TDG: The Flaming Orange Gully

[Suzanne F]

Can we arrange for a round of FOGs at the NYC Chinese Banquet on the 29th?

I volunteer to make and bring the Velvet Falarnum Syrup (from a full liter of rum ), if others will bring the rest of the ingredients.

Then those who hit Beacon before can comment on the subtle differences. Or we can go up to Beacon after to do the comparison. How's that sound?

[Fat Guy]

You'll have to check that with Eddie Schoenfeld, and I think the answer might be no. The restaurant as I understand it has allowed BYO wine as part of the dinner package, all beer included in the price, but liquor is charged extra and individually. There may even be laws against bringing your own spirits to a restaurant -- I'm not sure. My guess is that if we want to do this we need to take a group to Beacon beforehand, or we need to do it homemade at someone's house. Still, I'd rather send the $9 and the show of support the way of Beacon, because Waldy did us a solid by putting the drink on his menu. And his bartenders were actually trained by Dale.

[Suzanne F]

You the boss.

[col klink]

Nice work Rachel! I hope to do likewise today if I ever get off my tokhes and go to the store.

[jhlurie]

See, we even got the actual substance to post!

Was it drunk at that time?

[=Mark]

Can Flaming Gully Merangue Pie be far away?

[macrosan]

For those of you in the UK or thereabouts...

Now what do we have in mind here ? Italy, perhaps ?

[Jason Perlow]

Had our first FOG's tonight. Although I'm not really into sissy cocktails, I dig this one, mainly because overall it is VERY tart and the fresh orange juice combined with the shot of fresh lime juice produces a drink that is tangy and not sickly sweet. The falernum adds some interesting dimensions to the drink, but I am not sure what the flaming of the orange oil adds, perhaps some different levels of bitterness on top of the angostura.

I like it. DeGroff is a genius.

[Fat Guy]

Of course. He's a Master Mixologist, King of Cocktails, Baron of Booze, Duke of Drink, Honcho of Hootch, Lord of Liquor, Sultan of Spirits . . .

[col klink]

Although I'm not really into sissy cocktails . . .

Sissy cocktail? That was not the first thing I thought of when I read the recipe. I think DeGroff did an excellent job of mixing fruit flavors in a drink and still have it be not a "girl drink" to quote Kids in the Hall. Girl drinks or "sissy drinks" look like Windex, or have parasols and fruit wedges other than lemon or lime. Oh, and any drink with coconut milk is a sissy drink.

Of course my Velvet Falernum is still marinating so I haven't tried it yet . . .

[Rachel Perlow]

The primary taste of the Velvet Falernum (that we made, still waiting for the commercial stuff) is lime zest with a hint of the pumpkin pie spice taste that the cloves add. The almond flavor was completely imperceptable in the Velvet Falernum at first, so I added 1 more drop to the cordial (about a quart), which very slightly boosted this flavor.

As for the Flaming Orange Gully, my immediate thought was it tasted like a Cosmo, but really the flavors are more complex than that. The pie spice flavor was emphased in the finished drink by the grating of nutmeg. Actually a very complex drink. Next time I prepare it I want to make one without the spritz of orange zest, one with "raw" spritz, and one with the flamed zest, just to see what that element really adds. Then finish them all and get completely plastered.

Edited January 16, 2003 by RPerlow (log)

[JAZ]

I am not sure what the flaming of the orange oil adds, perhaps some different levels of bitterness on top of the angostura.

From my experience with citrus garnishes, flaming them does two things: it burns off the volatile oils and (if it's done over the drink rather than to the side) it results in a barely perceptible burned flavor. Mostly it's for show, which is fine in a bar, but not something I do on my own. I like the smell of those oils and the flavor they add to a drink -- I don't want them burned off. And I've never been a fan of the lighted match smell of sulphur interfering with the taste of my drink. But that's just me.

[mamster]

col klink, Batgrrl, LaurieA-B, nightscotsman, and I had Flaming Orange Gullys! Or maybe Gullies. Col., I have to disagree with you: it is a sissy drink, but I have no problem with sissy drinks, and it was delicious. It's a sweet brunchy sort of cocktail, good orange flavor with just a hint of bitterness. Goes down easy, and after several of them all you can do is drone, "Steak...pie...steak...pie."

[Suzanne F]

And I've never been a fan of the lighted match smell of sulphur interfering with the taste of my drink.

I agree. (It's not just you.) Thanks for bringing up that point.

What if you try using one of those barbecue-clickety-butane-flame-thingies (have I described it sufficiently?) The thing I use in lieu of pilot lights when my electronic ignition fails on the stove. When I finally make the drink, that's what I'll try.

[col klink]

What if you try using one of those barbecue-clickety-butane-flame-thingies (have I described it sufficiently?)  The thing I use in lieu of pilot lights when my electronic ignition fails on the stove.  When I finally make the drink, that's what I'll try.

That's what we used last night. Props to Nightscotsman for the all of the practice work on flaming the orange peels. That was sweet! The night before when I was zesting limes for the rum, I tried flaming lime peels but it wasn't really anything to speak of just a couple of pops. But orange peel, BOOM! Made me feel like Beavis, fire! fire! fire!

