David Santucci

Thanks, Czequershuus, great topic! Lately I've been drinking lots of sherry, but the recipe has mainly been 'pour into a glass and drink; if bottle is empty open a new one.' However I did enjoy a Bamboo the other night, and tonight, having sour oranges on hand, I came up with this: 1 oz sour orange juice 1/2 oz cane syrup (JM) 1 1/2 oz cognac (PF 1840) 1 oz sherry (Ivison Amontillado) I know sour oranges are not that easy to come by, but if you do, I recomend you give this a try. Next time I would dial back the cane syrup slightly and use a more intense sherry, such as the Maestro Sierra Oloroso, which is just phenomenal stuff. Another fortified wine that is great for cocktails is Pineau des Charentes. Enjoy!

I agree with all the comments above ("best" is in the eye of the beholder, proof matters, you can get pretty darn good bourbon for pretty low dollars, and I prefer a high-proof cognac like Force 53). A little while back, while making a big batch of juleps for a Derby Day party, we did an experiment along these lines, looking for the best relatively-low-dollar bourbon for a julep (again, according to our beholders' eyes). The comparison included Old Grand Dad (100 proof), Evan Williams (86 proof), Ezra Brooks (90 proof) and Wild Turkey (101 proof). Our favorite was Ezra Brooks, which, as an added bonus, was one of the lower-dollar bottles in the comparison.

Cafe de Olla (Veracruz coffee, Mexican cinnamon, and piloncillo, made on the stove) with a splash from an old bottle of Chinaco Añejo (Denton import, for the connoisseurs) I found a while back but opened recently.

I too love Frida's Fiestas. I also like A Cook's Tour of Mexico. I don't know how much is repeated in The Art of Mexican Cooking, but I find Diana Kennedy's original The Cuisines of Mexico and Mexican Regional Cooking indispensable.

I, for one, agree with you on Zacapa 23. Nice enough, but too sweet for me to really enjoy. If your website has them, do yourself a favor and try Santa Teresa and Barrilito.

Since, as others have noted, it is really impossible to cover the vast range of rums out there in a few bottles, let me just mention four of my all-time favorites. Each is world-class and unique, both on its own and mixed. Santa Teresa 1796 Antiguo de Solera Ron del Barrilito Three Star Plantation Barbados (Vintage, not Grande Réserve) St. James Ambre

Chris, I was just at the Pegu club last month and asked for the Petit Mort recipe. The bartender wouldn't give me the proportions, but he did give me the ingredients. The big secret is this: Cointreau is the base spirit. I had tried all kinds of combinations, but had never hit upon that. Outside of Cointreau, it's just Suze, lemon juice, simple syrup and Champagne. When we got home I made up some like this 1 oz Cointreau 1/2 oz Suze 1/4 oz simple syrup 1/2 oz lemon juice 3 oz Champagne and they were mighty tasty. Edit: To be honest, I didn't really measure the Champagne. Could have been more like 2 oz.

My favorite Irish whiskey cocktail is the Brainstorm.

Three cocktails that I would mention are the Final Ward, the Trinidad Sour and the French Pearl. I'm sure I'll think of more...

I know this is blasphemy, but do they really need to taste 12 different rums? That seems like it could be a whole class to itself. Edit: Oops, just noticed I was a little late. How did it go?

I think Appleton V/X works really well in a Mai Tai. I usually do 2:1:1/2:1/2:1/4 rum:lime:curacao:orgeat:simple, which I could swear I got from DrinkBoy, but that's not the recipe he has there now.

Based on my (limited) experience with Lebanese Orange Flower Water, it has a very soapy flavor and should be kept far away from any cocktail you plan on drinking.

I'm with Sam. Alcohol is definitely a food!

Thanks for the low-down, Sam. Can you specify what you consider the optimal ratio of 4-6X reduced pomegranate juice:fresh pomegranate juice:sugar? Do you recommend white sugar, or something more unrefined?

Other good choices for non-white rums might be Mt Gay Eclipse or Bacardi 8.