Alchemist
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Posts posted by Alchemist
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I was seven years old, and my parents had brought me to the outer reaches of India. We were staying with a family that we had known for years. the Patles served an amazing meal. I wanted something different (we had been on the road for a few months) something that I recognized, something safe. My mother leaned over and said that I would love what I was served. I hunkered over the huge round plate and shoveled, with three fingers and the thumb of my right hand, some Pataka Shak into my mouth. Oh my god curried potatoes!! The comfort of spuds (I'm of Irish blood) with the wondful complexity of the masala, knocked me off my jeans (I was sitting on the floor). I worked my way around the plate loving it all. My father hated the food. It was just my mom and i delving into this amazing world of hot, cold, spicey, sweet, bitter, crunchy, smooth, coarse, fine, funky, normal, good, better and a multitude of things I can't even explain.
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If you want a great pint of black, Lucky Jacks is wonderful. And there is a place called Freemans that can churn out a great drink, if it isn't packed, and sometimes even when it is. And this might be a bit out of the way but Temple bar is lovely.
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The world cup comes with a good dose of insanity. I have a hard time thinking of a group that is in the world cup that won't be a wee bit mad watching the matches. I would recomend going early to the bar of your choice and getting in good wit the barkeep, tip them well in other words, so when the throngs come in if anyone acts like a assh&$*e they will be looking out for you. But i must say that i have seen a bunch of matches, and there is usually such a good energy in the room that if you just hoot and hollar for the right team you will be fine. The world cup brings out such a diverse crowd, that you will not be eclipsed by the hardcore fans, and will find someone who you can whinge about the fouls with, even if you don't understand offsides. Fiddlesticks on Greenwhich is a lovely place to settle back with a pint, and get caught up in the amazing, rollicking experiance.
Edited because I am a dolt.
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Not a pom 'tini, but a Pom cocktail.
2 Oz. rye
1/4 Oz. Pommagrante molassas
1/2 Oz. simple syrup
3/4 Oz. lemon juice
3 dash Orange bitters
Shake, serve up. garnish with a flamed orange twist.
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Downstairs at Eight Mile Creek. Hang out with a bunch of Ozzies, murder a few Coopahs, sing a song or two. Good fun, mate.
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The biggest pet peeve of mine is when the server/busboy stacks the plates on the table instead of stacking on thier arm. If management hasn't trained the staff on such an essiantial little point of service, I would guess every thing is slapshod. Also bev naps under barstools set my OCD off the charts.
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You ever seen the tiny Tabasco bottles? Like the single sevrving ones you get with some meals to go? Is there a way of refilling those? They are very cute.
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The fizz should add efervesence, make the cocktail dance on your tounge, maybe tickle your nose a bit, it shouldn't be like drinking out of a big gulp of Mountain Dew. You are watering down something that allready has it's water content from shaking. Less is more. It's allways easier to add soda than take it out.
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Did anybody see the Mythbusters where they took some horrible cheap vodka then ran it through a Britta water filter six times and, Voila, top shelf booze.
Obviously this could be very handy for the at home barkeep who doesn't want to poison thier guests with Skell vodka in brunch bloody mary's.
What else could a water filter be used for?
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What I would do is show up at work grab a cup of coffee, explain to your boss that you have to pop out for a swizzle stick and would they mind starting setting up for you? Hop the soonest plane to Martinque, go to the nearest bar, order a 'Ti Punch, and ask the bartender where to get a swizzle stick. Since you are there allready some beach time and a SCUBA dive or two can't hurt (remember the Boss is holding down the fort, and they are the most compotent people around) followed by another "Ti punch or three.
Pick up three swizzle sticks, head back to the airport and work. Once there, explain that "These babies were devishily hard to find. And could you give me a payout for," pulling a handful of recipts stained with rum and sunscreen " let's see $2,789.49 please?
Edited to add a little something.
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Soak in really hot water and then tap GENTLY, GENTLY, GENTLY and then use a gentel rocking motion. Is it glass or metal or a combo?
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Yes must repete again 4-7 DROPS, NOT DASHES, DROPS, yes like what comes out of a Visine bottle when squeezed lightly, per drink. i think that I was over estimating how much a half barspoon was in one of my last posts. It should be less than a quarter of a shallow barspoon.
