thirtyoneknots

I'm actually in the middle of going through a similar ham right now, though about 1/3 of the size, boneless, and unsliced. It had been in the freezer for 2-3 years...I was skeptical (my Dad gets lots of meat gift boxes around Christmas time from work contacts). Anyways I had hope when I saw in James Peterson's Glorious French Food a recipe for something called 'Le Saupiquet', translated as "Ham Steaks in Juniper Cream Sauce". Basically you make a roux, add a cup of white wine and a half cup of stock, simmer for a half hour, then add a few minced shallot, cracked peppercorn, crushed juniper berries, a half cup of cream and a quarter cup of good vinegar, simmer 5 more min then strain, season to taste and add parsley. This sauce is intended to be spooned over ham steaks lightly browned in butter and patted dry. It's about as good a thing to do with "plain ham" as I've ever had, and the sauce has not suffered for the reheating. I'd just say be careful not to dry out spiral cut slices in the reheating.

Vergano Americano is the jam. My esteemed colleague Josh Loving employed it to great effect in the Campari Swizzle, which is 3/4 oz each of Americano, Rhum JM Blanc, Campari, Velvet Falernum, and lemon swizzled over crushed or finely cracked ice. One of the fast movers at Fino in the warmer months, and woe to us who had to crush ice to order in a Lewis Bag. Edit for punctuation and to add that the stuff is unfortunately not cost-friendly, which I'm sure has hindered its popularity.

Can't help you much except that I believe Suntory is it's own importer.

I made this Creole Pumpkin Soup w/ Andouille & Tasso fairly recently and it is one of the best things I have ever put in my mouth no lie. Used my homemade meats and a few changes to the recipe: pureed the veg with the soup (but not the meat) and added a touch of cream and a few dashes of red wine vinegar at the end. Sublime, and a superlative use for both pumpkins and Louisiana's finest pork products.

Can't offer much help on the Kummel but the Plymouth bottle isn't terribly old--the current design (which I find greatly wanting for several reasons compared to the one pictured) came out in mid-late 2007, as I recall. Maybe early 2008. At any rate the bottle pictured is more or less the way the Plymouth bottling and labelling had appeared at list since the late 19th century, though this one is clearly not particularly old. My understanding is that Plymouth began re-importing to the US sometime in the 2003-2005 time frame after an absence from the US market. Someone else may be able to offer more solid details.

Godiva is rather unlike the commonly held idea of what creme de cacao is. I'd say in general cacao is mostly dispensable (yes, I know, 20th Century) for the manufacture of what I'll call "good" cocktails. Unless you like pousse caffes, you won't miss a great variety of drinks by waiting til a quality example comes within reach. The 20th Century and Floridita (and their spawn) are justifiably highly regarded, but I think in the long term you'll find yourself reaching for the Cacao only slightly more frequently than, say, Kummel.

I must disagree with Mr. Sam in his assertion that punny drink names are a bad idea...if they are done right. My colleague at Fino is one with such a knack, although he doesn't always inflict them on the menu. In fact I got a message from him just last night, relating to me how he subbed Wray & Nepher OP for the Smith & Cross in the Savoy's Millionaire #1 recently rotated onto the menu), resulting in a "Slumdog Millionaire". He's also been responsible for such great names as the "Manhattan de la Mancha" (the restaurant is Spanish-influenced) and "Negroni, Please" and although he didn't come up with naming a cock-tail made with Wray & Nepher OP and rock candy syrup a "Kingston Crack Den" he was the first to see if it tasted good. Of course you have to be careful about the ones you unleash on the public...of the above only the Manhattan de la Mancha was so honored. Don't want anybody getting the idea that reading the cocktail menu is a series of groans.

That sounds like a local distribution issue. Among the options available to you is to a) build a good relationship with a liquor store owner/manager/employee and see if they will special order stuff for you, or b) buy Dolin Dry like many if not most folks did after trying it for the first time. 750 ml of dry vermouth isn't as excessive as it sounds, especially when you start drinking lots of vermouth cassis, enjoying it on the rocks, and using it for cooking.

Consider that while CocktailDB is a useful tool, the substitutions suggested are more or less guesses, and several have been pretty conclusively debunked (cf the extensive Hercules discussion on this very forum). The lack of citations on CocktailBD is a significant limiting factor to its current usefulness, in my opinion.

I wonder if Combier is trying to position itself as a more premium product at retail while being cost-competitive to bars. I haven't actually bought any at retail but from a cost perspective, at least locally, the Combier wins. And we like it a lot down here.

With that Blume Marillen, try a Culross--3/4 each of the BM, a dry aromatic white rum (Flor de Cana Extra Dry works) and Lillet or Cocchi Americano, plus 1/4 oz or so of lemon. Up. Wow.

Nothing wrong with either JW Red nor Glenlivet, though if you ever want to try drinks using a scotch rinse, you'll need to acquire an Islay malt.

