KD1191

Beefeater, I think, has become a standard for price conscious shoppers. Broker's is an excellent sub-$20/750ml gin...often a buck or two cheaper than Beefeater, and offering some variety. Not sure I've tried it in an aviation, but it has some citrus on it, so I think it'd do just fine. Personally, for my favorite Aviation, I like Leopold's. Also a good deal of citrus, but a bit more exotic (pomelo) and flowery, which is quite nice with the Violette.

Unless they've changed it recently, you can have 3, 5 or 7 courses for lunch at Astrance. My understanding is that the "menu" (the number of courses you may select, there is no actual menu) and prices are the same for lunch or dinner.

Some expertly prepared (not by me) Applejack Mulled Cider and Ginger Toddy last night, combined with the cold snap in Chicago (it being ~80 degrees cooler here than it was in Thailand last week) got me in the mood for a hot beverage. A Whisky Mac ought to do the trick: Filled a coffee mug with boiling water, allowed to sit for a minute, then tossed. Added 2 oz Famous Grouse, 4 oz Stone's Green Ginger Wine and a splash of Benedictine (inspired by Colin Field's variant with Green Chartreuse). Topped with a bit of hot water. Squeezed a swath of lemon peel over and dropped it in. Yum.

Pretty amazing, to be an inspiration to one of the greatest chefs of our generation. Congratulations, Toby. I've been really enjoying watching Chef's interest in classic cocktails play out on the Alinea menu...happy to see you and TVH are getting a deserved share of some of the praise.

Of those mentioned, I have only been to Astrance. There doesn't seem to be any bargain at lunch, but you can get the same meal that one might have at dinner. Pictures from our meal are here with comments on the courses. My overall comments are over in the L'Astrance thread.

I seem to recall some controversy a few years back about a state fining restaurants for serving sunny side up eggs and related news reports about truckers threatening to boycott driving through the state... This article is pretty old, but it shows that at least as far back as 2000, the FDA was advising against sunny side up or even over easy eggs. "The CDC estimates that in 1997, tainted eggs caused 90 deaths and 200,000 illnesses." Don't really care, personally...I eat my eggs over easy, and will use plain old whites in my cocktails, but then again I'm not operating a business serving either to customers.

Re: salmonella, using pasteurized eggs (not that eggs in a jar stuff, but whole pasteurized eggs), is an option, but they are not found everywhere, and they are generally more expensive. Some of the risk can be removed by thoroughly washing the eggs, as the bacteria may live on the outside (though it is not exclusively found on the outside).

Ransom is a fantastic product. I don't know how I would really compare it to Hayman's. I guess Ransom is bolder and has more layers of flavor, Hayman's is a more traditional Old Tom. My favorite application of Ransom is in an old fashioned, sometimes with ginger syrup...I've found it plays quite nicely with Angostura Orange bitters as well. A Ransom Tom Collins at the request of a bartender friend turned out just fine. The 'Variation on a Theme' from Rogue Cocktails blog is one drink that I've found takes kindly to Ransom as well as Hayman's.

I've never worked with whole flowers. For making hibiscus simple syrup, I first steeped dehydrated broken flowers in warm water, strained and then added sugar to the "tea" to make syrup. For what you're trying to accomplish, you may have two different applications on your hands: 1) re-hydrating the whole flowers and 2) making hibiscus simple syrup. Conflating the two probably isn't the best idea. I guess the left over water from step 1 might be of some use in step 2, but I don't think you're going to get much flavor out of the hibiscus without heat, and I don't think you want to heat the whole flowers.

There's a drink that's been on the Violet Hour's menu for a couple seasons now called the Indian Summer (Plymouth, Lime, Lavender Syrup, House-Made Tonic). It is to the G&T what the Cuba Libre is to the Rum & Coke. The flavor is pretty much identical to what I imagine as a perfect G&T. I believe it's the creation of eG-er iraethan.

I didn't get any suggestions on what to do with the Vietnamese Hibiscus Brandy over in that thread, so I decided to give it a try in place of an aromatic pisco in an 8th & Collins riff, which turned out rather nice. 1 1/2 oz Hibiscus Brandy 1/4+ oz Genevieve Gin 1 oz Grapefruit Juice 1/2 oz Lemon Juice 1/4+ oz Simple Syrup 1 oz Egg White Garnished with Angostura.

