eje

Bijou Cocktail 1/3 Plymouth Gin (1 oz Plymouth Gin) 1 dash Orange Bitters (Bitter Truth Orange Bitters) 1/3 Green Chartreuse (1 oz Green Chartreuse) 1/3 Gancia Italian Vermouth (1 oz Carpano Antica Vermouth) Mix well with a spoon in a large bar glass; strain into a cocktail glass, add a cherry or an olive, squeeze a piece of lemon peel on top and serve. The Bijou has been on my list of cocktails to try for a while. It's always exciting to get to a Savoy cocktail I actually want to make! Tasty; but, a tad on the rich, sweet side for me. When I make it again, I will probably go with 1/2 Gin, 1/4 Chartreuse, 1/4 Vermouth.

Big Boy Cocktail 1/2 Brandy (1 1/2 oz Korbel VSOP) 1/4 Cointreau (3/4 oz Cointreau) 1/4 Sirop-de-Citron (3/4 oz Homemade Limoncello) (dash lemon juice) Shake (stir - eje) well and strain into cocktail glass After finding a couple recipes for "Sirop-de-Citron" I realized the procedure for making it is about the same as for limoncello, so, instead of buying a bottle of Monin Lemon Syrup, or making it myself, I subbed in limoncello. I also couldn't face drinking this without a dash of lemon juice. Still pretty sweet.

Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Friday, January 05, 2007 Lodi revival: A new generation of grape growers is going into business for themselves, W. Blake Gray THE SIPPING NEWS: Minerally and slightly fizzy Ice wine harvest on thin ice Graveyard Grapes Whiskey world All H20 is not created equal. Tasting Room: St. Francis maintains the trappings of an Italian church, Tara Duggan Cocktailian: Order a Scorched Earth cocktail and watch sparks fly, Gary Regan Recipe: Scorched Earth Adapted from a recipe by Nicholas Hearin, the bartender at Restaurant Eugene in Atlanta. Letters to Wine Hot-climate Mediterranean grapes thrive in Lodi soil, W. Blake Gray Cellar doorstop or indispensable resource: 2007's wine buying guides, Jon Bonné Pairings: Catalonian beef stew plucks out the best notes in Lodi Zinfandel, Joyce Goldstein Chronicle Wine Selections: The Best of Lodi, W. Blake Gray The Cheese Course: A delicate Swiss cheese, ruffles and all, Janet Fletcher 96 Hours Bar Bites: Hop Yard American Alehouse & Grill, Jennifer Tomaro "Shamrock green carpet and an electronic display board that counts down to St. Patrick's Day are the first things that catch the eye at this tried-and-true alehouse in Pleasanton that is known for its beer selection. Shelves are filled with beer bottles and various brewery taps, and the music is cranked up to correspond with the lively atmosphere." Bargain Bite: Sai Jai Thai, Laura Compton "This Tenderloin restaurant features a hot orange color scheme that's matched by the spicy demeanor of its homey offerings. The liberal use of lime juice, chile sauce, and sweet and sour sauce enlivens otherwise ordinary sounding dishes, from the soothing pad kee mao ($5.95), stir-fried noodles with vegetables and meat, to spicy string beans ($5.95) with basil and peppers." Critics Picks: Culinary globetrotting "Elude the post-holidays blues Beat palate fatigue with an inexpensive, intriguing meal out. Here are some of our favorite ethnic restaurants, which offer a wide selection of delicious discoveries, from Burmese to Afghan" Dining Out: Troya swathes Turkish cuisine with sensual sauces, Bill Addison "And then there's Troya, handsomely poised at Clement and Fifth, which also has a coffeehouse vibe. The room is spare but warm. A guitarist may be strumming in the corner while tables of diverse patrons chatter quietly. Stylized paintings depict key scenes from the Trojan War."

Boy, did an Avery Old Jubilation knock me out after dinner last night! They should sell this as a sleep aid! Caramel, toffee, and brown sugar dominate the flavors with little hops. Pretty sweet, though I don't think they add any sweeteners beyond the malts. Still, not syrupy, and definitely quite drinkable. It's not listed on the bottle; but, according to their website it clocks in around 9% ABV. Definitely a winter warmer. Reminded me of Lagunitas Brown Shugga.

It's It It's ice cream encased in two oatmeal cookies coated with chocolate. They are available at just about any convenience store or grocery in San Francisco. Cheers!

