Crescent City Clown

New Orleans Streetcar 2 Oz. Grey Goose Pear Vodka 1 Oz. St. Germain 1 Oz. Champagne Shake Vodka and St. Germain in cocktail shaker to chill Pour into champagne stem and top with champagne Garnish with a long lemon twist Refreshing as all get out. Enjoy.

Once again, DC is better at it than we are at NOLA, but we keep trying... http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2009/03...hrimp_skim.html Idiots.

Tickets are going fast for this thing, so don't waste time if you are interested in going (really, it's not a sales pitch. The event will sell out and is on it's way to selling out pretty quickly). The Southern Foodways Alliance holds a few of these events each year in various cities around the country. Potlikker is a fine time to see some of Joe York's film work, enjoy some fine food and drink, and also meet a few nice folks. The food is being prepared by Ann Cashion, Gillian Clark, Terell Danley, David Guas, Mark Furstenburg, and Jeff Buben. Beverages are being provided by Flying Dog Brewery and Jack Daniels. Movies by Joe York. Music by Jimmy Burrell. Click on the website for details. Potlikker Film Festival at Johnny's Half Shell Hope to see you there.

Cowca-Cowla-The Pee that Refreshes...

Could be lots of stuff. Did you open more than one bottle (of course you did...)? Was it clear or did it have some kind of detectable haze? Are we talking "skank" or "skunk?" Once again, I know that you know the difference. Should have just stuck with Dogfish 90 Minute IPA. It's so strong that you can't make it stink. Delicious and bulletproof. The perfect combo.

Aww Don, that's ok. Happens all of the time. Heavy handed editors whacking away at my best work. I'm very used to it.

Just for the record, I was in Tampa on Sunday night and I had nothing to do with this crime. At all. Really. But, since we're chatting, would you like some cake for dessert after you've finished your omelette?

Galatoire's also serves their over ice, something I happen to like, but many consider to be a sin of some sort. The basic is easy to make and a refreshing evening bump. Here's how you do it... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfhaxHYb46E They're not hard to make right, but you do need the right stuff. I had one at 11 Madison Park made with Lucid to coat the glass, Peychaud's, some fine sugar, and some Rittenhouse Rye, and it was about as good as it gets.

They have it now. Thanks to a friend.-me. Billy makes a fine one, and this is from someone who is one short streetcar ride (not a trolley, Goddammit!) from some of the best in the world. And, believe me, a streetcar is the play after a few of those things. Driving is a dangerous option. I'm constantly doing what I can to straighten out our nation's capital. You guys need the help. We watch the news. We know. Uggh. On the other hand, we had a late dinner at the Gastropub the other night, the one in Columbia Heights (near the house) and it was stunningly surprising. I loved it. Food was damned good. Wish they had called me about the beer, but, aside from that, really good. Big crowd,even late, and service was excellent. Highly recommended. Make sure that, for an app, yoiu get the scotch eggs. Well cooked and enticingly served. Oh, and while I'm at it. Pete's Appizaria is putting out a great pie. Seriously delicious crust.

I'm not entirely sure that my mother would be proud, but, hell, she's mad at me all of the time anyway... http://dcist.com/2008/08/15/chasing_the_gr...11Pic=6#gallery

Big news from Robert Parker... "I just got out of the hospital and it turns out, even though I never had any idea about my apparent physical oddity, that I have absolutely no tastebuds and have been confusing origin, price, and free hotel rooms with taste for all of these years! Can you believe it?" Mr. Parker then announced that he was on his way to Trader Joe's for a couple of bottles of Two Buck Chuck, as, since he really hasn't been able to tell the difference for years, and now that he probably won't be able to run the same scam as everyone knows his secret, he'll need to watch his budget from now on. Just like almost everyone else on Earth. Film at 11

It's the state of the business. You might as well get used to it. Newspapers around the country are all going to this kind of thing, more or less, as less and less people start their day out with a physical copy of the paper. Believe me, the writers, generally, aren't doing this because they enjoy it. They're just trying to keep their jobs.

