JAZ

So, any new cocktail experiments, FG?

Oh, yes, yes! She is wonderful. We talk drinks for hours while she mixes me her specialties. She's the one who made the cucumber and apple infused gin to mix with Pimms, and the one who makes variations on Aviations that are, incredibly, even better than the original. And, as an aside, the Orbit Room is where I met Ms. Ramsay and her husband, completely by chance -- you gotta love eGullet for that sort of thing.

I can't imagine why the article calls for macerating the ginger in the simple syrup for two days. You can make ginger simple syrup in 20 minutes -- steep ginger slices in simmering water for 10-15 minutes, strain, add your sugar and bring to a boil. Ginger syrup.

Spinach contains a chemical that keeps its nutrients from being absorbed by humans. Cooking kills it, so cooked spinach is actually more nutritious than raw spinach.

Dave, that punch sounds divine. By the way, check out this Messermeister serrated peeler for peeling your lemons. With the serrated edge, you can get just the zest, no pith, faster than with any other peeler I've ever tried. I promise you'll never go back to the Oxo. Back on topic, I've been playing around with Velvet Falernum and have come up with a sort of Daiquiri-esque drink that's going to make frequent appearances this summer. The peach bitters and Falernum match up really well. 1.5 oz. white rum 1/2 oz. Velvet Falernum Juice of one Mexican lime (I'm guessing here, but I'd say 1/2 oz.) Two big dashes of peach bitters I've been shaking this and serving it up, but I'm thinking it would be great with a splash of soda over ice.

I too tend toward the less potent, fizzy drinks: Gin Rickeys, Americanos, rum or gin with tonic. One of my relatively new favorites is Gary Regan's Tart Gin Fizz, which is equal parts gin and graprefruit juice, with a healthy dash of Angostura bitters and topped off with tonic.

Um, it's Irma Rombauer, not Bombauer.

Not too much to add, except to say that it does seem to vary from patient to patient. My sister's currently undergoing chemo, and she's doing pretty well, considering. She can't eat much at one sitting, and as others have recounted, her appetite can be capricious. What she's most appreciated are dishes that she can freeze, to be thawed and heated when she is in the mood to eat but doesn't want to cook. Casseroles, lasagne, mac and cheese -- that sort of thing.

I tried this last night, but I used the tequila I had on hand, which is Sauza Hornitos. It was very smooth and pretty well balanced -- for my taste, a squeeze of lime might improve it. One thing I've started to do when making drinks that call for orange juice is to strain out the pulp. I find it makes for a much better texture.

Yes. You can scrape down the sides while it's grinding, as I recall.

My Pomeranian cocktail works well in large batches. I served it in pitchers for my class, but you could mix it in a punchbowl as well. For a large batch: 1 liter white rum 1 450-ml bottle pomegranate juice 1 cup triple sec 1 cup lemon juice 1/2 cup grapefruit juice 2 1/2 to 3 cups water (for a different sized batch, just remember: two parts rum, one part pomegranate juice, 1/2 part each lemon juice and triple sec, and 1/4 part grapefruit juice. Then add water or soda to equal about 1/4 of the total volume of the other ingredients.) Mix and chill thoroughly. You could use club soda instead of the water if you wanted something carbonated.

You might want to check out the Sumeet grinder (click here for a link). I used an earlier version of it in the cooking program I worked in, and was quite impressed. It's not cheap, though.

Sounds good -- thanks for the recipe. I haven't tried the lime Charbay, so this will be a good excuse to run out and buy a bottle.

I love thin sliced cucumbers and sweet onions, dressed with rice vinegar, and seasoned with fresh dill or mint. (I salt the cucumbers first, but it's not necessary if you're in a hurry). A pinch of pepper flakes adds a great touch too.

I recently tried Blue Paddle by New Belgium Brewing, and I think it may be my main beer for the summer. I'm ordinarily not a big pilsner fan, but this is great.

I found a recipe for a drink called a Beachcomber, which also included a splash of maraschino. Since its ingredients happened to coincide with the ingredients I had on hand, I gave it a try (okay, two tries.) The original recipe (from Harrington's book) called for 1.5 oz. white rum, .5 oz triple sec, .75 oz lime juice and "two drops" of maraschino. After a bit of experimentation, I ended up with 1.5 oz. rum, .25 oz. triple sec, .5 oz lime juice, 1 teaspoon maraschino, and a couple dashes of peach bitters.

And for the next time, if you can remember to drink a lot of water while you're drinking the alcohol, that will vastly lessen the hangover symptoms. Otherwise, it's Diet Coke for me. Or club soda and orange juice. Orangina is good too.

The cognac must be a British addition--due no doubt to the perception (which I share) that the drink was lacking a certain wattage. The Champagne Cocktail in Jerry Thomas' 1862 How to Mix Drinks, the book which first codified the American art of mixology, is essentially as the one served today: bitters, sugar, lemon peel, champagne. This reminds me of the first time I ever heard of, and ordered, a "French 75." It was champagne and cognac, went down way too easy, and made me sick as a dog the next day. I was surprised when, many years later, I read recipes for the French 75 which contained no brandy, but gin instead. I've not tried that version and have also never since tried my original drink of champagne and cognac. Maybe after 20-some years, I could face it again.

I tried Magnolia last week for the first time in ages, and while the beers and food were good, I have to say that the service was mediocre at best. We sat at the bar and practically had to pry the phone from the bartender's hand to get any service at all. Nothing like watching your food cool down while the server catches up on her social life. Afterward, though, we walked up the street to Aub Zam Zam, and had some excellent martinis and chatted with the new owner, so the day was not a total waste.

No, Cherry Heering is different -- much sweeter and less complex.

Since Katie's being modest, I'll give a plug for her creation, the Sicilian Martini.

Another drink that Gary mentioned on the Q&A, The Blood and Sand, is one that seemed unlikely to me. It contains Scotch, sweet vermouth, cherry brandy and orange juice. I thought Scotch and orange juice couldn't possibly work together, but it works quite well, sort of reminiscent of a Scotch version of a Bronx or a Satan's Whiskers. Incidentally, Gary's recipe was one part each Scotch, sweet vermouth, cherry brandy, and orange juice. Dr. Cocktail suggested slightly more Scotch and orange juice than vermouth and brandy. My preference is for about 1 1/2 parts Scotch to one part of each of the other three ingredients. My main problem with this drink is that it's not attractive. Really ugly, in fact. Brownish, opaque -- sort of what you'd expect blood and sand to look like. Come to think of it, though, the Bronx and Satan's Whiskers aren't the greatest looking drinks either. It's the combination of sweet vermouth and orange juice, I guess.

One of my favorite bartenders here in San Francisco makes a couple of variations of the Aviation, one with a bit of crushed mint, and one with a splash of grapefruit juice. Both are very nice.

Having started this thread, I sheepishly have to admit that I've just recently tried Lillet over ice, on its own. A really nice way to begin a meal, especially if you know the food is going to be rich and full flavored. And I've always pronounced it "li-lay" -- short i, with the accent on the last syllable. Now I'm wondering --isn't that right?

Perhaps it's that it's so inherently tasteless that one has to have a learned imagination to discern any taste at all? I have to agree, as far as descriptions go, it's worthless. And while we're at it, what's a "severely designed garnish"?