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Good to hear, Mol-air. The impression I've gained all along is that they're great on service (not least through Jeff's occasional presence here). Lamb racks courtesy of my Anova last night. SV is SO kind to lamb!

You're most kind. Although this is hardly the place for a literary discussion, the construction is almost the point. The original 'dark and stormy night' sentence isn't sneered at so much because it's ungrammatical, as because it goes on. And on, and on. If you've never had the pleasure, it's quoted here. To return to the subject: I shall be preparing a couple of Bulwer-Lyttons tonight (minus the lavender bitters, alas) and will report in due course.

Rafa, I'm delighted to see Sir Edward B-L thus immortalised. I shall prepare this tribute at the earliest possible opportunity. [Modest suggestion] Go here and search the page for 'historical'. One of my best moments of 2012 ... which I note is the year you posted the drink on Kindred. Who'da thought?

And once you have lots of bitters you can consider making one of these. Then another ... If you can handle bitter, the Tres Sangres is amazing.

Thank god no! He might be fine at orthopaedics. That's a lovely bit of bread, though.

He's not a surgeon, then?

Very nice! Hundreds of years ago my wife-to-be and I had an impoverished holiday in Vanuatu (it was still the New Hebrides then; THAT'S how long ago it was!). We were fortunate that the room had an electric jug with a concealed element, which came in very handy for heating cans of sausages bought cheap at the local supermarket. Ah, luxury and a decent income. Thoroughly overrated ... not.

Rafa's magnificent The Man Comes Around again last night. Still just as good after I-don't-know-how-many times. And a few nights ago it was Mai Tai time again. A while back FrogPrincesse asked for a reveal of my Tiki mug collection. Here's the Headhunter, made just for me by an Ebay seller:

Hi Pep. Yes, I've got something 'growing' in my attempt at Cynar at the moment. As you say, nothing should be able to! I'd suggest filtering. I think the best bet is several layers of cheesecloth/muslin, although you'll have to accept a certain amount of loss from soaking into the material. People recommend coffee filters but I find they're really slow (read: you'll be hours waiting for the last bit to go through) and there's always the risk that the wet paper will let go at a crucial moment (read: just when you've got 7½ bottlesworth nicely filtered and still under the funnel). If the stuff still smells good, and I can't see why it wouldn't, it should still be eminently drinkable. Good luck!

I suspect orange liqueurs - Cointreau, Grand Marnier - would work.

This is your opportunity to enter the magical world of sous vide. Go Anova!

A few layers of cheesecloth work fine. I usually find coffee filters just too painfully slow. But if your nylon mesh is something like a Superbag, that's what I use. And I can thoroughly recommend Kaiser Penguin's falernum recipes. Makes Velvet taste bleeding awful in comparison.

It absolutely does. Do it.

No idea, sorry - the Ketel1 is my conversion from a Genever virgin. It's nice stuff, but more like the vodka I get from my still than any gin I've had.

Glad you're enjoying the Anova, Michoutim (as am I). 50 might be too much of a drop. Try 53 and see how you enjoy it. 55 will certainly give you a rather more medium/well-done result.

Tammany Hall last night, with sort-of Scotch (essence in home-made vodka - surprisingly convincing, actually), Ketel1 Genever, Punt e Mes, Benedictine and Angostura. Very tasty. Another winner - thanks, Rafa.

Nice knowing you, Sylvia. If the twitching and convulsions start getting to you, just put some bass-heavy music on and tell yourself you're at a club. Seriously - post again tomorrow so we know you're OK.

I suspect it may not, but you won't waste any booze by trying it.

Thanks, guys. I did the same search on Kindred and skipped over most for lack of a vital ingredient (or three) and/or too much citrus, which I' m not keen on. But you offer a few suggestions which don't necessarily fall into either rejection category, so I shall persevere. I recommend the Supercool Vieux Carré, though.

Yes sir, Mr Taylor, whatever you say, Mr Taylor. We had a Supercool Vieux Carré from Kindred and found it most acceptable.

Rittenhouse 100 and KetelOne Genever. I'll be relying on you lot for some good ideas with the Genever.

Also guilty. It's a friteful thing to do.

Ah - that's where my local shop is ahead of the game. The final step, before they hand the package over, is to jab it several times with a sharp object. I still break the land speed record coming back up the hill, but it possibly helps - the stuff is always crisp.

Hi Kent. I just checked the recipe again, and the mandarins stay suspended over the alcohol for a whole month. They come out looking a bit jaded, but last time we saved the juice and it was fine in another cocktail. The alcohol I use is the pure (90%-odd) stuff I distil myself. Which almost answers your question about the sugar - it's at least partly to water the spirit down. I end up somewhere around 52%, which is still quite 'hot', but at least not fatally so. It's fine as a digestif or in a cocktail (search Kindred for the Tolkien; the mandarin works well as a sub for tangelo). I'm not even sure if we get waxed citrus here. In any case, I just put the fruit straight into the cheesecloth. Bergamots would be interesting. I'll have to see if I can find some - I don't recall ever seeing them. Maybe the 'suspense' method would avoid waxiness. Tell yourself it will, then rely on the placebo effect.

Good guess; wrong flower. Poppy.