FrogPrincesse

Ti Punch with La Favorite rhum agricole blanc, J.M cane syrup, lime coin. Hard to beat this one.

DiMaggio (from Craft & Commerce) with Rittenhouse rye, amaro Montenegro, demerara syrup, absinthe.

Just a few dashes.

A Pink Gin with Williams Chase Elegant gin. Very interesting; it is distilled from apples and you can absolutely taste it. It was very enjoyable in this drink.

3:1 Martini with Uncle Vals botanical gin and Dolin dry vermouth. It's a bit different with this cucumber-heavy gin.

An autumn favorite, Harry Craddock's Rattlesnake (with the Bartender's Choice ratios). This was terrific with Wild Turkey 101 rye.

Quick vegetarian/clean-the-fridge lunch the other day. Romanesco "couscous" with pomegranate. Grated, sautéed in butter. Leftover braised Brussels sprouts with balsamic vinegar and parmesan.

Bon Viveur (Chris Lowder via Food & Wine) with 2 oz Pierre Ferrand 1840 cognac, 1/2 oz St Germain, 1 barspoon Bigallet China-China, dash BDW grapefruit bitters (subbed for the grapefruit twist). A bit sweet but super pleasant with beautiful floral flavors.

Actually one craft bar I know has a few limited supplies. Then there are a couple of specialized cocktail shops that have equipment like Bar Keeper or the Mixing Glass in the LA area. I tried kitchen shops but never liked their cocktail stuff. I did a quick google search and found this place in Philadelphia. Maybe they can help?

For the fine strainer, I prefer the ones with a conical shape rather than a round shape. So like this one, not the OXO one. Much less mess. Small spray bottles are a great idea. I use mine for absinthe, orange blossom water, Laphroaig, etc.

My daughter who is 10 had a few of suggestions - a cupcake kit (with a book, baking cups and all the necessary things to decorate them); a personalized apron; ice pop/popsicle molds with recipes.

There are local shops that sell Cocktail Kingdom & other bar items, at least in my area. I am not sure where you are located though.

That spoon was designed in San Diego! It's a very cool product. Make sure to look at Cocktail Kingdom as well, they have a great selection! I love my teardrop cocktail spoon.

I would recommend a Koriko shaker. They are actually very easy to use, the tins are weighted and feel great, and they are not that expensive, less than $20 for a set. That's what most craft bars use these days and they are very well made. I never use my cobbler shaker anymore (other than for decoration...).

One of the better uses of Aperol in my opinion, the Rope Burn (Allan Katz) with Smith & Cross Jamaican rum, Bonal gentiane-quina, Aperol. I didn't have a grapefruit on hand for the peel garnish, so I used a few drops of BDW grapefruit bitters. But you know what, I also tried it with Amaro CioCiaro, and I think I liked that version a bit better!

A delicious Corpse Reviver No. 1 with Pierre Ferrand 1840 cognac, Boulard VSOP calvados, Margerum amaro, Angostura bitters. Ratios from the Bartender's Choice app. I am very happy with this bottle of Calvados so far (that I found at BevMo for $50). That drink has the perfect vibe for fall.

A quick no-knead peasant bread with 20% whole wheat flour and 1/2 tablespoon almond oil (that you cannot really taste; this works better with a more assertive olive oil for example). I used the technique from Artisan Bread in 5.

This was a touch sweet, but I liked the tiki-esque vibe of this Old Fashioned cocktail a lot, especially on a cold and gray evening. Four in Hand (Scott Teague) with High West American Prairie bourbon, Boulard VSOP calvados, Smith & Cross Jamaican rum, green Chartreuse, BJ Reynolds vanilla & homemade cinnamon syrups.

This one? It looks interesting but I don't have any redcurrants or raspberries on hand (it's not really the season anymore). (Grenadine is suggested as an acceptable substitution, but I avoid the thing as much as I can!) I like @eje's idea to use a preserve instead of a syrup. But I am out of blended scotch too! Oops.

@quiet1 I would recommend the Bartender's Choice app. It's pretty bare bones but it's super handy and has a ton of great recipes. I think it's a great starting point. Next I would recommend the Death & Co book, which is very complete and has a large section on classics, and a ton of doable recipes. It's very beginner friendly and explains how a cocktail is structured, the different types of cocktail family, how to build a home bar with recommendations for brands/type of spirits to get, etc. It's a nice-looking book as well.

I liked them, but my husband and daughter both preferred them warm, and weren't crazy about the crumbly/shortbread-type texture. Their loss... So far my favorites in the book were the brownie drops. These were perfect in every way.

World Peace cookies. Very easy to make. It's the texture of a shortbread, crumbly and light, with an amazing chocolate intensity and little specks of fleur de sel. I made them a little too big, so my yield was only 24 cookies instead of 36. Pro-tip - do not freeze the log and then attempt to slice it still frozen. I am lucky to have all my fingers this morning! Plus the slices chattered into a million pieces. I still managed to bake two cookies that way because I HAD to try them last night.

It's only the beginning of kumquat season so they are still hard to find (or expensive). But I've been having a craving for bitter citrus marmalade. The closest thing I can find right now is calmondins (aka calamansi) which I finally decided to experiment with. I received a Buddha's Hand in my CSA this week, so I decided to improvise and make a Calamondin & Buddha's Hand marmalade. I also used the juice of half a dozen clementines. It was a small batch and I cooked it in my large jam pot, and it was the fastest marmalade I've ever made. It was set in less than 30 minutes.

Frog eggs? That's a good thing, right? The original recipe didn't call for straining the seeds out. I considered it briefly, but since there are also orange slices in there, I thought it looked fine visually. There aren't that many seeds per jar and the crunch doesn't bother me, I think it's interesting and shows that I used real fruit... Also if it's good enough for Ferber, it works for me (see her version here).

Thanksgiving prep in full swing. I am in charge of punch (Fish House) & soup (Tom Colicchio's root vegetables and apple).