slkinsey
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Posts posted by slkinsey
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Once poured, I tap the glass on the bar to settle the bubbles, then spin the glass slowly to achieve maximum height. The meringue should be an inch above the lip of the glass so your first sip coats your top lip
This is an interesting tip, and one I have not heard before. I assume the "tap and rotate" should happen after the drink is fizzed? I'm eager to give this one a try, as I have never been able to achieve the inch tall foam cap I've had at M&H.
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The mouthfeel is definitely important.
I'd suggest a few things:
1. Use a higher proof and more assertive gin than Plymouth. In the Ramos Fizz, those two ounces of strong have to cut through an awful lot of weak. I'd suggest something like Tanqueray.
2. Definitely use heavy cream. Half and half just doesn't give the same effect.
3. It's hard to get the orange flower water balance just right. You want it to be there, but to not completely dominate the drink IMO. Try maybe only two small drops and see how you like that.
4. Is it possible that you can put some of your ice in a separate freezer to get harder/colder for drinks that really need it?
It's fun and interesting that you can feel the texture of the drink change in the shaker, isn't it?
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I've always thought that bars that serve lots of these . . . would benefit by having one of those king-hell paint can shakers behind the bar.
Heh. I've had the same thought. Especially if you could rig it up to do maybe 10 at a time.
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Totally worth the effort, in my opinion. This is actually a real test of the bartender's skill, as it isn't easy to get everything emulsified just right.
I've always done something like this, which I think is a pretty traditional recipe:
2 oz :gin
1 oz : heavy cream
1 oz : lemon juice
.5 oz : lime juice
1 : medium egg white
2 drops : orange flower water *
1 tsp : superfine sugar
Combine all ingredients in a shaker with big** pieces of ice then shake the bejesus out of it for at least a minute -- preferably two, and you can always try for more. Strain into a tall narrow glass and top with a bit of fizz water.
* These vary widely in strength. I am speaking here of A. Monteux stuff, not the significantly weaker-flavored Middle Eastern stuff.
** Since you are going to be shaking a long time, the bigger the ice the better. This will allow you to get the proper texture without overly watering the drink.
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I have the Northern Tools grinder as well, as detailed above, and couldn't be happier. The only drawback is that it's quite heavy -- but that comes with the territory. You don't get that kind of power in an eight pound grinder.
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I've tried Hamptons Gin (no apostrophe, by the way). Thought it was not terribly interesting. By design, they put the citrus way out front and dialed back on the juniper.
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Interesting article in today's NY Times about molecular mixology by Peter Meehan, entitled "Two Parts Vodka, a Twist of Science"
As usual, Dave Wondrich had something interesting and illuminating to say:
When I brought up the topic of these contemporary cocktails with David Wondrich, who writes about drinking for Esquire, he noted that practical — if not precisely molecular or scientific — knowledge of how the ingredients behind a bar interact was once part of the bartender's stock and trade.A talented bartender would have a handle on the specific gravities of different liquors so he could layer them one on top of another to make a rainbow-striped pousse-café, or would know when to add a spoonful of superfine sugar while mixing a tall drink to really get the drink to fizz.
Mr. Wondrich is skeptically optimistic about the new trend. "Look, if we keep making the same five drinks over and over and putting a "tini" suffix on them, we're not going to get any new deliciousness out of the process," he said. "But I think it needs time to filter into what is doable, what is satisfying and what is just for show."
The article highlights the work of several mixologists who are puching the envelope. Eben Klemm has designed a Manhattan made with leather-infused bourbon and a puréed maraschino and bitters "cherry," and a vodka Martini with an olive essence lollipop garnish, both for Primehouse in Chicago. Eben Freeman, formerly of wd-50, created many unique takes on the cocktail there, including things like "rum and Coke" made of rum powder and soda-flavored Pop Rocks -- he'll be doing gelled spheres of Cape Codder at tonight's Taste of the Nation event. Homaro Cantu of Moto, José Andrés of Minibar and, of course, Ferran Adrià are all doing interesting things.
Unsurprisingly, I fond myself in Dave's camp. Some of these things sound interesting and there are clearly some ideas to explore there. Already certain techniques, such as foams, have filtered down to some level of commonality. But it's not entirely clear to me how far the cocktail can be to transmuted and reinterpreted before it starts to lose it's "cocktail-ness." That said, some of the stuff sounds pretty cool. Homaro Cantu is doing a drink called a "Fizzing & Foaming Hurricane" injected with a substance that provides the effects described in its name. Sounds pretty cool. I'm not sure I think a Hurricane is such an interesting cocktail to be expending that kind of effort on, though, and I often find it to be the case that the cocktails chefs try to "molecularize" are not particularly interesting ones to start with.
