FrogPrincesse

Thanks for the background on this Hassouni. I am a little behind with my Buzzfeed reading apparently. Yes, American Pale Ale (APA) is considered a distinct style in the US, and it's a popular one (see list here). Recent examples I've had - Stone Pale Ale of course, Green Flash 30th street pale ale, Publican by Societe.

Shower beering? New concept to me. Now I understand why you don't post photos. Dogfish Head 60 min IPA. The head disappeared a few seconds after I poured. It's actually not that bitter (60 IBU). I mostly got citrus and some pine.

Rhythm and Soul (Greg Best). A Manhattan leaning in the direction of a Sazerac, described as having "the rhythm of a Manhattan and the soul of a Sazerac". Rye (Bulleit), Averna, sweet vermouth (Margerum amaro), Angostura bitters, absinthe verte (St. George), lemon peel, served Sazerac-style.

L'Iguana by Rafa, with 1 oz each Smith & Cross, Cynar, Bonal, 1/4 oz lemon juice and a pinch of salt, swizzle-style. It's bitter and slightly winey. Lots of caramel from the S&C and Cynar.

I'm guessing Pierre Ferrand cognac (rather than dry curacao).

Hmmm... Phrasing? (Where is Rafa when you need him)Personally I am perfectly content with 30 cm.

In your list I would go for the Neisson. It makes a memorable daiquiri. I don't think I had a chance to try the Diplomatico or the Plantation 3 stars. Nailed it. I just got a bottle and this buttery flavor took me by surprise the first time I tried it. It's good but I prefer the grassy flavor of a white rhum agricole. I also recommend Flor de Cana if you find it eventually. Really nice and cheap too.

My take on Seven Grand's Islander, which is more or less the Rum Crawl from Bourbon & Branch but with scotch as the base. Scotch (Highland Park 12), falernum (homemade), ginger syrup (Canton ginger liqueur), lime juice, bitters (Angostura + Fee whiskey barrel-aged). The finish of the cocktail was a little off. The Bowmore that they use at Seven Grand is a better fit than Highland Park in this drink, although in their version they use a fresh and very pungent ginger syrup that makes the scotch almost completely disappear (shame). I guess more tweaking will be in order once I get a bottle of the Bowmore. For reference, the Seven Grand version is pictured below on the right. I was told that the red stuff was Angostura bitters, but there is just no way. The drink on the left (Scarecrow) was like a Japanese cocktail with Scotch, orgeat, cocoa bitters. It could have made a decent dessert drink, I suppose. For my second drink, I played it safe and got a glass of Willet rye (5 years). The cocktail on the right was a Rob Roy twist called Lawyers, Guns, & Money (Autentoshan, Barolo Chinato, Drambuie, cacao bitters) which was actually quite nice. Our bartender became more chatty once an adjacent group left. I watched in amazement as they downed 6 or 7 cocktails a head in less than an hour (they were heavyset Americans, but still...). I guess they were making sure to take full advantage of happy hour...

Firestone Opal Saison. Pretty hoppy and high in alcohol (7.5%) for a saison, but nice and refreshing nonetheless.

Is there a cocktail named the TMI? If not, I think we need one asap. Last night, an unremarkable cocktail, falsely advertised as a Negroni alternative. The Un-Usual Suspect with gin (Perry's Tot), grapefruit juice, lemon juice, Drambuie, honey syrup, (not enough) Fernet-Branca, Angostura bitters. At the least the gin was good, but there was way too much juice in there.

Sure. It's in your inbox now.

Not like it's a bad thing.

I probably should have infused a whole bottle, because it's going very fast. I made my best attempt at replicating Gareth Evan's Rum DMC (walnut-infused S&C, Appleton, Cynar, lime juice, maple syrup, orange bitters) for the challenge, as Plantes Vertes had guessed. Also I made a walnut Mai Tai with batavia arrack and more of the walnut-infused S&C, walnut orgeat, pecan bitters, etc. Details here.

I've been playing with my bottle of Batavia Arrack lately. This cocktail by Misty Kalkofen caught my eye. Pleasure and Pain: Batavia Arrack, Branca Menta (Fernet-Branca), walnut liqueur (Charbay black walnut liqueur), Bénédictine. It originally calls for Branca Menta which, from what I gather, is Fernet-lite (more minty/sweeter/less bitter); but I thought I might as well go all the way with Fernet. Lots of spice and nuts, then it goes into more bitter and metallic flavors, almost acidic, with a walnut Bénédictine finish. Still pretty tame if you are into that kind of thing.

Same glass but a different swizzle to accompany the blistering heat wave in San Diego. This one is for Hassouni. Dolores Park Swizzle (by Thad Vogler of Bar Agricole) with La Favorite rhum agricole blanc, lime juice, cane syrup, maraschino liqueur, St. George absinthe verte, topped with Peychaud's bitters and mint. The licorice from the absinthe & Peychaud's accentuate the earthy qualities of the rhum agricole. It's quite delightful, but anything with rhum agricole usually is.

I have decided to use my Suze a bit more instead of hoarding it at the back of a refrigerator shelf. It is delicious stuff, with a bitter and woody taste that is quite addictive. Plus it is French so of course it is perfect in every way. Anyway, I had this very nice aperitif last weekend, the Little Valiant (Will Thompson) with 2 oz Lillet blanc as the base, 1 oz Suze, a touch lemon juice (3/4 tsp - not oz!), orange bitters (Regan's + Fee's, one dash each), pinch of salt. The salt (I used kosher flake salt) is sprinkled on the (single large) ice cube, a la Bitter Giuseppe/Search for Delicious, so the drink changes personality as the ice melts. It goes from light and citrusy to briny, with enough bitterness in the background to keep things interesting.

No love for kale? The kale actually made the dish. The texture was nice and the broth very flavorful. The other stuff was just icing on the cake.

Here is the Boiled kale on toast that I made this winter and previously posted in the Dinner thread. Boiled kale doesn't sound especially appealling. You end up with a pot full of greyish green material floating in liquid, surrounded by semi-toxic fumes. The opposite of sexy. First impressions aside, this dish was surprisingly good. The boiled kale was served on a piece of toasted rustic bread that was dipped in the kale broth. Shaved Parmigiano was tucked under the duck egg for a little extra burst of flavor. There is something deeply comforting about this dish.

Soba, That seems like the kind of food you would enjoy based on what I've seen you post. I would also recommend the books by Suzanne Goin if you don't already have them. She acknowledged Judy Rodgers as an influence on the way she develops recipes.

I received a large orange cauliflower and a bunch of broccolini in my farmer's market bag, so I decided to try the Pasta with spicy broccoli and cauliflower from Zuni. I liked the technique where the vegetables are sliced thin and browned to create flavor, with the other elements added towards the end so they maintain a sharper flavor (sliced garlic/anchovies/etc). The end result was a little oily, even though I had reduced the amount of olive oil that the recipe called for. Also there was something in the flavor that kept bugging me which I realized was the fennel seed. For me it distracted from the other flavors, even though I only used a pinch or two. I will completely skip it next time. Excluding the fennels seed, I noticed that the various aromatic elements (olives, garlic, anchovies, capers) are actually what is used to make tapenade and that's why they make sense together. I garnished with toasted breadcrumbs as recommended in the recipe which gave a nice texture. My favorite tapenade recipe incorporates almonds as well, and now I am kicking myself because I had some fresh green almonds that would have been nice in there, as a counterpoint to the sharper flavors in the dish.

Very impressive (bonus points for the bois lélé!). How do you plan on transporting your gear to the event?

I would ask for some fruit eaux-de-vie as suggested above. I am not sure where you are located, but in the US they can be hard to find and you don't get the same selection for sure, plus they are easily twice the price. The quality is excellent - I have various ones from Etter and a very nice pear Williamine from Morand.

Group hug! :-)

You're a bit early but I am ready for you.

You are both welcome to a glass & a hug tonight, my place at 7.