FlaSoxxJim

Twitter Reality TV Lost (when it was on) 24 (when it was on)

Mmmmm. . . Meds. . .

QUOTE (qwerty @ Feb 27, 2011 -> 03:49 PM) ''Pub Guy'' visits 2,500th pub... Very cool. Thanks for posting that. QUOTE (SoxFan1 @ Feb 28, 2011 -> 01:37 AM) Sam Adams Cherry Wheat is disgusting. Agreed. I hve head it has improved somewhat since it first came out, but it was so vile back then I haven't been able to bring myself to give it another try.

I have seen nearly none of the nominated films this year, or for the last several for that matter. Kids really get in the way of keeping up on films.

YYZ is one of my favorites, conveniently enough.

QUOTE (G&T @ Feb 27, 2011 -> 09:11 AM) Man you were doing some catching up last night, eh? That's sounds pretty awesome. I went out for my wife's bday where I was served a warm Negroni. It was undrinkable. Some places should not allow the bar tenders to actually control anything. Passion fruit syrup is awesome on ice cream and waffles by the way, so don't waste it all on awesome drinks. I have mixed up the Palace Court a couple of time since getting the Barbancourt. I find the lime to cover some of the niceties of the rum. It is certainly a good drink, but this might be one I save for sipping. I definitely cut the lime way back on the Palace Court. to make sure the Barbancourt comes through. You might also try it in a midnight mojito or a dark rum daiquiri and cut back lime and sugar to taste. I tried the home coconut rum in a Jamaican 10-Speed which is normally a really forgettable drink and it didn't exactly elevate the cocktail to new heights. It's an odd one because from a texture perspective (it has cream in it) it is always interesting, but flavor-wise it comes off really flat. I think it was the first time I had used Midori in a drink in more than a year. The home coconut shines, however, in a low-octane luau cocktail of the sort you could even enjoy at breakfast on a Caribbean or Pacific island vacation. This morning I'm sipping a long drink I'm calling the Sunny&Rummy (my online cocktail forum handle) which is one part home coconut rum to two parts pineapple juice. It's better than most anything I've been served at touristy luau affairs — hits a lot of the taste notes of a Piña Colada/Bahia or a low-impact Painkiller. I wish I didn't have to drive to a christening in Oelando in about 90 minutes, because this could be a great hammock sipper.

And I think the home-infused coconut rum is a winner as well. I christened the new liqueur by using showcasing it in a Bahama Mama made thusly: • 4 oz pineapple juice • 1 oz lemon juice • 1 oz home-infused coconut rum liqueur • 1/2oz El Dorado 5 • 1/2 oz 151 Cruzan 151 • 1/2 oz Kahlua • float 1/4 oz Coruba The CocktailDB version adapted from Gaz Regan only uses 1/2 oz of coconut rum and just 1/4 oz of Kahlua. Indeed, the first time around when I automatically went with Coruba for the dark rum, 1/2 oz of that along with 1/2 oz Kahlua were overpowering. But the home-infused coconut rum can be ramped up to a full ounce without the drink taking on all the crappy artificial flavors of Malibu or the other store-bought coconut rums, and that amount holds its own against a full 1/2 each oz of Kahlua and ED5, and can even poke through a small Coruba float. If I was served this drink out at a tropical-themed bar I would be very content. Instead, I keep getting served crappy Kool-Aid and cheap rum. This aggression will not stand, Man.

QUOTE (FlaSoxxJim @ Feb 26, 2011 -> 07:36 PM) G&T I followed your lead and mixed up a bottle of Goya passionfruit syrup the other day. The mix with 1:1 simple tasted sweet enough on its own and also in a Chuck Taggert Hurricane, but it still seemed a little unbalanced in a Jeff Berry "original" hurricane so I upped the sugar to be closer to 1.5:1 simple. he drink is balanced better now, but I'm wondering if all Coruba is the way to go on this one - an amazing thing for me to say since I'm a huge Coruba fan, but usually it is paired with lighter rums with less burnt molasses character. Beachbum is partial to Black Seal and I need to try that. I can also go half Coruba and half Appleton V/X which will bring the rum profile closer to the dark/light mix of the Taggert Hurricane. I have a feeling the big win is going to be getting some Smith and Cross in there — the huge ester hit from the Smith and Cross might balance the Coruba out nicely without wimping the drink out. The drink might also be pretty good with 100% Smith and Cross, although that would make for a pricey hurricane. I'm also currently straining and bottling my home-extracted coconut rum which tastes unbelievably fresh and coconut-y out of the aging container. Once I cut in some more simple and rum to get a full fifth out of the batch I'll put it through its paces and report back. Hokey Smokes, a Smith and Cross Jeff Berry Hurricane is a rum-funky, awesome drink. Glad I'm spinning up half-portions, because I have to find out where this goes with a Coruba pairing.

