KatieLoeb

I think that comes with more practice. Like cooking and hosting more dinner parties for your friends, making more cocktails and expanding your repertoire (and your palate) gets you there. You'll start to see certain patterns in recipes. The basic drink "families" constructs will begin to make sense to you and become second nature. And in the end, it remains subjective. As the saying goes, "that's why there's chocolate AND vanilla." You may discover you like drinks dialed less sweet than the typically balanced equal parts of sweetener to citrus for example. What you think tastes good is not always going to please everyone. A lesson I've learned the hard way, believe me... I admire your dedication. Wanting to have your confidence and skill set be equal to someone that makes a living doing it is admirable. Just don't put myself and my cohorts out of business, OK?

Less "how to mix a cocktail" for the true novice and more "how to use fresh seasonal ingredients to make your own ingredients" for the home enthusiast that might not have ever thought to make their own mixers rather than using store bought. With step by step photos to illustrate and try and take away the intimidation factor of believing only a commercial kitchen could produce those end results. I suppose my initial question was more to test the waters and see if there would be any interest in such a thing, without getting figuratively stoned to death by the haters. I didn't really mean to let the cat out the bag quite yet, but Tri2Cook kind of threw me the sucker pitch... Someone has to be the Rachael Ray of the cocktail world. No one to my mind has truly brought this to the masses yet. Might as well be me, dontcha think?

Anna - I hope I can make your wish come true then. Tentative title is Market Fresh Cocktails, and you and Tri2Cook are exactly the folks I want in my target audience. Aiming for technique heavy, photo heavy, step-by-step treatment of the subject matter, as well as basics for stocking your kitchen and bar to be able to reproduce the recipes and some food for thought to spark your own creativity.

Funny you should mention that. I'm in the midst as I type this. Nothing to report yet in terms of a solid publication date (looking at Spring 2012), but publisher is secured, Introduction and first chapter drafts have been submitted, several photo shoots are finished (and several more to come) and I'm knee deep in trying to make flavored simple syrups sound interesting at this moment. Not as easy as you'd think without sounding pedantic. I'll keep you all posted as I move forward.

Oh, most certainly, and in fact I own both. But those are more about the classics and still assume you have a basic tool kit in your house/brain. What I'm saying is I'm not sure anyone has filled the niche with a step-by-step approach book for the real cocktail novice that wants to make modern cocktails either of their own creation or cocktails that mimic the signature creative cocktails at their favorite bar or restaurant.

Whilst we like to make fun of the Rachael Ray level cocktail books, not everyone is as well versed in basic cocktail knowledge as the rarefied crowd that hangs out here. Certainly there's a need for a well written book that covers stocking your kitchen and bar, basic technique for making flavored syrups and cocktail mixers, etc. as well as includes some recipes and inspiration for the home cocktail hobbyist. I certainly think that's a niche that hasn't really been filled yet. Certainly not by anyone that knows what they're talking about. Someone has to be the Rachael Ray (not the Sandra Lee) of cocktails for the masses. Not everyone can afford to go out and spend $9-12 a pop every time they'd like a well crafted cocktail. More folks are entertaining at home now. Is anyone shedding any light in their path?

Nothing wrong with the idea, just a little problem getting into the stadium for the "research" without a pricey ticket. Might be even more next summer after we win the Series this year. Yup. I said it. Hard not to be cocky when our Phillies are playing this well...

Problem with most of those BYOBs is that they can't fit such a large group all at once. Not without us committing to a "buyout" for the night. I'd be all about a dinner at Fond (one of my most favorite places) or Matyson, but I doubt they'd want to let us take up the whole place and do a prix fixe dinner for us when they could turn those tables two or three times on a Thursday or Friday night with a la carte clientele. Paloma might be a possibility since they have a few more seats and I'm friends with management. It's also very unique and covers an ethnic cuisine in an upscale treatment. As for getting Phillies tickets for that large a group, I've never attempted to do that, so I'll leave that thankless chore to someone else.

