Alcuin

Are you thinking of something that's going to be mixed with coke? Or do you want to get a whiskey or rum that's worthy of sipping straight? I might be wrong (not being an jack/rum and coke drinker myself), but it seems to me that the value of a gift-worthy liquor would be lost if mixed with diet coke.

Sounds like a variation on a Sam Ward. I've never made it myself but I've always been intrigued. Now that I hear its good, I might have to give it a try.

I'd say that there is no "right" way to make it. I'm not sure what kind of potato salad you're looking for but here are some things I like to do: For the cooking: depending on size, you can cook them whole or cut them in to cubes. Cook them in salted water and check them often to make sure they don't overcook. Peeling or not is up to your preference. I have no experience with Japanese mayo. My advice on the mayo is to use a light touch. I add mayo by the spoonful and mix as I go to make sure I have the right coating of mayo but not too much. I like a light coating of mayo to each potato, not a gloppy bit of mayo with a potato in it somewhere. I like to put celery in, but if you don't like it, don't add it. I also like to add a bit (may a tablespoon or two) of grated onion--it shouldn't register as oniony, but will intensify the flavor of the salad. I also like coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley for color and flavor. One tip I have is to add a bit of vinegar and your salt while the potatoes are still hot but after you've drained them thoroughly. Toss them in the vinegar, let them absorb it, then apply mayo. That's how I make a simple potato salad using mayo, but there are likely as many methods as makers.

A google search turns up this butter glossary. Their definition is I imagine ghee has a bit more water content than that, unless of course it's been made with centrifugal force...

I've always thought that hangar steak was kind of self-contained, i.e. not cut from the plate or the flank, but kind of just "hanging" there on its own.

If you can get brandy, I'd go for a Japanese cocktail (2 oz Cognac, 1/2 orgeat, 2 dashes Angostura), created by Jerry Thomas. There is also a Japanese Cocktail #1 that involves some lime juice. Cocktaildb also lists a Japanese Cocktail #2 that involves gin and lemon juice but I haven't tried that one. It might be worth a shot if you've got the goods laying around.

I like Lillet blanc with a twist or an Americano if I'm drinking light. Otherwise, I'm drinking Whiskey Smashes. I live in WI so that's not really all that regional. If I were drinking WI style, an ice cold PBR or maybe a brandy Old Fashioned would fit the bill.

Another candidate for WI would be the Brandy Old Fashioned, sweet or sour.

My first thought with this topic was actually cocktails. There is a lot of olfactory manipulation that goes on with garnishes like spraying citrus oil on a drink with a twist as much for smell as for taste or putting a sprig of mint near the imbiber's nose when s/he sips from a straw for the smell. Bitters, like perfumes I guess, can also be quite unpalatable alone but transform a drink. Maybe this is another way to think about using strong sense elements.

Good point. I guess I missed something in the reading, I didn't pick up on the perfume actually being an ingredient. I thought he was going for aroma. I can't imagine perfume tasting particularly good either. I'm not debating whether or not it's a good idea, that can only be answered by trying it. I'm just kinda thinking out loud (so to speak) about whether or not I can picture it being a good thing. I'm having a tough time putting it together in my head so I want to be as encouraging as I can so I get to read about the results of his effort. ← I agree--I hope he tries it however he imagines doing it. I'm interested to see what happens.

I'm not saying the idea's not worth trying. I guess I just don't have good associations with perfume. It's not the amount of perfume that I find overpowering, it's the artificiality of it. It seems like it would have an off-taste. Then again, it might be like using orange flower water or something like that. It's like perfume, but if used properly it can be a good background note. Again, though, it's not something I would want to feature and can easily be overpowering. Orange flower water is very similar to perfume and using perfume like properties in food has been done before. Looking at the traditional use of OFW, you can see it must be handled with care as there are many warnings about overuse. I've overused it in a drink before and 1 or 2 drops too many can ruin the whole thing. In any case, what's the point of even talking about whether this would be a good idea or not. Shalamanese obviously thinks it will be, so why not just try it and report back? Debating this is not going to accomplish anything. If you grant that OFW is similar to perfume, there are some guidelines looking at the tradition of using it that might give you some insight into how to use it and how not to use it.

