My latest cocktail experiment left me wondering how you felt about creepy Halloween cocktails. I settled on the eyeball highball because it seemed to be the right amount of unsettling without appearing over-the-top gruesome. I love a little eeriness, although I think certain drinks, like bloody brain shooters, border on repulsive. How do you feel about these tipples?
Source: Flickr User Grant Mitchell
Over the break I found myself at the local bar in my hometown. They had one specialty cocktail on the menu: KC's Pumpkin Pie — a concoction consisting of homemade pumpkin liqueur and Dr. Pepper, topped off with whipped cream.
Although it was a far cry from the expertly mixed cocktails I normally sip in San Francisco, I decided to give the drink a try.
Could you do the same?
The Slanted Door Vietnamese restaurant in San Francisco offers a choice of floral or smoky tea. Opt for floral, and you get an elegant wine goblet containing a bouquet of actual flora. I haven't tried it, but I'm so curious. Would you down this earthy drink?
When I was in Tibet last year, one of the things we tried was yak butter tea. Popular in Tibet and southwestern China, this drink is made from tea, yak butter, and salt. It's very warming, and according to tradition, your cup (or bowl) is constantly refilled and never empty.
Unfortunately, I found it to be quite strong and incredibly salty, with barely any hint of tea. I was trying to figure out how not to get more added to my glass. It was more like salty butter soup, and I — the girl who can eat just about anything — had to force myself to drink it. I should mention that my guidebook actually said it was one of the most revolting things they'd ever had.
I could see where it might be amazingly tasty if you were in a cold wind on a Himalayan mountain top because the fat coating would be quite soothing. However, at a regular cafe, it wasn't quite so nice.
So tell me, would you try yak butter tea, or would you steer away?
While there are many proponents of raw milk, there are even more folks against it. Recently a family vacationing at a working farm ran into complications from drinking raw milk (they're going to be okay, but had contracted a bacterial food poisoning because of it). Raw milk sales are actually prohibited in many countries as well as 25 states and DC.
California is one of the states that allows it and I was able to pick up this jug at Whole Foods. The flavor is much richer and strong, I would even consider it somewhat "grassy" tasting, as if you could tell what the cow had fed on. It's nothing like store-bought milk — especially the lower fat versions. It's wonderfully smooth and, for lack of a better word, milky tasting.
So tell me, would you drink raw milk? Or do the health concerns worry you?
A few weeks ago, my friends and I met up for brunch at Ti Couz here in San Francisco. I promptly ordered a Bloody Mary and my friend thought she might do the same. Then when she saw it arrive with a shrimp in it, she decided she would be better off with a mimosa. Personally, I thought the shrimp brought the Bloody Mary to the next level. What do you think?
I found this Japanese curry flavored lemonade soda over at Tokyo Times and I want to know, would you give it a try? It sounds like it could be awful, but I can't wait to see what it tastes like!
