Eat Me. Drink Me. (or the Magnificent Seven)

It is getting late here, so I'm not going to post pictures yet, but I wanted to get my wonderful day all down in words before I forget some of it.

I'm vacationing in Portland, staying with my aunt just south between Sherwood and Newberg. Yesterday was the Coast starting at Tillamook and her cheese factory and going down to the beach at Lincoln City south on US 101.

Today, instead of going to Multnomah Falls and Crown Point, we "relaxed," which gave me the opportunity to go into Portland and hit up some restaurants/bars I'd been wanting to catch. My day started with making a rhubarb custard pie.

I made it to Clyde Common (1) at the tail end of their lunch around 2:40 and just before the 3 o'clock Happy Hour, so after my barrel aged El Presidente with my juicy cheeseburger and out of this world crispy fries, I had the Nasturtium (a cocktail with Dolin Blanc vermouth, Canton de Domaine ginger liqueur, and Bonal Gentiane-Quina aperitif) at the bar.

I thought my friend Neil was doing a tasting/cocktail demonstration across town at Immortal Pie and Larder (2) (a little wine and savory hand pie boutique) from 3 to 6 but discovered when I arrived at 4:15 that it didn't start til 5. This allowed me to wander up the street and discover Bipartisan Café (3), where I enjoyed marionberry pie à la mode with my Stumptown coffee (an "only in Oregon" moment).

At 5 I joined Neil, who I hadn't seen since Spring of '96, for a tasting of four aperitifs, starting with his company's Imbue bittersweet vermouth, Cocchi Americano, Cardamaro, and coincidentally, the aforementioned Bonal Gentian-Quina.

Since dinner with my sister's recently transplanted roommate wasn't until 8, I went to Voodoo Doughnut, Too (4) (as the original downtown location with the ambiance of the homeless is still under renovation) where I got an Angel Dust (marionberry filled, powder sugar coated), Old Dirty Bastard (peanut butter with Oreos), and Portland Creme (chocolate glaze with Bavarian creme) in addition to my Voodoo dozen (13 of their choice). For those concerned about my poor little pancreas, I only had the Portland Creme in the parking lot, saving the rest to share later.

The combination of my aunt's GPS and my Google Maps phone app got me to Beaker & Flask(5), which was everything my mind built it up to. I loved my New Vieux (view, not veau, for those of you rusty with your French) a "twist" on the classic New Orleans Vieux Carre with rye, apricot, Benedictine, and bitters, served on the Rock (they've got one of those fancy ice machines that makes the baseball sized ice cubes so your drink doesn't get diluted as fast.). While my crispy pig ears were being prepared, I asked if they had a session beer (an easy-drinking lower alcohol beer you can drink multiples of in a session), and sho'nuff, they had a beer called Session Lager. It was like asking for a refreshing drink and getting Refreshing Drink™. Nevertheless (what is the protocol on Nevertheless versus Nonetheless?), the Session lager was a fitting complement to my fried bar food.

All of that timed perfectly for me to pick up my sister's friend for dinner at Grain & Gristle(6), where I had mussel frites with my Upright Brewing's Seven (a Belgian style beer)after half of a Fressen pretzel. Dessert was at Rose's Ice Cream(7) where I had a shake made from fresh cantaloupe ice cream.

The last of it was when I got home at 11:30 and had a slice of the pie with some Yogi ginger tea.

Drinks All Around

Tonight was Iconoclastic Cocktails night at the Bourbon Theatre.

I started with the Violet(te) Fizz, mainly because I wanted to try the creme de violette to see if I want to get a bottle, mainly for Aviations. It was a nice drink but the violet was kinda lost in the gin and lemon juice, and while the egg white added a nice head to my cocktail, it didn't change the mouth feel too much from a Tom Collins.

Next was the Trinidad Swizzle, with an entire ounce of Angostura Bitters (for the uninitiated, this is a lot, since most drinks that include any bitters call for one or two dashes). I really liked this one. It had a wonderful spice to it and the freshly grated nutmeg and mint were nice garnishes.