Another thought occurred to me. Perhaps an outing to Osteria? That might cover a lot of ground. Really fabulous pizza, pasta and miscellaneous Italian all in one fell swoop? I know a couple of folks over there and could certainly inquire as to whether a large group of hungry foodies from far and wide would be welcome for a "family style" meal.

annabelle: After the initial steep and then dilution you should get around 2-2.5 liters altogether. Of course that would depend on whether you started with 750ml bottles or liters. If you started with liter bottles I might throw in the zest of 3 or 4 more lemons and zest of at least half a lime more to remain relatively consistent with the recipe posted on the first page of this thread. I've never measured. I just bottle it up in pretty containers and store it in the freezer or gift it. :shrug:

Lose the crappy schnapps. If you simply MUST have an Appletini on the menu, make it with Berentzen's Apfelkorn, a true German apple flavored liqueur that isn't loaded with Green Dye #4. Make your own flavoring syrups and cordials from fresh herbs, dried spices and fresh fruits. It isn't that difficult and certainly makes it look as if you care, at least a little bit. Use call brand liquor for the signature drinks. Buy a decent quality well (like Smirnoff or Gordon's) for the non-specified vodka/gin tonics and the brown liquor (Jim Beam or Evan Williams) and sodas. Anyone that wants something specific will order it that way. Those that don't at least give something palatable.

Bob - I had thought of Zahav also. I can certainly try and speak to Chef Michael Salomonov about a group dinner there...

When we have them depends on when they molt, so sometimes a few weeks will pass with no softshells and then they reappear, as if by magic. Jeff is right, though. Season is coming to a close soon. When they're in we usually have them as a Po'Boy sandwich at lunch and as an entree at dinner. But if you call ahead they can give you a better description of that day's presentation as the menu changes daily both at lunch and at dinner. FWIW, we had them on Monday this week. I've been off the last few days, but I can let you know tomorrow if they're still around.

Bell's Market is up in the Northeast section of the city, on Bustleton Avenue. Not far away from there is one of my very favorite restaurants - Uzbekistan. That would certainly be worthy of an ethnic dinner crawl, although the logistics might be challenging. edited to add: Jeff makes a great point about the Red Gravy joints. Right in the Italian Market is Villa di Roma or Ralph's. I've been to Villa di Roma more recently than Ralph's so I don't really remember my last meal at Ralph's as vividly. These are classic places, Old School Italian-American cooking at it's best. I suppose having them so close by makes me take them for granted a bit, and that actually is a shame. These are certainly worthy of consideration as part of the Italian Market tour. Maybe we could convince them to let us BYOB too. I definitely remember the wine lists not really being up to par with the food...

Don't buy them frozen. It does something weird to them texturally. You have to buy them fresh, alive and snip their little faces off and clean them yourself or they just aren't the same. We have them at Oyster House. I'll find out for you which purveyor we buy them from.

I'll check on that, but I suspect there's chocolate malteds on the menu. Franklin Fountain is right near a lot of the better historical sites in Philly. Certainly, we could arrange a visit to the Constitution Center and the Liberty Bell, followed up with a cool treat at the end of our educational/historical segment. There's just so much stuff here, it's hard to keep it focused just on food. But no doubt there could be plenty of that. I was hoping that the farm and dairy tours would give us inspiration and an ingredient source for our big Potluck dinner. So where do these dinners generally take place? Is it a restaurant kitchen that's given over for run of the evening or is it a commercial kitchen space that's used for events? Knowing whose door to start knocking on with vague promises of a large group of foodies descending from all over is a good start...

My suggestion of an Amish lunch was tied in for a few folks that expressed interest in that, but the highlight of the day would be a tour of Green Meadow Farm and then possibly the dairy tour and cheese tasting later in the day. There's certainly no need to visit two farms. Greensgrow urban farm is great but obviously a lot smaller and more contained and would take less time. I'm no huge fan of Amish cuisine (except for Whoopie Pies and all the baked goods) so no great loss in my opinion. That said, Colonial food isn't that interesting from a culinary standpoint either. With all due respect to Chef Staib, I think there's a ton of other places for a sit down dinner in Philly that are infinitely more interesting. Certainly Amada would be great, but taking up that many seats on a weekend evening would almost constitute a "buy-out" which would likely be beyond our means. However, putting the horse before the cart, this is all moot until we have a decision that this is happening in Philly, actual dates and committed butts to put in the chairs. Transportation for a large group could be arranged. I can look into a bus and driver and also Holly mentioned maybe getting some help from the Convention and Visitors Bureau for logistics like hotels at a discounted rate, transportation, etc. Let's get a consensus and go from there, yes?

