Fernet-Bronco

Dunno... Warm-climate syrah is often high alcohol and unbalanced, meaning it tends to fall apart quickly once opened. You say you're not experiencing this with your CA zinfandel, but much of that is made in the same style. I've had restrained Ridge Geyserville that lasts for a couple days opened, but riper, bigger Turley that falls apart in a few hours, let alone overnight. I've experienced what you're talking about, wine getting bitter and acrid overnight; it just hasn't been limited to Australian shiraz.

It oxidizes, causing the fruit to fall off, and you're left with a tannic juice on the march towards vinegar.

Nice, those celery bitters are fun.

Bought my first bottle of black strap rum, Cruzan. It's pretty one-noted but I like that note. Was hoping for and expecting a bit more funk and tar. Should go nicely in the Jungle Bird, which is what I bought it for. I wonder if it would blend nicely with S&C, or just drown it out.

I've heard "flat" used to describe the process you're talking about when the fruit drops out of a bottle that's been open too long.

It happens because it oxidizes, which is what happens to all wines when they are exposed to air for a while. Three days is quite a long time to me... I usually cork it and put it back in the fridge and drink the next day if I can't finish it all in one night. Jo, I'm not sure of the cause in the discrepancy you're seeing between red and white table wines. It's not one I've really noticed myself, though I have found that sweeter Rieslings will last a bit longer opened in the fridge. In my experience it's been bolder wines, meaning those with a big nose and strong fruit flavors, that last longer--it seems like they can cover up the off smells that naturally occur. A few perhaps related points: fortified wines such as port last considerably longer than table wine, due to their higher alcohol and sugar content. Madeira can last open for months or years and may actually improve as it is exposed to air. Of course, Madeira is also a higher alcohol (and in some styles residual sugar) wine, but was intentionally exposed to heat and air during production, so it's a lot more resilient. I know that some sommeliers swear by opening their Madeira days before serving it, and some of my favorite wine programs have included a spread of Madeira bottles that have been open for months. Personally, at home, I can't keep an open bottle around for more than a week--it's just that delicious.

Ooh, those tortillas look gorgeous, as does everything else.

That's awesome, Craig!

Sadly I'll only buy it in the half-bottle format and it's not available here that way. I haven't had luck keeping it in the fridge and it goes off before I'm finished with a full bottle. I miss the lush Manhattan it makes.

Oh, I see. Apologies for confusing things. I've never had the yellow label that I know of. I tasted the Hamilton 151 against the red label. Never having had the original, I like the red label a lot, but if it's a different recipe perhaps that's what accounted for the difference in taste against the Hamilton 151. tanstaafl2, the yellow label is what someone at TikiRoom spotted in the wild recently: http://www.tikiroom.com/tikicentral/bb/viewtopic.php?topic=49099&forum=10&start=30&32

So I'm preparing some turkey breast for a mole dish tomorrow. Oddly the only turkey breast available here is "thinly sliced"... that won't affect my regular cook times and temperatures will it? Seems like when it's all vacuum sealed it shouldn't make a difference.

Yes, I fourth or fifth this! More info please.

I've had it a few times at Mexican restaurants but always really hated it. It's a drink I want to like more than I actually do like. May try it your way, without the clamato. What beer do you Michelada drinkers prefer?

Yeah, ours is a centrifugal juicer. I've had trouble doing any real volume of pineapple juice in it (a few chunks in a juice blend is fine) since the fiber tends to gunk up the blades and filter quickly. Ignoring this added hassle, side by side with the stick blend and strain method, I feel like it doesn't extract quite as much juice (pulp is wetter in juicer) and the juice has less sediment after hand straining.

Yes!