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The Finer Things In Life


knightni
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Oh Boy. So many things.

 

I moved to WI which means I have a whole new world to explore, but I am resurrecting this thread based on a discovery. I may be drunk (I am bc I'm unemployed now) but a Gin and Tonic with the addition of a bottle cap (literally I used a beer bottle cap) of pimento dram is a winner. I happened to also have 2 dashes of Angostura. I'm not sure if the bitters are needed but the dram is good stuff.

 

I also had my first Gumballhead (disappointing but that's for another time), Raspberry Tart, Dancing Man Wheat (amazing) and some other stuff that deserves mention. And in time, I will update.

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QUOTE (G&T @ May 24, 2012 -> 09:16 PM)
Oh Boy. So many things.

 

I moved to WI which means I have a whole new world to explore, but I am resurrecting this thread based on a discovery. I may be drunk (I am bc I'm unemployed now) but a Gin and Tonic with the addition of a bottle cap (literally I used a beer bottle cap) of pimento dram is a winner. I happened to also have 2 dashes of Angostura. I'm not sure if the bitters are needed but the dram is good stuff.

 

I also had my first Gumballhead (disappointing but that's for another time), Raspberry Tart, Dancing Man Wheat (amazing) and some other stuff that deserves mention. And in time, I will update.

 

Good luck on the transition from the east coast to the Midwest. And good luck on the job hunt!

 

I can absolutely see a small splash of dram punching up a Gin and Tonic nicely, and I am absolutely in favor of a scant dash of Ango in mine.

 

My big Finer Things phenomena of late include having a fantastic time with the wife at Hukilau — the highlight of which for me was Beachbum Berry's Zombie history seminar. I am also over-the-moon happy that Lemon Hart 151 is now finally here in Florida and I don't have to keep pestering my family to bring me bottles from up north. Mai Kai in Fort Lauderdale has already ditched the inferior 151 (probably Bacardi) they had been using for the last 15 years and have reformulated many of their classic drinks with the newly available Lemon Hart 151 that they originally called for. A commando return trip ti Mai Kai last week on my way home from a Miami work trip confirmed that in a drink like the Jet Pilot, the presence of the LH 151 makes all the difference in the world. I had a Jet Pilot just the month before at Hukilau and it was relatively forgettable, but with the LH 151 it is now among my favorite drinks on their menu.

 

Speaking of Mai Kai, G&T if you have not yet discovered Jim "Hurricane" Hayward's Atomic Grog website, you are in for a treat. Hurricane (with whom I struck up a friendship online and at Hukilau) has spent the last year reviewing, researching the history of, and in many cases formulating "tribute recipes" for every single drink on the Mai Kai menu and even a couple of retired special cocktails. He has one more drink to go and then in two weeks he'll celebrate the accomplishment by hosting the first ever Mai Kai Mixer in the Molokai Bar at the restaurant where they will serve several different special tiki cocktail flights and give a bit of a seminar on the drinks. I am desperately hoping I can get back down there for it, but not sure yet. At any rate, check out the blog and start mixing up some of his tribute recipes – especially for some of the drinks whose ancestor recipes you already know from Beachbum's books.

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QUOTE (FlaSoxxJim @ May 26, 2012 -> 08:39 PM)
Good luck on the transition from the east coast to the Midwest. And good luck on the job hunt!

 

I can absolutely see a small splash of dram punching up a Gin and Tonic nicely, and I am absolutely in favor of a scant dash of Ango in mine.

 

My big Finer Things phenomena of late include having a fantastic time with the wife at Hukilau — the highlight of which for me was Beachbum Berry's Zombie history seminar. I am also over-the-moon happy that Lemon Hart 151 is now finally here in Florida and I don't have to keep pestering my family to bring me bottles from up north. Mai Kai in Fort Lauderdale has already ditched the inferior 151 (probably Bacardi) they had been using for the last 15 years and have reformulated many of their classic drinks with the newly available Lemon Hart 151 that they originally called for. A commando return trip ti Mai Kai last week on my way home from a Miami work trip confirmed that in a drink like the Jet Pilot, the presence of the LH 151 makes all the difference in the world. I had a Jet Pilot just the month before at Hukilau and it was relatively forgettable, but with the LH 151 it is now among my favorite drinks on their menu.

 

Speaking of Mai Kai, G&T if you have not yet discovered Jim "Hurricane" Hayward's Atomic Grog website, you are in for a treat. Hurricane (with whom I struck up a friendship online and at Hukilau) has spent the last year reviewing, researching the history of, and in many cases formulating "tribute recipes" for every single drink on the Mai Kai menu and even a couple of retired special cocktails. He has one more drink to go and then in two weeks he'll celebrate the accomplishment by hosting the first ever Mai Kai Mixer in the Molokai Bar at the restaurant where they will serve several different special tiki cocktail flights and give a bit of a seminar on the drinks. I am desperately hoping I can get back down there for it, but not sure yet. At any rate, check out the blog and start mixing up some of his tribute recipes – especially for some of the drinks whose ancestor recipes you already know from Beachbum's books.

