FrogPrincesse

I love these kind of challenges where you have to work with a limited number of ingredients. I think they are fun! I would make a Sidecar or a Brandy Daisy with the Remy Martin cognac and the Cointreau. These are very approachable drinks. A rum version of the Sidecar could also work with the Mount Gay rum (the XYZ cocktail or a Santa Cruz Daisy). You might be able to pull off a Scorpion as well with the cognac + rum + passion fruit, asssuming you already have some orgeat.

Hemingway Daiquiri with the PDT ratios (for other ratios see the Daiquiri thread). The hint of spice in the Banks rum was a great match with the maraschino liqueur. I used the juice from an Oro Blanco grapefruit. Excellent. The only strange thing is that the recipe yields a little too much for a standard coupe so there is a slight excess, but who is complaining... Hemingway Daiquiri (PDT) 2 oz rum 3/4 oz lime juice 1/2 oz grapefruit juice 1/2 oz maraschino liqueur

Tart is good by me; I made a note of it because a lot of tiki cocktails are on the sweeter side.

The Saturn from Beachbum Berry Remixed (J. "Popo" Galsini) 1 1/4 oz gin 1/2 oz lemon juice 1/2 oz passion fruit syrup 1/4 oz falernum 1/4 oz orgeat 1 cup crushed ice Blended It evoked the Army and Navy, tikified. It is fresh and tart but was a little too tame. I may revise my opinion once I finally make a batch of falernum instead of using the store-bought stuff (or maybe I should have used a more interesting gin).

The Heering Flip with Luxardo cherry liqueur, mole bitters, whole egg, salt. It tasted like a very nice hot chocolate, spice and all. The finish was quite bitter though.

Gorgeous salads, Baserled. I am posting this one because of the dressing. It is hydroponic lettuce from my CSA with a sweet vermouth dressing from Babbo. Sweet vermouth (Dolin) and red wine vinegar are infused with rosemary and reduced down, and mixed with olive oil. The vermouth imparted sweetness and some spice. It was delicate and went well with the lettuce.

Evil Twin/Stillwater/Stone 2012 collaboration. The Perfect Crime : black smoked saison. The flavor was quite muted and the smoked was subtle. Quite bitter for a saison.

Very appetizing lamb and potatoes! (is that a gratin dauphinois?)

Considering the source of the "a thing of beauty" description, I'm going to assume the lime wedge hurts it not at all. The photo does not do it justice, but this was a nicely scored lime wedge, not just a random garnish.

There are many versions of this cocktail and an excellent thread on eG. The ingredients used and exact ratios will change the character of the drink. Maybe you will find one that you like...

A Pegu Club made at the Pegu Club is a thing of beauty. But it's a drink that can be hard to get just right. (on the right)

I eyeballed it.

I posted what I used because I know that there are many versions if this cocktail. The Savoy version (3/8 oz dry gin, 3/8 oz Cointreau, 1/8 oz orange juice, 1/8 oz lemon juice) is even heavier on the Cointreau.

Paul Bertolli's Cauliflower Soup In the same vein as Gordon's Ramsey broccoli soup, it's hard to beat the simplicity. After sweating thinly sliced onions, the cauliflower is added and cooked in a small amount of water for about 15 minutes (lid on), and then simmered for an additional 20 minutes with additional water (lid off). There are no other ingredients except salt, pepper, and olive oil. The soup thickens when blended and has a very smooth texture. It's really good and highlights the delicate flavor of the cauliflower. This is a nice change from soups that use roasted cauliflower.

Last night I did a side-by-side comparison of the Maiden's Prayer with the dry curacao vs. Cointreau. I liked the the dry curacao version, but in the end I preferred the Cointreau version. It had more depth and was more vibrant. The dry curacao version was a bit flat and bitter in comparison. Note that I made the cocktail with Moro blood oranges, hence the color. Maiden Prayer 1.5 oz gin 1 oz curacao 0.5 oz orange juice 0.5 oz lemon juice

Thanks for the info, very useful. I've had M&R on the rocks a loooong time ago, but I could not remember what it tasted like.

An equal part Negroni last night with Junipero gin, Dolin sweet vermouth, Campari; dash each Regan's and Angostura orange bitters, orange twist. I like Dolin in Negronis. It feels fairly dry and lighter than other vermouths maybe, but it has complexity from the spices and herbs, and you can taste that in the final drink. It does not overwhelm the drink the way Carpano Antica does. Also the vanilla notes in the Antica don't necessarily make sense in a Negroni. I also like how Vya and its intense ripe fruit notes work in that cocktail. But I know there are plenty of other options out there... For example Martini and Rossi that I haven't had in ages (and never in a Negroni), Cinzano, Cocchi di Torino, etc. At home I rotate between brands of sweet vermouth and pick based on my mood. I love variety so I don't often repeat the same combo of ingredients anyway.

La Citrueille Celeste de Citracado Bruery, Elysian, Stone collaboration 2011 Ale brewed with pumpkin, yams, toasted fenugreek, lemon verbena, and birch bark Sap comes first, then spice. It's smooth, deep, smoky, a little sweet.... wonderful! I wish this were available more often.

Re: Brian Malarkey, I wish I could just turn off the TV and forget about him. However he is unfortunately our local "celebrity chef" in San Diego since Top Chef Season 3, and he is everywhere. Half a dozen restaurants already and he is planning to expand his empire outside of San Diego...

So... what is it like with the right ingredients? Edited to add: Never mind... you already answered in the Cocchi Americano thread. Thanks for satisfying my curiosity.

Noble Experiment's current cocktail menu. We tried: Tin Pan Alley (a long drink with scotch and ginger a la Penicillin), Kiki's Call (a honeysuckle with Diplomatico anejo (?) rum boosted with Campari and plenty of bitters), Hunters Moon (a creamy orgeat/egg white aromatic drink), and the Fashionably Late (a classic old-fashioned with Buffalo Trace and Licor 43 as the sweetener). We also tried a daiquiri variant with JM aged rhum agricole, allspice and angostura bitters + egg white.

I made the Pumpkin Stuffed with Everything Good. I used a relatively small carnival squash from my CSA (2 pounds I think?), and about 1/2 of the stuffing recipe (reducing the relative amount of bread somewhat). The squash did not render any liquid, so the end result was not "bubbly" as she described. For some reason, I expected a softer consistency, almost like a puree. It was soft enough to cut into slices but still maintained some integrity. I thought that it was pretty tasty. Before After Note: even with a small squash, there was way too much for 2 people.

Nice foam. I like this one a lot too!

I wonder why it was left out of the new edition. Maybe it's because it's a lot more subtle than most drinks in the new edition - it felt quite different in style.

A Lion's Tail prepared for my husband last night. It's still a favorite. Spicy and a litle tart, a great drink. I use the recipe that was published in Ted Haigh's Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails (revised edition). We like it with the full amount (1/2 oz) of allspice dram.