FrogPrincesse

Adam - Did you ever have a glass fall from your balcony railing? This makes me nervous! Nice looking cocktail by the way!

Sounds like you really needed this drink.Which version of de la Louisiane did you make?

Interesting article in the San Diego Reader about the "Lords of the Drink" that I missed when it came out. I particularly enjoyed reading the detailed description of the preparation of a martini by Anthony Schmidt (page 3).

I am interested in attending but won't need a room. Thanks!

For comparison purposes, here is the recipe I use from Anne Willan's Country Cooking of France. 1 cup (250 g) butter 3/4 cup (100 g) ground almonds 3/4 cup (100 g) flour 1 1/4 cup (300 g) powdered sugar 8 egg whites (1 cup/250 mL) Sift flour and sugar into a saucepan, add ground almonds. Add whisked egg whites. Stir mixture over low heat until warm. Add melted butter. Fill buttered molds halfway. 425F oven 17-20 min, Cool 5 min then unmold.

Holes in financiers? I never had this problem. What recipe are you using Kerry? I bake mine in normal (not mini) muffin pans that I fill half full.

A couple of tiki drinks that I realized are extremely similar. Don the Beachcomber's Donga Punch with rhum agricole, cinnamon, grapefruit & lime, and Jeff Berry's Ancient Mariner with a dark Jamaican rum + Demerara rum combo, allspice dram, grapefruit & lime. Slight preference for the Donga Punch because of the rhum agricole which gives more depth.

I created something based on the Corpse Reviver No. 2 for MxMo LXXV ("Flip Flop!"), You Only Live Twice with rye & Bonal. Here is the original on the left and the twist on the right. It worked out well. I need to use my Bonal more often.

When I go to Paris I love to spend time in Saint Germain des Pres in the 6th. It's a great neighborhood with a village feel and plenty of interesting shops, famous cafes (Deux Magots et le Flore which are excellent for people watching), art galleries, etc. Start with a cappucino and croissant at a cafe. Walk around the neighborhood and go to Le Comptoir de l'Odeon for lunch, a casual unpretentious little gem that serves elevated bistro food (bistrot gastronomique). There are no reservations for lunch and if you get there before noon you are usually able to get a table relatively quickly. One block away you have Gerard Mulot who has fantastic macarons. Continuing west for a couple of blocks you will find Pierre Herme's shop that does not need an introduction - wonderful pastries and more macarons. But if you like chocolate, you need to finish with a chocolate eclair at La Maison du Chocolat and a box of ganaches to go. After that, you can spend time doing more food shopping at La Grande Epicerie in Le Bon Marche. They have a ton of French specialties and it's very easy to get completely overwhelmed. They sell a lot of prepared foods so that is also a good option if you want to sample a varieties of items. The Bon Marche is also a great department store for non-food items... lots of French and European designers that you don't find in the States. L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon is a 10 min walk away and would be a fun place to eat especially if you are travelling alone - you just sit at the counter and savor your food while you can observe the open kitchen. I find it fascinating. Another area that I like a lot is rue Mouffetard in the 5th. Mouffetard is one of the oldest streets in Paris. It has a lively market that runs most days. Le Papillon is a small bistro located rue Mouffetard that has a simple menu with usually a couple of interesting offal dishes and fantastic oyster platters that they get from the fish shop next door. Androuet is a very nice cheese store located at the bottom of the street across from the church. If you like coffee you need to continue past Androuet to avenue des Gobelins and just follow your nose - there is a great coffee roaster there (Brulerie des Gobelins). Walk another 5 minutes on Boulevard de Port Royal and there is Sadahoru Aoki, a wonderful little pastry shop that merges French pastry art with Japanese flavors (green tea, bean paste, etc - they have the most amazing green tea mille feuille). The Marais that tomweir suggested is a great area as well. I agree that it's a good idea to pick one neighborhood and explore instead of trying to see everything in one day, which is impossible anyway. These are just a few ideas. Obviously there is a ton to see in Paris and you will barely be able to scratch the surface in 24 hours. Hopefully you will have a chance to go back soon!

These IPAs are fantastic with lighter summer foods - fish tacos and salads. This weekend I had the West Coast IPA from Green Flash. It was citrusy and hoppy with some maltiness as well. Delicious.

Suvir Saran's chilled yogurt soup with cucumber and mint from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. I love this soup because it is ready in 5 minutes in the blender. Roast then grind some cumin seeds; blend yogurt, cucumbers (cut in chunks with the skin on), green chiles (I use a little bit of jalapeno tabasco if I don't have fresh green chiles), garam masala and fresh mint. Really nice and fresh for the summer; it reminds me a little of cucumber raita in soup form. I was hungry and forgot to snap a photo. Watermelon and cucumber gazpacho. This one was an experiment - I had a watermelon and an abundance of cucumbers. It turned out quite nice with plenty of seasoning (lime juice, again some mint, salt & black pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil added after the picture). Diced watermelon and feta garnish. Who else is doing cold summer soups?

A pound cake with Valencia orange zest, glazed with orange juice (David Lebovitz's recipe from Ready for Dessert). Excellent with coffee.

Societe's Apprentice. Citrus and hops; great IPA with a good level of bitterness.Tried side by side with Ballast Point's Sculpin which is a little more robust and bitter. They are both excellent IPAs.

The PDT recipe fot the Monkey Gland is not very good (also, I think it was a mistake for you to use blood orange juice). *hangs head in shame*

It's hard to beat a Martini. Other good options are Audrey Saunder's French Pearl, or PDT's Swiss Mist.

El Take it Easy has closed its doors a while back. The word is that the team from The Lion's Share is opening a new spot in that location.

+ 4 The Zuni Café Cookbook, Judy Rodgers The Cocktail Lab, Tony Conigliaro The Drunken Botanist, Amy Stewart Jigger, Beaker, & Glass, Charles H. Baker Jr.

Things are dormant on these local boards but I can assure you that the cocktail and beer scene is still very active in San Diego. I finally made it to Polite Provisions last weekend. It's always a good thing when you have a hard time ordering because there are so many good-looking options on the menu. First round - Barrel-Aged Chocolate Negroni (on tap!) and Seven Year Storm, a nice tiki creation with a touch of Averna. Second round - Attorney Privilege (bourbon + orgeat + bitters) and Weekend Beach House (another rum-based drink, with spiced soda). Overall, a very pleasant space and a great drink menu. You can even order little bites from Soda & Swine, their meatball shop next store. What else can we ask for...

It looks beautiful and I love the idea of this strawberry-Angostura sorbet!

So I hesitated for about 1/2 a second before clicking on the "add to cart" button on amazon... I really like the book so far. A few approachable recipes, some less approachable. Lots of ideas and techniques for new drinks. And the first cocktail that I tried, the Wink, was not bad either. A really nice riff on the sazerac with gin as the base.

I've long given up on the Monkey Gland. Even PDT could not get it right.

Hi Chris - is that really Dolin blanc or is that the dry? Not wanting to be nitpicky, but if that is the blanc, which is about as sweet as sweet vermouth, can you still call it "perfect"?

The Corpse Reviver No. 2 is a huge favorite. Another good one with Lillet is the Odd McIntyre (with cognac as the base). If you still have some genever the Mr Manhattan Cocktail is nice and refreshing. There are a lot of other cocktails from the Savoy that I like, but I tend to use tweaked ratios.

Great! I told you it was a good one!

Chartreuse is also great as an ice cream... Very good with chocolate! (in this case, chocolate-covered speculoos cookies).