FrogPrincesse

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.

A bloody Daiquiri, why not. Benjamin Barker Daiquiri by Brian Miller with aged rum (El Dorado 8), lime juice, Campari, demerara syrup, absinthe (St. George). Pretty well done because the Campari blends harmoniously and does not become obvious until the end. A good option for an aged rum Daiquiri with a slightly bitter finish.

I didn't get it at first either. The drawing on the label is of a cat, not a dog. Very confusing. Here is the explanation from their website.

A thought for the Swiss last night with this bière de garde from Abbaye de Saint Bon-Chien 2011 (BFM), aged in oak barrels. It took me a bit by surprise - I am not used to this type of flavor profile. It's alcohol-forward with some apple cider, a lot of dried fruit (raisins), and a distinct sourness. The finish is tannic.

That sounds sweet indeed. I like mine a bit more Fernet-heavy. 2 oz rye : 3/4 oz Fernet-Branca : 1/4 oz simple syrup (Bartender's Choice app spec), with an orange twist.

Nice detailed report, Brown Hornet. I've been there once but opted not to report because Chef Blais was not in the house that night (I was aware of it but decided to go anyway based on excellent reports from my friends), and although the food was nice, it was not at the level I was expecting. I also tried a couple of cocktails that left me cold (and, interestingly, are gone from their current drink menu) . But I will be back for sure. The place is fun and has a ton of potential. It's great to see more and more of this type of restaurants in SD - did you have a chance to go down a few blocks to Ironside Fish & Oyster?

You're very kind but there is no need to. I am sure I will make it to your neck of the woods in the not-too-distant future. I heard there were a few good bars I needed to try.

Thanks Rafa. I actually don't mind the hours of steeping and straining (it's like a routine - I've been doing this for years now), but I am naturally curious. I don't think we get this orgeat on the West Coast. It's Adam Kolesar, correct?

The Lomaland is an American take on a Belgian-style beer, so I guess I am not really taking any sides today. But I am brainstorming on what will be the best way to celebrate France's ultimate victory.

Yum indeed, although the St. Germain made me cringe for a second. My date got the Fernet-laced drink and I got the St. Germain one. I complained of sex stereotyping, of course, but the drink was good so it was a very mild complaint.

For reference, we also have this previous discussion. A topic worth revisiting for sure.

Modern Times Lomaland Saison*. Gotta support the local breweries! This one happens to be located less than 5 miles from where I live, so it would be hard to be more local unless I start making beer in my garage. It's on the light side, refreshing with lemon and dry grass notes, and pretty dry. * I forgot the interesting bit. The beer is named after an utopian colony that used to be located in Point Loma in San Diego at the beginning of the century. Only a few buildings remain.

That looks really good. Bookmarked for future use. Never heard of Tiki Adam's orgeat before - how is it? (Maybe a silly question - obviously it must be good if it's in use at Casa Rafa.)

More Mai Tai love. A while back I tried rumdood's Look Normal, which is a Mai Tai of some sort with white rum as the base, and absinthe and maraschino replacing the orange liqueur. If we stretch this concept a little more, there are similarities with Dave Shenaut's Leaning to Tie. Now cachaça is the base (I used Leblon which is very grassy), a good dose of pastis (I used St. George absinthe) mixed with a touch of Campari replace the orange liqueur, and he swaps out the lime juice for orange juice. Without lime juice it's less acidic and sweeter than a regular Mai Tai. The flavor is hard to describe but there is something really intriguing in the way it all meshes together, herbal and nutty flavors. I liked it. Learning to Tie: cachaça, orange juice, orgeat, absinthe, Campari I am now intrigued about cachaça/white rhum agricole + absinthe possibilities outside of the Mai Tai template.