JAZ

Back to the original topic, what's your favorite tequila for margaritas? I'm less familiar with different brands of tequila than most other spirits. I've used (at various times) Los Arangos (sp?), El Grito (not sure that's available anymore), Herradura (silver), El Tersoro, and Sauza Hornitos and been satisfied with most of them, but I can't say I've found the definitive tequila. And because you disagree on the best type of tequila for margaritas, I'd like to hear from both Gary and Doc, so I can compare for myself and see which of you is right.

No problem. Don't want you to get bored.

You've both talked about stocking liquors and mixers -- how about an overview of what glasses are essential to a good home bar? Plus, here are a couple of additional questions: Why do you think cocktail glasses are getting so large? It seems to me that more than about four or five ounces is just silly. And Gary, why don't you like cocktail glasses?

Caramelized onions mix really well with roasted red peppers. I use the combination (flavored with a little sherry and salt) on crostini topped with a sliver of aged gouda. Or I thin it with some chicken broth and enrich it with some cream for a wonderful soup. With or without the peppers, caramelized onions are great on steak sandwiches.

In The Joy of Mixology, Gary talks about a type of cocktail that the two of you developed for an article, which you call "bottled cocktails." The concept sounds like such a great idea for parties that I, for one, plan to use it. Can you explain it for those who haven't read your book or the article on the subject?

Do you have any suggestions for other brands of triple sec? I mean, I love Cointreau, but it seems like the price is rising faster than that of gasoline (is it possible to buy Cointreau futures? I wonder. . . ). I've used Marie Brizzard with pretty good results, but it's not easy to find.

I have a real problem with the quality of carbonated mixers in many bars here in San Francisco, so much so that I rarely order G&Ts or Rickeys (which I love) or Collinses when I'm out. It didn't occur to me that it might be the mixer guns, until I had a G&T at a bar that didn't use them. Instead, the bartender opened up a small bottle of tonic and used that. What a difference! Since then, I've always asked, and now I only order drinks with carbonated mixers from bars that use bottles. But it seems that more and more bars are going to mixer guns, which always seem to produce undercarbonated, stale tasting mixers. I'm sure that it's less expensive, and faster, and I can understand why bars would want to use them, but is it not possible to set the carbonation level correctly in them? Is it just that the bars I go to aren't getting the combination right, or are the guns inherently awful?

You're so right about citrus peel. Incidentally, I've made my infusing life easier with this serrated peeler -- the serrations grab onto the rind and make it possible to remove just the top layer in big strips. Takes about a minute to do an entire lemon. I was talking with a wine maker who also plays around with infusions, and he said his most successful one lately was orange and saffron. I plan to give it a try soon. Interesting about the cucumber. Have you ever been to the Orbit Room in SF? Last time I was there, the head bartender, Alberta, had a gin infused with apple and cucumber that was just fantastic. She used it in a Pimms-based drink that blew me away. I had a rather embarrassing experience with an infusion I made several months ago. I used a big jar that I'd previously made refrigerator pickles in, and although I couldn't detect a thing when I poured the vodka in and added the tangerine peel, the result was a very weird combination of tangerine, cucumber, dill and allspice. It was almost good -- in fact, if it were lemon instead of the tangerine, it probably would have been great -- but it was really just weird.

Check out the Q&A with Gary and Mardee Regan. It's where the cocktail discussions are happening this week. Click here to post questions, add comments, learn something and have fun.

Wait -- Malacca is no more? I'll admit I haven't had it in a while, but I didn't know it wasn't around

I'll see what I can do.

I can definitely see your point, Gary. I think the problem I've had with cutting twists in advance is not getting them thick enough; hence, not enough peel to actually twist for the oils. The main reason I like using a channel knife for my own drinks is that I can cut off a strip as I need it and still keep the lemon intact for future use. I cut the strip right over the glass, which makes for a pretty healthy spritz of oil as I cut. But you're certainly correct that in such a case you don't end up with something you can actually twist.

Yes, welcome. It's great to see you again, Doc. Thnk we can get Magoo here to add to the mix?

I have a question about citrus twists used as garnishes. I don't tend bar, so my experience is just with the cocktails I make at home. Unless I'm having a party, I just grab the channel knife and cut the twist right when I need it. So far, no problem. When I make twists in advance for a party, though, it's a different story. I was taught by a bartender friend to cut a lemon rind into twists, so I know how to do it, but it always seems like they don't produce much oil after sitting around a while. Is there any way to keep precut twists fresher?

I spent a really great birthday weekend at the Pelican Inn, near Muir Beach, some years back. The dinner, as I recall, was pretty good -- not French Laundry, of course, but I remember having some really great lamb. Breakfast was included, too. But even if you decide to eat elsewhere, it's a nice place to stay. Click here for their website.

