Science! Psuedo-science! Nature! Art! Nonsense!
January 10, 2023
music clark, cocktail, guitar, iulie, mandolin, music, rhine, romey, scot toddy, violin, where's aubrey Leave a comment
An important new year’s resolution for me this year is to play more music. We started things right with a session on January 2nd. Rhine came into town for a day. Clark popped by for some music. Our best audience was lulled to sleep.
Playing in the living room.
We had some Scot Toddy’s in Romey’s xmas cups and kept the bar open late.
January 10, 2023
cooking, mixology, party blini, burgundy mushrooms, caviar, cocktail, cooking, crème fraîche, fight club, mimosa, movie, mr skaggs, mushrooms, nine hour mushrooms, roasted chicken, romey, seelbach, skaggs, veuve clicquot Leave a comment
This year we rang in the New Year with delicious food and an intimate two person party.
Nine hour Burgundy Mushrooms are absolutely delicious! But they do really take nine hours. Six hours of simmering with a lid on and three more with the lid off. The new Mauviel christmas pot (my best present by far) was perfect for the job.
We also roasted a chicken and veggies in the new pink pot using one of Romey’s recipes. Likewise delicious.
This was “first dinner.” The coup de grace was still to come.
Mr Skaggs paid a visit while the cooking proceeded and we had a couple of Seelbach cocktails (take care of the time warp!). We’re pretty sure that’s why we accidentally fell asleep before midnight. LOL.
This was a fancy pants Seelbach iteration with veuve clicquot champagne and blanton’s bourbon. Absolutely fantastic.
And then it was time to cook up blinis for the caviar. We went to the “gold plated groceries” store for the fixins. Crème fraîche for the win. So delicious.
Incidentally, these were fried to perfection in another new pan.
This special meal called for a vintage bottle of pink veuve clicqot.
We attempted to watch Fight Club (which I had never seen) , but we fell asleep just before the end (and just before midnight). We blame the Seelbachs.
The leftover champagne and blinis made a great first breakfast of 2023.
Happy New Year to all.
December 20, 2021
cooking, mixology baltimore eggnog, cocktail, cocktail recipe, cocktails, cyn, derek brown, eggnog, fresh eggs 1 Comment
Fresh eggnog is really good come solstice time. I’ve made a number of batches over the years, but this recipe is my favorite. This came from an article by Derek Brown of DC bartending fame. Apparently it is called “Baltimore Eggnog.”
Testing the eggnog before the guests arrive
Ingredients
2 dozen fresh eggs from the girls, separated
1 750-mL bottle VSOP cognac
16 ounces Mt Gay Eclipse
1.5 pounds powdered sugar
3 quarts (96 ounces) whole milk, chilled
1 quart (32 ounces) heavy cream, chilled
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
24 fresh yolks from the girls in the palace (absolutely fresh eggs from free range hens make a very big difference)
All ingredients but the whites mixed with an electric mixer
2. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites and nutmeg until they form stiff peaks.
3. Fold the whites into the yolk mixture.Serve in punch cups.
The final product in cyn’s punch bowl chilling in the fridge
Will keep, tightly sealed and refrigerated, for up to one month.
Take a sunset walk while the eggnog sets
Decorate the tree, and do some dancing.
January 5, 2017
mixology, who knows amer picon, cocktail, cocktail recipe, demerara sugar, gentian, infusion, moonshine, Neroli-Petitgrain, quina, white dog Leave a comment
Because of the Liberal, that’s why. It all started as a hack of Torani Amer and Regan’s Orange bitters #6. But that was before Amer Picon from France. Now there is always Amer Picon in the house, a band called the Bitter Liberals, and a house cocktail.
Then came a Thanksgiving, Christa, and talk of Neroli-Petitgrain oranges growing in East Tennessee.
So yes, Amer Picon. Lets make it. Using ultra local super hot white dog. Lets make it.
December 15
December 19
SOLSTICE
Christmas Eve
And then the big day: January 5, 2017
The final ingredient mix
Orange peel infusion jar
Straining the peel infusion with a coffee filter
Measuring the proof
A drop from 165 to 110
*** 110 proof orange peel infusion
Straining the orange leaf infusion
*** Orange leaf infusion
Caramelized orange juice with brown sugar and butter
*** Caramelized orange juice
Gentian
*** Gentian
Quina
*** Quina
Very close but needs some sugar, so simple syrup of demerara.
Demarara
Blend, taste, adjust, work. (Two half batches combined was our methodology.)
Notes and the final recipe.
Proof is in the Liberal.
A Liberal with homemade Amer Picon
Success!
April 12, 2015
art campari, cocktail, duvall designs, duvall gallery, gem, opening, opening+1, pastel, photography, tia, tia maggio Leave a comment
Tia Maggio at Duvall Gallery
Our plan was to go to the real opening shindig, but we were thwarted by the new equine arrivals! Not to worry. We made our own opening+1.
Tia Maggio works in pastels and does very intricate, delicate work with beautiful lines and lots of movement. The colors are not “easter colors” in case that’s what you’re thinking. Tia’s work can be dark and mysterious or summery and light. Whole spectrum. Great work. We’re proud to have some of Tia’s stuff in our collection at Apothecary Shed.
Tia Maggio’s Show at Duvall Gallery
One of the great things about the Duvall Gallery is that it is an old old building. The patina inside is a striking and effective offset for the work. So glad it is not boring and white.
Of course, an opening+1 requires a nice cocktail. The doctor’s bag was handy.
Campari and Prosecco with a twist
Tia Maggio captures the tropics
The artist: Tia Maggio with a cocktail for opening+1
Oh look, it’s apothecaryshedster!
Yes, we had fun! And we learned about some of Tia’s methods and inspiration.
My personal favorite. Fire.
Why don’t we do it in the road??
Why Don’t We Do it in the Road? Tia Maggio
Well that was fun
January 26, 2014
art, food, mixology arlington, art, art closet, birthday, cocktail, emily, emily shepardson, google glass, restaurant, water and wall, william shakespeare Leave a comment
Shiny happy people
Fun and games in the big city to celebrate amy’s belated birthday. Dinner at Water and Wall was very good (but not exceptional). Arlington has lots of great eats to be had! If you do go to Water and Wall, definitely get the veal sweetbreads. Wow.
Birthday girl
One of the highlights of the evening was seeing more of Emily Shepardson’s art and glassing her “art closet” (which by the way is spreading like frosting on a cake into Victor’s old room. I even got to take home an etching.
Emily herself
Special delivery.
Bill arrives with another batch.
William approves.
A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool.
