eje

It seems so "Baker-esque" to name drop the bartender, that I thought it would be in the description of the "Immortal Singapore Raffles Gin Sling" in his "Gentleman's Companion". But, no. While we are treated to an English rendering of the greetings of the much esteemed Filipino serving boys, no mention of the drink's creator.

Round Up of this month's Mixology Monday posts over at The Spirit World: Mixology Monday X: “Drinks for A Festive Occasion” Roundup

I've read a couple magazine articles giving positive mention to Clear Creek's new Douglas Fir Eau de Vie. Haven't seen it in stores, yet. Anyone tried it? edit - not likely to pick it up soon either, just noticed it is around $50 US for 375ml. Ouch.

Andy, Thanks for contributing that great writeup of La Réveillon! Another cocktail I've been meaning to try some time soon. Though, red and green layered jello shots would have been OK, too. Hey, if it's good enough for Jerry Thomas, it should be OK for the rest of us... I don't think they're real sticklers about lateness. Besides, I'm pretty sure it was still December 11th somewhere over the pacific, when you posted! Cheers!

Dave, Some recipes seem to call for Green and some for Black Tea and some for none at all. Do you have any ideas of appropriatness? Are some spirits better with green or black? I used the chinese green tea simply because I'm fond of that particular variety. Oddly, it doesn't seem like we really have a topic dedicated to Punch here in "Fine Spirits and Cocktails". The only one I could find was someone asking what sort of punch they should make for a summer party a few years ago. I may have to remedy that in the near future.

Thanks for reminding me of that one Katie! I was meaning to give it a try around Thanksgiving. Cheers! And Happy Holidays!

Cheers, Dave, thanks! I was inspired both by your recipe in Saveur, and a recent re-watching of the 1935 movie version of "Tale of Two Cities". In it, Ronald Colman's Sydney Carton is a dissolute, world weary drunkard. They portray him as keeping a punch bowl in his chambers, no less. All in all, a great role in a great movie.

FWIW, the last time I made red cooked pork, I added a half a pound of seeded fresh Jujubes (Red Dates) during the last hour or so. When they were soft, I pulled them out and pureed them with enough of the cooking liquid to make a sauce. I thought it was particularly tasty. Of course it didn't look anywhere near as good as sheetz' pork...

I also noticed the HC "pourer" thingy was one of the more annoying ones. I think it's partly a result of the shape of the bottle making it difficult for air to get in when it is full. But, it's really only irritating for the first quarter (or so) of the bottle. After that it's easier for air to get in on one side and rum out the other. So, really, your problem is, you haven't drunk enough rum! Get to work on that!

One of this month's beer club selections was Urthel Hop-It from De Leyerth Brouwerijen. It's a pretty odd bird, I have to say. According to the label, the brewmaster visited the west coast a couple years ago. She really enjoyed many of the Extreme West Coast IPAs she tried. When she returned to Belgium, she decided to try her hand at making a highly hopped beer. However, instead of using typical Left Coast style hops, she seems to have stuck with German Hops like Saaz. She also made a stylistic decision to stay with the ester-ey Belgian Ale style. Meaning there is some bubble-gum, spice, and banana in the middle tastes. To me, the Hop-It it was more interesting than enjoyable. Certainly, not as tasty or interesting as the De Ranke XX Bitter, which is much closer in style to an actual West Coast IPA. On the same trip to the liquor store, I picked up the Houblon Chouffe Dobbelen IPA Tripel, yet another IPA style Belgian, which I am looking forward to trying soon.

