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Caruso Cocktail 1/3 Dry Gin (1 oz Boodles gin) 1/3 French Vermouth (3/4 oz Noilly Prat Dry) 1/3 Green Creme de Menthe (1/2 oz Brizard Creme de Menthe) Shake (stir - eje) well and strain into cocktail glass. I did slightly adjust the proportions here. Still, I expected to really dislike this drink. Oddly, I didn't, and ended up finishing it. Living in San Francisco, Enrico Caruso and the 1906 earthquake are intertwined. I found this interesting piece of history: Enrico Caruso and the 1906 Earthquake

Weird! Martinis are in the air this week. Robert over at Explore the Pour has an interesting article where he contemplates the possibility of 9,204 different potential Martinis: 9,204 Different REAL Martinis and Counting… And Anita over at Married with Dinner has a nice essay about Dorothy Parker and her Martinis: DOTW: Classic Martini By the way, I have yet to perfect my Martini ordering strategy. I usually order saying something similar to Sam's, "Tanqueray Martini, [slowly] two to one, stirred with a twist. Tip in a dash or orange bitters if you've got 'em." Maybe I just need to enunciate more clearly.

Carrol Cocktail 2/3 Brandy (2 oz Pierre Ferrand Ambre) 1/2 Italian Vermouth (1 oz Carpano Antica) Stir well and strain into cocktail glass. Add a pickled walnut or onion. Enjoyed this more than I thought I would. It's not quite as enjoyable as the "Brandy Special" or "Brandy Vermouth" cocktail. Still more enjoyable than you would think, with a two ingredient cocktail. Oddly, I had some pickled walnuts in the refrigerator. I cut it in half, since it was a bit big, and frankly, expensive. Tasty. Kind of blows the cocktail out of the water, though. Reminds me a bit of The Bottle Gang's Antipasto Martini.

Things like Cajeta and fudge often get cooked in big round copper kettles. I'm not sure the reason for it, though I guess brass would have some of the same properties.

Not many Pilsner style lagers made on the West Coast. Moonlight Brewing makes its Reality Czeck. It's really a very, very good lager for a micro-brew. If you're on the San Francisco area, and see it on tap, I'd definitely recommend it. A few of the mid-size breweries, like Biersch and Sudwerk, bottle them. Haven't tried to comment on their quality.

Interesting. That's the opposite of the way they're listed in cocktailDB, which has the Tailspin at more or less equal parts (1 gin, 3/4 each sweet vermouth and Chartreuse) and Bijou drier and more gincentric (1.5 gin and 1/2 each sweet vermouth and Chartreuse). [...] ← Again, it's really too bad the cocktaildb doesn't include the source citations for the recipes on its web pages. It would be nice to know where that recipe came from. As far as I know, The Savoy Cocktail Book is the earliest source for the Bijou cocktail, and in that book it is: 1/3 Plymouth Gin, 1 Dash Orange Bitters, 1/3 Green Chartreuse, and 1/3 Gancia Italian Vermouth. Stir & Strain. Cherry or Olive garnish. Squeeze lemon peel on top. Both Robert Hess and Dale DeGroff* make it to those proportions on their websites, so that is good enough for me. Dunno where the Tailspin comes from. It's not in the Savoy or Duffy's "Official Mixer's Manual". Anyone got a source? *Though Mr. DeGroff does include the option of making it to drier proportions on his website: "Note: For a dryer version use 2 oz. of gin and only half ounce each of Orange Curacao and Dry Vermouth"

Depends on how picky you are. Bijou is usually written as equal parts gin, vermouth, and green chartreuse. Tailspin is a slightly drier drink, with a larger proportion of gin, and equal parts of vermouth and green chartreuse. Same ingredients in both, I have to admit I'm a bit partial to the lighter proportions of the Tailspin.

