FlaSoxxJim

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Jul 1, 2011 -> 12:37 PM) This is supposedly the plot of the Alien "prequel" Ridley Scott, get your ass moving. I want to see this NOW Better still H. R. Giger is on board to do creature design. Yea!!!

All the American Pie movies All the Jackass movies Any of the Transformer movies Davinci Code or it sequel

QUOTE (Felix @ Jul 1, 2011 -> 01:54 AM) I'm likely the only one in here that appreciates them, but Ween is really an awesome band. Some of their stuff is just sheer brilliance. That's not entirely true, but I have only heard dribs and drabs of their stuff other than the "The Mollusk" album that someone played for me probably 10 years ago and I thought was just about brilliant. I REALLY need to dig into their back catalog though because they are great. Thanks for reminding me about these guys.

QUOTE (Felix @ Jun 30, 2011 -> 08:45 PM) This is so depressingly true about a large number of bands. Never really gone into Thin Lizzy all that much, but I know this song is a Thin Lizzy tribute, and that song is very awesome. I'll have to check out Lizzy sometime. That is a great song. Great homage to Phil Lynott and the boys for sure.

QUOTE (Milkman delivers @ Jun 30, 2011 -> 11:38 AM) Cowboy Song by Thin Lizzy is an extremely underplayed and unknown song for how f***ing awesome it is. Very True. QUOTE (The Critic @ Jun 30, 2011 -> 06:51 PM) Thin Lizzy is an extremely underplayed and unknown band for how f***ing awesome they are. They have so many outstanding songs, it's downright criminal that they weren't as big as other bands of their era. They were great at melodic hard rock, they had great ballads, they went almost metal at the end of their run, and they did all of it better than most. .....s***, now I gotta play some Lizzy!! Nobody did harmony guitar lines like they did. Love that stuff.

QUOTE (bmags @ Jun 30, 2011 -> 12:01 PM) a chipotle tortilla is almost 300 calories alone. Just make sure to eat it with someone else then.

Two very unlikely things happened last night. Unlikely Thing One: I found a bottle of Martinique Rhum St. James Extra Old (43% abv, blend of 3-6 year old rhums) at one of the local hooch shops yesterday. Typically I only find the younger (18-24 months) Royal Ambre locally, and have been pestering shopkeepers for about two years to start stocking Extra Old and/or the still more elusive Hors d'Age (42% abv, blend of 6-10 year old rhums). I have been looking for this rhum locally for a long time. Unlikely Thing Two: I was so focused on tweaking and testing my newly discovered granulated sugar approach to the Caipirinha this evening that I never got around to using the St. James Extra Old to shake up what I expect will be the best mai tai I have ever tasted. St. James Extra Old Mai Tai tonight for sure. This evening I did finish reading Wayne Curtis' "and a Bottle of Rum: A History of the New World in Ten Cocktails". Great Book! To celebrate I did just mixed up the first recipe in the book's historic recipe appendix — A single serving of a traditional interpretation of the classic Fish House Punch. Used Jamaican and Guyanan rums (ala Punch expert Dave Wondrich's advice to go "high hogo" on the rums for authenticity) and Martel VS cognac. Pretty good drink.

QUOTE (pittshoganerkoff @ Jun 29, 2011 -> 12:42 PM) Speaking of competent film makers, did you see Sam Raimi is directing a prequel to The Wizard of Oz? How the heck is he going to fit Bruce Campbell into that?

I revisited two Caribbean classics this evening: the Mojito and the Caipirinha. Specifically, I wanted to follow the advice from Drinkboy's Robert Hess and make these muddled cocktails with granulated sugar instead of the simple syrup I normally use. Despite the obvious downside that sugar doesn't like to dissolve in cocktails, the appealing upside is that the sugar adds some abrasiveness to the muddle. This should allow the mint in a Mojito to be gently but effectively muddled so that the delicate mint oils are released from the leaves but not the bitterness that you get from over-muddling. Similarly in the Caipirinha, the abrasion from the sugar should help release to the cocktail the essential oils from the lime hulls that straight muddling with simple syrup would mostly leave behind. The verdict: It totally works. I am henceforth switching to granulated sugar for these two muddled cocktails and probably for any others where some abrasion of the muddled ingredients would make sense.

Extra innings games are just a guaranteed loss these days.

