Lan4Dawg

just a suggestion but you should find out what the folks that you tend to invite over to drink w/ you prefer. Assuming that they are the ones that will be drinking fr/ your bar the most. It would be a waste to buy a bottle of Wild Turkey to find that 75% of the folks you know drink Maker's--or vice versa. You might also do a little research & find out what your boss, future father-in-law, friend fr/ whom you need a favor, et al drink on a regular basis. If g/f's father drinks Cutty then I would make certain that the scotch on the bar is Cutty or at least have it available just to score some points. Consider too whether or not it would be a waste to have Absolut or Grey Goose for a group that is just as happy w/ Barton's. I have friends who would find Macallan just another Scotch and would be happy w/ Inver House but at the same time I have friends that just returned fr/ six weeks of fly fishing and distillery visiting in Scotland for whom Glenlivet is "well Scotch". I keep a couple of decent single malts on hand for one group & inexpensive stuff on hand for the other. Dr C. has a great list but I would place that under the "mother of all wish lists" ":^) & would plan to build to that point gradually. Spend your money now on the basics and then work fr/ there. I have been in the bar/restaurant business for years & do not even have all that he lists on my bar! (although I do like the idea that some one else agrees w/ me that you must have more than one type of gin available for different drinks/tastes. People think I am nuts for having 4 different gins sitting out until they taste them side x side.)

oh how well I know! at least they have the pink pig back! so all is relatively well w/ the world. HDHD

as I read through this topic I was thinking about grabbing Marion Brown's Southern Cook Book just before I saw Varmint's post. It has become one of my favorite books as well. If you are lucky enough to have a copy (mine was inherited fr/ my 96 year old great aunt a few years back) of Mrs. S.R. Dull's Southern Cooking then you have a treat. Mrs. Dull was food editor for the Atlanta Journal & her book dates fr/ 1928 and includes everything fr/ Mahogany Cake to Japanese Fruit Cake to Black Fruit Cake to Georgia Date Cake to Henrietta's Sunshine Cake. On the same subject many of the cakes mentioned are also included in John Edge's compendium A Gracious Plenty (which I would link to Amazon if I could remember how). Back to the original subject, does anyone remember the Coconut cakes fr/ Rich's bakery in Atlanta (the department store)? The Rev, a coconut cake afficianado if ever there was one, swore by those cakes. Unfortunately Rich's no longer has a bakery & I have never asked about the receipt. I assume it is the same or similar to Nathalie DuPree's as she was the head of their cooking school forever. I keep thinking of family cake stories as I type and they bring back some very fond memories.

& the mini Maker's Mark bottles w/ the red wax make great Christmas tree ornaments. (As do a few others that are truly decorative like Crown, Blanton's, &c...a true Christmas tree for alcoholics ":^) ). Just put an eye hook in the top & a gold thread to hang it fr/ the tree and add a bow for decoration. They also work as party favors. Tell your guests to "grab an ornament fr/ the tree" as they leave. Now what is really sad is when you run out of MM on a Sunday when the liquor stores are closed and find yourself scrounging around in the attic for the Christmas ornaments b/c you know that there were some left over mini bottles that got placed in the boxes w/ the other holiday decorations. ":^)

the link is not working (fyi) but I will try it the long way. btw, where are you going to be for the GA/fla game? We will make an effort to stop by for a visit on our way into Alltel--or take a minute to swing by our tailgate before the game.

was it not Peter Benchley who--after being caught in a rain storm--walked into a friend's house & said, "get me out of these wet clothes & into a dry martini!"? of course that quote has also been attributed to everyone fr/ Billy Wilder to Mae West so who knows. I think my favorite martini quote is when some one else says to the bartender in my presence, "whatever martini he wants. I am buying."

