thirtyoneknots

The ginger and Tequila angle works quite well, I was doing a 'short drink' version of the Diablo a while back at work, using my ginger ale syrup (used soda-fountain style to make ginger ale for mixing). It went something like this: Little Devil 1.5 oz El Jimador Blanco 1/2 oz Ginger ale syrup (Sub Canton) 3/4 oz lime barspoon Brizzard Cassis Shake and strain into cocktail glass. You may have to fiddle with the preportions a bit, Canton is a little sweeter and hotter than my syrup, but the flavor combo definitely works.

You can never do wrong mixing anything ginger with rye or bourbon.

If by "it" you mean honey syrup the answer is yes: Jeff Berry has many recipes calling for honey or honey mix (ie, syrup) in his books. Most notable of these in my estimation is the Navy Grog and its variations. Honey mix/syrup can (and should) always be subbed in any iced drinks calling for honey, just be aware of the preportions used to prepare it and adapt accordingly.

Yes rich typically means syrup made at a higher saturation level and often refers to the syrup having been made with a more flavorful sugar as well, such as a Demerara or Turbinado sugar. Honey syrup is honey that has had water added, either equal parts or 2:1 to make it pour and mix easier. NB 2:1 honey syrup has sweetness comparable to 1:1 simple syrup.

My hunch/educated guess on the coupe (lovely Marie Antoinette fable notwithstanding) is that they are a relic of a time when gas in wine was seen as a flaw--Dom Perignon devoted his life to trying to rid Champagne wines of their bubbles--and so the coupe shape originally facilitated the release of the CO_2. Once the winemakers of Champagne improved the clarity of their wines (Mme Clicquot pioneered the process of remuage, which removes the yeasts from the bottles) and figured out how to market them in the right way to the right people (the Czars of Russia were early adopters), the bubbles became the reason why Champagne was cool and different. Then it took another century and a half to optimize the glass shape to retain the bubbles, but thats nothing compared to the hundreds of years the Champenoise stood frustrated in the shadow of their Burgundian neighbors, always trying to improve their wines to the same standard. Sometimes it's just about figuring out what you do best rather than trying to beat someone else at their own game. Not sure how much of that is actually tied to the glass shape tradition but it has long been my assumption.

I did a toddy like this at work some time back with cognac, orchard apricot, honey, green tea, and lemon wedge. Just the thing.

Adding water to a drink is often a signal that the drink is or is inspired by/derived from the Old Days, when Punch was the most popular category of mixed drink. Unlike Cocktails, where dilution is undesireable, the strong flavors of punch take well to mellowing with water. Not to mention that people were generally drinking literally all day long back then and so mitigating the potency of the spirits (cask strength, of course) was a plus. Toby's drink definitely shows itself as a descendant of the hot punches of Jerry Thomas' time.

Yeah Junipero is a notable exception to the otherwise very upsetting trend. On the one hand, gin comsumption is up, which is on principle a positive. On the other hand, many of these new brands accounting for that consumption are hardly worthy of the G word, their flavors are so mild. Many of them have their own merits, but I don't think of them as products that most gin lovers go out of their way to acquire. In a related note, I've read before that the Plymouth we get today may or may not necessarily resemble the Plymouth of yore. I know the proof is different, but I often wonder if the old stuff was appreciably different in any other way. So many recipes back then specify it that it makes one wonder, though I wouldn't consider modern Plymouth to be so distinctive from a London Dry that you couldn't substitute one for the other with confidence.

PDT used to do one too, with Blackstrap Rum, chocolate stout, and a whole egg. I'm sure I don't need to tell you it was divine. Yeah Bobby was telling me how they spent a whole afternoon trying out flip combos and that one was most awesome. They then discovered that PDT had done virtually the exact same drink. Great minds and all that...

I didn't get to it last time I was there, but Anvil in Houston is currently doing a Stout Flip with Blackstrap Rum that came highly recommended. Hopefully I can make it back before the menu changes to try it.

Yeah, I'm with you there. I made some last spring and haven't used it much since. Apart from having a peculiar flavor I found that the resulting syrup was so thick as to have trouble pouring and mixing it into spirits. I always have to stir quite throughly all the liquid ingredients together before adding ice, lest I end up with a puddle of goo in the bottom of the mixing glass and little to no sweetener in my drink.

Never heard of it but that sounds awesome, I'll have to keep an eye out.

Not to mention they give the Anejo Highball as a Tequila drink.

Just to show how the old is new again, Audrey Saunders has a drink I love called "Goodnight Irene" dating from some years ago. It's 2 parts bourbon and 1 part Branca Menta on crushed ice. Definitely related to the Stinger -- but way, way better. Yeah that drink was what initially called my attention to the product and why I was seeking it out. Unfortunately at least 12 other people were, too, and I wasn't quick enough.

