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Yeah, we're moar hard core! Anvil Fail I'm personally so hard core that I took nice pictures of the Ramos Fizz I made tonight and then deleted them without posting one! I uploaded them onto a laptop because my son was on the iMac (where they belong), but because the laptop hard drive is maxing out and the iMac was now free I not only deleted them from that iPhoto but also emptied the trash. I only remembered that I had clicked "Delete Photos" at the end of the prior upload when I saw that there weren't any pictures on the card. A fizz is meant to be drunk quickly, and I had obliged wholeheartedly so it was too late for any re-do. I'm still claiming credit for this one because I am down to 4 drinks on the Anvil List and I want to be done. I'm making an Arnaud's Special right now damnit!

I'm not the most knowledgeable computer person around here by any stretch, but if you need to do all that shit on the road, you won't be able to do it well or at all with a Macbook, so you might have to get the Macbook Pro and build a server.

Whisky Skin the master Jerry Thomas c/o the 2 oz Lagavulin 16 1 tsp Demerara sugar 1 peel of lemon rind hot water I followed Jim's basic steps in the first post of this useful thread, pt. 2. Thomas suggested either Glenlivet or an Islay so I went the peatier, brinier and smokier way. I also doubled the thin lemon peels with no pith that Wondrich specifies. Not bad at all, but I am not sure I will skin another anytime soon unless I find myself snowed in somewhere with the ingredients at hand. Jim, your image and execution of the Arnaud's Special Cocktail are both outstanding. Good reminder about the Air Mail, Marc, I recall enjoying that one very much indeed. How long does it take to get a refrigerator in Texas?! I cannot believe you are still waiting, Shelly. Sucks.

Anvil in the evening. Coffee Cocktail using the 1949 Esquire Handbook for Hosts* recipe: 1 pony of brandy (1 oz Pellehaut Armagnac) 2 ponies of port (2 oz Graham's 1992 vintage) 1 egg yolk 1/4 tsp sugar Shake with ice and strain into claret glass. Not bad, especially given Jim's poor reaction to it. Claire quite enjoyed it. Milk Punch from Jerry Thomas's recipe by way of Wondrich in Imbibe! 2 tsp sugar 2 tsp water 2 oz brandy (Pellehaut Armagnac) 1 oz rum (Zacapa) Tumbler 1/3 full of shaved ice Dissolve the sugar in the water, add the spirits and then "fill with milk" (which I took to mean about the same amount of milk as the rest) and shake with ice. Strain into tumbler with ice and top with nutmeg. If you add an egg, you get egg milk punch, aka egg nogg, and this really tastes like it. I like. *Another gift from my sister whose vintage shop hopping in Minneapolis is really paying off!

Anvil in the afternoon. Aperol Spritz 1.5 oz Aperol 2 oz sparkling wine (Sofia) Orangle slice Splash of soda water Build in glass with some ice cubes. I doubled the recipe to use up the can of Sofia. Tasty.

Sierra Nevada Tumbler

w00t! Nicely done Jim! And glad that Emelius got his supply of Russian River brews!

Mario Batali's recipe for Pork Shoulder a la Porchetta, roasted carrots, cheesy polenta and Sophie's creme brulee for dinner tonight with friends.

Not in the land of Oz, but I own the house that my grandfather lived in for 25 years and inherited a lot of very cool barware and glassware. Those little champagne glasses are some of my favorites, especially with a neon beverage in them. Gonna have to get some faux-Bokers, and I really like both the gum syrup in general and the East India Cocktail in particular. I have not made many juleps, but that or the Zombie will be my last one from the list. Sorry about the poor drink, Shelly, but I am not surprised that you might get a dud now and again. Maybe act all indignant and shame them into doing it right like Jim said, or maybe just find one of the other thousand bars in the neighborhood that looks better. Haven't been to NOLA in years but it would be fun to have a meet or other get-together there sometime. Moving into single digits on the Anvil list by way of the worst-tasting of all the drinks on the list so far. The Morning Glory [Fizz] from the Stork 1.5 oz scotch (2 oz Edradour 10 yr Signature) 1 tsp powdered sugar white of 1 egg .5 tsp tsp superfine sugar Shake and strain into highball glass with new ice cubes and top with seltzer. Maybe I will try this one morning and see if it is glorious, but it just tastes bland and lousy.

Yay! communist Nate and Yay! socialism!

Anvil Friday Night! To fulfill the Mojito requirement, I turned to the trusty 1946 Stork Club Bar Book and found the following variation: Mojito Highball 2 oz Appleton Estate V/X rum 1 tsp superfine sugar juice of half lime plus the rind 1 cube of ice (ok, 3 cubes) Serve in a highball glass. Fill with soda. Decorate with 3 sprigs of rind [of mint]. Stir. Light, refreshing and not cloying like most syrupy Mojitos. Nice. Next, I decided to take my medicine even though I did not have proper white creme de menthe. Luckily, Wondrich and the Savoy each went with a 1/4 to 3/4 ratio rather than the even parts recipe in the Stork. Stinger 3/4 oz white [green] creme de menthe 2 1/4 oz Maison Surrenne cognac Shake well and strain into sherry glass or cocktail glass. Wow that is green. I wish I had better and more appropriate creme de menthe (Wondrich recommends finding the French brand "Get"), but I admit that it is appealing in a retro sort of way. People in my parents' and grandparents' generations drank a lot of creme de menthe drinks and it has a way of bringing me back to being a kid at parties or restaurants. Now I get to make and drink them, though, so that is a good thing. 10 to go, and hopefully more to cross off tonight.

Great to hear Craig!

I gets all teh bass. But now I have neck and back strain.

Now I have two competing fantasy images of Craig: either he's in blissful audio Nirvana playing music nonstop and achieving new levels of awareness --or-- he's been electrocuted by the T2. I know the reality is more mundane, but whenever this happens that kind of thing runs through my head.

Going way back for a Jerry Thomas punch recipe, although I cannot find one called "special punch" either. I should have done the Arrack Punch now that I think about it, but I went for this instead: Gin Punch 1 tablespoon raspberry syrup 2 teaspoons sugar 2 oz water 3 oz Holland gin (Bols Genever) Juice of half small lemon 2 slices of orange [1 piece pineapple] Fill tumbler with shaved ice. Shake contents well and ornament the top with berries. Sip through a straw. Should have added a dash or two of Maraschino that he included in some recipe variation because it would have made it a little more complex. Nice, refreshing and could be great as a big punch at a party. 12 more to go! Oops. Got used to adding the e.

Awesome grog, Jim, and such beautiful crushed ice! There's actually three of them, but they aren't pricey so maybe I will do the hat trick. Back to the Anvil... Port Flip from the Stork Club Bar Book. 2 oz port wine Grahame's 1992 vintage 1 tsp superfine sugar 1 whole egg Shake with ice, strain into wine glass, and shave nutmeg on top. Damn tasty, and I had been dreading this one and the Coffee Cocktail as well. I remember Jim saying this was the better of the two, so I eased into it.

Let us know how the Boker's is Jim, assuming you don't die from the snakeroot!

Thanks Antonio, but it is readily available here for $18/liter.

That was fast! Congrat Colin!

Thanks for all the work to get these done Carl (and Bonnie)!

Raw? Or cooked?

Anybody tried these? They are at a local shop but I know nothing about them.

Congrat Chris! Looks good Shelly. And later you can use the mini for vermouths and other bar supplies!