drunkenmonkey

Absinthe IS LEGAL IN FRANCE AND EU including artemesia absinthum (the variety of wormwood that gives the drink its name. One variety, Nouvelle Orleans, is produced by an organic chemist who reverse engineered several french bottles of over 100 years ago. How someone could live in france and not kow this....

i would advise storing in glass as your plastic containers will eventually acquire the old citrus juice flavor and taint future batches. consider straining your juice to remove pulp or better still, doing away with the misguidingly named speed pourers altogether

what most people don't know is that a preponderence of drinks originally contained egg whites, sours and collinses alike. if you don't believe it, look at the ingredients on a bottle of collins or sour mix in your grocery store and 9 time out of 10 you'll see pasteurized egg whites listed. same goes for commercial sour mix in bars. egg white blends and rounds out the flavor profile, provides a velvety mouth feel and an excellent foamy head for presentation. always wash your egg shells and use a separator for most hygeinic results. these drinks must be shaken VIGOROUSLY and enjoyed grinningly. beware the commercially separated egg whites as many are adulterated and won't provide the all natural foaming action of the fresh from the hen variety.

my wife is jamaican and the sauce described above (most commonly used with the saltfish or bacalao as it is called elsewhere) is exactly as i've always had it - though sometimes she makes it without the coconut milk.

definitely check out old san juan dishes to try: mofongo (mashed green plantain) with your choice of meats carrucho (conch) is a good local, but chicken, beef, pork are common. alcapurrias - puerto rican empanadas - are an excellent street food - also many fillings are available. have fun

grating and strainig is essentially what a juicer does though more efficient. if you have a juicer, i would recommend this method and no heat as the juicer will do all the straining for you and the raw (uncooked/unheated) juice seems to retain its zing a great deal longer and better ( i think the sugar may act as a preservative). also, raw ginger juice is so potent that a little mellowing is not necessarily a bad thing. try making a small amount (all you are likely to get from a pound or two) and tasting it over several days. when buying your ginger look for the smoothest shiniest wettest seeming ginger. if you have access to a widely varied market, baby ginger is an excellent option as well and will produce more juice pound for pound. for extra freshness , try germinating your ginger in the fridge by wrapping in a moist towel.

funny you should ask, i have prepared the same recipe with applejack and indeed is delightful. the spices added and those in the falernum and stones make a nice compliment and obviate the need for any sugar or further sweetening. it was good to see you at the watering hole recently and a pleasure to aid in the furthering of your imbibological endeavors.

bourbon and cider (formerly known as sweet cider to differentiate between strong or alcoholic) is called a stone fence - and highly enjoyable. i have been preparing a hot mulled cider for the last cuple of fall/winters: cider stone's ginger wine velvet falernum coruba rum ginger juice allspice cinnamon sticks heat (add spirits towards the end so as to preserve precious alcoholic content) and ladle into cups find comfortable seat

i'm surprised noone mentioned "just cocktails" and "here's how" both by w.c. whitfield at three mountaineers press. both published after repeal of prohibition, both out of print, but fairly common in good shape as they were bound in wood. very fun books