FrogPrincesse

There is one that I know of in San Diego (haven't tried it). They call it a "private supper club". I can see the appeal for some people but personnally I would rather have my friends over for dinner than a group of perfect strangers!

In addition to the John Collins and the Ice Pick that have already been mentioned by Rafa, other favorites are Eric Alperin's version of the Holland Razor Blade and David Wondrich's Barbadian Gin Punch Swizzle. There are more ideas in the Genever thread.

Ramps Garlic scrapes Pea shoots Fiddlehead ferns Fava bean greens Soft-shell crabs No specific rhyme or reason. Just what caught my eye...

I like your lazy bark idea, Kerry. Kerry & Alleguede - Thanks for the great ideas. I am sure that we will come up with something fun for the kids.

It looks like an interesting book. I would try contacting Greg at cocktail kingdom (info@cocktailkingdom.com) since he has an extensive collection of vintage cocktail books and may be able to help you.

Last night's Manhattan variation was Toby Maloney's Violet Hour. 3/4 sweet, 1/4 dry, with a touch of black strap rum. I used Buffalo Trace barrel 19 for the bourbon, Dolin for the sweet and Noilly Prat for the dry vermouth, Cruzan for the rum, and the whiskey barrel aged old fashioned bitters from Fee Brother's. Very pleasantly aromatic. Violet Hour by Toby Maloney, Violet Hour 2 oz Bourbon 3/4 oz Sweet vermouth 1/4 oz Dry vermouth 1/10 oz Virgin Islands Rum, Cruzan Blackstrap (a bit over 1/2 tsp) 3 ds Bitters, Fee Brothers Old Fashion Build in a rocks glass, stir.

Beautiful indeed. I was wondering about that silicon mat for macarons. I've seen something similar at the kitchen supply store but read mixed reviews. Do you like yours?

I made chocolate bark for the first time this weekend with my daughter. Dark chocolate with dried apricots + cocoa nibs (front), and milk chocolate with marshmallows + rice crispies in the back. That second batch has sprinkles too but I made the mistake of adding them to the mix rather than sprinkling them on top, therefore they are not really noticeable. You can tell I am a complete novice at this. At least I am practicing my tempering technique and I am sure that they will taste decent... For the chocolate I am using the "Pound Plus" Belgian chocolate bars from Trader Joe's. The IR thermometer that I bought from Kerry was very handy. These will be party favors for my daughter's birthday this weekend. I am looking for a third flavor. I know that at least one of the kids is allergic to nuts so I am avoiding them. I was thinking of a white chocolate base with maybe shredded coconut and...? I thought about candied ginger or candied lime zest but that may be too intense for the kids. I need something with texture. A couple of related questions - what is a typical thickness for the bark? In France less than 1/5 inch (1/2 cm) seems to be desirable for "mendiants" but I've seen thicker barks in the US. Mine is thicker because I poured too much on the sheet pan and I feel it's a bit too thick. What's your favorite spatula for spreading the chocolate? I used a small offset spatula (4 in) and thought that a larger one would have been easier to use. Thanks!

A comparison of Hemingway Daiquiris last night with Banks 5 Island white rum and an oro blanco grapefruit. PDT version [on the left] 2 oz rum 0.5 oz grapefruit juice 0.75 oz lime juice 0.5 oz maraschino liqueur Bartender's Choice App 1.5 oz rum 1 oz grapefruit juice 0.5 oz lime juice 0.75 oz maraschino liqueur The PDT version puts more emphasis on the citrus. The flavor of the maraschino is more pronounced in the Bartender's Choice version and it is a touch sweeter. Both work with a preference for the Bartender's Choice version (I don't think that I am biased but in any case I also included my husband in the study as a blinded subject and he had the same conclusion).

Thanks Matt and Plantes Vertes. Fig Leaf is indeed a more familiar name. David Embury's Fine Art of Mixing Drinks was first published in 1948. The Fig Leaf was included in Trader Vic's Bartender Guide (1947). There is also an earlier reference in Crosby Gaige's Standard Cocktail Guide (1940) according to this reference, with a recipe here. But the Fig Leaf seems a bit different from the Crescent City because the proportions between rum and sweet vermouth (1:2) are reversed compared to the Crescent City (2:1). I like the concept of the Crescent City as a Daiquiri with sweet vermouth as the sweetener. It also reminds me of a Palmetto with lime juice. I will have to try it despite the less than enthusiastic introduction by Embury.

In the new list, I am intrigued by The Crescent City (Jamaican rum, sweet vermouth, lime, Angostura bitters). I spent a bit of time trying to find a recipe online but had no luck so far. Does anyone know more about this cocktail?

Here are my Brooklyn experiments from last Thursday. I used Bulleit for the rye and Noilly Prat for the dry vermouth. On the left, the dry vermouth-heavy version: 2 oz rye, 0.25 Picon, 0.5 oz dry vermouth, 0.25 oz maraschino liqueur. This is similar to Difford's but with the rye increased from 1.5 to 2 oz. On the right, the Picon-heavy version: 2 oz rye, 0.5 Picon, 0.25 oz dry vermouth, 0.25 oz maraschino liqueur. This is the version from the Bartender's Choice app that I've been using lately. The first version is drier and feels a little bit lighter. More crisp. The second version is more rounded and has a fuller flavor. They both work but the second one is my first pick because it accentuates the flavor of the Picon and makes a more distinctive cocktail.

All added to my cocktail book for future inspiration. Thanks Rafa.

I saw it. This was a nod to your (now deleted) reference...

