All you need to know about HDMI cables

http://i.imgur.com/X7ZFk.jpg

I like the hand decision tree at the bottom.

How to have a bad orgasm

Last night I learned the hard way how to have a bad orgasm.

That sounds wrong...

Anyway, I wanted to make myself an orgasm, which has Bailey's and Cointreau in it, plus some third ingredient I couldn't remember.  So, I looked it up.  The IBA recipe I found called for Bailey's, Cointreau, and Grand Marnier.  That seemed like a lot of orange flavor to me so I decided to substitute the Cointreau with Kahlua.  I then built the drink over ice by pouring the Bailey's first, then the Grand Marnier, and the Kahlua last.

The drink curdled.  Badly.  The taste was fine, but the texture was disgusting!  Ultimately, the drink was undrinkable and I gave it to my sink.  Sad.

Desiring to get the nasty feeling out of my mouth I made another, this time using the IBA ingredients.  I built the drink in the order the ingredients had been listed: Cointreau, Bailey's, Grand Marnier.  Actually, I got that wrong... I put the Grand Marnier in first.  I'm not sure it matters, though.  Perhaps what matters is that the Bailey's was second, between the two liqueurs, and/or I wasn't using Kahlua.  The cocktail turned out much, much better.  No curdling.

Below is the official IBA recipe:

ORGASM (old fashioned glass )
3.0 cl Cointreau
3.0 cl Bailey's Irish Cream
2.0 cl Grand Marnier
Build all ingredients over ice in a old fashioned glass or shot glass. Garnish with cherry.

Crooked Sister

This was a tasty and easy drink to make:

1 oz. gin
1 oz. creme de cacao blanc (we used dark)
1 oz. Cointreau

Fill a rocks glass with ice and then build the drink by pouring in the ingredients.  I gave the glass a little swirl to mix the ingredients.  You're suppose to garnish with a cherry and orange slice, but I didn't do that.

The cocktail was nicely sweet, with a pleasant chocolate flavor.  I didn't notice the Coinbtreau, but I suspect it's used to counter the creme de cacao and prevent the drink from becoming too chocolatey sweet.

Manhattan Coffee

Last night I created a new drink. Or, at least it's new to me.  I haven't done a search to see if someone else came up with the idea before me.

It's a Manhattan variation that replaces vermouth with Kahlua:

2 oz. bourbon (Knob Creek)
1 oz. Kahlua
2 dashes mole bitters

It was sweeter than a regular manhattan, and the whiskey punch was less than usual, but it still had some nice complexity to it.  Overall, a nice break from the boozy heaviness of regular manhattans, but it still retains the taste of a serious drink.

Boston.com article about The Boston Shaker

Check out today's article:
http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/food/articles/2010/02/18/adam_lantheaume_is_shaking_it_up/

The Boston Shaker - open Friday 2/5/2010 @ Noon!

This just in from Facebook:

The Boston Shaker will be open tomorrow, Friday February 5, 2010 at noon!

Sadly, I have to work, so I won't be able to stand at the door anxiously waiting for it to open.  But, I do plan on dropping by over the weekend.  I've been wanting to get more coupe glasses.  The website says regular hours are Tu-Sa 12-7.

This was happy news that brightened my winter evening.

Hooked on Who this weekend!

Attention Doctor Who Fans!!

This weekend The Brattle Theatre is Hooked on Who.  Saturday night at 9:30 The Brattle will show the final episodes of David Tennant's last season as the Doctor (but not the final Who specials with Tennant).  The episodes are "Turn Left," "Stolen Earth," and "Journey's End."  Sunday night The Brattle will cater to classic Whovians with Tom Baker in "Destiny of the Daleks," also at 9:30.

Tickets are $7; $25 if you want a T-shirt.

Flaming Holiday Punch!

Josey Packard from Drink demonstrates how to make Flaming Holiday Punch on The Rachel Maddow Show.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

'Tis the season... almost

I know, I know... It isn't even Thanksgiving yet and I'm posting something about Christmas. I was going to wait until Black Friday, but I was afraid I'd forget to do this. So, here's "Christmas is Ruined" by Anna and the Family.  It's sure to warm your heart and bring back fond holiday memories (or not):

The video is also a finalist in the Chicago Tribune's holiday song contest.  Click here to vote for it, and to view the other finalists.

Sip & Shop @ Grand, with special guests!

Grand, LUPEC, and The Boston Shaker are having October's Sip & Shop this Saturday at Grand from 2-6. LUPEC will be serving up a spooky Halloween Punch, and Grand and The Boston Shaker will offer a 10% discount on everything.

