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I have yet to find the Amaro Ciociaro in Northern California. The fine folks at LeNell's tell me they're hoping to have it back in stock next week.

re: Cherry Blossom & Kirsch Generally, when Kirsch is called for, it seems to be specified, as in the Charleston. However, given the diverse sources for the recipes, it is probably hard to know. Give it a try both ways and let us know! Though do try to follow the recipe more exactly than I did... The Culross Cocktail The Juice of 1/4 Lemon. 1/3 Kina Lillet. (3/4 oz Cocchi Americano) 1/3 Bacardi Rum. (3/4 oz Flor de Cana Extra-Dry) 1/3 Apricot Brandy. (3/4 oz Blume Marillen Apricot Eau-de-Vie) Shake well and strain into cocktail glass. Since the Americano is a bit sweet and there isn't much lemon in this, I thought I might take thirtyoneknots suggestion above to heart and give this one a try with an Apricot Eau-de-Vie instead of Apricot liqueur. Wow! Really tasty, and very interesting flavors. The cinnamon and spice of the Americano are quite nice in combination with the dark apricot flavor of the Blume Marillen. One of those cocktails that leaves me smelling the glass, intrigued. I also tried it with apricot liqueur and modern Lillet. A lot less interesting. I suppose I should have gone on with the variations and tried Lillet/Eau-de-Vie and Americano/liqueur; but, the first one was so good, I really didn't see the need. If Apricot Eau-de-Vie and Americano is wrong, I don't want to be right.

Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Friday, September 21, 2007 The Manhattan project: A bartender spills his secrets on the king of cocktails, Gary Regan Discovering bargains in the out-of-the-way burbs of Burgundy, Alice Feiring THE SIPPING NEWS: Fruitful Unions Drinking organic at Kuleto's All bar hands on deck What we're drinking Tasting Room: Jacuzzi Family Vineyards harks back to clan's Italian roots, Yasuhisa Chiba Amista opens tasting room Cooling trend slows the pace of the wine harvest, Lyn Char Bennett Pairings: Asian flavors a match for Merlot, Lynn Char Bennett Recipe: Beef, Onion & Bell Pepper in Black Bean-Tomato Sauce Chronicle Wine Selections: Sonoma County Merlot, Olivia Wu The Cheese Course: Germany's Chiantino cheese bathed in Italian wine, Janet Fletcher 96 Hours Bar Bites: Village Pub, Mandy Erickson "Woodside's tony Village Pub is well known as a dealmaking spot for Silicon Valley's venture capitalists: Executives spend evenings hopping tables or holding power meetings in the private dining rooms. At the restaurant's bar, the atmosphere is more about pleasure than business. Locals stop by for drinks at after-work parties, friends relax over a bottle of Champagne, and busy dads enjoy a beer while waiting for takeout. Despite the table-hopping in the dining area, the bar is a place where patrons keep to themselves - even the barkeepers stay busy with their craft, chatting with regulars only when spoken to. Yet, like the dining area, the bar oozes money, from the well-heeled patrons to the red-velvet upholstery." Bargain Bite:Maiz Restaurant, Stacy Finz "This family-operated Salvadoran restaurant is a shiny addition to the mom-and-pop cafes lining Berkeley's San Pablo Avenue. The interior is polished, with rustic tile floors, earth tone walls and folkloric accents. The staff, which is still refining its service and menu, is friendly and accommodating."

Many vendors have them in the late summer and fall at our local farmer's market. Only once have I tried them and been "wowed" by the flavor. Most of the time they taste like slightly less flavorful and somewhat mealy apples. Dunno if that one time was a specific variety or if they have a brief time when they are at their best. It was at my favorite exotic fruit vendor, someone I would expect to take some care picking out what variety she grows and when she sells it.

There's a short piece about Dale DeGroff and the modern cocktail renaissance in the October Gourmet magazine. The Violet Hour gets a mention, though not much type.

