Kent Wang

Nice article. I have a bottle of the Sazerac, which everyone seems to be claiming is six-year but there's no age statement on the bottle. Why is that?

I have some Billington's demerara on hand as well. It is the mildest sugar I have in the pantry at the moment. Because of the mildness it's hard to describe the flavor profile; I can only say that it's mostly caramel with a slight roasted note. The aroma is similar. I keep a small jar of it on hand and use it for cocktails. The large crystalline structure is ideal for abrading citrus when muddling and the mild flavor plays well with other ingredients and is not overpowering. In terms of boldness of flavor I rank: Billington's molasses candi syrup piloncillo Billington's dark brown muscavado Billington's demerara Billington's golden granulated I haven't tasted the light brown muscavado in a while so I'll refrain from comment. cdh: I enjoy Campari but do it find quite bitter. It may be possible that I'm over-sensitive to bitter but still enjoy Campari for other aspects of its flavor profile. I definitely would describe candi as not just being toasty as being outright burnt, closer to burnt coffee beans than it is to properly roasted beans. It may be possible that we have different brands. Does yours have the same text on it? I'm gonna go buy some ice cream just so I can try your suggestion. Gabriel Lewis: Thanks for the tips on buying jaggery. I'll report back soon. Wikipedia has a great article on jaggery, and some very brief ones on sugars we have not mentioned in this thread yet: sucanat, rapadura and panela. BTW, have you read about the Boston Molasses Disaster of 1919?

At First Chinese BBQ in Austin, they translate intestines as "special sausage".

It seems like nearly every restaurant crab cake has too much filler, like bread, though a distinction can be made between fillers and binders. I want maximum crab meat, as uncut as possible. Those shrimp and scallop pastes sound fantastic! I like mayo, especially the Japanese Kewpie brand sweet mayo. I devised a Japanese-style recipe with Kewpie, wakame seaweed and panko.

Very nice. You flower even better than my mother. It seems strange that few outside of Asia have mastered this technique. It's so important to flower squid as you increase the surface area and more sauce and seasonings will adhere to it.

What exactly do they look like? I bought a small spoon from Crate & Barrel for this purpose and it works OK.

Bunnies are cute but I would have no problem eating one, even if it was my pet. It probably wouldn't taste very good if it died of natural causes but if it was, say, electrocuted from chewing on those wires I'll gladly eat it. Homer Simpson has it right, being eaten is what it would've wanted.

Yes, I am curious about this matter as well. I do notice my knife being more effective after steeling on a ridged steel.

I purchased a bottle of the Belgian candi syrup and a bag of the Belgian dark candi in rock form. The bottle of the syrup states: "Candi syrup is a by-product of the candi sugar making process. White beet sugar is boiled, concentrated and then cooled. While cooling, rock sugar is formed and removed. What's left over is the syrup. Candi syrup has a more intense flavor and deeper color than rock candi sugar." The syrup has a distinct toasted smell. The flavor also reflects this and is bitter and tastes like burnt coffee beans. I'm not sure it is really pleasant. I can't imagine much of a use for it. Any ideas? The rock candi has no smell. I made a simple syrup with it and although it was as dark of a color as a simple syrup with molasses the flavor tasted just like that of conventional white sugar. I also picked up some piloncillo from Fiesta. I made a simple syrup of it. It was also as dark as molasses syrup but at greater dilution it has a distinct green/grey tint to it, whereas the color of molasses syrup varies only from caramel to deep brown. The flavor is also unique, with notes of corn and some of the green, vegetal characteristics of sugar cane. If you've ever bitten into raw sugar cane -- a common treat back in my childhood in China -- you would know exactly what I mean. Billington's dark brown molasses has a rich malted character to it. The smell is downright heady and intoxicating. The flavor is like dark, perfectly roasted caramel. It is the richest of the sugars I've tried. To compare against piloncillo, molasses is more of a refined product (in the sense of producing flavor not inherent to the product in its raw form) while piloncillo is more similar to raw sugar cane. I find that smell is a good indicator of flavor. Even in dry form -- i.e. not in simple syrup -- the aroma should be easily noticeable and give a reliable indication as to the flavor. Now, where to find some Indian jaggery?

