slkinsey

I would say that any recipe calling for simply "Chartreuse" is talking about the green variety.

At this point, unless someone has something meaningful and of verifiable accuracy to say about the production of Rao's bottled sauces, we're going to consider that fork of this discussion closed. Let's get back to talking about Rao's the restaurant. Thanks!

Kalustyan's, surely. Have also seen it in Fairway and Citarella.

All: I've removed a few more-or-less OT posts about Frank Bruni from this thread. Please direct any Bruni-specific discussion not relating to Craftsteak to the 2006 Bruni & Beyond thread. Thanks

Well, certainly one doesn't go to these places for produce, and definitely not for Korean products (although one of my locals does sell really nice homemade kimchi). They're no substitute for Fairway, they're stores of convenience. They're where you go for a six-pack of beer and a pint of Haagen Daaz while the Chinese delivery is on the way.

No. They are completely different. My memory of the Middle Eastern varieties is not good because after I determined that the French was much better for my purposes, I never went back. But my recollection is that the French kind is much stronger than the Middle Eastern kind -- to the extent that one might need to use a quarter ounce of the latter where a few drops of the former would suffice.

AFAIK, "real" gomme syrup should contain gum arabic, which imparts added viscosity.

Right. I've never understood the Crusta as requiring maraschino. It's all about the sugared rim and the citrus peel collar going all the way around the rim. Here's a page on the Crusta from Darcy's online version of JT's Bartender's Guide. One thing that a lot of people seem to forget about drinks like the Crusta or Old Fashioned is that it can also be made with gin. In fact, a Gin Crusta (or Gin Old Fashioned) is delicious. Same is true of Genever.

What I think is funny is that, in my neighborhood at least, it's quite common to refer to them as "Korean bodegas."

I would argue -- or rather, I would echo the arguments of those in a much better position to assert them than I -- that, if it's not redistilled after infusion, it's not absinthe.

Okay. As if we didn't know already. . . But you, Robert, have officially reached "über-geek" status with respect to cocktails.

As long as it still cooks, it should be fine. Might be a little stickier, but I don't see that as a problem. The tiny black spots are probably carbonized something-or-other. You might try coating it with oven cleaner, sealing it in a garbage bag overnight and rinsing it off the next day. That might remove some of the black spots.

I would just like to point out that using any kind of alcohol "that way" is probably not a good idea, sugary mixers or no.

Yes, skipping dinner and going straight to the booze and sex does seem to do wonders for one's waistline.

By far the best sesame cold noodles I've had have been at place in Midtown East called Spade's on 3rd and 37th. Just a more full-flavored sauce (I think I taste Worcestershire?) than the usual.

Virtually all the calories in spirits come from the ethanol, unless you're talking about a sweet, low proof liqueur. For example, there is little meaningful difference between the caloric value of a shot of 100 proof bourbon and a shot of 100 proof vodka.

Let's try to keep this on the topic of HFCS. If the conversation takes us usefully in another direction, please just start a new thread. I, for one, found the following interesting: This tells me that anyone buying jam made with sucrose instead of HFCS is actually getting more fructose by doing so.

Phil Ward, of Pegu Club and Flatiron Lounge, came up with an interesting and delicious variation called the "Final Ward." It's equal parts Rittenhouse bonded rye, lemon juice, maraschino and green Chartreuse.

Oh! Myers, I got the book. Very interesting. It currently occupies a place of honor among the cocktailian tomes at Pegu Club so others may enjoy it.

Franny is very fond of Fernet Branca. I had a Fernet and Coke there on her suggestion that was delicious and refreshing.

This is getting off topic for a thread about Campari cocktails, but... Chartreuse is not a "genre of spirits." Chartreuse is the proprietary name of the herbal spirits produced by the Carthusian monks at the monastery in Chartreuse. No one else may call their spirit "Chartreuse." They do produce three varieties of Chartreuse (Green, Yellow and Vieillissement Exceptionnellement Prolongé), but these are all of a piece and clearly variations on a theme by the same maker. I'd say it's similar, albeit with some differences, to Wild Turkey producing rye as well as bourbon at 80 and 101 proofs (the point being that "Wild Turkey" is not a genre of spirits).

...you take your turn with the shaker when you order a Ramos Fizz.

The quality is a lot higher at Central Fish as well. For what it's worth, I like Sea Breeze in the same area a little better.

Maybe. But I kind of doubt it.

You might be a cocktail geek if... ...you're following that line of thought.