ITT: Barware, Cocktail Accessories, Bitters, etc.



denning said:

Pio,
Make sure you report on the flavour of each. I am interested in the Bolivar and Jamaica no. 2.

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Used the Blackstrap to make a manhattan. Two oz Wiser's whisky, 1oz Noilly Prat sweet, seven drops Blackstrap. Too much! Next time only five drops. These are potent.

Flavour profile...smoky, dark, savory baking spice. Nice.



Piobaire said:

I would have gotten this except they spelled "whisky" funny:

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The Irish were making whiskey before the scots were, I'm gonna say that theirs is the correct spelling, if there is one.

What do you guys use to wash and polish your glasses? My hands are too big to reach the bottom and soap scum annoys me

those are probably mineral deposits from the water, I pour in white vinegar to cover and let them sit for awhile, then I wash them with the sponge. If you can't reach all the way in to clean, you should use a bottle brush (twss)

I fold a kitchen towel a couple of times lengthwise, then insert it gently in the glass. Then I twist it in one direction so it stacks up until it moves, do like ten laps that way and then in the opposite direction. It works for me and I haven't killed a glass that way so far.

Huh. I bought a bottle brush but it didnt remove the scum. I'll try vinegar thanks

I've tried kitchen towels in the past but it leaves behind these small fibers.

Use a fresh, dry kitchen towel. Also use different ones -- cotton, linen etc. and see what works best. I have a rather stiff cotton one that doesn't leave behind fibers.

I think my method works for 90% perfection. Not sure how to get an immaculate shine though.



cptjeff said:

The Irish were making whiskey before the scots were, I'm gonna say that theirs is the correct spelling, if there is one.

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You're raised an interesting point. There is no doubt Bushmill's is the oldest legal distillery. There is no doubt the Irish claim distillation spread from Ireland to Scotland via the clergy (it was the purvey of the monks at one time and did not spread out of the monasteries until their decline). In this account, the Italians are credited with bringing distillation to Ireland, again via the clergy. So if we really want to follow that thread out...we have to credit the Italians for whisky.

However, there is also an established theory that the Vikings, who settled in Scotland before Ireland, brought distillation with them. We know some of the Vikings were mercenary guards for the Byzantine rulers in the 9th and 10th centuries. They participated in the Syrian wars and would have come in contact with the "water of life" one Abu Musa Jabir ibn Hayyan. He is known as the "Father of Modern Chemistry" and was apparently distilling many things, one of them being barley. It would make sense if the Vikings came upon this they soon had their aqua vitae (water of life). As "whisky" is a more English form of Gaelic, usquebaugh, or water of life.

Either way, I prefer it spelled the Scottish/Canadian way.

I guess I'm the only one who does this. I buy cheap glasses and throw them in the dishwasher. All of my glasses cost around $2 - $3 a glass. Time saved and the lack of gnashing of teeth when one of my glasses is broken is worth it. Guests have already broke around 4 of my wine glasses and champagne flutes.



Bhowie said:

I guess I'm the only one who does this. I buy cheap glasses and throw them in the dishwasher. All of my glasses cost around $2 - $3 a glass. Time saved and the lack of gnashing of teeth when one of my glasses is broken is worth it. Guests have already broke around 4 of my wine glasses and champagne flutes.

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I sort of went the opposite way. We bought some Riedel Vinum to try out. Mrs. Piob has always hand washed those and we were using cheaper stuff for normal use. However, I just moved to Schott Zwiesel Fortes. We have Bordeaux and Burgundy now and will be getting a white wine, a collins, and a rocks glass from the line up. They are titanium crystal (vs. lead) which makes them far stronger and completely dishwasher safe. They will not get hazy etc. and come out of dishwasher looking fantastic. If you shop around, $7-8 a stem.

i got spieglau for $10 a glass after I broke all my riedels (crumpled in my hand as i was washing them)

not a fan of cheaper glasses cuz they have these lips on them that i particularly dislike.


maybe i'll buy zwiesel if the spieglaus ever break.



my glencairn also broke. im thinking of getting riedel or something as i dislike the glencairn etching on the bottom cuz it's huge and you can see it while your drinking

Yeah, I swear two of my Riedel were just sitting there and spontaneously shattered.

This, is beautiful:

http://www.amazon.com/Schott-Zwiese...021697&sr=1-2&keywords=schott+zwiesel+martini

The martini glasses I've like the most were at the violet hour in Chicago. Should've asked what they were.

Call them?