Hah, or a "Let There Be Light" I may use that actually.

Try not to get too hung up on brand recs, Bushmills or whatever makes a fine Tipperary. In general, for Irish Whiskey, column still can be subbed for column, pot still for pot still--texture is usually the primary consideration. For SM Scotch, stay within the region of the brand recommended and while you may not get the same drink it should work ok. For American Whiskey, proof is usually the critical quality to get right when subbing out other brands. For Canadian, sub 90 proof American Rye

Worth every penny. The more recently available Combier is equally excellent in every way and a few bucks cheaper. Nothing wrong with Cointreau of course but more than a few bar folks I know and work with have found reason enough to switch to Combier and 86 the Cointreau.

Ah but it should be dry, as bracing as a Martini. You've glimpsed true greatness--try it sweeter if you must but then wait a week and try it like you had today again. It may well grow on you. And if not, drink it how you like

There's the Chartreuse Swizzle, a drink created by SF bartender Marco Dionysos (his member name here is cocktailgeek). At first glance it seems as if it would be too sweet, but it's very well balanced. And since the Chartreuse is the base spirit, it's a good way to gauge your interest in the liqueur. (Emphasis mine.) Isn't that like saying a Martini is the best way to gauge your interest in gin? How many potential gin drinkers has the world lost because the only gin drinks they knew were Martinis and gin and tonic, both of which taste like Christmas trees? In getting to know Chartreuse, I would recommend the Bijou. +1 on the Bijou, though to my taste the original version which is equal parts is more or less perfect. A little on the rich side perhaps, but hardly more so than a Negroni. Use a big boy gin like Beefeaters, none of that namby pamby lavender-cucumber-tarragon stuff.

Unlike Drambuie, which is unmistakably based on Scotch, I doubt "gin" is the first thing very many people think of when tasting Pimms by itself.

:laugh: Thanks. Now all I have to do is to get my DH to agree to eat anchovies, olives, and capers. I'm tellin' you, my wife is phobic of all of these as well, but she requests this frequently. Of course she doesn't mind salty stuff so maybe that's what wins her over. Dear Husband likes salty and so maybe I'll just make it without any announcements and see what happens. Good idea, just chop the olives small enough to be unrecognizable

Amsterdam?! Genever should be the order of the day! Swedish Punsch will be available to you in short order, but anything other than Bols or the forgettable Boomsma are unlikely to be imported anytime soon. And it's rather more versatile anyway.

:laugh: Thanks. Now all I have to do is to get my DH to agree to eat anchovies, olives, and capers. I'm tellin' you, my wife is phobic of all of these as well, but she requests this frequently. Of course she doesn't mind salty stuff so maybe that's what wins her over.

My favorite version comes from Saveur Cooks Authentic Italian, and goes something like this: Heat 1/4 cup of olive oil, add a couple of cloves of minced garlic and about 4 anchovy filets minced and sautee til the anchovy begins to "melt"--about 20-30 seconds. Add a 28 oz can of drained diced plum tomatoes, a cup of pitted and olives (mix of black and green, or as you prefer), a couple of tbs of capers, a pinch or two of red pepper flakes, and salt. Cook for about 5 min to get everything happy. In the meantime you have cleverly been boiling water in which you should now cook a pound of spaghetti or other favorite pasta shape al dente, then toss with cooked and drained pasta. Be generous with the Parmagiano on the individual servings. Lots of savory, salty goodness going on here.

Eh, the art side of the ritual is frequently worth offending. You are right to question it.

The Bitter Mai Tai might be one of the best drinks I've had all year, but Campus Five is right - it needs some extra dilution to help tame all the aggressive, rich flavors going on. Another excellent drink to try with Smith & Cross and Campari is the Kingston Negroni from Death and Company - equal parts S&C, Campari, and sweet vermouth, stir, strain into rocks glass over ice, orange twist. Perhaps I have a weird predilection towards that that combo, but that drink also really does it for me. Buddy of mine did that same drink with Bonal. Called it "Negroni, Please". Winner.

To my understanding and experience, the most precise way to dilute absinthe is not by ratio, but by watching the slow drip and waiting for the clear layer that floats above the louche to disappear. The rate at which this happens supposedly varies between brands and is a good indicator that proper dilution has been achieved. My personal experiences have not contradicted this. If you pour water in at some relatively arbitrary ratio all at once, the layering effect is destroyed and so you kind of have to guess or be satisfied to taste and add. Think of it like baking bread--the best bakers don't measure everything by grams and just go--they pay attention to the feel of the dough and add a little more flour or water as the case may be to compensate for the strength of starter, humidity, whatever. They are going for a precise effect, not a precise recipe. All of which is not to say that just pouring water in quickly to an arbitrary dilution will ruin the experience or flavor or something, any more than following a bread recipe by measuring on a scale will yield crappy bread. It's just that the other way is subtly but noticeably more satisfying on a few different levels.