in what part of Georgia do you live? Find a state highway in the middle of nowhere & drive. Chances are that after a few miles you will see a hand written & usually badly mis-spelled sign by the side of the road, "boiled peanuts ahead" followed shortly by a sign reading, "fresh pork rinds" and then "pecans" followed by another sign proclaiming "boiled peanuts" w/ the distance given (kind of like a Burma Shave ad for Southern snack foods). Keep an eye peeled for an old pick up truck w/ either a trailer rig or a road side stand that looks as if a good wind would do more good than damage. There is the ubiquitous torn umbrella & an old lounge chair somewhere around and extra points if there is a radio blaring country music and a hound dog lying in the shade. I know that there are several folks on the side of 316 going to Athens, on 411 & 136 up by Carter's Lake, and on 441 past Cornelia as well as a few on various spots around Lake Lanier.

reading this thread makes me want to go & watch "The Thin Man" & read some Dorothy Parker--who I believe said, "I like to have a martini; Two at the very most. After three I am under the table, after four I am under my host." Down Asta! William F. Buckley is reputed to have said, "When I get to heaven I am going to ask St. Peter to take me to the man who invented the dry martini. Just so I can say, 'thanks'?"

Phillips' Grocery sounds familiar but I would hate to lead you in the wrong direction. It has also been a couple of years so the place might not even be there anymore. I remember that everyone in Holly Springs suggested it starting w/ the woman who gave the walking/driving map of HS to me at the Chamber of Commerce. It was on the right hand side of the road as you entered HS proper and was a converted garage/car lot or similar. The ambience was stark at best but the food was memorable.

yes, yes, yes Also, Classical Southern Cooking by Damon Lee Fowler. (May need to take out of library though, b/c it is no longer in print.). I think Damon Lee Fowler is involved with the Souther Foodways Alliance; if you join maybe you could ask him if this will ever be re-printed!!! (seems like it should be). also, Expat Tarheel (Beat Dook!) Damon Lee Fowler is a member of SFA. His name was on something I just received fr/ them & I think he is a member of the board. I come across his cook book every once in a while at used book stores & it should be available on MXBF.com or similar used book web sites. He also did a great book on fried chicken called, interestingly enough, Fried Chicken ":^) It is quite a read & I would have included it in my list of Southern cook books but he takes a more international approach looking at every form of fried chicken fr/ all over the world.

let me second the suggestion for Edna Lewis'/Scott Peacock's book as well as the Egerton book & Bill Neal's books. Also add a few to the list: A Gracious Plenty / John Edge--the man who runs the SFA compiled receipts fr/ some classic Southern church, civic organization, social club, &c cookbooks A Gracious Plenty via Amazon Heritage of Southern Cooking / Camille Glenn--the food editor of the Louisville Courier put this book together a few years back. It has been republished recently in an updated, extremely nice edition. Heritage of Southern Cooking fr/ Amazon note: this is the old copy Smokehouse Ham, Spoon Bread, & Scuppernong Wine: The Folklore and Art of Southern Appalachian Cooking / Joseph E. Dabney--how many other books have receipts for squirrel pie, roasted raccoon, baked ramps, & whistlin' pigs? Smokehouse Ham fr/ Amazon Hopefully I linked these correctly & am not sharing nuclear secrets w/ North Korea or something. & I will probably get blasted for this but I also like Nathalie Dupree's selection of cookbooks.

we miss our trips to Oxford now that the SEC changed our schedule & we do not play Ole Miss over there every other year. &, of course it figures now that we do not make the trek as often they have finished hwy 78 across 'bama. We would hit City Grocery or Taylor's Grocery (depending on our mood) the first night, tailgate on campus all day on Saturday, eat on Sat wherever we did not visit on Friday & then spend Sun a.m. @ Square Books & get lunch wherever the cashier recommended. there was a place up in Holly Springs we tried a few years back. It had just opened & was in an old garage The food was excellent but we have not had an opportunity to go back & I was wondering if it was still there. I can not remember the name to save my life (HS is not that big so this should not be a serious issue--Fuss seems to think it was Sabrina's or Selena's or something similar). I do remember that they did not have a liquor/wine license yet so we took in about a dozen bottles of assorted booze for the ten of us & had other patrons visiting our table for libations.

obituary fr/ Lexington Herald: http://www.kentucky.com/mld/heraldleader/n...ies/8034088.htm I sure hope they have brown liquid in heaven. If not there might be some soon.