How's this for some possible events: Italian Market tour with a stop at Paesano's for the best sandwiches on earth. Blows even the very best cheesesteak out of the water. Sandwiches that will haunt you for the rest of your life. Seriously... A day out in Lancaster/Chester County. Tour of a farm, lunch at an Amish restaurant, stop at Birchrun Hills Farm on the way back for a tour of the dairy and a cheese tasting. Big group Szechuan dinner at Han Dyansty one night. Best spicy food you ever ate. Tour of Reading Terminal Market. There's the La Cucina cooking class space within the market, but I'm not sure if it's available for use without hiring them out to be the "caterer". We'd definitely need a space for the group Potluck dinner, and having it right at Reading Terminal would be like having the world's best pantry laid out at our feet. However, other spaces could be found that would accommodate us for that. Beer tour. (I'm looking at you Rich Pawlak) There's plenty of great beer to be had here. Cocktail crawl. Between myself and my cohorts in the Philly chapter of the U.S. Bartenders Guild, we've got this covered. A visit to Franklin Fountain. Here's your Old School soda fountain. These guys make their own ice cream and real old fashioned sundaes, floats and phosphates. Authentic right down to their handlebar mustaches and arm garters. A tour of Greensgrow Farms, an urban farm, nursery and farm market that takes up one entire city block in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia. These folks are nationally recognized leaders in urban agriculture and have been doing this for over a decade. Nice folks doing really good work... A tour of Philadelphia Distilling. Makers of Bluecoat Gin, Penn 1681 vodka, Vieux Carre absinthe and Shine White Whiskey. These are just a few ideas off the top of my head.

Wow. Seriously afraid of credit before credit is due. However, I will posit the following: 1) There's an awesome sandwich culture here, as well as local "cul-chah" in terms of Old School restaurants that do what they do well for a very long time. 2) There's craft beer here. LOTS of it. Philly takes their beer insanely seriously. Philly Beer Week already draws a national crowd for beer tours, tastings, etc. 3) There's cocktails, of course, of course. I'm certain that my fellow barkeeps and I would be happy to shine a bright light on that aspect of the local culture. 4) We're smack in between the Garden State and Lancaster County's abundance of glorious locavore produce. You can't help but trip over fresh fruit, veggies, local cheeses and meats if you're even paying attention a little bit... 5) There's so much else to see here in terms of being a former Colonial capital. This was the seat of power for a very important slice of history. I drive by Independence Hall at least four times a week. It still awes me. Lots of cool stuff to see and put into context. Not quite sure exactly what I've committed myself to, but I know I'd love to show everyone the Brotherly Love we're known for. Let me know what the consensus is and we'll take it from there...

One of the few places I've seen the chalkboard thing done right is Salt of the Earth, in Pittsburgh. The entire back wall of the first floor (far right in this photo) is chalkboard and all the menus are listed - cocktails, wine list, appetizers, main courses and desserts. No writing in this picture but you get the idea. It's big enough to be seen from anywhere and works particularly well with the communal long tables set up in this dining room. Scroll down to September 10, 2010 entry to see photo Downside to this has been mentioned. Daily upkeep, penmanship of the staff or whomever is in charge of this. Consistency. Nothing worse than the board looking sloppy because the person with the nicest writing is off that day. I'm a fan of menus that allow instant change with inserts. Once your format is down it's easy to "save as" with the date and print before service each day. Either replace the entire menu with specials included (everything is special because you print the menu right before service daily), or have small clipboards or some other holder for the specials menu if there's a regular set menu.

I have to agree. But this certainly explains a lot to me about Sam and his sense of precision with cocktails and all manner of home prepared delicacies. That gene clearly doesn't skip a generation...

Just catching up with this thread. I'd be DELIGHTED to have this in Philly next year and I'm sure my PhilleGulleteers would be happy to help too. I'm not sure how a city east of Pittsburgh qualifies as "Heartland", but that's just semantics at this point. Would love to show off our fabulous city, and all the great eats and drinks available here. Commercial kitchen space might be negotiated at any one of a number of locations. Tours of Reading Terminal and Italian Market. Farmer's Markets abound in summertime. What are folks interested in?

Just had dinner at Fathom Seafood earlier this week. Delicious! Chicken Fried Monkfish, Friday Night Fish Fry, Cauliflower Tempura and the Mussels were particular standouts. A quite serviceable Jalapeno Margarita at the bar as well. I like this place and it's reasonable. Open 7 days. They're aware that the website is wrong... Definitely a fan of Tierra Colombiana. Don't miss the aranitas appetizer. Garlic sauce is addictive. Picadillo and empanadas yummy. Black beans almost as good as my mama's... Standard Tap or North Third both have diverse menus for a crowd that could include meat-n-potatoes types as well as vegetarians.

Oh my. Keep the reports and photos coming so we can live vicariously. Looks like all kinds of fun and deliciousness so far...

There's also Rajbhog in Cherry Hill, NJ for excellent Indian groceries and prepared foods.