eje

Albert Keller Cocktail 2/3 Bacardi Rum (2 oz Flor de Cana Extra Dry) 1/3 Lime Juice (1 oz fresh lime juice) 1/2 Wine Glass Grenadine per 6 cocktails (1/3 oz homemade Grenadine) Shake well and strain into cocktail glass. First cocktail from the "New and Additional Cocktails" in the Second edition of the Savoy is the Albert Keller. Now I'm not sure which Albert Keller this might be. There are at least 3 relatively well known Albert Kellers from the late 19th and early 20th century. Google turns up a Sociologist, author, and professor; a Swiss painter; and, finally, a ship captain. Whichever gentleman preferred this cocktail, it seems simply to be a "Bacardi Cocktail, heavy lime". The instructions for, "1/2 wine glass grenadine per 6 cocktails," also indicate it was intended to be made as a "party" cocktail. ThinkingBartender has written up the "Bacardi Cocktail" extensively in this topic: The Bacardi Cocktail I'll write a bit more about the Savoy Bacardi cocktails when we get to the one from the "New and Additional Cocktails" in a couple days. edit - New digital camera, so bear with me while I get the hang of it.

New Information After lurking on Alibris for a while, I turned up a (relatively) reasonably priced copy of the Second Edition, 3rd Printing, of the Savoy Cocktail Book from 1936. In the appendix, it does include a few pages of "New Cocktails", a couple corrections, and some cocktails apparently overlooked in the original edition. While I try to figure out how to take an effective picture of the Blue Blazer without burning down the house or sending myself to the hospital, I'm going to catch up on the few from the appendix we have missed alphabetically.

Yeah, you're right! I hadn't really paid any attention to the price per six pack. $10, out here, even at warehouse liquor stores. Not to mention the fairly poor reviews on beer advocate. Most folks on that website seem to prefer the Anheuser Busch sorghum product to the Bard's Tale.

Just to clarify, my comment wasn't specifically about Martinis, more about the most efficient way to chill a stirred cocktail and still get appropriate dilution, whether it is a Martini, Manhattan, or Improved Holland Gin Cocktail. So, leaving aside the whole Super-Extra-Dry-Martini controversy, I will link another topic johnder started, with some interesting observations on Shaken vs. Stirred. Unfortunately, he did not include cocktails stirred with cracked ice in his experiments. Shaken? Stirred? Cloudy? Bruised?

Yes, it is the space that used to house Sunset Pizza. Pretty small, maybe seats 40 or so. Across the street from the new shopping/housing complex with its upscale Canyon Market. They both seem a bit out of place in Glenn Park.

Bay Laurel should be fine in San Diego. They will stand some drought (just like the California Laurel), though prefer moderate water, and will do fine in sun to partial shade. They grow very slowly.

Was noticing Malkavian's post over in the Homebrew journal regarding Sorghum in beer making: It's interesting to see the recent interest in Sorghum Beer. I've seen one at local liquor stores called "Dragon's Gold" from Bard's Tale Beer. Doing some googling, I see even Anheuser Busch is now making a Sorghum Beer. Now, I'm not usually fond of variety grains in beer, so it's not something I would pick up without some sort of review first. But, a recent positive experience with Hitachino Nest Red Rice Ale has me thinking they all aren't bad. Is the flavor of sorghum beer similar to beers made with corn?

Adam, I don't have any particular insight into where those articles might have come from; but, this is really interesting stuff. I particularly enjoyed the poems. Thanks for typing it up!

Actually, I see this is very like the "Tarleton's Resurrection" that I just posted. (I tried my formula with lime juice but found lemon juice worked much better.) I'm unfamiliar with Ginja...is it anything like Cherry Heering? And does this drink have a name? ← Ginja is made by macerating whole morello cherries in brandy (or other liquor of some sort.) A friend brought some back from Portugal once. It was fairly lightly sweetened and didn't have the viscosity I normally associate with a liqueur. Pretty hot on the tongue, as well. More like Cherry Bounce than a refined cherry liqueur like (I assume) the Heering is.

For rich simple syrup, I normally use a 2-1 syrup made from C&H Pure Cane Washed Raw Sugar. Lately, though, I've seen Depaz Cane Syrup in some stores. It's pretty pricy, at least $13 for a 750ml bottle. Would it be a worthwhile upgrade over the Washed Raw Sugar Syrup I currently use?

Gialina Pizzeria just opened in Glenn Park. My wife and I visited last week. Chef/Owner is Sharon Ardiana, who has cooked at a long list of SF restaurants including Lime and The Slow Club. Emphasis is on fresh and seasonal food. Pizza is Neapolitan style. She serves about 5 seasonal pies. Currently, there are squash, sausage and dandelion greens, spicy tomato and mozzarella, and white clam. We tried the sausage and dandelion greens and it was quite tasty. She also serves a featured entree, several appetizers and salads, and desserts. Wine list is a short list of 10 featured Italian wines by the glass, carafe, or bottle. Prices are quite reasonable. Pizzas are around $12 and salads and appetizers are mostly less than $10. They've only been open about a week and are pretty busy. Still finding their feet, I'd say. Promising food, though. We'll definitely be back.

