We are amused to note that tomorrow, October 4th, is:
…where they discover the “Mexican Martini“, two, two, two lies in one!
Seriously, the “Mexican Martini” is a decent drink, and Trudy’s isn’t a bad place to eat and drink. But putting a drink in a martini glass doesn’t make it a martini, and using tequila doesn’t make it Mexican.
At his previous job, at the Eastside Showroom, Mr. Bryan refused to make it.
I wonder what Mr. Bryan’s customers who wanted a traditional martini with an olive garnish thought when he said “I don’t carry olives.”
Edited to add: I also wonder what a “Mexican Martini” would be like with an onion instead of an olive. Hmmmm. May have to try that this weekend.
When the gin hits your nose
Like the smell that from pines arose
That’s a negroni…
I can see why people like this cocktail. You can tell there’s gin in it, but there’s a nice balance of gin against the Campari and sweet vermouth. I can’t detect any bitterness in mine, just a nice combination of sweetness with some bite from the gin.
(Campari, Nolly Prat sweet vermouth, and Plymouth English gin.)
Since this weekend is a national drinking holiday, the Austin Police Department would like for you to know that it’s perfectly okay for you to get totally trashed on booze and then drive and/or boat.
Can someone explain to me why you’d ever purchase a personal watercraft, at least if you live in Austin? It seems that personal watercraft are banned on the lakes every single damn holiday: if you do own one, when can you use it?
Ah, what the heck, I’ve been meaning to link this for a while, and the national drinking holiday makes it relevant: bonus Negroni related content just for Glen. I may have to pick up a bottle of Campari and some sweet vermouth this weekend.
We have previously made note of Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking
Now, also by way of the NYT, we have coverage of the book’s errata. Wouldn’t want to overcook those scrambled eggs there, Bob.
Also, we’ll toss up a link for our great and good friend Glen, who is a big Negroni fan.
Things have been kind of slow this week, and we have also been coming off either a cold or an allergic reaction to all the crap floating around in the air. We are aware TMQ has a new column up (his annual “mock draft”) and plan to blog that in the TMQ Watch, perhaps as early as tonight.
Because I’m old and can’t do 24 hours any longer.
This weekend was the combined birthday party/1970’s crime film fest.
No, the cake was not a lie, and I think that came out pretty well. I was impressed that the Sam’s bakery called me to tell me my dates didn’t add up. (They were misreading my handwriting.) Now that’s customer service.
The absinthe went over pretty well, though I think I need to work on proportions. At the recommendation of one of the liquor guys at Spec’s, I’ve been using an Irish coffee glass for absinthe, and my typical pour is two ounces of absinthe, topped off with cold water and one sugar cube. At that level, I can feel an effect. Not anything trippy, just a good solid knock (and that wears off in an hour or so). I think next time I make a glass, I may try two sugar cubes instead of one, but I tend to like things sweet.
The Kraken spiced rum also went over well, though I didn’t care much for it straight; I can see that it would go well with the right mixer (maybe some Dublin Dr. Pepper?). I still haven’t tried any of the Crystal Head. I was trying to be moderate in my drinking, since I had to drive, and as fun as it sounds, drinking Scotch whiskey all night long and dying behind the wheel is a sub-optimal evolutionary strategy.
We only got to two of the movies on our list. Possible spoilers follow.
Pierre Celis, of Celis Brewery fame. Celis made some swell beers back in the 90’s.
There’s an old saying, “In heaven there is no beer, that’s why we drink it here.”
I think this is wrong, and I think Mr. Celis is sitting on God’s right hand, trying out Heaven’s own homebrew.
That’s the NYT‘s description of sake: “passionately adored by a small cadre of loyalists, but relegated to the category of ‘mysterious obscurity’ among the masses.”
In spite of this unfortunate metaphor, the actual article, about Japanese restaurants in Las Vegas that serve very high end sake, contains some interesting bits. For example, there’s Frozen Beauty sake, aged for 12 years in cold storage and selling for a mere $2,388 per (720 ml) bottle.
And let us not overlook Divine Droplets, “made by hanging canvas bags of fermenting mash in a handmade ice dome, during the frigid winter in the Hokkaido Prefecture, and patiently letting the sake filter out in a slow, pure drip.” That’s a mere $72 a bottle. (I am assuming that all of these bottles are 720 ml, but I’m not sure; the NYT annoyingly doesn’t specify.)
