Country Boy / Big City has moved to http://www.countryboybigcity.com/
Pictures & Music & Booze & Etc will be posted over there from now on!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Monday, July 12, 2010
Young Pimps
Steven, a young man who appears several times in family photo albums.
Had my game tight since '89.
Estate
Working on uploading a new batch of old photos from the late 30s. Until then, take a look at these things:
Leather bag of jacks, presumed to be 80+ years old. Note the verdigris on that copper snap.
Phone from the Rubidoux Mortuary, back when everything in LA was 714.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Getting ready
Getting ready for a big party tomorrow...
Grenadine and orange molasses. The grenadine looks black, but it's really a deep purple.
Perfecting the egg cream recipe. I think I've got it, full profile coming up.
Classy is not an option around here. It's a necessity. (Yes, that's rice milk)
Friday, July 9, 2010
Menu
My friend Jenn just sent me these, the menu she made for my cocktail party tomorrow! I couldn't be more pleased with this.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Tier 1 Drink: No-Frills Old Fashioned
Is it any surprise that I like this drink with a name like "Old Fashioned"? Best part about this cocktail is that it's hard to mess up. What are the ingredients? Check the dictionary, brother.
Bam. Old Fashioned. Drink this just after you come home and change into some non-work clothes. Ideally, you're wearing a v-neck hanes and sitting in the backyard. When you're done, go make another––It will be better than the last.
Notes:
Several recipes will call for a cherry and an orange slice and lemon. This goes back to a time when whiskey was bootlegged and didn't taste so nice. Whiskey made today tastes pretty nice, so don't go too crazy with the produce if you don't want to. I like rye whiskey for this, and granulated sugar instead of simple syrup, but that's for another post. On a hot day I like to make this in a bigger glass and add a bunch of club soda instead of a little water. Ultimately, use what you have and make it how you like it.
Want to make another drink? Try the Manhattan.
Whiskey, bitters, water, and sugar. It just so happens that you have all of these things (and more!) in your home bar. Here's what 'cher gonna wanna do to make it.
Take a glass. Any old glass will do.
Put some simple syrup in it. Put as much as you want.
Shake a few dashes of Angostura bitters onto the sugar. Put as much as you want.
Put a little water in there, just enough to help these things swish around together in the glass. If you like the way your tap water tastes, use that.
Fill the glass with ice cubes.
Put in some whiskey. Ounce and a half to two ounces.
Give this a stir.
Add some lemon zest if you have it.
Notes:
Several recipes will call for a cherry and an orange slice and lemon. This goes back to a time when whiskey was bootlegged and didn't taste so nice. Whiskey made today tastes pretty nice, so don't go too crazy with the produce if you don't want to. I like rye whiskey for this, and granulated sugar instead of simple syrup, but that's for another post. On a hot day I like to make this in a bigger glass and add a bunch of club soda instead of a little water. Ultimately, use what you have and make it how you like it.
Want to make another drink? Try the Manhattan.
Home Bar: Tier One
I've been talking for some time about writing a guide to assembling a home bar. Google will leave you with a dozen different how-tos that range from okay to awful. Martha Stewart even has one (and it kills me to say that it's not that bad).
The problem with these is that they assume the reader is going to go out and spend 500 bucks TODAY to make this bar happen--calling for three kinds of whiskey, two gins, two rums, vodka, tequila, brandy, sherry, port, six kinds of glasses and a dozen tools you'll never use. That's just unreasonable, especially for someone with limited experience with making drinks--the person, we assume, these guides are for. In order to fix this deficit in the internet, I submit my tiered approach to assembling a home bar.
Tier One - The Beginner
This tier serves a dual purpose: To provide a strong foundation for expansion, as well as to explain the basics for someone who only wants the basics. The majority of people will want to be able to have the stuff on-hand to mix a decent cocktail, to impress a date or a father-in-law, but not be interested in making infusions, or reductions, or recreations of drinks long gone to antiquity. Regardless of your long-term goal, I advise watching Alton Brown's Good Eats about cocktails (Part 1, Part 2). There's three cocktails, information about glasses, and three tools you pretty much must have.
Hardware––Shaker, Strainer, Measure
You will be tempted to run out to the mall and buy these things. Do not. The selection will be too limited and the prices too high. BarSupplies.com has a wide selection of tools for very cheap.
