Mas and their Ginger Daiquiri

[beans]

Mas's little bar and lounge area is a pretty perfect place to do this. [relax]  It looks out a large window onto the street, with benches below to sit and take in the view. And the ginger daiquiri, a house specialty with a fresh-ginger theme, is a perfectly paced drink for the exercise — not too fast, not too slow, a long, lovely descent, like an evening's light in May.

William Hamilton's full column can be viewed here.

I love any cocktail that incorporates ginger. This one promises to be quite delicious.

[birder53]

I cut the recipe out of today's paper. Ginger is soooo good! I'd try it today but it needs some advance prep. To bad, it's so hot humid here today that this would really hit the spot. (It's not supposed to be 91 and humid in May in NJ!!!)

[slkinsey]

To paraphrase the recipe for posterity:

4 parts : white Haitian rum

1 part : Cointreau

1 part : Meyer lemon juice

1 part : ginger-infused simple

Orange peel

Ginger-infused fine turbinado sugar

Frost the rim of the glass with the sugar

Combine liquid ingredients with ice in a shaker. Shake. Strain into prepared glass. Garnish with orange peel.

[Suzanne F]

Birder, I'm with ya! Who has had the forethought to infuse 1 pint of simple syrup with 4 oz of ginger for 2 days, or 6 oz of turbinado with 1 oz of ginger for a week, shaking the jar every day?

A recommendation: if you're in the nabe and unable to get into 66, head up Church Street one block and check out Kori. They've got some good ginger-flavored soju drinks (and good Korean food, too).

Add-it: But I feel a little weird admitting that I read the "Styles" section.

Edited May 23, 2004 by Suzanne F (log)

[JAZ]

I can't imagine why the article calls for macerating the ginger in the simple syrup for two days. You can make ginger simple syrup in 20 minutes -- steep ginger slices in simmering water for 10-15 minutes, strain, add your sugar and bring to a boil. Ginger syrup.

[trillium]

Maybe they're going for the fresh ginger taste...it tastes different when it's cooked. But you could still do it in a hurry, just muddle some fresh ginger with sugar in the bottom of your shaker before you add the rest of the ingredients.

regards,

trillium

[beans]

I can't imagine why the article calls for macerating the ginger in the simple syrup for two days. You can make ginger simple syrup in 20 minutes -- steep ginger slices in simmering water for 10-15 minutes, strain, add your sugar and bring to a boil. Ginger syrup.

Often, there is more than one way to do the same thing -- in cooking and cocktails.

[JAZ]

I can't imagine why the article calls for macerating the ginger in the simple syrup for two days. You can make ginger simple syrup in 20 minutes -- steep ginger slices in simmering water for 10-15 minutes, strain, add your sugar and bring to a boil. Ginger syrup.

Often, there is more than one way to do the same thing -- in cooking and cocktails.

Well, yes, of course that's true. But I can't see taking two days to do something if you can do the same thing in less than a half hour.

Now, if, as Trillium suggests, the version made with raw ginger is perceptibly different from the cooked syrup, I could see taking the time to make it.

[beans]

Two days isn't that much time really. So I want to make these little lovelies this weekend, I'll apply my plan making abilities and start a jar on or about Wednesday.

All of this instant gratification, convenience and everything on demand culture!

edit: Actually, rethinking about perspective here -- I can understand why a restaurant bar recipe is viewed differently by the home mixologist. You'd be hard pressed to see a restaurant kitchen staff making space and allowing some bar staff person to be grabbing a pan, sugar, ginger and water then heating this stuff up on their precious burners. Also, the addition of that task to be lumped onto another kitchen staff person's list of responsibilities is a joke and a half. Simple syrup can be made without the aid of heating (search the Q&A with DeGroff) and ginger can be steeped without ever having to set foot in the kitchen other than to procure that ingredient from the walk-in.

Edited May 25, 2004 by beans (log)

[herbacidal]

Actually, rethinking about perspective here -- I can understand why a restaurant bar recipe is viewed differently by the home mixologist. You'd be hard pressed to see a restaurant kitchen staff making space and allowing some bar staff person to be grabbing a pan, sugar, ginger and water then heating this stuff up on their precious burners.

Really? I'm semi-suprised by this.

I would imagine that it could be done in a few minutes during the afternoon preptime or post-dinner cleanup.

Alternatively, couldn't the owner, if they were so inclined (key point here)

buy a cassette-feu for you behind the bar?

Although, off the top of my head,

I'm not sure if the insurance and liability issues would allow that.

In that case, it could just as easily be stored in some out of the way space in the kitchen.

[Suzanne F]

Actually, rethinking about perspective here -- I can understand why a restaurant bar recipe is viewed differently by the home mixologist.  You'd be hard pressed to see a restaurant kitchen staff making space and allowing some bar staff person to be grabbing a pan, sugar, ginger and water then heating this stuff up on their precious burners.

Really? I'm semi-suprised by this.

I would imagine that it could be done in a few minutes during the afternoon preptime or post-dinner cleanup.

Oh, Herb, those are THE WORST times! That's when, in the first case, everyone is going crazy trying to get everything ready so that service will go off without a hitch, and in the second, when everyone is trying to get cleaned up and get OUT!

Alternatively, couldn't the owner, if they were so inclined (key point here)

buy a cassette-feu for you behind the bar?

Although, off the top of my head,

I'm not sure if the insurance and liability issues would allow that.

In that case, it could just as easily be stored in some out of the way space in the kitchen.

Out of the way space? in a badly-designed kitchen (as most are) where space is already at a premium?

Sorry, but the line cook in me couldn't help that.

[herbacidal]

Oh, Herb, those are THE WORST times! That's when, in the first case, everyone is going crazy trying to get everything ready so that service will go off without a hitch, and in the second, when everyone is trying to get cleaned up and get OUT!

Out of the way space? in a badly-designed kitchen (as most are) where space is already at a premium?

Sorry, but the line cook in me couldn't help that.

Well okay, are you telling me that that's not a better time to do it than the middle of dinner service?

Anyway, at 3 or 4pm, when the line cooks are finishing prepping meats, veggies, fish, etc., 15-20 minutes can be spared.

You could set a cassette feu on the table in the corner.

Throw the water and sugar on.

And just keep an eye on it when running back and forth,

doing bar fruit, restocking bar fridges, etc.

When not in use, the cassette feu goes under the table.

Whatever.