KatieLoeb

If the lemon meringue pie drink is too sweet for you either skip the simple syrup or up the proportion of lemon juice to dial back the sweetness. Kerry a good smack with the heel of your hand usually breaks the seal on stubborn shakers.

The other reason the practice remains legal is that restaurateurs have a lot more political clout as business owners, employers and tax payers than the larger group of folks making a fraction of minimum wage.

Tonight's libation: Smoked Peach Bourbon Smash half an applewood smoked peach (and a bit of the juice from the container) 1 oz Mint simple syrup 2 oz. 1792 Ridgemont Reserve Bourbon .75 oz. fresh lemon juice Muddle peach half in mint syrup in bottom of shaker until well destroyed. Add bourbon, lemon juice and ice and shake vigorously. Double strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass. Sip and enjoy. I smoked a couple of peaches a few days ago and had let them sit in the fridge in a small container. They'd given up quite a bit of juice in the interim and disintegrated a little bit but still smelled and tasted smokey. Since I had the mint syrup it seemed like a natural marriage of all those flavors we know go together with the added dimension of the smokey undertone. Really delicious when finished and went down way too quickly. Next time I think I'll try tossing in a dash of bitters of some sort too, just to wake it up a little. This one will definitely be staying in the summer rotation.

Awesome! You've been busy! I made smoked pineapple syrup earlier this week and made a non-Tiki, but nonetheless tasty tequila based cocktail with it. Might try do something with rum and falernum later on. Will report back any success.

French Laundry for me as well. Service was flawless. Water and wine glasses refilled as if by magic. Never an intrusion or awkward moment (I'd have gasped out loud at the truffle incident!) When dessert arrived we were so stuffed we had a bite or two each and pushed them away, sated and deliriously happy. They were whisked away and replaced with two new completely different desserts within a minute. When we inquired why, we were told they didn't want us to leave not having enjoyed one of our courses. That's service!

She's lucky her manager didn't overhear that exchange. I doubt that possibly insulting the customers is encouraged. Pretty rude, I'd say. Most places that I've seen that even have a seniors discount are not fine dining or even moderate dining restaurants. Chain places and lower end places that aren't worried about "cheapening" their image would qualify. I don't know. I want to order what I want. I don't want to be dictated to or steered toward bland boring food, thanks. Speaking as one on the service end of things I find the problem with any sort of discount is that folks forget it's proper to tip on the TOTAL pre-discounted amount. Throw in the fact that a lot of seniors are pretty lousy tippers to begin with and it's often a lot of getting run ragged for little to no reward.

I just bought a stove top smoker. It's a Nordic Ware Kettle Smoker that works brilliantly on the stovetop. Tonight I made some smoked fresh pineapple that I turned into a syrup for cocktails. It's been delicious with virtually everything I've tried it with. I also smoked up some poblano chiles and carrots to toy with a smoky Bloody Mary variant. Any other genius ideas? I think smoked peaches and nectarines are next...

Tim: I'm a little late to the party, but congrats my friend!! Excited for you! Let me know if I can help you out, or at least buy you a congratulatory drink. I know lots of venues and several caterers that might be helpful in planning rehearsal dinners, engagement parties, receptions, etc. Let me know what I can do...

Does eBay count as the world's cyber-flea market/yard sale? I just got a Nordic Ware indoor/outdoor kettle smoker for $30 +shipping. I want to make smoked fruits and vegetables for cocktail syrups. I think the possibilities are almost endless. Not to mention being able to make my own smoked meats and fish to boot. Looking forward to its arrival with eager anticipation...

Dmitri's, one of my favorite restaurants here in Philly serves sugar snap peas Greek style in a chunky oregano spiked tomato sauce with crumbled feta cheese on top. They're delicious and I never fail to order them every time I'm there. I suspect the peas are merely steamed al dente and then tossed with the tomato sauce, placed in an oven proof dish, topped with the cheese and run under a broiler for just a few seconds to get the cheese starting to soften up. Try these. You'll love them.

Apologies for the lousy photo. Now that all has cooled and been bottled there's these two bottles and one more larger spring topped bottle in the fridge. Tried it tonight with both tequila and rum and it's quite tasty. Also good as a non-alcoholic refresher with Ruby Red Grapefruit seltzer and a squeeze of lime. Looking forward to playing with it with the batch of Szechuan peppercorn syrup that's cooling on the stove right now.

Just finished a big batch of blackberry shrub. Had a gigantic bag of blackberries from last summer taking up way too much real estate in my freezer. I dropped the whole gallon bag of frozen berries into a big pot, covered with approximately 2 cups of white balsamic vinegar as well as a couple of ounces of regular balsamic and let it sit overnight. Stirred it up just a few times. Buzzed it all through the blender and then pushed it through a fine mesh strainer twice. 2 cups water and two cups sugar added and brought to a bare simmer. Allowed to cool. Tastes delicious. I need to make a cocktail with it. I'm thinking tequila or gin, but rum might be good too. Will report back.

