If you throw together a cocktail at home and aren’t thrilled with the result, take a tip from the kitchen. Rather than tossing it out and starting over, take a sip of your experimental concoction and ponder what it needs. When making food, and your dish needs something, there’s a simple system: Bland? Add salt, …
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Ginger Mango-Rita
September is unseasonably warm in San Francisco, justifying the occasional tropical, blended drink. I was reminded by an old friend who came to visit last week, that I once seduced her with a frosty batch of frozen ginger mango margaritas. Serves: 1 Don’t bother making a half recipe. You will regret it when you run …
The Drinker’s Dictionary by Benjamin Franklin
Originally published in The Pennsylvania Gazette in 1737, Ben Franklin wrote a comprehensive list of all terms meaning “drunk,” some of which are still in use, and a hundred more I wish were still common parlance. Pick your favorite and use it while out getting “oxycrocium” until it catches on. Update 5/7/11: now available in …
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BLTini: Bestialized Little Tipple
Inspired by the Carnivorous Cocktails seminar at Tales of the Cocktail, I started Sunday brunch with the BLTini, a sandwich in a glass. I like my BLTs on potato bread, so I opted for vodka over gin, squeezed the bejeezus out of a gorgeous heirloom tomato, then decided that lettuce was lame and so opted …
Cheers!
I am tired of hearing people say they are, “going to cheers,” when a round of drinks is delivered. That involves a trip to Boston, as far as I am concerned, and I’m not sure how it has come to the point that I hear “to cheers” used in place of “to toast” more than …
Offbeat Wine Picks
Just because you are on a budget, doesn’t mean you need to drink bad wine. OK, that was tacky. If I ever write like Rachel Ray again, please find me and slit my throat. I’m not a connoisseur, but my pedestrian palate knows what I like and what I don’t and generally, people agree, so …
Illustrated Guide to Brewing Beer… On a Napkin
As I tried to explain the beer brewing process to TSB a few weeks ago, I remembered that she is more of a kinesthetic and visual learner, and not so much auditory. I knew she’d get it once she tried it, but since she asked me to give her the gist in advance, I drew …
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Ramos Fizz
After stealing two sips of a friend’s Ramos Gin Fizz at Rickhouse, I wanted to make my own. It’s one of those drinks that you don’t order just anywhere and it’s rarely worth the effort to make unless you are really trying to impress someone. Ramos Fizz 2 ounces Hayman’s Old Tom gin 1 egg …
Beer Pairing
Wine was a four-letter word Sunday morning, which I spent at the SFChefs.Food.Wine beer pairing boot camp with Beer Chef Bruce Paton and City Beer Store owner Craig Wathen. I would have liked a few hard and fast rules, but there doesn’t seem to be a simple formula for matching food with beer. The gist …
Jigger Is Not A Dirty Word
It’s the little cup your bartender uses to measure, and no matter how good he or she is, you should be grateful if it’s being used at the end of the night. Free-pouring a drink accurately is tough for anyone, and after a few hours with a shaker, fatigue can throw off even the most …