haresfur

Whi' Punch - no not wee. Make a ti' punch with whiskey instead of rum. I used 40 Creek Canadian whiskey this time. A dash of Angostrura orange bitters goes well in this one but I suppose that makes it an old fashioned with cane syrup and a bit of lime. Nowhere near as good as the tequila variation qui' punch) that I think I like more than the original, but quite drinkable - not surprising since it's nearly all whiskey. So the cane syrup I bought seems pretty much like simple to me. I don't think I'll buy it again.

FWW my experience is that the proportions are pretty finicky in this. I had a batch that was too thin and I added more cheese in batches, blending between. It went suddenly from runny to gluey. BTW, you can use citric acid instead of sodium citrate if you don't mind a bit of lemon taste (which can be a feature, not a bug).

A coffee mug works.

I just found some totally crystalised kumquat marmalade in the back of the fridge, now I know what to do with it. Sounds like seat-of the-pants cooking is in order and that's the way I like to ride.

So it sounds like some mustard is the way to go?-) I haven't got the menu set but I think I'll start with a prawn salad and have some oven roasted smashed potatoes and maybe a sweet potato if I can fit it all in my tiny oven. Probably figure out a veg or two. If the weather is ok, I'll fire up the barbie and grill some pineapple and peaches. Dessert will be Pavlova, of course. The ham is ready to eat (they gave me a sample and it was tasty) so I don't think soaking is in order. How do you feel about cloves?

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.