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Mayur

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Posts posted by Mayur

    Drinks! (2011–2012)

    in Spirits & Cocktails

    Posted

    That's funny. I'm putting cacao-infused mezcal (although I'm using the entire [hulled] bean) in a menu cocktail:

    Chocolate Jesus

    0.75 El Dorado 12 year rum

    0.75 cacao-infused mezcal (Del Maguey Vida)

    0.75 house vermouth

    0.5 creme de cacao

    0.5 cynar

    dash Bittermens mole bitters

    Just in time for Easter...

    Cooking with Liquid Nitrogen

    in Cooking

    Posted · Edited by Mayur (log)

    "Shaking" drinks. It's also good for enabling quick spherifications and freezing things you can't otherwise really freeze. Come summer, I'd like to try it for some frozen sazeracs and the like, for instance; standard frozen proportions don't work well with classic cocktails (see HERE), but I'm curious as to whether you could cut dilution, subtract heat, and end up with a tasty product.

    Campari Cocktails

    in Spirits & Cocktails

    Posted · Edited by Mayur (log)

    Minor quibble: a "wine-based amaro" is possible.

    While aromatized wines (e.g. vermouths) and amari are separate animals from the Italian point of view, there are amari and gentianes that start with a wine base; they're just fortified or redistilled up to amaro-level proof. Suze is an example on the French side, but I'm pretty sure I've seen analogues on the Italian side.

    Are There Any Good Reasons to Drop That Twist?

    in Spirits & Cocktails

    Posted

    Basic cell biology dictates that most of the citrus oil stays in, or on the surface of, any lemon peel for which you impart the traditional twist. Moreover, citrus oils that are expressed into the drink are also going to at least partially dissolve in it, imparting a different aroma from the stuff that's just sitting on the peel or engaging in a continued surface interaction between the peel and drink. So yes, leaving the twist in the drink is going to supply additional aromatics beyond those you've given it by expressing it. I actually often find this to be the case in the *negative* sense; that is, there are plenty of drinks for which I'd rather not be getting such a full olfactory blast of citrus. The sazerac's the obvious one, but there are loads of rough drafts / bartender's choices / original menu drinks that come to mind.

    Also, your definition of modernism is different from mine, but visual components *are* important in terms of their function when you drink, in that we do taste with our eyes as well as our noses and mouths.

    The Daiquiri

    in Spirits & Cocktails

    Posted

    Currently working on our house daiquiri spec, and I've found this blend to be very nice:

    1/2 Orinoco: 1/2 Flor de Cana Extra Dry: 1 Mount Gay Special Reserve: 1 lime: 3/4 simple.

    Obviously, using three rums makes this a slower drink to bust out in a busy service environment, but the flavor is worth it.

    Per Chris Amirault: Appleton generally provides a nice daiquiri balancer. 1:1 FdC extra dry or similar super-dry rum to Appleton 12 or V/X is a nice daiquiri mix.

    The Aviation

    in Spirits & Cocktails

    Posted

    Beefeater is the bomb. I do prefer something citric in an Aviation, but we use Beefeater at home all the time (the s/o is an Aviation addict) and it turns out well. I actually prefer varying the recipe to use Yvette instead of the R&W, with occasional deviations to violet syrup (I have a gorgeous French farmer's product as well as the Monin to hand). To be honest, I'm not in love with the R&W Violette, though I feel like their other products (pear, apricot, cherry) are some of the tastiest I've ever had in class.

    I do 2 gin: 1/2 lemon: 1/2 simple: 1/2 maraschino : float barspoon violette for my Aviation #1; no garnish. Plymouth is fine with this spec.

    Anywhere to buy fresh lemon/lime juice in San Francisco?

    in California: Cooking & Baking

    Posted

    Dear fellow Society members,

    I'm running a cocktail event in SF on October 26th, 2010 at the Clift Hotel (downtown right by Union Square), and I'm trying to figure out how to get all my citrus together on short notice. While I have access to prep facilities, I really don't have time to juice 10 quarts each lemon and lime juice and I'm looking for a way to buy some. In NYC, for instance, we can purchase fresh juices to order from Manhattan Fruit Co. Is there a similar option in SF, or even elsewhere in the Bay Area (it may be worth the drive)?

