GinChevyChase

When we dined at Barrel & Crow recently, I had them make one of these. Unfortunately I could not remember the recipe. So I found the below recipe online and they slightly tweaked it as indicated. It was pretty good.

1.5 oz gin

1.5 oz sweet vermouth

.25 oxz maraschino liquer

dah of Angostura bitters

They apparently did not use as much vermouth. Tasty

I make it with 1.5 oz of Old Tom Gin, 1.5 oz of sweet vermouth (usually Carpano), just a tsp of maraschino, and a few dashes of orange bitters.  Real tasty.

Surprised no one has mentioned a Negroni - gin may get a bit overwhelmed by the Campari, but it's an awesome cocktail nonetheless - 1 part each Gin, Sweet Vermouth and Campari, served either up or on the rocks, with (or without) an orange twist.

Late to the party, but its 52.39 in MoCo.  For all the justifiable heat that the DLC takes for their wine selection being terrible, overpriced, stored improperly etc., they consistently have the best prices around on the hard stuff, and even better when they go on sale.  To use an example, right now Wild Turkey Rare Breed is on sale for $32.29 at the DLC (buy lots... it's good).  Also on sale at CW... for $41.99.   

Curious - does a last minute cancellation (say like an hour before) via open table help at all, or is it basically the same, from the restaurant's perspective as a no show?  Personally, I don't think I've ever no-showed, but have canceled reservations the day of (usually in the morning/afternoon).

Funny story about this - two weeks ago we had a reservation at Dino's - but due the the F*^#in Metro track work on EVERY. SINGLE. LINE - we were running about 10-15 minutes late and I was worried that they were going to give our table away.  Was about to call and beg not to do so, but instead decided to just walk all fast like from the Shaw stop and made it there only about 15 min late and were shown right to our table .  Meal was fantastic btw - made even better with lots of Lambrusco and orange wine (yes I'm weird).

Second on the Pimm's cup.  You can pre-mix a big batch in a pitcher and take it out.  It's also fairly low gravity so you can drink more without falling over 

I have now tasted the 2010 Octagon:  it is a smooth, bordeaux like blend that needs at least an hour to open up.  I don't think it is on quite the level of the 2009 but it is a very good representative of Octagon.  Barboursville notes that they believe it is similar to their 1999 which they were tasting in a vertical at their winery last spring.  At that tasting there were, I think, seven or eight vintages of octagon available.  I preferred their 2001-the 2009 was still far too young and too tight to taste.

Now, with a year, the 2009 is ready.

Any opinions on the '08 Octagon?  I've got a bottle sitting in the cellar calling my name, but I'm wary of opening it too early.

Given some of the recent conversations regarding the price of a drink in this town, I feel it’s my duty to point out the fact that, with the exception of a few cocktails using especially old or expensive spirits (aptly noted on the menu as “look at my fancy pants”), every drink is priced at 10 dollars ($6 from 5-7). Worth every penny.

The bar “snacks” are also fantastic – truffle potato chips are addicting.

Who reliably stocks Angostura orange in the Washington area? I bought a bottle of it at (I think) the Giant at Lee Highway and Spout Run Parkway in Arlington about three years ago, and I haven't seen it anywhere since. I really liked it.

I've bought it twice at the Giant in Wheaton. Seriously.

This also ignores some of your categories (it has a backstory on every drink), but Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails is a great reference for many of the older "classic" concoctions. FWIW I saw a copy sitting behind the bar at Proof when I was there a few weeks ago.

I'll be braving the crowds at OC this weekend. Any recomendations for Crabs? Outdoor seating, dump em on the table and dig in type places preferred. We hit up the Bahama Mama's on the south end a few years back and it was pretty good, but I wanted to see if any of you experts had any other suggestions.

For those of us who were exiled to the suburbs yet still enjoy the hard stuff (and wine) - Montgomery County DLC now has a website that lists their retail inventory in searchable format.

http://www2.montgomerycountymd.gov/dlcsearch/

Certainly helped me in my quest for Casa Noble Tequila and Rittenhouse Rye last week, I had no idea the county even stocked that stuff

Founding Farmers in Park Potomac has great cocktails, not cheap however, food is meh, and I wouldn't really call it a "tavern." Dogfish Head and Growlers are in Gaithersburg and have great beer selections. Dogfish at least has decent pub grub (haven't tried the food at Growlers). Competent, if not imaginative, bartenders can be found at Clyde's Tower Oaks property - it's standard Clyde's menu, though the oyster program is decent.

It would have been great to have a photo of the corporate logo in the dumpster after they made it "walk the plank".

There is Clover somewhere in Maryland.

As an FYI, said Clover is in the Bethesda Starbucks across the street from the Farm Womens Coop. I think there are like 5 or so (over-roasted) varieties to choose from.

I've been to the Friendship Heights location, and thought it was pretty good. Espresso had a nice flavor and good crema - and the Wife's latte looked well made. It's a good addition for an area with only a few other options. Call me jaded from way too many trips to Charbucks, but I'm quite heartened every time I walk into one of these new shops and see a rig that does not include a super-auto.

Filter is the best coffee house in upper NW. I'm defining "upper NW" as red line from Farragut North up to the Maryland border and including Foggy Bottom/West End/Georgetown. With Illy Cafe, maybe/not really Juan Valdez south of World Bank (and now Filter) the only exceptions, this part of DC is shockingly under-served with great coffee. We're over-run with Starbucks, Marvelous Markets and even worse.

While I know it's a bit lacking in the atmosphere IMHO the Baristas at Modern Times (Politics and Prose in Upper NW) consistently pull some of the best shots of espresso and make some of the best Cappuccinos in town. Now I'll definitely have to head down to DuPont to give Filter a proper comparison!

Finally got 'round to trying the Founding Farmers sazerac, which was not made by Joe Arroyo.

It was not good.

Also, the little cheesy-pouf things (Heirloom Cheese Puffs, I believe they were called), were not good. My friend and I ambled over to Central for gougeres and more cocktails and were much happier.

I had a sazerac there a few months ago that was great, although not made by Jon. Jon later did come out and make some fantastic cocktails for my wife and I, including one that he developed for a cocktail competition (forget what it was, all I remember was that it was great). Sitting at the bar and having Jon just "make us stuff" was a great experience IMO.