I just returned from Asia with a bottle of Vietnamese "Hibiscus Brandy". There's no English on the bottle anywhere, but the menu at the restaurant where I bought it (they make all of their own liquors/liqueurs, also brought back a somewhat abrasive-compared to Apry-Apricot eau-de-vie) said it was simply, "Clear brandy distilled from Hibiscus flowers." I'd put the proof at around 80 (again, nothing on the label to indicate this, just my best guess). I'm assuming it's a rice-based product. It has an inherently floral note, but it's not at all overpowering, or even at the forefront. Any suggestions for use?

Just tried side-by-side Creoles with PeM and M&R being the only difference. I see where you're coming from, but I still prefer the PeM. Can't say I ever have a problem picking out the Benedictine in any cocktail I've had with it...this is no exception. It's possible our difference in preference is related to the Amer. I'll have to find a bottle of the real thing soon to test further. From doing a side by side tasting of the original Amer Picon against the Violet Hour's a few months ago, I recall that the VH product actually presents a more full bodied and pleasant aroma (to me) than the real thing, while the original had a slightly better overall flavor profile. Perhaps the VH Amer holds up better than the original in this drink. At this point, I can't be sure.

I'm extremely partial to the Creole Cocktail: 1 1/2 oz Rye (prefer Rittenhouse BIB) 1 1/2 oz Sweet Vermouht (prefer Punt e Mes) 1/8 oz Amer Picon (hard to beat the Violet Hour's house product) 1/8 oz Benedictine May have more in common with the Brooklyn than the Manhattan, but either way it's one of my favorites.

I think it's technically in Lorraine, but I can second the recommendation for l'Arnsbourg. Dinner was probably the best meal I've had in France, and the breakfast at their Hotel K was without a doubt the best I've had anywhere. The setting is gorgeous after a snowfall. In Strasbourg itself, I recall fondly the choucroute garnie at Chez Yvonne, though it is a touch touristy.

Yes, not entirely true to form, but it says Bacardi 151 is an acceptable substitute if OP demerara isn't available...I assumed the W&N OP was a step up from the Bacardi, in quality at least if not in proof. The recipe suggests letting the drink cook longer than normal due to the volume of high proof booze, which I did not exactly do...so, I'm hoping it all came out as a wash.

The "Warning Label" from Rogue Cocktails...or whatever they'll be calling themselves now. Cynar, Punt e Mes & W&N Overproof with a Campari rinse. I didn't have the grapefruit bitters that were called for, but I still got some unmistakable grapefruit notes from this combination. Will make this again. I did not expect to enjoy it nearly as much as I did.

The Cuba Libre from Rogue Cocktials comes to mind. Sure, it's just a rum and coke, but the coke called for is the stuff with cane sugar, not the modern HFCS crap, there's muddled lime, angostura bitters...it's a classic, but it's thoughtfully improved.

I would be amazed if the Iowa Whiskey in question wasn't Templeton Rye. It is, as far as I know, the only commercially available brown liquor produced in Iowa, and its first big market release was in Chicago...so, that pretty much answers that. When it was first released I drank through a bottle in about two weeks making sazeracs. In other words, it's extremely approachable, in fact, I'd say too approachable. It's only 80 proof, and at $35 a bottle, I think there are better options. But, if it's a gift, give the man what you know he likes.

I haven't heard a good explanation for the price variance...even in (highest liquor tax in the country) Chicago, it can often be found in the low teens in some locations, and I haven't seen it pass $20 yet anywhere. Meanwhile, I saw it selling (or perhaps not) for $30+ in Colorado a few weeks ago.

The Blis makes this a special cocktail, but I imagine it would still be quite good with another high quality maple syrup. There are much better applications for the rye if all I had was Hungry Jack, though.

Perhaps "developed with the intention" is too strong, but it certainly seems like it was being mixed very early in its existence, if not immediately. It seems like almost as soon as the product existed, there was the Milano-Torino (50-50 Campari & Sweet Vermouth), which was watered down for the Americano, and eventually the water swapped for gin by Count Negroni...

Cinzano says:

Undoubtedly, yes.

Single malts from Balvenie have always been my go to. The 21-year PortWood is far and away my favorite. The 12-year DoubleWood is a fantastic warmer in the winter, and makes an out of this world Rob Roy. I prefer Speyside, and am not fond of most Islay. Don't care at all for the smokey, iodine-like character that brands like Lagavulin and Laphroig seem to put forward.