Voltron

Looking good Mike and Raffy! I am hoping my glasses survive being shipped to the construction site that is my home in SF. Last night, I followed a couple recipes from Gary Regan's Cocktailian column with some new NYC neighborhood cocktail variations. They were both tasty, although the Williamsburg with WLW cask strength was too much for Claire. I loved it and the Brooklyn Heights was perfect for her. Brooklyn Heights Adapted from a recipe by Maxwell Britten of New York's Freemans. * -- Campari in a mister * 1 1/2 ounces Rittenhouse 100-proof rye * 1/4 ounce Luxardo Amaro Abano * 1/2 ounce Luxardo maraschino liqueur * 1/2 ounce dry vermouth * 2 dashes Regans' Orange Bitters No. 6 Instructions: Mist a chilled cocktail glass with the Campari. Stir the remaining ingredients over ice and strain into the prepared glass. [NOTE: without a mister I just did a wash of Campari in the glass and that worked perfectly well. Also, I did not have the Abano so I used Averna] Williamsburg Adapted from a recipe by Clif Travers of Brooklyn's Bar Celona. * 3/4 ounce yellow Chartreuse * 3/4 ounce dry vermouth * 3/4 ounce Punt e Mes * 2 1/2 ounces W.L. Weller bourbon * 1 orange twist, as garnish Instructions: Stir all the ingredients, except the orange twist, over ice and strain into a chilled coupe. Add the garnish. Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/04/08/FDQ61I8LFU.DTL#ixzz1JGUo7A5Z

After meeting Steve post MOA, my lovely wife got the idea to commission a headphone stand for me as a birthday gift. It also may have been from the various occasions I have said how cool it was that guzziguy's wife had done the same, but who knows. Here is how Steve described the stand: "The woods are Jobillo for the turned stalk piece, and East India Rosewood for the base and hanger. The Jobillo is usually more colorful than that piece, and the East India Rosewood is generally more of one tone (chocolate). The stalk was supposed to be the impact piece, with distinct tones of Brown, Caramel, Red and Purple, however once I started turning it I was disapointed to see that it was somewhat mono toned. Although I like the grain patterns. Then when I started turning the base piece of East India Rosewood, I was shocked to see all of the colors! It is always even toned, and I've used it a lot! So that is a very rare piece, and the sunburst pattern is incredible! At that moment I was so happy that the Jobillo was subtle, or the two would have fought each other. I call them happy mistakes, when these things happen." Anyway, it arrived a little while after my birthday, and things have been too hectic to take pics. I don't think I was able to catch its true spirit in daylight on the porch at Mayberry, but here are some pics to give you a taste of the TICEness. I think you will agree that only Steve could be disappointed by the hefty and beautiful stalk of my happy mistake! Not being satisfied with his work for hire masterpiece, Steve also sent along a gift for my family for putting him up and spending the evening together. It wasn't rough duty to begin with, and he could have stayed at a much nicer spot for the value of the gorgeous figured Cherry and Canary wood box he created "from left overs." It's beautiful but even harder to photograph with a setting sun and lousy skilz. Stunning stuff, no? Thanks Claire and thanks Steve!

That also would have gone well with yesterday's beef brisket, which was coated with rub, smoked, and slow cooked on the Traeger for 6 hours. I think I could have cooked it less and made it a bit more rare but it was very tasty and tender. Ironically, the thin end of the brisket was the most tender and flakey. Maybe that is the cut and maybe it was the lack of a fat layer at that part. Anyway, it was good stuff and I am learning this smoker/grill thing as I go along.

You did all the right things under those circumstances Shelly, so just stick with the last part about making the move to the hospital in a timely manner. Surgery is no fun, but the people I know who had a resection have had very good results. My mom is too frail to have a high chance of survival but she would be much better off if she had been able to handle it. In a young healthy man diverticulitis should be treatable or corrected by surgery. We will keep thinking good thoughts out here and you should probably have a nice cocktail or two so you can relax and get some rest tonight. Doctor's orders!

Nice, Mike! Congrat!

Actually, first it was shingles, and now this. Don't know if they could possibly be related. Double bummer in any event.

^That is a nice run of 6 albums from Tony Williams on down! Couldn't find the Oscar Peterson on Rhapsody so Jarrett/Peacock/Motian is up next.

Or a post-punk band.

Fresh good luck vibes being sent now. Get some rest for yourself too!

Amidst the honey-dos, slow cooking a brisket like the anti-cocktail Floridian (hopefully), and managing a play date for my son and helping to build his model tank for a school project, I got the idea that a fizzy cocktail would be good this afternoon. I am brilliant apparently, because it was awesome and made everything better. Gin Fizz Tropical (Heaven's Dog variation on Charles Barker) 2oz dry gin 1oz lime juice 1/2oz pineapple gomme syrup 1/2oz orgeat 1/2 egg white (1 tbsp) Chilled soda water Mint leaf and lime wedge for garnish Mix and shake all ingredients except soda without ice and then with ice, and strain into a Collins glass with no ice. Fill with soda, slap mint leaf and skewer with lime. Note, I had no orgeat so I upped the gomme to 3/4 and added a couple drops of almond extract. I also lacked mint, so subbed in a strawberry. Worked nicely all around.

Nice!

Nice little spree there Jim!

Beautiful day on the deck today, Grahame. Same here. Left Hand 2009 Oak Aged Imperial Stout c/o the Dust Man. Tasty.

I'm sorry to inform you, but you have exceeded your word quotient for all of April. Smileys and cute kitten pics are all you can post until May. Thank you for your cooperation.

Congrats (one each) to you and your grad student Shelly! Two or four wheels Colin?

Stuck it out until the Giants won in the 12th inning. Go Giants!

My fourth beer at the ballpark: Lagunitas IPA Harp Sierra Nevada Guiness/Harp half & half

Home opener for the world champion San Francisco Giants!

It's really not uncommon so you need to have non-mixed drinks as options

Never ask for a zombie unless you are at a tiki bar. And wtf is a kryotonite? Unless you are at a bar that actually makes cocktails, then stick with straight booze, neat or on the rocks, bourbon & soda, gin & tonic, whatever. Manhattan is an easy drink to make and to screw up. Ask if they have rye whiskey and specify that, and say you want 2-1 rye to vermouth, with a couple dashes of bitters. Or don't order it. I capped the evening with a summer negroni from some recipe I found on Alcademics.com. Tasty but I miss the strong bitter of Campari. 2oz each gin, Aperol, and Lillet blanc. Orange wedge and on the rocks.

Nice Marc! I really enjoyed my Anvil Zombie. Should do it again sometime. Right now, in order to finish the Fever Tree soda, I mixed up a Sloe Gin Fizz with equal parts sloe and dry gin (1.5oz), about 1oz lemon juice, a scant teaspoon simple syrup, and 2-3oz soda. The dry gin is not in the recipe I was using but I needed a bit more kick.

Just finished, but it was a pork chop and sugar snap peas with bourbon mint julep glaze. I wanted a mint julep on the side but all the mint was gone, so an FBI Fizz sufficed.

Nice progression, Dan. I had an FBI Fizz from the Stork Club book 1oz each Cherry Heering brandy, bourbon, and jamaica (Trinidad) rum, stirred and strained into highball or rocks glass two ice cubes with orange peel and fill with chilled soda water.

Plumbing sucks. [No pun intended]

Disgusting. Is that a barber's PC?