I believe I’ve made my position on cookbooks known here in the past, but in case I haven’t or you don’t recall, I am not a fan of collections of recipes. I can find collections of recipes easily online, and compare them side by side quickly to come up with a good idea of what a working recipe for me is. Instead, I tend towards the books that deal with the theory and ideas behind cooking, so when I say a book proclaiming to be a cocktail codex, I was intrigued.
The book’s thesis is fairly simple. There are six master cocktails that every other cocktail fit into, the six cocktails they selected for this are:
- The Old Fashioned
- The Martini
- The Daiquiri
- The Sidecar
- The Whiskey Highball
- The Flip
The book is broken down by section, with each section going into a bit of the theory of the main cocktail, the traditional recipe, and the author’s “ideal” version of the recipe. They then go through the components, why they’re in the drink, what they do in the drink, and any special techniques that are involved in the drink. Through each section, there’s dozens of recipes for that cocktail family.
The book is not an entry level book, but that’s to be expected when you’re throwing around words like “codex”. They go through different spirit types, explaining what the differences are, and why to use them in some drinks. This does lead to a downside, where specific brands and expressions are called for in some cocktails. While I can appreciate calling for a specific spirit from time to time (such as most liqueurs) I dislike being told that this cocktail should only be made with this single expression of rum that not only have I never heard of, it isn’t even available in the state, and I have no idea what flavor profile that bottle may have. In my opinion, any specific spirits should be called out as;
- Appleton Estates 10 year rum (Golden rum)
- Jameson Caskmates Stout Edition (Irish whiskey with roast notes)
This allows for some details in the case that the expression no longer gets made, or if a recipe changes. It also allows for the bartender to sub out a different rum for one that fits their flavor profile more, or is more in line with their budget. It also makes it more economical to make cocktails at home. I’ve got a very deep whiskey collection, but there’s no chance I’m going to stock every single type of Scotch whisky I can get, nor should I need to. To be fair, I don’t even keep a bottle of blended Scotch in the house, I prefer Irish, and to me, a high end Irish expression can stand up just like the basic blended Scotches on the market.
One thing that stood out to me fairly early (which they cop to in the book) is that this is a top down categorization, not a bottom up one. As an example, they describe the Martinez as a variant of the Martini, when the Martini is widely believed to be descended from the Martinez. But, as they point out, cocktail history is hard for several reasons:
- Most cocktails are created and perfected through lots of drinking
- Drunkards do not take good notes
- Drunkards love good stories
- Multiple bartenders making a very similar drink at the same time, and all of them giving them a name of their own.
- Not every bartender/bar WANTS to share the recipes of their drinks
All in all, this book did give me several very good variants of cocktails, a different way to look at some, and some excellent tips that I will use. There are some bits that are somewhat irritating, like demanding 0.25 ounce amounts of an ingredient while saying using any more would water down the drink too much. There are also some “recipes” that really aren’t, the “Homemade Orange Bitters” was the most egregious. I flipped to that expecting to see both an alcohol extraction and a water extraction and blending them together. Making home made bitters is something I haven’t delved into yet, so I was hopeful. The recipe? 1 part brand X orange bitters, 1 part brand Y orange bitters, and 1 part brand Z orange bitters. That is just failure there…
If you’re at a moderate to advanced cocktail making level, and want a very nice collection of recipes, some tips, some good recipes, and a nice breakdown behind some of the techniques and thought processes, I would recommend this. If you’re just starting to get into cocktails, I would advise some caution in going to this book, but if you’re looking for a recipe collection, it would work quite nicely for that.
Was this written by the folks at Death and Co.? I remember from one of their other books, that their house orange bitters was just a blend of Regan’s No. 6, Angostura Orange, and one other (Fee Brothers?) Personally, I just use Regan’s No. 6 in my Old-Fashioneds.
They also called out a lot of particular spirits in their cocktail recipes, which one the one hand I find a bit off-putting, but on the other hand I like that it gives me new ideas.
Making my own bitters would be cool, maybe. I tried making my own Oregat syrup last week, and it didn’t turn out well.
Yes, the same authors. There’s a couple of books out there on making home made bitters. Most that I’ve seen do it in two parts: alcohol extraction for some flavors, hot water extraction for others. Those two are then blended.
What issue did you have with the orgeat? A tiki adjacent forum I’m in has a thread on making it, and a couple of people have been throwing out there recipes and tips. One that jumped out to me was using almond milk instead of roasting and extracting your own.
