FrogPrincesse

I make the Brown Cocktail regularly (here) with a 2:1 bourbon & dry vermouth ratio, 2 dashes orange bitters. The Yale Cocktail, which is a Martini with a touch of maraschino liqueur, is pretty good too.

Richard Blais' new restaurant in Little Italy, Juniper and Ivy, is about to open. The hype has been building up for months now, and there is a lot of media coverage, including this article today in San Diego magazine. He has hired local bartender and mezcalier Jen Queen to design the cocktail menu.

Kingdom of the West? (From the wikipedia article about Morocco.) This is intriguing. I think I need to try it, probably with the Navy Strengh gin. Does it have an official name now?

Last night I tried another riff on the Southside - Erick Castro's Ocean Side (London dry gin, lime juice, simple syrup, celery bitters, salt, mint). Like the Southern Exposure, the modifying element is celery, this time in the form of celery bitters (Scrappy's). They use Beefeater for the gin. It's nice and refreshing. But to be honest, not being a huge fan of celery seed (the predominant flavor in the bitters), I think I prefer the original better. It may be fun to try it with another kind of herbal bitters. Thinking out of the box, something seaweedy would be great. Where are kelp or uni bitters when you need them? Maybe it's time to dig out the bottle of samphire vodka I have in the back of a closet somewhere...

The color is the least of my worries, as long as it tastes good. You should have seen that thing yesterday. We tried adding a shot of rum to improve it, but there was way too much falernum and the drink was not salvageable (add to the list of Cocktails that (should) end up in the sink). I was wondering about that. It's a Caribbean drink for sure, but is it specific to Barbados? I got hooked during a vacation in Saint Lucia. The local grocery store in Soufriere was lacking eggs or butter, but had plenty of Chairman's Reserve and falernum, and that's how I ended up making my first Corn n' Oil.

Makes sense to me. Blackstrap would not be my first choice either (way too cloying/sweet), although the homemade falernum tends to make everything better.

Hassouni et al.- Favored ratios for a Corn and Oil? I just had the misfortune of witnessing a friend order one with 3:1 specs (John D. Taylor falernum to rum - a sweet sugary mess as expected... ). I tend to do mine more old fashioned style with just a barspoon or two of falernum. Thanks! Here is the article from Jason Wilson that recommends this very poor recipe. It's the recipe that is printed on the back of the bottle of John D. Taylor. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/all-we-can-eat/spirits/cocktails-that-complete-me-1.html

My condolences for your loss, PV. What rum mix did you use in these Mai Tais?

Is that the one called the Dark Chocolate Lovers? I will have to check that out once my Swiss supplies run out. That's exactly the one. It's not the best 85% out there, but it's better than many, and the price is otherworldly cheap. Thanks. I will make sure to grab a bar or two next time I'm there. Maybe I will compare side by side with the 85% Valrhona that they also carry (but is more expensive).

No it's not old but it does not keep very long once it's opened (a few months at room temperature, at the most).

Is that the one called the Dark Chocolate Lovers? I will have to check that out once my Swiss supplies run out. There was a little article about olive oils at TJ's a few days ago. The author of the book Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil recommends the 100% Greek Kalamata olive oil (which is my every day olive oil), and deemed the Trader José's 100% Spanish Organic, Trader Giotto's Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and Trader Giotto's 100% Italian President's Reserve as defective. I also like the Arbequina olive oil which is seasonal I believe. Full results here.

I baked a loaf of olive oil bread this weekend. I forgot it in the oven during the first proofing so it must have spent at least 2 hours in there. I like the slightly fruity flavor that the olive oil gives to the bread (I use a Greek Kalamata olive oil from Trader Joe's), but it seems less crunchy than the standard recipe.

I forgot to post this - here was the beer menu that day.

My first post in the beer forum! Tonight I opened a bottle of 02.14.14, and you know, it was flat. Lovely flavor, but flat. I wonder if this is intentional? I might write to Stone (once I am sober) to find out. (Also the first time I finished a 22 ounce bottle of Stone in one sitting.) I don't believe it's intentional. If it is, then why would the draft be so different from the bottled beer? Anyway, Greg just left for a well-deserved sabbatical, so maybe we should cut him some slack... Yesterday I tried Anchor's O.B.A. (Our Barrel Ale) on tap at Fathom Bistro, Bait & Tackle. It's a whiskey barrel-aged American strong ale (the same barrels used for their Old Potrero rye whiskey). This one too had little fizz (a bit more than the Stone). Tastewise, very mellow and super drinkable while showing complexity - malts, caramel, nuts. They had some issues in the kitchen, and my food (a simple sausage sandwich) showed up well after I had finished my beer, but between the view and the great beer it was not so bad really.

The Rattlesnake is delicious indeed and actually goes back to Harry Craddock and the Savoy. The original calls for rye, sweetened lemon juice, egg white, and absinthe (I make mine with a rinse). There are lots of variations out there including a tiki-inspired one, the Winter Diamondback.

Nothing much you could do, and it was well worth my wait.Were they ever able to locate the first shipment, or did it get lost in the mail?

OMG- look at what Santa/Fedex delivered a few minutes ago: Perry's Tot navy strength gin from NY Distilling Company. Not something I've ever seen here in California. I would try it right away if I hadn't had a couple of drinks with my lunch already (the weekend started early). It smells wonderful, and the little cocktail books seem like a lot of fun. Thanks a lot Rafa!

It looks like I forgot to post this one earlier. Winter squash soup with red chile and mint from Deborah Madison's Vegetable Literacy. The herb and spice mix (basil, mint, cinnamon, coriander seeds, peppercorns, cloves, red chile) was a nice change of pace from what I usually do.

I need to try this. I bought El Dorado 12 for mixing in tiki drinks but I find it almost too smooth and sweet for that purpose, and prefer to use the 5 instead. Favorite use of the 12 so far has been the Hotel Room Temperature from beta cocktails. My favorite use of ED12 (and 15 and 21..) is in the glass all by its lonesome! I hear you... That sounds like the perfect nightcap.

Roundup posted on the Ginhound blog. More than two dozen participants this month.

I need to try this. I bought El Dorado 12 for mixing in tiki drinks but I find it almost too smooth and sweet for that purpose, and prefer to use the 5 instead. Favorite use of the 12 so far has been the Hotel Room Temperature from beta cocktails.

It looks like a close relative of the Amertinez that you may like too - 1 1/4 gin, 2/3 amaro (I tried the Cynar version), 2/3 oz sweet vermouth, 1/4 maraschino liqueur, and 2 dashes orange bitters.

I agree it's not good, but it has to do with their liquor license and the fact that they don't serve food.

Excellent. Also make sure to check out Sycamore Den and the bar at Bankers Hill if you get a chance (and you really need to let me know next time when you are in town!).

Excellent; I am glad that you liked that place. It's definitely worth checking out. It's a great place for brunch too, preferably accompanied by a bowl of one of their excellent punches. If you get a chance, I would love to hear what else you tried there (in the San Diego or Drinks discussions so we don't hijack this one).