Doc on NPR. This morning NPR's "Day to Day" featured an epic length (4 minutes!) interview with our good friend Dr. Cocktail, a.k.a. Ted Haigh. That four minutes was culled from a five-hour interview, and as far as I'm concerned they should have given him his own two-hour special. They talked about "cocktail archaeology", about Doc's 1300 bottle collection of vintage booze going back 100 or more years, and about making a Corpse Reviver No. 2. One thing the interviewer, editor and/or producer of the piece failed to emphasize, however, is the true accessibility of these decades-old cocktails to all of us -- you don't have to have a priceless collection of decades-old booze to make them. One thing they did well, though, is portray Ted's intense passion for the history and cuisine of the cocktail, and we can hope that that'll spark some more interest in the listeners. Good piece altogether.
Auld lang syne. That's it for 2004, y'all. Be safe tonight, take care of yourselves, and I'll see you next year.
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Jamaican pimento (allspice) liqueur: take two. Our experimentation with a homemade version of this fantastic and rare liqueur continues, and according to Dr. Cocktail, "you're almost there." As it turns out, there is a source for the real stuff (and thanks to Barry for finding out that the source, which once couldn't or wouldn't get the stuff, now does once again). It's still the Wray & Nephew product made and sold only in Jamaica, although it's been renamed "Berry Hill Jamaican Pimento Allspice Liqueur." The source only gets shipments in 2 or 3 times a year at the most, so while I'm going to continue to pursue them I'm also going to work on refining my own recipe. I made a batch that was different from the earlier one of a few weeks ago, eschewing the lime juice, and taking into account Doc's suggestions for the flavoring of the syrup. Here was that version:
Jamaican Pimento (Allspice) Liqueur No. 2Tasting notes: Doc said that the sweetness, viscosity and body were just about perfect. When comparing it to the Wray and Nephew product, we noted that the bottled product was lighter and seemed to have far less of a molasses flavor. Also, he said, "There's cinnamon in this, isn't there?" Yes, indeed. I kept that in from the Jamaican recipe I'd found, but Doc assured me that there is none in the bottled product; in fact, when we tasted the bottled product I detected only allspice, rum and brown sugar in the flavor. Next batch we ax the cinnamon. We also noted that the pimento/allspice flavor was more muted than I'd hoped, possibly because it was being overpowered by the cinnamon (I got good stuff, Indonesian stick cinnamon from Penzey's). Next batch we'll up the crushed allspice berries, probably to 1/2 cup. I'm tempted to try a batch with just brown sugar, and light brown sugar at that, but Doc encouraged me to keep the molasses and cane syrup as my own spin on the product. He had no problem with the flavor of the Demerara rum (which is from Guyana, not Jamaica), but suggested for authenticity's sake making a batch with Myers' dark rum, and bringing the proof up with Wray and Nephew's Overproof Rum, which is a good idea (Myers' is also a lot less expensive than the Demerara). Next time I'll make a half-batch of this and a half-batch of my next incarnation, and see which one's better. Stay tuned -- a few weeks from now, I think the third time might just be the charm.
The Cocktailian. The year's final visit from Gary Regan's cocktailian bartender, The Professor, involves adding a liqueur to a Manhattan, and the ensuing chaos. The liqueur in question is a new herbal liqueur called Elisir M.P. Roux, which I believe was once called "Elisir du Dr. Roux." It's fairly complex, with flavors of star anise, ginseng, damiana, marjoram, hyssop, fennel, cinnamon, nutmeg and more. I haven't tried it, but I'm very keen on herbal liqueurs (Chartreuse, Bénédictine, et al.) and I'm pleased to see a relatively new one on the market.
Ethics? We don't need no stinking ethics. This is your government.
G.O.P. to Make Ethics Inquiries Harder to BeginI despise these people, with a great and terrible loathing.