...And that is bad because? FWIW, you gotta do a Manhattan next. 2-1, or so, with a couple dashes Angostura. Cherry, or not, orange zest is also nice. It's my favorite drink with the Sazerac 6.

I've really tried to resist this off-topic post, and I'm sure I will regret it. But, everytime this topic pops up, I think of it. Has anyone else seen the rather surreal BBC series, "League of Gentlemen"? "It's a local wine for local people."

Finally took melkor's recommendation and tried Shin Toe Bul Yi (2001 Taraval, at 30th Avenue). My what tasty food! Puts my recommendation of Hahn's Hibachi to shame. We had the "chicken small pieces - little spicy". Yum! While it won't replace San Tung's "Dry Fried Chicken Dry" as my favorite Asian chicken dish in San Francisco, it was a fine mix of tender and crispy. We also had the Kim Chi Bowl, which was quite good. My wife, who was trying Korean food for the first time, really enjoyed the little bowls of pickles and condiments. The soft tofu soup was delicious. What is the spice that is used in that? It tastes similar to smoked paprika. I also really liked the onion pancake. Crisp on the outside and kind of gelatinous inside. The service was quite friendly, though at most of the other tables it was transacted in Korean or Chinese. edit - By the way, we thought Shin Toe Bul Yi was quite reasonable. Around $20 for more tasty food than we could possibly eat.

The IN-N-Out is just a short F Market Muni train ride from the Convention Center (I assume you're talking about the Moscone Center). I like to eat at In-N-Out burgers when I am driving and the only other options are much worse. I can't say I would recommend it as "one" thing to eat in SF. Besides they have them in Arizona and Nevada, too. I would recommend going to the Swann Oyster Depot or Tadich Grill for lunch. Both are classic San Francisco institutions. Oysters at Hog Island in the Ferry Building is also a good choice. Others, who work downtown, should have some good recommendations for lunch/afternoon places.

Interesting. I have a bottle from the initial release of the Sazerac 6 and I wouldn't describe it as mellow. Definitely a different rye from the Wild Turkey, though. Very representative of the Buffalo Trace school of whiskey making. I wonder if they have mellowed the style since the initial release? Anyone compared recent bottles with older ones?

re: Plymouth and Beefeater birder53, compared to the Tanqueray I've been playing with lately, both Plymouth and Beefeater's are pretty mild. The thing I like about Beefeater (and Plymouth for that matter) is the smoothness of the distillate. None of the burn of Tanqueray. I thought it worked well in the cocktail. To me it didn't overwhelm the Lillet at all. I'd be interested in hearing what you think if you try it. Biffy Cocktail 1/4 Lemon Juice (3/4 ounce Lemon Juice) 1/4 Swedish Punch (3/4 ounce homemade) 1/2 Dry Gin (1 1/2 Ounce Plymouth Gin) Shake well and strain into cocktail glass. Of all the ridiculous things I have done to get the ingredients for Savoy cocktails, this has to be the most extreme. After reading an article on an online blog, I asked a Canadian bartender to ship me bottles of Sri Lankan Arrack at cost. Fortunately, we had previously done a couple other trades for products not available in our respective countries, and he was willing to run out to the local state liquor store, pick it up, and ship it. I've since turned the Arrack into something I hope resembles Swedish Punsch, a liqueur which involves Arrack, sugar, lemons and tea. No guarantee there; but, the cocktail is pretty tasty and the taste of the liqueur contributes a fairly unique flavor.

The kindness of Canadian bartenders (Thanks Darcy!) has allowed me to come into possession of some Sri Lankan Arrack. As Darcy O'Neil described on his website, The Art of Drink, Arrack is pretty odd tasting stuff. I was surprised it was as smooth as it is. I was expecting something much closer to Wray and Nephew White Overproof. I really don't know what to tell you it tastes like. Some of the flavors remind me more of whiskey than rum. Others are completely new to me in a distilled spirit. I have attempted to turn it into something like Jerry Thomas' United Service Punch. Revisiting today, I seem accidentally to have crossed the United Service Punch and Imperial Arrack Punch recipes. I'm not sure about amounts for the liquids, since I have no idea what proof liquors Thomas might have been working with. I decided to shoot for something around 20% alcohol, since this seems to be where I see most Swedish Punsch listed. Trying to halve the recipe above, I steeped 1 thinly sliced lemon in 1/4 pint Arrack and 1/2 pint Rum overnight. I made a cup of darjeeling tea, dissolved a cup of demerara sugar in it, cooled to room temperature, (the reason to cool to room temp before chilling is tea tends to cloud if chilled too quickly,) and chilled overnight. In the morning I strained the alcohol mixture (not squeezing) and combined it with the tea syrup. 12 hours later, I ran the barely aged liqueur through a filter and bottled. The result isn't a bad tasting liqueur. A bit odd, it must be admitted. Still, tasty. No idea if it is remotely similar to real Swedish Punsch. But, that won't prevent me from making a Biffy Cocktail with it!