After that was the Toronto. It had Fernet-Branca, rye, and simple syrup. I'd never had Fernet-Branca before, which is why I wanted to try this one, and I really liked it. Ian, the bartender, said the mint came from the immense amounts of saffron in it. Surprise, surprise.

Last was Butter Beer, from a 16th century recipe. It was fine, if you like hot butter and beer together. I'm sure it doesn't hold a candle to Tom and Jerry's, though I've yet to have one of those.

It was a wonderful night of drinks, and I look forward to going there again to expand my cocktail palate.

Friends

Tonight I went over to a friend's to try some scotches, two Ardbegs, he'd been wanting to share. I also ended up trying a great and different bourbon, and a likewise tequila.

The Ardbegs were similar in that they were both cask strength but one was aged longer in sherry and bourbon barrels.

The bourbon is Booker's, and drinking it neat it just evaporates on your tongue and leaves wonderful flavors behind.

The Milagro añejo tequila was unlike any I'd had before (given I haven't really had many). It was fruity on the nose and so very smooth on the palate. Plus it has a fun bottle.

Release the Kraken.

I finished that bottle of Gosling's, and since I've had no luck on the Barritt's front, I've postponed getting another one. In the meantime, I opened my other bottle of black rum from the Kraken. I've had it with my Shurfine ginger ale and another bottle of the Cock 'n Bull. I think I like the Gosling's better with the ginger ale than the Kraken, but I might prefer the Kraken with the ginger beer, at least in the Cock 'n Bull iteration, I didn't get that bitterness I was complaining about with the Gosling's and Cock 'n Bull. I might have a side by side when I get Gosling's again.

This weekend I'm headed up to the Twin Cities for a cousin's wedding.

Dark and Buderim

This is another good one. Must be something with calling it ginger "Brew" instead of ginger beer. It is a little lighter in hue than the Squamscot and a smidge stronger, but some time in the glass with melting ice cubes and a few more swirls mellows that.

Alone, it is very similar to the Squamscot, with more bite in the finish and sweeter. Again, it is another pure cane sugar soda. And on second thought, I think the sweetness is what helps it meld with the rum. You don't know if you're getting the sweetness from the rum or the ginger brew, and that's a good thing.

Up next is Old Jamaican Ginger Beer Twist with Natural and Artificial Flavorings.

Dark and Squamscot

We might have a leader in the clubhouse with this one. It has the slow peppery burn that I think should distinguish the dark and stormy from the ginger gale. It also succeeds where the previous two failed in becoming the sum of its parts. Flavor profile-wise, it is more subtle than the Maine Root Ginger Brew, and with a honey color it makes for a prettier drink, probably, than the greenish, cloudy Ginger Brew.

Drunk alone without the rum, I think the cane sugar instead of corn syrup serves the drink well. It has an effervescent and refreshing punch.

Next up: Buderim Ginger "Authentic Australian" Ginger Brew

Dark and Saranac Ginger Beer

The Saranac is a delightful drink alone, but like Sioux City (though better executed), it seems to be a ginger flavored soda. As you can see from the picture, it is much fizzier with more head than the previous two (that's what she said). This one is closer in flavor to the ginger gale, but with more of the black rum present, the combination then tastes a bit--off.

I don't know what impact two fewer ice cubes had on this tasting, though I made sure to still use eight ounces of the ginger beer with two ounces of rum. Up next is Squamscot.

Dark and Sioux City Ginger Beer

The first difference I noticed between this one and the Maine Root was the color. Maine was cloudy and slightly green, while Sioux City was clear and brown, like iced tea. Sioux City also paled in comparison when it came to flavor/taste. It didn't have the bite of the Maine Root, and while it has more punch than a ginger ale, it is a big meh on the ginger beer spectrum. Tasting it alone, without the rum, it reminds me of Sioux City's sarsaparilla with ginger added, and sort of an artificial flavor.