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I must dissagree with the w'stsher that has been mentioned. MAGGIE SEASONING is what must go into a Mich, Chi, or Cielo Rojo. It's not that hard to find since people ALL over the world use it. It's in Duch cooking, Thai, Mexican, I've see it in a half dozen countries in europe. Just drop into every "ethnic" food shop you see and you will find it.
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The Ramos is a tricky cocktail, because of the sheer number of things to balance. But on the flip side I think a couple of the hardest cocktails are with the least. I would say the test for a good bartender is an Old Fashion (Or a Treekle, I know that spelled wrong, so I just went Fo-net-ick). And I don't mean the muddled mess of cherry, orange, and badly balanced booze that some try to pass off as the proud grandfather of all libations.
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This may be a bit off topic, but the bar snack that I HATE, is when a bar patron takes over my garnish trey as thier personal cruise ship buffet. Were these people raised by wolves? These three people came in to my establishment last night, and systematicly(SP) worked thier way through the caper berries (obviously the amuse) folllowed by the olives, (what lovely canapes they have here darling) And then helped them selves to orange slices for desert. And I don't mean one each. They completly decimated my mise.
In the past when I worked at slightly more downscale places, I would mention that the offending patron was (for a change) NOT at Sizzler and that they should desist from grazing through the ganishes. I am not proud of this but I have smacked some knuckles (like a nun, with a ruler) with my church key when they go back for thirds.
I think that if bar kibble keeps grungy little fingers out of a barkeeps mise, then I am ready to alway have it.
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I wasn't refering to pairing cocktails with food. I was waxing nostaligic about some of the wonderful things I have eaten while belly up to the stick.
There were these smoked almonds (they each had a weeks USRDA of sodium) at Eugene that were awsome.
The bar snacks at Gothem Bar and Grill are good. Mixed nuts, heavy on the cashews.
M&H sometimes does strawberries with marscipone(sp), and honey. If you ask for them you don't get them. This is the only sweet bar snack I have ever heard of.
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What goes with a martini, a cheap beer, a Champsee Lysee? What wouild tempt an expert libationist, or the average yahoo to eat something that will not (and if you are a f$%ing yahoo who the F%@k cares?) F@#K with their palate but is irrisistable?
Is there a type of bar that snack that transends everything?
I like SaltySpicey.
We are taking for granted that the unwashed masses arn't touching YOUR nibbles. Tell me what you want for comestibles?
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I must agree with the eating at the bar angle. If you can't sit at the bar have a cocktail of Jim Meehans' (SP) before you eat.
EDIT to agree with FRESHHERBS.
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It should be half an Oz. of each citrus, if you are using simple syrup that is 1X1.
A classic Fizz Glass is slightly smaller than a highball, because Fizzes didn't have Ice in them, like highballs or collins'. Actually I find a small highball glass works best for the Ramos because it has both Egg white and cream the amount of espuma is wicked.
Note about the tap and spin method. I tap the glass lightly right after straining. Then hook the soda bottle (a siphon wont work) and dribble soda in, (about an ounce will do) as I spin the glass with the other hand to create a uniform Divils Mountain if Yummyness (that is the techinal term). Tastes better than mashed potatoes, and can lead to a close encounter of the best kind.
Oh Snowy should read the instructions in JIGGER, BEAKER AND GLASS.
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If I can add just a few things.
Put your orange flower water (Try getting one produced in France, they are less oily than the middle eastern kind) in a tincture bottle so you have the ability to control each drop, a couple extra drops will ruin the drink. I like between four and seven depending on the brand of OFW. If you don't have a tincture bottle on hand, I'd say half a shallow barspoon is a good start. DON'T MEASURE THE ORANGE FLOWER WATER ABOVE THE SHAKER YOU ARE BUILDING THE COCKTAIL IN.
if you are using the standard 2 Oz. of gin (I agree a strong flavor profile is needed, tanq, Beefeater, Bombay White, Or say half Plymouth and half Junipero) I would use 1 Oz lemon, and the same of lime, to keep balance.
A whole Oz. of HEAVY Cream, and a full (medium) egg white are needed for mouth feel. And this should not be a boozy drink. It is more milkshake than martini. Settles the stomach at breakfast, or is light and refreshing on the verandah.
Ice should be large cold and wet. And this is the only drink I don't shake hard, a la paint shaker/jackhammer, to get the proper texture you don't want the cubes breaking up. I'm not saying you should rock it to sleep but you shouldn't hear the ice disintegrating till the end so it can get strained out quickly.
