JAZ

I like to experiment with vermouths for martinis, so I've tried quite a few, dry, sweet and somewhere in between. Carpano Punt E Mes, for example, turns a martini into a drink remarkably similar to a Negroni. Katherine's suggestion for a sweet vermouth and a little Campari would, I imagine, be in the same family. Blond Lillet, which is not exactly sweet, but is much more floral and fruity than most dry vermouths, is a great addition to a martini. When I use dry vermouth, I often add a drop or two of something else -- Green Chartreuse, Pernod, Pimms, Campari, bitters of various sorts -- just for variety. I somehow don't think that perfect or sweet martinis (or any variations, for that matter) would appeal to drinkers of vodka martinis, who, as beans has pointed out, rarely even like any dry vermouth in their drinks. If what one likes is the relatively taste-free effect of ice cold vodka, it doesn't seem likely that one will enjoy the complexity afforded by substantial additions of vermouth.

For infusing citrus into alcohol, though, there's no need to grate the peel. I just use the serrated peeler and add the strips of zest to the vodka. It's easier to strain that way, too. The only time I use a Microplane is for limes, which tend to be too tough for even the serrated peeler.

A couple of years ago, I read an online article about a side-by-side taste test (not blind) in various glasses. The author was skeptical in a good way, and the article was very interesting. The glasses (as I recall) were a paper cup, a "juice glass," a cheap generic stemmed wine glass, a Vinum Reidel of the appropriate type and a Sommelier Reidel. His findings were that the type of glass did definitely make a difference with the aroma and bouquet, although as I recall, the cheap wine glass finished barely in front of the paper cup in that regard, and behind the juice glass. But when it came to the taste, he said that the only glass that made any difference at all was the Sommelier Reidel, which actually tasted better than the others. He was obviously very surprised by that, and had no explanation. I've never had a problem believing that Reidel glasses (or other glass lines with various shapes) can help to optimize the bouquet and aroma of wines, but the taste claims have always seemed silly to me. I've drunk wines out of Reidel glasses (Vinum line only) at Reidel sponsored tastings and at home, and I don't get the hype. But I've never tried the Somelier line, so I have to reserve judgment on that, given the conclusion of that article (which, stupid me, I didn't bookmark). Oh, but the stemless glasses have got to be the best marketing gimmick since -- I don't know, Members Only jackets. (Although the white stemless glasses would make way cool rocks glasses, even if they are a bit fragile.)

Um, that's 29 percent higher, not 29 cents.

Uncrush yourself. Good news for Sears fans I just talked to the new chef there (who happens to be a friend of mine); they're planning to do some test runs in early August (when, of course, I will be out of town and unable to act as guinea pig). Assuming all goes well, they'll be open mid- August.

Unless I need it for a specific recipe, I buy very little milk, so I have to admit I haven't noticed the price.

If you're in the Glen Park area, stop by Destinations, on Chenery at Castro. They make incredible cinnamon rolls and really good individual tarts, too.

Do you mean Tyger's? It's on the corner of Diamond and Chenery.

Vanilla vodka and fresh orange juice, shaken hard and served up, make a nice, if simple, adult version of the Dreamsicle (you can add a touch of triple sec if you want it sweeter).

The San Francisco Bay Area has always been a big sake market; I believe I heard that it's the largest outside Japan (although that was during a sake tasting, so I'm a little fuzzy on the details). Lately there's been a noticeable push to pair sake with non-Japanese food -- several months ago our store hosted a class pairing various sakes with pizza, Mexican and Chinese food. My favorite barbecue place sells more sake than any non-Japanese restaurant in the city. I haven't heard anything about Napa Sake, but Takara Sake opened a brewery in Berkeley in '82, producing some fairly well-regarded sakes. They do tastings and tours, and even have a sake museum.

Okay, I made my batch (I left the lime zest in the syrup for three days, because I wanted a stronger lime flavor), and I agree: it's fabulous. And yet, there's something about Rose's and gimlets that's so ingrained in my taste memory that I think I prefer Rose's in a gimlet, even though, objectivly speaking, it's not as good. That being said, I much prefer the homemade version in tequila gimlets, and it really adds a nice touch to daiquiris, giving them much more depth than plain syrup.

The guy at one of my favorite local sprits shops talked me into trying a grappa flavored with camomile (sweetened slightly as well), which is surprisingly good -- especially since I don't really like camomile tea. I'm not sure if the camomile is infused or incorporated into the distillation process.