It came out really thin and watery, not much flavor. Might have been the blanched almonds I used.
If I try making it again, I’ll give the almond milk a try.
There are two kinds of cocktail. Those which require formal dress (top hat and tails, ideally) and those which do not.
No cocktail needs formal dress. There are those that look fancier if the person holding them has a fez, but that is also not required.
We’re ‘Mericans damn it!
RJ holding a cocktail does not look fancy.
Ted S.:
He just needs the right mug
Surely you’ve seen his mug every time he posts.
My oversized martini glass brings all the drunks to the yard.
I’ve been known to drink an occasional Martini (2-1/2oz. Plymouth gin, 1/2oz. Carpano Dry vermouth, 2 dashes Regan’s No.6 orange bitters, stir until ice cold, twist of lemon peel) while lounging around in my pajamas. Good drinkers require no pretension.
I don’t “keep” any, but I do have a few. Typically gifts. I usually don’t finish a bottle I’m not willing to replace (unless I don’t think it’s worth having in the house, then I’ll finish it).
Derp. That’s not true. I keep a bottle of JW Black to use as a control as it’s the Platonic Ideal of “Highland”
Gravy trains were derailed
Psychiatrists have joined other public health groups in calling for the removal of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health secretary.
Two psychiatry organizations — the Southern California Psychiatry Society and the recently formed grassroots Committee to Protect Public Mental Health — have released statements saying that the actions of the leader of the Department of Health and Human Services have increased stigma, instilled fear and hurt access to mental health and addiction care.
“As physicians committed to evidence-based care, we are alarmed by the direction of HHS under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr,” the Committee to Protect Public Mental Health said in a statement.
The last thing we need is self-reflection. We’re doctors.
Psychiatry is little more than prescription management these days. If you want to talk rather than just be medicated, you’ll get referred to therapist.
What are the odds that the same folks are condemning long-accepted treatments for gender dysphoria?
I think it’s safe to say that most of these groups have lost all credibility.
“the recently formed grassroots Committee to Protect Public Mental Health”
“Grassroots.” You’re killing me.
The only cocktail question that needs answering is brandy old fashion sweet or brandy old fashion sour?
I don’t even keep a bottle of blended Scotch in the house
Savages
I have multiple bottles of single malt.
In recent years, the federal government had taken a leading role in funding efforts to address serious mental illness and substance use through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administrations (SAMHSA), notes Dr. Steven Sharfstein, a past president of the American Psychiatric Association and an adjunct professor of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University.
Those efforts had started to pay off, he adds. “There’s been great progress in reducing the number of overdose deaths in the country as a result of these initiatives,” he says.
I’m sure these renowned mavens of evidence based medicine will have no problem demonstrating a direct causal relationship.
Good place to post this. However, TW – Ars Technica
Not a game: Cards Against Humanity avoids tariffs by ditching rules, explaining jokes
https://arstechnica.com/culture/2025/10/to-avoid-tariffs-cards-against-humanity-becomes-information-material-not-a-game/
“Trump is going to be so mad. I’m jacking it just imagining it.”
Own Trump and continue to have the game made by cheap labor in China. Win!
Is it safe to assume the daiquiri section contained the vast bulk of the girl drinks?
Thumbing through the Daiquiri variations chapter in Death and Co…most of these would put your basic white girl on her ass.
‘Girl drinks,’ to me, are things like Vodka Crans and chilled Patron shots. So who’s to say?
The Sidecar section holds it’s own there, but think gimlets, mojitos, collins, sours, and quite a few gin based cocktails that I quite enjoy (like the Bee’s Knees).
Four fingers of gin, a lime, and a splash of tonic. Done!
Four fingers – by length or width?
“This holiday season, give your loved ones the gift of knowledge, give America’s libraries the gift of cash, and don’t give Donald Trump a fucking cent,” the site says.
Much heroic.
What? Put my money where my mouth is? No, I want the government to put other people’s money where my mouth is.
Or… and here’s a crazy idea… buy them a book.
But I guess that doesn’t signal virtue.
You haven’t seen the books I give as gifts, huh?
I had to quit drinking because it was getting in the way of my Firsting.
The doctor said it was the First or the booze, and I picked the First, obviously.
I see sloopy has fallen for the under siege for years bullshit.
