haresfur

Really looking forward to this, especially if we learn about different mole (whatever the plural is).

What rum? Maybe find a decent sipping rum then work from that to cocktails then switch the rum to something funkier if you want to go that way. I'd maybe try that with Barbancourt, Goslings, Myer's, or even Capitain Morgan. I'd avoid Bacardi and at least to start, Inner Circle (or probably Smith & Cross which I haven't tried). It's been a long time since I've had Lamb's Navy but from what I remember, it might do but stay clear of the overproof. Maybe not PC with the cockail weenies, but I like Pyrat XO as a float on some drinks - it's just not what I'd grab for most cocktails. Then again we do dark rum in hot chocolate so maybe I'm not to be trusted.

I'd go with the Cuban. I use Ron Santiago de Cuba.

For lack of a better name Meat & Veg 1.5 oz Beefeater gin 0.5 oz Cynar a small wedge of lemon squeezed over and dropped in. I build over ice but you could probably stir and strain Simple but effective. This one has gone into my regular rotation.

In Australia they have introduced "My First Vegemite" as a gateway drug for kiddies. It's a much less salty version and you can really taste the maltiness. I use it for sauces. Perhaps it would work for infusing but there's no way I'm going to risk my precious bottle of Rittenhouse. How about Marmite tequila or mezcal? Yeast and olive oil popcorn is good but I haven't had it in a long time. You can also make a yeast and miso gravy for tofu open face sandwiches.

Think it might be time to explore some Tiki drinks, before the weather gets too cold in your hemisphere. ... and the pizza looks great.

Are they like funnel cakes? Disturbing images running through my brain...

Today's choice was bream. Good texture, no bones. Also had pumpkin cakes that were quite nice.

A friend of my parents said: "I don't make love to 14 year old girls and I don't drink beaujolais nouveau." - Bruce McDonald

Go for it. You owe it to your fan-base.

Dancing on the bar with a Carpano Antica lampshade on your head is the epitome of class.

That's the thing. My supply of bitters is pitiful, but I'm planning a resupply trip to the USA. Right now I have Peychaud's, Fee's Old Fashioned, Fee's Orange, and Regan's Orange. I probably use the Fee's Orange the least although I like them in some summer drinks and the 50:50 mix with Regan's is often nice. I use the Fee's Old Fashioned where Angostrua is called for, but would like to try the barrel aged. Given the number of interesting bottles out there, I think I'll concentrate on the ones people use most, thus the question.

Ok, 27 pages in... which are the top few bitters you consider important for your bar?

Washington isn't known for great selection, either. You might consider Pasifique absinthe from Woodinville WA. Aside from that, pretty much anything you like to drink. Maybe Barbancourt 5* if you can't get it in BC.

I was told by the fellow at the Tower Hill visitor centre that they put black wattle seeds in their damper and that they have medicinal properties (go there right now while the wattles are blooming - spectacular spot). Gardening Australia said Oxalis should be cooked and I thought they said it was to remove the oxalic acid.

I've made ginger infused vodka with candied ginger. I kept it in the freezer to keep the "heat". Didn't seem to add much sweetness. I'm sure you could do the same with fresh ginger, but the left over candied solids are nice put over fish and baked. Aside from that I use Stones ginger wine where Canton is called for - for financial reasons. Doesn't solve the sweet problem but I can't bring myself to pay the price of vodka here.

Cool. New to me.

I can't recall much of note in Prosser for food, although my favourite Washington winery, Davenlore, is there (need to arrange ahead to visit). There is an ok brewpub in Sunnyside - Snipes Mountain. For food in the Yakima Valley your best bet may be Tri-Cities, not that they are a gastronomic Mecca. Sushi Ya is pretty good, considering the distance from the coast. Lots of chains and not too exciting Mexican. Ice Harbor Brewing has good beer, dive food, and a low-brow ambiance. I wasn't too fond of their other gastro pub location, but maybe it has changed. Atomic Ale has somewhat better food but not as good beer. I have heard of wildly different experiences at the Tagaris winery restaurant. But if the weather is nice, sitting outside on the patio is worthwhile. If you have had your fill of wine the cocktails are decent. Chez Chas is a long time local standard. I never tried Blue Moon but it is supposed to be good. Anthony's at Columbia Point in Richland is a chain but ok sea food. Oh yeah, I like the Thai at the King and I. Some things you don't see at other places. Be sure to check out some of the older, funkier wineries in the Red Mountain area. Then grab a coffee at Indulgences in West Richland.

