slkinsey

Vodka became popular in the United States primarily due to the changes wrought by Prohibition, in particular the scarcity of aged spirits after repeal, and also due to Smirnoff's innovative marketing campaigns. Rudolph Kunett bought the rights to Smirnoff in 1934 and moved the company to the US. I don't think that Smirnoff, or indeed vodka at all, was sold in the US prior to that time in any quantity. Since the 18th Amendment was repealed in 1933, I don't see how they could possibly have had any ten year aged spirits available for sale in 1934. In any event, vodka's popularity didn't begin to grow until after Smirnoff was bought by Heublein in 1939 and they began their "Smirnoff Leaves You Breathless" campaign, which alluded to the fact that, as an odorless spirit, it couldn't be smelled on the breath. Clearly, at this point, we are talking about an American-produced, unaged, colorless-tasteless-odorless product. This work culminated in increased popularity for vodka sometime in the 1950s, and it wasn't until sometime in the 1970s that vodka became the top seller. I am not aware of any historical Smirnoff product called "Smirnoff Gold" that was aged in oak barrels. Regardless, this was not what Smirnoff was selling in the US that led to the popularity of vodka in the US. That product was more or less the same flagship product they are selling today.

They may call it "vodka" -- but any vodka aged in wood doesn't conform with the sense that we are using the word "vodka." For example, if one makes a "vodka" out of rye and corn, and then ages that vodka in wood, someone would have to explain to me why the result would be "aged vodka" and not "rye whiskey." Starka "Aged Vodka" which is the most common google result for "aged vodka" isn't actually aged in wood. There are some chemical reactions that happen even while a spirit is sitting in a nonreactive vessel (e.g., stainless steel tank). But that's not generally though of as "aging the spirit." By the way, Starka's color and flavor comes from the addition of things like port, brandy and fruit juices. Hardly something I'd call a "vodka."

1. Yes. 2. Yes, depending on how well stocked the market is. Certainly it can be found in many NYC markets, but it might be more difficult to find in, say, Nacogdoches, Texas.

Once you aged it, it wouldn't be "vodka" in my book. A vodka that was distilled from grain and then aged in wood would thereafter be "grain whiskey," one distilled from grapes and aged in wood would be "brandy" and so on. Not sure there is any precedent for an aged distillate of potatoes, so I don't know what that would be called. I should point out that all these wood-aged formerly-vodkas would be very uninteresting compared to regular aged spirits, because they would have had all the character distilled/rectified out of them when they were made into vodka.

Katie was talking about vinegar made from PX. Just like there is red vine vinegar and "regular" sherry vinegar, there is PV vinegar. I'd say this depends on the price and quality of the PX.

Mussina, look no further than our thread on Press Pot/French Press Coffee & post any further questions you might have on French Press coffee in that thread.

Welcome to eGullet on your first post, Paul. Although this is going a little off the main topic of this thread, I both agree and disagree with what you're saying here. I do agree that there is little more to an espresso than a quick few swallows of coffee. But, that's just the point. Coffee is unlikely to be the last thing you have in an Italian or Spanish dinner. It is likely to be followed by something like grappa or orujo, and that is the drink to linger over.

Okay... so far, so good on my project to make fabada in NYC. Was able to procure Asturian fabes, the right kind of chorizo and house-made Asturian-style morcilla at Despana in downtown Manhattan. Not sure what I'll be able to do for lacón. Any ideas?

The ironic thing about this is that some people feel that one way to impress their dining companion (date, prospective employer, whatever) is to be a jerk to the waitstaff. I've seen it happen any number of times, with the usual scenario being a young man who thinks that scolding the waiter will impress his date.

How much room do you have in terms of how many bottles you can accomodate? That will make a big difference in the range of cocktails. The most common base spirits for quality old-school cocktails are gin, rye whiskey, bourbon, cognac and rum. Add to that some Cointreau and other liqueurs, a few different fortified herbal wines and several kinds of bitters and you're good to go.

I was there yesterday at 6:00. Double Shack Burger with fries. No problems whatsoever. Burger was delicious, with an amazing crust of Maillardized goodness. Crinkle fries were probably the best I've ever had there. I frankly think the "digestive upset" issue is kind of silly. Certain foods affect different people in different ways. If one doesn't eat much food like this, I can see how the occasional trip to Shake Shack might cause some problems. One reason the burgers are so good is that they've got to be running around 20% fat. That's a lot of fat in one sandwich for many NYers. I don't tend to eat particularly fatty foods on a normal day, but I do eat something fatty maybe once every seven to ten days. Maybe that's often enough to keep my system acclimated. On the other hand, there's something about Sichuan peppercorns that gives me unique and characteristic problems every time I eat at Grand Sichuan. Doesn't stop me from eating there, though.

I've never used egg in the ricotta. Of course, you could always omit the ricotta entirely and do the classic using fresh pasta and just meat sauce, bechamel and a little parmigiano. I vastly prefer this version, and every time I have made it for others they have found it a revalation.

