FlaSoxxJim

So, I'm supposed to fly out to Galapagos by way of Ecuador in two weeks. Is this crazy coup thing going to throw a wrench into my plans??

Very kind of you to say. My wife usually just calls me 'dork' and walks away.

QUOTE (pittshoganerkoff @ Sep 30, 2010 -> 10:17 PM) I love this time of year for beer. Sam Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale is one of the best pumpkin ales out there. Pumpkin ales, harvest beers, Oktoberfests. . .I agree, what's not to love!!

QUOTE (pittshoganerkoff @ Sep 30, 2010 -> 10:07 PM) So I shouldn't say something else about the headless horseman? The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon is actually the name of the Washington Irving anthology in which the Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow first appeared. Rip Van Winkle was also first published in this volume.

QUOTE (Soxbadger @ Sep 24, 2010 -> 03:07 PM) Saw Roger Waters The Wall last night, best show I will probably ever see in my life. Only sad part is that obviously Gilmour was not there and its apparent that Gilmour and Waters will never perform a full tour together.( Gilmour will apparently play the guitar solo for Comfortably Numb 1 time). I just hope that Gilmour tours with Pink Floyd one more time, but I highly doubt it. I thought back in June they had agreed to do four shows together during Roger's US Wall tour??

QUOTE (G&T @ Sep 30, 2010 -> 09:41 PM) Oh and the giant liquor store tried to sell me amaretto but I didn't trust them. It's a dirty little secret that works in a pinch.

QUOTE (G&T @ Sep 30, 2010 -> 09:41 PM) Also, it seems probable that the types of rum should have a lot to do with the type of drink you van create. Are there any basic rules for what ingredients will go with Jamaican vs Martanique rums? As a "rule" (meant to be broken, of course), gold Jamaican rum is incredibly diverse. Use it anywhere a gold rum is called for. The Martinique rhum is a harder beast to tame, as you will see when you get your hands on some. The 'Ti Punch is the traditional way to enjoy both blanc and vieux (light and dark) Martinique rhum. It is also OUTSTANDING in the Donn Beach Donga Punch that I have gushed about here repeatedly. When fresh white grapefruit becomes available here in a couple of months I'll be making Dongas like nobody's business. What brand of orgeat did you order? The Trader Tiki products are absolutely first rate.

Oh, and the TV Macadamia Nut Liqueur has no place in a proper mai tai. It's certainly worth trying and experimenting with in cocktails, but not in your mai tai.

QUOTE (G&T @ Sep 30, 2010 -> 08:00 PM) Alright so I made my first mai tai. Although things did not go as planned. First, the Clemente rum I planned on getting is not sold around here from what I can tell. The Appleton is around, but I, unfortunately, found it after I already bought V/X from a store that jacked up the price $5. It's all good because I made up the price on wine for my wife. Anyway, the real problem is that orgeat is not sold anywhere I could find (and they had never heard of it). Luckily it is available online, but for tonight, I did without. So the recipe had Appleton V/X, Pussers, orange curacao, syrup and lime. I tried each rum separate (knowing that I struggle to sip liquor) to taste the distinction. It was clear that the Appleton was sweeter but let's just say that I didn't note a bunch of flavors before the heat got me. I also made way too much syrup. I made 2 cups not realizing that it doesn't last very long. Whatever, it's cheap and easy. So I mixed it up and I realized that I was dealing with a new animal. There is way more going on than a pre-mix mai tai. And it is also clear why good rum is required. You can taste the rum (god forbid!). Each flavor is present and distinct, but the feel is dominated by the syrup which sort of keeps it familiar. I wish I had the orgeat because I know it would be a great addition. I did notice that there is Trader Vic Macadamian Nut liquer. Does that have a place in this or is that too much liquor? Anyway, I want to make another one but I doubt I'd get up in the morning. I will probably mix it up again tomorrow and see if I can detail some flavor profiles. I am also excited to try it with higher end, smoother rums. But I'll have to work my way through what I have first. First let me say, you are on your way, young Grasshopper. You are right, you totally need orgeat to pull off a proper mai tai. Also, know that even when you source a commercial orgeat you eventually will outgrow that and start making your own. Screw the loquor stores, if you want to find standard orgeat go to your local coffee shop or coffe supply store. Torani orgeat is a perfectly fine entry level orgeat that is readily available if you look in the right place. If you strike out, you can go the cheater bartender route and substitute amaretto for the orgeat. It's an imperfect substitute, but it's the shortest route to getting the almond flavor you're looking for. Keep it at 1/4-1/2 oz so it doesn't overpower the drink, and err on the lower end of that range to start with. The Appleton V/X and Pussers 84-proof Navy are perfectly fine rums, honest. Sipping them neat is a great way to ferret out their individual flavors, and the Pussers really does have a lot going on in there. You are correct though, you really can taste the rum so you can't scrimp there. As long as you have the Pussers on hand, you should stock up on what you need to do up Pussers Painkillers — they are a great lower-octane rum drink to keep in the rotation. On the sweet side, but nothing's better if you are in a tropical mood. • 4 oz unsweetened pineapple juice • 2 oz Pussers • 2 oz Coco Lopez Coconut Cream • 1 oz orange juice • dusting of fresh grated nutmeg

QUOTE (knightni @ Sep 30, 2010 -> 08:04 PM) It depends... how much hair do you have? Trick question. . . are we talking just on my head?

QUOTE (knightni @ Sep 30, 2010 -> 07:29 PM) Just wait until 30, then 35. Wanna trade?

