Cocktails and Mixology
Get flash to fully experience Pearltrees
Matthew Radalj is group mixologist for Singapore-based operator Refinery Concepts, in charge of bars at seven venues and responsible for the cocktail lounge at the group's newest bar and restaurant, Fat Cow. It's the latest in a series of bartending positions he's held across Asia, including Hong Kong and Malaysia, giving the Western Australian a multi-cultural outlook on the craft. Fat Cow is a Japanese-inspired meat atelier with a bespoke cocktail lounge. We have two flights arriving every week from Japan delivering all of our fresh ingredients - our Wagyu and Kagoshima beef of course, but also kyoho grapes, sudachi limes, yuzu, rakkyozuke onions, hajikami (pickled ginger stem), shiso and mint.
CLASS Magazine - Read Online: Issue #42: One Night in Melbourne - Peach Liqueurs - Debate: Old Fashioneds - Oliver Reed - CLASS Signature Series
AND IT'S MARDI GRAS again, just like that, and it's impossible to believe that it is my second away from New Orleans, thank you Hurricane Katrina. When I was a boy, I read a book about the Crescent City's Fat Tuesday traditions called Mardi-Gras ... As It Was by Robert Tallent, and quickly became enamored with the holiday's traditions: King cakes, crewes, throws, floats, etc. I finally moved to New Orleans in my mid-30s, and, because of a miserable bit of timing, ten months later fled rising waters in the city. But I was in town for one Mardi Gras, and it has ruined parades for me.
Search results for absinthe
And the third angel sounded and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter. Revelation 8:10-11
Mansinthe - the Official Absinthe of Marilyn Manson - The NACHTKABARETT
For oh’so many reasons, this ol’ Internets thing that we’re both using is fantastic. Today alone while playing around online, I have planned a two separate events: a Gin and a second Absinthe event for the Washington State Bartender’s Guild ( WSBG ), I have argued politics, I have read the new menu at Portland’s Teardrop Lounge and I have purchased pomegranate molasses online after reading about how one actually makes pomegranate molasses… The most amazing thing that I did today is sit down here on this comfy couch at Liberty in order to opine via Alcohology’s blog after first being inspired by not just Teardrop’s fantastic cocktail menu but by a great forum for cocktail enthusiasts. This act is “amazing” simply because this act is possible – thanks to the ol’ Internets. I am most thankful for what many probably still do now know about: Internet Forums .
Spirit Forums « Alcohology
Homemade infusions are done with a process called maceration, or soaking an ingredient in a spirit until the spirit reaches the desired flavor. You can infuse any spirit, but vodka is favored because of its neutral flavor. You can infuse vodka with almost anything, but summer fruits - melons, berries, apricots, apples, pears, even chili peppers - are a logical choice this time of year. I recently made what I think of as the granddaddy of all infusions - a fruit cocktail infusion. I went to a farmer's market and bought ripe watermelon, honeydew melon, strawberries, peaches and kiwi fruit - but you can add any fruit you want.
It's easy to infuse your own vodka
When I'm in need of a refreshing stunner of a drink on a hot afternoon, I turn to this Jamaica Flower Iced Tea recipe. It became one of my favorite things to drink on hot afternoons throughout my recent trip to Mexico. One of the first things you notice as you start browsing local markets in places like Merida or Mexico City is that many of the stalls are punctuated with big, baskets overflowing with the dried maroon petals of the jamaica flower (also known as hibiscus). If nothing else on this trip, I learned how to properly pronounce jamaica - in reference to the flower, not the country. It is ha-MIKE-uh in Spanish. If store clerks are looking at you funny in the states when you ask for it, try asking for dried hibiscus.
Jamaica Flower Iced Tea Recipe - 101 Cookbooks
This past weekend friends who live near us upstate, on an area overrun with ramps, graciously invited us over for our second annual swap of all-we-can-pick ramps for a pick-up truck full of our “like gold” sheep manure for their garden. (So very cutting-edge-hipster-locavore. Then again, poop for weeds…) After a very muddy morning, we brought home two substantial garbage bags of ramps with their roots and soil intact, to transplant to our woods, and a very generous shopping bag of loose ramps to cook and eat.
