Yo-Ho-Ho and a Bottle of Rum! But Which and What Kind and ... ?

I just want to share this super blog with my fellow bon vivants, while the holiday season is still in full swing. It's called The Ministry of Rum, and it's your one-stop shop for anyone from the true rum aficionado to the "lounge lizard" at a Tiki Bar. Reading this blog makes me want to experiment with making a couple of Zombies from the enormous assortment of brands and variations of this stereotyped (and badly maligned) beverage that currently exist.

You have to register and thereby become a member of this blog, but it's well worth the effort. You must do this in order to enjoy all the Ministry's offerings. Read this small sample of a review written on Appleton Estate Thirty-Year Old Rum ...

"Appleton Estate 30 Year Old Jamaica Rum
 distilled by J. Wray & Nephew Limited - Jamaica

          Dark copper rum distilled from fermented molasses.
          Blend of rums at least 30 years old aged in used Jack Daniels Whisky barrels.

The oldest rum from Appleton Estate. Like the other Appleton Estate rums, the 30 year old maintains the signature orange peel, cocoa and vanilla nose. The full bodied palate overflows with baked dark fruit, roasted walnut, caramel and spice with a dry lingering finish.

Bottled at 43% alcohol by volume."

I am saving this site as a source for future gift-giving, whether for a connoiseur, a collector or friend who's home bar could use a spiffy new addition of something expensive.

http://www.ministryofrum.com/index.php 

Update: Poteen versus Poutine

Poteen is in fact the equivalent of moonshine in Ireland and is equally illegal there.

Poutine is the Canadian comfort food I first saw on Tony Bourdain's show, "No Reservations". I got the distinct impression that poutine was a bed on which you put anything from a couple of fried eggs to a medley of Tex-Mex delicacies.

The truth is, it's a dish all by itself, and it consists of fries and curd cheese, smothered in brown gravy.



It must be curd cheese ... not melted cheddar. Aye, that's the rub! However, making your own curd cheese is not that hard. The toughest possible thing about it is obtaining cheese cloth. Check out this instructional video on the process ...

This dish is now served all over Canada. I'm told even McDonald's has it on the menu (though I'm also told their version is not very popular). Next time I'm in any of the cities of Quebec, I'm ordering a big plate of poutine at the first opportunity ... on second thought ... !

http://www.avivalasvegas.com/Pages/poutinetalk6.htm

Got Game?

Noooo! We're not talking about starting a pick-up basketball game. Nor are we at a club, comparing notes with other Pick-up Artists. Pick ups have nothing to do with the matter, unless you are referring to what you do with what you just shot or pulled into your boat. This post is about that special cuisine ... the kind some people absolutely love and some people absolutely cannot stomach (because it tastes "too gamey"). For many, it's an acquired taste, due largely to the fact that it is all they have to eat.

I was once foolish enough to sample a platter of wild game at a local German restaurant. I kept thinking about missing dogs and feral cats as I ate. By the way, that place has since gone out of business.

Venison, rabbit, pheasant, quail ... even bear; I've seen all of these on my plate. Each time, I ate what was put before me out of politeness ... or fear ... after all, the chef has a gun and knows how to use it. Right?

Yet, two things always seem to endure in these situations. The first is the number of people that simply relish wild game. On a recent television show, the meth heads were actually trading venison for their drug of choice. The second enduring phenomenon entails the emphatic reassurances from your host, that the game has been cooked in such a way that you won't notice the usual taste. It reminds you of all those idiots that kept giving you recipes for how to cook liver and make it taste like something palatable. Ugh!

One blog I recommend you visit, before you accept anything your neighbor, friend or spouse just bagged and butchered, is Chef John McGannon's "WildEats Enterprises". It will give you the kind of advice you really need ... namely the kind of preparation you will need to cook something savory. Of course, he's out to sell you some seasonings, but if it gives you the ability to finish eating what's on the table - who cares?

Check out this sample dish from Chef McGannon:

                         Chili-Glazed Venison Meatloaf with Roasted Sweet Potatos

 http://www.wildeats.com/

Meade for Your Holiday Parties

We've got booze made from Rice, Corn, Potatoes, Grapes and Apples. How about the booze made from Bees - Meade? I'm reminded of a scene from the film "The 13th Warrior" in which Antonio Banderas' arab character is offered it by his Viking friend. He declines, citing Islam's prohibition of the consumption of any "fermented grape or grain" ... to which the Viking laughs as he says, "It's made from honey!"

Talk about a loophole!

By the way, Banderas' character commences to gulp the meade immediately. Maybe we should ship a few cases to The Taliban?

Here's a website that will tell you everything about Meade, including how to make your own from scratch and even start your own little cottage industry. It's not just for educational purposes, but for interactive exchange as well ... with its own blog, forums, newsletter and interesting links. Please let me know what you think of it. Thanks!

[P.S., if you ever hear the word Melomel mentioned, this is what it means. It's either honey wine made using fruit (especially berries), or it is a fruit wine that has been mixed with Meade. Here is a definition given by Frank Androczi, owner of The Little Hungary Farm Winery, in West Virginia: "Melomel is an all natural wine made from honey, grapes, apples and pears."  That's his own recipe brought over from his native Hungary.]

http://www.gotmead.com/index.php

http://www.wvgourmetfoods.com/little_hungary.htm

Seasons Greetings!

http://www.japanator.com/elephant/photo.phtml?post_key=17609&photo_key=23723

Introducing Koshihikari Echigo Beer

This Japanese Beer comes highly recommended by the publisher of the nynotes blog (http://ny-notes.blogspot.com/)

I'm a big fan of Japanese booze, from Suntory Whiskey (picture Bill Murray in Sophia Coppola's "Lost in Translation") to Okinawan awamori. This beer is an interesting compilation of the usual Malt and Wheat Grain, with the addition of Corn, Koshihikari Rice and Hops. For beer ratings, I'm partial to using THE BEER ADVOCATE website. Koshihikari Echigo is rated a little better than "mens-a-mens" there.

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/5046/17036

It's supposed to be a favorite beer to drink when having sushi. Outside of the big cities, obtaining this beer probably requires special order. Let's see, Suntory Whiskey and Koshihikari Echigo beer ... that would make a Nipponese Boiler Maker wouldn't it?

Get A Million Volt Mini Stun Gun For A Stocking Stuffer This Christmas

The only other "Irv" I know is Irv Miller of West ("By God!") Virginia. He and his wife own and run J & L Self Defense Products. J & L offers an interesting assortment of items at a local store in Morgan County and on the its website.

For the past twelve years, I have drooled over items intended to cause thugs a world of pain with a mimimum of effort. I'm not claiming that a working knowledge of some martial art and human anatomy is not needed. But it's a damn sight easier to apply your expertise with a device that will temporarily blind or shock the living daylights out of an assailant  (leaving him or her to lay there in a puddle of drool!).

Why was I claiming to "drool" over Irv's selection of assorted  pain-inducing devices? Simple. They're not legal to even own, much less use, in my neck of the woods. I would carefully investigate local ordinances, before deciding to purchase any of J & L's stuff. Irv or his wife will be more than happy to help you out with any questions on this subject.

As I've grown older, I have accrued a few memories of attacks I either witnessed or endured. All of them occured when the assailant was sure there were no witnesses. A number of the devices Irv sells would have saved a lot of time, effort and injury ... that's my perspective on the issue. You must weigh the pros and cons (ooops, faux pas!).

http://www.selfdefenseproducts.com/show_recently_added.php?mode=recently_added