Pimm's Cup fr/ the Napoleon House should be on your list as well as some of the NOLA region beers like Abita &, if you can find any, Dixie--at least it used to be fr/ NOLA. as for the raw egg whites, use pasteurized eggs instead. I do that now for egg nog & a few other cocktails that call for raw eggs as you get the flavor & results w/o the threat of salmonella (or whatever disease raw eggs cause) talk about slipping on the beads wait until some one chokes on the baby in the king cake. Bakeries have quit placing the baby in the cake but package it on the side b/c of fear of lawsuits--to what is this world coming?

for years it was the only way to drink a Coke & it had to be a Coke in the small bottles & those cellophane wrapped salted peanuts hanging on a rack near the cash register. Only a communist would try to put peanuts in another soft drink. Then you played the "bottle game". You looked at the base of the bottle and whoever had the farthest city engraved got their next Coke on everyone else. Kids would get into fights over whether Kansas City was farther away than Dallas & have to get maps at the library to determine who got the free Coke.

thank you. I am sitting here having a Bombay martini as I type (Noilly Prat vermouth, about 8-10/1 w/ a twist). I order regular Bombay & have had to stop bartenders who automatically reach for the Sapphire numerous times & remind them that I want Bombay & NOT Sapphire. I have sent martinis back when made w/ Sapphire b/c I just do not like the taste as much as I do regular Bombay. I have tried Hendricks as well as Plymouth but return to Bombay b/c I am comfortable w/ it. I also like Boodle's but it is more difficult to find so I usually just stick w/ Bombay.

I recall several stories about presidents and their favorite cocktails. FDR loved his martinis & supposedly the receipt he used was 2/1 gin/vermouth w/ a splash of olive brine & both an olive & twist. The Little White House in Warm Springs has several of his cocktail shakers on display. John Chancellor told the story about LBJ that Johnson wanted to promote the fact that he would drink bourbon b/c he thought it good for his Texas/Southern image but Chancellor pointed out that the "bourbon" LBJ drank usually came fr/a Chivas bottle ( I must agree w/ SML as I can not see LBJ drinking Kahlua). Nixon loved good scotch, particularly Ballantine's 25 year old blend. However, he was cheap & would have the good stuff poured for himself & everyone else would get the 12 year old Ballantine's.

"These types of cookbooks can be sponsored by all different types of organizations. In the South, however, a much higher percentage appear to be church-affiliated cookbooks, whereas in the North, the sponsoring entity is a civic organization. Why is that?" more than likely b/c traditionally the "civic organization" in the South has been the church. Many of these communities were not large enough to sponsor a woman's organization outside of the "Wesleyan Service Guild" or the "Baptist Women's Mission" &c. It is only in the larger cities that you have a "Junior League" or "Ladies Auxiliary". Things have changed drastically in the last twenty years but for quite some time the entire social organization of a community centered around its church--or churches. Being a "PK" I have cook books fr/ various Methodist congregations all through Georgia & can tell stories about the politics that goes into publishing the things. There have been several occasions where feelings have been hurt b/c a receipt was "stolen" or not credited properly or not included in the book. Some of the receipts you know are going to be good b/c of the women who submitted them just as others are going to be lousy for the same reason. All that aside I do have several favorites. "True Grits" by the Atlanta Junior League is phenomenal (they also did "Atlanta Cooknotes which is very good) as is "Cane River Cuisine" by the Service League of Natchitoches. Christ Church (Savannah) Cookbook is one I consult often as is "Bayou Cuisine" fr/ St. Stephens Episcopal in Indianola, MS. Whenever we visit a city I try to return w/ a cook book fr/ a local group. I like to experiment w/ regional foods & church or service organization cookbooks are the best way to do so. They are exceptionally helpful when preparing menus for tailgating around the SEC. (speaking of which another one I like is "Rival Recipes" which was published by the Bulldog/Gator clubs of Jacksonville--they do rival receipts fr/ different areas of each state & it is fun to peruse & use for ideas.)

