thirtyoneknots

That seems like an opportunity to ask, "14 different ones, so what do you like?" Bump 'em up to something better (and pricier) with a targeted suggestion, and cut down on the annoyance at the same time. Yes. The names of 14 unfamiliar beers is intimidating and offers little to help guide a choice, especially to someone who is willing to settle for Bud Light in the first place (unlikely to be well-versed in beer). In the face of so much uncertainty, they will pick the safe choice, almost every time. This doesn't just go for draft beer, either--there is a certain group of folks who react that way to any kind of menu choice ("Gimme a Cab" or "I'll take the Ribeye").

If you think of the word brilliant in it's original meaning of shining (as in a brilliant star) then it makes sense. It's still a metaphor, I suppose, unless the food is actually on fire (or reflective) but not something to get worked up about. I think people call canned tuna "tuna fish" because it is so far removed from the flavor of fresh tuna as to need some clarification regarding what type of beast is being consumed. gak. Particularly relevant in places where tuna is not a native species. Local is a tricky one I think. I have worked in places where produce was implied to be or labelled as "local" because it came from within the state borders. That might be ok in some parts of the country, but when some of the produce is coming from the Panhandle and some of it from the [Rio Grande] Valley, it's kind of pointless--I mean in Europe you'd be getting those items from different countries if they were produced that far apart. So I guess since the word has no fixed meaning it is open to abuse, and to be honest I have a whole host of other issues with it but that's for another time and place. The word 'Foodie' deserves to die. I prefer Gastronaut

I don't think so Chris. It was still pretty softened even after a night in the freezer. I think I'll change the instructions to just spoon into a small container and freeze and use a spoonful instead of a slice. It wouldn't hold up to slicing already... Sounds like too much air got beaten into it...I'd just mix it by hand in the future if the softness is a problem.

That is a fascinating flavor combo, at least on paper. I wonder if something in the Vieux Carre vein could be managed with OP rum and Mezcal...if I had any Mezcal I'd be very tempted to go try it myself right now. Edited because while Mezcal is from Mexico there's no such thing as Mexcal. wow, OP rum and mezcal vieux carre... hmmm. i can't metabolize that until tomorrow. I dig the Goslings but I'd think Wray & Nephew or Smith & Cross would be the order of the day here.

That is a fascinating flavor combo, at least on paper. I wonder if something in the Vieux Carre vein could be managed with OP rum and Mezcal...if I had any Mezcal I'd be very tempted to go try it myself right now. Edited because while Mezcal is from Mexico there's no such thing as Mexcal.

Whiskey Sours with passionfruit components were getting mentioned quite a bit some time back in British circles so it may indeed be worth investigating.

I'd be tempted to do two of each: a Bowl of (Fish House) Punch, and then a glass of punch--Jerry Thomas' Brandy Punch and Knickerbocker Punch are both indespensable in my book. Then do a Hot (T&J) eggnog as well as a normal cold one. Traditional Champagne cocktail can be made to show what perfection tastes like then (if I understand you right) your idea to let everyone try their own hand at making would be awesome. That's a lot of drinks though

I'll second that. While not necessary (or, as far as I know, historical), a dash of orange bitters does no harm here.

Jerry Thomas and his contemporaries might disagree. The very earliest Manhattan Recipes tend to include Maraschino as often as they don't.

Red Hook technically a Brooklyn variation though

Far and away it weould have to be the McKinley's Delight, aka Remember the Maine, from Charles Baker. To your 3:1 Manhattan (100 proof whiskey, please) add a quarter ounce of Cherry Heering and a half barspoon or so of Absinthe. If you ask me, this is the only Manhattan variation that can actually compete with the original.

So I bought a new bottle of Weller's 107 (one of my very favorite whiskies) yesterday and the label and bottle are both new--more in line with the design of the 12 year (the bottle is identical). One thing I noticed when I got home with it though is that there is now no age statement declared on the label--a trend in Bourbon I am definitely not in favor of. I remember last year (I think) the standard Weller was unavailable locally for a couple of months due to the distillery being unwilling to compromise on the age statement. I wonder if they have abandoned this stance, or if they just couldn't find room on the new label. Anyone know anything about this?

The purpose of using bags for irregularly-shaped food items is clear, but is there a purpose to using them in a primarily liquid infusion? Why not just toss the solids in the bottle of hooch (or other glass jar) and immerse the whole thing in the water bath? I rather suspect that the peculiar flavors being picked up without an infusing solid may be from the bag itself--140F is well within the realm of what can be achieved in a vehicle in a Texas summer, and while I try to avoid subjecting my liquor to that kind of stress, I've never actually noticed any adverse effects on spirits. Wine of course is another matter entirely.

I would say it depends on how motivated the crowd is for tippling in general. As I said upthread, I've burned through a full bowl of Fish House Punch in about 2 hours with just 6 people before but that was a rather exceptional night. In general I try to err slightly to the side of too much, since the stuff holds up ok in a jug in the fridge for a couple of days afterwards. Not as good as the first day but so long as there were no fizzy components it shouldn't suffer too much. The rule of thumb in most sources seems to be that a bowl (10-12 qts with ice block) of punch serves 12-15. One thing I have done for parties and catering before is have everything pre-measured, prepared, and pre-chilled--juice, booze, water, and even the oleo-saccharum can be made as a kind of syrup ahead of time--and then if you run out and feel the need to recharge, just pour it all in the bowl with a fresh ice block (or maybe your first block is still usable). If you don't need it, the only waste is the juice; everything else can be saved for next time.

