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A Passion for Preserves arrived today. It is gorgeous and I'm only on page 14. And it has already made me laugh. In the chapter titled "The Basics" there's a heading called Patience. The next sentence in the following heading/paragraph ("Methods and Materials"): I can't wait to get to the other chapters. edited to add: OMG!!! Cantalope Jam! Tomato Basil Jam! Garlic-Herb Marmalade! Fennel Jam -- and I don't even like fennel! And so many others.... This may be the most fantastic cookbook I have purchased in quite some time. Absolutely brilliant. (I'm now nearly halfway through the book -- just paging, skimming and not yet reading every word on every page).

Fantastic, accurately depicted posts both fryguy and Sleepy Dragon. Gifted Gourmet is correct. It is pure passion. I *know* what zilla means. I've experienced the same feeling and situation. bbqchef, chromedome and eatrustic seems to be well on their way to job satisfaction. Franky2Times: I do know many an out of shape chef doing quite well. Sort of why I'll never call the kitchen "Back of the House." They are the Heart of the House.

That's fixable with NumLk, ALT 132 (or JLK on my keyboard). Besides is there an echo in the room? I believe Mr. Andrew Fenton already addressed my misperception.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. It wasn't supposed to be like this at all..... Every conflict and flame war since the beginning of recorded History bears unintentional consequences in the existances of its nameless victims. That victim's name is Jagermeister. Ok, so the victim has a name in this case. You want to make a federal case out of it? Moving ON. All Jagermeister ever wanted to do was aid the digestion of frat-party patrons*, serve up herbal psychedelic super-freakouts, and provide the USDA recommended daily allowance of German deer blood. When I began "Crimes Against Alcohol" lo these four or five days ago, I envisioned a harmless thread where we could share a few laughs about using really good tequilla to make Muppets, or like, crazy martini stories, or how the worst drinks I've ever had in my life have occured on seperate occasions at this one guy's parties. Maybe not so much with the snobism thing, but I guess we should have seen that comming. Not to hurt anyone...least of all Jagermeister. * The dinners of the frat party goers that is, not the fratists themselves. When I was attending my university studies I couldn't afford to purchase a call or premium brand of liquor. The fraternities or their invited guests drank what was barely drinkable beer or liquor at the most economical cost. Why else was Old Milwaukee Light so popular? I sure went to the wrong school! No need to defend your thread. I find it humorous to see the perceptions of a very well sold liquor, so I bumped up this oldie. Isn't it fun to hate what is popular?

Since Jager has become a "crime against alcohol" I thought I'd bump this one back up to the top.

Here's an interesting list of summer beverages from a Forbes.com article written by Nick Passmore, featured on MSN/MSNBC. I'm sort of surprised that legendary master mixologist of the Hemingway at the Ritz in Paris, Colin Field, is using packets of Equal to sweeten up drinks. Cheers!

I remember I may have PM'd you about Cleveland's Japanese eats, but Aoeshi is my newest favourite and it isn't too far from Great Northern, on Lorain. It's been awhile since I've been in my old hood of Shaker Heights and shamefully I have no idea what's new over there. It's rare for me to head east or west since everything I need is in Ohio City, downtown, the Warehouse District or Westbank of the Flats. (Why driving to Blossom yesterday was quite a treat!) I hope you have a pleasant flight. I know it's quite a trip and a bit long.

Yeah, I looked at it, but it includes Meyer lemon juice. (yum, but not always available or easily obtainable)

For the exact recipe that you've enjoyed, I'd ask one of the bartenders at Spice Market for the exact directions to concocting one. Only because there could be so many ways to achieve this with just as many differences in the end result. Think of the ways to get the ginger flavour: infusing a vodka (I wouldn't believe that gin would work here), ginger infused simple syrup or using Canton, a ginger liqueur. Not much help, but I hope you find out.