Are we stingy? Yes. A New York Times editorial, via Wes, promoted from the comments:
President Bush finally roused himself yesterday from his vacation in Crawford, Tex., to telephone his sympathy to the leaders of India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Indonesia, and to speak publicly about the devastation of Sunday's tsunamis in Asia. He also hurried to put as much distance as possible between himself and America's initial measly aid offer of $15 million, and he took issue with an earlier statement by the United Nations' emergency relief coordinator, Jan Egeland, who had called the overall aid efforts by rich Western nations "stingy." "The person who made that statement was very misguided and ill informed," the president said.Incidentally, the "stingy" quote came from an article in the right-wing, Moonie-owned Washington Times, and its headline that said the U.N. official was specifically accusing the U.S. is bullshit (and the rest of our media, unconcerned with trivialities like integrity or fact-checking these days, picked it up and ran with it). Jan Egeland, the official in question, referred to "wealthy states" and "donor states", refused to name these states when questioned, and in fact never once singled out the United States. You'd never know that, though, from watching, reading or listening to our media.
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Humans? Al Neuharth, the founder of USA Today, opined in his weekly column last Thursday that the U.S. should start bringing our troops home from Iraq "sooner rather than later." Here is a sampling of the letters he received (via AmericaBlog via Atrios; emphases mine):
George Wyman: "Mr. Neuharth is simply UnAmerican."It makes me wonder if I'm the same species as these individuals, much less a fellow American.
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Priorities. Via Atrios:
The Bush administration yesterday pledged $15 million to Asian nations hit by a tsunami that has killed more than [63,000] people [...]And:
The war on terror will take center stage at next month's second inauguration for President Bush in Washington, D.C. ...Well, I'm glad Bush has his priorities straight.
[UPDATE: Apparently after having it
pointed out to them that they're cheap bastards, BushCo seems to have
upped their offering to $35 million -- still less than the cost of the
I'm having difficulty fathoming the magnitude of this disaster. The death toll increases by several thousand every time I check, and the latest reports are that disease caused by, among other things, the decomposition of tens of thousands of unburied bodies, could increase the toll by tens of thousands more. The quake was so strong it caused the Earth to wobble on its axis, and permanently changed the regional map of Asia. It's staggering, unbelievable. Don't miss the Wikipedia coverage at the above link -- it's outstanding. Here are some disaster relief agencies where you can help (nicked from Eliot):
* American Red Cross, 800-HELP-NOW; International Response Fund, PO Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013Please do what you can.
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Quotes of the day. "When I said I wanted a white Christmas, I just meant I hoped I'd score an eightball."My family, rather than head to my uncle's on the North Shore for the big family Christmas meal, instead all stayed in their respective homes, as snow, sleet and freezing rain closed bridges and the Causeway.
No peace on earth during unjust war. I know I said I wouldn't be posting much, but I had to share this Christmas Eve sermon from Father Andrew Greely, published in the Chicago Sun-Times:
One reads in the papers that the Pentagon expects the war in Iraq to continue till 2010. Donald Rumsfeld will not guarantee that it will be over by 2009. How many dead and maimed Americans by then? How many sad obituaries? How many full pages in the papers with pictures of all the casualties?Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me, with you, with all of us.
Merry Christmas. Belated Happy Hanukkah. Joyous Kwanzaa. Happy Solstice. Merry Saturnalia. Anyway, have a great holiday, no matter which one you're celebrating, and no pathetic feckin' whining about not getting the greeting you want.
Let's have a carol! Deck us all with Boston Charlie,May your holidays be filled with warmth, love, joy, cheer, booze and presents. May the new year be filled with prosperity, good luck, and a round of indictments for every major member of the administration. I've been on vacation for the past week (as you can probably tell), and will be on vacation until January 3. I probably won't be posting, and you shouldn't be reading. Go outside! Make some cocktails! Spend some time with friends and loved ones! Love, Chuck
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One bad apple. I have nothing to say at the moment. [Emphases mine.]
