one of the tenets of the machinery of freedom is that the merits of a particular system (for example, a form of government) should be evaluated as if besieged by incompetence.* in other words, expect the worst. in other words, don’t say “democracy works as long as we keep people like dick cheney [...]
2 oz rum
1 oz red grapefruit
1/2 oz lime
version #3: 1″ x 1″ x 2″ very ripe pineapple core, cut into pieces
version #4: 1/8th of a small ripe peach
1 tsp sugar
short drizzle maraschino liqueur
4 drops grapefruit bitters
muddle fruit with sugar. combine remaining ingredients, shake without ice for 20 seconds, shake with ice for 20 seconds. [...]
my updated strawberry daiquiri was such a success, i thought maybe the formula could work with any fruit. here was attempt #2:
2 oz rum
1 1/2 oz grapefruit juice
1/2 oz lime juice
mango, approx 1″ square
1 tsp sugar
short drizzle of maraschino liqueur
was this any good? not really, but input, not formula or mixer, was the [...]
i’ve been doing a little internet reading-watching-research lately. in particular:
eGullet
small screen network
(egullet is a great resource, but it is populated by fanatics. and fanatics always scare me a little. they remind me what i am not, which makes me sad, and also what i might become, which makes me sadder.)
might be time for [...]
juhu palm: gin, coconut milk, kaffir lime leaf, birds eye chili, spanked curry leaf. very good, but not any better than what you would expect from kaffir lime and coconut. was kind of like a spiked tom yum gai. also had a weird wet-towel aftertaste. maybe the glass was wiped down [...]
1 oz punt e mes
1/2 oz gin
1/2 oz vodka
1/2 tsp grenadine
4 drops orange bitters
[note: after sampling this a few times, i think 1/2 tsp is too much grenadine. will try 1/4 next time]
combine ingredients, stir or shake without ice, then stir with ice for 60 seconds.
this drink is delicious. as noted in the [...]
went into sf last night to go to porkapalooza. i seized the opportunity to bookend the pork party with drinks at heaven’s dog since i’ve heard so much about their cocktails and bartenders.
pre-pork cocktail (heaven’s dog): pisco apricot tropical (pisco, pineapple gomme, apricot brandy, lime, angostura bitters). clean, refreshing. beautiful aroma. i [...]
i thought it might be time to get acquainted with vermouth. i have only ever known it as the toxic three-buck stuff dad uses as a pork tenderizer. to good use, but when on planet cocktail, i want no association with raw pork and garlic.
my first vermouth purchase, a year or so ago, [...]
1 oz bourbon
1 oz whisker’s blake tawny port
1 tsp frangelico
pretty good, but for some reason whenever i make drinks of this nature (eg, manhattan) they turn out thin. too much or too small ice? shaking vessel not chilled?
i checked out pizzaiolo’s back patio for the first time. pretty nice, they have a small sandlot for bocci. wasn’t in use when i checked it out, even though the place was booked solid. so, seems like a potentially good way to get cocktails during prime time. being outside, sipping drinks, [...]
in defiance of my previous ‘realization’, i decided to not be a penis-flavored drunk-driving pox on society and instead rely on public transportation.
well, it might have less to do with an ethical epiphany and more to do with the discovery that ac transit runs more frequently than they did in my youth. [...]
went out last night for a quick late-nighter. pizzaiolo a sardine can, so headed over to adesso. got the asti cocktail, a combination of gin, moscato chinato, and a shitload of orange bitters. the bartender didnt measure anything. is this a byproduct of a busy weekend night? does it signify [...]
awhile ago i went to the zig zag cafe in seattle (where i had a corn n oil for the first time–goddamn, murray kills that drink) and ended up in conversation with a couple of catering chefs each with a taste for high-end scotch. i asked if they’d ever had any of murray’s cocktails [...]
