FrogPrincesse

I prepare them like regular beets - I trim them (leaving about 1/2 inch of the stem), scrub and clean them really well, place them on a piece of foil, drizzle with olive oil, wrap the foil around them, and roast them in the oven at 400F until tender (45 min to 1 hour depending on the size. I test them with a knife if needed.). Then I just peel them when they are cool enough to handle.

Thanks FauxPas. The tomatoes are from a local farm, Be Wise Ranch, and were obtained through my CSA/Farmers' market box. They are also available at our local Whole Foods and a few other stores. They taste great. I am eating one as I type. The Valencia oranges were also obtained through my CSA a few weeks ago from another local farm, Sundance. They are in season now in California. For the dressing, I used olive oil, lemon juice, the juice from cutting the oranges, and a little bit of red wine vinegar. The salad was inspired by a beet and tangerine salad in Sunday Suppers at Lucques (see here and here). Since I was using fennel, I did not use mint but used the fennel fronds instead, in addition to the thinly sliced fennel bulb (also from my CSA). We are completely spoiled in San Diego with the local produce, and I do my best to fully take advantage of it! I think it may be some of the best in the country (not to brag, but...). Here is the assortment I got last week to give you an idea. This was $20.

The book (Absinthe Cocktails, which I recommend if you like absinthe) calls for 1.5 oz absinthe verte, 0.5 oz water (which I would increase to 1 oz), 1/2 oz violet liqueur or creme Yvette (you may have to adjust based on what you are using), and a "garnish" of Peychaud's bitters (1 dash) and flowers.

I see that you've named it the Bona Drag. Nice.

Earlier last week, Brian's Miller's take on the Zombie, Gantt's Tomb. Rye (Bulleit, although high proof like Rittenhouse would be best) and black rum (Coruba) for the base, plus the mandatory 151 Demerara rum (Lemon Hart). Pineapple, orange, and lemon for the juice; pimento liqueur for the spice. It's one of the rare tiki drinks with whiskey, with the Eastern Sour. It works, although nothing will ever surpass the original 1934 Zombie in terms of complexity.

Annoying indeed. Also impatiently waiting for the Tanqueray Old Tom to finally show up!

I like the name. Is it a London dry or a New World-style gin?

Sickbird gin?

A Donga Punch with La Favorite Coeur de Rhum, grapefruit and lime juice, cinnamon syrup. I went with the recipe from Total Tiki (also here) but it seemed a little sweet. I will reduce the cinnamon syrup a bit next time.

Thank you. Mr. Bali Hai and his companion, The Goof, are my two favorite tiki mugs.

It's alright, there is no need to justify yourself. Some things just aren't meant to be!

Kerry - Was that whole grain mustard on the piece of toast on the left? In any case, it looks really delicious. Here is the imitation version I just made with Benton's for the bacon and Comté for the cheese. Very tasty, although it was just store-bought white bread. Pimm's Cup to wash it down (unadorned, no garnish).

It does not look like this is available in the US. UK and France only, at least for the time being.

A tomato salad with buffalo mozzarella, French tarragon (grown on my patio), Arbequina olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and plenty of salt & black pepper.

Whatever you do, stay clear of the mixtos and make sure to get a 100% agave tequila. You might find this little tequila guide from Serious Drinks helpful if you don't know much about tequila.

Chris Hannah's Necromancer with absinthe verte (St. George), still water, violet liqueur (R&W), and a few dashes of Peychaud's bitters (optional). That one was a bit hard to take a first because of its intensity. I liked it better with more dilution from the ice. Basically it's an Absinthe Frappée with violet as the sweetener. It was interesting to see the flavor evolve from all licorice (the Peychaud's reinforcing that first impression), to more floral flavors with the violet helping.

Well, Chris, what can I say... You broke my heart but I am fine now, I had the (long) weekend to recover. I agree that a Daiquiri with rhum agricole is a different experience. However, since I tried my first, I've been hooked and all others seem to pale in comparison. There is something amazing about the funkiness of the rhum paired with the lime that just clicks, and it's more approachable than a Ti Punch. I do also like Daiquiris with lighter/more subtle rums, but if I had to choose just one it would be the agricole version without a doubt. At least you gave it a shot!

The bitters sounds nice with the Bénédictine, which also contains saffron I believe.

It's the regular 750 mL size, and it's practically empty!

John Deragon's Death Bed with Appleton 12, El Dorado 3, cherry liqueur, lime juice, pineapple juice. (I took some liberties here. The book called for Pampero Anniversario + Barbancourt Blanc.) Actually I don't feel THAT bad for a Monday.

Last night, Daniel Shoemaker's Chrysanthemum variation with white vermouth (Dolin), Benedictine, absinthe (St. George). Very herbal and maybe less busy than the original with dry vermouth.

Whatever you do, stay away from Sagatiba pura. I thought it was decent pre-Campari days, but the bottle I got last year is really terrible. I am tempted to just pour it down the drain.

Leblon is very funky/grassy, similar to a white agricole.

Jo, La Favorite has the most funk of all the white agricoles I've had so far. I've ranked the ones I have at home by increasing level of funk: J.M (40%), Neisson, Clement canne bleue, La Favorite. I also have Damoiseau from Guadeloupe that I haven't compared to the others but has less funk than La Favorite based on my recollection. For more of that agricole character you may need to plan a trip to Martinique or Guadeloupe and get your rhum directly from the source, from small producers...

Kerry, I am sure you have access to plenty of interesting Canadian rye whiskies, so of course that would be your first choice. For those of us who don't, a good assertive American rye whiskey works great. Anything too gentle will get buried under the Fernet.