FBI E-Mail Refers to Presidential Order Authorizing Inhumane Interrogation Techniques [ Link to today's entries ]
The conspiracy to sap and impurify our precious bodily fluids. I'm lazy today, but I will quote a post from Roy Edroso at alicublog:
Nostalgie de la boue. Bush floats Social Security reform, and Jonah Goldberg gets to work on discrediting the New Deal. Kofi Annan has a scandal, and Cal Thomas resuscitates the John Birch Society slogan: Get the U.N. Out of the U.S. and the U.S. Out of the U.N.! [ Link to today's entries ]
What a pair! Today's surprising food pairing comes from Chowhound's L.A.-area ChowNews:
A pairing of aged Scotch and a Krispy Kreme donut works! The Scotch was a 14 year old Oban, the donut was a seasonal pumpkin flavor. Says *Limster*: "Pumpkin and fall/winter spice flavors of the donut weave nicely into the woodsy and faintly smoky flavor of the Scotch. And the dry finish from the scotch takes away the usual cloying sweetness of KK donuts."Hmm, wonder if it would work with a 10 year old Macallan or a 10 year old Glenmorangie?
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"Pricey?" Only if you're cheap! I know, I know, I shouldn't be quibbling with reviews of the box set, but in last Sunday's Los Angeles Times (and now apparently syndicated as far as New Jersey) Robert Hilburn did an article about box sets that are "too much of a good thing ... so thorough they're probably overkill for the average listener, and for collectors only." Our nice little box set was included, and as it's my adopted-hometown paper I feel compelled to respond. Although he said some nice things, let me point out that this set was specifically intended for the average listener, for someone planning to visit New Orleans or who recently visited, and for Jazzfesters -- not for "collectors only" (although I did put a few gems in for collectors and compiled it to appeal to locals as well).
Here's proof there are new things in the record bins after all. It's a music-cum-travel guide, and New Orleans is an ideal subject because of its great musical heritage and its inviting tourist offerings. The music includes songs by the usual suspects (Louis Armstrong and Professor Longhair to Fats Domino and Dr. John), and the lavish booklet tells you where to go in town to have a good time and a good meal. It's pricey if you want only the music, so you need to be in a traveling mood to make it work.You can find this set for sale from anywhere between $46 and $49 (nobody should be paying full retail of $59.95, Robert). In fact, my mom said she saw it at Tower in New Orleans for $47, and the Louisiana Music Factory for $49 (I'd pay the extra few bucks at the Factory just so as not to buy it from Tower). That works out to about $12 per disc (less than 6¢ per track), with the 84-page book essentially thrown in for free. I don't know about you, but that doesn't really fit into my definition of "pricey". Go buy it anyway!
Quote of the day. Feeling safer?
The reason every crime, failure, sleazy connection and indiscretion of Bernie Kerik is so important is that it illustrates just how little Bush cares about homeland security. Bush sees Director of Homeland Security as a patronage job to give to a patently incompetent political crony for campaign services rendered rather than a position which requires a competent and ethical professional. Even if Bush could justify his ignorance of all Kerik's other corruption (which he can't), he can't claim ignorance of Kerik's utter failure in Baghdad. And, with all the resources at his disposal, Bush's background check of Kerik was less thorough than would be any sane person's background check when hiring a (non-fictitious) nanny. By nominating Kerik, Bush proved that his rhetoric about being the better choice to protect America from those nasty wolves was nothing but hot, malodorous air.Add do this the latest about George Tenet -- he was wrong about WMDs in Iraq, but now Bush is giving him the fucking Medal of Freedom:
Maybe it's old-fashioned, but shouldn't the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, have something to do with extraordinary achievement or even an act of physical or moral courage?This is the Peter Princle of government. Members (and would-be members) of this administration rise to their level of incompetence, and their incompetence is richly rewarded.
The Cocktailian. The Professor, our cocktailian bartender, serves up a batch of Kew Clubs -- spicy marmalade in a cocktail glass. I've been really curious about those relatively new Scots whiskys from Compass Box, such as "Peat Monster" (smoky; "a balanced and approachable monster but a monster nonetheless") and "Orangerie" (the orange-infused Scotch that's the basis for a Kew Club). From what I've read it's all pretty damned good stuff.
