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Importers of Belvedere and Chopin vodkas, Millenium Import Company, are fed up with Grey Goose advertising campaigns and are seeking injunctive relief against Grey Goose importer Sidney Frank Importing Company. Meh. I somehow thought each and every marketer purports such proclamations for each and every product as 'best tasting'.

There really isn't an equivalent to Strega. It is complex with 70 herbs and spices. Strega is citrus based (I think oranges) and aged in oak barrels. I don't get too much of an anise taste either, althought it is very subtle and a part of the whole experience. Angelica, an herb interestingly believed to ward off evil spirits, may be what makes that soft licorice flavour as it is used in making Strega. As previously noted, the saffron lends its lovely colour.

eeee-gads. I forgot to ask the obvious. What cognac did you choose jpps1? How was it?

Take what you like to sip. My last camping trip into the wilds of Alaska I was in charge of the grub end of the deal. My cousin picked up the booze and the rest of the group all had other contributions for the whole adventure. We boated and hiked until we found an appealing campground and it wasn't until then I got a glimpse of the liquor of my cousin's choice -- Smirnoff Citrus Twist. Even anchoring the bottle securely into a stream to chill it down a bit didn't help one iota.

I think on average cognac pours are about 1 1/2 to 2 ounces. edit: start the day with typos, end the day with typos!

I've heard something similar about Oban, too, however I haven't found out the why part as of yet. But I did find this. edit: sloppy proof reading

Hmmm. Anytime I hear [or read in this case] "scimitar" I can't help from thinking about that line regarding a watery tart.

Yum. I too am a fan of espresso with a pretty cordial glass of Strega. In a long ago life when I worked for a private club I learned of this appreciation from one of the members.

I've used other preserves to mix into a cocktail as well -- a hot pepper one and my homemade salmonberry jam, to be precise. (not mixed together ) Hold the toast -- it is only carbs!

I think that almost snarky-like suggestion may be a bit out of context. But agreed about that Hobby and Craft thing. One poster comments that she makes mental notes of everything he says. Another demands to know of specific sightings... Oh my!

I'll keep an eye out for them, but doubt I'll find any without an effort. (read: worth the effort) Hmmm. Marmalade fixins, too, right? Reminds me of when I bought ginger to infuse into my vodka. I ate the ginger in my dinner and drank the vodka.... I had a hard enough time finding kumquats, ususally found in most supermarkets in small quantities with high prices, during the holidays.

Creepy -- the Bourdain Tribe that is.

Not always in bankruptcy, but the bank will come in and auction off the assets in an attempt to satisfy some of the debt and those that still require full payment for a new stove, impinger, turbo-fryer, etc. come in and wheel them right back out the door before those pieces of equipment disappear. Hopefully before this becomes that sort of situation, the owner is able to sell off booths, tables, chairs, fixtures, etc. fairly easily -- but not always at an optimal price. My former fiance, and his buddy that went on from banking life to Great Lakes Brewery that I mentioned upthread were AVPs of Huntington National Bank -- my fiance in the "Special Assets" department that often conducted these sorts of sales. Last week I toured the remaining empty space from a restaurant (corporate chain) that did go belly up. Many wires and plugs hanging all over the kitchen with some sinks, a few beat up coolers and "free" soda dispensing pieces were left behind. The place was hideous, inclusive of the a dirty food film grime that was left from the moment the plug was pulled. Yuk. A new restaurant tenant is moving in and will be open by April.

After capital expenditures, 10% is a very accurate estimation of profit. jackal's rough budget 30/30/30 is a very fair, bare bones breakdown. Keep in mind in commercial kitchens, equipment is always breaking down/wearing out and replacements need to be purchased.

Nothing a quick squirt from can of Painless Stainless couldn't fix. Well - just about everything in the world can be cleaned (except stains on marble ). Doesn't mean I want to spend most of my life cleaning. I also dislike polishing silver - so I don't own much of it. We went to the Bulthaup showroom last time we were in Atlanta and I spent some time chatting with the sales staff about new trends in kitchen design. They told me there's a reasonable backlash these days against all of that stainless because it is a pretty high maintenance "look". This reminds me of part of a book I read - about kitchen storage. You know those arrangements where everything is out in the open - and the pots and pans are hanging on the wall or from the ceiling? Well they work fine for restaurants - and home kitchens where people are using everything all the time. But for someone who doesn't use all of their "stuff" pretty regularly - they're just dust magnets. And those cabinets with the glass fronts? Great for people who have tons of great looking stuff that they always arrange very carefully. Not so great otherwise. Still - the important thing is that the customer picks what he/she likes with as much information as possible about the advantages and disadvantages of his/her choices. Designing a kitchen (or any other room in the house for that matter) simply isn't a "one-size fits all" endeavor. Robyn I'm not sure, but where in my post about Painless Stainless I stated anything about a one size fits all, or about pots and pans hanging around everywhere.... I can assure you I am not spending each day of my life cleaning my kitchen.

Nothing a quick squirt from can of Painless Stainless couldn't fix.

I have to wonder about the sealing part with granite too. Our outside tiki bar is granite and it goes through countless winter weather beatings (being on the waterfront) for the last ten years and it has not once been sealed. It looks as gorgeous as it did when installed.

Not sure where you can get that, but I think I keep hearing the Pogues!

When I first bought my house (about 12 years ago) I did initially give corian some serious consideration and am so glad I held out for black granite. The worries of placing a hot pot upon a countertop has never been a concern as I spent much time in parents/grandparents/apartment rentals all with kitchens with formica laminate tops that cannot withstand being a landing spot for hot pots or pans or function as a cutting board. Funny, my grandmother's house was originally built with wood kitchen floors and marble countertops (old farmhouse). She had them removed. They were in her opinion too old fashioned, in lieu of "easy care" laminate countertop and linoleum. My house, about the same age as hers, was gutted when I purchased it, except for the original wood flooring, fireplace and some moldings. I installed granite counters and almost considered keeping the wood flooring!

A little peek into the locked liquor cabinet at the upper bar last night I spotted that mysterious blue ceramic bottle with the deer on it. It is Hine XO. Sombody broke a part of the cork on it!!!! That certain somebody being our owner. Grrrr.

Hi Caroline, Thank you, and thanks for the information on sangrita! Please do start another thread on this! (I was thinking about it after I asked the question, but you would be a much better person to start it off). Maybe under the 'Beverages and Libations' forum? I have always been intrigued by sangrita. I've had the orange, chile, tomato version in LA once, read a little about it in one of Zarela Martinez's books and would love to learn more about it. The pomegranate version you mention with ancho chile puree sounds very interesting! Thanks again. Here's a Sangrita Recipe. POM is turning up in all sorts of lovely cocktails -- pomegranate martinis, daiquiris and yummy margaritas. Very quickly too!

Those are usually called friends in the right places!

Hafele is a good source for this type of hardware. Has anyone else taken a look at this site? Amazing! Oh, I looove them.

I have one of these machines that I feel bad about throwing it out but hate the storage space it is taking up. I tried using it but found the desired beverage wasn't very hot, even after warming up the cups previous to filling them with espresso. I too got it as a Christmas gift several years ago. What to do with it? Toss it and never look back like the quick swooping, continuous motion in the removal of a bandaid?

Hmmmm. I do not agree. Per my online of The New Oxford Dictionary of English Enthusiasm is infectious. Snobbery is not. Do we examine ethusiastic snobs or snobby enthusiasts? Now how many times does a variation on the following words are going to go without due consideration? Or is this a thread turning into a vent, gripe and point distainful fingers at x, y or z threads or unnamed fellow eG'ers, present or past. *yawn* Emphasis mine.