I was going to ask this question myself, so I'm looking forward to Gary and Mardee's response. In the meantime, I'll jump in with a couple of my recipes. I too have several friends that don't drink, and also try to have something interesting and non-alcoholic at my classes, so I've done some experimenting in this area. One great and easy drink contains San Bitter, a non-alcoholic drink made by Pelligrino that tastes remarkably like Campari. You can mix it with soda, but it's especially good with Pellegrino's Aranciata (or Orangina, if that's easier to find.) My best effort at a non-alcoholic drink is my Faux Margarita (click here for the recipe), which involves making a simple syrup infused with chipotles and orange rind, then mixing in lime and grapefruit juice. It's pretty good, if I do say so myself. Another one of mine is the Twisted Mojito, which starts with a syrup of jalapenos and mint. Here's the recipe for that one. It's actually best if you muddle more mint and a lime wedge before mixing the drink -- it makes for a fresher mint flavor.

While we're on the subject, what are some of your favorite vermouths to use in martinis?

I've given some thought to this topic, so I have my own ideas, but I'm wondering if either of you have tried to match foods with cocktails (either specific cocktails, or just cocktails n general). From my experience, the best cocktails with food tend to be from the "sour" family, as long as they aren't made too sweet. I guess it's the acid. Mojitos also seem to be pretty good with a variety of snack food. But I find Martinis and Manhattans very difficult with food. From the food side, I think too much spicy heat can fight with the alcohol in the drinks, so I try to avoid that. Other than that, I haven't gotten too far, or had any specatcular successes. Do you experiment much with foods and cocktails? Any tips?

I'm wondering if either of you have any tips for creating drinks in response to a specific request, when the type of drink requested is either not something you're familiar with, or not something you like. For example, Gary, you mentioned in Mixology that you're not a fan of Bloody Mary/Snapper drinks because of the tomato juice. But suppose you were in charge of creating brunch drinks for a new place, or a new signature cocktail for Clamato, or something similar. Could you create a "good" drink that you would nonetheless not personally care for? The reason I ask is that I teach classes on cocktail parties, and often have requests from my clients for new and different drinks. These days, it seems that they all seem to want "tropical" drinks, yet I'm not a huge fan of them. So I feel that the drinks I create in those cases are not terribly creative, nor terribly good.

I'd say that a hand blender is preferable to a stand in two cases: first, if, for space reasons, you can't keep your stand mixer out, a hand mixer is a lot easier to get out and use for small jobs; and second (as Rachel mentioned), a hand mixer can go places that a stand mixer can't (small bowls, pots and pans on the stove, etc.). So, if you cook in ways that require a mixer that can go where no stand mixer can, then it's definitely worth keeping. If you can't keep your stand mixer handy, then it's great to have the hand mixer for the small jobs. If neither of those scenarios apply to you, then you probably won't miss the hand mixer. I believe I still have mine, but I haven't used it in years, because I'm able to keep my stand mixer where I need it, and for smallish jobs, I tend to do them by hand anyway. I should probably find it and give it away, but I'm not even sure if I have both beaters. I can't say I agree with you there. I've used immersion blenders (several brands) off and on for several years, and I've never found them to save either time or dishes. I've used them to puree soups, and they take so damn long to completely puree the soup that I find I could have done it in half the time in my Waring. I guess if I wanted a chunky style soup, they'd work great. And then I've found that often, what I want to puree has been cooked in a saute pan, so I need to transfer the contents to a taller, narrower container for the stick blender to work. Again, it's faster and no messier to use a food processor or the Waring for that. But I know lots of people swear by them, so maybe it's just me.

Not sure if it's tradmarked, but the Bacardi Cocktail was the subject of a New York court case. Bacardi sued to ensure that any drink called a Bacardi cocktail was always, indeed, made with Bacardi.

I've tried the dried cranberries - even after plumping them up they still don't do it for me. I have a container of them in the cupboard just waitign to be used for something else. Perhaps in a stuffing the next time I cool a turkey? I have a great recipe for chutney made with dried cranberries and dried apples; I make it almost every Thanksgiving. I've also made a cornbread stuffing with chopped (fresh) apples and dried cranberries -- it's better with pork than with turkey, though.

Here's what I think about the subject: The Eternal Raisin Debate and the follow-up thread: more about raisins

I dredged this thread up from the depths because I just discovered what (to me) is the best Caesar/Bloody Mary/Snapper type drink -- a gin base with Clamato. What was mentioned above is definitely true -- Clamato has a much lighter mouthfeel than regular tomato juice (or V8 which is even thicker). And for me, it goes with gin perfectly. So, here's what I've been making: Big shot of gin Shake of Worchestershire Shake of "Hot Lime" hot sauce Shake of celery salt Grind or two of pepper Tiny bit of horseradish Squeeze of lemon Fill with Clamato It's probably good with vodka too, but I generally have gin on hand, and rarely have vodka, so I haven't tried it yet. And, since to my knowledge, the Caesar moniker applies to the clam element, and the Snapper name refers to the gin, I call this a Snappy Caesar. But I could be wrong about the Snapper part.

I carry a flashlight too and have gotten it out a number of times in restaurants, although that's not the main reason I carry it. The only time I can remember the staff remarking on it was when I was at dinner with about 8 people and we had to pass it around to order.