FrogPrincesse

Last night's libation was the 212 with aged tequila (the recipe calls for reposado, I used añejo ), grapefruit juice, aperol. I was a bit skeptical at first. Why is it that aperol or campari are so often paired with grapefruit; it becomes so predictable (same goes with chartreuse and pineapple - enough already). The drink was pleasant but a little flat. I added a few drops of grapefruit bitters and it all came together. This cocktail is on Difford's list of 30 of the best cocktails invented since 2000 that we discused a while back.

I've been out of town most of February, so I managed to stay away from the liquor store. Only bought a few beers, and a bottle of Dolin dry vermouth (restock). Today's purchases - this year's release of Stone Old Guardian barley wine, and Matilda Belgian strong pale ale. Gifts for my Valentine last month. Gregorius is a trappist beer from Austria (who knew). MBV is an amber ale by AleSmith ("Pair this beer with jilted lovers, reservations for one, or your favorite emo album") (oops)

No idea. We should ask Erik how his pomegranate shrub experiment went.https://mobile.twitter.com/ellestad/status/431664300273696768?screen_name=ellestad

I would start with maybe 3/4 oz St Germain and 1/4 oz violet. It's always easy to add more.

You have one of my absolute favorites on the right - Chimay bleue. Truly fabulous.Duvel is great too, although I don't remember trying the triple hop variety. Anchor Steam is very solid too. I am not familiar with the other ones, but it looks like a nice selection!

1.5 ounces each of violet liqueur and St Germain...

1 1/4 oz of violet liqueur - that's a TON! I would not touch this recipe with a ten-foot pole. :-)

I checked my pantry and also have a huge bag of herbes de Provence that I brought from France... I can't believe I forgot. I could not survive without them. I use them on grilled foods mostly, but other stuff too - I just added some to the lentils I am cooking now. The mix I have contains rosemary, thyme, basil, and marjoram. I've seen mixes in the US that include lavender but that just seems odd to me.

Thanks PV. I am intrigued now!

It has a celery like taste and aroma. The stem is fairly thick and hollow. We market the plant as "Bloody Mary plant" noting that the stems can be used as the straw in the cocktail.Thanks Heidi. Not an herb I am familiar with.

Hi Plantes Vertes, Here is more input for you. I grow and use regularly: Mint - anything from cocktails to rubs for lamb. Very easy to grow. Chives - mostly in salads, garnish for certain dishes. Also very easy to grow. Thyme - indispensable in French cuisine (bouquet garni). Rosemary - for things like stews. Easy to grow but I just killed mine after 2 weeks without water (everything else survived). French sorrel - in French cooking we don't use it as an herb, but rather treat it as a leafy vegetable that you have to cook. I use it in soups and with fish. French tarragon - not indispensable but easy to grow and excellent in salads and pickles (cornichons). Summer savory - my plant died, but it was good for a fish dish that I like. Also I just love the flavor (it brings me back to summers in Corsica). I can't find it in stores here so I have to grow it. Lavender - super easy to grow. I use it to infuse creme brulee. I don't use it much in cooking but it looks nice and is practically indestructible. Borage - I had it last year, but to be honest, other than the fact that the blue flowers make a beautiful garnish, and that the leaves are used in Pimm's cups, it's not that essential. Chervil - I did that last year too. Very pretty and delicate flavor. But a little high maintenance for me. I buy regularly (fresh): Parsley - I use way too much to be able to grow enough. From bouquet garni to salads, garnishing dishes, etc. It's the herb I use the most often. Basil (in summer) - I will buy a plant or two in the summer, but always end up needing WAY more than what the plant can produce (also bugs love basil). I use it in salads, or for pesto. Cilantro - I tried growing it once but my yield was very small and it went to seed very fast. It's used a lot in Mexican dishes that we eat regularly in San Diego. Also jerk sauce in the summer. Bay leaves - easy to grow but I don't want to dedicate the space. Used in bouquet garni. I buy them fresh when I can find them, otherwise I always have dried leaves in the pantry. Less frequently (fresh) Marjoram, oregano - mostly for certain Italian dishes. Dill - for gravlax. Sage - for sage and brown butter sauce. When I go on hikes I just pick some. Sage grows wild everywhere around here. I don't use a lot of dried herbs because they don't have much flavor. I have oregano that I use rarely, bay leaves. I think that's it. More ideas Nasturtium is very popular around here for the flowers, but you can use them in salads and it's super easy to grow. The seedpods can be pickled to make something similar to capers. I would like to buy another variety of mint (I bought a mojito mint but it died). Artemisia/wormwood if I can find it at my local nursery - for cocktail bitters. Hops (not an herb, I know) - they make huge vines but I would be curious to grow one for fun. You mention lovage - do you know what it is used for? I think I have seen it at my local nursery. I am just curious.

Ti Punch with Clement Canne Bleue 2011 (50%). This rhum is made from a single variety of sugar canne which gives it its name. Extremely aromatic. I can't believe I waited a year to open this bottle (I guess I must have been waiting for some kind of special occasion?).

Corn n' Oil last night with a couple of ounces of Barbados Plantation 5 years, 1/4 ounces of homemade falernum, and a little squeeze of lime, on crushed ice. The falernum has mellowed out since I made it a few weeks ago; it has a very rich caramelized flavor - in summary, it's really delicious. And 1/4 oz was plenty of falernum for me - with this recipe, it is very concentrated.

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.