G&T I followed your lead and mixed up a bottle of Goya passionfruit syrup the other day. The mix with 1:1 simple tasted sweet enough on its own and also in a Chuck Taggert Hurricane, but it still seemed a little unbalanced in a Jeff Berry "original" hurricane so I upped the sugar to be closer to 1.5:1 simple. he drink is balanced better now, but I'm wondering if all Coruba is the way to go on this one - an amazing thing for me to say since I'm a huge Coruba fan, but usually it is paired with lighter rums with less burnt molasses character. Beachbum is partial to Black Seal and I need to try that. I can also go half Coruba and half Appleton V/X which will bring the rum profile closer to the dark/light mix of the Taggert Hurricane. I have a feeling the big win is going to be getting some Smith and Cross in there — the huge ester hit from the Smith and Cross might balance the Coruba out nicely without wimping the drink out. The drink might also be pretty good with 100% Smith and Cross, although that would make for a pricey hurricane. I'm also currently straining and bottling my home-extracted coconut rum which tastes unbelievably fresh and coconut-y out of the aging container. Once I cut in some more simple and rum to get a full fifth out of the batch I'll put it through its paces and report back.

QUOTE (ChrisLikesBaseball @ Feb 24, 2011 -> 05:47 PM) That's a personal favorite of mine as well. They only wore it for one year, 1926, and only on the road. That one is available here, made by American Needle.: http://shop.mlb.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1890605 I saw a New Era 59fifty version somewhere too, but I personally prefer American Needle when possible. Their brims bend more evenly and consistently. I LOVE my replica 1926 road cap. It's the one I always wear if I'm meeting someone ive never met before at the ballpark because I can tell them to look for that hat and when they find it it's pretty certain they found me as well.

QUOTE (G&T @ Feb 23, 2011 -> 06:57 PM) Unfortunately that is the rate for quality sours. I grabbed a small bottle for $10 at the bottle shop. Its $20+ for the full 750ml. I don't pony up often at those rates. But damn is it good. Meanwhile, I also grabbed a bottle of Barbancourt 5 star and WOW. This is a quality sipper and smooth as hell. No problem drinking this with just a couple ice cubes. I should add that we made a long anticipated trip to Table and Vine in Massachusetts. Blew through a couple months of my liquor budget but I only really splurged on the 3 Fontenein. Everything else was a good buy or impossible to get around me. Grabbed some Rodenbach, Pretty Things, South Hampton, a bottle of Leblon and the Barbancourt. I hadn't bought beer since December after my massive Christmas beer haul. This haul will have to last till like April. You will enjoy playing with the Barbancourt. I agree it is a quality sipper. Spin up the Palace Court from Grog Log (I cut the lime back just a bit) and let me know what you think.

QUOTE (G&T @ Feb 22, 2011 -> 09:13 PM) I shelled out for the 3 Fontenein Oude Geuze. Oh my God. It is so funky and sour it's amazing. Tons of lemons and mustard yet pleasant green apple lies in there as well. That sounds outstanding and right up my alley. A bottle of it will set me back $14 at one of the good local beer bars, but I may have to treat myself some time soon.

QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Feb 21, 2011 -> 04:33 AM) I didn't have a chance to try it, I just had their 12 year and 5 year styles. From what I was told, all of their bottled whiskeys are a mix from barrels that are second hand, of which 60% were used for american bourbon and 40% for sherry wines, which gives the whiskey it's color and sweetness. I thought this pic was pretty cool, the first barrel is brand new whiskey with no aging. 2nd - minimal 3 years of aging to be considered whiskey by Irish law, Jameson wont sell this yet still 3rd - 5 years of aging, this is the first type that Jameson sells 4th - 12 years of aging, another popular type 5th - I believe it was 100 years of aging, but it is pretty rare comparatively Very cool information and sounds like a great tour. Yeah, the law that mandates that American bourbon casks all be single-use virgin casks is an absolute blessing to other spirits distillers around the world. Here's a pretty neat read about come of the differences between bourbon casks and sherry barrels from a Scotch site. Really cool to see you are taking ful advantage of all your European travels, taking in and drinking in some of the culture as you get the chance. I'm totally jealous.

