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Cocktail glass! And why is a fruity apple concoction more acceptable than a substitution in a flavour preference for key lime? What about those "martini" inspired cocktail creations with caramel or chocolate syrup rimmed cocktail glasses? They are lesser and also "infuriating" because of a rim, i.e., graham cracker crust?? Nah. That's creativity and how exciting to see creativity sparked into reviving the new variations upon a popular theme!! As far as Sex and the City, this trend was around way before those girls graced the HBO screen, and I'm sure will be around much longer than the series lasted, as well.

Not sure how well known the Kangaroo really is, Europe or in the Americas. The contributor to this recipe thought differently.

Okay, the cooking forum has one! Some books are fluff and not much more than a coffee table, pretty and glossy dust collector. Not that those do not have their own valued or deserved place within one's collection(s)... they do! Other books are fantastic resources for both the home mixologist and professional barkeep. Hence, all the above were inspiration to get the thread a'rollin. Another part of this came from the *glee* I felt yesterday when I unearthed the 1993 edition of a book I loaned out in 1996! It is 501 Questions Every Bartender Should Know How to Answer, a Unique Look at the Bar Business by Robert Plotkin. It was purchased directly from the man himself at the Vegas Bar Show. While I eagerly reopen it to read once again, I do realise that perhaps some of the info may be dated.... Meh. What's not to enjoy with sections on product knowledge (liquors, liqueurs, beers and wines), mixology (who, what, why, etc.), "Alcohol IQ," questions for seasoned pros and then on-premise bartending tests for entry, intermediate and advanced levels. Mmmm. Good stuff. Another recommendation is Champagne Cocktails, Including recipes, quotes, lore, and a directory of the world's poshes lounges by Anistatia Miller, Jared Brown and Don Gatterdam (1999). It even includes food preparations and recipes, such as Champagne Fondue, Steak au Champagne and Champagne Zabaglione. "Fizziology" I know there are a bunch of recommendations throught the 360+ threads here on the cocktail forum, and a I have a few myself, but which books are your faves?

I haven't tried that tequila, but I bet it is fantastic. I've read raving recommendations and reviews. You are one lucky hubby!

Here are two recent press releases from PRNewswire and BusinessWire about celebrating and honoring Jack Daniel's gold medal at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair and Exposition for being the 'World's Best Whiskey.' Calling All Jacks Jack Daniel's to be Honored by NYSE Cheers! edit: Links!

I personally love resurrecting old threads. There are many former and older eG'ers' contributions I enjoy reading and hope for their creative and continuted future participation.

We love it when passing strangers butt in, but beware! you might like it so much you never leave. Welcome! And God bless those that make their first eG post in the Cocktails forum!

Thanks Katie! I'm on a mission to get those yummy Charbay vodkas!

You bet I owe you a few my dear! It is a rather bold and assertive flavour combination. After a third helping from the martini pitcher, it seems to lessen with the warm and fuzzy softening of one's senses as well! Maybe that's why I can chomp down so many cocktail onions when I generally loathe every shape and form of the entire onion family. I love their flavour, but hate their texture! Go figure.

Meats with a Bloody Mary? I forgot and wish to add, while I never bothered to research the accuracy of this, but we used to serve a Bloody Mary "British style" as follows: In a 14 ounce Hurricane glass: Pour 1 1/4 ounces Vodka, fill with Dimitri's Bloody Mary Mix (a concentrate that was diluted with a big can of tomato juice), garnish a sprinkle of black pepper, one celery stick, one lime squeeze, one lemon squeeze, one piece of shrimp (usually skewered between the citrus on a cocktail sword) and served with a 2 ounce chaser pour of domestic draft in a house wine glass. Sundays were made for many of these. Optional extra horseradish and Tabasco on the side, upon guest request.

I knew of a bar that served them with a beef jerky garnish -- nearly a square meal deal.

I'd drop the clove and use anise, caraway and coriander seeds. Lemon or orange vodka should work fairly well, however I'd tend to think the orange may be too sweet. A lemony one would be crisp and cleaner if that makes any sense. I hope it works out wonderfully.

I get your point that her premise is fine as long as quality or some more homemade preparation is in place of the Kraft variety of ultra processed, ready-made products. However most of her alcohol abominations gross me out. Beer margaritas? Heavy handed cheap brandy and cheap schnapps/cordials in an ultra sweet, rot your teeth out mixtures? Many of those recipes appear to be the ones she and her friends got drunk on as sorority girls on Spring Break in Mexico which she freely offers to tell her audience all about. Okay, I guess it just is not for me. edit: And you did say some.

