! We exchanged contact info, and I filed him away as someone to contact for participation in the Savoy Topic. After I finished the last bartender feature, I started mailing around looking for someone to participate next. Of the people I mailed, Mr. Adkins responded and said he was opening a new bar in Oakland with a classic cocktail menu. Let's meet there! Flora is a new restaurant in a beautiful deco building a block away from the 19th Street BART station in Oakland. When Mr. Adkins and I met up early Friday evening, it had been open for exactly 6 days! The cocktail menu is composed of about a dozen pre-prohibition classics and a few original cocktails. ERIK ADKINS BIO: Doctor Cocktail 1/3 Lemon Juice or Lime Juice. (3/4 oz Lemon Juice) 2/3 Swedish Punch. (1 1/2 oz Carlshamm's Flagg Punsch) Shake well and strain into cocktail glass. I continue my Swedish Punsch evangelizing, toting the Carlshamm's Flagg Punsch a friend smuggled back from Sweden from bar to bar. This is a pretty rich cocktail, modernizing would probably be a matter of slightly drying it out with a decent white rum, say 1 oz Flagg Punsch, 1/2 oz rum. Erik Adkins' comments: Dolly O’Dare Cocktail 6 Dashes Apricot Brandy. (1 1/2 teaspoons) 1/2 French Vermouth. (1 oz Noilly Prat Dry) 1/2 Dry Gin. (1 oz) Shake well and strain into cocktail glass. Squeeze orange peel on top. For this one, we tried two variables. Tanqueray 10 Gin, Plymouth Gin, Rothman & Winter Orchard Apricot, and Haus Alpenz Marillen Apricot Eau-de-Vie. For my money, the Tanqueray 10 and Orchard Apricot was the most enjoyable. Others preferred the drier, more martini-esque nature, of the Plymouth and the Eau-de-Vie. Interestingly, the other two, the Plymouth/liqueur and Tanqueray/Eau-de-Vie fared the worst. An interesting illustration of how relatively minor tweaks such as the brand and character of gin can have a big impact. Erik Adkins' Comments: Q: What are the biggest challenges to presenting classic cocktails to modern audiences? Finally, Mr. Adkins was kind enough to send along one of the drinks he created for Flora: The magician aspect seems particularly apt. Flora had been open only 6 days before I was in to meet up with Mr. Adkins and had only received their liquor license the day before. I was there early in the evening, and was fascinated to watch as experienced bartenders tried to transform the awkwardness of unfamiliarity into the graceful dance of professional bar service. I don't know if they quite succeeded that night, but, I have no doubt that, within the month, patrons will be startled as magically re-animated suits of armor crash up to the bar to enjoy one of Flora's well made Martinis and bartenders offer them bunches of flowers pulled from their sleeves.

Oh, hey, I found a link to the article on the Food & Wine Website: Secrets of a Cocktail Master, By Nick Fauchald There's also a piece about using fat washing for Jello Shots (really!) on the Food & Wine Blog: Haute Jello Shots, By Kristin Donnelly, Food Editorial Assistant

A co-worker pointed out there's an interview with Eben Freeman in the December issue of Food and Wine Magazine. One sort of interesting technique he talks about is for infusing the flavor of fats into alcohols. Mix a liquid fat with alcohol, then chill, and filter out the fat. He describes a brown butter infused dark rum he uses in a drink and discusses using bacon fat to flavor bourbon. He also talks a bit about Kazuo Ueda's "Hard Shake" method of chilling cocktails.

Bourbon and Branch, Rye, and Cantina are all within walking distance of Union Square. Cantina, at 580 Sutter, is particularly close, and I'm told, quite a lot of fun, though, sadly, I still need to get there in person. Aside from Tadich, a couple other great classic places are Bix and the Pied Piper bar at the Palace Hotel.

Got out to a new place in Oakland called Flora last Friday. It is in a beautiful old Art Deco style building at 1900 Telegraph, a block from 19th Street Oakland BART station. Quite close to the Paramount theatre, so I expect they will have a good bit of concert and movie traffic. The cocktail program has been conceived by Erik Adkins, who manages the bar at the Slanted Door in San Francisco. It is a short menu of about 16 cocktails, most of which are pre-prohibition classics. He has also added a few New California originals, including the most excellent "Carter Beats the Devil". The restaurant has only been open for a week and they've only had their liquor license since November 16th, so there are still some kinks to work out, especially since the establishment seems to have been immediately mobbed by East Bay folks clamoring for quality food and drink. But, if you're interested in classic cocktails and in the East Bay, aside from the classic Townhouse Bar & Grill, it is an Oasis of cocktail cool.

Idle cocktail nerd question, is there a volume difference between a dash from an antique bitters bottle and the dash from a modern plastic topped bitters bottle? Going with a full half teaspoon of bitters for each dash called for would be quite a shock for the modern drinker, I expect! I'll have to give it a try.