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If you can get it, use Marie Brizzard orange curaçao.
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A couple of restaurants near us use the tiny staub ducth ovens to server various foods in (mashed potatoes, mac&cheese, etc.). In these places, I find that there are off-flavors in the food. I've often wonderd what is going on there and about the only thing I can think of is that they are cleaning them so the seasoning is gone and the flavors work thier way int the pot and are released during cooking. It's a turn-off.
Dan, the Staub mini-cocottes are made of nonreactive enameled cast iron that doesn't need to be seasoned the way raw cast iron does. There are no flavors working their way into the pot as there would be with, e.g., an unglazed clay tagine. If they have off-flavors in the foods they are serving in their Staub mini-cocottes it's because of something they're doing, not the pots.
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In July Mario Batali will be adding a specialized risotto pot to his cast iron line. I think Mario might know just a little about making risotto ;-)
More to the point, I think, is that Mario Batali knows a little about making money from his cast iron line. Just because he's coming out with an enameled cast iron "risotto pot" doesn't mean he believes it's the best, or even a good material/design for making risotto. What it means is that someone at the company said, "hey, people are into making risotto now. I bet we can make a mint if we add a 'specialized risotto pot' to the Batali line." The fact is that cookware companys are always coming out with pots that are ill-suited to the material/design used. Because they know that they have built up a certain amount of brand loyalty and that their customers will buy the new piece even though it's not the best material/design. Best example: All-Clad stock pots.
. . . I'd never use cast-iron cookware to make risotto. i really prefer something that reacts more quickly to heat, so you can adjust the cooking as you're going along. . .I'd agree with this in terms of reacting to heat. I used a Le Crueset tonight to fry chicken and I was not at all happy with the temperature control or lack thereof that I was unable to achieve.
Interesting. I assume you were shallow-frying? I ask this because, once you get into deep frying territory, the thermal mass of the cooking oil is so much greater than the thermal mass of the pan that the material/design of the pan won't make much difference with respect to responsiveness.
I have used my LC for risotto, and I thought it was okay, until I used a copper bottom saute pan (and then a copper one, which is even better). But soups can work really well in coated cast iron, depending on the soup. Long cooked ones work well -- the ones that are halfway to stew, for example. Same with curries; it depends on the style of curry.Yea. Heavy enameled cast iron can be okay for a lot of things. I'm certainly not suggesting that it's terrible for soups. Rather, I'm suggesting that better performance can be had for less money if what you really want is a soup, curry, etc. pot. There's no getting around the fact that enameled cast iron is very expensive. So, IMO, unless you want a pot to do the things at which enameled cast iron really excels, it may be a mistake to buy it. I think it's a not infrequent mistake for people to say, "I want to get a Le Creuset/Staub/whatever" without giving much clear thought to whether they really need one.
I'll probably never buy a Le Creuset pot again, however, because the handles are so bad. It's beyond my comprehension why such a poor design remains so popular and successful -- then again poorly designed cookware has dominated the consumer cookware marked forever. When braising in the oven it's not like you're going to grab the handle with your bare hand anyway, so why bother to use a phenolic resin that breaks so easily? You shouldn't have to replace the handle on a pot every few years. Staub pots have metal handles, as they should.Yea. I have never understood LC's choice for the lid handle. There's nothing quite like lifting up a 400 degree cast iron lid and having the handle slip off so you drop the lid on your feet.
I should also point out, while I'm at it, that I'm not sure enameled cast iron has such a great advantage over the heavy clad aluminum designs Steven recommends if you're going to be "braising" in the oven. Enameled cast iron really performs at its best on the stovetop, and you're probably just as well off with Steven's recommendation in the oven.
The price of Le Creuset and Staub cookware is scandalous -- you're paying for the brand, not for anything real. Cast iron and enamel are two of the cheapest substances on earth, and the fabrication expenses -- as evidenced by the knockoffs -- can't be all that great. This isn't like mating copper to stainless steel.Well, there are a few notable differences. As with anything, you're going to find diminishing bang for your buck as you go up the price scale in cookware. Stainless lined heavy copper cookware is no more a value product than a Ferrari. So... there are things that make brands like Le Creuset and Staub better. What immediately comes to mind is that they're substantially heavier (which makes a big difference when you are talking about cookware that is designed around having high thermal capacity and low thermal conductivity) and they also are coated with more coats of higher quality enamel fired to a higher temperature (which means, among other things, that you are less likely to ruin the enamel if you cook the pan dry for a while).
I should also point out that, while it's true that coating cast iron with enamel isn't exactly space age technology, it's not necessarily the case that it's cheap. Every layer has to be sprayed on to the piece, and the piece has to be fired at high temperature, cooled, inspected, re-coated, fired again, etc. This costs money, not only in energy but in labor.
