PappyVanWise

You can go upstairs to this post of mine for my excellent Maraschita, which I've been having after work almost every day for the last couple of years. I don't remember if I didn't originally include orange bitters or just neglected to mention it, but I add orange bitters to this. Also, I always use Camarena tequila reposado, which is quite good and very reasonably priced. A picture of the cocktail can be viewed over here.

I think a bottle of Luxardo is going to be my next addition.  There have been a few interesting looking recipes that include it.

That's how little tequila I drink! I honestly read that and it didn't even register that reposado was tequila. I beg 1000 pardons and raise ny next (whiskey-based) cocktail to you.

Anyone doing anything fun with tequila lately?  I rarely make tequila cocktails, but have found myself with a healthy portion of a bottle leftover from a party.

Here's a fun little news article about the brothers Bjergsí¸: A Fight Is Brewing.  Sounds like the brothers are the beer version of Noel and Liam Gallagher.

If people are interested in buying spirits online, Caskers is having a free shipping with $150 purchase event through Sunday.  They have some pretty good bourbons that aren't distributed in VA or probably MD at fair prices.  I can recommend the Hooker's House Bourbon, which is finished in Pinot Noir barrels.  A very different approach to bourbon, adding some red fruit at the end of the barrel aging.  It's an interesting add to your bar for $40.  They also have a good selection of ryes and Tony Kornheiser's favorite french whiskey, Brenne.

I'm including my referral link, so if you buy anything I get a little credit, Caskers.com

Because this thread has 217 views, and I think I only account for half of them I'll keep it going.  Though last night's episode had no actual bourbon featured in it, two separate commercial breaks were sponsored by Jack Daniels and Jim Beam.  They know their audience.

Peet's was definitely my go to bean in Washington, easy to find at Safeway/Giant/HT and always consistent.  The stores out in California were always excellent, and I hope the former Caribou stores maintain that high-level.  I haven't bought the beans since the merger (or buyout?), but I assume the quality remains the same. though Richmond has some local roasters that do a hell of a job. The Richmond airport Caribou is supposedly becoming a Peet's, which is good news for everyone. Black Hand in particular has stayed in my grinder, while Blanchard's and Lamplighter are also well-regarded local options.  The grocery chain Fresh Market (which I think is coming or is already in NoVa) carries both Intelligentsia and Counter Culture, so there's good coffee everywhere to be found.

Anyone have the Bookers 25 yet?  I found the last bottle on the shelf of my local ABC today, and will probably crack it open and start a thread this weekend.  Just curious if anyone else has tried it yet. Thanks for reviving the Whiskey thread, btw, I didn't even know it existed.  Makes for a better place to have bourbon conversations, with the other threads related to particular bottles.

From the press release:

"The original Booker's Bourbon, a cask-strength spirit with a proof that usually ranges from 120 to 130, is normally aged for six to eight years. The special-edition batch is over 10 years old, giving the product some extra characteristics and making it a fitting tribute to an important character in the Bourbon industry."

Raising a Cuba Libre to Aroldis Chapman, have a quick recovery fireballer.

[Note - I found an inconsistency: there's a Richmond thread in The Intrepid Traveler forum, but there are also individual restaurants listed in the Virginia Dining Guide which reside in the Washington, DC Restaurants and Dining forum. It's up to me to resolve this, eventually, but for now, just be aware that both exist.]

I'm trying to eat out enough and write enough reviews for Richmond to get a forum unto itself, but I'm just one man.

Either way, Hannibal is a great show and the food, even of it is of human origin, is beautifully shot.

Didn't she hang out in the male lead's bar all the time? I know she worked in a Niagra Falls gift shop, but I remember her hanging out at the guy's place a lot more than being in the gift shop.  I haven't watched it since it originally aired, so my memory could be cloudy. 

I used the occasion of my wife making her mother's pho recipe for the first time to break out this cocktail.  I figured the ginger would go well with the dish, and Derek Brown was right, it's an excellent cocktail.  I made it with both the Old Weller 107 and Weller Special Reserve.  The domaine de canton and St. Germain greatly increase the cost of the cocktail, clocking in around $35 each per bottle, but definitely worth the tariff.