Cachaca Dave sent me a sample bottle of Mae de Ouro. I performed an unblind tasting of Mae de Ouro, Ypioca Empalhada Ouro and Pitu. I had performed a side-by-side of Pitu against 51 and determined that Pitu was a bit less harsh. Compared against these other two it was the worst, as it was not only harsh and hot but in a bad, chemical-like way, the same way that well vodka and Everclear are harsh. The Ypioca is aged for two years and has a light brown color, comparable to reposado tequila. This was nearly as hot as the Pitu but did not have the off-putting chemical elements. The oak is noticeable though I prefer cachaca's with no oak, for the same reason why I prefer silver tequila over reposado and anejo. Although the Mae de Ouro is aged for one year it is completely clear, just like the Pitu. A bit less hot than the Ypioca but the primary difference is that one can clearly detect the sweet vegetal character of sugar cane. I did not detect any oak. This was my favorite. In a blind tasting that I administered to my friend, she ranked them in order of Mae de Ouro, Ypioca Empalhada Ouro and Pitu agreeing with my assessment.

Are any of you still able to purchase Fermin products? Central Market ran out of stock several months ago and has yet to receive a new delivery, due to some government interference. Spanish charcuterie La Espanola (Los Angeles) chorizo Soria: all pork, lean, semi-moist, paprika and garlic elements, mild capsicum-based heat. Aurelia's chorizo: Produced in Texas, distribution may be limited elsewhere. Very dry, pork and beef blend, heavy paprika element, no heat. I prefer the La Espanola over this. La Espanola lomo embuchado: lean, lightly seasoned with paprika and garlic, meat lacks the innate flavor of the Fermin Iberico lomo, but of course at a fraction of the price.

All of my samplings of Jackalope have been while I was tipsy so I really can't say for sure. I still go to Casino a lot and for me it is number one. Maybe one day I will do a side-by-side of the two. The two joints are close enough to each other that this can certainly be possible. I doubt either place would let you bring in food from elsewhere so you might have to do the sampling in the middle of the street! I believe Jackalope also has specials on certain nights and the wait there is not as long. The wait during a weekend night at Casino can be an hour or more! For a fancy, upscale burger have you tried The Four Seasons? I had it for brunch a few years ago and thought it quite good. I believe it is sirloin though I've been told by my butcher that this doesn't matter so much as the fat content.

DeBecca (Texas?) uncured pastrami: Texture is like roasted beef, lean, heavy garlic note. Minimal outer crust. DeSola (New York) navel-cut pastrami: Texture is more like cured or smoked beef. Very fatty as it is a belly cut. Thick crust of pepper on outside. No garlic presence. I obviously like this better, if only for the fatty cut.

I was thinking the same thing and was going to suggest a birds and bees theme, poultry and honey, like a honey-glazed chicken.

I think it tastes pretty good and would cook it more often than just the New Year.

Fundador is available here and at $17 a bottle is within my price range. Have you tried that?

I can only comment on Austin. You've done a good job picking restaurants. Most are what I would recommend as well. Don't go to Pappadeaux. There are many Cajun restaurants such as Gene's, Gumbo's, Nubian Queen Lola's and not quite Cajun Quality Seafood which has a superb seafood gumbo. I'd be interested in seeing what you think of Uchi compared to NYC restaurants such as Nobu. Peacock is indeed the number one cocktail lounge. It's no Pegu Club or Milk & Honey, but you're not going to pay NYC prices either. Weekend nights are lively, usually with a good dj or band. Just don't go on Thursday nights, which is lesbian night, unless you're into that. The Czech Stop is indeed along the way to Dallas. It's in the city of West. Alternatively, you could take a slightly longer route and pass through Llano for Cooper's BBQ. The drive is also much more scenic, passing through the Texas Hill Country. You should stop by the Whole Foods flagship. It's gigantic, though still not quite as good as Central Market. Nevertheless, it's a spectacle worth seeing. It'd be a shame if you missed out on good BBQ. Sam's BBQ is open until 2 or 3am and is the best in the city (House Park is another contender but their hours are more limited).

I've done the same with similar great results when rendering duck fat. I suppose in addition to the fat contributing flavor there is a also good amount of collagen in the skin.