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Rock on. Jim is very talented. I've been meaning to get over there and try some of the drinks he's created for GT. Unfortunately, I'm still recovering from sinus surgery and alcohol makes the nose swell. Soon!
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FWIW, I'm also not sure it makes sense to buy something like enameled cast iron on the basis of using it as as "all 'rounder." Frankly, at most kitchen tasks, other less expensive and easier to use and maintain material/designs are just as good if not better. To name a few that have been mentioned upthread, I wouldn't call heavy enameled cast iron the ideal material/design for things like soups, rice, curry, risotto, etc. Heavy enameled cast iron is best for braising. Browning meat and vegetables and then simmering them low/slow for a long time in a limited amount of liquid. It is also very good at certain other low/slow applications like cooking beans, things like chili con carne and stews.
So, if you're going to buy an expensive specialty braising pan, first be sure that you're really going to do enough braising that it's a worthwhile purchase, then choose a pan and brand on the basis of what is best for braising.
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IMO Staub is in most ways the superior pot. It's heavier. Certain aspects of the construction are simply better (the Bakelite handles on Le Creuset are always breaking and falling off, for example). I like the lid design. And the interior is better for browning.
Some people have said that they prefer the LC because of the light interior. I'm not sure I understand why. Plenty of people prefer to cook on nonstick surfaces, and yet we never hear complaints that Teflon is hard to use because the dark surface makes it difficult to tell when the food is browned enough. I use a sophisticated technique when cooking called "paying attention" to make sure I don't burn things.
Jeff, as to some of the other things you bring up: Heavy enameled cast iron is just about the worst material/design you could use to make caramel. Regardless of whether it's Le Creuset or Staub, if you make a really dark caramel and need to cool the pan down fast before the sugar begins to burn, or if you need to reduce the heat before the caramel boils over, you're going to be screwed if you're using a heavy iron pan. The high thermal capacity and low thermal conductivity mean that it won't be very responsive.
I haven't noticed that Staub is any more difficult to clean than LC with my usual "soak overnight" technique. But, of course, experiences differ.
For whatever it's worth, I think you will probably find a lot of recommendations to take LC over Staub from people who have actually never used anything but LC. Other than Janet and myself, I don't know too many people in these boards who have used both with any regularity.
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There's also the point that mixing rum, lime juice, sugar and crushed mint (and lime zest, if you like) in a big container and then funneling it back into a bunch of large empty bottles just doesn't represent much work. The hardest part by far would be juicing all the limes.
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We can perhaps explore this more in the Pegu Club Cocktail thread, but most recipes I have seen assume Marie Brizzard orange curaçao -- which is unfortunately almost impossible to find in NYC retail stores. I have found that one must balance towards more curaçao and less lime if using something like GranGala.
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Hi Brigit. I think it depends on the place. Demanding literally fresh-out-of-the-citrus-squeezed juice seems a bit extreme. Most places I patronize squeeze their fresh juices daily and keep them in cold glass bottles. This is, needless to say, not the same thing as bottled faux-fresh citrus juice. Personally, I don't think there is a hugely significant difference between, say, a Daiquiri made using juice from a bottle of lime that was squeezed 4 hours ago and a Daiquiri made using limes squeezed to-order. Now... if the bar has nothing but sour mix and preserved bottled faux-fresh citrus juice, I can see why you'd ask for your juice squeezed to order. Myself, I ask if the bar uses fresh real citrus juices, and if they don't I'll just order a different kind of drink.
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Trilby Cocktail No. 2
2 Dashes Absinthe (scant 1/8th teaspoon)
2 Dashes Orange Bitters (Regan's)
1/3 Parfait Amour Liqueur (0.75 oz. M-B)
1/3 Scotch Whiskey (Mortlach (Speyside))
1/3 Italian Vermouth (Carpano Antiqua Formula)
Stri well in ice and strain into glass
Some days, you've just gotta try the weird stuff (I'll admit that's every other day for me, but this drink is pushing the boundary a bit). I'm not sure what to make of it--the sweetness of the parfait amour balances nicely with the smokiness of the Scotch (in a blood and sand sort of way), but the bitterness of the Carpano is too pronounced. Next time I'll either reduce the proportion, or switch to a milder vermouth (Vya, if I can find it). I'm not sure I can taste the absinthe at all. Maybe garnish with a flamed orange peel? I'm also not sold on such a smokey scotch. Anybody know if single-malts were common in the 30s? Interesting drink, but it needs work.
