JoNorvelleWalker

So they say but I have yet to see it at my store.

Right now I am enjoying a mai tai. Hardly unusual. Although two nights ago I made one with an ounce of Wray & Nephew, an ounce of Pusser's, and an ounce of Gosling's Old. This was so good I immediately made another. For some reason I never got as far as posting about it. Since then I am hoarding my Gosling's Old, but for what it's worth, my mai tai at the moment is: 2 oz Pusser's 1 oz W&N 1/2 oz Cointreau 1 oz lime juice 1/2 oz orgeat I continue to investigate Cointreau vs. Grand Marnier. I still think I prefer Grand Marnier in my mai tai, however Cointreau works if used at only half an ounce. Much more than that and orange oil is about all I taste. I still can't find any mint to buy. Last night I did not make a mai tai. I had my very first jack rose! The drink was so lovely I took a picture, after researching the subject of jack rose recipes all day. Sadly the image is stuck in the camera. I can't seem to get it out. It's my son's camera. He has been offering advice. I can view the previous drink pictures I posted just fine on the computer, but not the jack rose. I used the Embury proportions. You'll just have to imagine what it looks like.

Plenty of V/X on the dealer's shelf...it never seems to move. But I gather their problem at the moment is obtaining any Appleton/W&N/Campari stuff, not just Appleton 12. However I expect they will get it sorted out.

Sadly I've not been able to restock my Appleton 12. My dealer says they apparently changed their distributor. I used to be able to order Appleton 12 and get it the next day or the day after. This has me worried because to the best of my knowledge Appleton, Wray & Nephew, and (for that matter) Campari are all the same company. I went home with W&N since it was on the shelf. I've noticed the bottles of W&N move pretty fast. And the snow is coming.

Lovage is a common herb in many recipes of classical western cuisine. By "classical" I mean Roman. See Dalby and Grainger, The Classical Cookbook. I have never found lovage for sale, unfortunately. The herbs I grow are rosemary, basil, and lavender. I had a mint plant but I was able to kill it. Sure wish I had some mint right now.

But apparently there is more than one drink named "Columbia". What is Vic's Columbia recipe named after? Columbia University doesn't sound very tikiish.

My best variation on a Columbia yet, this time served in a nineteenth century Champagne flute, which once upon a time may have been known as a nineteenth century sour glass: 2 oz Busted Barrel 1/2 oz W&N 1 oz lemon juice 3/4 oz raspberry syrup I was reading tonight that the drink is named after the university. Is this true, or an urban legend?

For plain rice in western or Indian cuisine I usually boil rice in excess salted water (as I would pasta) for 12-15 minutes, drain, and cover for about 5 minutes off the heat.

When I go I could do worse than have my granddaughters morn me with a mai tai. Though at the moment I must say it is more my grandson who is into alcohol. Not that my granddaughters don't appreciate it. I too am sorry for your loss. Please share which version of Don's recipe. For me tonight it is a variation on Vic's theme: 1 oz Pusser's 1 oz Wray & Nephew 1 oz Gosling's Old 3/4 oz Grand Marnier 1 1/2 - 1 3/4 oz lime juice (juice of a lime) 1/2 oz orgeat Very nice, again. At first sip I thought it might be a tad too sweet, but I think it is just the molassicity of the Gosling's Old. Also, this time I used 1/2 cubes rather than crushed ice. And sadly no mint at the moment. I could keep drinking this forever.

I have impared vision due to cataracts (among other things). I try to minimize exposure to UV. As I recall Boos recommends a vinegar solution.

I had never heard of Wellness Mats before, but they seem just what I am searching for! My time in the kitchen is limited by tolerance to pain. However I have to echo others' shock at the cost. Before I commit to spending that much I'd love to hear some eGullet testimonials. Anyone have a Wellness Mat? Please, someone tell me they are worth it! To answer the original poster's question, I currently have a small, worn out rug by the sink. About five years ago my landlord put down a new soft tile floor that was a big improvement over the peeling stuff below. But my poor feet and back need something better.

As an American, born and bred, I say 'erbs and BAY-sil, and am proud to do so. On the other hand I am ashamed that I cannot pronounce French culinary terms. I have no clue.

Willet Family Estate bottles in almost all forms is seems to be getting a bit scarce of late. Bulleit is perfectly adequate in cocktails to me. Could wish for a bit more proof but what can you do? What do you think of the Gosling's Old Rum on its own? Been awhile since I had it and was contemplating getting a bottle of my own. They tend to be a bit scarce and you have to buy when the opportunity presents itself! Well, I like it neat, but whether it is totally worth the asking price I cannot say. Not like anything else I have tried. I'm trying to taste as many interesting rums as I can find and/or afford. I want to try a mai tai with Appleton 12 and Gosling's Old. Then maybe try to locate some 15 year old Pusser's. Tonight I started with a knickerbocker, Dave Wondrich's formulation. For the rum I used Busted Barrel and Cointreau for the curacoa. Very light and refreshing, thirst quenching even. But it's the middle of winter here. I followed up with my usual mai tai. Which is a little off, perhaps because to conserve ice I didn't empty the Baron from the knickerbocker, and I am using the same glass. But, hey, by the time I get to the bottom it probably won't matter much.

This is the product I was thinking of and wondered if anyone had experience with it on cutting boards: http://www.foodqualitynews.com/Innovation/Antimicrobial-worth-its-weight-in-silver

OK, I've tried the Gosling's Old in a mai tai: 1 1/2 oz Pusser's 1 oz Wray & Nephew 1/2 oz Gosling's Old 3/4 oz Grand Marnier 1 1/2 oz lime juice 1/2 oz orgeat Usual garnish. I still have very nice mint. I can't say this is markedly different from my other sucessful experiments. Perhaps if I use more of the Gosling's Old. Maybe a little less lime next time. I am surprised how much better Grand Marnier works in these proportions compared with Cointeau.