Thanks for checking Gary! Whew! I was getting a bit worried, since I gave away my last spare bottle and my bottle was getting low! Chris, Interesting! I believe it is alcoholic, though. It's just not classed as an alcoholic beverage. At least in CA, it seems like liquor stores still have to go through the distributor to legally carry it, and for some reason the distributor doesn't want to stock it. At least that's what I've gathered from conversations with liquor store managers.

I know there is this tendency to say that, woo!, we here in San Francisco, New York, Chicago, and other cities have it better than the rest of the country... But, really, some of the best old-fashioneds I've had have been at small supper clubs in central Wisconsin. You've got bartenders, really good bartenders, slinging volumes of classic drinks of a higher quality and more reliably in some of those taverns than I get here in San Francisco. Or old guys in hotels in New Orleans or young tatooed hipsters in dives here in San Francisco. There's really no rhyme or reason to which people care and which don't.

The Cubano Cocktail 1/2 Gin. (1 oz Bombay Gin) 1/2 vermouth. (1 oz Noilly Prat Dry) 4 Drops Kummel. (very little Kaiser Kummel) 4 Drops Charbreux. (very little Green Chartreuse) 2 Drops Pineapple Syrup. (even less pineapple juice) Shake (stir - eje) well and strain into cocktail glass. Another cocktail mostly verbatim from Judge Jr.'s "Here's How!". The note in "Here's How!" goes on to say, "Contributed by Owen Hutchinson and it explains why Cuba is a free country." I've really no idea what that means. This is a very subtle affair. I've also no idea if I could even tell it from a "Fifty-Fifty" if it they were both presented to me, other than to say, "this one seems a bit different from the other one." Picked some borage blossoms while at the garden today for garnish. Cool, eh? They have a slight cucumber-ish flavor when consumed. Went well with the drink.

I asked Jeff Berry ("Sippin' Safari") about an appropriate rum substitution for Cuban Rums from the 1930s. He gave me permission to post his response:

Was reading Pynchon's "Against the Day." Contains many references to Absinthe, and in general quite a bit of drinking. Nice descriptions of the Corpse Reviver No. 3 (Death in the Afternoon) etc. Towards the end a drink is referenced called the "Crocodile". Pynchon describes it as equal parts trois-six, rum, and absinthe. Trois-six is a name they use for unaged grape brandy in the Normandy region of France. Basically high proof moonshine, making the Crocodile, uh, ridiculously potent. Anyway, it seemed like a kinder, gentler version of this cocktail might be fun. Currently experimenting with Barbancourt 5 star rum, Pineau de Charentes, a dash of Absinthe, bitters, and a twist. Last variation, 1 1/2 Rum, 3/4 Pineau, dash Absinthe, dash angostura, grapefruit twist was interesting. A bit too harmonious and single noted; but, promising. Thought I might call it the "Cayman".

I'm with you there, Sam. I recently ordered the house Manhattan at a local restaurant and was a bit horrified to discover, after it arrived at my table, it contained maple liqueur, of all things, and no vermouth! Without enough bitter to balance the sweet, it turned into a dessert drink. Yuck!

In New Orleans, shouldn't the proper drink to order be a Sazerac? Anyway, could you clarify your goals in, "evaluating the talent behind the bar"? Are you purely looking for quality of cocktails? I mean, as another poster says, there are many qualities that make a good bartender. It would be great if all bartenders had all those qualities, good host, able to mix drinks well, smart with money, familiar with classic cocktails, able to listen to customers, etc. But, sometimes you get one, sometimes the other, and sometimes none, and still have a good time. It seems like we get stuck on being persnickety about the quality of cocktails and recipes, when in fact, to me, mastering the service aspect of being behind a bar is ultimately the most important skill a bartender can have. If the bartender masters that, they will likely listen and be interested when a customer asks for a Manhattan, and find out what their preference is, same with Martinis, Old-Fashioneds, or whatever.