Or “Nixon In China: The Dinner”:
I’d always thought that Nixon had rather crappy taste in food; his cottage cheese with catsup is notorious. However, at least according to this web site (which provides sources) the catsup thing is a base canard, and the Nixon family was quite fond of seafood. That puts the shrimp dishes in a new light.
I tried searching for maotai online, but couldn’t find any sources. However, I did turn up this Washingtonian article that goes into more detail about the banquet.
I did want to note the updated “Perfect Martini” recipe from Jim Coudal at Coudal Partners. I’m impressed with the seriousness of intent expressed in the recipe, and the background material about the changes in Nolly Prat is interesting. (Nolly Prat is our preferred vermouth, but we’ve been looking for others, and will have to give the Dollin a try.)
However, I am automatically skeptical of any “perfect martini” recipe that calls for vodka. While I allow room in my universe for the vodka martini, I do so reluctantly; the “perfect martini” should be gin-based. (I am especially skeptical when the recipe refers to a specific brand of vodka. Vodka, by definition, is a neutral grain spirit, so what the author is really saying is “I prefer the impurities in Belvedere Vodka to those in other vodkas.”)
Coudal’s “Friday Drink Links” looks like a good cache of stuff to browse, though.
(Hattip: Daring Fireball.)
And among the things Santa brought me was a copy of The Hour: A Cocktail Manifesto
Headline in the LAT: “Wine and online sales: It’s easier to buy a gun than merlot”.
First paragraph of the article:
Okay. Let’s take a close look at that. Yes, in “most states”, you can order a gun online. Unless you, yourself, have a Federal Firearms License, the gun has to be shipped from a registered dealer to another dealer who also has a FFL. (You can order from a private party; however, that person has to find an FFL near them to process the transaction.) Once the gun arrives at the dealer you’ve selected, you have to go in and fill out a Form 4473. For the benefit of my readers who have never purchased a gun, here’s what a Form 4473 looks like. The purchaser has to fill out everything in section A.
Once you’ve filled out the Form 4473, the dealer then still has to call in to the National Instant Check System (NICS) to determine if you’re allowed to go through with the purchase, denied, or delayed. (There are some exceptions to that; for example, because I have a Texas CHL permit, dealers are not required to make the NICS call, because I’ve already been vetted by the State of Texas. I still have to make arrangements with a FFL to receive the gun for me; the only thing my Texas CHL permit allows me to bypass is the NICS call.)
In addition, you’ll typically end up paying shipping on the gun you ordered. Dealers also don’t generally do these transfers for free. Depending on how good a negotiator you are, you may end up paying the seller’s transfer fee to their FFL (if the gun comes from a private party and not a dealer); for sure, you’ll end up paying a transfer fee to the dealer who receives the gun for you, has you fill out the 4473, and does the background check. $25-$30 is what these fees average in the Austin area.
As far as ordering pornography; who does that these days? As far as cigarettes, I think the author needs to do a bit more research on that particular subject. Here’s a hint: you may not go to jail, but you’re likely to end up being billed for taxes. And as I recall, New York and several other states were attempting to ban credit card companies from processing online cigarette orders, and trying to persuade the Postal Service and other carriers to ban cigarette shipments.
I don’t, as a matter of fact, disagree with the author’s general argument; online wine sales are excessively complicated, largely due to laws that were put in place to protect liquor wholesalers. However, neither his argument nor the credibility of the LAT are helped by misrepresenting facts.
Mike the Musicologist came up over the weekend bearing gifts. Look what he got me.
Since I previously declared jihad against the bubblegum martini, I’m sure my readers expect me to declare jihad against the McNuggetini as well.
Indeed, I would, if I believed such a thing existed. However, I refuse to believe in the existence of the McNuggetini; I believe this is an elaborate prank, much like Ken’s post over at Popehat on the non-existent E! show “Bridalplasty“.
We have previously noted the problems of Albert Trummer and Apothéke in NYC; Mr. Trummer likes flaming drinks, and that has brought him some unfavorable attention from the local authorities.
Today’s NYT has a longer article about the goings-on at Apothéke. In addition to Mr. Trummer’s troubles with the law (there was another alleged incident involving fire in October, but Mr. Trummer denies the charges), Mr. Trummer and his partners have had a falling-out, complete with charges of physical violence and wrongful imprisonment.
I do so love a good soap opera, and if it takes place in the world of cocktails, that’s even better.
So what has Gregg Easterbrook up in arms this week? Would you believe Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer?