Troy Sidle

I just saw on Chow Tips advice on how to make 1:1 simple (by volume). She says not to boil the sugar and water, because "That actually begins to change the chemical structure of the sugar, making the syrup a little bit thinner in viscosity and less rich in mouthfeel." Know of any evidence supporting that?

It's been a year since this thread has been revived. Since then, I've noted the label has changed on the bottle. As I remember, it used to say something about Orange, Rhubarb, and China. Now, I don't think there's anything on the label indicating its flavor profile. Change in marketing? Change in formula?

This exemplifies my favorite thing about Japanese style, that is well, style.

Maks from Beta Cocktails made me a Growing Old And Dying Happy is a Hope, Not an Inevitability the other night at The Counting Room. I was astonished. It's a cocktail with just a pinch of salt and heavy on the Cynar. The addition of salt makes sense and is really well balanced. It seems to take the edge off the bitterness in a way that sweetness alone doesn't accomplish.

How much is just enough? With citrus, enough to brighten and balance sweetness is the right amount. With ice, enough to chill and tame the burn is the right amount. With bitters, enough to prevent a cloying cocktail and to add aroma is the right amount. With salt, do we have rules of balance? What are they? Why did someone decide to drop that olive in a Martini?

There are probably a million right ways to make the coffee syrup. The notable thing is how coffee and brown sugar tie in the batavia and cynar. Hank said he's calling it the Batavia Flip. And I'm craving one right now.

I asked Stephen at The Violet Hour how he's making the syrup, and he said, "magic". They don't have an espresso machine, so that might be how he's doing it.

1 oz Batavia 1 oz Cynar .75 oz brown sugar coffee syrup 1 whole egg 1 oz cream hard dash orange bitters Shake with KD, and strain into a small glass with no ice. Garnish with 3 drops Fee's Old Fashioned Bitters

Hank at The Violet Hour has a flip with Batavia Arrack, Cynar, and brown sugar coffee syrup. It's disturbingly good.

On my earlier post I mentioned the 2 to 2 by Stephen Cole. That drink is cool and fascinating, but I meant the Broken Shoe Shiner: Aperol Benedictine Pernod Absinthe lemon juice fresh pineapple juice egg white served in a coup. Garnished with a few drops of Rose Water. Mind Boggling. Delicious.

A reasonable bar might include: Green Chartreuse Yellow Chartreuse Green Chartreuse VEP Yellow Chartreuse VEP Elixir Vegetal Luxardo Maraschino 3 bottles of Junipero Gin Thomas Handy And again, that's for starters. We could get into more serious things down the road.

Cynar Flip - Corey Bunnewith, Drink Art of Choke - Kyle Davison, The Violet Hour Rangoon Fizz - Toby Maloney, The Violet Hour, Patterson House 2 to 2 - Stephen Cole, The Violet Hour Oaxacan Old Fashioned - Phil Ward, Mayahuel Pulque - Kirk Estopinal, The Violet Hour, Cure, Beta Cocktails (formerly Rogue Cocktails) Dogwood Manhattan - Michael Rubel, The Violet Hour, Big Star Six Corner Sling - Ira Koplowitz, The Violet Hour, Bitter Cube Juliet and Romeo - Toby Maloney, The Violet Hour, Patterson House Kumquat Sazerac - Grant Achatz and Craig Schoettler, Alinea

Did you omit an egg from the ingredient list? If not on what grounds would you consider it a flip? Oh yes. And a whole egg.

My Friend Craig Schoettler just made me a flip: 1.5 Pear Williams Pear Brandy .33 Fernet Branca .75 Simple Syrup 3 Dash Lime Juice 1 Dash Orange Bitters (50-50) 1 Vanilla Bean Shake (with 5 faux-draft cubes). Strain. Serve up. Glass: Coup Ice: None Garnish: Lime Peel It reminds me of the tropical eggnogs Mom used to make.

Mmm.