Tri2Cook

Good point. Now I just need to think of a way to use it. I haven't really ventured into the creating aspect of drinks and cocktails yet and I don't even know if this is something that is worth working with in the first place.

I have a possibly strange question. My gf has a small still-sealed container of Pruneaux that looks to contain about 1 oz of the liqueur and a whole prune. She says shes had it for at least 20 years but isn't saving it for any particular reason. What I want to know is, is it likely to be safe for consumption? I wouldn't be worried about the booze being a problem but with it also containing an actual prune I'm a tiny bit cautious. I don't have an actual use for it at this time but curiosity is nagging at me.

Well, my chances of picking the winner correctly just got reduced by half.

I wasn't... but I might be now. Thanks!

I think those unfamiliar with some areas in Vancouver are missing what he's politely keeping low-key in his posts. An overdosed junkie or a customer accidently getting stabbed with a dirty needle are legitimate concerns.

I made a large batch of limoncello and some house-spiced rum. I'm aging some eggnog I made with the rum and some bourbon and brandy, using some of the limoncello to make crema di limoncello and making a batch of advocaat. I'm going to give a set of a bottle of each to a few select people on my list.

Citric acid is cheap and a very little goes a long way. Malic acid is a little more expensive but still cheap based on the tiny amount needed to do the job. I'm wondering if you could profile acidity in a simple syrup (or even just water if you didn't want to add sweetness) to match that of an apple. It would be predominantly malic acid. If I remember correctly, it's something like 4.5:1 malic to citric.

There is no wrong... only likes and dislikes.

Thank you sir. That's encouraging to hear.

Agricole Haven't found an option for one of those through the LCBO.

So far my rum shelf includes Appleton V/X, Appleton White, Flor de Cana 7 year, Mount Gay Extra Old, Pusser's Navy, Gosling's Black Seal, El Dorado 12 year, Havana Club Anejo Blanco, Havana Club Anejo Reserva, Havana Club Anejo 7, Wray and Nephew Overproof and a bottle of Appleton V/X that I house-spiced just to have a spiced rum on the shelf. I realize this doesn't include any high-end expensive or really old rums and what the LCBO carries limits what it's possible to get (for example, the only 151 available is Bacardi and the only whites available besides the ones I already have are Bacardi and Captain Morgan). I'm wondering if this covers things pretty well for a start-up home cocktail bar. Are there some blatant omissions? Are there some blatant redundancies? I'm not concerned with $300 25 year olds and things of that nature and I know there are personal preferences that are going to differ from what I have I just want to have a decent range for mixing various drinks.

Managed to get a couple bottles of the Sazerac 6 year through the local LCBO. I realize it's not the top of the pile for the rye aficionados but it's not a bad score for remote northwest Ontario Canada. I'm happy to have it in the cabinet.

I would guess the answer to that would be yes... eventually. I'm not sure how much it contributes in the amount of time it takes to work ones way through a drink though. I'm curious now, I'd hate to think I've been doing my drinks a disservice by not tossing them in. I think I need to find out.

I was hoping decoration was the only reason to toss it in after twisting because I very rarely bother when making drinks for myself. I have nothing against adornment and usually do when I have guests but I don't need it to be decorated for my personal enjoyment.

Continuing to explore before I attempt to create, tonight was a Satan's Whiskers. I kinda get the name, a bit strong and the hefty dose of bitters gives it an evil edge.

Since most adjustments to scaling up cake recipes seem to involve the leavening based on pan size, if you're not doing a very large number of pieces you could just mix up a large batch and bake it in the same size pans the recipe calls for. To be honest though, I've never run into any problems scaling cake recipes up and baking in larger pans without adjusting leavening. I know RLB swears by it and I'm not in a position to be the one to argue against it but I don't bother. Just keep track of the bake time on the first run in larger pans and the rest should be fine.

Yeah, I don't mind elderflower at all. There's an elderflower soda or flavored water or something available locally that I buy now and then. I see a lot of drinks that call for the St. Germain but, since it's never been available where I live, I've never tasted those drinks so I thought I'd rely on eGullet wisdom. A lot of my booze decisions have been altered for the better by reading and asking questions here because many things are unavailable locally and I have to order based on what I can learn without tasting.

Sorry, nothing to offer. I don't do sticky toffee pudding at the restaurant. I've done it for catering jobs when doing dinners for the various entertainers that pass through town as part of the local entertainment series but never needed it in large enough quantities to worry about scaling it or needed it frequently enough to worry about standardizing it to a consistent recipe. If you have a recipe you like, it should be a pretty simple matter to multiply it then scale out the measured ingredients and monitor the bake time the first time through. After that, you'll have your notes for future production.

As of yesterday, St. Germain has become available in Ontario. Apparently a 300 case initial allotment. I'll have to order it through the local LCBO as it's a Vintages item and there are no Vintages stores anywhere close to where I live. Since I'm completely unfamiliar with this but see the name come up a lot, is it something I want in my cabinet bad enough that I should jump on ordering it?

What he said.

I always have white and dark creme de cacao on hand for pastry work so I use those in cocktails as well. Never tried anything else and probably won't anytime soon.

Since I did the 20th and 19th Centuries it seemed like a good idea to knock out the final riff on the drink (that I'm aware of) tonight with the 21st Century. I think it was my least favorite of the three but it went down a lot easier than I thought it would looking at the recipe. I definitely didn't hate it.

Since I went with the 20th Century last night, I thought it would be fun to stay on that theme and check out the riffs on it. So tonight was the 19th Century. I'm a huge fan of gin-based drinks but, at the risk of having people throw their olives and lemon twists at me, I think I may have enjoyed the 19th just slightly more than the 20th. I'll have to try the 20th again to be sure...

Thanks Chris. I hope my lack of knowledge regarding cocktails isn't too annoying for everybody. I don't make a big deal of my birthday so tonight I stayed home and, in lieu of b'day cake, I had a 20th Century. I really enjoyed it.

Ok, that's exactly what I used except I used 1/2 oz. maraschino (1 part to the gin's 2 oz. being 4 parts). I guess a little goes a long way with maraschino. I'll do the next one with 1/4 oz.