    Thanks in advance for your feedback!

    -Mayur

    Small Producer Light Rum Choices

    in Spirits & Cocktails

    Posted

    You'll pry my Chichicapa from my cold dead hands you dastardly Alpenzer... ;)

    Seriously, big distilleries produce a lot of overpriced crap (see eas's two examples), but so do a lot of small distilleries. "Small" is of course a relative term, and I don't consider, say, Laird's or Rittenhouse a small distillery simply because of their brand presence in the craft cocktail world. They're certainly nothing like Bacardi, Absolut, Bombay, etc. Random New Gin Guy, on the other hand, quite possibly isn't making a truly revolutionary product.

    Gin Infusions

    in Spirits & Cocktails

    Posted

    You could also mix with other gins. A combination of Death's Door with Junipero, Tanqueray, or even Beefeater might hit the right level of juniper for your tastes, and the advantage there would be that you're just mixing redistilled spirit with redistilled spirit. Very easy.

    Strega

    in Spirits & Cocktails

    Posted

    Strega is a great addition to a margarita (or really any Daisy variant) as well. It's a great substitute for yellow chartreuse in drinks like D&Co's Wicked Kiss, and a ton cheaper.

    Special meal with vegetarian option in NYC

    in New York: Dining

    Posted

    Kajitsu looks tasty; must check it out.

    You definitely want to stay away from places like the River Cafe and One if by Land... ESPECIALLY as a vegetarian. The food will be extremely disappointing.

    As to recommendations: Blue Hill is excellent for vegetarians, and Stone Barns is even better in terms of food, service, and setting. Also, I heartily second Per Se; that vegetable tasting is dynamite, and the setting is perfect. To be honest, any NYT four-star level place will do great food; I've been to all of them with my dad, who's a strict vegetarian, and they've done beautifully by him. The key thing is to let them know you're dining with a vegetarian when you make your reservation. They perform much better when they have advance notice.

    The Old Fashioned Cocktail: The Topic

    in Spirits & Cocktails

    Posted

    Red Heering: Jeebus that's an excellent name. I think you stole a march on a number of folks who would eventually have wanted to grab that name...

    As far as the "What's an Old Fashioned" line: Screw it. You're talking about >=2 oz booze + bitters + sugar in a rocks glass with ice. Beyond that, I think anything goes.

    Small Producer Light Rum Choices

    in Spirits & Cocktails

    Posted

    Also, I think small producer fetishization is a major problem with respect to liquor, especially when it comes to base spirits. It's not like buying strawberries, or beef, or even Napa wine; simply put, big distillers often produce the best product. I haven't tried a small-producer London dry gin that makes me want to abandon Beefeater or Plymouth, nor a rye (at the given price point) that makes me want to ditch Rittenhouse, etc.

    Small Producer Light Rum Choices

    in Spirits & Cocktails

    Posted

    Only if you like agricole funk and deem it essential to a white rum.

    FdC 4 year, Barbancourt White, Appleton White, and HC Anejo Blanco all have their unique flavors that are definitely worth exploiting in a cocktail and entirely distinct from agricole herbaceousness (or vegetal quality, to my palate).

    I've never liked rhum agricole very much, and I find plenty of pleasing alternatives thereto.

    The dismal state of the New York City liquor market

    in New York: Cooking & Baking

    Posted

    Yeah, no offense FG, but I think you're just off base.

    Astor now stocks Bitter Truth bitters, BTW, and bitters in general have always been more a grocery than liquor store item. Kalustyan's has everything you would ever need on that front; hell, my local Indian grocery (Dual) has the full Fee brothers selection.

    California *might* be a better market than NY (though I wonder; does all the Alpenz stuff make it out there at the same time as we get it?), but in general, Astor has pretty much anything you'd need and gaps can be filled in by a trip to another store or a special order. And I rarely see things like the full R&W range, Dolin in 375 and 750 ml sizes, or even just the crazy bourbon and scotch whisky selection in other states.

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