I wrote an article on this very subject that I could forward to you or have posted here by a manager as an attachment as it's in PDF format. In fact, Cocktail Guru was very helpful and I quoted him in there extensively. Thanks again, Jonathan! Let me know if I can give you some material to read over that might help you narrow down your options.

Bob: The cherries I got last Wednesday at the Fountain Farmers Market were 4.99 for a pint box of either red sweet or Queen Annes. The sour pie cherries were a bit more at 5.99 for a box. I ate the reds I bought by the next afternoon. I think the vendor was Fruitwood Orchards. I'll likely head over there for some more this week...

It's only the genetic high cholesterol issues that make me choose the fat free half and half. I get my dose of animal fat and all the evils it brings with the healthy dose of butter I saute the veggies in when making "cream" soups. It still tastes good and I can eat the soup with abandon without having to double dose on the statins the next morning.

It does. I believe one of the traditional methods of serving the Dolin Blanc is with a few sliced strawberries and soda water. Dolin makes an aperitif called Chamberyzette that includes a syrup made from Alpen strawberries. That sorbet sounds like just the ticket on a brutally hot day like today. Yum!

I'm fortunate enough to have the Farmer's Markets I frequent most fall on my days off and one is even walking distance from home. Head House Square Farmer's Market is but two short blocks from my house. I always load up on fruit and have my first cup of coffee there on Sunday mornings/early afternoons. Since I'm also off on Wednesdays I always check out the Fountain Farmer's Market on Passyunk Avenue and see what treasures that smaller market has to offer. Today I found sweet cherries and some gorgeous spring garlic I documented turning into soup over here.

That's bloody BRILLIANT! I was driving myself nuts trying to think of a way to do this in a large batch commercial environment. Thank you Sam. You're my hero.

Tonight I took advantage of the gorgeous spring garlic I found at the Farmer's Market and made a creamy Spring Garlic soup. Sweated out the bulbs and light green parts of five large stalks in herbed butter then added two peeled and diced red bliss potatoes and two cans of vegetable broth + equal amount of water. Let that simmer covered for about 15 minutes then added the finely sliced green parts, salt, white pepper and some thyme. Another 15 minute simmer then buzzed through the blender in batches and added about a cup of fat free half and half. Served piping hot with garlic/cheese croutons and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese on top. Delicious!!

REAL Blue Points are from a specific part of (Great South Bay) Long Island only. "Blue Point" has become a term as misused as Kleenex or Band-Aid. If you're lucky these might be Fisher's Island oysters from Connecticut, which are prized for their salinity and clean flavor. Or maybe Mystics? Those are the most common oysters from CT that I'm aware of.

Tonight I made a Carrot-Ginger-Coconut soup that was creamy but non-dairy based. Sweated out some diced spring garlic and ginger in butter and olive oil, added 2 Tbs. curry powder and a bit (about a tsp. each) of cumin, chile and white pepper then added a carton of vegetable stock and an equal portion of water and about 5 large peeled and chopped carrots. Boiled until everything was very soft and pureed in the blender in batches. I then added one can of light coconut milk and a tiny splash of fresh lime juice and called it done. It was delicious and I suspect will be just as good or better tomorrow, cold or hot.

Thanks for the mint chutney recipe. Will give that a whirl soon. Once you make the mint syrup you can make instant mojitos of whatever flavor you want. I made strawberry ones last weekend and they were delicious! Rum +mint syrup +fresh lime juice +fruit of your choice +a few ice cubes buzzed up in the blender and you're done. Best Big Girl Smoothies ever!

I found an 8 cup plastic Tupperware measuring cup with a lid for $1 that I'll be using for batching up punches and large format drinks for events...

The lemon juice is in small proportion to the rest of the drink and is meant to balance the drink and dial back all those sweet things in there. If she drinks cocktails that are that sweet she won't have to worry about thin enamel as all of her teeth will fall out soon enough. It really needs it. Trust me on this. I am certain there are plenty of foods, both fresh and processed that contain acidic ingredients she ingests every day. Salad dressings? Carbonated beverages? Coffee or tea? Unless her dentist has specifically prohibited her drinking citrus juices I don't think this one item will be an issue.

My local Polish/Russian market has cherry juice in cardboard cartons, along with black currant, pomegranate, etc. which I have used myself when making homemade grenadines, cocktail experimentation and the like. I believe the cherry flavor is called "wisniowy". If there's an Eastern European market near you go check it out. You should be able to find what you're seeking there. On a separate note I might try a Cosmo alternative that was something like this: 2 oz. Strasberi vodka .5 oz. fresh lemon juice .75 oz. cherry juice barspoon or a scant .25 oz. St. Germain Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist if desired. I think I still have some cherry juice at home. I'll try this out when I get back if I do. If you do first, please report back!