mkayahara

Thanks for the link. I searched around for a similar thread couldn't find one. ← Yeah, it's almost impossible to find anything in particular around here when you need it! I just happened to remember it when I saw your post. As for the post I linked to, the thing I like about it (and the reason I bought The Joy of Mixology) is the way it organizes everything into categories. Once you've mastered one drink in the category, it's not much of a stretch to figure out others, though you may sometimes need someone to prod you in the right direction.

Gary Regan provides a very thoughtful response to this question (or, at least, a similar one) if you follow this link.

I received a copy of Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking for Christmas, and was interested to see his entry on natto. In it, he comments: "Natto ... is notable for being distinctly alkaline (from the breakdown of amino acids into ammonia)." How identifiable is the ammonia in the smell of natto? I ask because I'd love to try natto, but I can't stand ammonia in, for example, overripe cheese. I've noticed some debate on this thread as to whether or not natto smells like blue cheese (which I like), but I'm thinking more along the lines of Brie or similar cheeses that have been sitting around too long. I'm not normally afraid of mucilaginous textures, so that doesn't really worry me. (And I really wanted the opportunity to use the word "mucilaginous"!) Is there any hope that I'll like natto? (I guess the only way to find out for sure is to try it...)

True, except that it's spelled "couvert".

Add me to the list of people who prefers them straight up. I find that even lemon juice can be overpowering, though it depends on how light a touch you use when squeezing the lemon. As for oysters that have been out of the ocean long enough that you need some kind of strongly flavoured sauce, well, I think I'd rather just cook them at that point.

Nothing, if you can buy Herbsaint. Add that to the list of things unavailable in Canada.

Is it OK if I use Ricard as a subsitute until I can get a bottle of real absinthe in Montreal?

I visited the Pegu Club on Monday after an amazing birthday dinner at wd-50. Y'know, just to round out the extravagance. We'd already had cocktails and wine with dinner, so my three companions and I restricted ourselves to one drink each. I had a Copperhead, made with bonded applejack, rye and yellow Chartreuse, if I recall correctly. It was a very tasty and very, very strong drink. Can anyone share the proportions? Not that I can get a single one of those ingredients in Canada... It was a perfect end to an exceptional evening, and I'll be sure to head back next time I'm in town.

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions. I ended up visiting all three of Crossroads, Warehouse and Astor (and a couple more besides), and bought the Luxardo Maraschino ($22) and Sazerac Rye ($26) at Warehouse. I also picked up a bottle each of Regan's and Peychaud's bitters at Pegu Club. I guess the first order of business now is to make a Sazerac!

Thanks for that reply, Mayur. Lenell's certainly seems to be worth checking out - if not on this trip, then definitely on the next. Though if the Sazerac 6-year is available at Astor, I may just pick that up...

Thanks! I'll be sure to check out those three.

Thanks, I'll check there too. I'd love to pick up some high-end vermouth, but Canada Customs regulations being what they are... *sigh*

Thanks for that! I've been keeping an eye on their website for a little while now, and it hasn't been listed (though it is now). They must have just gotten a new shipment in. Any idea how much they had? Also, I'm not wedded to the Rittenhouse BIB; are there any other ryes they do have that you'd recommend?

I imagine there's more than one thread on liquor stores in New York, so this one seems as good as any for my question, and better than starting a new one! I'm going to be in New York this weekend, and I'm looking to pick up a couple of bottles that aren't available in Canada, specifically maraschino liqueur and some real rye whiskey (as opposed to "Canadian rye"). More specifically, I'd like to be able to get Maraschino Liqueur and Rittenhouse Bonded Rye, based on what I've read about both. Can anyone help me out with a suggestion of where I could find them? I understand Lenell's probably has both, but I'd prefer to keep to Manhattan. My partner has already started rolling his eyes when I mention this topic, so I doubt I'll be able to drag him out to Brooklyn for that alone! Thanks in advance.

The only two I've ever encountered are Epicureal and Hypergourmet, but I've never purchased anything from either of them. I would be interested in hearing from anyone who has, and in finding out whether there are any other such sites in Canada.

In terms of getting to know and love gin, a dry martini is probably the worst thing you can start with! Check out this article for some suggested cocktails as a more gradual introduction to the pleasures of gin. Also, I would normally steer clear of Bombay Sapphire for these types of cocktails, since it is (believe it or not) a rather subtle gin. I save my Bombay Sapphire for martinis, where I can taste every nuance. But then, I already like gin!

Hmm... I'm reminded of this comment left in another thread, especially the part I've put in boldface: I'm not sure how well the smokiness of mezcal would go with dulce de leche, but it might be worth trying out!

What about apéritif bitters like Campari? (Obviously there is a sweet component there, but there's also a sweet component in most sour drinks, whether from simple syrup, triple sec, or something else.)