QUOTE (knightni @ Jun 27, 2011 -> 03:16 PM) I never liked Moo Shu anything. There's something just wrong about eating scrambled eggs with Chinese food. That is some crazy talk right there. Mei Fun and Egg Foo Young are insanely awesome Chineese dishes made with scrambled egg.

QUOTE (G&T @ Jun 26, 2011 -> 10:17 PM) I was actually looking for pisco when I found this. I'd happily take the Coruba from all I hear about it. We may have to trade. A trade can most certainly be arranged, but I think Coruba is pretty easily had through a few online outlets. Classic though it is, the Jack Rose has always left me a little flat using the 80 proof Laird's. I think you have confirmed my suspicion that the Bonded Laird's is needed to really put that cocktail over.

Wow, I am totally jealous.

I don't think caulfield said the Nazi storyline is a minor component in CA. he said it was only a small part of X-men First Class - basically Erik Lensherr/Magneto's Nazi concentration camp origin story.

What an awful end to a game they had fought so hard to get back.

Hope it's a good one.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Jun 24, 2011 -> 12:39 AM) Scorsese's best has still yet to be mentioned. Last Waltz? Probably not what you had in mind, but it still sets the bar for concert films.

QUOTE (Milkman delivers @ Jun 23, 2011 -> 05:35 PM) I don't mean this as an insult, but you're a bit older than me. I'm not a big fan of comics or Bond and they certainly weren't part of my youth, so perhaps that was a built-in positive for you? My main problem with The Incredibles was that I didn't find it funny. I didn't hate it, but I didn't particularly care for it. Oh, and I forgot to mention but I finally watched Sweet Smell of Success a couple of weeks ago. I'm not certain that I've seen Tony Curtis in anything before, but I really enjoyed his character. I couldn't stand Lancaster's obviously, but he always put in a good performance (Judgment at Nuremberg and Birdman of Alcatraz being two of my favorites). Overall it was a pretty good movie, definitely worth a viewing. It was just sitting on my table for a month with Yankee Doodle Dandy waiting to be watched. I just haven't been feeling like watching movies. This is probably the longest drought of not watching movies I can remember since I started to consider myself a movie buff. But truth be told, I still watch some things on TV. No insult taken, of course. And I'm quite sure that growing up seeking out and totally loving the Silver Age comics that inform so much of The Incredibles does have a lot to do with how much I enjoy that film. I only took in the Connery-era Bond stuff second hand but certainly did grow up on the Moore installments, so I dig all of the John Barry-esqe Bond musical motifs that accompany all of the island scenes in Incredibles. Literally dozens of visual and story references to the old comics and films aren't going to be picked up on by everybody but the attention to detail that Brad Bird displays in balancing all of the homage and still coming up with something very original and compelling is impressive. I think your assessment of Sweet Smell of Success is on target.

Nobody but Ebert and me gives Scorsese any credit or love for After Hours. I think it was one of the best dark comedies of the 80s.

QUOTE (Milkman delivers @ Jun 23, 2011 -> 09:37 AM) The only one I wouldn't watch if it were on TV is The Incredibles, and that's for the lack (IMO) of comedy. I'm squarely in the camp that believes Pixar has yet to put out a bad film (we will see about Cars 2), but based on your taste in films being generally in agreement with mine I'm surprised you disliked The Incredibles. I think it is easily the most intelligent Pixar offering, very reflexive and very aware of the pop culture it borrows from. The respectful, loving, and well-studied sendup of the kitschiest aspects of early 1960s comic book sensibility and classic James Bond motifs was brilliant in my opinion.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Jun 22, 2011 -> 12:22 PM) I didnt care about or care for the first movie, but it still made bank at the box office. I wouldnt count pixar out, there are millions of little kids who love those movies I'm one of the biggest Pixar fans out there, but I dislike them going the sequel route in general. And that goes for the Toy Story franchise as well regardless of how good the last installment of that series was. I understand that it's a business and it would be irresponsible for a corporation not to take full advantage of a proven moneymaking franchise, but i wish Pixar could have resisted the lure of the sequel and easy money. The exception for me would be an Incredibles sequel (If Brad Bird agreed to helm it). There is no way that movie wouldn't kick ass. While not among my favorites I actually very much liked the original Cars. i just watched most of it last night with my son during the Sox rain delay.

Voted.