Yeah I was kind of kidding, these kinds of drinks defy categorization in the 19th century paradigm. I've only seen Branca Menta for sale once in TX and when I went back it wasn't there, otherwise I'd be giving that one a try. Looks like a Stinger for some evil supervillain.

Classically, wouldn't that make this a Cynar Cock-tail? (Julep - mint = sling + bitters = cock-tail).

I made the drink tonight with 2/3rds lemon hart 80 proof, 1/3 wray and nephew. Probably silly, but very enjoyable. Really wish I could find a way to get the lemon hart OP in texas. Where in Texas are you? If you are in or around Houston I could possibly direct you to some...PM if interested.

OT but a tip on the siphon: fill it with water that is already fizzy, then charge it with a cartridge. Might seem sort of self-defeating, but you can still preserve the bubbles in your water for months unlike just opening a bottle. If you are starting with still water and trying to carbonate it it is going to take at least 3 cartridges to get any appreciable level of fizz, which can get expensive. I like to use Perrier but as an economy measure switched to a generic seltzer last summer and in a mixed drink the difference is not huge.

Except that Pama lacks the sweetness and concentration of flavor (and color) that one gets in good grenadine. The Negroni idea is interesting, but my experiments with it left me convinced it was worthless.

You mean it's no longer "Seven Summers Old"? That is ominous. Last year I had someone bring me back a bottle Pikesville Rye from Maryland (I know it's not made there, but I figured that they should be able to easily find it there), and it's my understanding that it used to be aged 4 years, but this bottle is clearly marked "This whiskey is 3 years old." I don't think I like this trend. I hope distillers aren't rushing to get product onto the shelves and cutting time off the aging process. Correct. As far as I could tell from a thorough examination of the label, there is no reference to the age of the liquor. Strangely the standard entry level Weller has also changed bottles (to the same shape as this one--both like the bottle for the 12 yr) and it still sports the 7 yr age statement. Hopefully this is my imagination saying it tastes different because I too have found the recent trend in dropping age statements to be more than a little alarming.

Haha point well taken, I need to hear that kind of thing more often. I just remembered that I actually have a minifridge sitting unused in the garage...this could become my 'confit cellar' I suppose, and any I give away I will caution to keep refrigerated. Thanks for the advice folks...pork shoulder is 67 cents/lb down the street right now so I think it's time to get a little crazy.

While I'm a frequent participant in the Cocktail forum here, I would normally describe my participation in the rest of eGullet as "dedicated lurking". The issue at hand, however, is of such import that I figured it would be best to ask a direct question rather than rely on the indirect information on the subject I have uncovered. Recently I became slightly obsessed with making confit. Duck legs and lamb shanks are both in the queue, but I have already completed projects with chicken legs (in a mix of shmalz and home-rendered lard) as a way to explore the concept on a budget, and pork shoulder in lard as another cheap way to experiment and broaden my horizons with the technique. I also began getting into sausage making around the same time and have since read much about canning and so as you might expect I've had a lot of recent exposure to information and warnings about botulism. The warnings on things like confit have been relatively oblique, however. My fiancee and I are planning to make gift baskets for friends and family containing a variety of homemade food items and pork confit was to be part of this ensemble due to its low cost of production and high level of deliciousness. But while I'm cavalier about health risks to myself at times the last thing I want to do is give my friends and family botulism. The fabulous duck confit thread gives cursory info on canning of confit, implying that it can then be stored at room temperature. As I have read that pressure canning has an adverse effect on confitted meat, I assume that a stronger (ie saltier) cure is in order if one plans to do something like this. My plan is merely to allow the meat to be stored in the long term at refrigerator temperatures, but this seems like it would be an ideal environment for botulism development, particularly in recipes with garlic and/or onions. I admit that Ms. Wolfert's recommendation of 22 g of salt/lb of (bone-in?) meat is far more than I have used in either of my initial attempts (ok, I didn't measure with any sort if precision on the first go 'round). Is this the safe amount of salt to use in the cure to prevent the growth of botulism? Does a longer cure time help? Am I obsessing over nothing? There don't really seem to be any reports of people getting sick from confit, but it is hardly a kitchen staple in the English-speaking world so that doesn't rule anything out. Anyone have any good information about this? -Andy

If only that order were a guarantee of a decent drink! My trials with trying to order Rob Roys are only marginally less grim than with Manhattan attempts. I gave up on ordering either in >95% of all drinking establishments long ago.

I guess I go through bitters fast enough that I haven't really noticed that kind of thing before--very interesting. I'd imagine it is a side effect of the volatile compounds evaporating over time, and/or oxidation.

What he said, though I'm partial to this kind of thing on the rocks. No olives for me.