QUOTE (The Gooch @ Feb 20, 2011 -> 08:18 PM) I would learn the major scale as well Certainly, but unless you want to jump into a lot of Gerry Garcia or Allman Brothers you'll get more milage out of the blues scales right out of the gate.

QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Feb 20, 2011 -> 12:13 PM) Ive been in Ireland this weekend and Irish Guiness is glorious, along with Murphys and another stout I had called Dark Arts. Also went to the Jameson distellery in Midleton (which is the oldest one of the company, but was shut down in 1975 for a modern facility next to it), really cool to see and of course the samples you got afterwards were delicious. If you didn't get a chance to try the Jameson Crested Ten at the distillery make a point of finding it at a pub or a bottle shop. It has a higher proportion of potstill spirit in it than the other Jameson labels, and a full, round mellowness from aging in sherry casks. I wish they sold it in the states.

Learn the minor pentatonic scale ("the blues scale") and get comfortable moving that figure up and down the fretboard to improvise solos in different keys - A at the 5th fret, E at the 12th fret, etc. Have fun!

QUOTE (G&T @ Feb 19, 2011 -> 08:08 AM) No I mean why would citrus be added? Generally it is a preservative for fruit but if it is being frozen it shouldn't be needed, right? I'm pretty sure the Goya frozen pulp packages are 100% pulp with no additives of any sort.

QUOTE (G&T @ Feb 18, 2011 -> 09:07 PM) So after a week long search, I have tracked down Goya passion fruit pulp and whipped up some syrup. I think I went too heavy on the passion fruit. I didn't know for sure the recipe so I made 1:1 syrup and added 2 cups pulp. It certainly tastes good but it might be a bit tart for a drink. I can always cut it with some extra syrup. I will let y'all know the results. You are spot on with the ingredients and it is probably. Just the ratios that need tweeking. Beachbum Remixed gives very straightforward suggestions to do a volumetric 1:1 of thawed passionfruit pulp and simple syrup. You didn't say how much simple you used, but unless it was volumetrically equal to the 2 cups of pulp yiu used, yeah, it will probably be a bit tart. on to the Hurricane. . Did you go with the Beachbum recipe of 4 oz Coruba + 2 oz lemon juice + 2 oz passionfruit syrup? If so, I would say do not hesitate to toss in an additional 1/4 - 1/2 oz good homemade grenadine. I typically do that and it yields a very drinkable! Very potent hurricane. If you want a top notch hurricane that is not so heavy on the dark rum, seek out the recipe Chuck Taggert posted on his Gumbo Pages blog several years ago. until I got Jeff Berry's version this was my go-to hurricane. I have honestly been trying to tweak the perfect hurricane for a while now, and I don't think I'm quite there yet.

QUOTE (knightni @ Feb 16, 2011 -> 11:09 PM) If it floats, the insides have dried up and the sulfur in the yolk is building up. Thank you, Dwight Schrute.

QUOTE (Middle Buffalo @ Feb 16, 2011 -> 08:52 PM) Favorite lyric (not the entire song - just one or two lines) from a song. Well I ain't no New Messiah, But I'm close enough for rock and roll.

How about best movie sequel/prequel? Sure, Godfather 2 and Empire Strikes Back are probably shoe-ins for the top spots, but it's still sort of a changeup of topics.

Bigruss is a a stoopid head.

Casablanca is one of my top 5 favorite all-time films, so no I would not say it is weird. One of only two films I could honestly describe as perfect.

QUOTE (G&T @ Feb 14, 2011 -> 06:59 PM) I always have Valentines at home. Just cooked up some strips with blue cheese. For beverage, champagne cocktails. 1 sugar cube, 2 dashes of bitters and fill with champagne. These things are awesome. VERY NICE drink selection. We'll be having a bottle of Rosa Regale for dessert along with our tiramisu, so that will be a 180 from the nicely bitter Negroni.