The Dodge Special Cocktail 1/2 Gin. (generous 1 oz Beefeaters) 1/2 Cointreau or Mint. (Generous 1 oz Cointreau) 1 Dash Grape Juice. (Dash Twin Hill Ranch Grape Juice) Shake well and strain into cocktail glass. This is another prohibition era libation from Judge Jr.'s "Here's How". With Cointreau, this is so awful as to be puzzling. I would describe the flavor as, "orangey and slightly grapey aftershave". The harshness of the Cointreau really stands out. I don't know that mint would be much of an improvement. Maybe. It is an attractive color. Grape and orange isn't a bad combo, though, so I poured the above down the sink and tried again. 3/4 oz Gin; 3/4 oz Cointreau; 3/4 oz Grape Juice; shake & strain. With a complex and slightly tannic grape juice, like the Twin Hill, this isn't bad at all.

I've been reading Robert Vermeire's 1922 book, "Cocktails How to Mix Them" and it contains a rather extensive section at the beginning about necessary supplies for home and professional bars. Now, I've always maintained that a dash from a bitters bottle is not really the same as a dash from a bottle with a pour spout on an Orange Curacao bottle. However, when discussing the necessary "Utensils" Mr. Vermeire requires the following. I stand corrected, a dash is a dash from a Bitter Decanter, period. Also, for the record, most of Mr. Vermeire's cocktails are a little more than 1/2 gill* or around 2 1/2 oz pre-shake. *In the US a gill is 4 oz. An Imperial Gill (U.K.) is 5 oz.

Expanding the Frontiers of the Vegetarian Plate*, Gregory Dicum Nice article in tomorrow's NY Times regarding vegetarian restaurants in San Francisco. I've had meals anywhere from mediocre to great at most of the restaurants mentioned. What are your favorites for vegetarian food in the San Francisco area? Do you agree with the NY Times assessment of these restaurants? Ubuntu does sound good, but, is a bit far afield. *Link may require registration and/or payment.

Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Friday, November 16, 2007 Sonoma's laid-back look, John King THE SIPPING NEWS: Give thanks for beer and turkey, Camper English Americans grab a piece of Hermitage, Jon Bonné IN OUR GLASSES Wine Harvest: 2007 harvest wraps up, Lynne Char Bennett Cocktailian: Tired of Margarita? It's time to meet Rosita, Gary Regan Recipes: Rosita Tasting Room: Grounded in cult-wine country, Jane Tunks Pairings: Plucky partners for turkey and Pinot Noir, Lynne Char Bennett Recipes: Cranberry-Mushroom Saute Wild Rice Pilaf with Pecans & Cranberries Chronicle Wine Selections: Oregon Pinot Noir, Lynn Char Bennett The Cheese Course: From France, a blue that doesn't bite, Janet Fletcher Tipping points - A diner's guide to wine-service etiquette, Marisa D'Vari 96 Hours Bargain Bite: Lombardi's Deli & Gourmet BBQ, Lynne Char Bennett "There's something about the scent of mesquite smoke and slow-roasting meat, with a hand-lettered sign proclaiming "BBQ," that can make you stop and take notice. A rustic-looking cabin, set back from the road a bit, has six very large, black grills front and center. Here's a place that clearly makes barbecue its mission." Bar Bites: Schroeder's, Victoria McGinley " From its Financial District location among many other happy-hour bars and a crowd that's clearly looking to let loose after a day at the office, you'd never guess that Schroeder's had a long, storied history. Since 1893, from its days as a gentlemen-only club for sailors and merchants to its current laid-back attitude that welcomes anyone in need of a cold brew, the German restaurant and bar has had a presence in downtown San Francisco. Here, it's easy to kick back: Relax in the bar area with local young professionals to have a quick drink and a snack and catch the score of the game. The back of the restaurant plays host to German expats and more traditional restaurant service. Whichever way you experience Schroeder's, after a bratwurst and a liter, you'll find yourself wishing every day could be Oktoberfest."

Dixie Whisky Cocktail (6 People) To 2 lumps of sugar (Dash Depaz Cane Syrup) add a small teaspoon of Angostura Bitters (Nice Dash of Angostura), another of Lemon Juice (Dash Lemon Juice), 4 glasses of Whisky (2 1/4 oz Weller 12 Year old Bourbon), a small teaspoonful of Curacao (barely a dash of Dash Brizard Orange Curacao) and 2 teaspoonsful of Crème de Menthe (Dash Brizard Crème de Menthe). Add plenty of ice and shake carefully. Serve. First interesting point of this cocktail is that the portions of the Dixie Whisky are a bit on the larger size. Usually, these 6 person cocktails are a little more than 12 oz of spirits and mixers. This one is over 16 oz. Ultimately, it is a sort of Whisky Crusta without the sugar rims. Or a "Dinah Cocktail" for those without fresh mint. Unfortunately, it's not really very good. To me, the main problem with the Dixie Whisky is a clash between the Angostura and the Crème de Menthe. It would be a much tastier cocktail if you left either one of those out. I also wonder about the Curacao. In such a small amount, it really doesn't add much here, especially up against the intense flavors of the Whisky, Crème de Menthe, lemon, and bitters. Was the pre-prohibition Curacao much more intensely flavored?

