slkinsey

0.8 quarts (4/5 of a quart) equals 757.1 milliliters. So that means that a true fifth contains 7.1 milliliters more liquor than the standard 750 milliliter bottles we see today. 7.1 milliliters equals a little less than one and a half teaspoons. Surely you're not bothered by this paltry reduction in volume? Actually, I would imagine that the average liquor bottle filling machine has an accuracy somewhere in the realm of +/- 1.5 teaspoons (or more). On the other side of the coin, a change from 43% alcohol to 40% alcohol would means a reduction of 22.5 milliliters of alcohol per 750 milliliter bottle. This is is equal to over 4.5 teaspoons of pure alcohol -- over three quarters of a fluid ounce. Diluted back out to the original 86 proof, it means about one healthy shot (1.75 ounces) less booze per 750 milliliter bottle. Fundamentally, I don't think it makes much of a flavor difference in the common applications (and let's be honest, regular Black Jack doesn't taste all that wonderful straight). If one is drinking to get drunk, that's another matter. Over the years, many alcoholic beverages modify their formulae to keep pace with modern tastes or the realities of tax laws, etc.

I'm with you. Have never understood why someone wouldn't like these. Granted, they should be consumed in small sips and from glasses that accentuate the aromas. I'm especially fond of grappa, and was sorry to read Splificator making fun of it in his Esquire book. Bad grappa or eau de vie is no more objectionable than any other bad distilled spirit.

Now that's interesting, I've never heard of such a distilling method. I checked several net resources, and there seems to be different opinions about the production method. The Laird hompage is under construction, but in an archived page they talk about distillation as well as many other sites. I'm really curious about this product, which seems to have a century old history (1700). We have a lot of apple cultivation here, an some eau-de-vie producers make different apple spirit from different varieties. ← I think it is likely the case that applejack was produced by fractional freezing at one time, but I believe it is now produced by distillation. It's hard to imagine a large scale industrial operation producing applejack by fractional freezing. Afaik, Laird's is the only remaining producer of applejack. Dr. Cocktail's book has a nice section on applejack. I don't have it in front of me at the moment, but I'm pretty sure he says that applejack (at least as we know it -- i.e., as made by Laird's) wasn't officially called "applejack" until relatively recently (i.e., the 20th century) being labeled "apple brandy" before that.

Man... look at those prices. My bottle is from c. 1955, by the way. Now I can't decide whether I should drink it or auction it off. If only I knew what it was...

Interesting. Based on those pictures, it looks like maybe mine isn't damaged after all. They all seem to have a fairly low level in the bottle and crystallized something (presumably sugar) on the bottom.

My grandfather was born in 1897. Career Navy man. Both world wars. The whole nine yards. Also a great connoisseur of cocktails and alcoholic libations. Some time after WW2 he was the commander of an Italian shipyard and my mother's family lived in Rome. Anyway... to make a long story short, when we were finally able to go through his things many years after he passed away, I discovered a number of unopened bottles that clearly dated from his time in Rome. Many things were instantly recognizable and look more or less the same now as they did back then, such as Strega. Some were now obsolete brands of Russian vodka with the labels only in Russian. And then this... a bottle of something called Millefiori Cucchi. I've resisted opening it because I don't know what it is. It's also likely not in great shape anyway, as some evaporation has taken place. Still, though, I'd like to know what it is and whether it's made anymore. Here's a picture of the bottle: And here's a closeup of the label: Anyone ever heard of this stuff?

We should start a thread called something like, "Let's all force Varmint to have another Pig Pickin'" I definitely won't miss it of he has another one.