In addition to sales and spirits, two special guests will be at the Sip & Shop from 2-4. Jill DeGoff and Dale "King Cocktail" DeGroff will be on hand to sign their books, Lush Life: Portraits from the Bar (Jill) and The Essential Cocktail and The Craft of the Cocktail (Dale).

Sounds like a fun time!

(Btw, tickets to LUPEC's Tiki Bash will be on sale as well, but excluded from the 10% sale. It is a fundraiser for On the Rise! after all.)

Mad Men cocktail guide

A few days ago I stumbled upon the Mad Men Cocktail Guide. It's a list of 1960's cocktails complete with recipes and pictures. Seeing that the martini is made by rinsing the glass with the vermouth, then pouring out the vermouth, I'd say the recipes are based on how the drinks were made during that era. Interestingly, though, the Manhattan on the page actually uses its share of vermouth, but still uses a very small proportion of vermouth if not a "whisper."

Caramel cocktail

My boyfriend wanted a caramel cocktail for an upcoming party we were throwing. As he put it, he wants a "sexy" drink to offer - something flashy in addition to the more traditional offerings. So I did some poking around and found the recipe for a Liquid Caramel. The recipe calls for Bailey's, coffee liqueur, butterscotch schnapps, and milk. Since out of those ingredients I only had Kahlua, I had to improvise.

Wary of butterscotch schnapps - it seems like something that could be great or horribly, horibly awful - I decided to try making homemade caramel.

After letting the caramel cool for a bit, I improvised my cocktail:

1 oz Kahlua

1 oz Godiva chocolate liqueur

1 oz vodka (Snow Queen, from Kazakhstan - it's organic)

1 oz light cream

1 oz caramel

It was quite tasty, but I'm not sure I could taste the caramel much. My boyfriend liked it, so that's a plus. Maybe if I made the cocktail after the caramel had spent the night in the refrigerator I'd have a stronger caramel flavor. After all, the caramel sauce was still very warm when I made the drink. Or maybe I'm just too accustomed to store bought caramel sauce that's full of corn syrup, corn starch, and sometimes butter and cream.

Update 10/18/09: My boyfriend thought the drink was too sweet, and with Kahlua, chocolate liqueur, and caramel that isn't much of a surprise. To cut down the sweetness I substituted the Kahlua with 1 ounce of coffee. That gave the drink a stronger coffee taste, and I think it played off the caramel well, too. We decided to call the cocktail the Caramel Sexy. (And the guests enjoyed the drink!)

Caramel sauce from the Fanny Farmer Cookbook

I decided to try making homemade caramel sauce using the recipe from the Fanny Farmer Cookbook. It takes a while, but is very simple. Heat one cup of white sugar over low heat in a thick bottomed pan (so you don't burn the sugar). Swirl the sugar around the pot until it melts. It takes a while before it melts, but once it starts, it can go fairly quickly. I discovered that in the begin it's best to let the pot sit for a bit with occasional shakes to move the sugar around. Once the sugar has melted, pour in one cup of boiling water. Warning: Boiling sugar is MUCH hotter than boiling water. When you pour the water in, the mixture will foam and bubble a lot. Continue to stir over low for 3-4 minutes, or until all the sugar has melted again (the water will cool the sugar and you'll have lumps for a bit).

After it had cooled down enough to taste without scorching my tongue, I tried some. It tasted more like simple syrup than the thick, heavy caramel sauce you get on ice cream or your calorie-laden Starbuck's drink. This might be because the sauce needs to cool and thicken some more, or my tastebuds have been corrupted by the commercially made caramel sauces that are full of corn syrup, cornstarch, and preservatives. It also might be because unlike other recipes, this one doesn't include cream or butter. But, without cream or butter, this sauce will last indefinitely.

A gin Alexander? Really?

Last night I went to Drink and asked for an Alexander, which is usually brandy, creme de cacao, cream, and nutmeg. The bartender suggested that instead of brandy I try it with gin. She said that you'd think gin and chocolate don't go together, but they kinda do. Being game, I said, "Sure! Make me one!"

And... She was right!! Gin and chocolate do go together! I think the bite from the gin lightens the drink. Further, if I let the drink rest on my tongue I could get a slight cherry taste with the chocolate. But, maybe that's just me.

The Boston Shaker moves to Davis!

The Boston Shaker is moving to Davis Square! They are shooting for a November opening. This is great news. For starters, the new location is very T friendly. I can easily get to its current location in Union Square by car, but if I didn't have a car it'd be a different story. Plus, more space for more product! I'm especially excited about this. While I have a good set of cocktail glasses I could definitely use more. And along with more cocktail glasses there'll be more bitters, cocktail gear, books, etc.

So I've made a mental note to check out 69 Holland St in Somerville in November. Perhaps for some Christmas shopping...