... um ... I stumbled across a Flash cartoon site called Home Star Runner this morning, and found a piece with one of their characters -- Strong Bad, a guy in a Mexican wrestler's mask -- doing what's got to be the funniest and most perfect parody of college radio I've ever heard. Sums it all up in five words, in fact. (Disclaimer: some college-based stations are better than others, of course -- like KCSN, for instance, one of the best radio stations anywhere!) -- but man, lots of the ones that are all student-run really do sound like the cartoon sometimes. Learn some announcing techniques, dammit!)
Refreshing tarragonny goodness! My friend Robb visited a deli near his office that carries "a lot of weird Armenian food products" and ended up becoming fascinated with a brand of tarragon-flavored soda. I'm fascinated by this, and am very curious to try it (although the fact that most of Robb's soda ended up in a potted plant isn't a terribly good sign).
McBrain? Y'know, when I see pictures like this my first thought is "Um ... no." Then I think of when I had to make this particular "variety meat" in class (poached in a classical courtbouillion, then sliced, breaded and pan-fried). Then I think of the "Return of the Living Dead" movies. "BRAAAAAAAAIINNNNNNNSSSSSSS!" ("Send more cops.")
Nanny who? Josh Marshall asks an interesting question: Did Bernard Kerik really ever have an undocumented nanny working for him? Josh thinks not, and the New York Times finds no solid evidence that such a woman ever existed. Quelle surprise. After all the dirt I read on Kerik immediately after his nomination, I thought the nanny story was horseshit from the moment I heard it. Funny thing, though ... the question is actually being asked in the mainstream media now. Do you think it's possible that those people are finally ready to start doing their jobs after four years of kowtowing to BushCo?
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Cognac or Armagnac? Well, I'll take both, me. Actually, I'm still learning about Armagnac, having sampled far less of it than the more well-known of the two famous French brandies. Today's Los Angeles Times Food Section has an interesting article about the difference between the two, and the thorny question wondering if one is better than the other. Is duck better than goose? Is velvet better than silk? Apples? Oranges? Not quite. They're the same thing, only different.
Four out of five foodies surveyed actually said they prefer Armagnac. These data were compiled not through a structured tasting -- in fact, it couldn't have been less scientific -- but rather by ambling around the Food section asking those writers who happened to be at their desks, Which is better, Cognac or Armagnac?Both are made from wine that's destined to become brandy. Cognac is distilled twice, but Armagnac is distilled only ones, in a continuous still, and retains more of the fruity character of the wine. This fascinates me, and I'm definitely keen to try more Armagnac. Problem was, I never knew which one to get -- it's more expensive than taking a crapshoot at a $15 bottle of wine. Fortunately, the Times article offers several suggestions with tasting notes, so maybe I'll take some of my Christmas money and see about that Château de Pellehaut Réserve Armagnac Ténarèze ("Beautiful plum tart aromas with hints of fig, vanilla and ginger. Delicious. About $41 at the Wine House", which is conveniently located within a lunch-hour trip from work!).
Symbolism. I'm going to lift this Atrios post in its entirety, because a mere excerpt would spoil its beauty:
Truer words were never spoken: "[O]ne presidential adviser pointed out that Kerik "brings 9/11 symbolism into the Cabinet."They didn't even vet this guy before nominating him. One thing I find to be a hopeful sign is that these arrogant swine are already fucking up before the second administration is even sworn in.
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The Cocktailian. The current edition of Gary Regan's fortnightly cocktails column features a customer with that age-old joke punchline: "Bartender ... there's a Monkey Gland in my glass! By the way, try a Monkey Gland (easy to talk a bartender through) for any of your gin-fearing friends. It might just convert them. (Oh, and as much as I like Bénédictine, this drink cries out for the "English version" using the pastis, absinthe or absinthe substitute.)
