FrogPrincesse

I like it. It has more chocolate than ripe berries notes compared to the Dolin, and is a little more bitter. Just a different style. Can't wait to try it in a Manhattan. That 'chocolate' in the Cocchi VdT pairs great with the minty characteristics of Fernet. It's very good in a typical Manhattan, but even better in a Fanciulli (6:3:1 of Rye/Bourbon, Sweet Vermouth, Fernet). Good to know regarding Fernet and Cocchi VdT. Maybe time to revisit the Hanky Panky as well then.

Speaking of Negronis, Gary Regan just wrote an entire book devoted to them: The Negroni: A Gaz Regan Notion (164 pages). There is no preview or review on amazon, so has anyone had a chance to take a look at it?

I have the regular ones at home and they are great, very plump and flavorful.

I like it. It has more chocolate than ripe berries notes compared to the Dolin, and is a little more bitter. Just a different style. Can't wait to try it in a Manhattan.

I made myself a Negroni last night with St George Terroir gin and Cocchi vermouth. It was really great, but to be honest the flavor of that gin is so fantastic that I felt a little bad muddling it with other ingredients. So for my husband I made a Bin n' Gitters, which is just gin, lime juice, and simple syrup with a bunch of crushed ice, topped with Angostura bitters and garnished with mint. This was a great way to enjoy this gin and its layers of botanicals (and yes that's a 1/2 liter bottle of Angostura in the background in case you were wondering!).

More gin maybe a la Toby Maloney?

There is a bunch of interesting Negroni variations in this article by Bon Appetit ("There's No Wrong Way to Screw Up a Negroni"), including a few that are featured on the menu at Hinoki and the Bird and were mentioned in the discussion in the Boulevardier thread.

More cocktail snacks: home-cured duck prosciutto, Norcino salame (Olli), pesto tartine on walnut & scallion bread. The pesto is Marcella Hazan's food processor pesto.

The Municipality: rye, Bonal, Averna, orange bitters, orange zest (expressed then discarded). There is potential there but the finish is not quite right.

Love the name. If you come up with further variations on that theme you have the Frank Black and the Charles Thompson IV that can also work... Perfect.

I would imagine that pressure would affect the ratio of alcohol in the vapor phase. See "Separation of azeotrope constituents" and "Pressure swing distillation" under this wikipedia article about azeotropes.

Is Vincotta (vincotto?) the same thing as saba? I love saba drizzled on fresh ricotta. Delicious. It also works (in small touches) with salads with bitter greens. Regarding spirulina, I haven't tried it on its own but it's one of the ingredients in Green Machine, a green juice/smoothie made by Naked Juice that I really like. It's used in small quantities (1.3 g in 450 mL) but you can still taste it. I crave that mineral flavor every once in a while.

They seem to have to some extent. A lot of hype. The two guys at Animal make fun & engaging comfort food. But best chefs (West)?! Not even close...

Thanks Chris. The Local Taphouse sounds like a fun place. I definitely hope to visit Melbourne one day. I had a few great Australian beers last year in Sydney (fantastic trip btw); I will post my notes if I can find them...

Philip Ward's (phlip) Division Bell which I apparently forgot to post earlier. A challenging drink. Mezcal as the base spirit is a little overwhelming for my taste buds. I usually prefer just a rinse or a mix with Tequila.

Stone IPA with a fish taco at the Fish Shop (yes I do love all things bitter). Sierra Nevada's Black IPA at URBN. Chocolate. Rich and creamy. Burnt flavors. I did not really care for it. The Bruery's Rugbrod Danish brown ale (no photo). This one I really loved. Spicy, malty, a little acidic. Layers of great flavors.

Sam Ross is responsbile for their cocktail menu (he also designed the cocktail menu at Comme Ça, another David Myers' restaurant).

Rafa is right. It's from the Bartender's Choice app which I recommend getting if you haven't already... Amazing collection of cocktails for $2.99.

Beautiful. Regarding local lamb - you are in the US, right? Also, more details on the Robuchon recipe for leg of lamb, please. Most of the lamb we get around here (San Diego) seems to be from New Zealand. I have started marinating a few lamb shanks last night in preparation for our meal tomorrow. The menu will be: Beet and tangerines with mint and orange-flower waterLamb osso buco with shell bean ragout, haricots verts, and tapenadeVanilla semifreddo with rhubarb compote All recipes from Sunday Suppers at Lucques. Mario Batali tweeted his Easter menu earlier; it looks mouthwatering as well. I am taking note for next year!

Very cool to see all this buzz about the Nolita. The tequila variation sounds good too. I am going to sample Christian's new menu at C&C very soon and can't wait to try his new creations!

(from the "Cocktails I'm supposed to like, but don't" thread) That looks good (no Campari though, so not really a Boulevardier per se). I am always on the lookout for good cocktails using Bonal and may try this one tonight. The bourbon + bonal combo reminds me of the Mountain Man, but I digress... It is indeed excellent and surprisingly crisp for a brown, bitter and stirred cocktail. I forgot the salt and did not add it until the end.

The second course was this salad of Blood Oranges, Dates, Parmesan and Almonds (more details here).

Oooh that sounds right up my alley. I'll be making this tonight as I have all the ingredients (though not a vintage old-style bottle of LH151, sadly). "Vintage". It's not that old! I picked up half a case before they changed the bottle & formula so I still have a few left. That was only a year or two ago!

Last night's drink was the Warning Label from roguebeta cocktails: equal parts 151 demerara rum, cynar, and punt e mes; orange and grapefruit bitters; campari rinse; lemon twist. A distant cousin of the Boulevardier that we have been discussing lately.

+ 4 Moonshine! by Matt Rowley(mbrowley) Craft Cocktails at Home by Kevin Liu Vegetable Literacy by Deborah Maddison The Good Cook: Terrines, Pâtés & Galantines (Time-Life Books)