Timing is of the essence when one pays a visit to Shake Shack. Go at 12:30 on a work day, and you're in for a wait. It's a very popular spot, and they're just not equipped to deal with that kind of volume. Go after 2:30 or on a weekend, and it's a very different story. This is not all that unusual, frankly. A lot of places -- especially in the "cheap eats" category -- have some significant time-of-day dependencies. Some places you want to go when they're crowded (e.g., Grimaldi's at the beginning of lunch when the oven is hottest) and some when they're not (e.g., Shake Shack or White Manna at lunch time).

Well, some of the things I don't see on that list are "food" and "fashion" -- the two examples I used. I could just as easily say that "those who would deny that the works of Oscar de la Renta are serious art have probably not spent much time examining his work." And yet, high fashion does not have the kind of IP protection you are arguing should be extended into the class of culinary "works." Adria's stuff is great. But do I think it's in the same class as Faulkner or Verdi? No. Just about everything on your list, by the way, boils down to "writing" and some form of "plastic art" (e.g., drawing, sculpture, painting, etc.) -- two areas that, as I mentioned before, we as a society have determined are worthy of special protection.

To a certain extent, I do think that the question of whether "culinary works" should be entitled to copyright or similar IP protection does involve a value judgment. I think copyright and the idea of IP protection in general came out of the idea of recognizing the special nature of artistic works and giving consideration to both the moral rights of the artist as well as the economic rights of the patron and/or artist, owner of a copy, etc. This clearly started in earnest with the invention and widespread adoption of the printing press, and so it makes sense that the written word led the way. Subsequently, other classes of creative work have been added under the umbrella of this concept. As Steven points out earlier, within a given class of creative work, the system only works equitably if it is value-neutral. This is to say that anything I write is afforded the same protection as something written by, say, William Faulkner. That said, I think there has to be a certain value judgment about a class of creative work before one decides it is approproately made part of the copyright/IP protection concept. So, for example, at some point we decide that the works of Faulkner, Stravinski and Picasso are so important and so clearly artistic and so clearly deserving of this moral/economic protection that we are willing to make writing, music and painting part of the copyright/IP protection concept even though the value-neutral nature of the system means that anything written, composed, painted by, say, me would be afforded the same protection despite the vastly lower inherrent value of such work. But, clearly there is a point beyond which kind of protection is less well and properly applied, and the decision has gone the other way with respect to other classes of creative work. We simply do not have a workable system if everything that might possibly be deemed creative is afforded this level of protection. So, as others have pointed out, the fashion industry does not have copyright/IP protection. To a certain extent this involves a value judgment. This is saying that we, as a society, do not think the creative work of Oscar de la Renta and Jean Paul Gauthier is as much "art" as the creative work of William Faulkner, Igor Stravinski and Pablo Picasso. More to the point, we have decided that fashion is not "art enough" as a class of creative work for us to afford such extraordinary value-neutral protection to this class such that the sweater your grandmother knit for you is just a protected as Calvin Klein's Spring line. For me, while I can accept the argument that the body of work from, say, Ferran Adria is pushing the envelope more towards art than artifice, I'm unconvinced that his creative work belongs on the same pedestal with the works of Faulkner, Stravinski and Picasso. I am rather more inclined to think it belongs alongside the creative work of Oscar de la Renta. And if this leading light in the "food as art" movement does not quite equal the same standard as Faulkner, et al, and if indeed I am not convinced I see the possibility of any "creative work in the culinary medium" aspiring to that pedestal -- then I am not sure I believe the "culinary arts" should be afforded this kind of extraordinary IP protection, with the wide-reaching implications it must have in the value-neutral system. I guess I simply don't feel that Adria's work, as brilliant as it may be, and perhaps more importantly, the medium of food, are quite important enough and "art enough" for me to have automatic IP protection for every new cocktail I might invent.

Awesome. I have to check that place out!

There are a few things here. . . First off, as a general rule bad espresso is a lot worse than bad or indifferent coffee. This is why hardly anyone in America drinks espresso -- because 99.9% of it is too bad to qualify as swill. Due to the overall bad quality of espresso, most Americans have trained themselves to drink cappuccino instead so that the milk serves to obscure the poor quality of the coffee. Unfortunately for people in Mussina's position, steaming power and longevity are two of the things that are affected most by cost. It's hard to find a machine that can steam, say, ten cappuccini in a row for under around fifteen hundred bucks. Now, I do agree with the premise that many Americans are used to not-very-good coffee, and will tend to accept a mediocre cup without batting an eye. However, the American standard not-very-good cup tends to suffer mostly from being weak. A strong not-very-good coffee is harder to take than weak not-very-good coffee (another reason why no one in American drinks espresso). That said, I do think many/most Americans do have an understanding and appreciation for when they have been served a really good cup of coffee. And since it's not rocket science to make one, why not do it? Coffee is often the last thing a customer will taste at a restaurant. A last chance to make an impression, if you will. Serving a great cup of French press coffee can go a long way towards creating satisfied customers and repeat business. Depending on the size of the restaurant, it might even make sense to purchase green beans and roast on a daily or weekly basis, for truly mindblowing coffee at practically zero extra cost once the lower price and decreased perishability of green beans is factored in.

