FrogPrincesse

Congratulations on your business Franci!!! The cakes (and the website) look fantastic! It's impressive what you are able to do in a home kitchen.

Heaven is a Place/This is The Place (Paul McGee) with Tanqueray London dry gin, lime juice, Cointreau (substituted for Pierre Ferrand dry curaçao), homemade falernum, honey syrup, St Elizabeth allspice dram, Angostura bitters. All the spice with an assertive gin like the Tanqueray makes for a very interesting drink. This is layered and tasty.

I made another batch of crepes last night (a double this time)... I went through 6 eggs for the batter alone! Honey and lemon crepe for dessert (with just a little squeeze of lemon juice). Very nice combo.

Depending on how strongly you would like the twist to impart flavor to your cocktail, and the final look of the drink you are after. Tradition too - for example it's traditional to discard the lemon peel used for a Sazerac.

Smoked Julep (Phil Ward) with Laphroaig 10 (subbed for the 12), Daron XO Calvados (instead of Laird's apple brandy), maple syrup. Like a very smoky apple. Similar to the Shruff's End in Julep form, and with less flourish.

Chandeleur, 2016 edition. I went traditional with egg + ham + cheese. That combo always delivers. Brittany dry cider. Followed by a granulated sugar crêpe for dessert.

Martin Doudoroff just came up with a new app in collaboration with Robert Simonson, Modern Classics of the Cocktail Renaissance. He shared the list of cocktails included in the app here.

I've been making the pain d'épices (the French version of gingerbread) from Sunday Suppers at Lucques for years now, but always forget to take a picture! Here is it. With a little bit of good butter, it's my favorite Madeleine de Proust moment. Instant childhood memories with my maternal grandmother. In the book Suzanne Goin serves it with kumquat butter, which is also an excellent choice.

Ocean Side (Erick Castro) with Tanqueray London dry gin, lime juice, simple syrup, Berg & Hauck celery bitters, salt, mint. Better than I remembered! Actually super nice, tart, crisp, gin-forward obviously, and a touch savory.

As mentioned in the opening notes of the 5 Minutes of Rum article, a lot of this information about rum is available in the Beachbum Berry books and app. The app is especially convenient - you can click on any ingredient and a list of suggested brands/bottlings pops up together with a general description of the category.

I made this root vegetable soup with apples a few weeks ago when I got a kabocha squash and all the other vegetables I needed from my CSA (carrots, parsnips, leeks, fennel). The thyme was from my backyard. I absolutely love this recipe. It's from Tom Colicchio's Think Like a Chef. I didn't have any duck prosciutto left so I garnished with Parma ham.

Based on experience, common sense etc. For example if the drink calls for one brand of demerara rum I don't have, I will replace it with another demerara rum of similar age/proof. If I don't have something in the same family, I usually look for tasting notes online and use something in my home bar with a similar flavor profile. Once you know general categories it's much easier to make substitutions and not affect the overall result too much.

Haha. Well that is too bad... I am pretty sure you could pull this off. I met one of the distillers from House Spirits a while back and he explained that the aquavit was made exactly like a gin, but with different spices. The caraway seed and star anise are very prominent so it's quite distinctive.

@lesliec Thanks for reporting on this one. I have the opposite problem, I only have Krogstad and not Linie! They are completely different though. Krogstad is like a caraway- and anise-flavored gin, there is not a hint of sweetness/sherry like the Linie has. Too bad we cannot pool our resources!

I suspect maybe you make yours a tad stronger than most people? Also, sadly, the ability to metabolize alcohol is directly related to weight and sex (men having an automatic advantage).

So how does donkey compare to horse meat? I grew up eating horse meat but never had donkey, so I am curious!

A bunch of recent classics from the past couple of weeks. 10:3:2 Daiquiri with Dillon rhum agricole, lime juice, JM cane syrup. I really like this rhum agricole. It's cheap and very flavorful, high proof too (55). I think @Rafa recommended it a while back (thanks!). 2:1 Martini with Sipsmith London dry gin, Noilly Prat extra dry vermouth, Regan / Fee Brothers / Angostura orange bitters. I am still completely in love with this London dry gin. It is pretty much perfect for a Martini. Norwegian Wood (Jeff Morgenthaler) with Krogstad aquavit, Daron XO calvados, Martini Gran Lusso vermouth, yellow Chartreuse, Angostura bitters. A very nice winter drink. I liked it a lot with the Gran Lusso. It has a bitter edge that was nice with the caraway notes of the aquavit. Toronto (David A. Embury with ratios from PDT) with Rittenhouse 100 rye whiskey, barrel-aged Fernet Francisco, demerara syrup. I did it up but maybe it's better on a large rock... Still debating this. Also which Fernet do I like best in this... That's a good question!

Beautiful macarons! I made a big batch of David Lebovitz's chocolate chip cookies (from Ready for Dessert). I was out of walnuts so I used a mix of pecans and Italian almonds. The chips are Trader Joe's semi-sweet chocolate chips. I baked a dozen and froze the remaining ones (already sliced), so they are ready to go whenever the mood strikes.

I wasn't sure where to post this, but since it is Montenegro-heavy, I decided to start a new thread! Forged & Bound (Jacques Bezuidenhout via Gaz Regan) with Wild Turkey 101 rye whiskey, Amaro Montenegro, St. George coffee liqueur (substituted for Galliano Ristretto), green Chartreuse, Abbott's bitters (Tempus Fugit). It was boozy as expected and surprisingly rough around the edges for something with so much Montenegro. Interesting flavors. Chartreuse and coffee is a great combo already, and Montenegro adds saffron and deep/muted orange peel notes.

@Tri2Cook Not sure either! Lol. Use a white rum - your Havana Club anejo blanco would work great, and add a touch of something for spice - allspice dram, or falernum (a barspoon or less). That'd be a decent substitute.

See here.

Great. Very helpful!

Question. While researching the Creole bitters by The Bitter Truth I came across the Creole bitters by Berg & Hauck. Berg & Hauck are the two German bartenders who are behind the brand The Bitter Truth. So are these the same thing in a different packaging? I am asking because I was considering buying this little sample pack which has the Creole and also celery and lemon that are missing in my collection (plus it's only $19...). There is also the sampler pack by The Bitter Truth, but it's currently $27 plus shipping, and the selection isn't as interesting (at least not for me, based on my existing bitters collection).

Creole Saz (Joaquin Simo) with Dillon rhum agricole (substituted for Barbancourt 3 stars), Pierre Ferrand 1840 cognac, JM cane syrup, Peychaud's bitters, St. George absinthe (instead of Vieux Pontarlier). I realized too late that Barbancourt 3 stars was an aged rum, so it would have made more sense to use an aged agricole. Oh well, it was probably a bit more youthful and brash than the original, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I enjoyed this very much.

Also refer to this existing thread for more suggestions...