Perfume kind of seems like the easy way out. Grant Achatz coming up with a dish that combines scallop and a tiny orange slice in a bowl that sits in a bigger bowl which is filled with chamomile upon which water is poured to create a subtle "vapor" that works with the scallop/orange is brilliant. Spraying perfume on something strikes me as a cheap imitation of that. Why not work with bringing out natural aromas? I still think there's a lot of untrodden territory there. This might be me reacting against the whole idea of perfume though. I always find it to be overpowering and artificial so these are the associations I have with it. It just strikes me as somewhat off in a bad way.

I have a bottle that I bought in a gas station in Delafield, Wisconsin because I can't see a bottle of bitters without buying it. That's the only place I've ever seen them. They are basically a weaker, less interesting version of Angostura bitters. They're very one dimensional, like bitter cinnamon. I find them too weak too have much effect which might be why they have a gigantic spout at the top. I'll stick with Angostura. ← ← It's funny--I'm living in Wisconsin and I frequently troll liquor stores looking for things I haven't seen elsewhere and I've only ever seen them in that gas station. The liquor store I go to (its actually a Woodman's supermarket liquor store) to get staples (whiskey, gin, vermouth, etc) carries a wide range of their pickled products but not the bitters. I guess the reasoning is why carry an Angostura knockoff if you can get the real thing?

I have a bottle that I bought in a gas station in Delafield, Wisconsin because I can't see a bottle of bitters without buying it. That's the only place I've ever seen them. They are basically a weaker, less interesting version of Angostura bitters. They're very one dimensional, like bitter cinnamon. I find them too weak too have much effect which might be why they have a gigantic spout at the top. I'll stick with Angostura.

I've never braised them in milk, but I have done it in wine or tomato based sauces a couple of times. They are great, but (as I'm sure you know) extremely fatty. They make a great bacon too. The fat is beautifully gelatinous but it makes for a rich dish. I have one in the freezer right now and this threads got me contemplating braising it in tomato, slicing it relatively thick (maybe a 1/2 inch), frying it to crisp it up, and serving it with the tomato braising sauce freshened up with herbs. This might be good for summer.

What a snazzy dresser! ← I watched the video here (where you can watch it at a slightly higher resolution if you want). It's a great video, especially that smooth stirring technique. Really cool drink too.

There's a lot of good info on this thread. For the two most uniquely Wisconsin places, I would say Old Fashioned and Tornado Room. The OF is WI themed. The Tornado Room is a steak place with old, cheap wood paneling with a kind of strange mustiness to it. They serve gigantic steaks cooked right (I've never had a bad one there) and they serve a glass filled with pickles and raw vegetables to the table. I find the bare bones decor charming and the food is good, if a bit on the expensive side. To me, it's authentically Wisconsin and I love to go there. I know you're into cocktails from the beverage and libation forum, so I'll repeat my warning from above. You're very likely to be disappointed if you go looking for a cocktail. You might want to order an Old Fashioned at the OF or Tornado Room (they're very similar). This is what you'll get: a ton of muddled fruit, a lot of syrup, a good dash of bitters (that unfortunately has to contend with the heap of muddled maraschino cherry and orange) , and Korbel's brandy that you won't taste because of the sugar and the fruit, topped off with soda water (if you order it "sour") or sprite (if you order it "sweet"). It makes for a not unpleasant drink, but to me, it's not the strong shouldered but subtle complexity of an Old Fashioned. I would go for beer: there are some good breweries around such as Capitol and New Glarus. There's also the Great Dane which you might want to check out for beer. I like their beer a lot (especially their Texas Speedbump IPA). Methinks the food relies on Cisco a bit too much there, but its OK. The beer, though, is worth going there for. For non-WI beer, I'll drink Bell's Two Hearted anytime.

