bpeikes

The flavors are definitely interesting. The Campari dust works very well, while the Chartreuse dust definitely lost some of the delicate flavors, but I'm not sure if that was due to the high temperatures or just that in a powder state you don't get the same kind of coverage on the tongue. Would be interesting to take the powders adding alcohol and comparing the flavor to the original product.

I've been thinking about cookbooks recently, and was wondering if people have come across "cookbooks" without recipies. Well they don't have to have zero recipies, but I'm looking for books where the authors talk about the creative process they use in cooking. Of course, in the modern age internet, places like egullet contain huge amounts of information about how people cook, which is what I'd like to read about. Particularly, I would love to find any older books written in this style. So often cookbooks list recipies, but don't give you any insight into the heart and mind of the person cooking. I'm tired of glossy pictures of beautiful presentations, I want descriptions of the how the food should taste. Perhaps some autobiographical cook books which mix experience and recipies... I've recently read "A Wandering Feast" by Yale Strom, which is similar to what I'd like to read, but it's more about his journey, and he is not the chef, so you don't get to see through the eyes of the creator.

Didn't have a chance to make one last night, but after some additional pondering I decided that I'm going to go full hog and make the Sazerac with a rinse of Chartreuse VEP. Hell, if it's going to be expensive, it might as well be the best of the best, maybe I'll try to find some Buddah's Hand to replace the lemon...

I just got to try the Rittenhouse Rye 21 yr. last night. I should preface my review with the fact that: 1) I love Rye 2) I love a good Sazarac 3) I love Rye Tried it on it's own. Fairly dry and not very high on the punch, so I think I'd always have it neat. Much lighter than I expected in terms of flavor. Normally whiskies this old have a bit too much wood for my palate, although rye's seem to often hold up much better to age than corn based whiskeys. All in all, a great rye. A bit of the fruitiness and even though it's 21 years old, it still has some grassiness to it similar to what I taste in the 18th Century Old Potrero. Don't think I'd use it in a cocktail though, unless it was something simple like a Sazarac. Certainly not in a Manhattan. For Manhattans, I like a Rye that'll punch me in the face with flavor like the BIB Rittenhouse. I'll try a Sazarac with the 21 tonight and see if it works.

My experience reflects something quite different.--at least here in NY. Today--there are may women in the "business" from wine makers to wholesale representatives to sommelier's to retail to writers etc. There are more women than men enrolled in classes at the International Wine Center (which incidentally, is run by a woman, also the majority of instructors are women). I would say things are far from "hard" for women. ← We are in NY, and sure it's gotten better. She came to NY because it was the best place to get a shot at getting into the biz, but there still is bias. Try dealing with folks in Bordeuax. Still pretty old school.

Oooh, I've been there, too! I remembered the experience, but couldn't remember the name of the hotel. Lovely view. Well heck, this isn't even my thread, but I now feel like I can't live till I get to Pegu for a drink. Will have to think up something more rareified than a martini to order. FFB, have a wonderful time with your friends. ← What's wrong with a Martini? Actually, this is one of the few bars where you could just ask the bartender to make you "something". Just tell them what you'd like, i.e. whiskey, gin, vodka, etc. Last time I was there I let them ply me with Rye cocktails until the cows came home. Audrey was working on a cocktail which was basically a Martini with a small amount of Scotch in it. I forget what they were naming it, something like the Smoketini. They used a very smoky Scotch, but very sparingly. They've got a great selection of liquor, so have them whip you up something exotic. One of the few bars where I'd order a Ramos Gin Fizz.

There is nothing wrong about sending food back. Just don't make a big deal about it. It obviously also depends on the people you are with but by not telling the staff about it, you don't give them a chance to make it right. If you were paying for dinner, and chose a restaurant that you thought was good, would you rather your guests deal with a bad food, and then later complained behind your back about how the dinner was aweful? We had a situation a little like that when we took a group out for dinner on New Years day. One person has a lot of food allergies and was asking tons of questions to the staff, but I thought they handled it well. Servers should know that business diners usually are going to leave a good tip. It's in there interest to make you look good.

I'd recommend Pegu during the week if you don't want a mob scene. It's a definite must go. Cocktails and bar food that you can't beat anywhere in NY. Other amazing cocktail place is Angel Share, but not so much of a view. I wouldn't recommend with a 15 year old, but there are few places that I would which have great cocktails. Good for small group, not more than four people. Actually think that it's one of their "rules". As for bars with a view, sadly WOW is no longer with us.

It's interesting to see how the business will change. My fiancee worked in wine and spirits, two of NY well known retail establishments, and then several distributors before we pushed ahead and got her store opened. It's a hard business for women in many ways. It's been an ole boys network for so long, especially in the states. Until we got some notoriety, she would often get blown off at industry events. Now it's a different story, but it wasn't an easy trip. She's even put together a section of the store dedicated to women in the wine business, but it's still a relatively small section, and forget about women in the whiskey business Although we're trying to change that one woman at a time.

I just received in the mail the Kola nuts I ordered. Time to start experimenting. My first endeavor is to attempt to make a bitters using the nuts. Anyone have experience working with them? I grated one of them in my coffee processor and put it in a glass container with about a quarter cup of Absolute. I know I should probably use something that has a higher alcohol content, but it was what I had on hand. I'll let it sit for several days before trying it. I've done a little research, and it seems like Coke doesn't use it anymore (they moved to other sources of caffiene) , but that Pepsi might still use it as part of their recipe. Anyone able to coborate this info?

We just started carrying Stirrings syrups, one of which is a Rosemary based. We made a couple of cocktails using tequila. I don't remember the exact ratios, but I'm sure your syrup is going to be different anyway. Think we just did tequila, rosemary syrup and lime juice.

I'll have to ask Gary about it. Is it possible that it's closer to dutch Genever with simple syrup? I took a look on eBay to see if someone was selling a "collectible" bottle with some gin actually in it, but alas there was none.

I see a lot of old cocktail recipes which call for Old Tom Gin. I know that this was usually a lower quality gin that was sweetened with sugar, but I haven't found any on the market. I've been using 2/3 gin - 1/3 simple syrup, as a replacement for Old Tom Gin, but I'd like to know if anyone else has their own recipe or a place to get Old Tom Gin.

I was at a "Save New Orleans" cocktail fundraiser run by Gary Regan a couple of months ago and the bar had Chartreuse VEP on the shelf. We asked the bartender to make us a Sazarac, but using the VEP as a wash instead of Herbsaint. It was incredible. I'm a big lover of Chartreuse in general, straight or in a cocktail. We've got a couple of bottles on the shelves at our shop, but at the price, we haven't popped one open ourselves, we'll just have a bit when we see places that have it open.

I'm a big fan of Parfait amour in champagne. At most a teaspoon, garnish with an orange twist. I've worked with it a bit and it's hard to balance. Sort of like Maraschino in that I find it very difficult to mix without it overwhelming the cocktail. I find that the Parfait Amour works with almost any gin based cocktail.

Ah, Amer Picon. Great when you can find it. I find that you can get closer to the current version of Amer Picon by mixing Cynar with a splash of Grand Marnier. LeNell scored some for her personal collection, maybe she can help you out.