Really? I was just looking on VA ABC's price list the other day for it. A friend of mine was surprised when I said I loved it as a less-expensive bourbon as the only Weller he'd seen in VA was something around $80.

How much is it? Better yet, can you give me the ordering # (so I can send it to him to special order since apparently his store doesn't carry it)?

I'll also be mixing up some of Derek's ginger cocktails tonight with this.  Will report back when I sober up.

I thought I'd start this thread to see if anyone is watching Hannibal on NBC.  The first season is available on Amazon Prime and we're two episodes into season two, Friday nights at 10 and probably OnDemand.  While watching this past week's episode, and seeing Dr. Lecter make an amazing osso bucco (albeit from a human leg) I thought how much this show was about the food and insane appetites of the title character.  When I was thinking about starting this thread, Andy Greenwald wrote a fantastic spoiler-free article on Grantland: Night of the Manhunter and the food stylist for the show has created a blog for her work: Feeding Hannibal.  Both of these, and just the pure beauty of the show, made me think it was worthy of discussion or even turning other people onto the show.  Sure it's bloody and about horrific killings, but Bryan Fuller is truly a television auteur with a unique eye and voice.

His other work is worth looking out for as well, Pushing Daisies and Wonderfalls were both built around restaurants and a little bit of the supernatural.

The 107 is $23.99, the Special Reserve is $18, Special reserve also comes in 1.75s for $36. At least 5 different stores are carrying the 107 now. I'll take a picture of the shelf tag next time I'm in an ABC (which will be tomorrow, probably).

The $80 is the BTAC William Larue Weller, which is only a special order item from what I can tell.  We had one at our bourbon tasting two times ago, and it's got a lot of heat.

Well, looks like I have a mission.  Also picked up a bottle of the sub $20 Weller Special Reserve to mix with as well.

The Weller Antique 107 has started showing up on the shelves a lot more in the Richmond ABC stores, so I'm ready to make it the every day under $25 house drinker that I've been waiting for.  My only real problem, and it's hardly a problem, is that I find it has to be neat for me to enjoy it.  The few times I've put in an ice cube, the flavors and any bourbon intensity seem to disappear.  It doesn't happen instantly, but as soon as any of the ice melts the water washes away everything I like about it.

Does anyone else find this happening with this or other whiskies?  Is this also a sign to steer clear of throwing this into a cocktail for fear of losing the flavor?

I love how I've hijacked this thread to just name the bourbon placements. A big bottle of Maker's Mark was the focus of a scene tonight.

Blech...

I think this is a pour down the drain for me, but I'm curious as to if anyone else likes this one.

I'm a peanut butter fanatic, but this one does absolutely nothing for me.  Found that Total Wine was selling singles of it, so luckily I'm only out $1.

It's been 8 years or so, but we had a really good meal at Osteria Der Belli.  I had to google it to make sure it was the right place, it looks like it's the only good place to eat in a big touristy area of Rome.  The reviews on the TripAdvisor link are probably more reliable than my memory, I just remember really enjoying the experience. 

Can't wait to see the pre-expansion and post expansion price difference for collectors.

I'm watching this as well, but didn't want to write anything until it wrapped up.  This could very well the show that ushers in the new TV model, or just a very good miniseries that doesn't have too much cultural impact when all is said and done.

How do you think it stacks up against Rasa and Charles Smith?  I went deep on Rasa a few vintages ago and splurged on some Royal City last year.

With the rise of Facebook, people have become more-and-more comfortable using their real names on the internet - I'd like to ask people to consider moving away from pseudonyms, and converting your member names to your real names. This will never be a requirement, but it does add credibility. Just because I know who you are, doesn't mean other people do, and I can understand the whole "hiding behind a pseudonym" argument as having some validity. More importantly to me, I think it adds to the sense of community when people use their real names. I have spent countless hundreds of hours memorizing who you are, and that's great - for me - but that doesn't help other people get to know you.

Do we have the ability to change our member name ourselves?