marty mccabe

At home, I keep it basis, too. Lemon or lime peels (as appropriate), and cherries. I don't like olives. The ginger beer thing, though, I might have bought that until I discovered Audrey Saunder's recipe. Here's a link to a thread a started about it. This stuff puts the finest ginger beers to shame!

Quick question: how necessary is a car if you're staying on the Dutch side? I'm going to be there for a week--first time--and would like to get around to both sides, but don't want to hassle with a car if I don't have to... Thanks!

If you're bored, try a Teresa: 2oz Campari (bitter) 3/4oz creme de cassis (sweet) 1oz fresh lime juice (sour) shake and strain I'd love to see more examples of cocktails that combine more than two "flavors."

Just an fyi for Boston folks, but Apry is available again! Just picked up my first bottle this week. Now, what to make first?!?!

While I grant you that there are, "a wide range of quality French wines available for good price points," one of the practical challenges is that people like Bobby Kacher, Kermit Lynch, Joe Dressner, and Neal Rosenthal, to name a few, are already importing a lot of wines in this catagory. Are there more out there? Sure! However, the importers I've named have a combined century's worth of experience AND 100 SKUs in that catagory, between the four of them. I'm not saying this to discourage you, by any means. Only to say that practically speaking, you have to find a wine that they haven't, get enough of it to make it commerically viable, and then repeat the process a couple dozen times, in order to develop enough of a portfolio to not get lost at even the most boutique-oriented distributor. Just a couple thoughts...

So, this weekend's project was two-fold: First, make homemade (non-carbonated) ginger beer: Audrey Saunder's recipe Then, make a Jamaican Firely, Pegu Club's version of a Dark & Stormy: Jamaican Firefly recipe I'm including these two together, as I couldn't find them together before. Also, because this was truly an experiment that validated that cocktail obsession that my wife occasionally rolls her eyes at. What an incredible cocktail! I'm not sure I'll ever be able to drink a "regular" Dark & Stormy again. An aside: now that I have this great ginger beer, any other suggestions for it? Regards, Marty P.S. Needless to say, kudos to Audrey Saunders and her incredible staff for another life-changing cocktail...

Definitely 100% agave. Definitely blanco. I can't imagine a circumstances where I'd want a really diluted tequila flavor. Although somewhere (don't remember where) I saw a margarita recipe years ago which used (approximately) 2/3 blanco and 1/3 reposado. Excellent variation. As for the whole "cost" thing, shop your liquor stores, people! There's a place in Boston that sells El Tesoro Blanco for $19.99/bottle. Yay me!

I must confess to not knowing a whole lot about pousse cafes (other than the general theory), but apparently there are traditional glasses to serve them in, noted for their straight sides, with or without a stem. I tried Ebay and Googled it, to no avail. Any help is greatly appreciated, as it's a gift (when I find it) for an old friend... Regards,

What an interesting development. I think that this will be great for Herradura and El Jimador, as B-F will undoubtedly increase their distribution and breathe some new life into an esteemed, yet somewhat forgotten, brand. If they get 25% of the distribution that Jack Daniel's has, the brand will be on fire! Wonder that this means, though, for Don Eduardo and Pepe Lopez, B-F's other two tequilas?

I've been subscribing to Saveur for three years now, and for me, a chunk of the appeal rests both in the depth of the articles, the variety of subjects covered within each and every issue, and the slight edge of, "we know this might not appeal to everyone, but we're going to go really in-depth anyway." So many magazines are hung up on making sure each and every article is universally appealing. As for Gourmet, I decided against renewing my subscription, as there seem to only be about 2-3 issues a year that I want, usually coordinating with an article by Bourdain. I'm trying Bon Appetit for a year, with a little more variety of articles, and not-so California-centric wine writing / suggestions. On a related note, I absolutely despise this trend of "no text" subscription covers. When you've got a bookshelf full of cooking magazines, and you're looking for that certain article, blank covers suck... just my 2 cents...

