EatYourChemistry

I was having some trouble finding Creme de Violette for my Aviations. In lieu of that essential ingredient, I threw in ~1/8 teaspoon of rose water. It really wasn't spectacular, but it worked in a pinch... The Creme de Violette has a nice minerallity to it that the rose water just doesn't capture...

Alcuin, thanks for all your advice. We had a great time in Madison the other weekend. You were definitely accurate in your assessment of Ale Asylum's Ballistic IPA - what a tasty treat! Some forward citrus, but tempered by a smack of sulfur to make sure you know that hops aren't just docile and fruity! We made sure to stock up on that before we returned to Chicago. We had fantastic weather, so the terrace at the Rathskeller was open and hopping. A few pitchers there never hurt anybody. And thanks a lot for your recommendation of the Old Fashioned. They had great beer and excellent food. We went for dinner on Friday, and then brunch on Sunday, too!

I've been making my own homemade tonic for the past few months, and what a difference it makes! I started my experimenting with Jeffrey Morgenthaler's recipe. I also ordered my cinchona bark from Tenzingmomo -- and I agree with Chris, the site gives you very sparse details about the product you are ordering. Mine came in powder form -- which is a huge pain to filter (I usually end up allowing the sediment to settle overnight, and then pouring off the clear supernatant at the top. Then I just filter this (relatively) clear solution through coffee filters. Or, to save time, I use a Buchner and a vacuum flask. But that's not really necessary. The settling and coffee filters work well and its pretty fast. Concerning Chris' question about how to extract the quinine from the cinchona bark, here's some information that I found. In my experience, boiling the solution for ~20 minutes results in a pleasantly bitter tonic syrup. But here's some details, and you can experiment for yourself. According the Merck Index, cinchona bark samples contain ~0.8 to 4% quinine, depending on the sample. Concerning quinine's solubility in water vs. ethanol (grain alcohol): it takes 760 ml of boiling water or 0.8 ml of pure ethanol to dissolve 1 gram of quinine. I don't think using the alcohol for your extraction is a good idea. Because you're using cinchona bark and not purified quinine, you will be extracting all kinds of other funky stuff out of the bark with the alcohol, and I have no idea how that will affect the final product. Boiling water has worked just fine for me. I haven't ever experimentally calculated what the final concentration of quinine is in my homemade tonic compared to that in commercial tonics, but the 'bitter' taste is comparable. Mine is probably even a little more bitter than commercial waters, because that's how I like it. But if there is enough insistence, I could probably run some tests on the homemade vs commercial to determine their relative quinine concentrations. Just as another point, I like making my own tonic syrups because it also allows me to use different sweeteners. I've tried a few different variations including agave nectar, demerara sugar, evaporated cane sugar, and Splenda. My favorite is the evaporated cane sugar. It has a nice, full flavor which doesn't overpower the subtle flavors of coriander and cardamom that I add. I also always have the Splenda version around for my wife. She likes the diet tonic, and I couldn't stand to watch her drink the vile commercial versions, gag. So that was the impetus for figuring out how to make the homemade version.

Alcuin, Thanks for the info. Its too bad that the cocktail scene hasn't hit Madison yet. Considering the fact that I hadn't heard any rumblings about a great cocktail bar, I was worried about this. But, I was hoping for some insiders information that could point me to a hidden gem or two. We are eminently excited about the beer scene, though. I'm eagerly awaiting a few pints of draft New Glarus beer. They don't distribute in Illinois, and I always stock up when I'm in Wisconsin. With a new twist to the post, maybe folks could suggest their favorite local establishments for beer?

Hi friendly eGullet folks, I'm heading to Madison, WI for the first time this weekend. We'll be dining at L'Etoile on Saturday evening, and we're really excited about that. After dinner, we'd like to check out the cocktail scene around Madison. Being from Chicago, we've been spoiled lately for good cocktails (our favorites include the Violet Hour, the Whistler, and Weegee's Lounge). Does anyone have any suggestions for the best place(s) for cocktails in Madison? We're staying right near the capitol, so more centrally located spots would be preferred. Also, are there any small distilleries that I should be on the lookout for? I'm a big gin fan, and love to try any products from microdistillers.