That's it. I'm done. Unless they provide equal time to cake, I am finished with the Food Section in the WAPO. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...8071502643.html

Ok, Ulysses, I have your answer, straight from Q-Tip, barmaster and co-proprietor of Johnny's Half Shell. "Verte Suisse 65 PF1901 NOuvelle-Orleans Blanchette Lucid we also carry, St.Goeorge & Kubler." Anyone who has any suggestions on what else is available and where one might get there hands on it would be more than welcome to chime in.

Johnny's Half Shell (yes, it's well documented that the owner, or one of them anyway, is close to me-I would post this anyway because it's on topic, so, well, whatever) now has 7 or 8 brands of absinthe behind the bar and all of the gear to go with it-fountain, spoons, cool glasses, correct sugar, etc. It's not a bad way to go through a see what you want to spend your money on when buying a bottle or two and maybe some of the equipment to go with it. Plus, it's fun to go through the whole process. Mesmerizing might be a good way to describe it, but, then again, it might be the absinthe that's causing the mesmerization.

Just my point. Thanks. With pie, there seems to be a constant need for additives that will serve to improve an otherwise dull and uninteresting dessert. With cake, you just need a delicious piece of cake. You're all set!

I like really nice, hand knitted wool sweaters. Tactile entertainment at it's finest. It's a marathon, not a sprint, with us cake eaters.

Well, it just so happens that A and I own a house, from which I am battling this titanic wrong, that is within sight of a congressman's house who has some room for test cakes in his icebox. Perhaps I will speak to him about hearings. I'm sure that his price has dropped. I saw him cutting his own grass this weekend. He looks like he has some time on his hands.

Pretty interesting piece in yesterday's Times-Picayune about the basic ingredient. http://blog.nola.com/tpmoney/2008/07/periq...iery_comeb.html

Oh boy. Here we go again.... You know, I spend alot of time in our Nation's Capital and I was beginning to believe that all of the press about the insular, backwards misfits living inside of the Beltway was just press driven glop. Now this silly subject comes up on a board that is, otherwise, seemingly filled with intelligent, opinionated people. Don't waste your bandwidth, just shut your pie holes because: A good cake is better than a good pie. Everytime. Sheesh, whaddabunchayahoos.

The Southern Foodways Alliance is hosting a dinner at Johnny's Half Shell on Capitol Hill to help promote the publication of Cornbread Nation 4-The Best of Southern Foodwriting. The dinner will be held on Saturday, June 21st at 7p.m. The meal will be prepared by Ann Cashion, with desserts by Valerie Hill, and it will include many gulf delicacies including a crab dish that, in my mind, is worth the price of admission all by it's ownself. Those Sabine Pass Barbeque Crabs are crazy good (and, just for those of you keeping score at home, they are being made with Maryland Crab. I had some last week during the test phase and they were "eat til you explode" good. Also, some of the best oysters in the world, supplied by Apalachicola's Tommy Ward, will be served with dinner, as well (a movie by the SFA's resident filmaker, Joe York, called "Working the Miles" will be shown also. This movie is about the oyster culture around Apalachicola, FL). Wine pairings will be included and everyone will get a copy of Cornbread Nation 4. More information is available here The total cost for the evening is $70, all inclusive, which is a pretty swell deal. Reservations for the evening can be made by calling Johnny's Half Shell directly. Hope to see you there.