Find of the day: The Barack Palinka is mine! Our cocktail of the day (coming up next) is one I came across in Charles Baker and immediately wanted to try. Problem is, I had a little bit of trouble finding its key ingredient -- dry apricot brandy, also referred to as an apricot eau de vie or Barack Palinka as it's called in Hungary (where the best examples of it are made). This is not to be confused with "apricot-flavored brandy", a sweet, brandy-based liqueur (one of the best examples of which is Marie Brizard's Apry). A little Googling led me to one of my favorite spirits and culinary finds of the year -- Ernie's Deli in Inglewood. It's actually reachable from work in about 20 minutes, has a great selection of Hungarian, German and other harder-to-find European wines, plus central and eastern European products, meats, sausages, etc. The key find, though, was a ready source of eastern European spirits, especially those made by Hungarian spirits giant Zwack. I found dry apricot brandy, plus pear (Poire William) and cherry (Kirsch), all for about $16 for a 750ml bottle. There were also rare liqueurs like St. Hubertus (orange/herb flavored) and their signature product Unicum (bitter and medicinal, and which once cured my hiccups immediately after taking a single shot of it), plus Bärenjäager (German honey liqueur) and lots of stuff I didn't even get to. I ended up walking out with a big bottle of Zwack Pecsétes Barack Palinka, a 50ml taster of Pecsétes Körte Palinka (pear brandy), a 50ml taster of Bärenjäger, a bottle of Carpano Antica Formula red vermouth (best in the world), some Hero Jam (red currant and gooseberry) and a half a pound of spicy Hungarian salami. This could get expensive (but it'll be fun). L.A. area folks should check him out -- take the 405 South, exit at Manchester, left on Manchester, left on Crenshaw, then a right on 8th Ave. and it's right there.
Cocktail of the day. I dug this one out of Charles Baker's The Gentleman's Companion, 'cause it looked intriguing just from the description. It's delicious too, but not for the person who craves sweet drinks. It's painfully dry (which I love), but I suppose nobody would drop dead if you put 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of sugar syrup in it, or maybe just a dash. Baker (whom I love but who was prone to exaggeration and florid descriptions) described this as "one of the five or six most important cocktails". I might not go that far, but it's damned tasty. Remember, DO NOT use "apricot flavored brandy" or Apry or any apricot liqueur for this drink. Too lazy to take a picture last night, sorry.
The Grande Bretagne Cocktail No. 1To make a Grande Bretagne No. 2, substitute kirsch for the apricot.
Mad carb disease on the wane? Apparently many people are experiencing spontaneous remission.
Last July, executives of the American Italian Pasta Company decamped at the Atkins Nutritionals office in midtown Manhattan, determined to cook up a new blockbuster product. They spent several days hammering out a deal to put the Atkins name on a line of low-carbohydrate, soy-based pasta.This is because (fortunately) it didn't take people all that long to figure out that nothing made of soy flour tastes good. I can't wait until all this Atkins-branded crap goes away, and people who want to do low-carbohydrate diets go back to being the reasonable numbers of people who do it with real food. In the meantime, let's all patronize a neighborhood bakery that's seen its sales slump over the last couple of years.
I suppose changing the channel is out of the question. Here's a contribution from guest weblogger Michael, who sent in an impressive rant:
It turns out that the Parents Television Council has generated over 99% of indecency complaints to the FCC during the past 2 years, ignoring the statistical anomaly that is/was Janet Jackson's left boob. (Mediaweek: Acctivists Dominate Content Complaints).I agree completely, but given the tenor of the time my first response to that is "Good luck with that!" Although it's been fairly widely reported so far, it won't hurt to spread the story that the $1.5 million fine levied against Fox for one of their stupid "reality" shows was based on what turned out to be only three actual complaints. Turn off the TV. Buy a TiVo, use the parental controls and only record what you want. They're inexpensive, it's easy. Problem is, people like Brent Bozell and the PTC aren't really interested in democracy. They're not interested in giving people the freedom to make their own choices. They, like so much of the nutjob right wing these days, don't believe in freedom -- they believe in making the choices for everyone themselves.