When I was growing up, the only punches I encountered were "Temperance Punches". Usually they would involve some amount of fruit juice or punch and soda. There would be a big hunk of ice frozen in a ring mold. Lately, I've been curious about historic alcoholic punches. Apparently, they were quite the rage from the mid-1600s to the mid-1800s. David Wondrich has a great article about Punch in the first issue of Mixologist: Journal of the American Cocktail. Punch saw it's star begin to fade around the time the cocktail's began to rise. I was quite excited to see a recipe for "David Wondrich's Punch" featured in Wayne Curtis' article about Martinique Rum in this month's Saveur. I based my procedure on his, of course deviating significantly, as is my wont. Basic Wondrich Proportions: 2 Cups Tea 1/2 cup Demarara Sugar 1/2 cup fresh lime 2 Cups Aged Martinique Rum The first thing you have to do to make punch is make big ice the day before. This is as easy as filling a freezer safe 2 pint bowl. Or as difficult as filling a ring mold half way with water, adding mint and berries, letting it start to set, and then filling it the rest of the way. Fruit juice can also be added to the ice. I chose a middle path, filling a quart stainless bowl half way with water, adding mint sprigs and cranberries, letting it set for an hour, and then filling it up the rest of the way. The next step is making the "sherbert". This step is pretty much the exact same first step as you would use to make sorbet. You make a fruit flavored syrup. In most classic recipes, the first step is to "rub the rinds" of citrus with loaf sugar using the abrasive of the sugar to extract the flavor of the oils. As this is the 21st century, we have microplane zesters, and loaf sugar is rather thin on the ground, I instead microplaned the zest from 2 limes into a bowl and juiced them into same. For sugar, I opted for 2 disks of palm sugar, and a handful of Florida Crystal to bring me close to a half cup. For tea, I used Lung Ching Dragonwell. It's a Chinese Green tea. Once the tea was steeped, I poured it over the sugar and zest, and stirred until it dissolved. The "sherbet" is then chilled or matured until you are ready to proceed with the punch. Once cold, I ran the sherbet through cheesecloth lined strainer, and then squeezed as much juice out as I could. For alcohol, I used 1/2 cup St. James Amber Martinique Rhum. I think more than that, and you risk alienating your guests. I then added about 1 cup of Mae de Ouro Cachaca and 1/2 cup Flor de Cana Extra Dry. Many punch recipes call for a mixture of spirits, so I didn't feel too bad about this. At this point you want to taste, and see where you are with sweetness and sour and the whole should be allowed to chill before adding to the punch bowl. When you are ready to serve, unmold your ice. If you use a stainless mold, just put your hand over the ice, flip it upside down, and run water over the outside. The ice should pop right out into your hand. There may be some cracking. About an half an hour before punch time, put the ice in the punch bowl, and pour the chilled punch over it. At this point I added the juice of 2 Satsuma mandarins, a few mint sprigs, and, as a tribute to the punches of my youth, a can of Knudsen Ginger Ale. As recommended, I grated fresh nutmeg over the whole. I was pretty pleased with the flavor. The St. James Amber, even only using 1/2 cup, came through loud and clear, mellowed slightly by the Cachaca and white rum. I wasn't that pleased with the appearance. Obviously, a real punch bowl would be an asset, instead of a big glass mixing bowl I used. Ideally, you'd have a cut glass or sterling punch bowl sitting on a huge mound of crushed ice, garnishing the ice with more fresh mint and fruit. I also think it would be better to add the nutmeg to individual glasses instead of the whole. It just looks kind of messy floating in there. In any case, if you're stuck with what to serve at your next party, and don't want to play bartender all night, why not, "give punch a chance"? edit - fix dates

Oh, indeed! Bunny Hug on Wikipedia Invented at the Fairmont Hotel here in San Francisco, no less!

I just got the Germain-Robin Apple Brandy and was pretty impressed with its flavor. The Barton tastes pretty much like you would expect a big glass of cold mixed booze (with a twist) to taste. To me, there wasn't any real magic in this particular combo. I thought to tone it down a bit by using a softer gin in the plymouth. But, the flavors in the gin seemed to clash with the other two spirits, creating some bitter aftertastes I didn't enjoy. There are a few "nothing but booze" mixed drinks in the Savoy. The one which has always amused me is the Bunny Hug. That's made up of Whiskey, Gin, and Absinthe. Ouch. What it did to get that cute name, I have no idea.

Sazji, What an interesting story! You also seem to have a wonderful eye for light and reflection in your photos. "Strawberry Trees" are grown here in SF as (fairly messy) street trees. I don't think anyone thinks to try to eat the fruit. Though, I understand, in some parts of the world a wine of some sort is made from them. Perhaps I will be emboldened enough to try a fruit one day. Looking forward to seeing and reading more. Cheers!

Man that looks good! I'm salivating! Did you broil it in the oven at the end to get such nice browning?

Thanks for linking to the article, John. Definitely going on the menu sometime soon. Man, all the food and drink in this Foodblog has looked good! Definitely inspiring. Greatly looking forward to "Ice 102"!

Tried a Hitachino Nest Red Rice Ale for the first time. I generally don't like rice in beer and am not that fond of most beers made in the Japanese style. This one is quite interesting, though. It still has the typical light body of a rice based beer; but, it is quite flavorful. The flavors are almost similar to a tart belgian ale. Different, though. A little sour and fruity. Kind of nutty, as well. Intruiging and unique.

Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Friday, December 02, 2006 WINEMAKER OF THE YEAR: Paul Draper, Jon Bonné THE SIPPING NEWS: Truffle salt with wine is a luxe gift. Not your grandmother's gingerbread house Potato chips and bubbly? Luis Miguel is one of the biggest names in Latin music. Zesty salad bites Pinot goes pop Wine Business Insider: Thriving middle-aged, overweight mice drive up red wine sales, Cyril Penn WINEMAKERS TO WATCH: ADAM AND DIANNA LEE, Jane Tunks WINEMAKERS TO WATCH: JIM MOORE, W. Blake Gray WINEMAKERS TO WATCH: ADAM LAZARRE AND PAUL CLIFTON, W. Blake Gray WINEMAKERS TO WATCH: MITCHELL KATZ, W. Blake Gray WINEMAKERS TO WATCH: KRISTIN BELAIR, Stacy Finz Beer: Brewers plan for hoppy holidays, Camper English Bargain Wines: Turn up the game, grab a burger and bust open Wines for Men, W. Blake Gray Pairings: Lobster sparkles with top-of-the-line bubbly, Joyce Goldstein Recipe:Roast Lobster with Champagne, Lemon & Tarragon Butter The Chronicle's Wine Selections: Tete de Cuvee Champagne and Sparkling Wines, Jon Bonné The Cheese Course: A miniature fresh goat cheese from France, Janet Fletcher "This diminutive fresh cheese resembles the goat cheeses you would find at any village farmers' market in France, proudly sold by the cheesemakers themselves. It is chalk white and rindless, the shape of a hockey puck, with a smooth, soft texture similar to that of natural cream cheese. The aroma is subdued, but the flavor is lemony, fresh and unmistakably that of a cheese from goat's milk." The Tasting Room: Friendliness matters, W. Blake Gray "In addition to being a good winery, Sawyer Cellars is an homage to what a good winery should be -- and that makes it well worth visiting." Letters to Wine The Cocktailian: Mother Earth gets a taste of a new pisco-based drink, Gary Regan "Peruvian pisco is a grape-based spirit that's made in very much the same way as Cognac, except for the fact that it's not aged, and therefore it looks much like vodka, but it tastes, well, it tastes like pisco. There can be a slight smokiness in some bottlings of pisco, though the smoke is extremely light. And many piscos come bearing lots of vegetal flavors, but they aren't the same vegetal notes that can be found in Tequila. Pisco is a product unto itself. In Peru, it's often sipped neat." Recipe:The Cuzco Cocktail Adapted from a recipe by Julie Reiner, Flatiron Lounge, New York. 96 Hours Bar Bites: Joe DiMaggio's Italian Chophouse, Laura Compton Bargain Bite: Gyro King, Stacy Finz CRITICS' PICKS: Open Christmas Day, Bill Addison "After all the holiday rigmarole -- the partying, the shopping, the crowd dodging, the gift giving and exchanging -- do you really want to cook dinner on Christmas Day?" Dining Out: Chef Wai, Bill Addison "The restaurant has certainly attracted serious devotion in its two months of operation. Fans remember Andy Wai from his long tenure as executive chef of San Francisco's now defunct Harbor Village. He floated around a couple other Bay Area Chinese restaurants before striking out on his own with his Eponymous venture."

Barton Special Cocktail* 1/4 Calvados or Apple Brandy (3/4 oz Germain-Robin Apple Brandy) 1/4 Scotch Whisky (3/4 oz Compass Box Asyla) 1/2 Dry Gin (1 1/2 oz Plymouth Gin) Shake (stir - eje) well and strain into cocktail glass. (Garnish with lemon twist - cocktaildb). Bruce Barton was an inspirational writer, Christian, Republican, Politician, and Madison Avenue Adman. His most famous creation was Betty Crocker. He also worked on high profile ad campaigns for General Electric and General Motors. I'm guessing the above smart remark above was made before it was revealed he had had an affair with a female co-worker and she was blackmailing him. Instead of giving in to her demands, (a second time,) he turned her in to the police. In any case, if Barton did enjoy a Barton Special now and then, he certainly didn't like anything getting between booze and his stomach.

re: Brizard Creme de Cacao. Thanks John, I'll have to keep a look out for it. Baron Cocktail 6 Dashes Curacao (3 Barspoons Brizard Orange Curacao) 2 Dashes Italian Vermouth (1 Barspoon Carpano Antica) 1/3 French Vermouth (3/4 Ounce Noilly Prat Dry) 2/3 Dry Gin (1 1/2 oz Tanqueray) Shake well (stir - eje) and strain into cocktail glass. Couple dashes of Regan's orange Bitters livened this up a bit. Still nothing earth shaking. Slightly sweet and orangey Martini.

Wow! FWIW the commericial dulce de leche I picked up (manufactured in chile) is closest in color to number 16. I'll post a photo in the cocktails forum later this week. George T. Stagg eggnog, what an idea!

Being far lazier than donbert, I purchased some canned cow milk dulce de leche and goat milk based cajeta. Some initial experimentation with the cow milk dulce de leche. Keemum tea sweetened with dulce de leche and spiked with a splash of Scotch whisky was quite tasty. Same Scotch spiked with the keemum/dulce de leche combo, hit with a dash of bitters, and shaken with ice, not so good. Unpleasant murky color. Also, I slipped when pouring the drinkboy house bitters and ended up with a far too bitter and spicy drink. I'm kind of interested in diluting the dulce de leche slightly and using it in layered cocktails. Will see how that goes. I'm curious where the specific gravity will fall.

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 over at The Spirit World. The theme is "Drinks for a Festive Occasion". If you would like to participate, please post in this thread before Monday, December 11th at midnight. I will compile a list of cocktails posted and mail them to the organizer. Let's put on Santa caps and fill our cups with joy!

I've got a bottle of key lime charbay (it was on sale), a bottle of Rain (don't care much for), and a bottle of Luksusowa in the freezer (still have yet to crack the seal). Actually, I don't have it in the house right now; but, my favorite is Finlandia. Clean taste that reminds me a bit of grappa and not much of the rubbing alcohol smell common in some vodkas.

Wow, what an evening out! Looks great, man. But, you ended the night with a Death in the Gulf Stream?! I have to say I admire your take no prisoners approach!