That's where I got it from too. I've never tried the vanilla; maybe it's time for some experimentation. Did taking out the cream affect the mouthfeel at all? I assume it would be a little less full-bodied. ETA: Those videos by Chris McMillian are incredible. The Mint Julep video's one of the greatest things I've ever seen. It'd be worth a trip down there to see that in person.

2 oz citrus does seem like a lot. I've been using 1/2 each of lime and lemon which provides enough sourness for my palate but I've never tried 1 1/2 or 2 oz.

This page might describe pouring the fizz into the shaker to extract more foam. The remaining film left in the glass reacts with the soda water to produce more foam which is then spoon onto the drink for maximum foam extraction.

Hey-- not sure what that's about. There are lots of places with quite good cocktails here-- for starters, the old-fashioneds at the OF are terrific, all of the cocktails at Sushi Muramoto are very good, the margaritas at La Mestiza are fantastic, and the ones at El Dorado aren't bad either...and you can get a superb bloody mary at any number of places around the Square. ← I would recommend the Old Fashioned at the OF, though they're a bit too sweet for my taste. They're often well made and their quintessentially WI. I've never had margaritas at La Mestiza, but that place is awesome. Its a bit far from the poster's hotel though. I've never had any margaritas at El Dorado either, but I have had tequila there. Its a bit expensive for me, though I might try one if the time is right one day. Sadly, if someone wants a well made martini or manhattan, as examples, its going to be difficult to find one. Many places assume manhattans are on the rocks and put no bitters in them (ugh) and most martinis are too big, have too little or too old vermouth in them (no matter what ratios I ask for it seems) and are watered down from being shaken when they should be stirred (IMO). As ever, mileage may vary.

← Ahh, marketing. I use Senior Curacao of Curacao because it's the only one I've been able to find that isn't blue (besides Grand Marnier, but that's a lot more expensive). I suspect that the only reason they even carry it where I buy it is because it comes in a fancy-looking bottle, has a long pompous name, and perhaps because it has pretensions to originality. It's a good liqueur though. I'm glad its available and I'm not sure it would be without all the marketing bells and whistles.

I would recommend L'Etoile, for their prix fixe or otherwise. It's really the only one of the higher end places I've been completely happy with. I think it consistently outstrips all the other usual suspects, which would be in my estimation Harvest, Fresco, and maybe Sardine. I haven't been to Harvest for a while and I know they've recently changed chefs, but most of the times I've been there before, I've been unsatisfied (example: no seasoning on sea scallops, having "sweet potato confit" on the menu that ended up actually being a ho-hum puree). I've had similar experiences at Sardine (fries that were dried out, sauces that have tasted like ketchup). Many people like these places, but every time I go, thinking I must have been there on an off night or something, I'm disappointed. Restaurant Muramoto, though I've only been there once, was excellent. They serve Japanese food with some western elements. Also, it's a small plates place that emphasizes sharing which is fun. Muramoto is on King St, right off the square. Harvest is on the square, a few doors down from L'Etoile. Fresco is two blocks off the square down State St. As far as where you're located, I don't know of anything that's close by. Take a cab and get to the square, which is where the capitol building is. From there, you can walk to many places. As for something more casual, I'd suggest the Old Fashioned. Its Wisconsin food (burgers, brats, fried cheese curds, lots of cheese) very well done. I also like Lao Lan Xang, serving Laotian food, on Williamson St. The ethnic food on State st is decent, but not exceptional. Of those choices, I would suggest Himal Chuli (Himalayan) or Buraka (East African). I don't know if you're drinkers, but I wouldn't look for a cocktail in this town. The beers are good though. If I think of any thing else, I'll post it. Good luck! ETA some more info on Muramoto.

That looks good--I'll have to try that when I get a hold of some creme de cassis.

I made this the other night and it was extraordinary. I was a bit apprehensive about the Lillet and whiskey combo, but they were both supported by the cointreau and bitters which brought out the best qualities of both. A really great drink. I also made a James Joyce and a Gloom Lifter (with bitters added) and both were also both very good.