Capetown Cocktail 1 Dash Angostura Bitters 3 Dashes Curacao (Senior Curacao of Curacao) 1/2 Caperitif (1 1/2 oz Dubonnet Blanc) 1/2 Canadian Club Whisky (1 1/2 40 Creek Barrel Select) Stir well and strain into cocktail glass. Lemon peel on top. Initially the flavor of the Dubonnet seemed a bit strong. Grew on me though, and as I drank it I started to appreciate the interplay of the Dubonnet, bitters, curacao and lemon. By the time I finished, I was ready for another. Hallmark of a fine cocktail, I believe.

Well, to me the little bit of bitter from green walnuts is part of Nocino's charm, like the flavor of a good Sweet Vermouth. It's a bit of a balancing act. But, there are lots of different styles of nut liqueurs in Italy and France, I don't know if any are made utilizing distillation. My instinct is that a lot of the interesting flavors in Nocino come from fairly large proteins and oils that might get left behind if you distilled.

As far as I know, the only way to get the Bitter Truth bitters is to order from them directly. Bitter Truth Website They're a pretty small operation, so you may have to stop by one of the bars they work in to pick up the goods. I would just drop them a note and ask.

Are you using fresh rose hips? Or dried? If dried, you might want to re-hydrate a bit before steeping in liquor. I haven't had much luck using dried ingredients (apricots and chiles) in liquor, without at least giving them a bit of soak. You might want to save the soaking liquid to use for your sweetening syrup later, if that's what you are planning.

Chris, thanks so much, I really enjoyed this piece. In fact, I always enjoy your writing for the Daily Gullet. I always find your meditations moving and funny in a very personal way. Plus, you encouraged me to finally start adding a heaping tablespoon of the ground flax seeds I purchased a while ago to my daily porridge. Woo! More dietary fiber!

Shhh! Don't tell James Bond!

Excellent! A nice simple classic style cocktail for the St. Germain Elderflower. It does sound good. I can see how the citrus/grapefruit/floral elements of the St. Germain would be really interesting with a spicy rye and some orange bitters.

Uh, oops! I got fixated on the Cameron's Kick and Canadian, and completely skipped the Campden. Weird! Couple things come to mind. First thing is the Lillet Blanc. I've read from a number of sources that Lillet was re-formulated in the 80s. According to them, it is now less bitter than it was up to that point. So that might tip the balance of this cocktail towards the sweet. In this Esquire article, "James Bond Walks Into a Bar...," David Wondrich went so far as to advise adding a pinch of Cinchona bark to your Vespers, to give them a little extra bitter kick. Might also be worth a try with the Campden Cocktail. The other thing is the Luxardo triplum, which is a bit sweeter than Cointreau. So, maybe, 2/3 Gin, 1/6 Lillet, 1/6 Cointreau, with an orange peel squeezed over to make up for the lost orange flavor, an a pinch of Cinchona?

Sounds like a great haul, Bob! Being also a Wisconsin-bred and educated norske, it sounds like she has you trained well. Ah, for those days of buying a $6 24 pack of Leinie longnecks for the weekend. One of the things that makes me most grumpy about the idiotic airline fluid ban, is that my wife and I can't tote back the equivalent of a case of various Midwestern beers, when we visit the relatives in Wisconsin. By the way, if you like American IPAs, be sure to try Bell's Two Hearted Ale the next time you're in that neck of the woods. Another outstanding Midwestern beer producer.

Check here: Everyday Italian set list Maybe she just likes them. I know they were definitely a sponsor of last year's top chef.

Just depends on what knife you are most comfortable with, and what style of cutting you have learned. Japanese nakiri, chinese cleaver, chef's knife... They'll all work. I suspect Giada uses a global knife because they are a sponsor of the show or similar.