Silly!!

ahem. Ironic, eh? (Who is lecturing here?!? ) So, let's change the "Humping Alligator" drinks and call them __________-tinis? I'm all for trying a new drink with a fun name. Thank god my customers are in the same boat and we make some sales. Yes, the world is going up in flames for those Humping Alligators, Smurf Piss, Sex on the Beach, ad nauseum, drinks.

I didn't state anyone is a snob trillium. I did state my thoughts on snobbish behaviour. And I asked "why care about what another drinks?" (look at how many times I typed those words!) Let's keep the personal out of this, okay?

Yesterday it was what was in my burger. A thin portion of boursin cheese was what my patties were formed around. Fresh pepper and a lovely ripe tomato atop. They were sublime.

Oh, the deer blood that it purportedly contained as well.... How on earth did Absinthe become so popular?

snobbism or not, it's folly to believe that what other people put in their mouths doesn't impact me. this isn't a matter of whether someone eats meat, or drinks whiskey, or not. it's a matter of how the commercial world caters to unfortunate cultural preferences. Americans eat bad, fatty meat -- so that's what's available to me now in most restaurants. Americans drink a lot of bad, vapid mixed drinks -- so while i can find 10 types of fruity liqueur on the store shelf, i struggle to find a decent small-batch rye. so while i can't condemn someone for eating or drinking what he or she likes, i can certainly think less of them for it. jbonne, while I respect your point of view, for the sake of potentially offending many an American (or perhaps not) can we keep the nationalism out of it? While I'm not personally offended, I do tend to wholly detest gross sweeping generalisations, platitudes and stereotypical points of view. What that person on in the next barstool drinks in now way impacts upon my out and about cocktail experience and they could be drinking cat piss for all I care. I worry about what I'm drinking and how it is being concocted! edit: clarity; typing much slower and sloppier than thinking....

yes, or at least a big campaign in bars with campus proximity. but now i'm curious exactly why it worked ... [edited to note that JAZ pointed out the key success ingredient: scantily clad drink women. shame to me for not guessing the obvious.] Ah, but that isn't unique to Jäger. And I'm sure they weren't the first to employ such a campaign. I can think of a dozen different beer or liquor campaigns that institute the nearly naked woman -- in the flesh passing out samples during our busy weekends for years now. Sex sells. I'll have to dig into my old marketing resources for explanations of the Jäger phenomena. If I feel properly motivated....

Nothing superhuman about it. I simply believe that my opinion about what someone is eating or drinking: How does that matter? Does it matter to me that you, Janet, love gin and I don't? Nope. I do often order a gin drink for a change and widen my horizons of enjoying differing spirits. Because I hate some gin distillers, I don't hate all gin or think any less of it or those that drink it. I simply don't have the interest to care. I didn't care about the clothing business women were purchasing at Ann Taylor when I was a manager, or the super glittery, very pink Minnie Mouse t-shirt that we sold many of when I worked for Disney. Those are appropriate choices for that person, maybe not for me, but who am I to assert an opinion?

Well, you're clearly a more enlightened human than I! It's certainly not the first and most likely won't be the last time I've been called a snob. Probably a good reason why you're in the service industry and I'm not, right? regards, trillium Spotting snobism (is that a word?) has nothing to do with being in the service industry. Anyone can do it.

With all due respect to your clientele, these aren't exactly sophisticated drinks (Jaegermeister and Red Bull?!?) and, of course, the average 30-40 something bar patron is not exactly a sophisticated consumer of cocktails. Do you have supportable target market demographics or is this personal theory Sam? Urban myth. That has happened to many foods and spirits. Sad. I won't tell our very proper, regal, old word German lady (our former accountant) of that when she enjoyed a glass of it. I enjoy the flavours of Jägermeister. Sometimes even savor them and get eager with anticipation for that first one. Really. With the overall sales of the liquor, I'd doubt I'm the only one or in a minority. Sam, sometimes some can go out and have fun and enjoy a drink with a group of friends or one they've never had before that isn't one of those great classics. That doesn't mean they don't enjoy an appropriately made classic or actually even prefer them. Something to think about. AND! Spelling! It is not Jaeger! It is Jäger!

