FrogPrincesse

A French artillerist would be drinking Calvados straight, and would absolutely never dilute it with Champagne...

Classic Sazerac a la Death & Co. Rittenhouse rye whiskey, Landy cognac (subbed for PF 1840), demerara surup, Peychaud's & Angostura bitters, St. George absinthe (subbed for Vieux Pontarlier). No complaints here. It's delicious.

You are talking about general lettuce preference, right? I really love the more delicate types like French butter lettuce and little gem lettuce (sucrine). Delicious flavor, slightly sweet, and a nice crunch. Wonderful for salads.

For reference, there are eGullet threads on eau-de-vie, calvados (aged apple eau-de-vie) and cocktails with eau-de-vie.

Saz Who? (Brian Miller) with Denizen Merchant's Reserve rum, Williamine pear eau-de-vie, demerara syrup, Peychaud's + Berg & Hauck's bitters, Angostura bitters, St. George absinthe. I decided to use the Denizen because that's the rum I was in the mood for and I didn't want anything too sweet. There was a lot going on between the eau-de-vie and the rum. The first few sips were all over the place but this was nice in the end, very flavorful.

It's eau-de-vie, not a liqueur since no sugar is added. Fermented & distilled fruit. It will last forever in the bottle without special storage requirements. It's best drunk neat, typically at the end of a meal (or in the middle of a long one for a "trou normand"...). If it's too intense, you can pour it into a glass, dip a sugar cube in it, let it soak up some of the liquid, and eat the sugar cube. That is called a canard...

Thanks!

Typical equal parts ratios with a spray of absinthe?

Agreed. I've never ordered online from them but I have shopped there many times, and it's a good store.

Meiwa kumquats in vodka. These should be ready very soon. I plan on using them as a cocktail garnish.

Current plan for this year: Cocktail TBD - something with citrus, maybe a punch, maybe something with sparkling wine Fava bean & homemade ricotta tartine Salad TBD Lamb and artichoke stew (Ragout d'agneau aux artichauts) from The Country Cooking of France Peas with onions and lettuce Lemon tart Chocolate dessert TBD I plan on making the stew and desserts in advance, so I will have very little last minute prep.

From last night, one of my favorite cocktails, Ada Coleman's Hanky Panky (with PDT ratios) with Sipsmith London dry gin, Cocchi vermouth di Torino, barrel-aged Fernet Francisco. The Fernet Francisco has considerably less menthol than the Fernet Branca, and more caramel.

I've purchased online from Hi Time and DrinkUpNY. http://hitimewine.net http://www.drinkupny.com

Hi Time is a great place... a bit overwhelming maybe? http://www.hitimewine.net Are you looking for anything specific?

A Ti Punch from last week. Apparently March 16 is National Ti Punch Day. I had no idea! Ti Punch with La Favorite rhum agricole blanc and J.M cane syrup

If they have a specialty, a dish they are known for, then of course that's the one to get. But I don't like judging a place on a single dish. There is often something on the menu that is close to the chef's heart, maybe not a very popular item, but something he/she really likes making. If I can spot that one, I make sure to try that as well.

I got the pan. I ended up getting the Browne, but the brand on the sticker is actually Gobel, made in France. It wasn't wrapped and came with a powdery white residue that was cleaned easily. Now I wonder if this may have been flour? I paid $22 + tax. It seems that Williams Sonoma and Sur La Table have the same pan for a bit less money ($17 and $20, respectively), but at least I didn't have to drive there. The pan seems well made, so this should definitely be an upgrade from my old one.

After the Final Straw, a Laphroaig-based Last Word variation which substituted Benedictine for the Maraschino liqueur, I was encouraged to explore more cocktails pairing peaty scotch, Chartreuse and Benedictine... Butter Lemon Smoke (TJ Vytlacil) with Laphroaig 10, Landy VS cognac, green Chartreuse, Benedictine. Note that the cocktail was conceived with Peat Monster which, unlike its name indicates, is actually less peaty than Laphroaig. This was a rather rich cocktail, although the Laphroaig cut through most of the sweetness and made it work. Some buttery rich notes came through, lemon from a generous zest (in addition to the garnish, I used an extra peel to generously spray the surface of the cocktail), and obviously the smoke from the scotch.

So there is Pete's Word (Phil Ward), which is the Last Word with Laphroaig substituted for the gin. The other night I discovered the Final Straw (Geoff Fewell) which is another Last Word variation with Laphroaig as the base spirit. I made it with Laphroaig 10 (substituted for quarter cask), Benedictine, yellow Chartreuse (substituted for MOF), lemon juice. I was fearing something very sweet, but the intense smoky peat of the Laphroaig tricked my taste buds into thinking this was nicely balanced.

This cider available at my local Trader Joe's is very nice. Fairly dry, flavorful, complex. Dan Armor Cuvée Spéciale Cidre Brut from Brittany. $5 if my memory is correct

There is a long discussion/comparison of this blender to the Vitamix on Chowhound.

So less anise and more caraway? Krogstad isn't rough but it is intensely flavored...

@Craig EI wasn't too impressed with that one, but I used Krogstad. Would you mind describing how the Brennevin aquavit tastes on its own?

I don't know if it's the same. For example I like the parmesan Stravecchio that they sell, but I noticed that sometimes its condition wasn't optimal. Most of it tastes fine, but the part close to the rind tends to taste moldy. Also their pieces typically have the rind on two sides, so they are clearly not the most sought-after pieces. It means a little more waste than what I am used to, but still it's a pretty good deal compared to my other options for cheese.

This is pretty decent. Not really unexpected though; to me it just tastes like a good flavorful cheddar.