I'm also looking for an everyday brandy under $20 for a 750mL bottle. A fellow at Spec's recommended the Claude Chatelier VSOP for $13.67 and I find it vastly superior to Remy Martin VS ($21) and Courvoisier VS ($27). It is much more mellow, but as I am not an expert on brandy I can't comment much beyond that. I find it also produces a superior sidecar. I agree with eje's principle that it is unlikely that such large producers that also spend millions on advertising can possibly be good values. They're not absolute dreck, sure, but I'd imagine that there must be a number of better values out there. I also wonder if there are any values to be had by purchasing 1.75 L bottles. If one is sticking with the $20/750mL, that translates into $46.67/1.75mL. Spec's is the best value chain in Texas. Their site has listings for brandy, cognac and armagnac. I don't have a preference, I just want good value. For the 1.75 bottles under $46, we find: CHRISTIAN BROTHERS BRANDY [uSA] 1.75L 18.42 CORTEL VSOP FRENCH BRANDY 80' 1.75L 20.78 DON PEDRO BRANDY [MEXICO] 1.75L 31.23 E & J BRANDY [CALIFORNIA] 1.75L 17.88 E & J BRANDY VSOP [CALIFORNIA] 1.75L 18.86 KORBEL BRANDY [uSA] 1.75L 18.41 MASSON BRANDY GRAND AMBER [uSA] 1.75L 17.75 MASSON VSOP BRANDY [uSA] 1.75L 22.76 MONTMARTRE FRENCH BRANDY [FRANCE] 1.75L 21.04 POTTERS BRANDY 1.75L 15.37 PRESIDENTE BRANDY [MEXICO] 1.75L 24.41 RAYNAL NAPOLEON BRANDY 1.75L 23.80 ST REMY NAPOLEON BRANDY V.S.O.P. 1.75L 21.04 Most of these are probably absolute dreck, but are there any good ones? For the conventional 750 mL bottles under $20, we have: Cognac: CLAUDE CHATELIER VSOP [FRANCE] 750ML 13.67 GAUTIER VS COGNAC [FRANCE] 750ML 15.58 LANDY V.S. COGNAC [FRANCE] 750ML 16.83 FRANCET VS COGNAC [FRANCE] 750ML 17.36 SALIGNAC COGNAC V.S. [FRANCE] 750ML 18.94 ALIZE VS COGNAC [FRANCE] 750ML 18.94 Brandy (excluding the 1.75L bottles already mentioned above): CASTELLANO BRANDY [MEXICO] 750ML 9.34 DE POURVIL NAPOLEON BRANDY 750ML 9.62 ST REMY NAPOLEON BRANDY V.S.O.P. 750ML 9.83 STOCK BRANDY [iTALY] 750ML 10.31 JACQUES CARDIN BRANDY LT 12.02 TORRES SOLERA SELECTA 5YR [sPAIN] 750ML 15.78 FUNDADOR BRANDY * SPAIN [sPAIN] 750ML 16.43 CORTEL X.O. FRENCH BRANDY 8O' 750ML 17.20 Spec's does not carry Chalfonte or Serenne. Are there any better values here than the Chatelier? There are a lot of choices so I'd like to have a bit of guidance before I just go out and start buying. Also, I suppose it's fair to say that VS, VSOP and XO should not be used as the sole indicators of quality as surely the Cortel XO ($17.20) is not as good as VSOPs by other makers.

Fantastic blog. I have learned much from you.

As we're discussing in the Specialty sugars thread, many of the sugar terms are beautiful: muscavado turbinado piloncillo

My only options here are Pitu and 51. I find Pitu a bit better. What do you think? I like using Billington's molasses sugar (see the Specialty sugars thread). The deep vegetal character combines nicely with the vegetal properties of cachaca, though some may find it overpowering. Also, this results in a dark brown drink which may be off-putting to those expecting the crystal clear version. It kinda trips me out to add molasses to cachaca, both products of the noble sugar cane. Maybe I should also add a sugar cane swizzle.

See Specialty sugars thread.

How about simply substituting pomegranate molasses (Cortas is the brand I'm using) for grenadine? The flavor is completely different, not nearly as sweet. If you really want more sweet, then why not just add a little simple syrup?

I find that bamboo has less of a taste than wood. I also treat my spoons like crap and stick them in the dishwasher. Bamboo seems to hold up much better than wood after a hundred or more dishes.