I suppose I find it a tad petty to sneer at another for their food or beverage choices. (read: snobbish) Again, why care what anyone else drinks or eats? We all make our choices and I prefer not judge others. My general outlook tends to be "You're fine; I'm fine." I don't care if so in so likes going to Olive Garden. I don't care what they drink either. It is their choices, not mine. Providing opinions about it are a bit pointless except for sharing in the fun in finding another that agrees with you. And not every bar caters to the lowest common demonimator. I know of many that work very hard to do the opposite.

If it was a standard small, house salad before entree, chances are your server touched the whole thing by prep'ing it. Hopefully they had clean hands, used tongs and/or rubber gloves.

Hey, if you can't be judgmental about what people drink, what can you be judgmental about? I think I gave that up about thirty seconds into my first bartending shift when a barman failed to appear for work and I was the only one selected to open and run our humungous lower bar by myself on a rather heavy regular customer day -- a Sunday afternoon. I just don't have the energy or interest to expend time on it because of the nature of work/getting crushed and in the weeds and it sort of carried over to even what people fill their wine glasses with, or choose to drink at social occasions. (I agree, yuk White Zin, for me; but for them, why care?) I'm a bit bourdainish on the harsh reality of what occurs in a busy bar, with both employee and patron. Those are more like comments and/or judgments made of say the silicone wonders that work at the nextdoor strip club or the newest bimbo (male or female) that somehow got hired and doesn't know that Heineken is not a screw off cap.... I could never post the things that have happened or what has been said (even if by me) about our employees or customers. Although it would be a colourful blog of events, observations and no doubt filled with bad behaviour. But, ah, it's already been done before. Who needs another kiss and tell about the restaurant/bar biz? edit: very bad typing day.

There is some truth to that, however it would be more appropriate to say that "mixed drinks" were created as a way to mask poor quality alcohol. Thank you for that post Robert.

Presumably, however, the other bartenders would have to have some way of knowing what it is anyway, right? I mean, if you made a drink called, say, a "blossomtini" or a "s'mortini" I can't imagine that they'd have any useful idea how to make one without some kind of recipe from you. It strikes me that, for example, Audrey Saunders isn't having this issue at Bemelmans. Well, of course there is always going to be a certain take that will figure more from a sales-minded commercial/professional standpoint than it will from a connaisseur/enthusiast standpoint. And clearly there is no well-defined right or wrong in either of these positions. Personally, I think it makes plenty of sense to name a drink a "_____-tini" or a "_____ martini" if it is recognizable as a riff on the martini (others have mentioned a vodka-and-sake "saketini," for example). However, I have great regret over the number of cool cocktail names we have missed out on due to either user-friendly commercialism or lack of interesting ideas. After all, it's quite likely that, if it had been invented today, an up Margarita would be known as a "Mexican Martini" or "Tequillatini." Can we ever escape this same old recycled recreation of the wheel arguments about language and martinis? Sam it may not make any sense to you but I, along with many other bartender that memorize hundreds of drink recipes, have neatly categorised ways to remember them (long drinks, muddleds, collinses, fizzes, daisies, martinis, etc). Even some POS systems will have a what would be considered a martini "fast sale" screen. To that end the ________-tini helps. _____-tini tells me about the glassware, that it will undoubtably require extra attention to garnish, in a group order it will be the first to "set up" and last to pour and will take an over all longer amount of time to pour (unlike a rum and coke, etc.). While nearly any drink can be served chilled and up, that doesn't mean I'm an advocate of tacking on the -tini or that is the appropriate way to serve same. I think we are looking at the same thing in two different lights. I'm just not sure where the line is drawn.

Does anybody actually drink this, for any other reason than on a dare? I've had many regulars drink those instead of Bloody Marys in the early afternoon. They can't be all that bad -- such as cracking in a raw egg! Bleh! TYPOS