Tony and crew - keep your heads down and return home safely... All the best,

Given that it's part of Skyy, and given that Skyy is owned by Campari, there's a lot of pull to make sure it's in every state that those two brands are available in. It's good, but I appreciate the bitter Campari note more...

Try switching to a toothpaste like Sensodyne. That's what is recommended when you taste a lot of German Rieslings, which are pretty much the roughest on your palate.

Christina's on Cambridge St. makes the best ice cream around, and in-house, too! Maybe a trip to one of the many farmers' markets that are starting now?

You might also consider combining something like Jancis Robinson's "How to Taste," with a subscription to Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (my personal favorite) or The Wine Spectator. Buying suggestions are time sensitive (availibility and vintages change quickly) so a magazine subscription might make the most sense. Good luck,

'Cause I need another cocktail book like a hole in the head...but when it's edited by Robert Hess and Anastasia Miller...has anyone else seen it yet? http://www.mixellany.com/PocketRecipe%20Guide.html and for that matter, does anyone know when Mixologist: Volume 2 will be available on Amazon? It's supposed to be release today and I'm impatient! PS: needless to say, no commercial involvement, etc., etc., etc...

Traditionally, when it comes to tasting spirits of almost any kind, something akin to the INAO tasting glass is okay. "Proper" spirit tasting glasses often curve out at the rim to allow some of the "heat" to dissapate. But, in general, remember two things: 1) keep your mouth open when you're nosing spirits. It does amazing things to minimize the burn. 2) a splash of spring water (just a splash) open up the aromatics tremendously, without harming the core flavors of the spirit.

If you're looking for dry apricot brandy, Zwack makes one that is available in Massachusetts. In total, the brandy is labeled, "Pecsetes Barack Palinka Zwack Apricot Brandy." It's imported by International Import Export, LA, CA. Hope this helps...

Checked out my first 2004 tonight. Slight toast on the nose, with lots of round pear and apple on the palate, bright citrus acid finish, which lingers nicely. All in all, a nice bottle of wine for $20. There's just an element of excitement missing that was so present in Lafon's 2002s. Maybe with a little bottle ageing? Honestly though, as white Burgundy goes, I can't think of much that would beat this, QPR-wise.

After reading this in the NYTimes, http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/15/dining/1...r=1&oref=slogin and then checking out this, http://www.beveragealcoholresource.com/ I'm wondering how nobody has mentioned it!?!? What a team...

There are a number of recipes for "cocktail" sorbets out there. I've found several on www.epicurious.com, for instance. You just have to make sure that your ice cream maker bowl is really, really cold and then finish it in the freezer, with occasional stirring. I make a margarita sorbet that freezes perfectly...

Well, again, welcome! It's a great place, to be sure... A few random thoughts: 1) Begin, middle, and end with your staff. Get them enthused with tastings. They are your ambassadors. 2) Consider a cocktail party, of sorts. For instance, pick a decade and feature cocktails from that decade. 3) Showcase your ingredients, starting with a premium rail. Make people understand that they're getting something different. 4) More "traditional" drinks, made as classic cocktails are great intros. For instance, a scratch-made Margarita, a Daiquiri (and don't forget to throw in an Hemingway Daiquiri), and a Mojito are great drinks to illustrate the "cocktail" difference. 5) and a point already made, don't neglect the stories behind the drinks. Good luck!

Hve to echo the banyuls and brachetto rec's. They are borderline classic pairings, both best suited for dark chocolate. Cheers!

I might be a little fuzzy on the details, but Carpano Antica is made by the same company that makes Carpano Punt e Mes, but the Antica bottling is based on their "ancient" formula for vermouth. It will probably run about $10 more expensive but it's absolutely mesmerizing...and a bit harder to find, unfortunately. Flavor wise, I found it a little smoother, with more aromatic notes, and not quite as sweet. Worth the search...

And please don't forget about Carpano's Antica Formula, which if you can find it, makes the absolute best Manhattan (or Negroni) ever!