FWIW, Little Branch is indeed open again. And a great choice for drinks.

I recently spent some time in Spain, including several days in Asturias, and was privileged to have a lunch of Fabada Asturiana at the restaurant La Maquina in Lugones, which specializes in this wonderful dish. Always nice to start at the top. For the edification of those who may not be familiar with fabada -- sadly, most Americans have never heard of it -- it is a deceptively simple dish. In the most classic version, white beans (fabes in Asturiano) are cooked low and slow with saffron, black morcilla, chorizo and lacón (the salt-cured foreleg of a pig). A large bowl of beans in liquid comes to the table and a plate with a few small pieces of each of the three meats. That's it. But that's only really the beginning. The white beans I had were of a wonderful local variety (granja variety?) -- similar in appearance to the familiar Italian cannellini, but significantly longer and creamier in texture. The beans were all whole. Not one single one was split or broken, nor did they break apart on the way to our bowls or up to our lips. And yet, upon the slightest pressure from the teeth it was as though they immediately transformed into creamy softness. Some of this was the quality and variety of the beans, no doubt, but I can only assume that some of it was also the result of many decades of experience and expertise. This fabada was by no means a light dish, and yet it was certainly less rich (and less meaty) than other well-known bean dishes such as cassoulet. Really, it was all about the beans. The few small bits of meat that came along with the beans seemed more like condiments for the beans than fundamental structural elements of the dish. Since that eye-opening lunch, I have come to understand that there are many different versions and styles of fabada. I have heard good things about fabadas with clams and also what sounded like a very interesting fabada with centollo (giant spider crab). As will be apparent to our Spanish members, and those more familiar with Spain than I, my knowledge and experience in this area is very meager at this point. But I'd like to learn more! What can you tell me about fabada? Is there any possibility of approximating this dish back here in NYC? What are some favorite recipes and variations?

Eben Freeman, the prodigiously talented bartender formerly of wd-50, did a Pim's Cup riff at wd-50 with cucumber foam.

It's not really sanitary for them to keep them or do anything with them in that context.

The "Original db Burger" is a sirloin burger filled with braised short ribs, foie gras, and black truffles topped with tomato chutney and served on a parmesan bun with pommes soufflées or pommes frites. It normally goes for twenty-nine bucks, and to the best of my knowledge the reviews have all been fairly positive. Now, that does sound pretty expensive for a burger. But I wouldn't say it's a "hamburger" so much as it's a fancy dish riffing on the concept of a burger. There is also the point to be made that this burger costs as much as it does simply because of the ingredients it contains, which were chosen for their gustatory contributions rather than their cost or supposed luxury status. Unfortunately, since that time there have been myriad imitators who have latched on to the idea of a "really expensive hamburger" and created absurdely overpriced sandwiches with what I feel are often extremely inappropriate ingredients (Kobe/Waygu beef, for example, is just a stupid idea for a hamburger). Most of these have been reviewed as just this side of "terrible" -- but that's to be expected when one is creating a dish more for the purpose of inflating the cost than inflating the taste. That, I think, is a bit of the case with Selfridge's sandwich, which doesn't sound all that good to me. If you do ever make your way into db Bistro Moderne, I definitely recommend you try the dB Burger. It's well worth it. Really what I'd like to see is reastaurants taking this concept in the opposite price direction. . . a tiny bit of foie tucked inside a burger would be delicious, and need not cost a zillion dollars. I could easily conceive of a burger that was made of, say, ground chuck filled with braised short rib meat, a touch of foie and some rehydrated porcini that went for $15 instead of $29.

The general feeling is that the lowest-priced home machine/grinder setup of quality is the Rancilio Silvia/Rocky combination. That will cost you around $750 (~$500 for the machine and ~$250 for the grinder). I wouldn't use anything less in a restaurant setting, and even that will have serious limitations (e.g., you can't steam too many cappuccini in a row before it will lose power and need to heat back up, it is a single boiler design so you can't go directly between pulling the shot and steaming milk without a period of heat up or cool down time, etc.). If you can't spend more than $250 for an espresso machine, you're much, much better off simply trying to have a good regular coffee program. A $250 espresso setup won't just produce espresso that isn't mind blowing -- it will produce espresso that flat out sucks. Espresso is one of those things that is fundamentally dependent on the quality of the equipment. A sufficiently skilled cook doesn't need great cookware. He can still produce a mind blowing piece of fish with crappy stainless cookware. This is to say that a $250 saute pan doesn't necessarily lead to better food than a $2.50 saute pan. On the other hand, not only is is impossible to produce good espresso with a $100 machine, it is also more or less the fact that a $1,500 setup will produce better espresso than a $750 setup, all other things being equal.

Heh. Liquid yeast. Liquid yeast is what you want. The wild stuff you definitely do not want.

I may be wrong, but I think they've been doing Pisco Punch recently.