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"Get Fuzzy" shaved by the Times. I missed this when it happened last month, as I got behind on my newspaper-reading, but it seems that the Los Angeles Times (and other newspapers, presumably) pulled a week-long run of "Get Fuzzy", one of my favorite comic strips, because of potentially offensive content. You can see the first one here, and click through subsequent dates until the following Saturday. These strips are all hilarious, and as funny or funnier than the strip's usual high standard for writing, drawing and humor. It's ridiculous that the Times is so afraid of potentially offending a few people that they won't run one of the best strips out there. Wes adds, "Are people so afraid of offending someone these days that no one is willing to take a chance? Free and cheap media gets blander all the time. How long before people who can't afford to pay for premium media and entertainment can't get anything decent? Or are we already there?" If not, we're almost there. Don't want to offend anyone in the White House or amongst its occupant's wingnut troops, do we? Welcome to the blandification of America, where it's okay to offend some, but not others. UPDATE -- Apparently there's been some confusion. My source at the Times now says he "may have been mistaken", but is sure something was up, that one or more strips were substituted or changed in some way. As I myself didn't see the paper that week, I'm not entirely sure myself and just went with his report. If nothing else, the strips were so funny that they at least deserved the extra attention.
You can't handle the truth! And you don't want reform, either. Slate's Fred Kaplan calls the newly-created position of national intelligence director "a toothless figurehead." (Thanks, Wes.)
The intelligence-reform bill, which the House and Senate seem finally on the verge of passing, doesn't really reform much. Certainly it falls far short of the measures urged by the 9/11 commission, which set the legislative process in motion. The basic reason for this shortfall is simple: The Bush White House doesn't want reform. The commission's main proposal was to create a new national intelligence director, who would coordinate and control the vast, disparate, and sometimes quarrelsome array of federal departments, agencies, and sub-agencies that comprise the U.S. "intelligence community." Initially, the Senate passed a bill that closely reflected the commission's suggestions, which a handful of Republicans in the House firmly rejected. House Speaker Dennis Hastert refused even to bring a similar bill to the floor for a vote. The compromise bill that's about to pass -- and that President Bush, at last, has endorsed -- establishes a national intelligence director but one with scant authority.[ Link to today's entries ]
The holy grail of liqueurs. It's extremely difficult to get. I've looked. Even Dr. Cocktail looked. We've (nearly) given up. The problem is, we want it. We want it very badly. What is it? Wray & Nephew Pimento Liqueur. "Pimento?" you say, your mouth twisting into a moue of distaste. "You mean they make liqueur out of those little red squiggly things inside an olive?" No no, not that pimento. In Jamaica, "pimento" is the local word for one of that country's greatest exports (besides rum, reggae and ganja) ... allspice. There are lots of misconceptions about allspice, one of the most amazing members of the spice continuum. It's not, in fact, a blend of lots of different spices, it's only one, which grows as small green berries on trees in several areas of the world, the best of which is in Jamaica. Allspice got its name because of its amazing flavor characteristics, which taste like cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and black pepper. Versatile, an absolute must in Caribbean cooking, and really wonderful stuff. Now, imagine a liqueur with the intense, aromatic, complex flavor of allspice. Imagine a few dashes of that in any number of Caribbean or tropical drinks. The possibilities are endless. Dr. Cocktail says it's quite possibly the world's most important liqueur. And we can't get it. It's made in Jamaica, and only sold in Jamaica. It hasn't been exported in many years, and no liquor importers in the U.S. (or anywhere else, for that matter) seem to be interested in it. The only way to get it is to go to Jamaica, buy it and bring it back. With current fares from L.A. to Kingston running around $700 ... well, given my current income level that's a bit much to pick up a case of liquor. (Jamaica's pretty far down on my list of places to go at the moment too, I must confess.) So. What to do? Wait for a friend to go to Jamaica. Or ... try to make an approximation of Pimento Liqueur yourself. Some simple Googling, or looking in home liqueur making books, call for macerating 3/4 teaspoon of ground allspice in 1-1/2 cups of vodka, straining and adding 1/2 cup of simple syrup. That sounds to me more like a weak sweetened tincture. Furthermore, Wray & Nephew's product isn't made from vodka, it's made from rum, and we'd like to think it's a little bit more complex than that. After nearly two hours of fairly intensive Googling I found a better looking recipe in Google's cache (although not the best; check in again in a month or so for more), from a two-year old article in the Jamaica Gleaner. The recipe called for a fairly large quantity to be made, and also called for fresh, ripe pimento (allspice) berries; that is, in fact, what Wray & Nephew make the liqueur from. We're unlikely to find those in the States, so we'll have to make do with the dried product. For the purposes of this first batch I've applied the general culinary truism of dried herb/spice being about 1/3 the volume of the fresh item, and cut their recipe down to 1/4 of the original. This is what I came up with, and all the ingredients will go into the jar this week. Don't just use Bacardi 151 for this. It's pretty rank stuff. CocktailDB describes most 151 proof rums thusly: "Most brands are awful." They do, however recommend Demerara rums from Guyana as being both high-proof and eminently palatable, and they recommend Lemonhart as being one good brand. Remember -- Garbage In, Garbage Out.
