Enter Teh Sickness

 The best laid plans blah blah blah.  So I didn't finish up Carpano Antica Formula week as early as I had planned but that is okay.  I did get to them eventually, after taking a few days to be down bad with teh sickness. I did not care for Souracher at all.  I think I don't like ginger beer.  Although.....we went to Sagamore distillery on Saturday to celebrate some family birthdays and while there I had some kind of blackberry rye thing with ginger beer and it wasn't awful.  But still, not my fave.  I did like the Munich Negroni Western Style - not too far off from a standard Negroni, really, but the hazelnut did come through nicely.

Taking another week off from theming.  I still want to make that Coconut Gimlet I mentioned in my last post and then I'm going to focus on using more of my vermouths because I literally can not fit another bottle into my bar fridge.  I need to at least finish off one of the dry vermouths and either the Carpano Antica Formula or Cocchi Americano.  

• Physical -Howlers by Brian Paone
• Audio - The Griffin Sisters Greatest Hits by Jennifer Weiner
• eBook - Finished This One is Mine by Maria Semple and now reading The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella (RIP)

Enter Teh Sickness

Ya ya ya coco jambo

 

Next up is Carpano Antica Formula:

I made Lovelight Monday night and liked it a lot.  I was very pleased that the cinnamon shone through.  I was afraid such a small amount would be masked by the Campari but I was quite pleasantly surprised.

Two more this week although I don't know exactly when I am going to get to them.  We're going out for dinner tonight for Annapolis Restaurant Week, tomorrow we are going to watch a friend's acoustic show at a local joint. So, likely, Friday and Saturday.  I want to get through this week because I saw something on Rob's Home Bar for a Coconut Gimlet and it sounded good to me and bonus, the hubs will like it too.  

• Physical -Disney Adults by AJ Wolfe
• Audio - The Griffin Sisters Greatest Hits by Jennifer Weiner
• eBook - Passion on Park Avenue by Lauren Layne

Ya ya ya coco jambo

Weekend Wrap Up

 Ok so I did end up remaking The Healer from yesterday's post, I upped the Licor 43 and dropped the lemon, both to .50 oz.  Much better drink.  Maybe not one of my faves but I'll drink it again.

Friday night I made something of my own creation, sorta.  I did get some guidance from ChatGPT but then I made my own tweaks on it.  It was FANTASTIC.

Saturday I tried a bit of an experiment.  Sometime last year I had infused an entire bottle of gin with Earl Grey so I could make an Earl Grey MarTEAni.  First mistake, infusing the whole bottle.  Should have just done maybe six or eight ounces.  Second mistake?  Well, I don't know exactly but the gin ended up way to tannic.  But a few weeks ago I stumbled across the idea of rice washing to reduce tannins so Saturday night I gave it a try.  And the difference was noticeable, in taste and appearance.  Huge improvement but I'm not sure whether enough of one to justify keeping the bottle.  But I do have a few other ideas I'll try.

Sunday was the hubs birthday and also National Margarita Day so of course I had to make margaritas.   When we were at Disney last year, Satu'li Canteen in Animal Kingdom had an amazing Kiwi Margarita, so good that I went back for a second which I NEVER do.  So I made us Kiwi Margaritas.  Great way to end the weekend.  (we had crabcakes too 😀)

• Physical - It's The End of the World as We Know It, edited by Christopher Golden and Brian Keene
• Audio - The Griffin Sisters Greatest Hits by Jennifer Weiner
• eBook - My Life as a Villainess by Laura Lippman

Weekend Wrap Up

Tweakin'

The official programming for Amaro Nonino week has ended but that doesn't mean I'm done!

The first drink I made, the Drifter, was completely underwhelming.  It was just...meh.  No character.  

The second drink was fantastic. Riff on a Paper Plane called a Broken Plane, subbing in St Germain for Aperol.  I liked it a lot and will 100% make this again.

The third drink?  Might need a bit of help.  This is the drink as written:

And, based on the ingredients, it should have been fantastic.  But it was wickedly out of balance, all I could really taste was lemon juice.  I'm going to re-spec it tonight and bring the Licor 43 up and the lemon down.  Watch this space.

I'm planning out for the next couple of months and I am stumped when it comes to uses for Pama.  I mean, it's great on it's own, or it can easily be used for Pomegranate Martinis, Margaritas, Daiquiris, Collinses, Sprtizi, etc.  But I am looking for creative. I'm thinking that pomegranate juice ticks a lot of the same boxes as tart cherry juice so I am going to see what kind of cherry cocktails I can come find.  At first I was thinking Cherry Heering, but that's a sweeter liqueur than Pama I think.  

