Hassouni

Sampler pack? Go on... Personally, I've been away from the vice closet for the better part of two weeks, so barely squeaked in an aviation yesterday. Otherwise, a beer here and there, some wonderful Vinoterra Kisi qvevri-aged unfiltered amber wine from Kakheti, Georgia, and last night, some Efe Rakı and Massaya 'araq with dinner. Word to the wise - 'araq and rakı are basically identical, except the former is 50-55% ABV to the latter's 40.

Why have I never come across this? I have all the ingredients and it looks fantastic. Thanks for posting it! Señor, I have Tiki+, and love it. I presume you mean play around with Total Tiki? Anyway, a shattered screen ain't no thang!

It's not so much the temperature or the size that bothers me, it's the wetness

I can't tell you when it's from, but on most of the classic yellow label bottlings, the only difference between 151 is indicated with a red circle or triangle in the corner. Very odd that the one in flickr doesn't have one

Thank you!

Well, that's endorsement enough!

I mean, nobody twisted my arm......too hard. I think the chopped up, fuzzy, dirty mole must indeed be what gives it that bitterness, it makes gentian and cinchona seem like candy. As for drinks, I've singled out Rafa's Santana Abraxas (different brand of bitters specified, but whatevs), which looks marvelous. I'm sure The Man Comes Around is lovely, but I think Fernet is Satan's piss and refuse to buy a bottle (yes, sacrilege, I know)

Wow, that Lemon Hart is a hell of a find, and a superb price. Enjoy! I, on the other hand, succumbing to the tacit peer pressure of the eGullet Spirits & Cocktails forum, got some Bittermens Xocolatl Mole bitters. Nice chocolatey taste up front, INTENSELY bitter finish. What the hell do they put in it??

Does it drain at near the rate of pouring out of the shaker? One problem I've had with nearly every tea strainer is that they limit my pour-out speed.

No, but as unbelievable as it sounds, the bagged ice from the Whole Foods round the corner from me is pretty solid stuff, legit hard cubes. If I'm bringing in ice, that'll do more than fine. Also, the hotel pan thing sounds like the easiest way

I can't remember, but Umamimart mentions it in their description of their own seamless yarai. CK's current description is mum.

Ahahahaha, great video - but as a former suburbanite, I will defend my perfectly made mojito to the death!

There isn't a mixing glass thread, so what the hell: I've seen several reviews of various brands of yarai-pattern mixing glasses which state that the bottom often shears right off due to temperature shock. Umamimart states that their seamless yarai glass is hand-blown and not susceptible to this, but it only holds a pint. CK has three 800mL extra large Japanese glasses - does anybody know anything about those? (By the way, for home use I'll continue to use a shaker tin, but for commercial use, using a glass is a much better show - I'm thinking pre-chill the glasses with some ice water)

Hm, that's actually a decent idea, I'll see if I can get one that fits (or a pair, or whatever). What about getting the ice colder? Would dry ice below the hotel pans do anything, or would it be more trouble than it's worth?

Disinterment alert! What does everyone use for fine strainers? I'm eyeing this one from CK http://www.cocktailkingdom.com/product-p/str_ckcocoxxxx_0000_stl.htm They claim it holds "a full cocktail in the cone" and "drains quickly" - if anyone has used it, how quickly are we talking? I find the average tea strainer pretty useless because it's just so damned slow.

Also that....

Yeah, wetness (and therefore the temperature of it, also) are the big issues. A salad spinner might work, but that seems like it's more suited for home use. I can't see doing that in a commercial setting. Perhaps dumping the machine ice into a cooler with some dry ice in it?

So I just got a whisky-and-beer bar owner's approval to do a pop up cocktail bar at his place. They have an ice machine in their basement that puts out typical, hotel ice machine ice, or that which might be found at the 7-11 soda fountain. Obviously this is not great for cocktails. Short of asking for Kold Draft, or freezing hundreds of Tovolo silicone trays, what can I do? One option is to buy shitloads of quality bagged ice (it exists) and stick it in a few large igloo coolers. It's an extra expense but it might be worth it. Any other recommendations?

Orange juice and most things...

Ugh and barf.

Yes, a classic case of 3 things that sound like they won't work together really living up to it...

Oh hell yeah

I made a Jungle Bird following the recipe in...Tiki+? Bartender's Choice? One of the two....to the letter, and it was Frikkin' vile.

It sounds like yes, and the smartphone connectivity is just for extra convenience.

Negroni, Boulevardier, Vieux Carré, Sazerac, Tombstone, any "Improved" Cocktail, Martinez all immediately jump to mind. Also play around with Dave Wondrich's "aromatic cocktail" formula: 2 parts spirit, 1 part modifier, dash or two of bitters (the Manhattan is the classic in this style)