Drinks / pitchfork diaries
Sophie Dahl’s Voluptuous Cooking | Food & Wine
The British tabloids are obsessed with Sophie Dahl's weight, love life and pedigree (her grandfather was famed author Roald Dahl). Now she's giving them something else to fixate on: a terrific cookbook called Miss Dahl's Voluptuous Delights . Sophie Dahl has spent her life fantasizing about food. As a little girl, she dreamed about the chocolate river in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, written by her famous grandfather, the children's-book author Roald Dahl. Since then, the 32-year-old has launched her own writing career—both as a journalist (she's a contributing editor for British Vogue and Waitrose Food Illustrated ) and a novelist (most recently, Playing with the Grown-ups ). Now, she's combining her love for all things literary and culinary with a cookbook, Miss Dahl's Voluptuous Delights.
Drinks / pitchfork diaries
Perhaps because of the few ( very few) days of slightly decent weather we’ve had lately, my attention has recently shifted from hot teas and afternoon hot mochas to cold, effervescent beverages. We are not big soda drinkers in our house, almost none at all, for all of the obvious reasons (high fructose corn syrup, chemicals, artificial colors,and the environmental impact of all of the packaging and distribution.) But a small spell of stomach queasiness that my husband and I both shared not too long ago ( lovely ), had me at the grocery store searching for ginger ale, or even better a more gingery ginger beer, sans HFCS and with real ginger as an ingredient.
Recipe for Strawberry Liqueur : La Cucina Italiana
Put strawberries in a bowl; zest and juice lemon over the top and stir to combine. Cover and let stand at cool room temperature or chilled, stirring occasionally, for 24 hours. Pour aquavit over mixture; cover and let macerate at cool room temperature or chilled for 24 hours. Reserve bottle and cap (you will need 2 bottles). Strain mixture into a bowl through sieve, pressing to extract liquid. Wrap strawberry pulp in cheesecloth and squeeze over bowl to extract as much liquid as possible; discard remaining pulp.It’s no big secret that we love a good cocktail here at Capital Spice. Consequently, several of our cookbooks are actually collections of cocktails. From the classics to the most eccentric, we’ve got our libations covered. On our recent trip to San Francisco , though, a visit to Chronicle Books turned up a book that I just couldn’t resist.
Basil-Infused Vodka: June Cookbook Challenge « Capital Spice
Cocktail Times > Dictionary > Vodka Taste and Quality
Based on the type and quality of the ingredients, smoothness gets better and worse. Corn, potatoes, molasses, barley, rye and wheat are the common ingredients for vodka. Vodkas made from corn tend to be fairly neutral in taste; those made from wheat have a soft, smooth character, others carry hints of the fruit essences they contain. The trick to distillation is to keep the good-tasting parts while getting rid of impurities. Most distillers have their own secret distillation process for trying to accomplish the balance between purity and taste. Continuous still are commonly used by vodka distillers although some still use pot stills.The Mixoloseum Blog
The theme for last week’s Thursday Drink Night was less abstract (although “April Fools!” was a consideration) and more ingredient based. The goal was to honor dry vermouth which often gets neglected relative to sweet and bianco vermouth and other aromatized wines like Lillet Blanc or Bonal. However, dry vermouth can add some wonderful herbal and floral elements while diminishing the sweetness quotient of various syrup and liqueur ingredients in the mix. I, Frederic of Cocktail Virgin , led the night off with a rum drink, but it was an aperitif-style drink I created later that I thought was a better libation.The Cocktail Spirit with Robert Hess is dedicated to the creation of quality classic cocktails. Watch as he mixes up cocktail recipes from the past using the best ingredients. From simple garnishes to the most complex molecular mixology, Jamie Boudreau takes you through tips and techniques that are paramount to today's bartender.