Hassouni

¡El Rey de los Cocteles! Ok, how does the bottled cane syrup really differ than something like Florida Crystals or Sucanat turned into a syrup?

Hehehe that's the idea

Dolin and chartreuse are restocks, everything else is new to me. Really excited about the denizen....

Do you get Fidencio? Their entry level goes head to head with Vida and tends to be cheaper here.

I sort of agree. The Samaroli rums haven't been as impressive as some of the other indies I've tried...and as you say, quite spendy. That Samaroli Caol Ila at Rafa's bar though, fuckin hell. Masterpiece. However, that Hampden....

What about feste's?

Yes, Iraqi mango pickles, which are produced in India, are quite different than domestic Indian or SE Asian pickles.

Damn, how about those eggs?

Citric acid?

Also I'd like to add that my bottle has particulate matter in it, which makes me feel a lot better about my own half-assed bitters filtering attempts

That looks awesome. How were the somen? In my experience, udon really is the best to soak up nabe broth.

I use a 12 oz (or rather, 330ml or something) Duralex Picardie glass for mai tais and other crushed ice drinks. Not traditional but it's the right size. A julep cup would work nicely, I think.

I just bought the Bittermens Tiki Bitters yesterday in fact. They're certainly similar to Angostura, but less bitter and more forward on the clove and spices. Overall they have a "lighter" flavor profile - I wouldn't use them in a Manhattan, for example, but it seems like they'd play well in Don the Beachcomber drinks calling for Angostura.

Yup, and where the English and French got orange! It's one of the best dishes in the universe, but I'm kind of biased. It sucks that it's a pain in the ass to make and no restos here will make it. I suppose it COULD be done in a kettle grill, building a fire on one side and propping the fish up on the other - but the point is it's to be indirectly heated by FIRE, not grilled over coals. It's also not easy to get a fish butterflied in the right way, as it's a method never done here and unfamiliar to fishmongers, many of whom here at least don't speak fantastic English. If anyone finds themselves in London, there are a few Iraqi restaurants that specialize in Masgouf, one in Knightsbridge, called simply Masgouf, and another off Edgware Road (Connaught Street?) called Le Chef Masgouf, or something. The type of fish they use is different but otherwise it's pretty legit. I'm sure there must be places in Dearborn that do it too. Anywhere there are a lot of Iraqis (Dubai, Amman...)

Thanks Princesse. No, I just limited it to the whites I had on hand - not counting agricoles and cachaças, or crazy Caribbean overproofs, only stuff made in the style pioneered by Don Facundo. That's a really, REALLY good price for Caña Brava. It only comes in L bottles, btw. Palo Viejo is super cheap. The wholesale price on it here is <$10, and I remember getting a few bottles for next to nothing in PR. Cool, you won't regret buying it, I'd say it's a worthy rum at even 50% more than what they charge for it. By the way, I should note that I have yet to do a daiquiri test with these rums. Not sure if I should include FdC in the running or just stick to HC, CB, and PV. I'll post results in the daiquiri thread, of course!

Good luck finding Palo Viejo anywhere. It is distributed and sold in the mainland, but I've never seen it for retail sale anywhere. I have seen Caliche. Caña Brava is harder to find than Caliche, but I have seen it here and there. I dunno if this belongs in "Understanding Rum" but I did a side by side of Havana Club Añejo 3 Años, Caña Brava, Palo Viejo, Don Q, Flor de Caña, and Brugal Extra Dry Especial or whatever it's called. The Brugal was faintly flavored vodka, plain and simple. Don Q was better, but not by a ton. Flor de Caña was very nice but had a prominent mature coconut aroma and taste that made it stand out from the rest. In the end, Palo Viejo and Caña Brava were the two finalists for "closest runners up to real Cuban rum" - CB has a more complex and mature flavor but is pretty subtle, while the notes in PV might be less complex, but are less subtle and they match Havana Club really closely. Given how cheap Palo Viejo is (when you can get it), it's staying as my go-to "Cuban/Spanish" style light rum. If all you can find is Caña Brava, go for that, because it's still a great product. According to Señor Ambajador, Caliche is just an upmarket variant on Palo Viejo, but I've never tried it (correct me if I'm wrong!)

http://www.seriouseats.com/2013/02/fuloon-malden-mass-ma-boston-chinese-restaurants-what-to-order.html Kenji loves that place

Unreal. You win.

Might still happen... Moto, how'd you like the Forres Park?

OF with Elijah Craig 12. Tasty stuff

Dude you made my day. SC, LH151, and WNOP + Arak + Cocktail Kingdom shit. That's what makes me happy! Enjoy it! Quick note though, WNOP is 126, not 151

Ballin' hard in the game with new bottles of Lustau East India Solera and Osborne Manzanilla

Bien sûr! I used your preferred Cara Cara oranges too, as well as the 1883 passion fruit syrup and LH151, as called for in the recipe. It wasn't bad at all, but it didn't have that tiki magic, for whatever reason.

I made one of these the other day, quite coincidentally. Different brands, but it didn't quite do it for me...

Made 6 Jet Pilots. Drank one of them. Use 1 oz each Smith and Cross and WNOP, and 3/4 oz Angostura 7. Homemade Kaiser Penguin recipe falernum, and Lucid for the "6 drops of Pernod". Good stuff. Also did some tests with a friends homemade vermouth - Manhattans with gen 1 Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye - RUBBISH! With Willet, MUCH MUCH better. Also, a 5:1 Martini with the vermouth (it's sort of halfway between dry and sweet) and Green Hat gin. Also excellent.