haresfur

Makes sense to me. I've used Ikea elderflower syrup instead of sugar in an "Old Fashioned" with good results. In fact, that sounds like a good plan for the evening.

I'll suggest a contrary approach: if you don't relish the prospect of all that brewing hassle, find some more interesting tea bags. There are actually some teas that I (shame) like better in tea bags than loose. Rather than reverting to Lipton's, run through some small packs of different varieties. When you find something you want to come back to, then maybe try the loose leaf to compare. Then try to optimize the brewing parameters.

Oh, I so miss the lunchera trucks! Do yours sell tortas, too?

Ok David, I guess I can't argue with any of that. ... But I'm not about to feel guilty about any tastes I don't manage to acquire...

Wasn't "Dr. Fernet" supposedly Swedish or Finnish?

Good idea Dan. Actually, last night I went with gin:amero:maraschino 2:1:1. The ratios could use a little fiddling and maybe a slightly softer gin than Tanq. But overall it was darn tasty.

Is English the only language where it is seen as pretentious to use pronunciation that sounds "foreign"? I think it would be reasonable to list Anglicized and French pronunciation as correct.

Thanks for the tour. It's been a long time since I was in Saskatoon and it looks like the food only gets better.

Picked up a new-to-me Lazzaroni Amaro today. Pretty sweet, tastes basically like a non-fizzy chinotto. Not unpleasant but not sure what I will do with it aside from maybe drinking straight or topped with soda water or tonic. Anyone run into this one?

Awesome. Do you put the chocolate syrup on the glass before or after you build the drink?

That sounds great. I bet the chocolate goes well. I've mixed Campari with lemon sorbet. Looks nice swirled in with straight lemon but I've had problems getting the swirl right.

Totally agree, both about problem solving and in particular about acquired tastes. But you have to start with yourself. Case in point. A number of years ago, when I was quite new to the professional booze-taster gig, I got sent a bottle of this new rum called Sea Wynde. I tasted it and almost spat it out. It was harsh, burnt tasting, sulfurous. If that was rum, everything else I knew as rum wasn't. Clearly defective. ... Then we got Inner Circle, also different but a lot. By now, of course, I had learned to appreciate this stuff and was actively seeking it out. Then Eric Seed asked me what spirits I'd like to see available, and I told him a real, old-school Jamaica rum. I'd never had one, but I was sure it was big in that stank, which by this point I had learned to call "hogo." Next time I saw him, he had samples, and by this point I was able to tell what I was looking for in such a rum. With that input and input from some other people who had come to appreciate this style (Audrey Saunders, for one), Eric put together Smith & Cross. Things like that don't happen if you compartmentalize your input. My first thought on reading this was, "Gee, I hope I don't have to acquire a taste for Bundaberg yellow label. So how do you decide which tastes you want to acquire? I suppose one way for me would be to listen to the opinions of the writers, bartenders, and historians. As I think about it, perhaps it is better to think about evolving tastes rather than acquired tastes. There has to be a way to get from point A to point B. Maybe you decide the endpoint would be better hit by an asteroid and left to the fossil record. Or you get side-tracked on the way and end up somewhere exciting and unexpected.

I admit, I sometimes like drinks that others might turn up their noses at. Maybe not chocotinis, but ones that aren't "too adult". There was a MixMo a while back on "guilty pleasures" but maybe others have ideas for drinks that are tasty (or perhaps humorous) in spite of themselves. For example, how about an adult float that feels nice on a scratchy throat: Fill chilled glass with lemon-lime gelatto Add 2 oz Aperol Top with tonic water Might be better with Campari

Ah, I was wondering about the delis, thanks for clearing that up. Sounds like you are providing a great community meeting place.

I think this is perhaps why the answer to the OP is so elusive--a recipe cannot be intrinsically "craft". A "craft" item is the product of a craftsman, an expert in executing a method. Whether a cocktail is a "craft" cocktail must be judged on a drink-to-drink basis, even when the drinks are theoretically the same recipe. Perhaps addressing the idea of intrinsic quality or merit of recipes needs another term? I think the merit question is where classic comes in. Classical music is a style with a particular merit. And it is generally agreed, I believe, that people continue to write classical music. I don't think the vest is a red herring because the bartender craft is both in the execution of the drink and in the performance of preparing it. The question then is if the vest is appropriate to the ambiance or a non-sequitur? Surely part of what made Jerry Thomas great was the diamond stick-pin. Gerry Regan's book has some great examples of what makes a great bartender.

So all the old delicatessens are gone, Myer's, Phil's? Surely there were more. Do you find a growth or decline in how many people in the area are keeping kosher or how strictly they are keeping it?

To add to what Anna said, Induction is the highest efficiency cooking surface so compared to resistance heating, it will save money and be more "environmentally friendly" if you are concerned about such things. The limitation on which pots you can use is the only down-side.

My crack, anyway.... With the exception of the first point, I think this is a pretty good explanation of a craft cocktail. There will always be examples that don't fit the norm but it is pretty close to the mark. IMO "craft" doesn't necessarily have to conform to one taste aesthetic like the "serious" cocktail bar. Beware the sweet is certainly a good guide but a sweet cocktail could certainly be prepared with a lot of craft, and low-alcohol non-spirit-forward drinks can fit the definition of craft - you are welcome to argue semantics about whether we are talking about cocktails or mixed drinks but I don't get hung up on that stuff. If you look to other crafts, there are a huge varieties of styles and tastes in pottery, fine furniture, craft fabric, etc. and I believe it would be a mistake to get too snobby.

The kugel looks wonderful. I'll have to try it this winter. I googled your shop and you are pretty close to my Junior High School. I'm getting all nostalgic. As you thought, Melbourne must have a substantial orthodox Jewish community, judging from the people I see at the airport. No matzo in my local grocery - I'll have to try the one in town that seems to have a little better selection. We don't have to pay for bags but reusable ones are encouraged. At Aldi you have to bring or buy reuseable bags.

Wow, whole wheat and spelt. I think I may have seen whole wheat but never spelt. I'll have to look and see if I can find some here. It's been ages since I've had matzo. I don't like warm butter and I remember from the 'peg the challenge of spreading cold butter on matzo without turning it back to flour! I see your shop is in the hilly part of town

It's been great fun. The last pot is part of a small series I did of tea pots inspired by bowls. The pot is made out of a bowl and a plate sealed together and then smooshed down like it was dropped on a table. I think the spout is visually problematic and a couple of centimeters too long. It is glazed in an Americanized shino glaze that unfortunately didn't get some of the colour variations that are more interesting.

I thought there was a tea pot photo thread in the coffee and tea forum, but I couldn't find it. There are threads on Yixing pots (like the top one). I really don't know a lot about brewing tea or matching teas to pots.

I made the bottom three, quite a while ago. I do need to get back to pottery, if only because we keep breaking plates. The round tea pot is my most used pot. The other two work but aren't super practical.

I thought the ginger beer was pretty good. What brand do you like? My favourite Aussie ginger beer is Cascade from Tasmania. I buy whichever is on sale. On the other hand Bundaberg rum is godawful. Actually, I have only tried the yellow label stuff. I would only try the others if I could get a tiny nip-bottle.

Well, it's almost 9:00 PM on Saturday here and my blog is drawing to a close. Thanks for reading and it's been a really fun "conversation". I've learned a lot. I'll leave off with a few tea pot photos: