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Food Thread: A Flying Martini?

I was given that bottle by a well-meaning relative, because...I have no idea, other than that she drinks a lot of gin cocktails when she comes to our house.

The company is co-owned by Ryan Reynolds, who is a comedic actor who is from Canada, so he doesn't matter at all. But I shy away from celebrity endorsed products, and definitely from celebrity-owned companies. So I have never bought a bottle of the stuff.

But I am also a cheap bastard and will absolutely drink celebrity gin if it is free!

SO I made a martini (stirred, not shaken!), and while it was fine, the gin absolutely does not deserve the hype, or the premium price. Commenter and amateur bartender (I won't insult him by calling him a mixologist) naturalfake, who has a better palate than mine, thinks it is too sarsaparilla forward, but will work well in an ... AVIATION! I don't know about that, but it's not worth the money if you are making martinis.

Now, I prefer the classic London Dry Gin flavor profile, so take my review with a few grains of salt.

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That is homemade pastrami, courtesy of commenter "gunslinger," who is enjoying his new pellet grill, and the amazing temperature control it affords cooks. He says it's a game-changer, and judging by that photo, he might be right!

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Sliders are great, and very easy to make, especially if you don't mind the mess. Yeah, they splatter and spit, but it's worth the few minutes of cleanup. And if you have an outdoor grill...even better! Here is Alton Brown's recipe, but it's really just a technique. Beef Sliders with Griddled Onions punches way above its weight. There is a great joint in Hackensack called White Manna, that has been around for years, that makes maybe the best ones I have ever had, including from my own kitchen. There is always a line, which makes it less appealing, but still, they are mighty tasty!
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These are some of the flavors that a well-known UK chocolate company sells. They teeter on the edge of weirdness, but the chocolate itself is excellent, so they are forgiven. Actually, TArragon & Mustard is firmly on the weird side.

But these? What the hell? Apricot & Wasabi? Mulled Wine?

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I don't know if adding horseradish to your deviled eggs will make them the best ever, but I do know that you are going to be irritated by this recipe, because it is one of those horrid ones with the interminable filler before you get to the actual recipe. So cut to the chase and just add some horseradish to your standard recipe, and you won't have to be pissed off while reading The Best Deviled Eggs.
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I'm just not a big fan of donuts. Sure...the 3:00AM fresh and hot apple fritter from Kingpin Donuts on Durant Avenue is a glory, as were the fresh donuts at the apple orchard outside of Ann Arbor that my parents took us to, but in general, donuts are meh. Does that make me a communist?

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Well, the garlic is out in the sunshine, probably soon to be eaten by those vile rodents with bushy tails and a penchant for damaging my home. But if they survive the squirrel apocalypse, and actually grow into something edible, I will be in garlic heaven! In case it doesn't, send all of your excellent home-grown garlic to: cbd dot aoshq at gmail dot com.

Rumor has it that the Bourbon Bubble is bursting. I have seen no evidence of decreasing prices, but maybe the bursting started somewhere else! I think the sweet spot is $40-$60 for excellent and interesting bottles, and bumping that to $100 gets you an incremental improvement in quality, but nothing mind-blowing. More than that and I think you are paying for hype and rarity, which may look good in your liquor cabinet, but doesn't translate to more quality in the bottle.

The problem...or the solution...is to buy lots of bourbon, take tasting notes, and eventually arrive at your favorites! It should take forty or fifty years, but it is worth it!