Boston Shaker
The intro video gives a little explanation about boston shakers. I suggest the 18 oz and 28 oz. This combination gives you enough volume to mix anything from small cocktails to lemonade & iced coffee drinks. Total for both: ~7 bucks. (Compared to $50 at Crate & Barrel)
Julep Strainer
More practical than a hawthorn strainer. You can even use it to scoop out ice shards or lemon seeds that find their way into finished drinks. Hell, you can even use them how they're intended!
Software––Booze, Bitters, Sugar, Fruit.
Booze
Start with whiskey. One bottle of whiskey. That's it. No sherry, no two-kinds of tequila. Whiskey. Hell, it doesn't even have to be rye or bourbon or anything. You're starting out, you're going to make mistakes, you'll botch a drink or two. That's good, you want that––fudging a recipe is the best way to improve the next one (ask me how many manhattans I made before I decided on a recipe I liked). That in mind, don't get anything too fancy to start.
Want a recommendation? Use Jack Daniels. Not too expensive, you can buy it anywhere, and it's generally accepted among whiskey drinkers (They say Lemmy of Motorhead drinks a bottle of it every day. You ain't ever gonna be badder than him, so don't trip about JD). We'll talk more about whiskeys and flavor profiles and grain mash and all that some other time. Cost: Shoot for something between 15-20 bucks.
Bitters
"Hey, whoa. This is getting complex now. Can I get that at Vons?"
Naw man, it's cool. Get it at BevMo. You want Angostura Bitters. Bitters taste pretty strong alone, but make lots of drinks taste really good. In the same way that salt and pepper enhances the flavors in food, bitters enhance the flavors in drinks. Having this in your cupboard instantly takes your cocktail possibilities up a notch and impresses people who don't know much about booze (Something about being made with mysterious herbs from the Far East). Cost: ~7 bucks.
Sugar
I debated for a while between simple syrup and sugar cubes. Ultimately, simple syrup is the winner. You can use it for booze, or coffee, or iced tea because it doesn't need heat to dissolve. It's sweeter than regular sugar so you can use less, it's easy to make, and it keeps in the fridge forever. You definitely want to make it yourself because it's cheaper than the gas you'd use driving to the store to get it.
Buy some lemons. With the exception of everything else, this is the only thing you need that can go bad if you don't use it quickly––and quickly is relative, these keep forever in the fridge. Always use real citrus, not the bottled stuff. Ask around, someone you know probably has a lemon tree that is heavy with fruit. Get lemons from them, or from the store for cheap.
There you have it. All told, assuming you don't have sugar at the house, you're looking at a $50 investment. Buy these things and build on them, or just keep them on a shelf until you bring a date back to your place.
But what to make for said date? Try an Old Fashioned.
The problem with these is that they assume the reader is going to go out and spend 500 bucks TODAY to make this bar happen--calling for three kinds of whiskey, two gins, two rums, vodka, tequila, brandy, sherry, port, six kinds of glasses and a dozen tools you'll never use. That's just unreasonable, especially for someone with limited experience with making drinks--the person, we assume, these guides are for. In order to fix this deficit in the internet, I submit my tiered approach to assembling a home bar.
Tier One - The Beginner
This tier serves a dual purpose: To provide a strong foundation for expansion, as well as to explain the basics for someone who only wants the basics. The majority of people will want to be able to have the stuff on-hand to mix a decent cocktail, to impress a date or a father-in-law, but not be interested in making infusions, or reductions, or recreations of drinks long gone to antiquity. Regardless of your long-term goal, I advise watching Alton Brown's Good Eats about cocktails (Part 1, Part 2). There's three cocktails, information about glasses, and three tools you pretty much must have.
Hardware––Shaker, Strainer, Measure
You will be tempted to run out to the mall and buy these things. Do not. The selection will be too limited and the prices too high. BarSupplies.com has a wide selection of tools for very cheap.
Boston Shaker
The intro video gives a little explanation about boston shakers. I suggest the 18 oz and 28 oz. This combination gives you enough volume to mix anything from small cocktails to lemonade & iced coffee drinks. Total for both: ~7 bucks. (Compared to $50 at Crate & Barrel)
Julep Strainer
More practical than a hawthorn strainer. You can even use it to scoop out ice shards or lemon seeds that find their way into finished drinks. Hell, you can even use them how they're intended!
