FrogPrincesse

Martin Doudoroff linked this really nice article about cocktail naming on twitter today. It discusses naming conventions based on references, the difficulties of finding a pertinent and original name for a new cocktail, etc. http://www.themorningnews.org/article/swizzle-me-this

Thanks Plantes Vertes, I will have to try it. Unfortunately I am out of mixing Cognac so this will have to wait a little. The rum + brandy + gin combo reminds me of Joe Scialom's Dying Bastard, minus the ginger.

From this weekend: Astoria, a 50:50 Martini with Plymouth gin, Noilly Prat dry vermouth, orange bitters. My bottle of Noilly Prat is almost empty; it is time to get some of the re-launched extra dry version. A Daiquiri at my husband's request, with rhum agricole & sirop JM. The syrup is very sweet so I had to reduce the amount. It gives a slight yellow tinge to the drink. I had a minuscule amount of Hayman's Old Tom left so I had a mini Pink Gin with Angostura biters in an effort to straigthen out my liquor cabinet. What a great way to really taste the nuances of the gin. Charles H. Baker's Remember the Maine, an excellent Manhattan variation with cherry liqueur and an absinthe (pastis) rinse.

(Brocciu is always sheep or goat). This brings back memories of several summers spent in Corsica eating plenty of local cheeses (including a few that are extremely pungent), charcuterie (best coppa I ever had), oysters and sea urchins right from the sea.

Brocciu is the Corsican version of brousse which is a fresh cheese similar to ricotta. It makes a great tartine with a little bit of freshly cracked pepper. I love Fleur du Maquis. It has the aroma of the shrubs/herbs that grow everywhere in Corsica. We need photos, Dave!

Your impressions?

Yes, you should use a brown sugar for this. It's a reduced sugar cane syrup. Based on viscosity and sweetness, I would say that it's equivalent to a rich simple syrup (2:1).http://dandm.com/spirits/rum/rhum-j-m-sirop-de-canne.htmlOr maybe 2:1 Demerara syrup. Funny; I had remembered it as clear when I saw it in the store.A 2:1 brown sugar syrup is a close substitute, although as Rafa pointed out, the taste will be different.

It's a reduced sugar cane syrup. Based on viscosity and sweetness, I would say that it's equivalent to a rich simple syrup (2:1).http://dandm.com/spirits/rum/rhum-j-m-sirop-de-canne.html

Ti Punch last night. Neisson (50% ABV) and J.M (40% ABV) versions, using JM syrop de canne. Neisson has a very faint coconut flavor which is delightful. JM has a little more spice. Overall the Neisson seemed better rounded. But honestly they are both fantastic. There is also a 50% version of the JM that I would be very interested in trying.

Nice to meet you, Slimchandi. A Negroni is a great way to start!

sigma, I did not have this experience at Cowgirl Creamery or Boccalone. Do you have a favorite cheese shop in SF?

Dave - I think it greatly depends on the stores you go to for your cheese shopping. In San Diego for example, we now have several cheese shops so that would be my first choice. The farmers markets typically have a couple of vendors that specialize in cheese. Otherwise Whole Foods and Bristol Farms have respectable cheese selections (and they offer samples if you ask). But if you look at the cheese offerings at the large supermarkets (Ralphs, Vons, etc), that's a different story...

Like you - I have a large brick of tamarind pulp so I cut off a chunk, boiled it with some water (~ 1:2 tamarind paste to water), and sieved it.

I am with Matt on this one. The thing is, there is just too much mezcal in that recipe. See, even with a decent tequila + mezcal combo, the tamarind syrup which was intense and deliciously tart on its own (I think I could drink the stuff neat) disappeared in the drink. The good thing is that I now have this excess tamarind syrup that I can play with. T&T with Don Julio tequila and Del Maguey Vida mezcal.

djyee100 - I am only a short flight away from SF so am sure that I will be back soon. I am taking notes of all your great recommendations for my next visit. Many thanks! I had a chance to try the products from a second cheesemaker during my trip; more on that soon...

I hope I have enough Cynar left to try it tonight because that's the plan!

Dave - I am not there anymore and now realize that I was in such awe at the Ferry Building (Cowgirl but also Boccalone charcuterie, Blue Bottle coffee, Hog Island Oysters, etc, etc) that I failed to properly document everything. But I really enjoyed my time there, so much so that I went 3 days in a row.

A quick snapshot of the Cowgirl Creamery shop in the Ferry Building in San Francisco... On market day (Saturday), they were handing out little samples of St Pat which is a cheese wrapped in nettle leaves.

And Part 2 of the round-up...

Yeah I am running super low...

Curls - very nice! This reminds me that I made the blondies from the Perfect Scoop a couple of weeks ago and they were gone before I remembered to take a photo... and this is not the first time that it happens!

Adam - Is it this one?

I don't think we've had a rye + rum combo in this thread yet? My husband is not amused by my experiments with Cynar so I keep going back to Manhattan variations for him. Here are the Pals of Old with rye, rum, sweet vermouth, bitters. The original recipe calls for Abbott bitters which I don't have (I know, I know...). I used Boker's and was very pleased with the result. With the Bulleit rye and Appleton 12 year rum combo, this was like a great Manhattan variation with a little more spice and a nice depth. 1 oz rye 1 oz rum 1 oz sweet vermouth 1 dash bitters I also added a brandied griotte cherry

After the Eastside upthread and the Southside in the Mint thread, here is David Embury's Northside Special with dark Jamaican rum, (blood) orange juice, lemon juice, simple syrup, club soda. Very refreshing and interesting too.

So the Navy Dock Daiquiri was another one in a series of cocktails combining cynar and maraschino. (See the Cynar What I Mean and Maloney No. 2 upthread). Chris Hannah's Amertinez, also from the cocktail virgin slut blog, is, as it names indicates, a bitter Martinez with a touch of amaro. 1 1/4 oz gin 2/3 oz sweet vermouth 2/3 oz amaro (I used cynar) 1/4 oz maraschino liqueur 2 dashes orange bitters It's ginny, bitter, a bit sweet. It's a good sipper.