misterdyer

adegiulio~ If you would prefer your cocktail stirred in the proper fashion, I heartily recommend heading up Van Brunt, take a right on Atlantic, and then a left on Hicks, ending your journey where that particular avenue meets Cranberry St. Then belly up to the bar. (Full disclosure: You may see my ugly mug behind the hickory.)

When it comes to things that are "pretty, the right size, AND shaped like a breast," then naturally, the only thing better would be a matched pair.

The answer to your question seems relatively easy. While you might be making three cocktails in an evening at home, I might be making 150 in an evening at work. And while I would love to have a dedicated closed-top refrigerated ice system, the reality is that I need continuous access to my ice bin in order to keep up with the bar volume. As result, my ice at home will always be colder than it is at work. You're certainly right about the Pegu having the only dedicated mixing glass and glassware freezer around. I credit that to it's bar being designed by someone like Audrey, who knows how to create a cocktail-centric working bar environment. Unfortunately, most bar areas are built out by an architect, or non-bartending restaurant people, or (in the case of my bar) the chef. Eh, whaddayagonnado? I'm hoping this year Santa brings me a glass freezer and a Kold-Draft machine too. I promise to be very good this year.

Mitch~ I'm keeping bar at Jack the Horse Tavern, 66 Hicks St, in Brooklyn Heights. Humble lil' joint with fair to middlin' cocktails. Kerry~ The process as I learned it was to pour the Campari into a shallow baking sheet, then slowly bake in the oven at low, low, low heat. The Campari eventually loses its water and alcohol, and solidifies. Then it's simply a matter of scraping the solid Campari "brick" off the baking sheet, crushing it into a powder, and enjoying a cocktail. However, the revised process that Donbert came up with is much more efficient. And, yes, I am having trouble with sweeter liquids. The oven process doesn't work with Cointreau - it only caramelizes it. I also failed with MB Apry and Belle de Brillet. At that point, my wallet climbed out of my back pocket, looked me dead in the eye, and in a stern voice (which echoed throughout its cavernous and near-empty bill compartment) told me to quit experimenting on expensive liqueurs. I obeyed.

Del is keeping the bar at Alexandra in the West Village. 455 Hudson St. (Barrow & Morton Sts.) 212-255-3838.

I imagine that this is the right topic for which to emerge from the shadows of the back bar and make my first post. I've been dehydrating and de-boozing Campari since February, when I found an Aussie barkeep on Drinkboy that had been experimenting with it. Inspired, I started playing around with it, only to find that baking Campari is an all night affair. Enter Don, and his microwave-and-silpat solution. Ahhh, what a remedy. Thank you, Don -- I owe you a drink or two for the time saved. I've been using the Campari powder as a rim on a bastardized Tailspin/Bijou variation that has been popular in my bar: Rope on Fire 1 3/4 Plymouth gin 3/4 Chartreuse Green 3/4 Sweet Vermouth 2 dashes ROB #6 Moisten rim of cocktail glass with grapefruit slice, dip into Campari powder, stir, strain, smile. I've also had some limited success powderizing (yes, I conjugated it into a verb) Torani Amer, Yellow Chartreuse, Peychaud's, Herbsaint, Maraschino, and Canton Ginger.