notahumanissue

come between 6-7 to guarantee a table. we have four tables that can accommodate you -- shouldn't be a problem. that said, there can be strange nights when the place is packed right away....

I generally use the JT bitter truth as an accent in something like an Improved cocktail -- that is, using angostura as a base bitter, and then a couple small dashes of JT to add that certain bitter truth complexity. The bitter truth aromatic bitters are one of my favorites, and i've used them for cocktails on a couple of lists. That being said, I would caution everyone against getting too attached when it comes to a bar or restaurant's list: the flavor profile is so specific that when you run out and can't source more (and you probably will), finding a suitable replacement is almost impossible. Still love 'em, though, and they sure as hell ain't going off my A&D list.

Yeah, there are some serious bugs in the online quizzes. Not only were there questions that didn't have answers in the study guide, often there would be questions from other chapters.

I really like the lux. bitter as an accent. Currently using it at Allen and Delancey in a house cocktail: Jalisco Trail no. 1 2 oz Herradura Silver 0.75 oz accacia honey syrup (2:1) 0.75 oz lime juice 1 dash angostura rinse cocktail glass w/ luxardo bitter. i generally explain luxardo as a midpoint between aperol and campari -- as far as bitterness.

I've heard rumors that Allen and Delancey has a good bar program these days....

Those Nick and Nora's look like Minners. If you plan to buy more than a couple, go through them directly (waaaaaaaaay cheaper). http://www.minners.com/index.htm The website is crap, but you should go by their showroom.

Ah, ok. I've always been under the impression that bringing sucrose and water (1:1) to a boil for any length of time would break things up into mostly fructose and glucose, with a bit of sucrose left. I guess it's been awhile since i've thumbed through the sugar section in McGee...

Isn't this making an invert sugar, Sam?

There are so many issues with this menu. For me, it's just another example of a bar program surpassing fundamentals for pop flavors: rosewater and cucumber with hendricks gin (and a rosewater sugar rim), rosemary, vanilla, basic molecular (sodium alginate, i can only guess) and more rimming than any bartender should ever be subjected to. Everything shouts "look at me! im full of flavor! i won't taste anything like my base spirit!" Not to poo-poo too much, but all goes to show that the naming of their cocktails can't really be held up to classical rigor.

one man's proper chill is another man's tepid mess. sam can certainly walk through the thermodynamics of the situation, but if you use a chilled mixing glass, you better stir for a longer period of time to get adequate dilution. your end result will be much, much colder than if using room temperature glass. -a

I'd love to try this one. Can I sub Punta Mes or Ramazzoti for the amaro? ← It's gonna be very different with Ramazzotti (let alone Punt e Mes...), but you can try it. Seriously, find some Nonino -- besides Sherry, it's my favorite thing in the world right now.... -alex

Sweet and Vicious 2 oz old overholt rye 0.5 oz amaro nonino 0.5 oz noilly prat dry 1 tsp grade b maple syrup 2 thin slices fuji apple. *lightly muddle (just barely break the meat) fuji apple slices with maple syrup. Add ingredients and cracked ice. Stir, strain into cocktail glass. Garnish with thin slice of fuji apple. -alex

Replacing what we currently have with what has been labeled an "original" formula. I'm not impressed by it one little bit. -allex

i wanted to get a kold draft for the restaurant. it seems like we can afford it and our current budget machine breaks down constantly. but the kitchen who probably uses the majority of the ice doesn't want large cubes. is kold draft only for cocktails or can it also make my kitchen happy? anyone have experience using it in the BOH? ← That is sort of my biggest roadblock to selling the chef on Kold-Draft as well, which is why I've been trying to find some endorsements for commercial ice crushers. Alternately, about how big are the small end of KD machines? Are they intended to replace a standard ice well in size? And if that is the case, what is the approx price for those machines? ← The one i just installed is at Allen and Delancey in NYC. Very food-focused restaurant with almost zero space. I had to get a machine that would fit the old machine's spot (smaller than i wanted), but then opted for a larger bin so that it could accumulate ice. Everyone is happy. I have heard nothing but compliments come from the kitchen for the denser ice.

From what I understand the Hoshizaki available in the US is VERY different from that in the UK and Japan. If you spend some time in London, you'll notice cubes very similar to our Kold Draft -- these are Hoshizaki cubes. They don't offer these machines here. Just to echo earlier responses: Kold Draft is the ONLY feasible option outside a totally dedicated large ice program. If you're doing any sort of volume, even then KD is the answer. I recently installed a 400lb machine with a large bin...i'm very happy with the consistency of the ice and the quick response of technicians if ever the cubes are less than perfect.

As someone who does this type of thing from time to time, my biggest suggestion is to limit your options: 4 batched drinks with some other booze/vermouth/juice on the bar veer off your menu when you're not slammed. Only a few of the people at your party will order a Manhattan/Martini -- making it on the spot adds a little theater, can cook while you shake up a bunch of batched drinks, and above all is easy as pie. If you're gonna be serving these drinks quick and in volume, you better have rinse and dump sinks very close by or your life will be hell. This is usually my biggest pet peeve with off-premise work...those tins get gnarly in no time.

Isn't the real struggle and nuance for a monkey gland the grenadine? Boiled down pomegranate with sugar is one way, but there are so many beautiful variations (just ask Toby...his is adorable). Personally, i hated this drink until a coworker reworked it with our house grenadine.

His name is Naren Young.

...Southside Royale?

This strikes me as unlikely. Are they using Kold Draft cubes? ← Yes, Elettaria has kold draft and crushed ice. Maybe the gentleman from Bloomberg is a little confused, or perhaps uneducated, in the use of crushed ice for tiki drinks. My guess is he saw bartenders shaking hard for drinks served up or on fresh kold draft ice, and didn't notice that drinks served over crushed ice were shaken with only two cubes. But so goes the inadequacies of those who critique with little knowledge of what they're talking about.

You're a saint.

Yes indeed. Serves me right for not paying attention. Sorry about that.

Also, take visual note of your ice in both cases. Should you have finely cracked the stirred ice, creating more surface area, your drink would have gotten a lot colder in that 30 seconds of stirring. When shaking with the freezer ice, you're not only adding bubbles, you're also breaking it apart and adding more surface area to do all that thermal equilibrium business -- Mr. Kinsey has written extensively about the process. This is generally why your stir/shake times vary depending on the size of ice used. Larger ice, generally a longer stir/shake. Smaller, less time needed.

Since my first post in May, I've become pretty obsessed with egg white cocktails. The best way to get a good seal is to use an 18-ounce, inward-beveled cheater tin (like this one from BarSupplies.com). This, with a large tin, makes a really good seal that is perfect for egg whites or any messy drink -- singapore sling being a nasty bit of business itself.

Does it really matter? Naming a drink is excruciating, and if you're doing a "riff" on something, it seems to make a lot of sense to somehow pay homage to the original recipe -- the name being a quick and effective vessel.