slkinsey

FWIW, the recipe I have for the Improved Holland Gin Cock-Tail goes something like this: <blockquote>2 oz : genever gin 1 tsp : 2:1 demerara simple syrup 1 tsp : maraschino liqueur 2 dashes : Peychaud's bitters Mix in a glass with ice. Garnish with lemon twist.</blockquote> Seems pretty different to me

maxmillan, I'm not sure why you'd want to go to all the trouble to make your own amaretto. First, it's highly unlikely that you could make something as good as what's commercially available. Second, amaretto isn't that expensive (Amaretto di Saronno, the most expensive, can be found for around 15 bucks for a fifth). Third, excellent (better, really) brands like Luxardo's Amaretto di Saschira can be had usually at a lower price than Amaretto di Saronno. Finally, considering that you want to use it for baking, the qualities that distinguish a good amaretto -- either store-bought or homemade -- are likely to be lost. Why not use a cheap amaretto brand at around 6 bucks a liter, or simply use a high quality almond extract?

What about cocktails with Strega?

Here are two I like. They'd probably work pretty well with a fuller-bodied prosecco.

Jesus, dude. That's going to be one hell of an expensive Sazerac.

Interesting. Your experience is almost exactly what mine was the first time I was there. . . which was also near the end of service. Since then, I've had several very good meals there. But I also haven't gone late again. The general consensus seems to be that their stewed okra either a) sucks, b) is in a style that many of us don't like/understand, or c) both. I'm leaning towards c) myself -- but, then again, I hate okra anyway. IMO the can't-miss sides at R&S are the collard greens and baked beans.

Matt Hassett made a tincture of sichuan peppercorn (may still be some of it at Pegu), and as I recall, we weren't too taken with it. It is possible that the "good stuff" in sichuan peppercorn comes out best into fat rather than alcohol?

I have a friend who is going to be spending a month in Austin. Back in the day, she had a job as "the girl on the red velvet swing" at the Austin Old San Francisco Steakhouse. For those who don't know, this is a girl in a skimpy "1890s style" outfit swinging on a red velvet swing high above the room and, at least in those days, eventually swinging high enough to kick a bell attached to the ceiling at the front end of each swing. I'd heard rumors that the Austin Old San Francisco Steakhouse was going through roigh times and might have closed. Then I heard it was back. Anyone know about it? Is it still there? If so, what's it like these days and how's the food? Also, are they still doing the bit with the girl on the swing?

I think that may be the heart. AFAIK the heart and gizzard are close to each other.

Re funny taste from soda siphons: I think part of this is due to the construction. Most soda siphons these days are made of cheap metal. Eventually everything that comes out has a thread of "old canteen" flavor (slightly metalic, slightly musty) running through it, and I have not been able to figure out any way to eliminate this problem. Glass siphons don't seem to have this problem.

This is an interesting question worthy of discussion on its own, so I split it off from the homemade coffee liqueur thread. Isn't rum shrub made with a kind of fruit/vinegar syrup?

I like the Siesta from Flatiron Lounge: 1.5 oz : Herradura silver .75 oz : simple syrup (1:1) .75 oz : fresh lime juice .50 oz : fresh grapefruit juice .25 oz : Campari Shake and strain.

Yea. The B&S wouldn't work with kirsch, because it depends on the red color for the effect.

Do your ferrets have the run of the house?

Plenty of spirits are charcoal filtered. It's common for vodka, of course. There are also plenty of white rums that are filtered to strip out the color. The "Lincoln County Process" used to make Tennesee Whiskey is filtering. In a way, aging spirits in charred barrels could be seen as a kind of filtering.

Curaçao of Curaçao claims to be the original curaçao liqueur. I understand that it's pretty good. I've seen it at retail in NYC (although, of course, now I can't remember where). I believe this the one made by Senior & Co.