Kent, I'm curious what punch recipes you have that fit in a 4 qt bowl with ice? Do you just scale down recipes for very small crowds? I've gone through a bowl of Fish House Punch with 5 other people in under two hours before without even trying, such a small bowl as that seems like you'd have to be refilling it all the time. Though I guess I can see the appeal for eggnog.

I'm definitely going to be making a point of using that tonight at work.

Can anyone offer insight as to what a "bumper" is? Is it a quantity? A type of glass? Something else entirely? To pick up on Chris's question above, I'm planning on making punch for our Christmas party this year, but I have two overriding problems right now: 1) I can't decide what kind of punch to make. I'm thinking of doing a basic rum/cognac/lemon juice/tea punch (David's "Bowl of Punch" in Killer Cocktails) or the Carousel Punch in the November/December issue of Imbibe magazine (despite the expense of Calvados). Which brings me to problem 2) I don't have a punch bowl. Any advice on what to look for in buying one? Mostly what I've seen around here is cheap glass with - yuck - a plastic ladle. Please tell me there's something in the middle ground between Walmart and Lalique. There's always ebay of course, though for the types of punches favored around these parts, you'll need something larger than what is typical out there--at least 10 qts. If it doesn't specify the quantity or look rather large in the photo, it's probably not big enough. 5-7 qts seems to be the typical range though clearly that's for ginger ale and sherbert, not what we're discussing here. You might also check in on party rental places, sometimes they sell their older stock that is too scratched up or whatever for use. Thats where I got this one, which that link shows as out of stock but was well over $100 when I last looked it up. Paid $25 for it I think, with the ladle. Before I had that I used a cheap plastic punchbowl off of ebay, which last time I was looking at that kind of thing, could be had in a pack of 6 for under $40. It's not the most elegant solution but it holds punch.

It's not a perfect analogy but I think it conveys the idea, though we are discussing an advancement of art rather than technology. Maybe more to the point would be to ask why the bittered sour couldn't go back to the early 18th century? Both Punch and Stroughton's were popular beverages at the time. But no one is suggesting that--we are all in basic agreement that the combination of citrus, bitters, and liquor in any form was popularized no earlier than the 1850s. Someone had to make an innovation. Why is it then such a stretch once we have accepted all of this to accept that an actual sour with bitters (as opposed to citrus-accented cock-tail) would be another innovation that had to be made? Obvious connections often only seem so in hindsight. All that said though, you may be on to something: without some documentation though we can't say with any sort of certainty. What we do have documentation of though is a preponderance of recipes for Sours that do not include any bitters. From this I would conclude that at best, the bittered Sour was exceedingly uncommon in the pre-prohibition era, if not alltogether unheard-of. If only they knew what they'd been missing though--I'm particularly a fan of the way Anvil in Houston does theirs: Buffalo Trace Sour with an eggwhite and a misting of Angostura from an aerosol can over the top. Marvellous.

I don't agree that it's counterproductive in the slightest as there was a drink containing whisk(e)y, lemon juice and bitters in existence (albeit it also contained curacao). Except that is wasn't a sour (citrus is the primary accent), it was a cocktail (bitters are the primary accent). In a day where a Crown and Coke is considered by many a "cocktail" it is important to remember that the term once had a very strict definition (which we all know, of course--I have not been trying to imply any ignorance on anyone's part) and there does not seem to have been a lot of crossover, at least until the turn of the 20th century. Is there any documentation of a pre-prohibition whiskey sour with bitters (excepting the Crusta)? For that matter, was the Crusta even a popular drink in the post Civil War era, or was it just a favorite of JT? I am not saying it is impossible, I'm just saying that as a historian by education, I think it is dangerous to say that you "must assume" that something was done simply because the means existed unless you have documentation. It would be akin to saying that there must have been steam-powered industry in Ancient Rome since they knew how to work iron and boil water, and were accomplished engineers.

Jerry Thomas clearly views the Crusta as derived from the Cock-tail though, not as a sour. I'm more than aware of the correlation, especially when it comes to Jerry Thomas , but the point I was making is that the only difference between a sour (with bitters - i.e the drink in question) and a cock-tail is the addition of lemon juice. It's really hard for me to believe that it took over 100 years for someone to add lemon juice to a cocktail, even more so when you consider the crusta essentially fills the gap between the two drinks. Except when you consider that right up to the turn of the century at least, a cocktail had bitters by definition, and so adding them to a punch-derived beverage would be more counterintuitive in the contemporary zeitgeist than our hindsight might suggest. My research is far from comprehensive but recipes containing both bitters and citrus enough to create any impression of acid on the palate do not seem to appear til around WW1 at the earliest. Even the Pegu Club, my vote for spiritual descendant of the Crusta, has only a tsp of juice in it's earliest known recipe (and its Roses! iirc). I just think it's counterproductive to project our own experiences and preferences onto our predecessors...the wheel seems obvious now, but was a huge innovation when it appeared.

I just crush the spices, toss them into the syrup as it comes to a simmer, simmer a couple of minutes then cover and remove from heat. Let it sit a few hours then strain and bottle. It lasts a few months at least in the walk-in, I make big batches at once since the flavor improves over time.

Since this is bumped, I thought I'd take the opportunity to ask what the status of the Creme Yvette revival is. Last I'd heard it was supposed to be out this year, though they'd better hurry if they want to make that happen. Anyone know the story?

Jerry Thomas clearly views the Crusta as derived from the Cock-tail though, not as a sour.

You may or may not be able to tell the difference but hitting a higher proof with the end result will be easier if you start with higher proof. If you're using 80 proof I'd recommend increasing your infusion time accordingly.

If the rum is of a Jamaican-style (which all info I've seen on IC indicates it is) then you should be fine. I generally shoot for around 50-60 proof in the finished product.