This weekend's purchases

This weekend I purchased some cocktail glasses and other cocktail bits. The first set, sold by The Boston Shaker, I bought at Grand:
(From left to right: Regan's Orange Bitters No, 6 (5 oz.), 5 oz. cocktail glass, footed rocks glass, 16 oz. mixing glass. Not pictured is LUPEC's Little Black Book of Cocktails.)

Surprisingly, Crate & Barrel had some nice glasses:
(Dizzy cocktail 8 oz, Dart shot 2 oz and on clearance for 50 cents, Lars highball 15 oz.)

I haven't used the bitters yet, but it smells nice. Perhaps later in the week I'll make a cocktail using the Regan's.

Oh, and in addition to cocktail glasses and bitters, Boston Shaker is also selling cocktail books, but not really contemporary ones. Instead, you pick up a copy of an old time cocktail book such as Harry Johnson's Bartenders' Manual from 1934.

A sign of the times

I went to the Burlington Mall today to buy some sweaters. As I entered I noticed new mall hours posted on their doors. Instead of being open most nights until 10 the mall will now close at 9. And, on Sundays it will close at 6 instead of 7.

I'm sure the cutbacks are in response to the economy. The stores must realize that the overhead in staying open an hour later isn't worth it.

As worrisome as it must be to see yet another signal that the economy is tanking, I wonder if this will cause Americans to pause and slow down. It used to be that malls closed at 9 or 9:30. And perhaps I am a bad American for saying so, but cutting back on spending isn't such a bad thing. We seem to have lost sight of the virtue of saving, and of patience. We want it NOW, and are willing to use money we haven't got. Maybe in the long term this will be a good thing. Meanwhile, in the short term, I'm guessing we'll continue the downward spiral.

The Joy of Drinking

If you are a cocktail novice like me, then you could use a short primer on such things as the difference between bourbon and Scotch. Today I discovered I had such information in one of my cookbooks, The Joy of Cooking by Irma S. Rombauer and Marion Rombauer Becker. Originally published in 1931, the book has been updated several times, with a final version in 1975, and includes a short chapter titled "Drinks," which covers cocktails. The authors open the chapter with

Now and then we look into the work of our fellow cookbook authors and are usually surprised to discover how little attention they pay to liquor. In the past editions we, too, have approached this subject rather apologetically -- after all, there was a time when selling or serving alcoholic refreshment was considered disreputable in America. But here and how we drop all subterfuge, frankly concede that "something to drink" is becoming with us an almost invariable concomitant of at least the company dinner, and have boldly enlarged this section of the book. Always in the back of our minds... is the memory of a cartoon which depicted a group of guests sitting around a living room, strickenly regarding their cocktail glasses, while the hostess, one of those inimitable Hokinson tpyes, all embonpoint, cheer, and fluttering organdy, announces, "A very dear friend gave me some wonderful old Scotch and I just happened to find a bottle of papaya juice in the refrigerator!"

Not only do they include various cocktail and punch recipes, but they provide descriptions of different spirits and instructions on how to server wine and beer. Additionally, they provide details on different cocktail and wine glasses a good host or hostess should have for serving drinks. And, since the book was written in 1931, the sizes they indicate would be what I consider the "correct" size, as opposed to today's much larger glasses. Generally speaking, cocktails glasses are 3-4 ounces, old-fashioneds are 6 ounces, and highballs and Collins glasses are 8-16 ounces. FWIW, I think buying cocktail glasses that are slightly larger than the sizes indicated is a good idea. It gives you some wiggle room if you mix a cocktail that has more liquid than expected due to melted ice, fudging the measurements, etc.

The authors also explain drink measurements:

1 dash = 6 drops
3 teaspoons = 1/2 ounce
1 pony = 1 ounce
1 jigger = 1 1/2 ounces
1 large jigger = 2 ounces
1 standard whisky glass = 2 ounces
1 pint = 16 ounces
1 fifth = 25.6 ounces
1 quart = 32 ounces

So if you are in need of a primer, and it's too cold to go outside to buy one, check if you have The Joy of Cooking.

This goes on my "to check out" list

This morning I stumbled upon the website for an interesting store in Union Sq: Grand. They carry some really cool accessories and housewares. Sadly, they are not close to a T stop, but are instead on a bus line. Maybe later today I will drive there and check out the store. (If it weren't winter I might be willing to deal with bus.)

You can browse some of their products online. A few of my favorites are the wooden postcard, a colorful doorstop that would look great in my family room, and the Umbra artala can, but I can't decide between red or ocean.

Cabbage & Noodles: It tastes better than it sounds

One of my favorite, simple meals is cabbage and noodles. I discovered it in a cookbook. It's very simple to make, and it's also healthy, as long as you don't drown everything in butter.

I use egg noodles and savoy cabbage. Regular cabbage is fine as well, but I read somewhere that savoy cabbage has a slight buttery taste. And butter is always a tasty thing :)

The ingredients are cabbage (chopped), egg noodles, butter, salt, and pepper. That's it.

To make, chop the cabbage - an amount that you will reasonably eat, keeping in mind that it will cook down a little. Wash the cabbage, of course, but note the volume. The uncooked cabbage should be the same volume as the uncooked noodles.

Melt the butter in a frying pan. When the butter starts bubbling slightly, add the cabbage and saute. Salt and pepper to your taste. Cook the cabbage until it becomes tender and the edges start to brown.

In the meantime, cook the noodles. When they are cooked, and the cabbage has started to brown, add the noodles to the frying pan. You may need to add more butter, salt, and pepper. Stir the noodles and cabbage together until well mixed and the cabbage is to your preferred doneness. (I like my cabbage somewhat brown and carmelized.)

That's it - you're done and ready to eat.