dirtymartini

Peppermint schnapps+cacao. No vodka needed. Peppermint Patty. Mix acording to taste(or lack thereof).

Jhah, that little girly-man drink makes me want to pummel it then shake it over ice and pour it into a tiny little glass and drink it in one sip. Hear me now, belive me later, men with pumplitude don't drink little foofoo vodka drinks.

Adding the egg whites is what's hot. Shake, shake, shake. Then shake. A sherry flip with a little lemon is pretty good. I added a touch of congac too. Strained and seved up, cold.

Evel Knievel, my hero.

Sangaree, a wine based cocktail, is set to make a come back. I'm not talking of sangria(completely different). No mere fruit and wine mixture, the sangaree is a mix of spirits and wine. Several recipes I've mixed up from old bar books have been outstanding. One that comes to mind is: 3 oz red wine( I went with a malbec) 1 oz brandy 1/2 oz lemon juice 1/4 oz frangelico Shake with ice, strain into a wine glass, garnish with a twist of lemon. The frangelico I took the liberty of adding, the recipe dates from the 1700's so, I guess the whole 'shake over ice' is new too.

You should schlep. Corduroy is a thanksgiving dinner not to be missed.

I know, it's a gimmick from the start but, I wanted to get in touch with my inner pirate. Boy, did I learn a lesson about pirates. They rob you, it's what they do. From terrible service, to the worst meal I have ever choked down, this place was completely authentic. Inedible potato and chorizo soup was served straight from the microwave, inconsistantly heated and all. Some sort of stew that trauma has flushed from memory was equally terrible. A tomato mozzarella sandwich was the highlight and, when I say highlight I mean, I had a second bite. Being in the restaurant biz, it's hard to be negative about someone else's project. Authentic it is, edible it is not. Maybe therepy can help me move past this but, I know I will never look at pirates the same again.

A variation on a martini; 1 1/2 oz Beefeater, 1/2 oz dry vermouth, 1/4 oz sweet vermouth, dash Peysunds bitter. Wash glass with Cointeau then, with Green Charteruse.

On point

Let me know if that becomes a problem

Poor Martini, named pulled through the mud with every half cocked fad. A martini is not made with Pucker. A martini is not made with Godiva. Every new drink served in an up glass is NOT a Martini. And perpetuating the problem, any barjocky without the creativity to come up with an interesting name calls his drink a Somethingnotquiteamartini. 3/1 ,gin/vermouth, couple drops of bitters is a Martini. Everything else is something else.

Hmmm... imagine a buisiness trying to make money. Those scoundrels! 2 beers, or 4 sodas= $10.

30 year old Laphroig thanks to some great guys (you know who you are!)

You could mix it up into a 'Jaque Rose', a twist on the Jack Rose. 1 1/2 oz Calvados, 1/2 oz lemon juice, 1/2 oz grenadine, 1/2 oz cointrieu. A little less grenadine if it's Rose's. Shake with ice, serve up. A lemon wheel garnish makes this one of the most beautiful drinks ever

Instead, a French 75. One ounce gin, half ounce lemon juice(or juice from 1/2 lemon but, please, only fresh juice), teaspoon of sugar.Mix over ice, pour into champagne flute and top with champagne. Named for the 75mm cannons used by the French during WW 1.

Ah, the French Martini. Another jolly rodger/ life saver flavored hold out from the 90's. The only drink that says less about a persons pallate to me is if they order an apple martini. Why not just grain alchole and kool-aid?

I think Dino can be a gteat place for a buisness dinner, especially if you can get into a quite corner upstairs. I would caution about the pork issue, not just at Dino but, most upper tier restaurants intown. Pork can find it's way into some mighty odd places. A simple request for Muslim freindly dishs should do the trick. And, oh, the wine list at Dino would be the one thing I would need on a desert island

If Mark gave it a 92 and Parker gave it a 80, I would go with Mark's palate... cause he's the MAN

Considering the quality of a place is in direct proportion to it's view.......

Jake brought up an interesting point,"when pairing wine with food". None of the major writers are scoring these wines based on pairings while, most of us are enjoying these wines with food. Context is the crucial element many publications seem to over look. A rose from Provence may be wonderful and vibrant with fried chicken at a picnic in May, while the same wine could be flat and underwhelming paired with turkey at Thanksgiving. On the other hand, knowing the palate of the person recomending wines can help quite a bit, even if you don't agree with that persons palate i.e. I know I will most likely not enjoy a 98 point Parker bomb but, a score in the 88 to 94 point range means that I know the wine is not flawed. I know Mr Parker loves big, extracted wines, while I prefer a more subtle and elegant style. I do agree that slavishly following a ratings system leave one out in the cold on many wonderful wines.

Shameless plug follows-Buck's has a couple of the 05 cru wines available, I think a Morgon and a Fluerie both fun food wines, I can't think of the producers right now. Great with wood grilled fish...I'm there tues & sat nights

Brent, so young, you could light up those around you with that jovial and infectious laugh. I am glad to have known you, my thoughts and prayers to your family and to your many friends.

Am I biased? Had a dinner at Komi in which sherry was the sole pairing (although I think 8 different styles). I was amazed at seemless versitality of this beverage matched with everything from anchovies to chocolate.

The Littorai is a good one, though getting pricier. I don't know that these qualify as 'cult' wines but, I'm having fun seeking out the second labels of first growth bordeux right now. Whereas Latour would be my entertainment budget for the quarter, le Forts de Latour is a justifiable indulgence.

I think the perfect cocktail for this stuff is a marrige of sweet and spicey. I picked up some Ume Blanc plum wine from the herb shop next to CVS in Chinatown, mixed it about 6/1 with the chipotle vodka, it was pretty tasty. Since there are only two ingriedients it's easy to blend to taste. On that note you could also try white zin instead of plum wine but, maybe at 10/1 or better. Nothing too honeyed or thick though.. Might try a chocolate thing later..keep you posted