Cool stuff, David! I got so obsessed with my idea of an apricot liqueur taste off, that I didn't really look into Cuban Cocktail variations. That "Cuban Apricot" does look tasty. Though, I will point out that there are plenty of cocktails with country or geographical names, which seemingly have absolutely nothing to do with those countries referenced. Is the Chinese Cocktail particularly "Chinese"? Is the Japanese Cocktail even remotely Asian in nature? Besides, the Cuba of the 1920s and 30s was a pretty cosmopolitan place, what with the influx of American drinkers, gamblers, and gangsters. I see no reason the bartenders there couldn't mix with Cognac or Apricot liqueur, if they so desired.

Odd, this seems to be the only topic here dedicated to the wonderful cocktail called "The Manhattan"! In any case, Gary Regan has a great article about the Manhattan in today's SF Chronicle Wine Section: The Manhattan project: A bartender spills his secrets on the king of cocktails, Gary Regan

I'm not either. I have a couple emails out about it, one of which was replied to. The person who replied had recently tried, (and been blown away by,) some Bacardi rums from the 1920s. He actually felt that the Flor de Cana was a very good substitution for the Cuban rums of that time. Sometimes, I feel like, if you ask 12 different people about rum, you will get 12 different answers, so who knows. Cuban Cocktail (No. 2) The Juice of 1/2 Lime or ¼ Lemon. (Juice 1/4 Lemon) 1/3 Apricot Brandy. (3/4 oz Apricot liqueur) 2/3 Brandy. (1 1/2 oz Maison Surrenne Petite Champagne Cognac) Shake well and strain into cocktail glass. Well I thought I would take this opportunity to do a bit of an Apricot liqueur taste off. From left to right we have Brizard Apry, Vedrenne Liqueur de Abricot, Rothman & Winter Orchard Apricot, and homemade. First we tried the Brizard Apry. I'm not all that familiar with the Brizard Apry, only having used it a couple times now. Every time I'm struck by the cherry scent and flavor. Not quite sure what that is about. Reminds me a bit of Apricot flavored candies. Sigh, the Vedrenne Apricot liqueur reminds me of Apricot pancake syrup. There is am almost maple-ish flavor there, and that of concentrated dried apricots. Again struck by the fresh apricot smell of the Orchard Apricot. My wife actually thought this cocktail a bit sweeter than the Brizard cocktail. Again, though, a stronger flavor of fresh apricot, rather than apricot-cherry-almond candy. My homemade apricot liqueur was one of the first that convinced me that, in some cases, commercial producers can do a much better job than I. Very little apricot flavor despite it being a whole fruit infusion. Not sure what this means; but, the Apry and the Vedrenne cocktails were foamier than those made with the R&W and homemade liqueurs. Cocktail itself is all right. The flavors didn't really compel me to finish any of the 4 versions; but, I didn't resent tasting it. Not entirely convinced by the Maison Surenne as a mixing brandy. I think something with a few more teeth might make for more interesting cocktails. Maybe investigate some of the more reasonable Armagnac.

Cuban Cocktail (No. 1) The Juice of 1/4 Lemon. 1 Teaspoonful Powdered Sugar. (1 scant teaspoon Caster Sugar) 1 Glass Bacardi Rum. (2 oz Matusalem Platino) Shake well and strain into cocktail glass. I was a bit bummed recently to learn that the rum I had been using, Flor de Cana Extra-Dry, is not really in the Cuban Style. It is a Molasses based rum, aged for 4 years, and then filtered. But, an online friend recently informed me that it really isn't very similar to the Havana Club Anejo Blanco. He suggested the Matusalem Platino as the closest rum to HC Anejo Blanco available in America. Flavorwise, that may be true, but, the Platino is a very, very light rum. It smells OK and tastes fine on its own; but, once you get it in a cocktail, it is pretty much gone. To me, for all I could detect of rum in this cocktail, I might as well have used vodka. So, back to the drawing board, as far as I'm concerned, in locating an appropriate 1930s era Bacardi substitute. If anyone has any suggestions, please post, as I have the Daiquiri looming on the horizon. Largely flavorless rum, or not, this is an enjoyable cocktail. With 2 oz of rum and less than an half ounce of lemon, it is quite dry. The scant teaspoon of caster sugar is the perfect amount, just sweetening the cocktail enough to temper the sourness of the lemon.

