Hassouni

I can, and it will. I need to get in on some super secret Octomore tasting...

OK, bollocks to this, I've been sick for the better part of 2 weeks and need a drink!!

Do you know how long the sale is good for?

Oh, they have! Thanks for setting it up and hope you enjoy the bourbon (figured Kentucky-ish bourbon was the closest representative product from me in VA/DC) Mine was a shiny bottle of La Favorite. Not sure if my benefactor would prefer the identity kept secret...

Cocktail in a Glencairn glass, you say?

meh, it was only like $6...

Tried them today. Not hot, no fire roasted taste, very unimpressive.

Made enchiladas for the first time ever - Green chile soaked tortillas rolled around caramelized onion, poached chicken thighs, and spinach. Quite tasty! But I couldn't get the tortilla from the oil dip to the chile bath without creating small tears which were just exacerbated once the tortillas were rolled. Also, how does one get a tight roll with such a hot, saucy, tortilla?

Well I used the TJ's cans today. Meh. Very little flavor, almost no heat. NO "roasted" flavor whatsoever. Just as rotuts said. I spiked it with a bunch of serranos, some oregano, chicken stock, salt, cumin, and powdered garlic. Came out not too bad in the end.

Coffee filter. It's slow, but you get far less sediment

wow, that bad, huh.

Shit I just bought a slew of them for making, you guessed it, green chile enchilada sauce....

Why not just immerse the whole fruit? Also, might this work for herbs and spices?

How does the booze pick up flavor and possibly color when fruit is suspended?

chicken shawarma, which i guess is what montrealers call shish taouq, is always served with garlic mayo (more or less), sometimes with fries added in the wrap. But lettuce, tomato, pickled turnips, not so much. Shame, really.

Will keep that in mind, thanks

Boy, there's a lot of mysteriously-derived bias here. Turks don't really care what the Arabs call meat on a rotating spit, but be assured it certainly existed prior to the 1980s, at least as far back as the 19th century when İskender Efendi was creating in Bursa what has become known as İskender Kebabı. It's fairly well acknowledged that İskender modified the Eastern Anatolian cağ kebap, (horizontal rather than vertical döner/shawarma) which therefore must go even further back in time. As for when it emerged in the Arab World, i have no idea. Baklava (which, as an Iraqi I pronounce baqlawa*), is also an indisputably Turkish word (see here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baklava#Name). Within Turkey it's said to be made best in Antep, which is in the SE of Turkey, which has a heavy Arab population. So who knows, maybe baqlawa was perfected by Arabs in Antep. I'm not sure which "Syrian couple" brought coffee to Turkey, but how does Turkish coffee have nothing to do with coffee? You're right in that the dallah on the campfire, as done in the Arabian peninsula is the original coffee preparation. Turkish coffee is called "Turkish coffee" because the style of boiling powder-ground beans was invented in the Ottoman Empire, and it was in this form that coffee was introduced to Europe. At that time, anything Ottoman was referred to in Europe as "Turkish," whether or not this style was first developed in Damascus, Jerusalem, Urfa, İzmir, or İstanbul. At that time the Red Sea was an "Ottoman lake" so yes, there were coffee plantations in the Ottoman Empire. After World War I, these territories were lost and Turks took to drinking tea, which could be produced locally and cheaply. Coffee subsequently became very expensive (it still is) and Nescafé had a hold on the coffee scene, much as it often does in places like Lebanon, where until recently it was the only option other than the more expensive "Turkish coffee." I'm not surprised coffee in Turkey was crappy in the 80s - Turkey was not doing well economically then and there probably wasn't much besides Nescafe. *I note my ethnicity to show that yes, I grew up speaking Arabic, but I'm also a longtime student of the region and of the three main regional languages (Arabic, Persian, and Turkish). I throw no personal bias in and respect proven and accepted facts, regardless of which "side" they favor. Wow, you are from Indian American descent? He obviously means he was born in the US, as was I. What else are those born in the US to be called? And David, fire away with more questions! Nicholas Spyrou, with regards to making shawarma, Nicolai is certainly right about the importance of sheep tail fat, which is probably not that easy to obtain outside the Middle East. Shawarma has a HUGE propensity to dry out - this happens even at places like Barbar, which one would think knows what they're doing. Serious layering of fat is key, but given the lack of tail fat in most of the world, perhaps using particularly fatty cuts of meat would suffice? This goes for beef as well as lamb - for beef, something really well marbled would probably work well. Shawarma sandwiches (which are wraps, by the way - Arabic bread is never used as a "pocket" from what I've seen) are also typically not served with greens and tomatoes, as falafel is, but rather just with some pickles and maybe hummus, not much else. I would up the pickle quotient, add some tomatoes, and maybe use a sauce that wasn't hummus. It may not be authentic, but I think it'd yield a tastier, less dry overall product - lately I've gone off "authentic" shawarma, the last several times I've had it in Lebanon I've been underwhelmed.