I'm not quite sure I understand the question. What's the etiquette on which part? A buyback is just bar speak for a comp. Just like at a restaurant, this is 100% at the discretion of the extablishment/server and should never be expected (and definitely never requested). Usually a buyback will go something like this: you've had several drinks at a bar, and the bartender says "the next one's on me" or you order a drink and he/she says "this one's on the house" or simply waves you off when you reach for your wallet, etc. Sometimes the management will comp you one or more drinks instead of the individual bartender. In either case, I always tip generously on the value of the comped drink(s). Some bars (and states) allow this, and some don't. I've always found that the best restaurants, in terms of customer relations, always knew just when to comp something so it makes you feel like an insider (which, of course, makes you go back there and give them more of your money). I would imagine there is a fine line to be drawn at bars between being generous to a good customer or a regular, and allowing him to mooch. When there are places where I've been comped a lot, I start looking for ways to pay because I want to send the message that I go there because I'm happy to pay for what they give me, and not becase I'm getting free food, drinks, whatever.

The bottle is most likely from a historical (aka defunct) brand of rye. I don't think it means that you have to use that brand to make the drink. In fact, if you click here you can see pictures of many other old rye bottles. As for currently available ryes, Old Overholt is fairly ubiquitous and reasonably priced. Make sure you get "straight rye whiskey" and not "Canadian rye whiskey." Wild Turkey makes an very good 101 proof straight rye whiskey. Van Winkle Family Reserve rye is excellent, although more expensive -- I tend to use it in cocktails where the full flavor of the rye can really come through, like a Sazerac. I'm sure the Doc has some other recommendations. Rye used to be the #1 alcohol with many different brands, but now it has sadly declined to almost-obscurity and a very limited number of brands. It's too bad, because rye really works better than bourbon in many cocktails.

I wonder about a really high proof grappa... but that might be too expensive to be worth it.

That's a good point. I wonder if there are any decent high proof neutral spirits available?

It is worthy of pointing out, of course, that commercial makers of limoncello use high proof neutral spirits.

Damn! I was hoping for a list of what you have in there. Do you have to use a database to keep track of it all?

Good to see you back, Doc! Would love it if you could share some stories about the book, or maybe some things that didn't quite make it into the book. Congrats on the Times Magazine feature, too. What a coup! I was going to start a thread on that, too, but haven't had a chance yet. I am also happy to report that I'm steadily chipping away at Steven's ginphobia and he's gradually becoming a cocktailophile -- although Audrey Saunders did more on that score in one evening at Bemelmans than I have in the last six months. I know he loved her Gin Gin Mule, and really... who wouldn't?

Good one, Bux. How about: Rule #657: A martini is not a cigar drink. Rule #92: A lot of the old cocktails sucked just as much as the new ones... we just have the advantage of time filtering them out.

Rule #316: It is impossible to look masculine sipping a drink with a tiny umbrella sticking out of it.

Cool. Okay, my turn... Rule #858: No drink worth drinking for any reason was ever mixed in a trash can Rule #653: No, Jägermeister doesn't contain "secret opiates" that make you "extra fucked up." You've been choking down that swill with your frat buddies for no good reason. Rule #214: Remember, you become more attractive with every drink she has, not with every drink you have.

So, are you gonna give us the recipe for the Splificator, or do we have to beat it out of you?

Not necessarily, but it does mean that you should consider the alcohol content. A champagne-based cocktail might be good, but definitely something that's not as alcoholic as a Manhattan or similar strong short drink.

So, I've been reading Esquire Drinks: An Opinionated & Irreverent Guide to Drinking With 250 Drink Recipes by David Wondrich (known here as Splificator). This is an attractive book, full of interesting cocktails and worthy of discussion just on that basis. It's also a fun book, with Dave's particular brand of humor coming out on every page. One of the fun things is the "rule" that comes up on the occasional page. They're funny, but also true in the same way fortune cookie fortunes are true. A few examples are: Rule #823 - If the bartender doesn't make a decent Manhattan, that "house special" will probably suck, too. Rule #223 - Never order a drink whose name includes a part of the anatomy normally covered by underwear. Well, today I was trying to figure out just exactly what a Splificator is (it's a drink), and googling brought me to Esquire.com where I found another list of (presumably Dave's) rules, including such gems as: Rule #1 - there is no such thing as a Chocolate Martini. Rule #54 - Unless you are lounging on the Promenade Deck, do not drink from a fruit. My favorite: Rule #832 (book) or Rule #65 (web) - Shun novelty, suspect innovation. So... how about coming up with some rules of our own?