As for with the rum, it isn't any thing to write home about (though it is enough to blog about). I don't know what Barritt's is like or what the other five I have are, but this one seems to be sitting on the fence twixt ginger ale and ginger beer, so I'd rather have one of those two, than one that doesn't know what it wants to do.

Dark and Maine Root Ginger Brew

It begins! Initially (pre-stir) this had a lot of the bite of a ginger beer, that peppery, sorta harsh ginger with an inkling of fermented power. This was subdued with a stir but is still present with a scratchy ginger at the top of the throat. Definitely not the same drink as a Ginger Gale. With the Ginger Gale you don't have the taste of the ginger ale or the black rum, they blend to form a new happy libation. With this drink you have that punch of the ginger brew and a sweet shadow of the rum.

My method is six ice cubes of boiled Brita water (boiling and cooling before freezing makes for a clearer ice cube), two ounces of Gosling's Black Seal Rum, then filling the 12 ounce glass to the top with ginger beer (there were four ounces remaining in the bottle).

Operation Weekly

I found this blog mentioned in a beer blog I follow. Keith and Stephanie are doing one thing each day for a month. Last month was a different beer each day. This month they're doing this.

I've been drinking Ginger Gales the last two weeks, and they're really delicious. What I want to drink is a Dark 'n' Stormy, but I need Barritt's Ginger Beer in addition to the Gosling's Black Seal Rum that I already have been enjoying with my Ginger Gales. I requested it from Rocket Fizz, a soda and candy store in Lincoln. They have a pretty wide selection of brands (Boylan, Squamscot, AJ Stephans, Sioux City, and Faygo) and flavors within those brands.

Anyway, I have seven of their ginger beers, and my plan is to have one each night in the week leading up to Friday the 14th when Rocket Fizz should have Barritt's.

I should also have some pictures with the camera I got for my birthday.

Victory!

That is the answer to the previous post's cliffhanger. The oak branch on the dime symbolizes victory.

I was looking up the word fritter, to reduce or squander little by little, and came across frith. While it can be a woody place, or an alteration of firth, an inlet of water, the definition I gravitated to was peace, security, protection.

I really like the moral ambiguity of greys and pinks.

Last week my grocery store had like 6 varieties of pear on sale. So after trying Forelle, D'Anjou, Red D'Anjou, Comice, and Bosc pears, I have decided that my favorite was Comice.

Running dangerously low on Irish whiskey, for my Irish coffee (what can be better than alcohol, coffee, sugar, and cream?) on Sunday morning, I grabbed a bottle of Jameson. This allowed me to compare it to the other (I know they aren't the only two anymore, but really why bother with any others) Irish whiskey I already had, Bushmills. I first got Bushmills last year sometime, because it was cheaper and had been the first distillery to receive a license from England back in 1608. My main use for it has been Irish coffees. But comparing it on the rocks with the Jameson helped me to realize it is pretty solid all alone, and I prefer it to Jameson (actually Scottish distillers who moved to Ireland).

My favorite commercial right now is for Skittles. I love how the Skittles bag is appropriately reflected, and the tailor is in all three mirrors. I think from concept to execution the whole thing is brilliant.

My favorite Shepard Fairey picture is this.

Going through my "name" dictionary (the one that has lots of entries for first names), I came across Mary, from Miriam--to rebel. I like that Jesus was born of rebellion. Then I was looking up Maroon (name for group of people from escaped slaves in the Caribbean) and came across marid -- a powerful and evil djinni in Arab and Indian lore. It also comes from Aramaic -- to rebel.

Lincoln has been fortunate enough to have temps in the upper 40s and lower 50s the past few days (don't worry our projected high for the next few days is in the 20s), and I had some boxes of shirts at work sitting on the dock in the sun. It has been a while since I've worked with something that was warmed by the sun, and it is nice. Plus it helps me to remember how powerful and hot the sun's energy is.

Some more names that have caught my fancy: Linus, Olyphant (not Oliphant)