 

LH 151 was not available in NY but it turns out it is available in WI. Crazy. And it will be in my recipes soon...but right now I have a ridiculous beer world to explore. How a town this size can have this much good beer is totally beyond my understanding.

 

I'm checking out that blog. Really cook stuff. Certainly wish I was a bit closer to Mai Kai but I suppose the blog will do. Thanks!

 

 

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QUOTE (knightni @ May 28, 2012 -> 07:06 PM)
Of course, being in WI now, you'll need to stock up on the New Glarus Spotted Cow.

 

Spotted Cow is coming up through the sewers around here (not that I'm complaining), but if you have a selection of New Glarus, there's a lot more. The Dancing Man Wheat and Black Top are amazing. The Raspberry Tart is quite good, though pricey. And I have a lot left to try.

 

Then there's Capital Brewing (best maibock I've had), Ale Asylum (Bedlam is the best Belgian IPA I've tasted), Tyranena, and Central Waters....plus I finally have full access to Bells, Founders and 3 Floyds which, for some reason, no one else seems to be drinking.

 

Ah yes...it's a hell of a place. And now I need a job...dammit.

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QUOTE (G&T @ May 28, 2012 -> 07:46 PM)
Spotted Cow is coming up through the sewers around here (not that I'm complaining), but if you have a selection of New Glarus, there's a lot more. The Dancing Man Wheat and Black Top are amazing. The Raspberry Tart is quite good, though pricey. And I have a lot left to try.

 

Then there's Capital Brewing (best maibock I've had), Ale Asylum (Bedlam is the best Belgian IPA I've tasted), Tyranena, and Central Waters....plus I finally have full access to Bells, Founders and 3 Floyds which, for some reason, no one else seems to be drinking.

 

Ah yes...it's a hell of a place. And now I need a job...dammit.

What do you do for work?

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QUOTE (SoxFan1 @ Jun 1, 2012 -> 12:35 AM)
I'm not a rum fan whatsoever, so the fact that I love Kraken immediately makes it one of my favorite liquors. It's delicious. Three rum and cokes, the way I mix them, and I'm feeling great.

 

Kraken is a good mixing rum, good vanilla sweetness and spice. A great bargain for the price too.

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I just tried a new orgeat recipe and it hands-down produced the best batch of orgeat I have ever made. Not too dark or too cloudy to screw up the aesthetics of a Mai Tai in the glass, it still has tons more flavor than the cruddy chemo-commercial alternatives like Fee Bros. and Torani.

 

A variation of a recipe buried deep in the Appleton Rums website, My scaled down and slightly altered recipe was as follows:

 

• Blanch 12 oz whole raw almonds in water brought to boil and then removed from heat for 1 minute

• Remove skins (easy to do after blanching) and place almonds in a blender with 30 oz water. Blend

• Filter almond milk through cotton or cheesecloth filters, squeezing out as much milk as possible from the spent nuts.

• Heat collected almond milk along with sugar (I used plain light granulated because I wanted a lighter finished product, original recipe called for Demerara) at a 2:1 sugar to liquid ratio until sugar is completely dissolved.

• Allow to cool and then add: 1.5 oz Appleton V/X rum (original recipe calls for 12 year Extra), 1.5 oz amaretto, 0.75 oz rose water, 1/4 tsp. almond extract.

 

Yield: ~ 1.25 L

 

The wife and I are now enjoying a couple of the best Mai Tais we have ever made.

 

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QUOTE (FlaSoxxJim @ Jun 4, 2012 -> 11:07 PM)
I just tried a new orgeat recipe and it hands-down produced the best batch of orgeat I have ever made. Not too dark or too cloudy to screw up the aesthetics of a Mai Tai in the glass, it still has tons more flavor than the cruddy chemo-commercial alternatives like Fee Bros. and Torani.

 

A variation of a recipe buried deep in the Appleton Rums website, My scaled down and slightly altered recipe was as follows:

 

• Blanch 12 oz whole raw almonds in water brought to boil and then removed from heat for 1 minute

• Remove skins (easy to do after blanching) and place almonds in a blender with 30 oz water. Blend

• Filter almond milk through cotton or cheesecloth filters, squeezing out as much milk as possible from the spent nuts.

• Heat collected almond milk along with sugar (I used plain light granulated because I wanted a lighter finished product, original recipe called for Demerara) at a 2:1 sugar to liquid ratio until sugar is completely dissolved.

• Allow to cool and then add: 1.5 oz Appleton V/X rum (original recipe calls for 12 year Extra), 1.5 oz amaretto, 0.75 oz rose water, 1/4 tsp. almond extract.

 

Yield: ~ 1.25 L

 

The wife and I are now enjoying a couple of the best Mai Tais we have ever made.

 

Awesome find! That actually looks like a fairly simple recipe...except for the rose water...

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QUOTE (G&T @ May 28, 2012 -> 07:46 PM)
Spotted Cow is coming up through the sewers around here (not that I'm complaining), but if you have a selection of New Glarus, there's a lot more. The Dancing Man Wheat and Black Top are amazing. The Raspberry Tart is quite good, though pricey. And I have a lot left to try.

