12BottleBar

Odd, I've never gotten that flavor from mine. I think we all may need to start shipping around samples to each other. Were you using unsalted almonds? Assuming you were but asking.

I've never made tepache and am wondering if anyone has -- and has mixed with it. Any good?

Got one.

I'm not doing a long or dark toast -- just enough to bring out the flavor a bit. It may be because I use marconas, but the end product seems spot-on to me, no roasted taste and also no need to pump up the flavor with extract or whatnot. I've mode both unblanched and blanched versions and definitely prefer the latter. Without perusing the whole threat, anyone tried it with barley?

Thanks, Richard. I wasn't certain if it was common, but it sure is lovely.

Jenni - yup, I knew that re: orgeat. I make the almond kind already, so I'll be curious to see how the barley version works. Oddly enough, I'm currently bouncing back and forth between this thread and an orgeat thread over in Cocktails.

rmillman - great link -- thanks. And thanks for all the others suggestions. Time to start playing...

Tri2Cook - I've never needed to boost the flavor with my recipe. I use skinless marcona almonds from nutsonline.com and this recipe http://fxcuisine.com/default.asp?language=2&Display=26&resolution=high. I roast the almonds a bit first. I've also tried the recipe with pistachios, hazelnuts, and black walnuts (which are weirdly wonderful). Obviously, the rose and orange waters were adjusted/discarded based on the nut profile. Not all of the above worked for cocktails, but they were interesting to play with.

I find the fuzz -- the discovery and mad science -- the fun part. Cocktail jello shots are easy enough, although agar may not be the right way to go, after all. I prefer its rigidity and its ability to be cut with an oddly shaped cookie cutter, but sheet gelatin appears to be more cocktail friendly. I'm going to try blooming sheet gelatin in tonic to see what happens. In a professional environment, I agree with you that it doesn't fit a reasonable investment/reward model, but at home, it's quite fun.

Thanks for the heads up on the brew shop route and the Barleycup. I'm a big barley tea fan, so now I need to go try these. After that, a barley version of orgeat, I think.

We just featured a bunch of recipes from Ted Haigh's book, and he recommends raspberry syrup as common grenadine substitute from back in the day. Just cover some raspberries with rich simple syrup overnight, then strain. Works great in the Blinker and Japalac, not so well in a Jack Rose. Just posted a punch with it, which is very nice. It's a syrup well worth giving a spin.

I'd like to make some agar margarita, daiquiri, etc shots (with clarified citrus juice) for Halloween. One thing I'm pondering is adding tonic to the mix to get the shots to glow under backlight. Anyone have experience using tonic in this manner? Can/should I allow it to go flat first, or is there a way to "extract" the luminescent properties so I'm not adding liquid volume or tonic flavor to the mix? I considered g&t shots, but they didn't sound as appealing (we'll see if the others work)..

If you're looking non-alcoholic as well, we just posted Poison Apple Punch. 2 parts Apple Juice 1 part Ginger Beer 1 part Raspberry Syrup (post back if you need recipe) In a few days, we'll be doing Midnight Punch, which is (this is a one-drink size, scale as needed)... 4 oz Dark Rum 3 oz Ginger Beer 0.75 oz Grenadine 0.75 oz Grapefruit Juice

I need a great, proven Advocaat recipe within the next few days. Anyone have one? I found a few online, but tend to put more trust in the filter of these boards. Thanks!

Very helpful advice on the roasting step. Thanks!

I tied to make it once by roasting in the oven -- set the whole oven on fire. I have been forbidden to ever attempt it again, and sadly I couldn't salvage the first attempt. Anyone tried this successfully?

chadotea.com Chado is a small chain of great tearooms in Los Angeles. They're owned and run by the Shahs, and Indian couple who are very serious about tea. This isn't a twee Martha Stewart place.

Chado in Los Angeles, especially the Pasadena location. I think they sell online too.

My standard home brew is half Assam and half Ceylon. The wife loves Assams, but I find them too "tannin-y" sometimes. Personal favorite is Czar Alexander from Chado.

So, a reply like this one counts? I need to increase my Darjeeling knowledge. We brew a great deal of Assam, Keemun, and Ceylon around the house, but nothing is like Darjeeling when the mood strikes.

I couldn't it on Chado's site either, but I did find this link: http://www.todd-holland.com/teacart/pc/Burnside-Estate-Special-Frost-Tea-153p1686.htm Devan Shah, mentioned therein, is the owner of Chado. Burnside is my favorite of the frost teas. Amazingly delicate and rich.

Fermented is exactly the term I would use. What's strange to me is that the same place can have two pictures that taste different -- one being fine, another off. This lead me to think it wasn't the water. I have been places where someone accidentally dumps a pot of coffee into the tea, but that's pretty noticeable. I'd love to pinpoint whether its old tea, cleaning, or whatnot, so I can tell the place exactly what the problem. Usually, they just look at me strangely.

I do like Dr. Gourmet's statement with regard to eating just one whole pit: "overall this is much less poisonous".

Has anyone else tried the frost teas produced by Los Angeles' Chado and James Norwood Pratt. They introduced them several years ago. Single estate leaves picked at the height of the frost, just like ice wine. Do any other producers make this kind of tea? Absolutely lovely stuff.

Iced tea is my go-to drink whenever I'm out. I'm a cocktail blogger but much more persnickety about my tea. About 50% of the time, iced tea will have a funky "off" taste. If you know what I'm talking about, maybe you know the answer to my question: where does this come from? Overbrewing, a too old supply, lousy leaves? Thanks.