Davetender

we have been using BarSol because that's is what is available. I am quite happy with it (ignorance is drunken blissfulness?). The bottle of Don Casaer was disappointing at best, I have not tried any aged pisco. A note on the pisco/cachaca thing. Pisco is unaged brandy, like grappa, but the BarSol is much smoother than a very popular brand of grappa that we use, in fact it would take some serious flavors to marry with the grappa, but the Pisco seems to be a very nice cocktail ingredient. Oh and according to a regular who drinks Pisco Sours at the bar and tells great yarns of stories from her travels in South America. It is customary when ordering a Pisco sour to say "Pisco Sour" as a sort of snarl, in a way as though you detest the thing. now if you'll excuse me I have some new pisco cocktails to mix up.

If you need, the stock or the fat sooner. while it's still warm strain contents into large zip lock bag, find a container big enough for your stock and or fat, grab one non-zipper corner of the bag and cut a small corner off. pinch the corner and hold bag by opposite corner. wait for contents to settle and unpinch. pinch again when you get to the fat I just made my first batch of confit and have another week or so before I can touch it, oh the suspense!

here's what I am thinking, surgical stainless steel square tubing. Cut to length, corked, stood up in you freezer and run under a little warm water to unmold. They aren't cheap and this wouldn't be so good for massive quantities of ice but a little work with a hack saw and a file, and you've got the perfect ice. 1.5" x 1.5" x 12" $20.76 + shipping http://www.mcmaster.com/#2937k311/=hiv0j 3 x 3 x 12" US$70.33 + shipping http://www.mcmaster.com/#2937k191/=hj1b6 http://www.mcmaster.com/#9545k22/=hj4mf 9545k22 is a stopper, again a little work to make it square, but I think it could handle being pulled apart while frozen. they don't seem to make one big enough for the three inch ones. but there is something out there. If you're not too handy with tools never underestimate the power of undergraduate art students. They have access to great tools and their prices are negotiable. for rocks at home i have a 2" cube silicon bakeware thing that makes 4 cubes at a time and I love it. could make 16 a day if I was focused, which would be enough for where I work. Just an idea. Dave

What size are you looking for, perhaps I could help. Dave

2" square.... and other odd shapes, available here... http://www.bakedeco.com/a/elastomoule-flexible-8359.htm I didn't search but I'm sure this: http://www.japantrendshop.com/ice-ball-mol...isin-p-244.html went around here as well, and if you haven't watched the videos, perhaps you haven't lived? I'm just saying. Dave

A great list could -offer someone something familier -push them outside of their comfort zone -not cost too much -educate -inspire We have a caiprahina made with mango, a customer may not know what cachaca is but lime, sugar and fresh mango are friendly enough. The only added prep is a mango or two a day and the customer now knows about a new base spirit is and may be willing to try something else new. You'll have to determine where your clientele's comfort zone is. Our list has seven drinks, each based on a base spirit (Vodka, Bourbon, Rye, Gin, Cachaca, Cognac, and Sangria) The tend to be twists on classics with some sort of fresh local ingredient, which pretty much sums up the concept of the restaurant. I went to Camino in Oakland, CA last month. Their cocktail list came out before dinner and was only four drinks long and each one was merely a list of ingredients. It was clean sexy and made me want to try them all. They didn't but they could have easily had an after dinner/before dessert list. With a before dinner list and an after dinner list you begin to educate the clientele about when it is appropriate to drink cocktails and what types of cocktails you might have at such times. I don't live in one of the hubs of cocktailian culture so I am always trying to figure out ways to bring people towards their next step of enlightenment. Oh and this probably goes without saying around here but never underestimate the power of exclusivity, one house made ingredient in a good cocktail would be enough to get me to come back, a batch of bitters or almond orgeat can last a long time for not too much added prep.

I like the Pegu Club, it can kick a bit much, easy on the bitters, and more lime and it is perfect for a hot afternoon, as the sun goes down just add more bitters and it blends in to a more sophisticated evening quite well. Here in Hawaii, I guess you could vote for a Mai Tai, but finding one made without any juice but lime juice and with out an umbrella can be difficult For the same reason I don't mention the word Margaritta when i order one, it is a Tequila on the rocks with a splash of Cointreau and four lime wedges. A little more work for me at the table but I make sure the Sweet and Sour doesn't even hover near my drink