For those of you who were wondering, there's no listing for a "Trilby Cocktail No. 1"
This is an interesting and strange one, Rob. If you're interested in trying this one again, I'd suggest trying it with a blended Scotch (I like Famous Grouse) and a regular vermouth. They were certainly not mixing with single malt scotch at that time, as indeed hardly anyone does today, and I find Carpano's Antiqua Formula to have quite a bit more herbal and especially bitter component than most "standard" red vermouths. Try Cinzano or M&R.
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. . . a major flavor component of the drink is the oils extracted from the peels of the limes (or whatever fruit) from the abrasion of the sugar. That really needs to happen right as the drink is being made.
Interesting. If you look upthread, it seems that the conventional wisdom on the Mojito is that the limes should not be muddled (which is actually contrary to my practices the last time I was making this drink with some frequency a few years ago).
To my tastes, both mojitos and caipirinas need that zest-i-ness in the drink. It's too much a part of the basic flavor profile of the cocktail. But maybe that's just me.
It's been a few years since I've made a Mojito, but I used to muddle the limes when I was making them. Just seems like most of the Mojitos I've seen made -- and I spend most of my time in bars where they've not afraid to muddle if it's called for -- haven't muddled the limes. To a certain extent, I suppose this depends on one's mint muddling technique and also on the degree to which one would like for the rum flavor to come through. Assuming a "light bruising" of the mint and a desire for a rum-focused drink, this might influence the choice away from muddling the limes so they don't overwhelm. A heavier muddle on the mint and a preference for a really limey drink would, of course, tip the balance in the other direction.
Making drinks in batch of course involves some compromises. If one wants to extract significant oils from the limes, I would think something reasonable could be accomplished by peeling off the zest with a vegetable peeler and putting it in the bottle with the rum mixture.. . . Problem with anything like this is that it requires a lot of forethought and time to infuse and is really not quite the same thing as the muddling achieves with the juice of the fresh fruit a la minute.
Well, this is where the whole "compromise of doing it in batch" comes in. I'm not suggesting that a freshly muddled and assembled Mojito isn't better than a batched bottled Mojito. But tommy seemed to be asking about a bottled cocktail rather than a "DIY cocktail bar." Experience tells me that a batched bottled Mojito can still be delicious and works very well at a large backyard barbecue, whereas making drinks to order adds a great deal of work and logistical hassle.
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It would taste different and nontraditional with kaffir lime, but it could be really good. Only one way to find out, right?
I'd think of adding a dash of Angostura bitters to complement the spiciness. -
. . . a major flavor component of the drink is the oils extracted from the peels of the limes (or whatever fruit) from the abrasion of the sugar. That really needs to happen right as the drink is being made.
Interesting. If you look upthread, it seems that the conventional wisdom on the Mojito is that the limes should not be muddled (which is actually contrary to my practices the last time I was making this drink with some frequency a few years ago).
Making drinks in batch of course involves some compromises. If one wants to extract significant oils from the limes, I would think something reasonable could be accomplished by peeling off the zest with a vegetable peeler and putting it in the bottle with the rum mixture.
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Sean, most of these places are open until around 2 AM on weeknights and 4 AM on weekends. Keep in mind that some of them (Milk & Honey, for example) are cash only.
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Well, you know that Bacardi (and several other brands) make flavored rums.
You know... I don't think I've ever had a flavored rum I didn't hate. Maybe that's for another thread: what are the good ones. Could be I just don't like the largely artificial tastes, though.
any thoughts on making mojitos in bulk? or at least preparing them, for the most part, ahead of time for backyard party guests to finish for themselves? my concern is the sugar component, which i think will attract ants and/or flies. and i sure don't want to have guests muddling if at all possible.
I've done this before. The easiest thing to do is to make up the whole works minus the soda water (i.e., rum, sugar, mint and lime) and pour it back into the (1.75 liter) rum bottles. The narrow spout of the bottle, as well as the ability to close the bottle with the cap, minimizes the fly problem. Then people can pour out of the bottle into glasses, top with soda water and garnish with mint (and/or sugar cane, if you like). This isn't quite as good as it would be with the mint freshly muddled, but as you suggest muddling the mint to order really decreases the utility of doing it in batch.
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Admin: Discussion on making Mojitos has been moved to this excellent thread in the Cocktails forum.
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No. Employees Only has different ownership.
Top Chef
in Food Media & Arts
Posted
Indeed. The Ivy League consists of Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, Penn and Yale. Perhaps I should observe that the high reputations the Ivy League schools enjoy are primarily due to the extreme selectiveness of their undergraduate programs. This is not to say that the other programs are not good or are not prestigious. But an MBA from Harvard Business School will never have the cachet of a BA from Harvard College. I don't know a single thing about the Cornell Hotel School except (now) that Holly attended... which, in my book, makes it a top school on that basis alone -- no creeping vines required.