In julep drinks that are densely packed with ice.
Total: ~2 bucks.
I'm a little anal about measurements. Unlike grandma who, to her credit, cooked without a recipe, your grandpa measured twice and cut once. Standard jigger/pony measurement is 1.5 oz / 1oz. I don't like this because it makes it difficult to measure half-ounces without eyeballing. I like the 1 oz / .5 oz measure for exactly this reason. Sometimes you'll buy these and they're not true to size--not so with the Bar Supplies ones (I have a 1 oz / .5 oz and a 2 oz / 1 oz that both measure true).
Total: ~2 bucks.
All the tools you need for 11 bucks + S&H. Bar spoon? Use a table spoon. Muddler? Use a table spoon. Juicer? Use your hands. Zester? Use a knife. Bag for crushing ice? Use a washcloth. Glasses? Use what you have, go to goodwill, or use a jar.
Booze
Start with whiskey. One bottle of whiskey. That's it. No sherry, no two-kinds of tequila. Whiskey. Hell, it doesn't even have to be rye or bourbon or anything. You're starting out, you're going to make mistakes, you'll botch a drink or two. That's good, you want that––fudging a recipe is the best way to improve the next one (ask me how many manhattans I made before I decided on a recipe I liked). That in mind, don't get anything too fancy to start.
Want a recommendation? Use Jack Daniels. Not too expensive, you can buy it anywhere, and it's generally accepted among whiskey drinkers (They say Lemmy of Motorhead drinks a bottle of it every day. You ain't ever gonna be badder than him, so don't trip about JD). We'll talk more about whiskeys and flavor profiles and grain mash and all that some other time. Cost: Shoot for something between 15-20 bucks.
Bitters
"Hey, whoa. This is getting complex now. Can I get that at Vons?"
Naw man, it's cool. Get it at BevMo. You want Angostura Bitters. Bitters taste pretty strong alone, but make lots of drinks taste really good. In the same way that salt and pepper enhances the flavors in food, bitters enhance the flavors in drinks. Having this in your cupboard instantly takes your cocktail possibilities up a notch and impresses people who don't know much about booze (Something about being made with mysterious herbs from the Far East). Cost: ~7 bucks.
Sugar
I debated for a while between simple syrup and sugar cubes. Ultimately, simple syrup is the winner. You can use it for booze, or coffee, or iced tea because it doesn't need heat to dissolve. It's sweeter than regular sugar so you can use less, it's easy to make, and it keeps in the fridge forever. You definitely want to make it yourself because it's cheaper than the gas you'd use driving to the store to get it.
Simple Syrup (1:2 ratio)
Put 1 cup water in a pan over high heat. Add 2 cups sugar. Bring to a boil until the sugar dissolves, drop it to a simmer for 5 minutes, then pour into a heat-safe container. When it cools, stick it in the fridge and forget about it until you need it. Use within 6 months.Fruit
Buy some lemons. With the exception of everything else, this is the only thing you need that can go bad if you don't use it quickly––and quickly is relative, these keep forever in the fridge. Always use real citrus, not the bottled stuff. Ask around, someone you know probably has a lemon tree that is heavy with fruit. Get lemons from them, or from the store for cheap.
There you have it. All told, assuming you don't have sugar at the house, you're looking at a $50 investment. Buy these things and build on them, or just keep them on a shelf until you bring a date back to your place.
But what to make for said date? Try an Old Fashioned.
Fix - Three Little Babes
I was listening to Sugar In The Gourd the other day and heard this song. It was one of those occasions where I knew the lyrics but was unfamiliar with the artist. It hit me a few minutes later: Joanna Newsom! Can't seem to find the original recording (no surprise), but here's a satisfactory performance.
And the cover version...
(lyrics)
And the cover version...
(lyrics)
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Re: Your Paradigm...
I remember that my dad could build a pair of trousers just as well as he could build a house or an engine. I'm nowhere near as good as he was, but I have not let his gear gather dust.
Mark came over yesterday for a bit. We ended up in the garage with the sewing machine. Mark picked up an old goodwill shirt and wanted to see if he could slim it up.