They are hollow. When you flip the 2 cast irons plates, the batter runs to the other plate and creates the cavity. ← Oh, funny! A place called "Eggettes" serving these very waffles just opened in Glenn Park not far from where I live. How and/or when are they usually eaten?

Couple links for you... Attack of the Ice Balls (notmartha blog) Dunno if these products are available in the US. Spherical Ice Tray (MOMA Store link) Yer in NY, right?

Fair enough. It is true that I was a bit lazy and didn't bother to crack the (regular home ice maker) cubes. Next time I will follow Dave's advice to the letter and report back. BTW, I know somewhere on these forums, at one point, I espoused the use of frozen gin in Martinis. I have since seen the error of those ways and leave my gin and mixing vodka at room temperature. Though, really the end result of the frozen gin was very similar to my experiments last Saturday with the frozen mixing glass. A very cold cocktail with almost no dilution.

Quoting Splificator from the Classic Cocktails for Beginners topic: Does anyone else keep mixing glasses in the freezer? Tried this last night with the Blue Bird cocktail, and found I didn't get much (if any) dilution. When I poured the gin into the 0 degrees Fahrenheit glass, it seemed to immediately chill to below freezing. Adding ice and stirring didn't do much. When I strained it out, I got basically the same amount of cold gin out of the glass as I had put in. It does seem to be an efficient way of cooling a small amount of alcohol quickly. Very stiff cocktail, though. On the other hand, I've chilled my larger glass martini pitcher, and had very good luck when making cocktails for 6. They seemed appropriately diluted and chilled.

re: Bloodhound. I've read that the cocktail was originally created with raspberries, too. Though, if they were already making the cocktail with Strawberries in 1930, it couldn't have been raspberries for long. Hawksmoor's drink menu does look nice. Their website reminded me I need to find a copy of Saucier's "Bottom's Up". For the recipes, really! Ouch, on those cocktail prices, though. And I thought New York and San Francisco were expensive! Blue Bird Cocktail 4 Dashes Angostura Bitters 3/4 Wineglassful of Gin (2 oz Tanqueray) 5 Dashes Orange Curacao (Teaspoon Brizard Orange Curacao) Shake (stir - eje) well and strain into cocktail glass. A 19th Century style Gin Cocktail (Link to Jerry Thomas' recipe on Art of the Drink) by any other name.

Well, there's no accounting for taste! Here're a couple similar, but, different Scotch cocktails. Maybe one or the other will pickle your fancy. Bobbie Burns (Savoy Cocktail Book) 1/2 Scotch 1/2 Italian Vermouth (Carpano Antica quite tasty here!) 2 dashes Benedictine Lemon Twist Robert Burns (Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book) 3/4 Scotch 1/4 Italian Vermouth Dash Orange Bitters Dash Absinthe (Pastis)

Bloodhound Cocktail 1/4 French Vermouth (3/4 oz Noilly Prat Dry) 1/4 Italian Vermouth (3/4 oz Cinzano Rosso) 1/2 Dry Gin (1 1/2 oz Tanqueray Gin) 2 or 3 Crushed Strawberries (2 strawberries muddled in the shaker with a pinch of sugar. Off season strawberries are a tad on the tart side.) Shake well and strain into cocktail glass. (Double strain if yer picky about seeds - eje) I didn't have much hope for this one. Gin, vermouth, and strawberries seemed like a bad idea. Ends up, it is quite tasty! With the gin, vermouth, and strawberries combining nicely into a single complex taste. The Tanqueray does poke its head out a bit as the cocktail warms. But, the initial taste and smell is just that of enhanced strawberries. Many of the internet recipes for this say to, "garnish with 2 or 3 crushed strawberries," instead of shaking the gin, vermouth, and strawberries together. I'm unclear on that idea. On the side? Drizzle them in after you chill the other ingredients? A fanned strawberry on the side of the glass would be a nice touch. edit - By the way, some recipes I found for the Bloodhound suggest substituting strawberry liqueur for the fresh strawberries. To me, that takes what is intended to be a fairly dry strawberry cocktail and turns it into a dessert drink. I disapprove.

Huh, these are both very similar to Norwegian bakery items I grew up with, Krumkake and Rosettes. I guess it is that Norwegian/Chinese pastry connection?

True; but, my real point was, a well made Martini or Manhattan is something new for most people! You do have to watch their faces. Look at their expressions when they take that first sip. If you can see they don't like it, offer to get them something else. Don't pressure them into drinking it. Some people just aren't going to like classic cocktails, at first, especially if they aren't that familiar with liquor to start with.