QUOTE (kjshoe04 @ Sep 30, 2010 -> 03:56 PM) 24 is a crummy birthday. Wanna trade?

Richard Prior Conviction

QUOTE (knightni @ Sep 30, 2010 -> 01:22 AM) I just learned that there's a drink called an "Adios Motherf***er." http://www.drinksmixer.com/cat/3217/ Indeed. I think it was invented by bartenders as the "one on the house" to make short work off a$$hole patrons. Usually something like an ounce each of vodka, gin, rum, and tequila with curacao, sour mix and soda or sprite tossed in to hide the horridness. I can safely say I've never mixed that one up.

More L entries than the thread called for I see.

15/15 here from the site's avowed atheist.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Sep 28, 2010 -> 07:36 PM) So Oberon is gone again, f***!!!!!!!!! Guess I am back to the Amber for the time being. Also, Flaxx, have you ever gone to Violet Hour in Chicago yet? It seems to be right up your alley with the old school cocktails with handmade bitters. Sadly I have not been yet, but I've jealously admired it from afar. Their cocktail menu looks pretty awesome and they do take their drinks seriously. It's on my must do list the next time I'm in. I made a pilgrimage to another one of the cocktail revival destinations back in May, a speakeasy typ place called The Varnish that specializes in pre-prohibition cocktails. Great place. Check it out here.

QUOTE (G&T @ Sep 28, 2010 -> 06:55 PM) Ok, so I am finally going to jump into cocktails. I plan to start with the mai tai and I have the recipe Jim posted like a year ago. The rums are Appleton 12 year old and Clement VSOP. What are the changes I can find these? Are they widely available? And I will go with orange curacao because I don't want to spend that much to start off. Yay Mai Tais! You won't regret it! Appleton 12 ("Extra") is widely available. It will set you back around $30, so there is certainly no shame in downgrading ever so slightly to the Appleton Reserve or the V/X for your first stab at a mai tai. The Rhum Clement VSOP is less widely available, but that and Rhum St. James Royal Ambre are probably the two most commonly encountered amber Martinique rhums in the US. Either one works wonderfully well in a mai tai. There are plenty of acceptable substitutes, but using two rums with somewhat different flavor profiles does wonders for the drink. And feel free to sub something (El Dorado 5 year or Pussers) for the Martinique rhum if you can't locate it or if rhum agricoles still taste a little rough to you (they are very earthy, sort of like cachacha, but it's a distinctive flavor that shines through in several tiki classics). By all means though, keep a good Jamaican rum in the mix that has at least some pot still in the blend (like the three Appleton's above). The pot still esters in aged Jamaican rum are the defining feature of that style of rum and are essential for a mai tai true to Trader Vic's original cocktail. I can't wait to hear your report! Mahalo!

Nat King Colostomy

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Sep 23, 2010 -> 11:02 AM) Wut. In the 60s, Sean Connery was neither old, nor bald. In fact, he very much looked the part. He absolutely did look the part, you are correct. He WAS Bond. But, he was wearing a toupe', and he came off as a lot older than Moore did when he started. QUOTE (KipWellsFan @ Sep 23, 2010 -> 11:23 AM) My dad always claimed Connery was wearing a hair piece for his role as Bond. Yes he was.

QUOTE (Tex @ Sep 23, 2010 -> 08:09 AM) Is sex a hobby? It is if you do it with a hobby horse.

QUOTE (IceCreamPants @ Sep 22, 2010 -> 11:44 PM) This is what is called Thread Homicide. JK. LOLz Only if you consider a discussion of Caledonian antisyzygy as it relates to the works of Ian Rankin to be a topic unsuitable for lively debate.

QUOTE (nitetrain8601 @ Sep 22, 2010 -> 07:25 PM) Aston > Jaguar Martinis = teh suck Hold'Em > Baccarat He wore tuxedos with Dan Craig. And last, but not least, Vesper > Any Bond girl ever. Drink a real martini. No f***ing vodka and no f***ing olive. 1.75 to 2 ounces of good English gin — Boodles, Plymouth, Hendrick's, or Beefeater. 0.5 to 0.75 oz (depending on how dry you want it) good, fresh, dry vermouth — Noilly Prat or Dolin, NOT Stock or Martini and Rossi. 1 dash of orange bitters. STIR with cracked ice to chill and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a strip of lemon peel, twisting over the drink to express some oil. And no f***ing olive anywhere near it. There is a reason this cocktail has survived 100 years of history.

QUOTE (IceCreamPants @ Sep 23, 2010 -> 12:26 AM) I love and hate m. knightni shamalayn.... No reviews on DEVIL? I have liked one and a half films Shamalayn has made. I try to like them, really, but most of them are just not very good.

QUOTE (nitetrain8601 @ Sep 22, 2010 -> 06:10 PM) Casino Royale was the best. I can't really say much about the other ones, but I will say Craig was the best Bond ever. Everybody who grows up watching Bond films spends some part of that time convinced that "their Bond" was the best Bond ever. For better or worse, I grew up knowing Roger Moore as Bond, and when I finally saw my first Connery Bond film as a kid I couldn't believe anyone bought this old, bald guy as 007. Obviously time and perspective have forced a rethinking on this, and a realization that Connery is the quintessential Bond. But to Moore's credit, Man With the Golden Gun remains among the best entries in the franchise. Christopher Lee's portrayal of one of the best Bond bad guys ever certainly helps. I thought the Casino Royale remake was very good. And I think Daniel Craig is quite a good Bond. Certainly better than Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan. Compared to Connery, though, he's a hack. In about 5-10 years you will come to the same conclusion that Connery was the best Bond and it's not even close.