Ice Comb - a set on Flickr

Ice Comb - a set on Flickr
A new web friend was experimenting with ice molds and it reminded me to post the link to this set of photos of my first attempts with making ice combs with my new ice shaver.

I picked this guy up at K-mart for about $20. I've also seen them at Target. Heck they might be on clearance sale by now. It comes with an plastic cup to make a big smooth ice cube to go in the top compartment. It works well, but you can just use regular ice. The big smooth cube might make a little less noise, but it's still plenty noisy.

The result is snowlike. It's easy to mold. the only problem is frozen fingers.

This was probably the best of the first batch. Don't know why I didn't take a shot with the cocktail in the glass.


Oh yeah, after all that work I really wanted to drink it and not stop for photos. Anyway, it sure kept the drink cold. Maybe I'll have to experiment again. It is Friday after all.

Of course, you could stop by http://amountainofcrushedice.blogspot.com/ and see Tiare's wonderful cocktails and her first experiment with ice molding.

Cheers!

Tiki group to hold hot rod hop

Tiki group to hold hot rod hop
A little press love for the Hot Rod Hula Hop and the FOM, from the Dayton Daily News. Be sure to check the photos from last year's event.

And if you don't already know the Hop is August 8 and 9 in Columbus, OH. Find out more and pre-order your tickets at www.hotrodhulahop.com

San Fermin in Nueva Orleans

Roller Girls, originally uploaded by howieluvzus.

Would have loved to have been at the New Orleans version of running with the bulls. The Big Easy Roller Girls with bull horns chasing men through the streets. I think there was some bar hopping too.

More photos at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/48352971@N00/sets/72157606129163993/

More info at:
http://nolabulls.com/

Older people try to be so funny at times

Older people try to be so funny at times, originally uploaded by marcoa84.

Just made me smile!

Mixology Monday: Bourbon - Frozen Hawaiian Fashioned

Wow, it's been quite a while since I blogged, but I've been super busy with finishing the "Tails of the Merman" videos, then preparing for the Hukilau. Just as I finish those projects, I find out that today is Mixology Monday with a Bourbon theme. It must be fate. I've always wanted to participate in MxMo, but I either missed it, was too busy, or didn't have a good idea. Now is the perfect time for my MxMo debut.

Last year at this time my friend Chip brewed up a batch of hibiscus liqueur. It tastes great with an interesting play of sweet and tart. After enjoying it neat and on the rocks, of course our conversation turned to how to incorporate it into a cocktail. I figured Chip and the Modern Hobbit would gravitate toward rum, so I started mixing it with Bourbon and the original Hawaiian Fashioned was born. I blogged it almost exactly one year ago. It takes the classic Old Fashioned as it's inspiration and adds a Hawaiian twist:

2oz Quality Bourbon
1/2oz Hibiscus Liqueur
1/2oz Fresh Orange Juice
1/2oz Cointreau

Shake the ingredients with ice and strain into an old fashioned glass filled with cracked ice. The cracked ice really opens up the flavors.

And making hibiscus liqueur is very simple. You should be able to get dried hibiscus flowers at most Latin markets. I also found some on amazon for a very reasonable price. Place between 1/8 and 1/4 cup dried hibiscus and 2 cups of water in a saucepan. Bring the water to a boil, cover and remove from heat. Steep for about 30 minutes. Add 1 cup sugar and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, let cool a littlle add 1 cup white rum, and stir.

For this Hukilau, we participated in a home bar tour for members of the Fraternal Order of Moai. This was separate from the Hukilau, but with many members in town, we seized the opportunity. So, I had to come up with a cocktail that I could quickly and easily serve to approximately 30 people all at once. Our house is tiny and almost ensured that many folks would have to be outside in the brutal south Florida afternoon heat, so I wanted a frozen drink, but I didn't want to deal with running several blenders in order to get drinks in everyone's hands at the right time. I remembered my friend Greg telling me about a frozen whiskey sour recipe his family made where you mixed it up ahead of time and stuck it in the freezer and it didn't freeze solid, but instead came out slushy. Aha!

I searched around for frozen whiskey sour recipes and found several common elements. They often involved brewing tea, which is pretty much the first step in making hibiscus liqueur. They usually had a frozen juice concentrate (orange, lemonade, limeade, or combination). And of course sugar and bourbon. Here's what I decided to do:

8 cups water
1/4 cup dried hibiscus
1 cup sugar
1 can orange juice concentrate
4 cups bourbon

Bring water and hibiscus to a boil. Cover and remove from heat. Steep for at least 30 minutes. Strain well. Put sugar and orange juice concentrate into a large plastic pitcher and pour the still warm hibiscus tea into the pitcher and stir until the sugar and concentrate have dissolved. Stir in the bourbon and freeze for 24 hours, stirring occasionally.