beautiful idea for a Hoosier cabinet. I see them quite often at antique sales &, not having room for one, have always wondered what we could do w/ it. I had never thought of using it for a liquor cabinet. We have an old "salt chest" (was used in 18th/19th c. for holding salt/flour/sugar/&c. They have a lid that opens w/a drawer & cabinet built into the unit.) that we use for our liquor cabinet. The drawer holds coasters, bar spoons, & utensils and we keep glassware in the cabinet w/ the bottles arranged in the cabinet itself. Naturally we ran out of room very quickly so also have a couple of antique wine boxes perched next to it for extra space. no pictures b/c the house is a disaster after the flood & everything is in boxes scattered everywhere until new floors are down. HDHD

what kind of "odd hours" do you mean? I live in that direction and will make it a point to stop by for some cue but do not want to drive out of the way for nothing.

I wonder if Ashby Street Rib Shack is a successor to the old Auburn Avenue Rib Shack. Aub Ave had phenomenal ribs forever & finally closed a few years ago. The original owner's daughter--who had inherited the place--mentioned that she was looking for a new home. I might have to give the Ashby St place a try. I am sorry to hear that Melear's closed. I swear that some one told me they had eaten there only a few months ago. Of course I have noticed that as I get older "a few months ago" becomes a longer & longer period of time.

a bit South of Atlanta proper but you might give Melear's a try. It is near Union City & it has been forever since I have been there but have fond memories of the place from when my parents lived in Fairburn. Last I heard--a couple of months ago--they still had pretty good cue and a wonderful spicy barbecue sauce. Spiced Right up in Lilburn does a decent job on ribs but everything else is serious "hit & miss" so I do not recommend it. Has anyone been to Dusty's, over by Emory, recently? It always got raves by those who like a "North Carolina style 'cue". I have been told that most of those who enjoy it are simply home sick for their North Carolina background. It has been forever since I was there so I really can not remember whether it was worht it or not. Is Daddy'z the place down by Oakland Cemetery that got great reviews a while back? I have been meaning to get down & try it on my next trek to Oakland but can never remember the name when in that direction.

Congratulations on the review & I am glad to read that it is back up above par. We went several years ago & thoroughly enjoyed it to the point of raving to anyone who would listen that when in Nashville they had to visit. Unfortunately two other dinners yielded much less satisfactory results and I later found out that the chef had left just prior to our second visit. Now, after reading the reviews, we are again going to have to try Capitol Grille on our next journey to Nashville.

bless you. I also prefer regular Bombay. It tastes like gin! the Sapphire is too "bland"--is the best way to describe it. Bartenders will always try to foist the Sapphire on me when I order & I have learned to keep an eye on them when pouring b/c they will invariably reach for the Sapphire bottle unless I specifically say "not Sapphire". I also like Boodle's & Plymouth. Hendrick's is interesting & actually quite delightful but I will stick w/ the Bombay. For some reason I have never been thrilled w/ Beefeater & will drink Tanqueray if no Bombay or Boodle's available.

my gripe w/ Woodford Reserve--& granted it is a very good bourbon--is their marketing scheme. It is not yet made fr/ the Labrot & Graham distillery that their advertising, marketing, promotions, &c suggest. It is distilled elsewhere & bottled at L&G. We went to the distillery shortly after it opened & I, point blank, asked how they could be selling bourbon that required an aging process if they just opened. One of the tour guides rather sheepishily admitted that it came fr/ the other distilleries in the Brown-Foreman group. Last year I visited again to see if any fr/ the L&G distillery had been released & was told, rather bluntly I might add--as if I had just stepped on a family secret & they wished I would not ask such questions in front of so many tourists who would not know any better, that the first releases fr/ the L&G distillery in Woodford County would not be released until sometime this year but no one was certain as to when. I find it a tad unusual that they promote the copper stills & the pure, clean water of Woodford County as part of the making of the whiskey when it is shipped fr/ elsewhere. Hopefully the finished product fr/ L&G will be all that is hyped. (A side note: the distillery is absolutely beautiful & extremely picturesque. It has become a bit of a tourist destination however w/ tour busses pulling into the parking lot & much busier & more harried than the first time we visited)