FrogPrincesse

Today for lunch I got to finally try a new restaurant in my neighborhood, Luce. Comfortable & unpretentious place. I had a refreshing Gin Gin Mule with Plymouth gin which balanced some of the richness in my lamb shank tacos. AleSmith nut brown ale in the background. Tonight: something bitter for me, a Hanky Panky (Ada Coleman) (Beefeater, Cocchi vermouth di Torino, Fernet-Branca) ...and something sweet for him, a Corpse Reviver No. 1 (PF 1840 cognac, Daron calvados, Cocchi vermouth di Torino, Angostura bitters, brandied cherry).

Plantes Vertes,Nice work. Our tastebuds are alike - my favorite in a Martini is the Terroir too. The dry rye is great for Negronis.

Fish House Punch earlier today before the big Thanksgiving meal. Currently enjoying a digestif. My glass is on the right.

Here is the Fish House Punch, which I have decided to store undiluted to take up less space in the fridge. I will dilute it 1:1 with water before serving it tomorrow.

A few more things I forgot to post earlier. (French) American Trilogy with rye, calvados, simple syrup, orange bitters. I've always liked this one and jump on any excuse to mix with Calvados (Michael McIlroy & Richie Boccato's original recipe calls for bonded applejack). Another autumn classic, the Lion's Tail. A couple of Old Fashioneds with gum that I used for my MxMo Resin entry. First, a Whiskey Old Fashioned with Buffalo Trace bourbon, gum syrup, Angostura bitters, lemon peel. Really great with the gomme. Rye Gin Old Fashioned (Thad Vogler) with St. George dry rye gin. Instead of the cherry bitters I used Fee's old-fashioned bitters which have a vague cherry note to me. This one had some crazy flavors. The touch of maraschino liqueur seemed to reinforce the aroma of the gin. It's not for the timid. And lastly, this great little thing from The Art of Shim. Craig Lane's Rhum Dandy Shim with sweet vermouth as the base, white rhum agricole, lime juice, cane syrup, absinthe, lime zest. Packed full of flavor.

After Czequershuus and lesliec, I too tried the Tia Mia. I was intrigued when I found out it was Ivy Mix's creation. Not really surprising, because she is really into mezcal. I used Appleton 12, Vida mezcal, Pierre Ferrand dry curaçao per the original recipe, and homemade orgeat. I went with the ratios from the original recipe and 1 tsp of simple syrup instead of sugar. I figured that I could always add more, and it was fine as is. The mezcal is great is this drink. I did not find it overpowering but you can definitely taste it. It's complex, smoky and funky. Oh, and I was going to forget - I followed the advice of pros, and poured it on fresh ice instead of lazily shaking and dumping. I am a convert now.

You are welcome. To get everything out I added the lemon juice to the bag, and transferred the contents into the mixing bowl.

Dan - Jennifer Colliau (eG member feste) sells various syrups, including a gum syrup, at small hand foods.

Nutella works very well too!

I think she is on her way already.

Plantes Vertes, My drink of the night was an Airbag, which may or may not have saved my brain during a bad accident a few years ago (you will be the judge). It was bitter, smoky, acidic, metallic. Reminded me of the chemical smells when the airbag deployed. Very good. And I cannot believe that Rafa forget to mention the cherry bomb garnish. Shame on him!!! After all this html code I think I need another drink...

Yeah. Unable to post anything coherent at this instant, so please give me a minute or two. :-)Plus the iPad interface for eG really sucks, just saying. Not cute smiley faces or any other fancy option.

Ok, after finishing my cocktail of the night, it all makes sense now. Please carry on :-)

I am slightly confused but it sounds like you liked it, so everything's fine. Plus a photo of the Chenonceau castle as a bonus, very nice.

You are using 2:1 syrup, right?

Last night a Black IPA, Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale with black cherries (special release). No photo but it was very dark. Bitter and black. Rich smoky malty flavor with plenty of hops in the finish. The cherry was subtle which is a good thing.

Yes there is: 10:3:2 With a good, grassy Latin style white rum and 2:1 golden sugar syrup. 10:3:2, Difford's ratio, which corresponds to: 2 1/2 oz rum 3/4 oz lime juice 1/2 oz 2:1 syrup I prefer to make daiquiris with white rhum agricole and go heavier on the lime. Also I use regular simple syrup because I always have it handy. Something like this: 2 oz rum 1 oz lime juice 3/4 oz simple syrup

Morning update - looking good. The bag smells fantastic. I will mix the punch tonight.

T=5 hours It looks like it is working, slowly but surely.

Here we go then. We will see what it looks like tomorrow. T=0

I think I need this asap. Can no longer resist.

Well it's cured, so it's bacon. Some slices were diced and used as a garnish for soup. Most were fried for breakfast. Some went into quiche lorraine. My friends snatched the rest.

Nigel Slater's spiced pumpkin soup with bacon. Homemade Italian semolina bread on the side. This was a squash (butternut I think) which was diced and cooked with some onion and garlic. The spices were toasted coriander and cumin seeds, and dry chiles for a little bit of heat. Once the squash starts to brown, chicken stock is added. The soup is pureed at the end with some heavy cream. It reminds me of Paula Wolfert's autumn squash soup, but whereas her version is redolent of garlic, this one puts the emphasis on the spices, coriander and cumin. The garnish is little lardons of home-cured fresh bacon.

A recent 7-pound batch of fresh (unsmoked) bacon. Great stuff. I use some of it right away, give some to friends, and freeze the rest.

Thanks for your detailed description. I agree that Bols genever feels very mild and lacks some punch, while the dry rye gin is kind of the opposite end of the spectrum. Have you tried the dry rye in a Negroni?