Smokeydoke

Yeah, little painful mixing Chartreuse, a $57 liquor, with anything. But we're all a little mad here, aren't we? If we mix it with another $57 liquor, it's ok, right?

So I'm going with Rittenhouse Rye, Mezcal and Green Chartreuse. If budget allows, I'll get the Costco scotch.

Rittenhouse Rye sounds good. I am sorely lacking in the whiskey dept. Should I also get a scotch? They have 18 yr old scotch at Costco for $38. That's a deal, but I'm afraid I won't like it. I tried Scotch a long time ago and hated it, but it could've been cheap stuff. And I'm curious about Mezcal. I think I'll wait on the Appleton and try a Mezcal. Thanks for your suggestions!

I have roughly $100. I don't mind buying 375ml because I'm the only drinker in the household. 375ml lasts me a long time. I'm thinking of Green Chartreuse , an Absinthe, Appleton Reserve Rum... and one more thing should take me to $100. Good? Bad? Suggestions?

I got an unexpected late Christmas gift today. Naturally, first thing that came to mind was the liquor store. eGullet, please help me, what should I buy next? This is my collection so far (did I mention I'm a bit obsessive?), its grown since I last posted. I don't know how I ended up with so many bottles? It's a good problem to have! Kirkland 1.75L London Dry Gin Bombay Sapphire Grey Goose Vodka (it was a gift) St. Germain Myer's Dark Rum St George Rhum Agricole Osocalis Apple Brandy Angostura Bitters Hella Citrus Bitters Chambord Remy 1738 Cognac Champagne, Gloria Ferrar Martini Rossi Dry Vermouth Morey Orange Liquer DeKruper Triple Sec Luxardo Marachino Liquer Campari

I had some last night, it is a crumbly product like Cacique. I don't know how TJ sample managed to keep it in chunks. I had it with sauteed onions, chickpeas and poached eggs. Delicious!

@Okanagancook the pots and pans are so shiny! I'm jealous. I'm just starting on my copper collection (I have a fry pan and a sauce pan). I love them. I can't wait to add more pieces.

For all my love of cooking, I don't enjoy eating as much. I subsist, daily, on a diet of string cheese, salami nuggets and McDonalds coffee (with organic half and half). I'd say I eat this 3-4 times a week. Lately I've been supplementing my diet with a nightly cocktail. I gotta get my fruit in some way. Sausage Egg McMuffin and a large ice coffee is called weekend brunch around the Smokey household.

Her green lagoon cocktail poured with a liter of vodka.

Definitely a SoCal thing, they are everywhere, even in Las Vegas. Do they have Roberto's? That's who was (in)famous for them when I was growing up.

^^ match you 6 Rainforest crisps, smear of cream cheese and an avocado.

@Dejah I will be the first to admit, I'm surprised you ran a Chinese restaurant and even more surprised you're Asian! The food looks absolutely amazing.

^^ that looks delicious!

@Tri2Cook I don't understand the aversion to sweet either. I like sweet! Grenadine, orgeat, mai tais, you name it! Except Bailey, ugh, not a big fan of Bailey's Irish Cream.

Yet another Death & Co drink, but I'm posting it here to keep the thread active. It's called the Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, it's made with gin, sloe gin, lemon juice, marachino liquer and muddled blackberries. It tastes like kool-aid. I love it! Honestly I'm surprised that Death & Co makes such a sweet drink, but I'm glad they do. I love sloe gin, it's horrible on its own, but in this cocktail, it's the star. And I'm repulsed by marachino liquor, but it's very tasty muddled with the blackberries. This, to me, is what cocktails is all about. Taking a mish-mash of liquors, some of them awful, then transforming them into something new and tasty. This might not favor more "sophisticated" palates because it's too sweet, but it's a keeper for me. 4.5 stars.

^^ it's gorgeous.

^^ thanks!

^^ yes, I'm on a budget. But I'm always happy to receive donations! You know, for research purposes.

I really liked @scubadoo97 idea for blind tastings, so today, I went out and bought this It's a prosecco by Foss Marai and it had a 90 score at Total Wine & More. https://www.wine-searcher.com/wine-324420-0000-foss-marai-prosecco-extra-dry-veneto-italy I don't know much about proseccos but I'm going to conclude that this is a decent bottle, reasonably priced at $20 (tad high-end for a prosecco). I decided to do a side-by-side comparison with the Kirkland brand. Smell: Foss Marai - win, it's complex fruity, grapes with hints of honey. It smells "natural," I guess another word could be funky. Kirkland - it's ok, it's completely different beast. It's much more astringent, clean smelling. It almost smells like a soda pop. Bubbles: Kirkland - small win, this is one bubbly drink, five minutes later and the bubbles are raging. Foss Marai - no more bubbles. Taste: Now here's the real eye-opener, they taste completely different. If you didn't tell me they're both proseccos, I wouldn't have put them in the same category. Foss Marai - win. big win. Very dry. Lots of complex flavors that I've already mentioned: honey, grapes, musk. You can taste the earth in here. It's interesting, it entertains my tastebuds and I want more. Kirkland - taste is ok, it's not bad, it's not great. It's very clean, like it was manufactured in a factory. Single lemony note. Both go down very easy. Winner: Foss Marai. But I come away with Kirkland being very drinkable at $7 (less than half the price of the Foss Marai) and Kirkland may work better in mixers with it's simple, clean, bright notes. Actually, you really can't compare, they taste so different. I should've compared it with a more commercialized, standard prosecco that had simpler flavors. I'll try them in some prosecco cocktails and report back. Both make popcorn delicious!

@HungryChris they look gorgeous! I can't wait to get mine in February.

I miss Farmer's Markets. I used to live in California and used to go all the time but I've completely forgotten the experience. I remember getting the sweetest strawberries and the freshest corn at a little stand in Carlsbad. Picking fresh figs, lemons, pomegranates was as easy as going to my backyard. That was years ago. Now I shop at Costco and Trader Joes. I've honestly forgotten what good produce tastes like, probably why I rarely eat it anymore.

4 1/2 lbs is a big cauliflower.

I think I paid $1 the last time it was on sale. I usually buy it as Costco, for around $2 a pound. But it's just the florets in a bag.

Wow, $4 each? Is that the norm in SoCal?

@scubadoo97 blind tastings sound great but it's not a requirement to post.