QUOTE (BigEdWalsh @ Jun 19, 2011 -> 11:30 AM) R.I.P. Larry "Wild Man" Fischer Wild Man Fischer was a cultish singer-songwriter whose unconventional music and actions could be attributed to mental illness. He’s been called severely paranoid schizophrenic, manic depressive, and an acid casualty. Fischer was kicked out of high school for singing in class, and at 16 was institutionalized after attacking his mother with a knife. Upon his release the following year, he landed on the streets of Los Angeles where he continued to sing his outlandish songs to pedestrians at just 10 cents each. Another venue he enjoyed was Dodger Stadium where he serenaded fans while selling peanuts. He also entered area talent shows, and it was at one of these that he caught the attention of Solomon Burke who took him on tour with him. By the late ’60s, Fischer was hanging out along West Hollywood’s Sunset Strip where he opened for the likes of Iron Butterfly and Bo Diddley. He was soon spotted by Frank Zappa who recorded his first album, "An Evening With Wild Man Fischer," in 1968. He went on to perform with Art and Artie Barnes and recorded additional albums on his own through the ’80s. His 1975 Go To Rhino Records was the first album ever released by the esteemed Rhino label. Throughout his career, Fischer worked with such luminaries as Linda Ronstadt, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Tom Waits, and oddly enough, Rosemary Clooney, with whom he dueted on 1986′s “It’s A Hard Business.” In recent years he has performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, while making other random appearances. He is also the subject of a recent documentary, Derailroaded: Inside The Mind Of Wild Man Fischer. Wild Man Fischer was 66 when he passed away on June 15, 2011. Cause of death was not immediately released, but he was reportedly suffering from heart issues. As the proud owner of an original vinyl copy of An Evening with Wild Man Fischer, this saddens me — especially because my turntable is busted and I can't properly pay my respects with a late evening listening. RIP

Happy Birthday!

QUOTE (G&T @ Jun 19, 2011 -> 05:05 PM) I took the aguave suggestion from you. I sampled it without and it was very bitter. My wife couldn't handle it. I threw in a full teaspoon and it was perfect. I could always use more sweet, but that isn't the point of the drink. Meanwhile, I've been trying my hand on the calvados cocktail. A drink that I feel like I should like, but I always regret making. I decided to up the calvados to 2 oz and drop the orange juice and cointreau to 1 oz a piece. Shaken, poured over rocks and added bitters until it tasted good. And, for me, it finally did. But it was still missing something. I added a dash of cinnamon to round out the flavor and it came together. I imagine nutmeg would work very well too. The aroma here is like apple pie and the flavor is, at first glance, similar. As it lingers, it devolves to the sour orange flavor that I usually taste in this cocktail. Something similar to eating fruit before it is ripe. I find the ice a necessary because my Calvados is probably not the best quality. I bought it because I hadn't seen it elsewhere. I now know where to find better stuff. Here, however, the ice works to ease the sourness and helps the drink. Still probably a drink I will continue to tinker with, but whenever I see the Calvados in the back of my cabinet I feel like I have to do something with it. But I always find this cocktail to be too orange heavy. I need a better apple balance. Perhaps a squeeze of lemon to clean up the alcohol and brighten the flavors? Cut back on the orange elements? This could be a favorite if I can get it right... Cinnamon and/or nutmeg do sound like they would be good additions to this or any drink with calvados or applejack. But your note that you are bringing the Cointreau down to 1 oz. makes me wonder what recipe you were using that had it starting out so high. CocktailDB only calls for 1/4 oz, while Ted Haigh and Gary Regan call for 3/4 and 1/2 oz. respectively. Even where the 1930 Harry Craddock version calls for 1.5 oz, he also notes that the recipe was for six small servings so the ratio of calvados to Cointreau is 2:1 and the absolute amount in a single serving is only 1/4-1/2 oz. Gary Regan's version also calls for lemon juice, and when mixed up that way the drink comes off very much like a Sidecar. When I did it up that way (subbing Laird's for want of a calvados), the drink was so Sidecar-esque that I went with a sugared rim on the glass to good effect. Finally, you did not specify in your notes, but I am assuming you are using orange bitters in the Calvados Cocktail and not plain Ango, yes? All four of the recipes I consulted specify orange bitters exclusively for this one. There are close to 90 recipes in the Cocktail DB for drinks made with Calvados, so if you want to give that neglected bottle a workout you should find plenty of inspiration there. The Atlas Cocktail made with Calvados and Demerara rum has caught my eye and I think I'll give this one a go in the near future. Happy Mixing!