Currently Reading:

• Physical - It's The End of the World as We Know It, edited by Christopher Golden and Brian Keene
• Audio - The Griffin Sisters Greatest Hits by Jennifer Weiner
• eBook - My Life as a Villainess by Laura Lippman

Tweakin'

Wait your turn, Rhum!

Picked up a new bottle this weekend, a bottle of Rhum Barbancourt, so expect I'll be playing with that one soon enough.  Not yet though.  

First need to finish up Suze week.  I made an Eponine Collins Saturday night.  As I was making it I was muttering to myself about how it was needlessly complicated but once I tried it I had to concede it's a very well crafted cocktail.  Very complex, nothing that I could easily slot into any other category.  I guess it can be called a collins because gin + lemon + bubbles, but really, did not seem collins adjacent to me at all.  A lot of well balanced complexity.  Even the husband liked it.  

Then last night I just made a smoked Old Fashioned.  Simple and reliable.

Tonight starts Amaro Nonino week:

Currently Reading:

• Physical - It's The End of the World as We Know It, edited by Christopher Golden and Brian Keene
• Audio - Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich
• eBook - His and Hers by Alice Feeney

Wait your turn, Rhum!

Kickin' it Old School: Taco Edition

 Y'know, eff it, this isn't a diary exactly, but it's a place to record things, right?  Right.

The hubs has been asking for what we are calling American Tacos.  Do other people call them that?  Or maybe Gringo Tacos?  I dunno, probably.  I've been making so-called street tacos for the past few years but he said he missed the way I used to make them, from a taco kit, with lettuce and tomato and shredded cheddar and taco sauce.  Double layer, hard taco encased by a soft taco, with a layer of refried beans in between.  So that's what I made Monday with ground beef.  And y'know, I still prefer a more minimalistic street taco but gotta admit, these were pretty good.

Tuesday, I did battle with an iceberg and I won.  It was a huge chunk that had broken off of the snowcrete wall next to my car, it had broken off and actually rolled over into the active road way, causing a hazard.  So I spent some time chopping at it and finally got it broken up enough to be able to move the individual pieces out of the way.  Then for Suze week I made a Clandestine cocktail.  It was very tasty.  I don't remember anything about it though, just that I liked it.

Last night I made another from the Eras Pour book.  It's from the Folklore chapter, inspired by Betty and is called "Only Seventeen" which has NOTHING to do with that Winger song.  This book is now three for three.  Everything I've made has been spectacular.  This one drank like a sweeter and slightly floral Old Fashioned. Monkey Shoulder scotch as the base, St Germain and demerara syrup to sweeten a bit, spritz of lemon on top.  

Tonight I'll make the last designated cocktail for Suze week.  Except, oops, I don't have basil OR cucumber.  Hrm.  Maybe I will save it for Sunday night, after we do our grocery shopping.  We will see!

• Physical - It's The End of the World as We Know It, edited by Christopher Golden and Brian Keene
• Audio - Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich
• eBook - Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier

Kickin' it Old School: Taco Edition

Monday Means Memory Mist

Whoops!  Last week was busy, busy, busy and of course I forgot to take notes on what I drank when, but to the best of my recollection it went something like this:

Perfect Manhattan - Nothing remarkable.  If I did anything different with this I don't recall

Rose from the Dead - This one was from The Eras Pour book.  It was very very good.  I don't remember the specs and I can't find it online so....I know there was tequila and rum, also absinthe.  I'm guessing it might be a Corpse Reviver #2 riff maybe?  Anyway, it was delish, I will make it again!

Negroni - I mean, it's a negroni.  I used Carpano Antica.  

Cranberry Lime margarita -  This one is going into my bar book.  The specs I found called for cranberry juice cocktail and I had 100% cranberry juice, so I added some simple syrup and it was perfect.  2 oz blanco tequila, 1 oz cranberry juice, .75 lime juice, .75 triple sec, .50 simple syrup, two dashes orange bitters.

Lastly, I started Suze week yesterday, Sunday.  Started off with Swiss Account and it was also a winner.  Bitter and complex

• Physical - It's The End of the World as We Know It, edited by Christopher Golden and Brian Keene
• Audio - The Office of Historical Corrections by Danielle Evans
• eBook - All Her Fault by Andrea Mara

Monday Means Memory Mist