‘Girl drinks,’ to me, are things like Vodka Crans and chilled Patron shots. So who’s to say?
Where do the girls who fire down a quarter of a can of White Claw and top it up with vodka fit in/
The drunk tank or some guy/girl’s bedroom?
Is there a special category for the “We have to do it this way because this is how we do it!” argument?
It seems to be everywhere.
Drunkards do not take good notes
So it’s not like coding?
Sure it is. I mean, who actually DOCUMENTS their code all the time? 🙂
/insert shifty eyed meme here
I don’t understand this. The only alcoholic drinks are beer and whisky.
And you don’t mix them with anything unless you are a child.
My fridge full of Mead, Krupnik, Rum, and Vodka disagrees.
Limoncello got all dressed up and was just about to knock on the door when she heard this, then turned around and slowly walked home in the rain.
I was quite surprised the first time I made a batch of fennelcello. I’ve also seen basil, orange, and other similar items used.
She always was a tart.
Fennelcello sounds like the black jelly bean of alcohol.
Ouzo or Sambuca?
Then you are limiting yourself from quite a few delicious and great experiences. But you do you, I’ll be over here (later) enjoying a very nice Manhattan made with a wheat whiskey that was finished in a cherry cider cask.
I bet you cook with (spits) cast iron, too.
Zwak thinks sex is missionary position, lights off, at night.
ZWAK:
In fact I do. I also have stainless, non-stick, enameled, and a couple of other different cook surfaces. Right tool for the right job.
I’ll put you with UCS in the culinary corner. 🙂
Mr Ilium, you and ZWAK are both wrong in different ways.
I forgive you your sins against cuisine.
Nah, UCS likes food. I am just indifferent.
It comes from decades being married to a food person.
Cast iron is great.
How do you finish your reverse-seared steak without a cast-iron pan, Zwak?
Not by cooking it on rancid i.e. seasoned grease.
How do you finish your reverse-seared steak – with a salamander
https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/09/health/pig-liver-transplant-china
ISLAMOPHOBIC!
Iron fist
The association representing journalists who cover the U.S. Department of Defense on Wednesday condemned a new press access policy that could see reporters lose their access as early as next week, a development that would constrain the media’s ability to cover the world’s most powerful military.
——-
“The policy conveys an unprecedented message of intimidation to everyone within the DoD, warning against any unapproved interactions with the press and even suggesting it’s criminal to speak without express permission — which plainly, it is not,” the Pentagon Press Association wrote.
Oh, no. How will they leak Trump’s plans to declare martial law and turn the country into a giant prison camp?
If it’s classified material it certainly is. And beyond that, there’s nothing unconstitutional about barring employees from talking to the media when not granted permission to do so.
Reporters are pissed because they’re making it tougher for them to get spoonfed stories by “anonymous” sources. That’s it.
Yep. About time too. People who leak should have consequences and this is a big step towards formalizing that.
I’m too lazy for anything more than a gin and tonic without the lime.
That would be a variation on a highball.
Gin and Juice – The Gourds
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNd2GvhvHkY
i once had a bottle of tonic concentrate that you would add a small quantity and mix with sparkling water. I had an almost identical bottle in the fridge that contained sesame oil. One time I laced them next to each other by accident while cooking and then when I made a gin and tonic I used the sesame oil, with gin and water. it was not… good.
You don’t have to live like a savage.
What category does a Mint Julep fall into?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QkrbV9Riq3s
the quintessence of gentlemanly beverages can be described only in like terms. A mint julep is not the product of a FORMULA. It is a CEREMONY and must be performed by a gentleman possessing a true sense of the artistic, a deep reverence for the ingredients and a proper appreciation of the occasion. It is a rite that must not be entrusted to a novice, a statistician, nor a Yankee. It is a heritage of the old South, an emblem of hospitality and a vehicle in which noble minds can travel together upon the flower-strewn paths of happy and congenial thought.
So far as the mere mechanics of the operation are concerned, the procedure, stripped of its ceremonial embellishments, can be described as follows:
Go to a spring where cool, crystal-clear water bubbles from under a bank of dew-washed ferns. In a consecrated vessel, dip up a little water at the source. Follow the stream through its banks of green moss and wildflowers until it broadens and trickles through beds of mint growing in aromatic profusion and waving softly in the summer breezes. Gather the sweetest and tenderest shoots and gently carry them home. Go to the sideboard and select a decanter of Kentucky Bourbon, distilled by a master hand, mellowed with age yet still vigorous and inspiring. An ancestral sugar bowl, a row of silver goblets, some spoons and some ice and you are ready to start.