Once poured, I tap the glass on the bar to settle the bubbles, then spin the glass slowly to achieve maximum height. The meringue should be an inch above the lip of the glass so your first sip coats your top lip (F&$K MILK!). Boy I'm so ready for one right now.
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Thanks for all the good replys, I enjoyed reading everything.
For blending I´m thinking of using smirnof black, because we get a great deal from our dealer. Not that I like smirnof. For straight vodka drinks I use of course belvedere... My favourit brand.
Gin i'm gonna use tanquray for every gin drink... At this point I belive i'm getting very spoiled...
For rum Ron Anejo Pampero especial and another for pure rum drinks... It's very good, tasted the whole line yesterday.
For tequila i'm gonna use josé cuervo especial and josé cuervo reserva de la familia.
Whiskey is rather divided between the different areas of scotland, but i'm gonna have one bottle of Johnnie Walker blue label. Tried it yesterday to, and i learnd a very good way to drink it, first you drink some cold ice water to chill your mouth, keep it in for 7 seconds, then swallow, then drink the whiskey and you will experience the taste comming from inside your mouth and outwards. TRY IT.
Thats pretty much the base spirits i'm gonna have in my bar, still very unclear of the cocktail card, so keep it up and if you have a home made cocktail send it to me and I will try it out.
Ps. can anybody explain what Orgeat Syrup is? Havent heard of it before....
And Maraschino?Orgeat is an almond syrup. Mai Tai is the most famous drink with it. Maraschino has nothing to do with those horrid red cherries, and is wonderful and complex. many many drinks include it. Luxardo makes the best. i do belive there is a thread all about it. try a Casino. An Avation, with a couple of dashes of orange bitters. Yum.
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OFFS, Oh the bounty. I am going to list a bunch, no order.
Milk & Honey
Pegu
Little Branch
Flatiron
E.O.
East side Co.
Allright now, for a good time as well,
Red Rock West (have an extra shirt)
Motor city
Lucky Jacks
more too come...
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Having a small bar is really not a problem. It just means you have to be very discearning about what you stock.
I would reccomend forgetting about flavored vodkas. Actually vodkas in general. Pick one and forget the rest. They take up so much room, bacause they breed like minks. Once you have one, the next thing you know you have _______peach getting dusty on your back bar.
It's eaisier to explain, to both parrons, and liquor reps, that you don't have any flavores, than why you have Ab Citr. and not Ketel Citr. If you disavow vodka in general, it makes it even eaisier. For the reason statede below. The endless complaints that if you have GG, why not Belve? Are enough to want to...
Most classic cocktails are gin, rum, rye or bourbon so get a good varitie of those and then, a wide variety of mixers like Mariscino, a good Cuacao, fresh fruit, ect.
Keep it simple. It's better to make one genere of cocktails perfectly than be all over the place, and do it half assed.
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I belive that aged vodka would taste like searing unconcentrated, liqiud smoke, that had been stored in a paper cup overnight. (to quote Ralph Wiggum "it tastes like burning").
It would be interesting to have someone age some gin in sherry casks, like Macallen. To add some sweetness, and that beautiul color.
The Mojito
in Spirits & Cocktails
Posted
I must take issue with the way the mint is abused in a few of these posts. When I first making Mojitos (and julips for that matter) I thought that it was all about the muddling. I was a fan of adding a sugar cube to really tear up the mint was a good thing. I wanted a glob of mint and sugar at the bottom of my glass. Then I would add the lime,rum and the ice, top with a bit of soda, and call it wonderful.
Then I read Charles Baker, and he had a little test that anyone with a sprig could do. He said that if you take a mint leaf, and gently bruise it with your molars, and then gnaw on a mint leaf you will see the difference. Oh, what an epipfiny. If you grind it up it tastes like grass, you only gey base vegital properties. Where if you gently bruise the mint, then pull it up the sides of the glass, leaving a slick of mint oil, and then add simple, lime and rum, it has more mint flavor. Also since the mint is still intact it never gets in your teeth, or clogs the straws. In a perrfect world you let that sit for a wee bit, then add the crushed ice, two small straws, a plume of mint for garnish, and if you are feeling schmancy (SP) spank a sprig of mint above the drink while it is before the imbiber.