Dave the Cook

That's quite likely. Among liquids, water is particularly slow to evaporate because of exceptional hydrogen bonding. Although alcohols contain the same OH molecular component as water (H-OH), the carbon in alcohol (CH3-CH2-OH) keeps the bonding from being as strong.

Nothing like a good "spit julep"! ← Nicotini, garnished with a cigarette butt speared on a safety match?

And of course, tobacco, just in case you're looking for a real cocktail challenge.

There are a lot of great ideas here. It might interesting to expand our sights a bit beyond the traditional and first-to-mind flavors. One thing that occurs to me is that bourbon, while a worthy candidate as a base spirit, isn't necessarily the only one with a claim. Certainly people in North Carolina drink bourbon -- Dean being an obvious example. But bourbon and mint juleps are more closely associated with Kentucky, and to my mind, with the old South, than to NC. Nothing wrong with that, of course. But an historical case could be made for rum as well, and given the deep English/Irish roots in the region, London dry gin, Irish whiskey and scotch. In fact, if you roll the idea of smoke around in your mind, scotch and rye seem perfectly appropriate. North Carolina agriculture also provides some food for thought. It produces great peaches (hard for a Georgian to admit, but true), pecans, peanuts, tomatoes and watermelon, all of which might be worth exploring in the context of a cocktail.

Having lived all over north Atlanta, both ITP and OTP, I can state with absolute certainty that this is sometimes true. Too much depends on individual store and produce managers to make reliable predictions about anything -- especially meat, cheese and produce. It's too bad, too. It sure would make things easier. I have found that Publix meat managers have more flexibility than their Kroger counterparts, due to the way the companies purchase, ship and store the product.

Why? ← I think it scratches the ceramic or some such thing Donkey Dave. And it's sad because I have to get new pans . If this is your story, I'll back you up. I wouldn't dream of standing between you and new cookware. Whatever you do, though, don't look at this: Edit: there's a decent thread on ceramic tops here.

Why?

Mister Bourdain answers a number of questions about his new show, and renders an opinion on the Fox series Kitchen Confidential: in an exclusive interview by Rachel Perlow in the Daily Gullet. Many other things -- including his answer to the often-asked question, "You have a reputation that you will try anything, food-wise. What's tested that limit?" -- come to light. Read all about it.

The inimitable Bourdain answers a number of questions about his new show, about the Fox series Kitchen Confidential, and many other things -- including his attempted murder by Mario Batali -- in an exclusive interview by Rachel Perlow in the Daily Gullet. Read all about it.

But if all you really want to do is buy it, you can do that now.

I wondered if that was what you really meant. I still wouldn't do it. High heat under those pans is an invitation to warpage, in my experience.

The high-temperature searing method? I wouldn't recommend it. At these temperatures you're closing in on the temperature at which PTFE starts to break down, and you could ruin the pan pretty easily. You really don't need a non-stick pan for this technique, anyway.

As far as I know, Maraska cherries are only grown in Dalmatia . . . ← Preiss, who imports Luxardo products, says that Luxardo has approximately 22,000 maraska cherry trees in Italy.

I'm not sure what a cupcake tree is -- something like this?

Also, I wonder if anyone has tried Bols Maraschino. Bols is pretty widely distributed in Atlanta, so this might be a possibility.

The determination is made on a case-by-case basis. For example, "The Dolly Parton" is twin rolls stuffed with corned beef, pastrami, coleslaw and Russian dressing. ← So what would your father's sandwich have been? (When you're done with that, tell us what kind of tree you would be.)

We come here not to praise Steven, but to discuss him -- or his ideas. No one's more proud of him than I am (well, maybe his mother, and Ellen, and Momo, and maybe his sister and his best friend). The best way for you to let him know how much you liked this is to flood his PM box with congratulations (he has a one-bazillion-message limit). Then, please, come back here and discuss what's in the excerpt. For instance: - How and what does a teenager cook for ten other teenagers? - What is Eggs Professor? - Where are the best places to eat in Wilmington? - What's wrong with the "reductionistic dish-by-dish perspective" of a standard restaurant review? - Do you still consider yourself a crackpot? An oddball? Do others? - How do you talk Christian Delouvrier and Alain Ducasse into letting you cook with them? - Why doesn't your writing suck anymore? - What the hell do you have to do to get a Stage Deli sandwich named after you?

I checked this morning, and it had crept into the high 40,000s, but now it's languishing at 82,323. Regardless of its Amazon rank, or when you might actually get your hands on a copy, you can read the first few thousand words today, in the Daily Gullet.

I love Negronis, but I find them so rich that one is my limit. The other day, I came across Gary and Mardee Regan's Valentino: gin, Campari and sweet vermouth in a 4:1:1 ratio. It would be a disservice to call it a Negroni Lite, because it's a fine cocktail in it's own right. But that's sort of what it is.

I'm with Steven on this. I'm not a fan of barstools, unless I know that I'm moving on soon, and it's much easier to raise a work surface than to lower one. This sort of table has the added advantage of being much easier to find in flea markets, where you can get real bargains, as long as you're willing to invest a little sweat equity in refinishing (and you're a fan of serendipity).

Oh. I checked tonight. Limes in the Atlanta burbs -- excuse me, the outlying counties -- are a buck a pound (between five and six fruits), in two-pound bags at Kroger.

It's much, much better, which is not to say that it's objectively good. I wouldn't call Cakebread or Montelena "regular" Cab. You're talking about something that costs ten or twelve times what Franzia is proposing.

Well, I just checked my bottle, and it's 78 proof. Maybe it's a recent change? Mine, too. I just made a 2:1:1 margarita. (How many of us have done this tonight?) Maybe it's a rapidly evolving palate, but it tastes perfect to me -- better than the 3:2:1.

You're not seriously letting the price of limes curb your margarita jones, are you? Even at 1:1:1 with 50-cent limes, if you're using decent liquor, the citrus is easily the cheapest part of the drink, no?

A good margarita is a revelation, isn't it? Except for the daiquiri, I think no other cocktail has been so abused (the abuse of the martini is in another class). My rookie advice: use blanco, 100% agave tequila; the anejos are too soft and even-tempered. Do use a good triple sec (Cointreau and Marie Brizard are the only ones I've found that do a good job). And yes, fresh lime juice. I've tried the recipe you posted, and it does lack the citrusy sparkle that a I think a margarita should have. The ratios that Sam suggests are worth trying; I use both, depending on my mood. (With the 2:1:1, I often rim with half salt/half demerra.) Take a tiny sip before pouring, so that you can adjust the lime juice, if necessary.