How about making your own tomato paste?

Is there anything it doesn't go in? I like it in biscotti, pumpkin or apple pie, apple or pear turnovers, and just about any other dessert that features ingredients one would normally pair with ginger.

Thanks for your input, ctgm. In fact, clause B.02.034(1)(b) of Canada's Food and Drug Regulations allows for the blending of rum from a "Commonwealth Caribbean Country" with Canadian rum to a maximum of 1.5 per cent Canadian rum by volume in the final product. I imagine they avoid running afoul of labelling laws because they clearly state (if in fine print on the back) that it is blended with Canadian rum. As for using an "expensive sipping" rum in cocktails, I'm less worried about price (within reason) than I am about using something with an appropriate flavour profile. Especially when you consider that, here in New Brunswick, Canada, Lemon Hart is CAD$23.00 a bottle and El Dorado 5-Year is $24.95 - I'm willing to pay the extra $1.95 if it will make a difference in the quality of the drink. (By comparison, Mount Gay is $26.45.) For Mai Tais, I've been using Gary Regan's recipe in Joy of Mixology, which calls for 1 oz. white rum and 1 oz. dark. I've seen other recipes that call for 2 oz. gold rum, at which point I would probably use Mount Gay or Appleton V/X. It's the dark rum that really throws me, here, because the only consistent definition of dark rum I've seen is "rum that contains ridiculous amounts of caramel colouring to make it look black." Maybe I'll just start using a gold rum I know I like, rather than searching for a good dark rum and promptly mixing it with white rum...

When I ordered a case of bitters and syrups from Fee Brothers, the CSR on the phone talked me into adding a bottle of peach bitters to the order. When it arrived, I wasn't sure what to do with it. This is one thing. From Patrick Gavin Duffy's Official Mixer's Manual (Doubleday, 1948 edition), the "Fox River Cocktail": The chocolate definitely dominates here, and I would probably cut it in half next time. The next most prominent flavour is... the lemon. But there's still a nice spiciness from the rye, and the peach bitters add a distinct note of complexity at the end. I recently read somewhere that the "dasher" on the Fee Brothers' peach bitters doesn't seem to work as well as the one on their other bitters, and I would agree with that. Some experimentation with various amounts of peach bitters in this cocktail will be required! It's a hard life... Edited to add: After posting this, I see that this very cocktail appears on the bottle itself! It suggests proportions of 1 tsp. peach bitters, 2 oz. whiskey, and 1/2 oz. creme de cacao, which might work better.

I'm bumping this because it doesn't seem necessary to start a whole new topic for my question, and because the question relates to a rum I bought to make Mai Tais. The rum in question is Lemon Hart, and I bought some last week. On the front of the bottle, the label says "Premium Imported Lemon Hart Demerara Rum" and "Product of Guyana". On the back, however, the fine print says "A blend of Guyanese rum with Canadian rum." Is this something that should worry me? Is Lemon Hart in the US an "all-Guyanese" version? I noticed this in the store, but bought it anyway, since I'm having trouble figuring out what constitutes "dark rum" for use in drinks such as the Mai Tai (or, say a Hurricane). Neither Coruba nor Myer's dark rums are available where I am, and I don't like the massive amount of caramel colour that must be involved in producing Gosling's Black Seal. A Demerara rum seemed like the next best option. My choices here are basically limited to Lemon Hart, Young's Old Sam Demerara (from what I understand, this is a local product) and El Dorado. I hesitate to spend the big bucks on an older El Dorado, but am not sure whether the 5- or 12-year version would work best for my purposes. Can anyone offer advice in this respect? OK, that ended up more long-winded than I expected. Sorry!

There are lots of Asian foods served on a stick. Thai or Indonesian satays and Japanese yakitori are the first to come to mind. For keeping within a budget, yakitori is great, since it tastes better with chicken thighs than breasts. That keeps things really cheap, as long as you're not attached to using organic, free-range chicken. For yakitori, take 2 parts soya sauce, 2 parts mirin, 1 part sake, 1 part sugar and a little garlic and fresh ginger. Simmer until the sugar has dissolved. Thicken slightly with a slurry of equal parts cornstarch and water. (Use about one tablespoon of cornstarch to thicken about 1 cup of yakitori glaze.) Cube some boneless chicken thighs and thread them onto bamboo skewers that have been soaked in water for half an hour, alternating with pieces of green onion. Grill them until cooked through. Towards the end of the cooking time, brush them with the glaze. If you start brushing the glaze on too early, it will burn and taste awful, so be careful! These are also good for a party because they don't have to be served right off the grill, they can cool down a little. Just be sure to keep them warm so you don't give your guests food poisoning. Another item you may want to look into, if you like Japanese food in general and miso in particular, is dengaku.

Yeah, that'd be New Brunswick, Canada. I guess I should've been more specific!