San Francisco Magazine is featuring San Francisco cocktail bars and culture this month (Jan 2007). Unfortunately, they don't make the article available online. The main feature of the article is 12 drinks for 12 months, featuring cocktail recipes from various bars around San Francisco. Also features interviews with many San Francisco barkeeps. Interesting article. A few bars and tenders notably absent, including the Orbit Room's Alberta Straub.

I believe srhcb is correct here. Pea plants have tendrils. Bean plants do not. But, cultural usage tends to follow function rather than phylogeny, so many things which are called peas in one language or another might be beans and vice versa. Some things called beans or peas might not be related to either botanically. Coffee beans, for example, aren't even remotely related. They are in the same family with Gardenias. The Cacao tree isn't a legume, either, even though its fruit is commonly called a bean. Also, the pea and bean family (Fabaceae) is much larger than the few new world plants normally classed as peas or beans. Along with many other examples, Acacia and Mesquite Trees are members of that family. While Fava beans are legumes, they aren't technically peas or beans, they're vetches. Chick peas are another old-world legume that is not really a pea or bean. But, yeah, rancho_gordo would be the definitive source for information on New World peas and beans.

Making Jerry Thomas' United Service Punch last night (details and photos to follow) part of the procedure is to make a sort of tea syrup. I have to say, I was quite taken with the flavor of the darjeeling, (first flush namring estate for any tea geeks out there,) syrup I made. Definitely going on the list of things to try in cocktails. Add 1 generous teaspoon darjeeling tea to pre-heated teapot (or other insulated container) filled with hot water. Add 1 cup raw demarara sugar and stir to dissolve. Steep a bit longer than the typical 5 min. Strain out tea leaves, allow to come to room temperature*, and chill before using. *I suspect, like ice tea, it would cloud if chilled too rapidly.

How is the breakfast at Hard Knox? We almost went there the last time we were over. The wait at Just for You seemed a bit hopeless. Unfortunately, no pancakes at Hard Knox, which I was really in the mood for, so we opted to wait.

Hey there, some time ago, Mr. Alchemist posted the following in the You might be a cocktail snob/geek if... topic: Johnder asked what the correct combination of shakers might be. Having (happily) run across a Winco 30oz shaker the other day, I am hoping that part of the equation might be correct. In any case, the Winco 30oz works much better than the rather more expensive WMF boston shaker I had been using. I think the thicker steel of the WMF might actually be a disadvantage.

Knowing what sort of food you typically make might also help. If you make primarily European style food, a chef knife is indispensible. However, if you're a sushi fan, it is not the knife you're going to want. Or if you learned your knife skills from a Chinese friend or wife, a good Chinese cleaver might be your first choice. I used 10" chef knives when I cooked in restaurants; but, since I only do home cooking now, I much prefer an 8" knife. They aren't as heavy and fit better in a small kitchen on home size cutting boards.

Looked a little more into this, it appears that most of the group of substances classed as "tannins" are, in fact, water soluble. There are a couple notably large ones that are not; but, from my cursary search, those are mostly found in pomegranates not tea. Some sources said that glycerine, rather than alcohol, can speed the extraction of tannins from plant sources. I did find this quote on the stash tea website, for the sticklers among us, "Polyphenols give tea its characteristic astringent flavor. In the past, these polyphenols have been mistakenly called 'tannins.' Polyphenols are chemically similar to tannins, however tannins are not present in tea." Green Tea edit - more thoughts... Because one of the definitions of tannin is something like, "chemicals used for 'tanning'", and no one uses tea for tanning leather, I suppose they can say the chemicals in tea aren't tannins. Though, if they are functionally and chemically similar, it seems they are splitting hairs to me.

On the way to work I was trying to think about whether there would be some difference between cold infused tea and hot infused tea. Depending on the heat stability of the substances in tea there might be some differences in which would be expressed or destroyed by heated water and those present in a room temperature infusion. But, while I was thinking about that, it occurred to me that the big difference is probably between the properties of the solvents. Alcohol tends to be a much more efficient solvent of certain organic compounds than water. Possibly, that makes more of a difference than the temperature of the infusion. Some of the organic compounds not normally present in water based tea infusions are probably being dissolved by the alcohol. Folks who know more about organic chemistry and botany could probably say better.