I now have a new Boos 20"x30" edge grain board. I did not get it for cutting, however. I am using it as a kitchen work surface, for which it is very nice. I'm still considering a Boos end grain board for use as an actual cutting board. My two concerns are the not insubstantial cost and weight. There are colloidal silver containing sanitizer solutions. Has anyone used these with wood cutting surfaces?

I received my New West 9 inch chef's knife. Compared to the 10 inch Chicago, the New West is lighter, thinner, and less wide; more agile and better balanced. Much as one might expect from a blade that cost about ten times as much. Much easier for me to wield. The New West feels comfortable and natural to me in a pinch grip. The same cannot be said for the Chicago. But all is not beer and skittles. The color of the wood of the laminated handle does not match from side to side. Even so the handle is attractive and functional, however I would, for that price, have expected a little better. Worse, the tip of the blade is ever so slightly bent. Just enough to notice. When I was younger I used to run a small manufacturing company. I know stuff happens, and sometimes product goes out the door that shouldn't. I have emailed New West with my concerns. I assume they will make good. I can't yet say whether 9 inches is long enough for a chef's knife. However the 10 inch was getting hard for me to handle.

Yes, Gosling's Family Reserve Old Rum...just half an ounce. Bulleit my store carries. Redemption and Willet I don't think I've seen.

Tonight I assayed a bit of Gosling's old in the Imbibe! recipe for whiskey punch (p76). I modify the recipe to use more than half a lemon, plus lately I've been adding a teaspoon of raspberry syrup (since I have it) in lieu of fresh "seasonable fruit". The raspberry is quite subtle. Garnished with the two thin lemon slices called for, and a small sprig of mint. Very nice. Lovely, even. Thing is, this is a rye punch, the 1/2 ounce rum is only there for flavoring. It's hardly obvious to me that there there is any rye in here at all. Though I'm pretty sure I measured out three ounces of McKenzie. When I use Appleton 12 for the rum, the rye flavor stands out more. Either way, I'm not complaining, I like both rye and rum. This is an eminently efficacious punch. I just wish I had more McKenzie. Since my local store is out, I may be looking for another rye. My dealer tried to interest me in Angel's Envy, but from what I've read Angel's Envy is just overpriced generic Midwest Grain. Knob Creek, Rittenhouse, and Woodford are some of the other local options -- that I don't think are sourced from Midwest Grain. I'm not saying Midwest Grain is bad, I just don't want to pay a lot for it.

I'm trying to decide whether I prefer Cointreau or Grand Marnier in a mai tai. I took my outstanding recipe from the other night and substituted Cointreau for the Grand Marnier: 2 oz Pusser's 1 oz Wray & Nephew 3/4 oz Cointreau 1 1/4 oz lime juice 1/2 oz orgeat I found this version too sweet and too bitter. Too orange-bitter that is. Still good, but I am aiming at perfection. So for this particular mai tai formulation, Grand Marnier works better than Cointreau. I'd have to reduce the Cointreau at the very least, but better I think just to use Grand Marnier. Any suggestions for the best rum(s) to pair with Gosling's Old? Or should I just try it straight? I'm thinking to pair it with my next bottle of Appleton 12, which should be waiting for me at the store. And maybe W&N. I do like W&N. Edit: just for fun I shook up and added additional W&N, Pusser's, Grand Marnier, and orgeat. Not sure I made it better, but I made it more. Could use some extra lime, but I'll suffer and make do. Edit 2: I lied. I may not sleep, but at least I won't have nightmares of scurvy. This is actually pretty good but I don't think I could reproduce it.

I was reading the latest issue of Cook's Illustrated tonight. All ingredients are specified by count or volume. For baking, flour and very few other ingredients are specified (parenthetically) by weight. That's about it.

I'm sipping the Gosling's at the moment. (Not, however, in a mai tai -- though you know that's probably sure to come.) The proprieter offered me a deal, said it had been on the shelf forever. Not much of a deal because I probably would have tried it at full price. Anyhow very nice stuff, but at 80 proof it tastes awfully thin next to W&N. Any idea how old the Gosling's really is? There is no age statement. And their website didn't help much.

I came here to post about a particularly fortuitous elixir that I'm enjoying at the moment, but I see it is almost identical to the recipe in the post above. Probably slightly better though: 2 oz Pusser's 1 oz Wray & Nephew 3/4 oz Grand Marnier 1 1/4 oz lime juice 1/2 oz orgeat Very lovely and well balanced. Crushed ice, spent half lime, prettiest fresh mint in a while. I used to think mint was nothing more than pretentious. Now I can get off burying my nose in a fresh bunch. Little wonder Pavlov got the Nobel Prize. For future research I am looking for another mai tai rum. My local store has two that seem interesting: a Brugal anejo that wikipedia lists as "mid-tier" and a bottle of Gosling's Old Rum that is quite dear indeed. Has anyone tried either? The 15 year old Pusser's also sounds interesting but my store does not stock it.

True, but at least gum Arabic is traditional. And that's why I gladly pay feste to make my syrup for me.

But isn't the salt hard on the knife? If I'm mashing garlic, say for pesto, I will add coarse salt to the mortar. I'm a bit confused because "bitterness" is not something I associate with garlic. And I eat a lot of garlic.