I started to post my usual suspects that inhabit my home bar and realised much of it doesn't fall into the college budget, except perhaps some of the vodkas! Definitely a career hazard.

For several years, a couple of doctors from Miami rented my Grandmother's old house during their time spent in Cleveland to fulfill their residencies at one of our mega health care institutions. Both were born in Cuba, employed a Cuban nanny and had parents that lived in the Little Havana neighbourhood of Miami. We became good friends almost immediately and often had coffee. At first the sugar was an add-your-own after brewing, but started to change to the way they like to drink it, which I learned I enjoyed as well. Their nanny would often make the espresso in a Moka brewer and pour a bit of it, before it had completed brewing, into a small sauce pan or larger bowl with sugar. She preferred using either of those because she would then use a whisk to whip air vigorously into the mixture making it thick, somewhat frothy and syrupy. She'd portion it out into our little cups and topped with the remaining, freshly brewed coffee. If either of the doctors were making the coffee, they'd go the no fuss route and use their little espresso machine on the counter.

I love blue cheeses. I love olives. I love martinis. But I really hate the unsightly oil slick that forms on the the cocktail's surface from the blue cheese stuffing. If they are offered or available at a restaurant/bar, I usually wisk them out of the glass as quickly as possible or ask for them on the side and nibble as I sip. How about a "sewage" martini with twists, olives and cocktail onions all chopped up as a sort of martini salad that sits at the bottom? I joke you not, it is a real drink that can be ordered up at the Oak Bar in Boston. It's called the Charles River Martini.

Oh, the horror!

I'm guessing you've had your fair share of samples of various spirits already. Perhaps suggestions would be easier if you list a few of your preferences. I think most suggestions should fit within your price range, but one or maybe two will be a bit of a splurge and/or a treat for a few extra dollars. Sweet? Smokey? Complex? Flavourful? What do you tend to like? What do you think you'd really enjoy trying?

trillium, Spring is springing here in oHIo with violets soon on the way. I've got millions of them in my yard, but this thread has inspired me to pick as many as I can for this otherwise I'd share! My johnny jump-ups are also a bit faint as I infused them into 90 proof vodka. I'll have to pick up some more of those the next time I'm at the produce market.

Sad that Maraschino liqueur isn't widely available for legal sale or service either.

Yeah, I had to grab muffins out of the oven, but it gave me a moment to think about it. I guess I really wouldn't care if his was piss drunk as long as he wasn't falling over and making a spectacle of himself and as long as he signed my book.

Usually vodka doesn't smell on one's breath, Oh, yes you can smell vodka on someone's person!

Okay! Mabelline, we get that you hate the man. Geesz. I guess I'm cooking up CRAP when I use one of his tasty, but simple recipes. (I type this knowing my general hate for chicken wings and his recipe for slow cooking them is fucking great! And they sell out whenever they've been done at my parents' itty bitty restaurant.) I kinda like we've made money out of him... out of "real genuine food." Meh. And somewhere else up thread -- really, Jeff Smith in the same sentence as Sandra Lee??? The instant open a can or package of pudding and call it tiramisu minx?????? Holy cow.

Interesting reading views that learning from his cooking was shooting too low. I watched him often and found him amusing, inclusive of his shortness of patience! He, St. Jacques and St. Julia actually started my interests (as well as that airline mechanic that is my father now operating and running a small restaurant) into cooking. I have his holiday cookbook and have borrowed others from my parents from time to time. The recipes were fine and I *love* the hot buttered rum which has become a January standard in my and my parents' households. In fact as a part of a Mother's Day gift I purchased tickets for his and Greg's last guest speaking appearance in Cleveland, and I fondly remember seeing him back in the 90's briskly walking around Pike Place when I used to spend more of my time in Seattle. With his legal woes, I think I remember reading about how one of the accusers that brought suit against him for purported sexual advances also dropped the suit after being found out to having been one of his former restaurant/deli employees with documented theft in his job performance to his name. They were certainly not children. Doh! So I balanced that legal motivation with a few grains of salt and have no qualms with watching the man do a food show or reading any of his books.

Oil would be about right. The time frame this was around was 1996. (Told you it was a few years back!) Oh well, there's a reason why it disappeared, right? Thanks for trying.