Dixie Cocktail 1/2 Dry Gin. (Generous 1 oz Beefeater's Gin) 1/4 French Vermouth. (Generous 1/2 oz Noilly Prat Dry Vermouth) 1/4 Absinthe. (Generous 1/2 oz Marteau Verte Classique) Shake well and strain into cocktail glass. As someone who is fast approaching "Middle Age" I am fascinated by people who manage to re-invent themselves and their careers "later" in life. Instead of accepting the status quo and "keep on, keepin' on", they find a new enthusiasm, or one that has been with them all along, and turn what was a passion into a business plan. "Foodie" and eGullet member Steve Sando turned a passion for good ingredients into Racho Gordo. Eric Seed (though, he's a bit younger than the rest of us!) left a career in banking and business to launch Haus Alpenz. Gwydion Stone is another. A long time proponent of Absinthe, and founder of The Wormwood Society, has turned his passion for well made Absinthe into a business venture, Gnostalgic Spirits. This year he launched his first commercial product, Marteau Verte Classique, an Absinthe based on tradition recipes and made in accordance with recipes from the 19th Century. It is currently distilled in Switzerland by the Matter-Luginbühl Distillery who also manufacture the Duplais Absinthes among others. The interesting thing about the Verte Classique, is that has been specifically designed to be cocktail friendly. Which brings us back to the "Dixie Cocktail." Because they can use some of the same botanicals, the combination of Absinthe and Gin is always interesting. Depending on the Gin, sometimes interesting is good and sometimes interesting is bad. I tried the Marteau on its own, diluted with water, as is traditional. It is a very well balanced Absinthe, with the wormwood flavors in harmony with the other botanicals and the anise more reserved than many other modern style Absinthes. In the Dixie Cocktail, it was interesting, in that it seemed like the Wormwood was out front in the scent of the cocktail and the other botanicals more expressed in the flavor or later taste sensations. The licorice of the Beefeaters, (a proven Absinthe friendly Gin,) is particularly prominent the flavor. This isn't a cocktail for those who aren't sure if they like Absinthe or Anise. Sources indicate this cocktail, like the Aviation, came from Hugo Ensslin's 1916 book, "Recipes for Mixed Drinks". I also note a striking similarity to the "Obituary Cocktail" as served at Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop in New Orleans. But, if you enjoy Anise and her friends, raise a Dixie Cocktail in honor of second chances rather than Obituaries.

Enjoyed a negroni after coming home from work. Why is it so hard to get a well made negroni? It's not exactly rocket science! All it requires is that you measure the ingredients! Anyhoozle, while enjoying my negroni, I detected a, well, briny taste in there, and thought, hmmm... Campari & Scotch. Could the Negroni meet the Bobby Burns? Indeed it can! 1 oz Compass Box Asyla; 1 oz Cinzano Rosso; 1/2 oz Benedictine; 1/2 oz Campari; Stir, strain; lemon twist. It's a little candy coated, maybe... Memorable and enjoyable tastes, though!

Yeah, I know it's the law. When working at a well known Bay Area Cafe, (which shall remain nameless,) the first time I worked overtime I noticed time and a half was not reflected on my pay. Being a good hard working Midwestern transplant, I figured, surely, this must be a mistake. No restaurant wouldn't pay overtime. I took my paycheck to the owner of the restaurant and pointed out the foul up. They said, "Oh, no, that's not a mistake. We let our employees work more than 40 hours so they can have the extra money, but, we can't afford to pay anyone time and a half." Let me point out again, this was at a well known, owner run Cafe which had been in business for more than 5 years and is still in business now, 10 years later. Not some fly by night, johnny come lately, take the money and run joint. We did eventually get our overtime money, but I expect that there is a lot of cash or under the counter employment going on, in some quarters. Also, I shouldn't have just said Latino workers, as I've heard, the way some Asian restaurants are staffed is very interesting.

MxMo XXI roundup over on Jay's blog Oh Gosh! Mixology Monday - Gin Round-up Pretty good turnout, overall!

Some ideas in this topic, including a couple slkinsey Thanksgiving ideas. Cocktails for Colorful Foliage, new and old drinks for fall