FrogPrincesse

Welcome to eGullet, SLB! I had this pork belly salad recently at a local restaurant. Very satisfying.

Dinner last night was opah with a ginger lime beurre blanc (made with dry vermouth) and Blue Lake beans. Glass of Santa Barbara Zaca Mesa Viognier on the side.

This beautiful drink, one of Rafa's creations, which tastes like a salty and slightly savory Martini. Love. Not Waving But Drowning with Beefeater gin, Krogstad aquavit, Dolin white vermouth, Regan's and Fee Brothers' orange bitters, expressed orange peel.

Another Dandy Shim variation with rye for the Mixology Monday Challenge. This one with Bonal was inspired by the Dandy Cocktail in the Savoy Cocktail Book. I get a lot of spice and bitter orange with that combination. Rye Dandy Shim II with Bonal, Willet 2-year rye, lemon juice, Cointreau, Angostura bitters, cane syrup, orange & lemon peel garnish.

Revisiting the Dandy Shim for the Mixology Monday Challenge. This time with rye. Very nice and the Willet 2-year is great in this drink. Rye Dandy Shim with Dolin sweet vermouth, Willet 2-year rye, lemon juice, cane syrup, St. George absinthe, grated orange zest.

I decided to harvest my sorrel earlier this week and used it in a soup with leeks and beet greens that was very tasty. Crème fraîche garnish.

For those who use Netflix, First We Feast posted a list of the food movies that are currently streaming, including Kings of Pastry, a documentary about the Meilleur Ouvrier de France competition that I enjoyed recently.

More St. John love from MAD.

I'd go full-on Tiki!

Not sure where is the best place to mention this, but PUNCH (which is affiliated with Ten Speed Press) released today their city guides for cocktail bars. San Francisco, LA, Manhattan, London, Paris, etc. Hopefully a San Diego edition sometime soon? (Although sometimes it's a good thing to stay under the radar.)

A Sazerac with the Delord Napoleon armagnac and Rittenhouse rye is pretty great. It's the way to go rather than Bulleit.

Inca Cocktail (Robert Vermiere 1922 via Martin's Cocktail app) which is a bit similar to the above, with gin. There is also a version of the Inca Cocktail in the Savoy Cocktail Book with dry and sweet vermouths. 0.75 oz Plymouth gin (0.5 oz) 0.75 oz dry vermouth (0.5 oz Dolin) 0.75 oz fino sherry (0.5 oz Lustau Jarana) 2 dashes orgeat (0.5 barspoon homemade coconut orgeat) 2 dashes orange bitters (1 dash each Fee Brothers' and Regan's orange bitters) The vermouth and sherry dominate. Rich mouthfeel from the orgeat.

Racketeer (Stephen Cole) with Rittenhouse rye, Vida mezcal, Punt e Mes, Benedictine, yellow Chartreuse, Peychaud's bitters, Laphroaig. I went full Punt e Mes for the vermouth since someone had commented on Kindred that it was too sweet with the Carpano Antica specified in the original recipe. It's Manhattan-ish with a double dose of smoke.

A recent Daiquiri No. 2 with Plantation 3 Stars, lime juice, orange juice, simple syrup, Clement Creole shrubb.

I'd go with something like Plantation Barbados. It's pretty cheap (less than $20) and quite versatile.

The Bürstenhaus Redecker brushes are pretty good. The bristles are stiff so they clean well.

Here is what happens when I decide to make something new after a long day at work. Add overproof rye, calvados, green Chartreuse and bitters to mixing glass. Add ice, mix. What a wonderful smell. Wait a second - that's a lot of booze. Right, this was supposed to contain Bonal. No idea why I grabbed Willet rye when I was supposed to use Bonal, but since I had only made a third of the recipe, I was able to fix it so it would not ignite spontaneously. Always Crashing the Same Car (Colin Shearn) 1.5 oz Laird's Bonded Applejack (0.5 oz each Daron XO calvados and Willet 2-year rye) 1.5 oz Bonal Gentiane-Quina Aperitif (1 oz Bonal) 1 tsp Green Chartreuse (2/3 barspoon) 1 to 2 dashes aromatic bitters (1 dash Angostura bitters) Grapefruit peel twist (dash BDW grapefruit bitters) It was a tad bitter and had unexpected black licorice notes. I added a brandied cherry so it would be a little less intense.

I suppose so. I like to live dangerously.

Chauncey Depew (as seen on cocktail virgin slut) with Lustau Jarana fino sherry, Dolin sweet vermouth, homemade orgeat, Boker's bitters. Sherrified-Japanese is pretty accurate to describe the vibe. It's kind of wonky but it works somehow.

I forgot that most stores are closed on Sundays in Paris, so my plans of stocking up on agricole did not work out. Instead, I ended up with a modest-sized bottle of aged pear eau de vie bought at the Zurich airport.

Spray bottles are a must in a bar - I have one with absinthe of course, and also Laphroaig, rose water, orange water, etc (the ones from the Container Store are good and cheap). Like Chris, I made a Sazerac variation last night, the one named after the aged French rocker... Other than the unappetizing name (does he have fans at Death & Co???), it's actually quite good. Interesting use of dry vermouth in a Sazerac, but it completely makes sense as it blends the various elements together. The taste is an herbal cognac with little touches of flavor from the orange liqueur and the pear eau de vie (which I upped slightly to a generous barspoon - the original recipe calls for only 1 teaspoon!). Hallyday (Thomas Waugh) with Hine H cognac (Pierre Ferrand 1840), Dolin French vermouth, Royal Combier liqueur (Grand Marnier), Clear Creek pear brandy (Morand Williamine), Angostura bitters, Vieux Pontarlier absinthe (St. George), lemon twist (orange because I was out; discarded).

Hassouni - You have no idea how good Fernet tastes after spending the weekend trying to convince one timid Swiss bartender after another to make me something bitter, and ending up with Cynar as the most extreme thing they would dare serve me. Even their Campari isn't bitter because they all use Gran Classico (which is made in Switzerland). This is simply not right, although they have other qualities I suppose.

Rafa - Not much of a difference, really. In that drink, the coconut flavor was not especially pronounced (not really a surprise considering the powerful taste of the other two ingredients). I got hit on the head by the Fernet before I had a chance to detect it. In drinks that are not "sullied by the vile demon Fernet", you can generally taste coconut notes, but it's rarely a bad thing.

After a pretty fabulous evening at the White Lyan a few weeks ago thanks to bartender Rob Libecans & co, I made one of his creations (from his Black Pearl days) at home. Mansfield with Lagavulin 16 scotch, Fernet-Branca, orgeat (homemade, coconut). And just wow. It's like a Japanese cocktail but so much more fun. It starts with a thick cloud of smoke and craziness, followed by the sweetness of the orgeat, and then, when you start to relax and least expect it, the powerful kick of Fernet at the end.

I am. I had a fantastic meal at Relae a few years ago, and am very intrigued to learn more about chef Christian Puglisi's creative process and techniques.