Hm, was unaware that WT101 had such a low rye content. Be that as it may, JoNorvelleWalker, I find it FAR less cloying than most other bourbons I've had.

Got a rye-heavy bourbon? I've done it with both Rittenhouse 100 and Wild Turkey 101 and it comes out great both ways. I have no bourbon either. I have tasted bourbon, years ago, and I remember that I liked it. I've read the entire eG thread on rye but still have no firm idea of what it tastes like. I feel like such a virgin. One thing I do not like (with all apologies to Canadians) is Canadian blended whiskey. If rye tastes like blended whiskey I will pass. Is tannic a taste in rye? If so, are some brands of rye less tannic than others? As I said I have a lot of local rye choices, including Rittenhouse 100. Less tannic the better as far as I am concerned. Nothing new to contribute to the thread tonight. I'm on my second cup of "whiskey" punch made with Black Barrel rum. I can't believe I made it thtough the bottle. It may be my last whiskey punch till I find a replacement. Which won't be till payday. The recipe does call for rye. Rafa hit the nail so squarely on the head I'm not sure what else I can say, but here's my attempt: I prefer rye to bourbon because of the so-described dryness. Granted, this varies in ryes and varies in bourbons, depending on how much rye/corn/wheat is involved. Bourbon must be min. 51% corn, rye must be min 51% rye. What makes up that remaining 49% is open to the distiller. The higher the rye content (for either whisky), the spicier and less sweet it will be. For example, Bulleit Rye is 95% rye. I believe Rittenhouse is also high up there. Both are by no means sweet, and with the 100 proof of the Rittenhouse, it's perfect for cocktails, whereas a lower percentage and lower proof rye, such as Pikesville, while quite unobjectionable, doesn't stand out the same way. Bourbons such as Maker's Mark, as Rafa and others have said elsewhere, are heavy on the wheat for the remaining 49%. These tend towards being too sweet for my tastes. My go-to Bourbon, though, Wild Turkey 101, is as I understand it, heavy on the rye for its 49% and comes off far less sweet, and more bracing than most bourbons. Just like Rittenhouse, that quality plus its proof make it a great cocktail spirit. As for tannic qualities, if I'm not mistaken that's just a function of time in the barrel, as tannins are released from oak. So theoretically, bourbon and rye should have the same amount of tannins given the same age and same type of barrel. That said, though, there is a somewhat astringent quality in the high-rye mashbill spirits, but this is why rye is so favored among cocktail enthusiasts (at least those who dislike sweet drinks!) Finally, Canadian whisky has nothing to do with real rye and you should not confuse the two.

Got a rye-heavy bourbon? I've done it with both Rittenhouse 100 and Wild Turkey 101 and it comes out great both ways. This here, kids, is a person that cannot be trusted. It's on par with disliking kittens. Or disliking deformed bald kittens. Bah! How about independent thinking, eh?

And yeah, those other ones are good too

Holland Gin Old Fashioned, Improved Gin Cocktail, Holland Razor Blade (this one is my favorite), Death in Gulf Stream, all great with genever

Affordable quality malts, all very easy to find: Highland Park 12 Old Pulteney 12 Caol Ila 12 Glenmorangie 10 slightly more expensive but still quite reasonable and easy to find: Talisker 10 Laphroaig 10 Bruichladdich 10 if you can find it (discontinued but still should be on shelves) If someone said I could only have 2 bottles and each had to be under $45, I'd definitely spring for Caol Ila and HP twelves.

Oh I have done, many times. One of the best drinks ever. I introduced the Passenger to it and they featured it as a special a few weeks later. With no credit to me...

Chris, Dan, and Rafa: I like menthol and I like bitter. I don't know what it is, but there is something from the depths of hell within. Is that's unknown something that makes it vile and therefore bad. I've had it neat, both room temp and chilled, and in cocktails, and I find it repulsive. And I do like weird tastes in both food and drink. I would much rather take a shot of aromatic bitters than a drop of Fernet Branca.