The result is a deep pink slush that I love and I think our guests liked very much as well. And it really worked in this situation of serving a large group something frozen quickly. I did make 3 batches. The first two batches filled the 30some odd cups you see in the picture below and the third batch was gone before the group left for the next stop on the tour. BTW there was another drink option (for another blog post in the future), so it must have been at least ok for all the rummys. Hopefully someone took a close-up pic that I can add in the near future.

DSC_0109, originally uploaded by Lokis world.

Please let me know if you make this yourself and how you like it.

Cheers!

YouTube - Tails of the Merman: The Exciting Conclusion

YouTube - Tails of the Merman: The Exciting Conclusion

The henchman have captured the merman. What is their next evil plan? What will LuRu do without her new beau? Find out in the Exciting Conclusion.

April 21, 1878: Thinking Fast, Firefighter Slides Down a Pole

April 21, 1878: Thinking Fast, Firefighter Slides Down a Pole
The origin of the fireman's pole.

Sleeveface Pool on flickr

Sleeveface 11_James Brown 'Gravity', originally uploaded by The Real Wine Guy.

Most of the photos are set up so I can't link to them in the post, so here's one clever example from the sleveface pool.

Friday Cocktail - New York Sour

CocktailDB: The Internet Cocktail Database | New York Sour
Thanks to my friend Joe, aka Leisure Master, I've got to try the New York Sour this weekend. It's a simple classic that I've somehow missed:

2oz Bourbon or Rye
1oz Lemon Juice
1tsp sugar

Shake with ice and strain into a sour glass.

Cheers!

Friday Cocktail Review - Liberty

Well, I did make several versions of the liberty last weekend and none lived up to my expectations. My favorite variation used Appleton's VX for the rum, and honey syrup instead of simple syrup, but honestly this drink was a let down. Probably should have tried a little lemon juice, but I didn't have any handy at the time. Oh well, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

YouTube - we are the world in japan

Japanese impersonators sing "We Are the World"

Via Neatorama

LP Cover Lover � Father’s daze

Just had to share this with you Matt. All the best on your pending great adventure:

Friday Cocktail - Liberty

LUPEC Boston: March is Women's History Month!
The fine female cocktail bloggers at LUPEC suggest sipping Liberty Cocktail in honor of Women's History Month. Consider it done.

Liberty:
dash of simple syrup
1 part rum
2 parts applejack

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Since they don't suggest the type of rum I checked www.cocktaildb.com and see a variation with light and a variation with dark rum, so I guess I'll try a few different ways. There's also a variation that adds a little lemon juice.

This popped up on my Ipod on the way to work

beckchart, originally uploaded by Experiment 33.

and I had to chart it for the pool.

Friday Cocktail Review - Leap Year

Leap Year, originally uploaded by Experiment 33.

I didn't have any Gran Marnier, so I used Cointreau. I used Plymouth Gin. Overall, this was a fine drink, but a little plain. I expected to like it more. I'm pretty sure using Gran Marnier would have given it more oomph. I generally prefer Cointreau to Gran Marnier, but this drink needed a little something. There's too many other cocktails to try, so I'll probably save this one for another 4 years.

You know...

You know..., originally uploaded by pep010.

Another favorite from the song chart pool.

Friday Cocktail - Leap Year

The Bissextile Beverage - WSJ.com
There really is no other cocktail to consider today. The leap year calls for:

2oz Gin
1/2oz Sweet Vermouth
1/2oz Gran Marnier
a dash of lemon juice

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass, garnish with lemon peel.

I mentioned a new twist to the Friday Cocktail in an earlier post. I'm going to try posting the recipe on Friday. I'll try to select recipes I've never had before. Then I'll try it out and any variations over the weekend. I'll post again next week with some thoughts, and likely pictures.

Cheers

Bacon Cups

not martha
If ya gotta have salad...


Via Coudal Partners

Touchable

Touchable, originally uploaded by Aaron Kaspar.

A new fave from the song chart meme.

Flickr: The SONG CHART Pool

This was surely a bad idea for me to find out about. There's a new meme of people graphing/charting songs, such as:



It goes on and on, but it's a pain linking to flickr shots within one post, so you should just go and check it out. If/when I add some of my own, I'll let you know.

BTW, this is technically now Experiment33.3, but I'm not changing the layout. I do intend to post more often and I've got a new twist on the Friday Cocktail for this year.

Via Neatorama