Mint Juleps are off the Old Fashioned in the Old-Fashioned Extended Family branch, with the Champagne Cocktail, Hot Toddy, Sherry Cobbler, and Sazerac. There’s three variations on the Mint Julep (Last One Standing, Heritage Julep, and Camellia Julep).
1. cocktails are for socialists. I am disapoint
2.
Appleton Estates 10 year rum (Golden rum)
Jameson Caskmates Stout Edition (Irish whiskey with roast notes)
these be bad
There are six master cocktails – there are 7 actually
Everybody forgets the Bloody Mary.
The Bloody Mary is included as a Highball Variation, along with the Mimosa, Wine Spritz, Gin and Tonic, and Tequila Sunrise.
Wine Spritz – BLASPHEMY
PieInTheSky:
No love for the Aperol Spritz or a Hugo Spritz?
Hugo is a low class drink, and I am not joking. I would never.
I love an Aperol Spritz, even if I feel like a fancy lady when I’m ordering one.
Montenegro Spritz is also excellent.
I think that I would argue this categorization, and put the Bloody Mary and variations in a class of their own.
But I’m really only willing to argue about booze when I’ve had a few, and I’m at work, so…
Touring The ULTIMATE Vacation Log Home
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJBCzCnrkPo
having a bar in your house and tap beer being stella artois and some crap light one is lame.
This will be fun. What two beers would you have on tap?
a good Czech pilsner and an English ale or session ipa.
Racer 5 and Pliny the Elder.
An English mild/nut brown, a sour ale or saison, and a pale ale of some kind.
/looks at the abandoned three taps in the basement.
Dallas Blonde + Revolver Blood and Honey.
From:
Revolver Brewing
Texas, United States
Style:
American Pale Wheat Beer
Ranked #34
wheat? ewww gross
A good German Kölsch, maybe Reissdorf or Gaffel, and Bell’s Two Hearted IPA.
Shame that house is in New York.
Here is a cocktail for you
Rye Whiskey 2 oz
Absinthe – rinse
Bitter – 3 dashes
Benedictine – 1/2 oz
Instructions:
Drink the rye, throw the rest down the sink
There should not be any alcohol posts on a Thursday. It is a non drinking day.
Thursday is a tradtitional drinking night in US colleges.
As a dried out (and dried up) Old Man I can only laugh at the pretentiousness exhibited by those that claim some kinds of alcohol (CH₃CH₂OH) are better than others.
Cirrhosis doesn’t care.
I’m quite sure if I hadn’t quit, if I had continued on the same path I was on I’d have left a long time ago. A personal decision, of course, but I doubt that cheap whiskey made me smarter.
Same here Sir. Good on you. Not everyone can do that.
So, I found I could run an LLM locally, and decided to try it out. The first question I asked was “What do you know about me?”
Here’s what I got
If you want to seriously train one you will need a lot of GPU
I don’t want to train a new one. I’m playing with a toy, so I’m using other people’s models.
You should see if you can get the LLM to administer a Turing Test, and see what happens when you pass…
That checks out.
Kia EV6 Owner Discovers Factory Wiring Error in Subwoofer, Fixes Weak Sound in Minutes
So what any reasonable audiophile with a subwoofer already knows. My subwoofer has a phase switch on it. You don’t even have to change wiring. You basically get to flip the switch and see what gives better base and stereo image with your particular room and hardware. Plus cool clickbait title!
1. This was intentional and designed to cancel out some other resonance or phase distortion. It just sounds weak to the “big boom” crowd.
2. This is a programming error and the subwoofer is out of phase on production vehicles. This will fix that.
3. Kia will push new firmware and you will end up having to undo the modification.
Meanwhile The Drive has a 1,000 words on this to create content.
https://www.thedrive.com/news/kia-ev6-owners-are-rewiring-their-subwoofers-because-the-factory-set-them-up-wrong
Joke’s on them for buying a Kia.
Do the various punches not count as cocktails? or does this theory try to cram them in with one of their offspring? Because I am pretty sure punches predate daiquiris.
As mentioned, they did not go off historical basis, but grouped them by their thoughts on it. The Martinez predates the Martini, but was listed as a variant.