I recently gave my last spare bottle of Regan's Orange Bitters #6 to a newly cocktail besotted friend. Going back to the Buffalo Trace website, I notice the ROB#6 is no longer listed. Anyone know off hand if they are between batches? Or have they discontinued the product? I tried using the contact form on their website; but, it doesn't seem to work. Just get a server error. Useless IIS servers...

re: Crow Cocktail Odd, eh? Yeah, as either a very small tonic/shooter or as a long drink this would be OK. Not the greatest at the scale I made it. In fact it would be kind of cool to make it as a small shooter, (1 1/2 oz lemon, 3/4 oz whiskey or smaller,) shake, strain into a shot type glass, and then pour in the grenadine, which would hopefully settle to the bottom. Crystal Bronx Cocktail The Juice of 1/4 Orange. (Valencia) 1/4 French Vermouth. (3/4 oz Noilly Pratt Dry) 1/4 Italian Vermouth. (3/4 oz Cinzano Rosso) 1 Lump Ice. Use medium-size glass and fill up with Soda Water. Seems like something is missing from this cocktail! Like, the other 1/2! Anyway, even though I find no recipes which call for it, I wouldn't blame you if you decided to add 1 1/2 oz of Dry Gin to the Crystal Bronx, and, in fact, I think you would find it quite tasty.

Well, better late than never! You guys better put a reminder on your calendars next time! Round up of the various posts over on Gabriel's Blog: MxMo XIX: Fizz!! 34 entries this time, one of the better turn outs for MxMo.

Here is the section regarding Punt e Mes from "Jones' Bar Guide".

...you skip lunch and take the train downtown to pick up the Batavia Arrack you special ordered before it became available in your state.

I still need to get down to the liquor store and pick up a bottle of Batavia Arrack. But, I've learned that it is used very often in the chocolate industry. In fact, I believe part of Haus Alpenz testing process for the various blends they tried was to use it in a Chocolate Mousse. In any case, I am really looking forward to trying it in something like this Savoy recipe: Chocolate Cocktail (No. 1) 1 Teaspoonful of Powdered Chocolate (heaping teaspoon of Scharffen Berger cocoa powder) 1 Egg 1 Liqueur Glass Maraschino (1 oz Luxardo Maraschino) 1 Liqueur Glass Yellow Chartreuse (1 oz) (dash Batavia Arrack) Shake well and strain into large glass.

The Crow Cocktail 1/3 Whisky. (1 oz Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey) 2/3 Lemon Juice. (1 1/2 oz fresh squeezed) 1 Dash Grenadine. (homemade) Shake well and strain into cocktail glass. Basically a very tart sour whiskey sour, sweetened with grenadine instead of sugar. Yes, I wimped out slightly on the proportions. 2 parts lemon and 1 part whiskey, just seemed a bit crazy. I think I would find this more appealing over ice and topped up with soda.

If you have the "Jones' Bar Guide", check the vermouth section in front for a colorful explanation of the origins of Punt e Mes. I'll re-read it tonight and summarize it for the Punt e Mes topic.

Oh my! Well, the Oak Chips and Irish Whiskey one sounds like it is trying to imitate an aged Aquavit like the Linie. It is my understanding Andreas Viestad has a recipe for an infused Aquavit in "Kitchen of Light: New Scandinavian Cooking". If you search for Viestad and Aquavit in Google, a couple versions show up. You also might try and drop a line to the person behind the Danish Schnapps Recipes website, if you can track down their email. They have a caraway schnapps recipe that might not be too far away from Danish Akvavit.