mkayahara

Tonight was rum taste-testing night. In the arena: Bacardi Carta Blanca vs. Havana Club Anejo Blanco. The battle? Daiquiris. I was the one mixing the drinks, so I won't say that my preconceptions didn't influence my ultimate choice. But my partner was tasting blind. The Bacardi daiquiri was smooth and, I thought, well-balanced. You could distinctly taste the rum, but it wasn't an especially complex taste. It was a very clean drink. The HC daiquiri was more complex. I think the oak treatment really shone through here. My partner thought the HC dairquiri tasted sweeter, though the lime juice didn't come from the same lime, so that could account for that, I suppose. The verdict: I preferred the HC; my partner, the Bacardi. Which worked out well, since we had one of each. I commented to him that at least he didn't have expensive taste. Then I double-checked and, sure enough, the HC and Bacardi are the same price here in New Brunswick. So I think we'll be continuing to stock Havana Club for our white rum.

I refuse to answer the question of where I'm located, on the basis that it may incriminate me. But the liquor commission in question is in Nova Scotia.

I'm just starting to get interested in rum, and am finding it a little tough to wrap my head around all the types. Can someone offer a good typology of rums? For example, there's clearly a difference between white rum, gold rum and dark rum, but where does gold rum end and dark rum begin? Is it simply a function of age, or is there some other criterion? And where does "light" rum fall on that continuum? Also, I've seen references to "Jamaican style" vs. "Puerto Rican style," which, as I understand it, is a function of distillation proof. Right? How does this affect flavour? Are they also handled differently after distillation? Is there any way of predicting what style of rum is in the bottle based on country of origin or some similar attribute, without having memorized countless books and websites before going into the liquor store? The only thing I feel pretty confident about is the source material: most rum is made from molasses, with a couple being made from concentrated cane juice, and some from pure cane juice. Most of this last category consists of "rhums agricoles," if I understand this correctly. Part of the reason I ask is that a nearby liquor store is discontinuing a number of rums (and other spirits and wines), so I have the following at my disposal for 30% off: San Miguel 5 and 7 year, Inner Circle Red Dot, Green Dot and Black Dot, Barbancourt Five Star (which I've already snagged a bottle of), and Cadenhead Demerara 25-year (which, at CAD $80-something after discount, I'm not likely to buy anytime soon). I'd appreciate any and all information this community can offer. Thanks!

I'm sensing a pattern here...

I imagine you've seen this already, but what about a Gin-Gin Mule?

I'm resurrecting this thread because, on a recent shopping expedition and a whim, I acquired a jar of sour cherries in syrup. What I'm curious about is whether there's any point draining off some or all of the syrup and refilling with rye (which is what I use to make my Manhattans). Or will that just leach the cherries of all their flavour, leaving me with nothing but a nice cherry-flavoured rye? (Not that that's a bad thing in its own right!) Am I better off just picking them right out of the jar and plopping them directly into my cocktail glass?

Yeah, but think of it this way: if we're looking up the specific gravity tables at home, then we're not going to ask you to make the pousse cafes at the bar. Right?

Hi there! Welcome to eGullet. I'm pretty new here myself, but my understanding is that you should keep the vermouth in the fridge and the vodka/gin at room temperature. If you chill the spirits, you don't get the right amount of dilution in the drink. (See this essay for more on proper chilling and dilution.) If you leave the vermouth at room temperature, it apparently degrades over time, though there seems to be some debate on that. I just picked up my first bottle of Noilly Prat, as I'm just starting to explore dry vermouth. (I used to be one of those "wave the gin in the general direction of the vermouth" martini people.) I was most surprised by the colour, because it seems to be almost perfectly colourless; I was expecting a light yellow colour like a pale white wine. But it sure is tasty!

I don't know whether it's reliable, but there is a small chart of specific gravities here. Edited to add: There's also one here on Webtender, and I imagine many, many more available online through the magic of Google!

Well, if we're only counting things that I specifically bought/asked for (if it had been up to me, the garlic press would never have made its way into my kitchen), then the first thing that comes to mind is my Japanese-style square omelette pan. (Tamagoyakinabe? Is that right?) It seemed completely essential the first time I made a Japanese-style omelette, and I didn't have it then. But I haven't made an omelette since. Of course, that doesn't mean I won't keep it around until the mood next strikes me!

Yes! I second this one.

If you're looking for novels with a foodie bent (as opposed to non-fiction), I recommend both Stanley Park by Timothy Taylor and Rare Birds by Edward Riche. Both entertaining reads. Of course, they're also both by Canadian authors, so I'm not sure how widely available they'll be outside Canada.

What I don't get is why so many people on this thread object to the cheese in the Famous Bowls. If, as I suspect, it's the combination of cheese and gravy, I wonder what they would think of poutine?

It's not the best-written recipe in the world (for instance, I would preheat the oven before mixing the baking powder in with the wet ingredients, and it says granulated sugar, but the image on the page looks more like powdered sugar to me), but this is roughly what it says: 250g sugar 1 pinch salt 4 eggs 200g grated coconut 200g flour 1 tsp. baking powder or 5-6 passionfruits, pulp removed from the shells with a teaspoon (yields 125ml) 150ml pineapple juice You can replace the passionfruit and pineapple juice with: 250ml pineapple-coconut smoothie*. Beat the sugar, eggs and salt in a terrine until the mixture lightens in colour. Mix with the coconut, flour and baking powder. Add the passionfruit pulp and pineapple juice, strained through a sieve. Or with the pineapple-coconut smoothie that you can find at coop*. Fill a prepared mold. (Buttered or lined with parchment.) Preheat the oven to 180°C (350F). Cook for approx. 65 minutes in the lower half of the oven. Remove from the oven, cool slightly, unmold, let cool completely on a rack. For an even more gourmet cake, brush the surface with apricot jam (using a pastry brush), and sprinkle with granulated sugar.

Does anyone have any opinions on the so-called Knife Safe? I use it for drawer storage and I'm going to be travelling with it for the first time this weekend. Thoughts?

My husband and I have both suffered the "coffee paradox" (you're not functional until you've had coffee, but need to be functional to make coffee) many times. But what took the cake was when he set up the drip machine properly - but forgot to put the carafe in. Even with a drip-stop function, once you overflow the filter, you end up with coffee and grounds all over the counter. Of course, weeks later, I managed to punch a hole in the side of the carafe with the handle of a pot that was sitting on the stove. We no longer have that coffeemaker.

And sugar.

There's also an assortment of different types and sizes here.

... And all I have to say is ------->> ← I wonder if this is the same thing as what Paula Wolfert calls "smen" (essentially salted, clarified butter) in Couscous and Other Good Food from Morocco. No doubt the difference in spelling is due to the lack of a consistent transliteration system between Arabic and English. Indian Ghee would probably work as a substitute.

Chris, those sausages look awesome! In response to your question upthread about what cheeses take well to smoke, Jarlsberg is one of my personal favourites, though I can't seem to track it down around here. I guess that's just one more good reason to buy myself a smoker - as if everyone's beautiful pics and descriptions in this thread weren't reason enough!

Yeah, what they all said. It really does have to be used sparingly, just like vanilla extract. I find it absolutely indispensable in making Turkish delight. The bottle I have is Clic brand and made in Lebanon.