I don’t agree with the theory, but it can be a useful fiction to spark ideas on how to make modifications to recipes to make new drinks or variations.
I liked grouping them by primary alcohol way back when this mattered to me. You have 4 or 5 base categories depending on whether you treat brandies as brown spirits or their own thing (their own thing makes more sense to me), or possibly more if you split out the spirits that have both dark and clear variants, Dark spirits, White spirits, Undistilled Malt based drinks (beers etc.), and undistilled fruit based drinks (wines). But as you can see that, like any other taxonomy gets out of hand rapidly.
The theory above seems mostly useful in terms of sorting by glassware lol.
and then you get to Asia and all your categories kind of shatter. Fit kvass into any grouping, and sake… who makes fortified wine from a grain? oh well, all taxonomies break down.
(((Jarflax:
If I were to take on an endeavor like this, I’d likely try to start by branching from the Old Fashioned, and start introducing branches as different spirits rose to prominence. Off the top of my head, and with no research, that would likely be whisk(e)y [I did say I was starting with the Old Fashioned as my origin cocktail], fortified wines, gin, rum, tequila, and then vodka. With additional additions as new variants of the base spirits came into being.
That then runs into the issues I mentioned above about cocktail history.
Flips are older :), and punches as I said above. I’m probably out of line with this because what I am talking about predates the concept of a cocktail, and goes back to a time when Inns or parties would serve one house beverage out of a common bowl or cauldron.
(((Jarflax:
True, but the Old Fashioned is considered the first true cocktail.
I love an Aperol Spritz, even if I feel like a fancy lady when I’m ordering one.
Do you wear a flowery hat and pretend you’re at the Kentucky Derby?
This was intentional and designed to cancel out some other resonance or phase distortion. It just sounds weak to the “big boom” crowd.
Are we sure it isn’t for enhanced cockpit vroom vrooms?
It’s electric. Sounds like the Jetsons!
(Although one of their performance EVs has some fake 4 banger noise.)
You should see if you can get the LLM to administer a Turing Test, and see what happens when you pass…
My mother? Lemme tell you about my mother…
https://gunsamerica.com/firearms/handguns/semi-auto/COP-INC/DERRINGER?p=f86cbd5e-c469-4d0c-b79d-096841b94258
Trivia – the screen-used COP derringer from Blade Runner was modified to fire two barrels at a time, which makes it a machine gun according to BATFE rules…
Man that seller has some bad reviews.
Holy cow. Not one truly positive review. Complaints in every one!
My drinking problem
I’m at work, so can’t follow the YouTube link. Please tell me that’s Hank III.
Please tell me that’s Hank III.
Damn right.
The Palisades fire.
From the timeline I read, the fire department put the fire out (mostly dead) but then it flared up again. NO ONE IS TALKING ABOUT HOW THE FIRE DEPARTMENT FUCKED UP BY NOT CHECKING IF IT WAS FULLY EXTINGUISHED!
Shouldn’t they deserve some of the blame for the ninth-deadliest wildfire on record in California?
Shouldn’t they deserve some of the blame for the ninth-deadliest wildfire on record in California?
Why do you hate our heroic firefighters?
Because they make the intersections more dangerous during their fund drives.
This looks ugly
Trade finance company Raistone, a creditor of First Brands, asked a court on Wednesday to appoint an independent examiner, claiming that as much as $2.3 billion “simply vanished” from the bankrupt U.S. auto parts supplier.
First Brands filed for bankruptcy protection last month after its lenders began investigating irregularities in the company’s financial reporting. The company has $11.6 billion in total liabilities, according to the court documents.
Its collapse has rattled debt investors and sparked concerns of broader stress in corporate debt markets, especially about rising risks in private credit where lending activity has surged in recent years.
“Under these circumstances – with up to $2.3 billion in assets unaccounted for – the appointment of an examiner to conduct an independent investigation is both mandatory and is critical to maximizing recovery for creditors,” Raistone said in the filing to the Texas Southern Bankruptcy Court.
First Brands had earlier appointed a special committee of independent directors to probe its off-balance-sheet financing and whether invoices were factored more than once.
I’m not sure whose jurisdiction this is, but this seems a little more important than how many diverse faces are in the boardroom.
I mentioned that a few days ago. It happened at the same time that sub-prime auto lender went under.
#ows597 🔎 4/5 (01:10)
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onewordsearch.com
#stack212 5/5
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