After the Cynar What I Mean (royal edition)... ... I was inspired to look for another cocktail that combined cynar and maraschino. I found this one in the Kindred database: Maloney No. 2 by John Durr of the Hawthorn Beverage Group in Louisville 1 1/2 oz Bourbon (Original recipe specifies bonded) 1 1/2 oz Sweet vermouth, Cocchi Vermouth di Torino 3/4 oz Cynar 1/2 oz Maraschino Liqueur Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass with ice; garnish with an orange peel twist I served it up. I was delicious. The bitter herbs of the cynar seem to have a great affinity for maraschino liqueur. It did not taste overly bitter so I thought I might convert my husband to cynar, but he decided he did not care for it.

Don't pronounce it "Queen's English".The joke stems from a conversation we had behind the bar, impersonating an ill spoken person. Brice said, "D'ya know wha' I mean?" And it became the drink above. I insisted I'd get a drink called that on a menu ever since but we didn't settle ona recipe, hence I borrowed your idea. Well maybe this one should be pronounced in Queen's English... It's the Cynar What I Mean à la Royale, with sparkling wine replacing the soda water. Really good. There is something great about the cynar + maraschino combination. So much better than an Americano.

It looks pretty. With Picon it is much darker with a red tinge. Amer Picon on its own is dark brown because of the caramel.

I decided to start this new thread after some discussions with mkayahara (thanks Matt for the inspiration!). The question of ratios for the Brooklyn came up. It became apparent that there were very different recipes floating around. I first encountered this cocktail in Ted Haigh's Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails (I have the 2009 edition). It is essentially a dry Manhattan with a touch of Picon and maraschino liqueur. Ted Haigh's Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails 2 oz rye 3/4 oz dry vermouth 2 tsp [~1/3 oz] Amer Picon 2 tsp [~1/3 oz] maraschino The version in the Savoy Cocktail Book has a 2:1 rye to vermouth ratio similar to Ted Haigh, but less Picon & maraschino. Savoy Cocktail Book (1930) 2/3 Canadian Club whisky 1/3 dry vermouth 1 dash Amer Picon 1 dash maraschino Doing more digging there is Joseph Straub version (the original) with a 1:1 rye to dry vermouth ratio. Joseph Straub (1914) 3/4 oz rye 3/4 oz dry vermouth 1 dash Amer Picon 1 dash maraschino The modern versions seem to tweak the balance quite a bit. For example the version in diffords.com reduces the amount of dry vermouth (3:1). Diffords 1 1/2 oz rye 1/2 oz dry vermouth 1/4 oz Amer Picon 1/4 oz maraschino To make things more confusing, Martin Doudoroff and Ted Haigh's cocktaildb.com has two versions. One under Brooklyn which is identical to the Savoy version, and another one under Brooklyn Cocktail which is identical to Diffords. Then, lastly, there is the version I've been using recently. That one drastically reduces the dry vermouth (8:1 rye to vermouth ratio) and clearly puts the emphasis on the Picon. Bartender's Choice App 2 oz rye 1/4 oz dry vermouth 1/2 oz Amer Picon 1/4 oz maraschino One variable is the type of Picon that you use. Picon is a bitter apperitif made from orange zest, cinchona (quinine) and gentian. There is Picon Bière, Amer Picon (harder to track down), vintage Amer Picon (even harder to find), Amer Boudreau, Amère Nouvelle, Torani Amer, Amaro CioCiaro, etc. For example Ted Haigh says to substitute Torani Amer for the Picon. For my experiments I am using Picon Bière because that is what I have access to. But I am counting on Matt to report on his work with Amère Nouvelle and Amer Boudreau... to be continued...

Some bars (for example the Varnish in LA) use Maraska maraschino liqueur. Any thoughts on Maraska vs Luxardo?

I found the cocktail with bourbon, fernet, cherry liqueur, lime juice, falernum in the Kindred Cocktails database. Actually it is Murray Stenson's Porteño. Probably just a typo in Anvil's cocktail menu.

I noticed that too. Like you I make mine with gin, fernet branca, sweet vermouth, and curacao (discussion here).

A couple of classic cocktails last night. I was in the mood for a bitter Martini so I made myselt a White Negroni (up): Plymouth gin, Lillet, Suze, lemon twist. For him I made a Manhattan with Templeton rye, Dolin rouge sweet vermouth, Fee Brothers whiskey barrel-aged bitters and a couple of French brandied cherries.

Thanks Rafa. We had a tiki-themed mother's day (hence the background decor), but I decided to stay with the Mother's Ruin Punch because that is what I was in the mood for. I used Bombay Sapphire gin (not my first choice but I am making an effort to clean up my liquor cabinet...), a fresh bottle of Dolin vermouth and Cremant de Bourgogne for the sparkling. I tweaked the recipe a little for simplicity and ended up with: (yield: 2 drinks) 1.5 oz gin 3/4 oz sweet vermouth 1.5 oz grapefruit juice 3/4 oz lemon juice 3/4 oz simple syrup top with ~ 1.5 oz sparkling wine

Dessert was a simple crème fraîche panna cotta with strawberries. I like this dessert because it is light and appropriate for spring, plus it's a good way to showcase fresh fruit. As an additional bonus, it is prepared in advance. The strawberries were just sliced and mixed with sugar 10 minutes before serving. A well-made panna cotta can be very satisfying.

Thanks for the info Hassouni, boring is not good. Maybe the Barcelo Imperial is meant to be more of a sipping rum? I recently finished a bottle of the 4-year Flor de Cana gold which I found boring as well and was hoping to replace it with something more interesting for my Puerto Rican-style rum.