These stories are another reason I've gone over to a metal-on-metal Boston shaker arrangement. Since both the small and large parts of the shaker are flexible it is considerably easier to break the seal, and you never need to worry that you might break any glass. Even the fanciest Boston shaker can't compete with a really nice cobble shaker on looks, so I don't feel that much is lost asthetically by going all-metal. It makes a cool snapping sound when you break the seal, and because you can wrap your fingers around the top part of the smaller piece, it gives you added security to do things like this without worrying that the shaker will fly apart (which eventually happens to everyone with the glass-and metal kind):

I would like to clarify this a bit. Lead is bad because it is bad for your health. Aluminum is bad because it makes your booze taste funny, not because it is bad for your health. Aluminum is the third most common element in the Earth's crust, so we're all taking in plenty of it every day.

Pyewacket, there are a couple of reasons you may not often get what you want on an Old Fashioned. As you rightly point out, Old Fashioned making isn't at a very high level right now. There are also several traditions for making an Old Fashioned. The most traditional kind of Old Fashioned is composed simply of strong spirit, sugar, bitters and a lemon peel with a big piece of ice. No fruit, no muddling, no splash of soda and certainly no Southern Comfort. That's what you would get if you asked for an Old Fashioned in a top NYC bar or at my house. What you're looking for is a not uncommon modern take on the Old Fashioned -- although I would suggest that it's really an entirely different drink -- and even then there are variations. Some people want the fruit muddled, some don't. Some people want soda, some don't. All this is to say that muddled fruit and a splash of soda is by no means standard for an Old Fashioned. I don't know where Southern Comfort comes from in an Old Fashioned. I've never heard of that. Perhaps some people started using it as a labor-saving measure because it is already sweetened? In any event, if your preferred formula is Jack Daniels with muddled fruit and a splash of soda, I don't think you can expect that most every bartender will have the same idea as you. It would probably be a good idea to develop a standard and clear set of instructions to use when you order this drink so you always get what you want. I have something similar I developed to use when ordering Martinis, Manhattans and Rob Roys at bars that aren't advanced cocktail places (e.g., "two to one, stirred, up with a twist. . . and gimme a dash of bitters if you have any").

FotF, do you have any actual amounts for this recipe? Powers is an Irish whiskey. You can substitute either Jameson or Bushmills, both of which have wide availability.

STK also has a web site with further information: http://stkhouse.com/ Apparently they plan to have a DJ for a "sexy vibe" and they say they are "a steakhouse with a conscience and sex appeal" I wonder what the conscience part is all about?

I'd like to think this is true. And I believe it largely is true. But it doesn't have to be true. Organic growers can do all kinds of things that are horrible for the environment, so long as they do it the "organic way." This includes things as mundane as irrigation techniques and water sourcing to the use of pesticides and antifungals like oil, bacillus thuringiensis, copper sulfate, pyrethrum and rotenone -- many of which have far greater toxicity and environmental impact than manufactured pesticides (copper sulfate, for example, has been banned in Europe because it is a permanent soil contaminant that has high toxicity for both humans and fish -- it is still allowed in the US). All this is to say that it is entirely possible for a "not organic" farm to have a much smaller environmental footprint than an "organic" farm. It takes a lot of grain to make distilled spirits, so I think I'm safe in assuming that Square One isn't buying from small farms.

So... I just got back from dropping a cool buck twenty at Kalustyan's (pomegranate molasses, quince lemon syrup, tamarind syrup, 3 different kinds of bitters, black vinegar, rice wine vinegar, dashi ingredients, dried giant pozole, Mexican oregano, tumeric, etc.). Anyone else inspired by this blog to visit Kalustyan's? Am I the first?

I have no idea why this just came into my head, but I thought: greens (mustard or collard, perhaps in some kind of chiffonaded form) and spaetzle.

One word on price: I don't quite understand the difficulty some people have with the idea of shelling out a couple hundred bucks for a superior pan that will last the rest of their lives. Now... I can understand not wanting to pay two hundred bucks when a better or equivalent pan can be had for half as much. But think of it this way: a two hundred dollar pan costs less than a television that will only last a few years.