 

Then there's Capital Brewing (best maibock I've had), Ale Asylum (Bedlam is the best Belgian IPA I've tasted), Tyranena, and Central Waters....plus I finally have full access to Bells, Founders and 3 Floyds which, for some reason, no one else seems to be drinking.

 

Ah yes...it's a hell of a place. And now I need a job...dammit.

 

A week late....but that's surprising. Here in Chicago that stuff sells out everywhere as soon as it gets delivered. 3 Floyds is some good stuff. Hopefully as they get bigger the quality doesn't drop.

 

Not sure if I should start another thread for this, but anyone brew their own beer? Couple of friends and I are going to start brewing at my place. I'm redoing my basement and plan to build a bar with a kegerator in it so we can all hang out and drink our brew while watching the Sox/Bears/Bulls/Illini. Should be an interesting process.

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QUOTE (G&T @ Jun 5, 2012 -> 10:36 AM)
Awesome find! That actually looks like a fairly simple recipe...except for the rose water...

 

A Middle Eastern grocery should definitely have the rose water.

 

After a couple Mai Tais I tried the new homemade orgeat in a Japanese Cocktail made to Robert Hess' specs. It was cloudier and not as visually pleasing as the one he makes online with the crappy Fee Bros. orgeat, but taste-wise the drink was off the charts good. I would like for the homemade orgeat to be not quite as cloudy as it is but I am content to sacrifice appearance for flavor.

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QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Jun 5, 2012 -> 10:50 AM)
Not sure if I should start another thread for this, but anyone brew their own beer? Couple of friends and I are going to start brewing at my place. I'm redoing my basement and plan to build a bar with a kegerator in it so we can all hang out and drink our brew while watching the Sox/Bears/Bulls/Illini. Should be an interesting process.

 

There are a couple of brewers here who hopefully chime in. I was a huge all-grain full mash brewer for several years and was absolutely addicted to it, but I have been out of the hobby for about seven years because it is very time-consuming to do right. I also don't have a garage with a spare fridge to ferment and serve draft homebrew from like I did at my old house, and that is the biggest thing that has kept me from getting back into the hobby.

 

Great hobby to get into, and stove-top extract brewing is a perfectly fine way to start out. Just be ready to clean up that stove when your brewpot boils over and makes a huge mess!

 

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QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Jun 5, 2012 -> 09:50 AM)
A week late....but that's surprising. Here in Chicago that stuff sells out everywhere as soon as it gets delivered. 3 Floyds is some good stuff. Hopefully as they get bigger the quality doesn't drop.

 

Not sure if I should start another thread for this, but anyone brew their own beer? Couple of friends and I are going to start brewing at my place. I'm redoing my basement and plan to build a bar with a kegerator in it so we can all hang out and drink our brew while watching the Sox/Bears/Bulls/Illini. Should be an interesting process.

 

I've been all-grain brewing for a while now. Have kegged 2 batches now. If you have any questions, I'd be happy to try to answer them.

 

You will want to spend a lot of time here when you're getting started: http://www.homebrewtalk.com/

 

 

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  • 1 month later...

Since this thread fell off the map, I started doing some writing on beer and the industry for madison beer review and will have an article on flapship (like everyone else around here!) soon.

 

So if anyone is missing their finer things fix (and who isn't) hopefully this will be one way to pass the time.

 

Also, if you can find New Belgium's Tart Lychee...yes. Very nice sour.

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QUOTE (G&T @ Jul 18, 2012 -> 01:45 PM)
Since this thread fell off the map, I started doing some writing on beer and the industry for madison beer review and will have an article on flapship (like everyone else around here!) soon.

 

So if anyone is missing their finer things fix (and who isn't) hopefully this will be one way to pass the time.

 

Also, if you can find New Belgium's Tart Lychee...yes. Very nice sour.

 

Awesome! I know will be a regular reader.

 

Funny thing about the Finer Things thread going into semi-hibernation. I blame my diet for cutting down but at least not entirely killing off my boozey ways. Happy to be ~ 40 pounds lighter than I was at the beginning of the year, but I feel like I have been sadly neglecting my vices.

 

:crying

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QUOTE (FlaSoxxJim @ Jul 18, 2012 -> 01:02 PM)
Awesome! I know will be a regular reader.

 

Funny thing about the Finer Things thread going into semi-hibernation. I blame my diet for cutting down but at least not entirely killing off my boozey ways. Happy to be ~ 40 pounds lighter than I was at the beginning of the year, but I feel like I have been sadly neglecting my vices.

 

:crying

 

 

Well congrats on the weight loss! Taking a break from vices just make them more awesome when you come back to them.

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QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Jul 24, 2012 -> 10:00 PM)
New Glarus Brewery FTW. Is it illegal to transport alcohol over state lines, especially if it's not available in the other state?? (Not that I am worried, but it come up and I am intrigued)

 

Nope!

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