Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus another links roundup post so soon after the last one. But there's a lot of stuff that's worth your attention.
Including some horrible ideas. We looked at this last time around in brief, chiefly the idea of spiking a Thanksgiving turkey. But, alas, along with all the cool holiday cocktail stuff (of which more below), there's some lamesauce as well:
- Such as the higher-fat version of Four Loko — alcoholic whipped cream. (I'm not above adding a touch of brandy to homemade whipped cream, but that's REAL whipped cream, whisked in a bowl as God himself intended, not nitrous-charged and dispensed from a can.) It's making Eatocracy yell at the heavens with impotent fists of rage;
- (Program note: I have acquired a can of Four Loko, prior to its banning. It's tucked in my fridge, waiting for me to work up the intestinal fortitude to taste-test it.)
- And apparently a Maraschino cherry factory in Red Hook, Brooklyn is making the local bees turn red and rendering their honey inedible. (Much better to make your own cocktail cherries. Rewarding, tasty, and no Red Dye No. 40.)
- And if Spike Lee's Absolut Brooklyn wasn't strange enough, he's now apparently collaborating with NYC faux-barbecue chain Dallas BBQ on a 20-ounce "frozen apple martini." (If he wants to go for the real Brooklyn flavor, he could do worse than rye, dry vermouth, Maraschino, and Amer.) 40 Acres and a Manhattan?
- The eight cocktails of Hanukkah. Really.
- Campari thinks you're stupid;
- And apparently, so do Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich. $34 for a Vesper?! Stop faffing around with the gold leaf, guys…or are you just trying to sucker the tourists and hedge-fund weenies?. (A shame, because the rest of the cocktail menu looks pretty good.)
- This was posted a while ago, but I just ran across it: whiskey toothpaste. There are no words.
However, it's not all bad ideas:
- OMG Sriracha bitters. (Hmm. Is that a bad idea, or a good one?)
- Mark Bittman (late of weird cocktail recipes) comes up with an idea for something he calls a "Grown-Up Granita", but is more accurately described as a grown-up Slurpee. Still sounds good, though.
- Rachel Maddow improves the pina colada;
- Eatocracy posts a brilliant mix'n'match guide to the holiday cocktail season. It's like Garanimals, but for booze;
- …and not to be outdone, the Times' Dining section today is chock-full of stories in their drinking-themed issue, including a nifty interactive selection of some interesting holiday cocktail recipes;
- and an appreciation of Port;
- and a traveling bitters set from The Bitter Truth. (Were they inspired by this Cocktailians post about improving the airline drinking experience?);
- and a warning that vigorous shaking can lead to repetitive-strain injuries. (See this Cooking Issues post for more on various shaking styles, including the memorable "crazy-monkey shake.")
- and a chronicling of Albert Trummer's unusual approach to his drinks. (It's not often that you read an article with the line "Lighting the bar on fire was never part of the original business plan.") I do wonder, though, what kind of bartender says that you have to burn off the alcohol to make 40- or 50-proof liquor "drinkable." (He must have a horror of overproof rums, poteen, or cask-strength whiskey. That's fine: more Red Hook Rye for me.)
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