12BottleBar

New member. I guess I'll have to flood the forum to qualify.

Aviary is part of Next, Achatz's new restaurant, which is apparently much less formal than Alinea ($40-$70 for prix fixe), so that might help. It also might hurt. Generally, the person who makes the effort to go to places like Alinea, Fat Duck , or El Bulli is a pilgrim of sort -- they know what to expect and they are into the whole experience. I live in Los Angeles, and when I've been to popular places like the bar at the SLS hotel that try to bring the same concept to the general public, it can be something of an epic fail. People don't get it, they don't want to get it, they just want a drink and the number of the hot guy/girl down the bar. Of course, that's LA.

My thought/concern was with regard to a prolonged alcohol infusion. As alcohol really draws out the flavor of the pits, might it be drawing out the bad elements too?

Erik, The hot and cold tea at Fat Duck is a damn fine parlor trick -- one I have not forgotten several years on, which is more than I can say for the Fat Duck on the whole. But yes, it's a fad. The best uses of food science I've seen are when it's incorporated in little ways to compliment a traditional dish. I think Achatz's Old Fashioned, as demonstrated, accomplishes this -- if it's a good drink, the trick doesn't seem to be getting in the way. One thing I've wondered for a while now is if the average top chef can make a better drink than a top bartender. Is there more experience with flavors and techniques? Do they understand the application of energy and heat better? I'm not saying they do, and of course there are shining examples for both sides. Just a ponder.

In home-making Sloe Gin or other infusions with pits, I've always been cautioned about the hazards. I would assume brands would have a process in place. Just curious.

There's an article in the latest issue of Imbibe that tells you how to infuse Amaretto with peach pits. Anyone have any thoughts with regard to the safety of this (ie. cyanide issues)?

Hayman's and Ransom are wickedly different beasts. Will be curious to hear how you like the latter.

Resurrecting this because I just came up with a new recipe that I'd like to put to the group for thoughts. Without going into every step of what got me to the end product -- there were too many versions to count -- I've come up with a v1.0 with which I am happy. The goal was to match the major notes of Rose's -- pucker, sour, and a funky finish -- while also capturing the color and clarity. Admittedly, my version isn't nearly as dry as I would like, and I have noticed that it doesn't keep without losing a noticeable amount of steam after a short while. The amounts given are just per the size I made; I've not yet tried it in bulk. "Preserved" Lime Syrup 3 oz Lime zest-infused Vodka 2 oz Agave Nectar 2 oz Cane Sugar Syrup 0.25 tsp Citric Acid Steps: 1) The night before, zest 3-4 limes (I used whatever Trader Joe's sells) and cover zest with vodka (I used regular Stoli). 2) Prepare a 1:1 cane sugar syrup 3) On the second day, stir together ingredients to mix. For a Gimlet, I use 2 parts gin and 1 part of the lime syrup. I went with the agave to give it the funky undertone, but too much agave got way too sweet. So, I replaced half of it with a basic brown simple syrup. All of my early batches had fresh lime juice as well, but it wasn't until I cut it out that the recipe got anywhere close to Rose's. I'm curious to hear opinions as well as thoughts on how to reduce the sweetness further and prolong its life. David

For the Hayman's, it would probably be too much, but the Ransom is heady stuff. It's a whole different animal.

Still need to pick up those and the celery ones.

Chris - certainly sounds good enough to try. I like Fee's Aromatic with the Ransom, but I'd love to hear what others prefer.

I love both the Hayman's and Ransom. I've spent some time working with the Ransom and came up with the following. If anyone tries it, let me know what you think. The goal was to really highlight the Ransom's profile. The Red Chief 1.5 oz Ransom Old Tom 0.75 oz Pineapple Juice 0.75 oz Orange Blossom Honey (straight from the squeeze bottle) 1 Dash Fee Aromatic Bitters Shake and strain. A good deal of honey will remain in the shaker. It should, the drink will be sweet enough. I'm thinking of a roasted pineapple garnish, but I haven't yet gotten that far.

Haresfur, I've gotten that comment a lot on the bitters. I count them only because my the focus of my list and my site is on non-cocktailian. I have a lot of friends who, when given a proper drink, love it but are completely baffled by the concept of making it. Their home bars typically consist of a good bottle of vodka (which someone gave them at Christmas), a bottle of Cointreau or Gran Marnier (which they bought for cooking), cheap dry vermouth (also for cooking), and a Costco-sized bottle of Cuervo Gold. So, I counted the bitters (and vermouths) because they were items I felt that people might need to go out and buy and learn about. And, thanks for the welcome. As for the Campari, not being able to do a Negroni is a sore sport for me. I am going to try a Negroni-esque highball with Sanbitter instead, though. Anyone tried that yet?

I did a quick search and didn't see this one mentioned: Small Dinger (from Bar La Florida, 1935) 1 part Light Rum 1 part Dry Gin 1/2 part Lemon Juice 1/2 part Grenadine Brilliant drink.

I've been fortunate enough to have had many molecular "cocktails" in the past -- Achatz's mist sprays, Adria's hot/cold Gin Fizz, Blumenthal's G&T nitorgen puffs, Andres' cotton candy Mojito -- and being a classic cocktail devote, I'll say this: they're all damn fine entertainment, but they'll never replace a real drink for me. I do trust Achatz to get the flavors right -- the man's a genius when it comes to that. He never seems to let the whimsy overtake the dining experience.

Just joined egullet. I've had a blog for the past year to this very end, although my list includes twelve bottles. It's not that dissimilar from the original post. I was unaware of that list until I came here, having taken more inspiration from H.i. William's "3 Bottle Bar" of yore. Here's what I came up with -- some of which I included to make the bar more interesting. Kubler Absinthe Remy Martin VSOP Bols Genever Leopold's Gin Orange Liqueur Pusser's Rum Rittenhouse BiB Rye Redbreast Irish Whiskey Bitters - Angostura Bitters - Peychaud's Vermouth - Dry Vermouth - Sweet So far, I'm far from running out of drinks to make. When asked, both Ted Haigh and Gaz Regan have said they'd replace the Irish Whiskey, but it's one of the more popular bottles among the readers. If I had to pair it down to ten, I'd probably lose the Bols and the Peychaud's (tough choices).

I agree that mere historical credit is the most anyone can hope for, and quite frankly, we should all be so lucky to be chronicled a century hence. A question to daisy17: Doesn't any cocktail worth copyrighting/trademarking also run the risk of being declared generic by the courts, should it succeed to be so popular as to wind up on Cheesecake Factory menus (so to speak)?

I'll add to the Cole's over Varnish grumbles. And what about the Sazerac Bar in New Orleans?