I have a friend who works for a google related business. Even though I have told them to stop torturing me, they still occasionally send me the daily menu: Entrees Grilled Flank Steak With Veal Demi-Glace Braised Rabbit Mirepoix, Tomatoes and Red Wine Vegetarian **Soy Riso Cabbage Tofu Pot, Cabbage, Onions, Soy Riso and Tofu in a Vegetable and Red Wine Stock *Zucchini and Green Bean Sauteed, In a Mustard Cream Sauce **Israeli Couscous Composed Salads *Greek Salad, Crisp Cucumber, Tomatoes, Feta Cheese and Kalamata Olives in a Red Wine Vinaigrette Succotash, Blanched Green Beans, Fresh Corn, Lima Beans and Basil in an Orange Citronette Curried Chicken, Shredded Chicken, Chickpeas, Romaine and Raddichio Lettuce, Mushrooms and Peppers Dressed in an Orange Curry Vinaigrette ... Desserts Lemon Meringue Tart Chocolate Eclairs Butterscotch Pecan Bars Homemade Oreos Chocolate Raspberry Cake

So what'd ya think, dere hey? I really like most of their beers, including the Spotted Cow (even if it does contain corn.) They made an Eis Bock a couple years ago that was just outrageous. About the only one I don't care for is the Cherry. The story of the brewery is cool, too. The brewmaster was working as production supervisor for Anheuser-Busch, and a bit frustrated. So, as a present, his wife, a business entrepeneur, raised the capital for him to start his own brewery.

I hate to suggest the obvious; but, perhaps Satan's Whiskers? I believe Ted Haigh's recipe in "Vintage Cocktails..." calls for a rather large amount (a teaspoon or so?) for each cocktail. Another one I've recently come across, which is also featured in "Vintage Cocktails..." is the "Calvados Cocktail" from the Savoy cocktail book. I made it last week; but, chickened out on putting in a full dose of orange bitters. Haigh describes it tasting like a Calvados Negroni. 2 Glasses Calvados (1 oz Germain-Robin Apple Brandy) 2 Glasses Orange Juice (1 oz Orange Juice) 1 Glass Cointreau (1/2 oz Cointreau) 1 Glass Orange Bitters (1/2 oz! Orange Bitters) Add plenty of ice and shake carefully.

From Trader Vic's website: Curacao is an orange liqueur, like Triple Sec or Cointreau. Orgeat is an almond syrup. If you can't find that, use Almond Syrup. Some people even use Amaretto. As the 17 year old J. Wray & Nephew no longer really exists for us mere mortals, most folks now use a blend of aged and young rums in Mai Tais. Something like this from the drinkboy website: In some places, it is common for a Mai Tai to include Pineapple, orange juice, and grenadine (and whatever else catches the bartender's fancy that day). Mai Tai's are a bit like Planter's Punch, in that every bartender seems to do them a bit differently. There's another recipe over on the drinkboy website, that sounds awfully sweet and pretty darn light on the rum; but, might be closer to what they make at Red Robin: I would just continue experimenting until you get to something you like. It's hard to go too far wrong with Rum and fruit juice.

Cape Cocktail 1/3 Dry Gin (1 oz Boodles) 1/3 Caperitif (1 oz Dubonnet Blanc) 1/3 Orange Juice (1 oz Fresh Squeezed) Shake well and strain into cocktail glass. Pleasant; but, significantly improved by the addition of a few drops of Regan's Orange Bitters.

If you're in the mood for a summer drink, try this tasty sling from Charles H. Baker Jr.'s "South American Gentleman's Companion": The Paramaribo Park Club Gin Sling from the Dutch Guiana Capital City of Suriname

I believe it is true, that, in those states whose liquor retailers aren't state controlled, a single distributor ("Wholesaler") will handle a product for a region ("Territory" is the proper term.) In larger states, like California, I believe that importers/manufacturers ("suppliers") may be handled by different "wholesalers" in different "territories". So, for example, while Golden Brands (DBI San Francisco) handles a number of beers, (and other beverage brands,) in San Francisco, they do not distribute in Los Angeles. In those states whose liquor retailers are state controlled, I believe it is similar, except that the state in question then becomes the sole "retailer".