haresfur

A good one to settle the stomach: 1 oz Beefeater Gin 1 oz Fernet (last of my non-Branca) Build over ice Add 2 oz tonic (Cascade - yes Chris it is good) A tiny wedge of lemon squeezed over and dropped in

I don't have Chris' aristocratic tastes so I tend to use generic French VSOP brandy in cocktails. Particularly for sours, I'm not too sure you want something too refined (that's my story and I'm sticking to it). The trouble is that there seems to be a fair bit of variation so some experimenting may be needed. Right now I have a bottle of Chatelle VSOP that I picked up at Costco in Melbourne and I'm happy enough with it. I save the Cognac for sipping.

Well, the weather finally warmed up and it's starting to feel like Christmas Just ordered a Christmas ham - something I've never cooked before. It's a half a boneless, rolled, nitrite free, free-range, hunk-o-meat (there are only two of us and that was the smallest thing I could order). Are there any new thoughts on how to prepare, glaze, or otherwise cook it? Thanks.

Sorry for the lousy photo but you get the idea. Mostly restocks from Dan Murphy. They no longer carry the off-brand Fernet I've been using so I had to spring for the real Branca. The Mackensey rye I bought in upstate NY is pretty unique and doesn't work in many drinks so I figured I'd stock up on WT 101 rye, The Aperol I use mainly in an Aperolitini - apparently an Archangel from the PDT book, without messing with the cuke and I usually use a dash of cardamon bitters. The cane syrup is new to me - apropos to the Barbancourt Ti Punch discussion up above. Figure it's time to try it with the proper syrup. Note that it is not at all like treacle.

Maybe they don't clean out the still between genever and vodka batches

Yeah. Good one. Used WT 101 rye. I cut back to 1 1/2 oz - please don't judge me harshly.

Speaking of Sazaracs, I'm partial to a genever saz that I call Man Enough to Drink Pink. ETA: The Toronto is a great drink although my opinion may be coloured by my first made for me by Murray Stenson at Zig Zag. I simply asked him after my first drink, "What's next?" His questions were 1) brown or clear? 2) bitter or sour 3)do you like Fernet? I wasn't sure if the last question was a test, but clearly I passed. He poured small samples of Fernet for some women standing behind me and it was pretty amusing to watch their reactions. I'll have to try one of the Benedictine variants.

My opinion is that less is more. I don't mix anything more complicated than a 'ti punch with it so it can shine. Done. That's tonight's drink sorted. Let us know what you think. ETA: you inspired me to have one last night. I used agave syrup which worked well but even with some water dilution it ended up at the bottom. The solution was of course more rum.

My thanks to Dave for his contributions and my condolences to his family and friends.

My opinion is that less is more. I don't mix anything more complicated than a 'ti punch with it so it can shine.

Hmmm. Here they are: St. George gin sampler (dry rye, terroir, and botanivore), and a bottle of Willet 4-year single barrel rye. They ended up in London in excellent hands. You are welcome to come visit me anytime!

Can you get Clamato juice here? Or add some clam broth to make a Bloody Caesar. Might appeal to a carnivore like yourself.

So did the Widow's Kiss leave you with regret the next morning? A timely revival of this thread. Currently having a cocktail with Miss Fisher (ok watching the Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries on TV) I was going to make a Carthusian Summer but in a rare event, I was out of lemons but had a couple of limes so I decreased the simple and used: 1⁄2 oz Green Chartreuse1⁄2 oz Gin, Plymouth1⁄2 oz Simple syrup (homemade)1 oz Lime juice2 oz Soda water Love the chartreuse in this but it could use more gin or less soda (or both).

I think the problem is the conical glass. It's really a terrible shape for a number of reasons, not the least of which is how easy it is to slosh and spill. But as you found out, you are close to the rim with only 2/3 of the stated content, and 5/6 is too close. If you had a cylindrical glass you would have nearly 6 oz before the level got too close to the rim. It's like the classic 16 oz beer glass that only contains 12 oz when filled to 1/2 inch from the rim. Good for bar owners, not so good for patrons.

Trifecta of spousal abhorrence: Mezcal, Spanish brandy, Fernet Branca. We're having it tonight.... Delivery of Cynar just arrived. Will the drink produce the same effect if using Vida Mezcal and PF cognac? (I know, I know... but I am completely maxed out with respect to my home bar inventory) Chris Taylor made this for me using my cheap French brandy and even cheaper rotgut Mescal. I thought it was alright but Chris would be able to give you a better opinion of the substitution.

No shame there. IMO the interesting challenge is to make the most of whatever ingredients you chose.

Can you tell me more about the tart? It looks a lot like one of my family recipes that we call plum cake - although the crust is more like a cookie dough than a cake or pie crust.

My experience in Europe of this time frame is much more sparse and punctuated than yours. I'm really interested to hear your perspective on the changes over time in different countries.

Shoreditch House has got very WankMixology since I was there. Funny.... I've been a different bar and had the waiter tell my female companion a drink was "strong". I put it down to staff training, really. I trained my staff previously to refer to drinks as either "spirit forward" or "easy drinking" rather than "strong" and "light". I really would like to see more effort put into training floor staff at decent cocktail bars. Wrong on many levels. Did the waiter look at you and think you were not to be trusted? Then again the dangerous drinks are strong and easy drinking.

I think ginger wine is probably more like Domain de Canton than anything. Stones is a currant wine flavoured with ginger. Ungodly sweet and not really at all like ginger beer. I use it in things like whiskey mac and a Ginger Envelope. More discussion on ginger wine in the posts below the link.

Here's Frank Camorra's take on a great parma. I've been playing around with SV vs no SV and I think my conclusion is that it depends what you are after. Pounding thin and no SV gives a texture with more bite that isn't bad. I find that even pounded flat breasts bounce back some in the SV step and the end product is a bit thicker but still softer and moister. I like the way I can get herb flavour into the chicken with the SV. But overall it is basically a style difference and I can't say one way is clearly superior (yet). Obviously skipping the SV step is easier.

Sounds nice. To paraphrase WC Fields, "Take the lion by the tail and face the situation"

One approach is to beat the Aperol into submission with a lot of spirit. I kind of like this Aperolitini. TOK is right, bitters help. I've tried cardamom but use a light hand with that one.

I bought it at the big chain supermarket. I suspect most of them are used in soup.

I made a pot of baked beans that turned out nicely, I kind of hate to say it, because they weren't vegetarian. Took most of the meat off a smoked pork hock and set aside. put the hock and skin in the PC with white beans, cooked on high for 20 minutes. Natural release then drained reserving the bean stock. Then made a seat-of-the-pants bean recipe with tomato, dry mustard, about 1/2 the ham, a bit of the stock, and not too much molasses. The bonus was that the bean/ham stock was fantastic. I could have drunk it with a straw, but used it in split pea soup with the rest of the ham. I also discovered that my cleaver was not up to chopping through the ham bone. Oh well, in a few years I might have the knick sharpened out.