Month: November 2010

  • Sherry Bodega Visit: Harvey’s

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    Camper English
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    In September 2010 I visited several sherry bodegas. Here are pictures and a few notes from Bodegas Harvey's.  (At the vineyard.) (The white, chalky soil of Jerez not only seals in water to get the vines through the dry season, it reflects sunlight up to the bottom of the vines as well.) (At the bodega,…

  • The Clear Ice Maker That Already Exists

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    Camper English
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    So you know how I've been working for months on a way to make clear ice, and figured out that the best way (so far) to do it is with an Igloo cooler?  It turns out that someone else thought of that at least a couple of years ago. The Polar Ice Tray is basically…

  • Turkey Cocktail

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    Camper English
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    In my latest post on FineCooking.com, I tell the tale of a recent Thanksgiving tradition: drinking Wild Turkey.  I also link to my experiments with Wild Tofurkey and share a new-fangled Old Fashioned recipe from the brand. Check it out here.  

  • The Orange in Pyrat Rum

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    Camper English
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    A great rum mystery is finally solved! If you've had Pyrat rum, you've probably noticed its very strong orange taste- so strong that many people have wondered if something was added to the rum. Well, now we know why Pyrat tastes so much like orange.  I was at the Patron tequila distillery last night meeting…

  • Fortune Ice: Like A Fortune Cookie But With Ice

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    Camper English
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    In my latest set of fun experiments with ice, I created fortune ice.   I'd been meaning to do this for a while, but two things made it actually happen. First, I bought a Tovolo King Cube Ice Cube Tray to make 2-inch cubes. Second, I realized I could use my Label Maker for the fortunes.  I was thinking…

  • Beer in the Penthouse

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    Finally, I'm appearing in the pages of Penthouse magazine. Oddly, they didn't ask me to model. That's not me on the cover.  In the December issue of Penthouse magazine,  I have a two-page spread on "Advanced Level Beer Gear," including some gift items like a homebrew kit, kegerator, and a dog collar that holds a…

  • On FineCooking.com: Homemade Grenadine and the Jack Rose Cocktail

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    Camper English
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    Please check out my latest blog entry on FineCooking.com. It's about making your own grenadine and the Jack Rose cocktail.  Read it here, and feel free to comment (over there) on your own grenadine or Jack Rose recipe improvements. 

  • Cognac Cocktails in the Los Angeles Times Magazine

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    Camper English
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    My first story for the LA Times Magazine is now online. It is in the Sunday, December 7, 2010 print edition.  (Photo by Bartholomew Cooke) The story is a brief airing of a pet peeve: Why are there so few cognac cocktails being served when we're supposedly in the midst of a classic cocktail renaissance?  The…

  • Does Refreezing Clear Air-Free Ice Result In a Large Clear Block?

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    This is an experiment in my ongoing project to make clear ice. I've figured out a way to do it using an Igloo cooler. This experiment is an attempt to make clear ice without one.  A long time ago, I tested the theory that freezing, thawing, and refreezing water makes clear ice blocks. After 13…

  • Cutting Blocks of Ice with an Icepick

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    update 2021 Better ice cutting pictures are on this post. To cut the large blocks of clear ice that I make at home using and Igloo cooler (methodology here), I have always busted out the saw I bought for that reason.  However, last week I gave a talk on ice at Portland Cocktail Week with Evan…