Mark came over yesterday for a bit. We ended up in the garage with the sewing machine. Mark picked up an old goodwill shirt and wanted to see if he could slim it up.
16.5 -- about two sizes bigger than what Mark wears.
Using a fitting shirt to mark the alterations.
Finished product. A little tight in the arms, but generally good overall. No adjustment for the length, which is clear here. Nothing a roll can't fix.
I set myself to the machine after Mark. I had a fitting shirt that was a little big around the waist. It turned out well. Nothing but pictures after the jump:
HR 40-74
Onion News Network, Circa 1924. A voice of reason resounds in the House of Representatives.
Dress Like This
(photo: lotus_07)
Again, I make no claims to understand the way a woman constructs an outfit as I am barely functioning in my personal application of the rules of menswear. I leave it to you, the fairer sexed reader, to analyze this photograph for its sartorial merit.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Fourth recap
Talking to my landlord (he lives in the house next-door) about cocktails for a little while yesterday, he offered to let me experiment with some of the produce he has growing in his backyard. Came back with fresh mulberries, peaches, and plums.
Mulberry cocktail #2 (up)
You Will Require:
Shaker
Strainer
Muddler
It Includes:
Juice of half-a-lemon
2 oz rye
handfull of washed and stemmed mulberries
1 barspoon of simple syrup
soda water or branch water
ice
In Detail:
Wash and stem the berries, place them in the shaker. Add simple syrup and muddle. Add just a spray of soda water to the drink while cleaning off the muddler, you don't need more than a half-ounce. Add rye (or bourbon, more on this in an upcoming post), lemon juice, and plenty of ice (not cracked). Shake violently to incorporate the fruit. Strain and serve up. Garnish with a smashed mulberry, or a slice of fruit in season, or lemon zest, or whatever.
Notes:
I took a slice of peach, removed the skin, rubbed it around the rim of the glass and then squeezed the mulberry over it. Did it make the drink look cooler? Yes. Did this change the flavor? Not a lot. Does it drastically change the overall beverage? No. The point here is that garnishing was nice, but don't feel it's necessary to do the peach thing. Save your money if you can't get the peaches for free.
Mulberries, you probably won't find in a store as they explode a little in your hand as you pick them; partially-exploded berries don't have a lot of shelf-appeal. Don't have these? Use raspberry or blueberry, but make sure you muddle well.
Detail about variations on this theme after the jump.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Some days
I'll take booze over brews any day of the week, but some days...
You gotta keep it simple.
You gotta keep it simple.
4th of Ju-ly!
Picture taken on July 4, 1949. The gentleman with the shit eating grin in the far-back is my father. You can see this in full-size on the flickr page.
July 4, 1952:
July 4, 1952:
Saturday, July 3, 2010
OH SNAP! -- Thrift Store Grand Slam.
Remember what I said earlier today about coupes and thrift stores? Do you remember that which was said this very morning?
Walked into a place today, looking to kill some time, and saw a coupe in among the drinking glasses. I asked the old-timer behind the counter if he had any others, he responded by pointing to a whole case full of them.
"How much?" I asked the old-timer.
"How about 25¢ each."
"How about it."
Most of them are regular, one that says "Bride", another saying "Maid Of Honor", two saying "25th Anniversary", & two of them very delicate and shallow (like me).
Walked out of there with 13 of them. Would of cost me $130 + Tax and S/H if I sourced them online.
TOTAL AMOUNT THAT I SPENT ON THIS: $3.25
The matter of how to serve cocktails at my upcoming soirée is no longer an issue.
P.S. Pic is lousy, expect some better shots soon when the glasses are filled with hooch.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Thrift Store Score
Had a good run at goodwill. My favorite is the coupe on the far left. The coupe is intended as a champaign glass, but it does a lousy job because of all the surface area it gives the drink –– the champaign goes flat too quickly (that is, if you decide not to take it all down at once). It was repurposed, quite adroitly, for cocktails where you often want a large surface-area on the drink. Another benefit is that the curved sides reduce the spillage you can get with a standard cocktail glass.
They're difficult to get in stores, you can't really find them at a standard crate & barrel kind of place. Internet, of course, but, if you take a day to hit some thrift stores, you're sure to pick up a few.
But hell, if you've got the lettuce, buy a crate––Why? It's very simple:
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