Maybe this stuff is too obvious to point out... With steeped teas, prominent tannins tend to be a function of steep time, concentration, type or quality of tea. With concentration, type, or quality of tea being the most likely culprits. I'm not familiar with Cyclone. Is it an English Breakfast type? In my experience those tend to be the most tannic, especially if they are the type with the finer broken leaf pieces. You really have to be careful with concentration and steep time on those, or they become undrinkable. Larger leaf, high quality teas tend to be a bit more forgiving of steep time and/or concentration. With high quality Chinese green teas, I often do not even bother to remove the leaves from my glass.

For what it is worth, old-fashioned recipes for punches often call for tea. There are a couple pretty tasty examples in this topic: Mixology Monday X

Cool! Jonge or Oude Genever? How does it compare to the Boomsma?

Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Friday, December 29, 2006 BARGAIN BONANZA!, W. Blake Gray THE SIPPING NEWS: A bit of extra cheer for sparkling winemakers Sick of fishing cork from your wine? Haley's Corker keeps bits at bay. A cocktail for the day after New Bronco wines are too pricey for owner Fred Franzia Ring in the New Year with a luxe, late-night snack that's the perfect partner for sparkling wine. Spirits: For hangovers, bartenders prefer the 'hair of the dog', Camper English Uncorked: Wine educator keeps her roots close to the vine, Jane Tunks Letters to Wine The Cheese Course: Even blue bashers like Gorgonzola dolce, Janet Fletcher Pairings: Cured meats love Lambrusco, Carol Ness Chronicle Wine Selections: Paint the town red with Italian bubbles, Jon Bonné THE CHRONICLE'S WINE SELECTIONS: STARS OF 2006, Jon Bonné, Sarah Fritsche 96 Hours Bar Bites: Michael Mina Lounge, Amanda Berne "Still in holiday splurge mode? It's hard to top Michael Mina, one of the swankiest restaurants in San Francisco. It can be hard to snag a reservation, but we know the secret: Sneak into the lounge area, just off the bar. It's open seating, and the service is as impeccable if you sat at one of the tables, but there's no commitment to Mina's three-course, triptych meal." Bargain Bite: Peoples, Karola Saekel "The 30-odd seat Middle Eastern cafe, just a block from the UC campus, manages to be both cutting-edge and homey at the same time. A free wireless Internet connection attests to the former; pleasant decor, including a ceiling-high, well-stocked bookcase, to the latter. Small, dark, wood tables and a few window stools accommodate guests, and one wall features mosaiclike paintings of Mediterranean scenes." Dining Out: Om, Bill Addison "Om gives Marin County residents an opportunity to sample some of the South Indian delicacies that have grown so popular in other parts of the Bay Area, particularly in the Peninsula/South Bay. But several elements of Om also make it a destination for adventurers who are looking for some refreshingly novel Indian restaurant offerings."

Got The Art of the Bar for a gift a couple months ago. The book is a collection of recipes used at Absinthe Brasserie and Bar here in San Francisco. Jeff Hollinger is currently the Restaurant Operations Manager there, and I believe Mr. Schwartz used to be a bartender at Absinthe; but, now lives in Manhattan. Just a beautiful book. Easily the prettiest cocktail book I have. The photographer and layout artists deserve a lot of credit for just how attractive this book is. Would make a great coffee table book for any cocktail geek. They devote significant text to the craft of bartending. It is nice to get some insight into the world behind the bar. I like the mix of classic and original cocktails. Refreshing the book is not just a rehash of classic cocktails. It's also nice that many recipes include attributions to the bartender or source material. The downside to the original cocktails, is that many call for obscure ingredients or some advance kitchen prep. Lavender syrup, fresh herbs, that sort of thing. Very much of the West Coast style of cocktails. I was initially charmed by the chatty narrative style of the text; but, their tone started to grate on me after while. They talk down a bit too much the the reader and seem, perhaps, a bit over-impressed with themselves. In those recipes which call for specific brands of spirits, I don't always understand or agree with their recommendations. In any case, certainly a worthwhile purchase, if just for the original cocktails and pretty pictures. If you're in San Francisco, be sure to check them out at the source, Absinthe Brasserie and Bar.