JAZ

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"?

This is not so much a suggestion for cooking artchokes, but I recently discovered that steamed artichokes are fantastic paired with gin martinis. The artichoke actually smooths out the martini, and the martini cuts through that weird metallic aftertaste that artichokes often seem to have.

I forgot about the 21st Amendment -- I've only had the burger there, but it was really good. And the beers were good -- not the best in the city, but worth checking out. As for Marin Brewing, I think we just had fish and chips or some other fried "bar food," so I can't provide any meaningful info on the food, except that they can fry. The beers were great, though. (Slightly OT: Squeat, did you know that Memphis Minnies now serves burgers? I haven't tried them, but at the very least, the folks at Minnies know their meat, so they probably do a good job. But I never made it to Rosamunde's for burger day, so I don't have that memory to color my judgment.)

I'm sorry, but I haven't seen that in any of the research I've done. What has been recommended, for those who want to find out, is to cut out a small hole in a square of waxed paper (use a hole punch, if you have one), put a drop of blue food coloring on your tongue, place the paper on your tongue, and count the papillae (the little pink circles). It helps to have a friend with a magnifying glass and a flashlight to help. Supertasters will have lots of tightly clustered papillae, nontasters will have only a few and they'll be widely spaced. If you're somewhere in the middle, you're a taster but not a supertaster. Unfortunately, none of the articles that suggest this give any more specific information about the numbers of papillae involved. Another technique is to taste saccharin and potassium chloride (packaged as a salt substitute). If they're strongly bitter to you, you're probably a supertaster, if they're mildly bitter but bearable, you're a taster, and if they're not bitter at all, you're a nontaster. Again, I realize this isn't very exact, but it's the best I can do. Incidentally, there's been a new discovery in the supertaster field. Now it seems that it's not a single gene that accounts for the "taster status," but rather a cluster of genes.

So is kirshwasser similar in flavor to Maraschino, or is it sweeter like Cherry Heering? Can you recommend a brand name I might be able to find in California?

I too would give Gordon Biersch a pass, and I'll trust Squeat's opinion on Thirsty Bear. I haven't been there in years -- it's sad that they've gone downhill, because they used to be great. And even though it's not a brewpub, I'll put in a vote for Toronado -- yes, it's a bit seedy and yes, the bartenders tend to be surly, but you won't find a better selection of both local and international beers for better prices (every day until 6 it's "happy hour" when all beers are a dollar off). Plus, if you get there at lunch time (or any time, for that matter), you can run next door to Rosamunde's Sausage Grill and get a really good, cooked to order sausage for under $5, take it back to the bar and have a wonderful lunch for around $8. It's on Haight St. at Fillmore. If the weather is good, the ferry ride to Larkspur is beautiful, and you end up at Marin Brewing Company in Larkspur Landing, which is definitely worth visiting.

Two of Evan Williams were rated in Wine Enthusiast mag with "Highest Recommendation" and "Best Buy": the 10 year old (price quoted at $11) and the Vintage 1994 Single Barrel ($25). I'm not much of a bourbon drinker (except for Manhattans, and then I actually prefer rye if it's available), but these sound like good bargains for the bar stash.

No, anything that high in alcohol won't degrade. If it's stored in direct sunlight, it may change color slightly.

I've tried the silicone brush; I love it for brushing oil on my stovetop grill. I haven't used it as much for pastry, but it seems to work fine. The nice thing about it is that it doesn't absorb anything, so it's a breeze to clean up. Check it out here: Silibrush

I've cooked short ribs "Carbonnade Flamande" style, with lots of onions and dark beer -- they're good that way. One time I used a James Peterson recipe from Fine Cooking magazine that called for sherry and sherry vinegar. I'll have to dig that one out again; it was good.

Bitters will last forever. Rose's will last at least two months in the refrigerator. Maybe three, but I go through mine by then, so I'm not positive. The occasional night out on the counter because I forgot to stick it back in the fridge doesn't seem to make any difference -- it's still fine. I'm not entirely sure about vermouth. I don't refrigerate mine, and I've kept bottles a couple of months at least. I've never done a comparison tasting with a fresh bottle to see if they've deteriorated in flavor, but I can say that they won't make you sick.

Welcome, Scott. Let us know how your recipe turns out. Sorry I can't help you with your water question, but perhaps Balmagowry can weigh in with her experience. Or wait a while, and when Dr. Cocktail checks in next, I'm sure he'll have the answer.