Jamaican Pimento (Allspice) LiqueurDoc's stash of Pimento Liqueur was down to less than 1/3 of a bottle, but he was still kind enough to give me the tiniest sip so I could see what it tasted like. The stuff is marvelous, and I'm clinging to the memory of that flavor to see if the above approximation even comes close. If it's in the ballpark, it'll do in a pinch until we can get someone to Jamaica. And if any of you are going to Jamaica anytime soon, I have a small business proposition for you. UPDATE: Doc has informed me that he's skeptical of the lime juice, and as it turns out I was too -- when I began the infusion of the allspice in the 151 rum I left it out (although I might put in a strip of lime peel for a little while before I decant and strain). He also noted that in the original recipe the rum was listed as "proof rum", which means 100 proof rum. I thought it was a typo and that they meant 151 or overproof rum, so I went with the Guyanese Demerara. Doc suggests that a combination of Myers' dark and Wray & Nephew Overproof Rum might have lent a more authentic flavor. Preliminary tasting of the above result, sans lime juice, leads us to think that the cinnamon should be left out. I'll update soon.
The Concrete Isle? Not long after a BBC article named Ireland (one of my favorite places) to be the best place to live in Europe, a Guardian article begs to differ. Specifically, it names Ireland as one of the world's biggest polluters, and describes how the economic boom of the "Celtic Tiger" is destroying the gorgeous landscape and environment with motorways, construction projects and "McMansions". Wes and I saw some evidence of this while we were there. We still saw plenty of pristine areas (north/west Clare and the Burren, although Doolin is getting overrun with McMansion B&Bs), but the rush hour traffic we experienced driving into Dublin from Westmeath at around 5pm is about the worst I've ever been through in my life, and this is coming from someone who's lived in Los Angeles for 22 years and commutes from Eagle Rock to the Westside and back. Jaaaysis.
Oy to the world. That's the title of my one of my favorite Christmas albums, by The Klezmonauts (and my second-favorite klezmer album title after The Klezmatics' "Rhythm and Jews"). This isn't about that, though, it's about the latest round of songs from the Woody Guthrie Archive. The first wave resulted in two outstanding albums by Billy Bragg & Wilco, writing new music to a carefully chosen selectoin of Woody's archived lyrics, totaling about 3200 songs. Now the brilliant Klezmatics have been asked by Nora Guthrie to write new music for the Hanukkah songs Woody wrote. Nope, he wasn't Jewish, but his wife Marjorie (Arlo's mom) was. My friend Steve wrote a terrific article about it in the Los Angeles Times this weekend, but of course you can't read any feckin' entertainment related stories in the Times online unless you pay, which really cheeses me off. So, here's a little fair use:
The story of Arlo Guthrie's "hootenanny bar mitzvah" is a colorful episode in folk music mythology, perhaps more so than the singer would like at this point.Arlo, his son Abe and The Klezmatics will be performing Woody's songs tonight at Disney Hall, and it's a shame I won't be able to go.
Quote of the day. Oh, the things you learn watching the funniest show on TV.