OK mamster, I'll concede it's a girly drink. It's a color other than brown and it's pretty orangey (that is fruity). BUT, it's a really complicated sissy drink, unlike any other. I'd be proud to order it in a biker bar full of Satan's Helpers.

[Schielke]

Don't you mean the Hell's Satans?

Homer: The first meeting of Hell's Satans is called to order.

Ned: I move we reconsider our club name.  Make it something a

little less blasphemous.  After all, [chuckles] we don't

want to go to Hell.

Lenny: How about the Devil's Pals?

Ned: No.

Moe: The Christ Punchers.

Ned: The Christ ... I, I don't think you understand my

objection.

Homer: I'm the president the decision is mine.  We're Hell's

Satans!  Besides, I already made our club jackets.  [holds

up a light blue windbreaker with "Hell's Satans" crudely

written on it, then passes them out to the gang]

Lenny: [reading the care label] Ooh, "Machine wash warm."

Carl: [reading the care label] "Tumble dry."  Ooh, la, la.

-- It's what all the biker gangs in Paris are wearing this year,

Ben

[Varmint]

Not to be confused with Satan's Cheerleaders, of course. . . .

[coolranch]

Oh, it is Satan's Helpers

Pee Wee's Big Adventure

Biker: "Didn't you know this is a private club of the Satan's Helpers?!"

Pee-Wee: "No one hipped me to that, dude."

(big fan of the obscure movie references)

[col klink]

Sorry Ben, Coolranch got it right.

Rodeo guy: What's your name?

Pee Wee: (grogy) I don't remember.

Rodeo guy: Where'ya from?

Pee Wee: (still grogy) I don't remember.

Rodeo guy: Is there anything you do remember?

Pee Wee: (still grogy) I remember . . . . . the Alamo . . .

Texans emphatically cheer

edit: that episode of the Pimpsons didn't suck that badly, I was mixing it up with the John Goodman episode where he's the leader of a biker gang that kidnaps marge. THAT episode sucked.

Edited January 18, 2003 by col klink (log)

[Schielke]

I stand by my simpsons reference.

Ben

Edit: You can all go to hell.

Edited January 18, 2003 by Schielke (log)

[Schielke]

So, has anybody else made or tried out the FOG? I think I am going to have to sneak into Klink's kitchen late at night and make one.

Klink, if you see a flash of light from the kitchen... it is just a dream, not a flamed orange peel.

Ben

[Varmint]

I brought the homemade velvet falernum down to Charleston to our friends house (what the hell is a falernum anyway? And is the "velvet" version any different than the "satin" type?). We whipped up several of these babies, flaming the peels and all. First degree burns only. Needless to say, we believe we were the first people south of the Mason Dixon line (or at least south of South of the Border) to experience these.

Quite good. The flavors are pretty subtle. We think the flaming orange peel made quite a difference, as we tried it with and without. The flaming peel added a profound orange flavor. It didn't taste too burnt to us.

We've got lots of limes and oranges left to try more tomorrow. We may increase the lime quantities.

By the way, my friend Ralph wants to know why the Angastora Bitters label is so much bigger than the bottle itself. Anyone know why? I agree that it's really stupid.

[Rachel Perlow]

Quite good.  The flavors are pretty subtle.  We think the flaming orange peel made quite a difference, as we tried it with and without.  The flaming peel added a

profound orange flavor.  It didn't taste too burnt to us.

Did you try the peel spritz without flaming it?

[Rachel Perlow]

The primary taste of the Velvet Falernum (that we made, still waiting for the commercial stuff) is lime zest with a hint of the pumpkin pie spice taste that the cloves add. The almond flavor was completely imperceptable in the Velvet Falernum at first, so I added 1 more drop to the cordial (about a quart), which very slightly boosted this flavor.

The importer sent us a sample bottle (non-alcoholic version) of the Velvet Falernum. Compared to the homemade version there are several differences. First, the commercial product is more viscous. Perhaps the simple sugar ratio is closer to 2:1, rather than the 1:1 ratio I used. It also has a "juicier" flavor, due to having lime juice in the list of ingredients and no lime zest. So it is more tart, while at the same time less bitter.

Apparently they will be importing the regular (alcoholic) version of the cordial soon. I am curious why Dale's recipe has us using lime zest and no juice, if that is different from what is in the commercial product? Would using lime juice affect the storage time allowed for the homemade version? Since there is already lime juice in the finished drink, the zest in the homemade VF adds a sophisticated flavor that would be less apparent if you used the commercial VF, where the only zest flavor would come from the final spritz of orange peel.

Maybe we'll have a taste test at the NJ Potluck next week and take notes.

Edited January 18, 2003 by RPerlow (log)

[Varmint]

Did you try the peel spritz without flaming it?

Umh, we tried it flamed, raw, muddled, without, lime flamed, etc., etc., etc, if you get my drift.

Am anxious to try the velvet falernum once it's available.