Journal: Hibiscus

For maybe more than a year there’s a tab open on my phone — the first in a long cascading tile of tabs — with this cocktail using hibiscus called The Southern Tart. I think I left it there because I intended to make a note about it because I made some sort of cocktail with hibiscus-something-or-other — probably dried flowers steeped and cooled but I definitely don’t remember how or what now. I thought I might remember but I definitely for sure don’t. When hibiscus comes back into our lives again, maybe this link will help.

Now I can close the tab on the phone, freeing up top honors to “DIY All-Purpose Cleaning Solution” and eventually “Basic Ukulele Chords For Beginning Players.”

Fun With Mezcal

Found this “Mezcal Martinez” in Serious Eats which takes advantage of our late interest in creme de cacao: four parts mezcal, three parts white vermouth, three parts Combier (we used cheap triple sec), two parts creme de cacao, a dash of bitters (I think I used Angostura instead of what they had) and a dash of chocolate bitters (Xocolatl Mole there). Another version with the same name sounds good: eight parts mezcal, two parts sweet vermouth, two parts Cynar and one part Maraschino.

Elsewhere, while trying to figure out what to do with lychee liqueur, I found this Dusky Hummingbird cocktail that someone created: three parts mezcal, one part agave syrup, one part lime juice, one part lychee liqueur and three dashes of absinthe. This was good, though it will still take for-fucking-ever to get through this bottle of lychee liqueur.

Journal: Burgers

Sam Sifton’s Tavern Burgers: Used the cast-iron skillet and did three minutes then four minutes, which was definitely medium rare. Round two tried four minutes and then five minutes — a little more where you wanted it.

In Which The Smarter Among Us Figures Out What We Drank

(In other words, not me.) We tried this drink called the Perique Swizzle at this cocktail place nearby which was interesting and good (interesting *and* good is always good), then tried to replicate it at home: two ounces rum, 1.5 ounce mezcal, .5 ounce falernum, .5 ounce amaro (they used sfumato rabarbaro; we tried both cynar and amaro ciociaro, the latter being better), a pinch of salt and some crushed mint leaves. As the name evokes, the original was a variation on a swizzle, which is Caribbean using rum, falernum and juices. Go easy on the salt: the bartender at the Last Word called it a “salt brine” and indeed there’s a thin line between delicate oyster liquor and a snoutful of Labor Day surf.

Journal: Yogurt

Salton yogurt maker: unused wedding gift until fairly recently (and under threat of being unloaded on Goodwill). Heat 32 ounces of milk up to 180-190 degrees (approximately seven minutes on the front left burner), then let cool to 100-110 degrees (approximately 45 minutes). Mix with 1/4 cup yogurt, then put in machine for 12 hours.