No, it's not moonshine. It's vodka. Vodka, in most commercial cases, is made from whatever the least expensive grain that distillers can buy (I'm talking commercial distillation here-Taaka, Smirnoff, etc) and then distilled into 188 proof, damned near pure alcohol. There are few, if any, residual flavors(I mean, who wants soybean vodka?), and then cut back with deionized water to whatever proof that they want to sell it at. Moonshine, at least the stuff made by craftsmen, is made in a potstill that feeds in to a secondary distillation unit known commonly as a thumper (or, for nerds, a retort). What's happening here is that the steam distillate, instead of being cooled coming out of the still, is pumped into another smaller, passive, container of wash (the same stuff that is being distilled) and is purified again by a steam fired (the steam for the fire is the distillate off of the pot) still and the result is a higher proof spirit that still retains much of the essence of whatever is being distilled. When done well, it's damned delicious. This is a primitive version (or, at least, low tech) version of what virtually all bourbon distillers use, though the second stage in their system is a kind of pot still with a column on top of it, but it acheives pretty much the same results, just in a continuous run rather than batches at a time. And believe me, there are guys out there, right now, running small stills getting results that will blow your mind if you are into strong, delicious, craft spirits. True artisans. Since you quoted Rowley (a good friend of mine) I should say that if you are really interested in this subject, I highly reccomend that you pick up a copy of his book. It's a well done description of the history, the methods, and, happily, a tutorial on how to do this for your own thirsty self. If you get into it, you will discover that this is at least as fun as homebrewing and, if you really get into it, home distilling is incredibly entertaining and satisfying. Of course, I know nothing of this and would never dare to get involved in the evils of home distillation. I am a law abiding citizen at all times. Anyway, my point here is that Catdaddy and Georgia Moon and whatever are not, at least in the classic sense, moonshine in any way. It's just alcohol. You might as well buy a bottle of Taaka.

Kosher Mart had them. It was a pretty funny phone call. I don't imagine they get many callers with an accent much like mine. Ring, ring, ring... "Kosher Mart. How can I help you?" "Hi, I was wondering if you had Domino Sugar Tablets? Those kind of rectangular sugar cubes that are kinda big?" "Of course we have them! We've always had them! You want I should go look to make sure we have them in stock?" "That would be great!" Moments later.... "Hello? You still there?" "Yes" "Ok, we have lots of them. Can I ask you a question?" "Sure. What would you like to know?" "Are you buying these for one of those absinthe machines?" "I take it I'm not the only one who has ever called you?" "Before the absinthe calls started, I only sold that sugar every once in a while to nice old ladies who have used sugar cubes, out of habit, since they were little girls. Now, today, it's fellows like you. Either way, it's ok. A sales a sale!" "Thanks for the help. I'll be out there on Friday afternoon to get them if I don't send someone by first. I really appreciate the help." "You're welcome. Oh, one more thing, where are you from?" "North Louisiana is where I grew up, but I have lived in New Orleans for years." "The Delta?" "Yessir" "I though so. Your manners. It must be in the water. Who knows?." "Thanks again for the help." "Don't drink absinthe and drive. Or maybe even walk!" "Good Advice, thanks. I'll keep it in my absinthe addled mind" Click. Shoot me a pm and I'll give you the lowdown on how to collect your valuable prize. Oh, and if anyone else wants to see this thing in full operation with a pretty decent selection of what's available today absinthe, just stop by Johnny's Half Shell and give it a whirl. It might be an acquired taste, but it's really kind of a mesmerizing process and very fun to do.

Thanks for the help, all. The deal with the tablets is that they are rectangular and are a bit easier to keep on the spoon and pour over. I'll give The Kosher Mart a call. Oy, this is alot of work just to catch a proper buzz.

That's really tragic. I had the pleasure of doing some work there about 10 years ago and it was really fun working in an antique kinda place. While well kept, it was definitely state of the art circa 1950 or so. Really nice people, though. I hope that they can come back quickly. This is a bad time of year to lose bottling capacity. On the other hand, we were there in the Winter and I had never, up to that point in my life, had the experience of a small industrial town in Upstate New York in the middle of the winter. Come to think of it, I don't think that I had ever experienced Winter in any meaningful way. I didn't enjoy it. That place is cold as a wedge 24 hours a day.