FrogPrincesse

Has anybody else noticed that the Zombie recipe was a little odd? It calls for Don's Spices #2, a mix of vanilla syrup and allspice dram (which is an ingredient in the Nui Nui), instead of Don's Mix, the typical grapefruit juice and cinnamon syrup combination. Typo?

Tailspin last night from the Classic & Vintage section. I realized while making it that it's a Bijou with a Campari rinse. They make it Chartreuse (and vermouth) heavy with 1.5/1/1 ratios (I am used to 2/1/1, although historically this may be an equal-parts drink). I substituted Dolin sweet vermouth for Carpano Antica. It's pretty but a little busy.

A bargain compared to this (seen at Costco this weekend).

Breakfast for dinner and an Eastern Sour (Trader Vic) on Saturday night. Buffalo Trace bourbon, orange & lemon juice, homemade coconut orgeat, simple syrup. A great brunch drink. Last night I wanted something with more spice. Being out of cinnamon syrup stumped me for a while. Then it occurred to me I could make a Three Dots and Dash (Donn Beach). I used La Favorite rhum vieux (coeur de rhum), El Dorado 5 demerara rum, lime & orange juice, homemade falernum, allspice dram, honey syrup, angostura bitters.

I did a walnut infusion in rum and let the walnuts infuse for 5 days. If you wait too long, it becomes unpleasantly tannic.

See discussion pages 9 & 10 of this thread. It's a good book. A lot of good info about technique.

More details on DandeLyan's beer vermouth courtesy of BarChick. How do you make yours, Rafa?

Rustic tart - plum edition. I used three different types of plums - medium-sized pink, oblong dark purple (damson?), and large dark red. Very nice with a scoop of homemade Blanton's bourbon ice cream.

A niçoise-inspired salad improvised with things I had on hand - baby romaine, parsley, cherry tomatoes, leftover boiled fingerling potatoes, a poached egg, and a can of albacore smoked in olive oil. Dressed with arbequina olive oil, red wine vinegar, kosher salt, and plenty of black pepper.

Essentially, I make orgeat using this recipe (which I got from Beachbum Berry Remixed) but I use the flesh from a coconut instead of almonds. I will write up a more detailed recipe eventually, I promise. At first I was a little reserved in my use because I was worried that the coconut flavor would be a distraction. Now I just use it in drinks that call for regular orgeat. It changes the flavor from regular almond orgeat, but it's been a nice thing so far.

I usually don't like Gran Classico Bitter in Negronis (very sweet, not bitter enough), but it worked in this one, probably because of the bitterness of the Bonal. It's also my first Negroni with mezcal and I am a fan. Mezcal Negroni: Vida mezcal, Gran Classico Bitter, Bonal gentiane-quina.

Midnight Marauder (Joaquín Simó): Vida mezcal, Cynar, Bonal, mole bitters. Bonal and Cynar go well together (see the Bicycle Thief, Boulevardier Riff, L'Iguana, etc) and so do Cynar and Mezcal (The Man Comes Around, Gastown, Last Mechanical Art). So, logically, Bonal + Cynar + Mezcal is another winning combo. The Marauder is bitter but not ridiculously so, smoky, with a slight metallic edge. When the flavor develops, you get lots of chocolate notes.

I already like Sam Ross' Conquistador (and the Army & Navy) so I had to try Rafa's variation, the Capitán. I used 7 Leguas añejo, El Dorado 5, homemade coconut orgeat, lemon, lime, Angostura bitters (per the recipe in Kindred - should I have used mole bitters?), egg white, nutmeg. Good stuff.

Shruff’s End (Phil Ward) with bonded apple brandy (Daron XO calvados), Laphroaig 10, Benedictine, Peychaud's bitters. Like an apple enjoyed by a campfire. Very nice.

The Conference - I had one quite some time ago and thought it was fun, but hadn't felt compelled to make one again (the American Trilogy, on the other hand...). Maybe it's time to revisit. I would upgrade the cognac & calvados selections.

Drinks with mostly booze (old fashioneds and the likes) that benefit from some dilution are served on the rocks, with the Sazerac being one notable exception. Long drinks (including tiki drinks) are served on the rocks for a practical reason - so they stay cold until you finish them. Drinks with egg white are served up because most of the texture of the egg foam would be lost with ice cubes. I don't know why you would serve a whiskey sour with egg white on the rocks; it looks pretty terrible and you are just left with some residual foam on the ice cubes, so why even bother using the egg. Some drinks indeed work both ways and it's just a matter of preference in that case. I've seen Manhattans served on the rocks or Negronis served up - not my preference, so in some establishments it's best to be very specific when ordering! For margaritas, I've never seen them up in bars or restaurants (although it's my preference) - the options are generally blended or on the rocks, and I go for rocks in that case so I can at least taste the tequila.

What substitutions did you make, Leslie?

My goodness you are fast. Thanks again for test driving these various recipes. Step 1 for me - look for stem ginger at the supermarket!

Thanks to everyone for the ideas and recipes so far. You are amazing. Kerry, you are incredible for going the extra mile and testing a recipe for me (with a photo too)! Appearance-wise, you are on the right track for sure. (The F&M photo makes the cookies appear very thin, but they were more similar to your photo.)

Very nice series of articles. Eater published a feature on one of St. John's most iconic dishes, the roasted bone marrow, for the occasion.

The Joy Division, a Martini with a touch of absinthe (à la Third Degree) and some Cointreau. I absolutely loved this one. It is crisp like a Martini, but I also got a touch of richness in the finish, almost like vanilla oil. I liked it so much I decided to use it as my template for the Mixology Monday Perfect Symmetry challenge. But the original is really the way to go.

I try to heat my orgeat as little as possible. Most of the sugar dissolves at room temperature, and I don't need to warm it past 35C or so. My thought is that the heat may destroy some of the volatile flavors.

I've become addicted to these "stem ginger biscuits" that I bought in England. They are little cookies that are relatively hard, crumbly, with a very nice butter flavor and an even nicer ginger flavor ("fiery" as the description reads). And they are absolutely perfect with tea. But it's an expensive habit - ~ $12 for a 200 g tin. Plus my supply is long gone. So I am looking for a good recipe. Does anybody have one? For reference the ingredients are: wheat flour, salted butter (22%), sugar, invert sugar syrup. stem ginger (9%), eggs, ground ginger, sodium bicarbonate.

Not necessarily that they add nothing, but too little to justify the extra time the staff has to spend. At home, this kind of passive prep time is not really an issue though.

Then you are due for a visit. The food is better than what it was, and the cocktails are outstanding. I always have a great time sitting at the bar, ordering a few small plates of food to share and some cocktails. The Jet Pilot is especially fabulous; also the Sherry Cobbler is an excellent lower octane option. Or just ask Christian to come up with something based on your mood.