Cafe For All Seasons on West Portal used to have a very nice weekend brunch, but I haven't been in a couple of years, and I'm not sure if they do weekday breakfasts.

Dr. Cocktail's new book isn't quite available yet, but you can get a sneak preview of it here: Vintage Spirits & Forgotten Cocktails Sounds like it's a reference book every cocktail aficionado will need.

I just saw an ad for a side-by-side with a flat-screen television in the fridge door, so (as the copy reads) you can "cook along with your favorite chefs." Too strange.

It's the August-September issue. Mine just came yesterday.

Steven Shaw, aka Fat Guy, reviewed Ms. Sheraton's and Mr. Maccioni's books in the latest issue of Saveur magazine.

Thanks for the link, Trillium. I found this interesting: I think that probably accounts for the way (As Sam originally noted) one feels sort of groggy the day after drinking, even if one really isn't "hungover."

It's my homepage. Isn't it everybody's? Actually, I go straight to the forum page, then backtrack to check the Daily Gullet. For the oven, you might consider a model that has convection baking as an option. Our store kitchen used to have two Dacor ovens, one of which had that option, and it was great -- I loved the convection, but if I was used to baking something without convection, I could just use the regular setting and not have to mess around with recalculating cooking times.

How about a rice and corn based salad? I'm thinking you could add diced red pepper and green onion, with a lime based salad dressing. You could blend the flavors to match your salsa, and the acid in the dressing would balance the sweetness of the pork and salsa.

A couple of years ago for Thanksgiving, I tried a recipe from Bon Appetit (I think) that ended up something like that casserole. I don't have the recipe, but as I recall, you saute shallots (or onions) and mushrooms, then add green beans with some chicken broth and simmer until the beans are tender and the broth is mostly absorbed/evaporated. Pour in some cream and simmer until it thckens. Top with toasted buttered bread crumbs (we had some extra toasted blanched slivered almonds, so I added those too). It was very flavorful, and it satisfied those people who wanted the green-bean-and-mushroom-soup casserole.

Dewar's was, for a long time, my choice for scotch on the rocks, which I used to drink only in bars. I always liked it better than JW Red or J&B and still do, but I've never mixed it with anything but Drambuie. Teacher's is a good solid choice for cocktails, but might be hard to find. I've currently got a bottle of Ballentine's in the bar because BevMo was out of Teacher's but haven't tried it in a Rob Roy. I'll give it a try and report back. I've taught the bartenders at a local bar here how to make Blood and Sands (Scotch, sweet vermouth, orange juice and Cherry Heering), and they use Cutty in the well, so that's what they've been using. It works very well in that drink, so I imagine it'd do in a Rob Roy too. I don't know the price of Cutty, though.

There were a couple of other strange comments in the article, leading me to wonder if Mr. Boyd had actually tried all the gins or was just reporting what others had told him (he's primarily a wine writer, incidentally). Lumping in Daresbury's Q (Quintessential) with Beefeater and Tanqueray as "fuller" was an oddity, too -- unless he's going by proof -- Q is 90 proof. But as for flavor, I'd put Q in with Tanq 10 or Bombay Sapphire; in fact, the blurb on Q at BevMo read something along the lines of "forget your father's gin that tasted of bitter juniper. . . this is the new generation. . ." Not that it's bad, but it doesn't fit the same profile as Beefeater and Tanqueray. And to suggest that Tanquerey 10's being available would appease the lovers of Malacca was totally bizarre -- granted, it's been a while since I've tasted Malacca, but I don't remember it being anything like Tanq 10. Still, god knows, it's nice to see a gin article, whatever its shortcomings. By the way, does anyone have any opinions on Damrak? From other things I've read, it seems likely to be closer in flavor to Malacca than anything else on the market. But I haven't found it in mini-bottles, and hesitate to buy a 750-ml without a recommendation.

It may be odd, but I have never found this to be true. I think it's because when I switch cocktails, I tend to concentrate on the flavors more and sip them more slowly. If I were to drink, say, a Martini, a Manhattan and a Sidecar, I wouldn't feel any worse than if I drank three Martinis. I might, indeed, feel better, because for me, that third Martini always goes down way too quick. (And just for the record, I'm talking normal sized drinks with about 2 ounces of base spirits, not those huge things you get in some bars these days.)

I haven't bought a bottle of salad dressing in years, but that's not because I have anything against them, exactly. I just don't make the sort of tossed green salad they're designed for very often. When I do, I have probably a dozen vinegars and oils with which to make one. My sister has some that are pretty good, although some are a little sweet. Girard's makes pretty decent vinaigrette, for example.