Put the rye away for a while but come back to it after you have your bourbon drinks nailed and are feeling in a bit of a rut. Nothing wrong with bourbon cocktails IMO but you may find rye adds a new dimension to keep you taste buds from getting jaded. There will be some adjustment of the other ingredients but I'm sure you will be better equipped to figure out how to get to something you like.

I really hate this sort of behavior. I don't care if I'm statistically undesirable; if I pay the same money, I should in turn receive the same product. While my tab is generally not large, the percentage is equal if not greater than that of the people around me. I agree that it is inappropriate to give poor service to someone based on generalities and stereotypes. College kids, women, race, it doesn't matter. It also becomes a self-fullfilling prophecy (see the OP's question). You give lousy service to someone because of their age, they don't tip well, then you think the poor tip is because of their age. This is one place the whole system breaks down - the payment for value is so vague that you can't tell if the poor tip is due to a cheap customer or to poor service. And a lot of people would rather blame someone else than look at their behavior. I am eternally greatful to a waiter in a nice restaurant in Toronto when I just out of Uni, working temporarily in the company's head office and living on a per diem. He was helpful and treated me with kindess in a relaxed fashion in spite of (or because of) my cluelessness. I knew enough to tip resonably (probably not to the level deserved) but he gave me a good nudge along my life journey.

If it holds liquid and you like the look, it's a fine cocktail glass.

French 75 with pear cider instead of champagne. The pear clearly comes through. A bit sweet for my taste but it was a hit.

I'm so behind - I need to come back over a few weeks so I can savour everything. I made a brave attempt at your Moroccan veggies over quinoa this week and it was good but probably not as good as yours. I promise to practice more. I bought my quinoa at Bendido Wholefoods and it was from Tasmania, which I thought was great. Is yours from there or from S. America? I think savory oats (what I call goat meal) sounds brilliant. I'm not big on sweet first thing in the morning. I measured my rice cooker cup after learning the hard way that it isn't a standard "cup". I'm pretty sure it was 330 ml. But now I just fill the bowl to the 1 cup mark and add water until it is just a bit over the 2 cup mark and it turns out fine. I figure the fuzzy logic should work for its living. Thanks again for the sensory overload.

I think Sam is on the right track. Controlled experiments with simplified combinations of ingredients (as you started with your tests) would be enlightening. Possible causes I can think of are: - differential extraction of the clorophyl in the basil or some compounds in the lemon juice due to the less polar ethanol than the more polar water. Try leaving out one or the other (using citric acid as Sam suggested). But if the alcohol increases the extraction of the clorophyl, wouldn't the vodka drink be darker, not the other way around? Oh, Sam already said that. - pH effects since the alcohol could muck with the hydrogen ion activity (maybe the acid, H+, is bound to the -OH of the ethanol). Seems unlikely to me because that is a fair bit of lemon juice. You could try mixing without the lemon and then adding it or citric acid by drops and look for a colour change. Can you make the colour match by adding more acid to the alcoholic one? - oxidation effects. Try letting the drinks sit for a couple of hours and see if they look the same. Maybe one is oxidizing more rapidly. This could also be affected by the metal shaker. Even if steel is very inert it could catalzye the reactions. - spectral effects. The alcohol might just shift the way the coloured compounds absorb & re-emit light. Does the effect look the same in day light and other light sources? I suppose borrowing a spectrophotometer is out of the question. I think the first thing would be to establish for sure if it is the basil or the lemon that is causing the effect. Either that or say stuff it and use Goslings rum - Dr haresfur, PhD

Finally caught up on your fantastic blog. Wow. All I can say is I feel like such a bogan.