The two things that have to be considered are: 1. how long/extensive will dinner last (which also related to the time of day it starts); and 2. how much alcohol will be consumed with dinner. These things should inform the alcoholic strength of the before-dinner cocktail. Thanksgiving diner at the slkinsey household is a 9 course "tasting menu" that allocates close to a bottle of wine per person. It also goes from around 8:00 to around 11:00 before dessert. If I were to serve a Manhattan (several ounces of strong booze) before dinner, everyone would be asleep and/or completely shitfaced by the time the final course arrived. This is one reason I thought of making a cranberry Bellini (not, strictly speaking, a "cocktail"). Dave's drink also strikes me as a good one. It's a more traditionally cocktail-like, but it's still not going to pack too much of a kick before a big heavy dinner compared to a drink with several ounces of strong booze.

I'm working on my menu right now, and am thinking of serving "Cranberry Bellinis" before getting down to business. These will need to be tweaked, but my going-in thought is: homemade cranberry puree, orange bitters and prosecco. Depending on whether the cranberry puree has enough sweet balance, I may soak a sugar cube in orange bitters and put that in the drink after the puree (but before the prosecco).

We can definitely consider Franny's, but there are a few things prospective participants need to consider: 1. The pizzeria is very small, and has only small tables. They normally do not accommodate large groups, and so we'd have to make special arrangements -- which will increase the lead time. 2. Franny's is substantially more expensive than the other pizzerie we have visited thus far. An appetizer, individual pizza and a pint of beer will run around 38 bucks with the tip. Now, that's okay with me considering the quality of what you get... but it's something people should understand. If you're on a tight budget, Franny's may not be for you.

The fact is that restaurant food simply isn't all that healthy in the context of a "first world" diet. And it's not their job to make it healthy anyway. It's their job to make it taste good. What tastes good? Fat and sugar and and calories and salt. People just need to accept the fact that eating in a restaurant is not a "healthy eating experience" and understand that there is a place to eat when you are counting calories and obsessing over fat grams. That place is called your own home.

I was browsing around Amazon.com the other day, and happened to notice that Dr. Cocktail's new book was out. It's called Vintage Spirits & Forgotten Cocktails: From the Alamagoozlum Cocktail to Don the Beachcomber' Zombie : 80 Rediscovered Recipes and the Stories Behind Them. This is a wonderful book and a must-have for the classic cocktail enthusiast. In short, exactly what we would expect from Ted Haig. As the title suggests (and as he points out in the introduction), "what you'll find here are recipes you'll never find in a bar or restaurant." While that's not entirely correct for every recipe if one is fortunate enough to live in a center of the cocktail renaissance like NYC, this little book serves up plenty of intriguing and unknown potables that will tickle your fancy, not to mention your tastebuds. The Jupiter Cocktail, the Coffee Cocktail (neither looks nor tastes like coffee), the Seelback Cocktail, the Pendennis Cocktail and other unknowns are featured along with a few that are more familiar to the internet cocktail crowd, such as the Aviation and the Twentieth Century Cocktail. There's even a recipe for a Ritz Sidecar that sells for 400 Euros! All that said, it is really not accurate to describe this book as a collection of recipes or even as a bartending guide. Fundamentally it is about history and telling the story behind each cocktail. Ted Haig is known as the leading cocktail historian of the day, and his book does not disappoint. After starting with a short introduction on "cocktail archeology" -- including a very interesting section on how Prohibition led to blended whiskey, the popularity of highballs and ultimately to the dominance of vodka -- he goes right to the drinks and works a little history lesson into each one. Reading about the Golden Dawn, one learns about the United Kingdoms Bartenders Guild that flourished especially during the Prohibition years and created many distinctive cocktails (one also wonders if the drink was named after the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn). The recipe for the Jack Rose Cocktail leads to a discussion on Applejack, the unfairly neglected American apple brandy. And so it goes. The book is also lavishly illustrated with pictures of antique bottles, barware and other cocktail-related items from the author's collection. It's a great read, and something every cocktail enthusiast should peruse.