If you knew anything at all about food, you'd know that fats and oils are the vehicles by which flavor travels. Fat is what makes things taste good. That's why a wise and loving God created fat in the first place.Last night's episode was one of the funniest ever, by the way.
Spam From: header of the day. I might have to steal this for a character's name if I ever write a novel: Falconry R. Slouching. Right up there with Rufus T. Firefly and Jethro Q. Walrustitty.
[ Link to today's entries ]
Whiskey reinvented. Wednesday's L.A. Times Food Section had a terrific article on the new crop of single malt and single barrel whiskeys being made in the West, all of which I'm very eager to try (budget allowing). St. George Spirits in the Bay Area, who make some of my favorite fruit eaux-de-vie that are both delicious and very affordable, as well as the outstanding Hangar One infused vodkas, have a single malt that's described as "delicate fruit aromas of orange blossom, litchi, tangerine and roses; its nose reminded us more of an Alsace Gewürtztraminer than a whiskey... smooth on the palate, with a hint of peppermint on the finish." Wow. Sounds lovely. They also describe the whiskey-making process, reminding us that whiskey actually starts as beer (also called "wash"); St. George, for instance, describes theirs thusly: "Our whiskey starts as a smoky brown ale. Heavily roasted barley provides a mixture of dried cocoa and hazelnut in the aroma, while a measure of the barley has been smoked over alder and beech for added complexity." Another one I really want to try is made by Domaine Charbay, another maker of infused vodkas and an amazingly complex pastis. Unfortunately their current release, a barrel-strength hopped whiskey, has what's perfectly described as a "staggering" price tag of $325. They'll be releasing an 85 proof version next year at $85, which is at least within the realm of possibility. I don't have any of these tantalizing tipples on hand at the moment, but I hope to try at least a couple of them soon. In the meantime ... maybe a wee glass of that magnificent 15-year-old barrel strength George T. Stagg Bourbon ...
Killer tipple. (Via Wes.) Why killer? Because this particular cocktail's got a $10,000 price tag, and because you could choke on the completely inedible garnish. No one has yet purchased this cocktail (an otherwise ordinary Martini, presumably, with a $9,988 garnish)) since it was added to the Algonquin's menu. Maybe someone will, but it's really just silly rich people's wankery, if you ask me. Speaking of which, until I read of this the most expensive actual cocktail I'd ever read about was Colin Field's "Ritz Sidecar", which he serves at the Ritz Hotel in Paris. At first glance it looks like any other Sidecar, made with Cognac, Cointreau and lemon juice. However, this particular Sidecar is made with Cognac produced before the epidemic of phylloxera destroyed France's grape crops in 1854, such as an 1853 E. Remy Martin Grande Champagne Cognac. Sometimes he makes it with 1834 or 1818, according to Dr. Cocktail's Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails. The price tag? €400 ($538.52 at the current lousy exchange rate). Y'know, I'm all for the whole concept of "Garbage In, Garbage Out" when making a cocktail. Use the best ingredients available to you, and not bottom-shelf well crap. This is just ridiculous, though, and I have to roll my eyes. Even Colin admits that 99.99% of such Cognacs on hand at the Ritz are consumed neat (as they should be), and I'd have to laugh at someone who'd put lemon juice in such a rare treasure and call him a fool. I'd be more than happy with a 10-year-old Pierre Ferrand in my Sidecar.
A return to America's founding principles. Joe Trippi talks about the direction the Democratic party needs to go -- not to the left or right, but to lift itself up to the high principles on which our nation was founded.
To do so will require rebuilding the party from the ground up, returning much of the power in the party to the grassroots, and building new institutions that empower more Americans to participate and have a say in the decisions that effect them. [ Link to today's entries ]
OffBeat speaketh. This is the review of the box set I was most anxious about. I really, really wanted them to like it. December issue, with Brian Stolz on the cover, reviews section, scroll down to the third review, past Bonerama and Craig Klein. (I know, it's crass to post reviews of one's own work, but this is a big one, and I can't help it.)
NEW ORLEANS IN A BOXUm, I guess they liked it. (Yay!)
November Looka! entries have been permanently archived.
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