I find this absolutely to be the case. Give them a small list with appealing descriptions and unusual names. Or if you're a salesman type (I'm not) give them a spiel. Odds are they probably haven't even had a well made cocktail in their life. They'll give up their cosmos in no time. I know mbanu is talking from a bartender's perspective; but, really, no one is going to ask for a layered shot when they come over to your house. You do need to know how to make a proper Martini, if only for your own edification. See Splificator's instructions above. My list is the cocktails I like; but, I'd say: Aviation, Daiquiri, Manhattan, Margarita, Martini, Negroni, Old-Fashioned, Sazerac None of these are particularly difficult to make and, made well, can be a revelation and encouragement to someone learning to make cocktails. I know they were to me.

Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Friday, January 26, 2007 Social Swirl, Stacy Finz THE SIPPING NEWS: Mondavi, the next generation Wines from South of the Border Strong beer month San Francisco Mayor endorses the screwcap Ready for "French wine," with one of those black-and-white generic supermarket labels? Uncorked: Spilling on 'Sideways', W. Blake Gray How to host a wine tasting, Tim Teichgraeber Tastings: THE CAT'S MEOW, Carol Ness Letters to Wine Spirits: Bartenders mix it up in contest, W. Blake Gray Alsatian whites love a big entree, Joyce Goldstein Recipe: Cornish Hens with Wine-Marinated Sauerkraut The Chronicle's Wine Selections: Alsatian Whites, W. Blake Gray The Cheese Course: In the mood to melt? Try Baita Friuli, Janet Fletcher 96 Hours Bar Bites: Coi, Jane Tunks "Attracted by the neon lights of North Beach but really just want a quiet place for a drink and a bite to eat? Head a little further east on Broadway, past the strip clubs, to the lounge at Coi ("tranquil" in French), to escape the neighborhood's bump and grind. Settle into the long banquettes, prop yourself up with oversize white shag pillows and enjoy chef Daniel Patterson's three-star food for half the price. The long, narrow room, all done up in natural hues and fabrics, straddles the line between comfy and chic." Bargain Bite: Falafel Hut, Amanda Gold "Insiders know to ask for the fresh-baked pita, which is delivered throughout the week. It's thick and doughy, and it pairs well with the garlic, mint and yogurt salad (half-pint $3.75). The bread doesn't split open, so the falafel ($5.50/$5.95) comes packed into a thinner version. It's pumped up with roasted eggplant, potatoes and rich baba ghanoush." CRITICS' PICKS: Passage to Peru, Bill Addison "Many of the Bay Area's Peruvian restaurants explore the haunting subtleties of ceviche. Limon and Mochica, both in San Francisco, include native Peruvian chiles, such as aji amarillo and aji rocoto in citrusy marinades for fish and shellfish. The chiles impart a gentle spice along with deep, fruity flavors." Dining Out: Zoya's quirky space belies refined cooking, Bill Addison "The steep entree prices suggest that Mijana is striving to appeal to a fine-dining crowd, although it seemed the customers tended to be mostly younger folks ordering meze. It's certainly a lively, quirky space in which to hang out. The dining room's interior takes you on a Disneyland-esque magic carpet ride. Orange and white arches and evocative light fixtures provide ceiling-level eye candy. Banquettes are upholstered in rich red and caramel colors, and the tabletops in the back of the restaurant are made of large brass platters."

I grew up in a very typical Midwestern home in the 60s and 70s. I like puddings and tapioca. Consider myself pretty open minded about food. Okra is fine with me, as is just about anything else. The foods I have had the hardest time learning to appreciate are those with cartilaginous textures and fat. Especially fat on beef or pork. It just provokes a gag response in me. Always has and still does to an extent. No idea why.

Makes sense. I do imagine most of the vermouth companies have tweaked their formulas over the years, if only to adjust to changes in the base wines and what spices were available or legal in certain countries. I don't know how possible it is to speculate what the vermouth used in the early part of the twentieth century or late 19th century might have tasted like. Or what vermouth might have been behind the bar in New Orleans when the Louisiane might have been created. If anyone has insight, it would be great to hear. I wonder, do any of the vermouths still use wormwood for flavoring? Or were they forced to remove that when Absinthe was made illegal? The Antica definitely shines in simple cocktails with a good strong tasting whisk(e)y to fight it out with. In a Manhattan with the Sazerac 6, the combined flavors remind me of nocino. In a Bobby Burns with Asyla Scotch, it shows a completely different, but, no less delicious face.

Tried the Full Sail LTD Lager. First beer in their 20th anniversary LTD series, it's a medium dark lager. Quite easy drinking and very malt forward. Hops are mild and in the background. Taste reminded me a bit of Anderson Valley Brewing's Amber, even though that beer is an Ale. Would be a great session beer. Though, I just noticed on Full Sail's website that the ABV is 6.4%! Ahem. Perhaps not, on the Session idea.