Grand Plaza Liquor (btwn Park Sterling on Washington)

Subject: Re: Vinho verde = summer time drink of the gods

BrooklynSwordStyle wrote: Crusty,

Check out Casal Garcia vinho verde if you get a chance. I've seen it as cheap as $4 a bottle (given, that was a while ago), and it's amazingly tasty. NYC prices are probably closer to $6.

Tonight in the interests of... science.... I'll be conducting a taste test between Belvedere vodka (about $22 per 750ml) and Smirnoff ($10 per 750ml). Given my recent lack of funds, this is a very important experiment.

If you run the smirnoff through a britta water filter 3 or 4 times it will taste even better then the Belvedere. You can use even cheaper vodka if you want to.

Subject: Re: Vinho verde = summer time drink of the gods

Alex wrote:
If you run the smirnoff through a britta water filter 3 or 4 times it will taste even better then the Belvedere. You can use even cheaper vodka if you want to.

I've heard that before. I was thinking it might be more efficient to simply buy a length of PVC pipe, perhaps two feet long and 1.5" in diameter and pack it full of activated charcoal (like you get in pet stores for fish tank filters). Most likely cheaper than a brita and much faster, and one pass through that would be equal to perhaps 10 passes through a brita.

Subject: Re: Vinho verde = summer time drink of the gods

BrooklynSwordStyle wrote: [quote=Alex]
If you run the smirnoff through a britta water filter 3 or 4 times it will taste even better then the Belvedere. You can use even cheaper vodka if you want to.

I've heard that before. I was thinking it might be more efficient to simply buy a length of PVC pipe, perhaps two feet long and 1.5" in diameter and pack it full of activated charcoal (like you get in pet stores for fish tank filters). Most likely cheaper than a brita and much faster, and one pass through that would be equal to perhaps 10 passes through a brita.


Good idea, and easier than building a still. I will go to home depot this weekend.

Subject: Re: Vinho verde = summer time drink of the gods

BrooklynSwordStyle wrote: [quote=Alex]
If you run the smirnoff through a britta water filter 3 or 4 times it will taste even better then the Belvedere. You can use even cheaper vodka if you want to.

I've heard that before. I was thinking it might be more efficient to simply buy a length of PVC pipe, perhaps two feet long and 1.5" in diameter and pack it full of activated charcoal (like you get in pet stores for fish tank filters). Most likely cheaper than a brita and much faster, and one pass through that would be equal to perhaps 10 passes through a brita.
This seems like the kind of creativity usually reserved for really stoned people trying to build a better bong!

Thanks for the tip on PVC people. A little research on the internets has shown that the toxic culprit is vinyl chloride. Fortunately, this only seems to leech out in pipes manufactured before 1975, and the liquid needs to sit in the pipe for an extended period of time (over a day), and the temperature needs to be above 50 degrees.

Since the vodka will be only in contact with the pipe for less than a minute, and will be chilled to about 5 degrees as well as passing through a filtering system I think it should be good.

If I can find a different pipe I'll use that, but given the above I won't be too concerned if I end up with a PVC pipe.

The inital experiment has proven that the Smirnoff is not nearly as nice as the Belvedere. So this weekend I'll be inviting some other "scientists" over for the filtering experiment. We will publish our findings, of course.

Subject: Bitters

So I'm jonesing for a good old fashioned and I don't put a lot of faith in the bartenders ANYWHERE to make one... I looked for aromatic bitters at GPL, but they didn't have it or really know what I was talking about... any suggestions?

Subject: Re: Bitters

nybt wrote: So I'm jonesing for a good old fashioned and I don't put a lot of faith in the bartenders ANYWHERE to make one... I looked for aromatic bitters at GPL, but they didn't have it or really know what I was talking about... any suggestions?

audobon circle in boston mass, on beacon st. right near fenway makes THE BEST old fashioned. they also make a lovely sidecar. the only place i've had comprable here is at milk & honey.

nybt wrote: I've heard that Milk and Honey is very good with cocktails, and I think that it's about the only place that I would both ordering one, but I still like my own drinks better! That, and I'd promised a friend of mine, that's never had an old fashioned, that I'd have him and his GF over for some drinks soon.

Milk and Honey is awesome! And try East Side Company bar. Same folks, but not as fake exclusive.

maybe it was a hallucination, but I think I saw bitters at the Key Food on Fifth Ave at Baltic

Most supermarkets at least carry Angostura bitters.

pitu wrote: maybe it was a hallucination, but I think I saw bitters at the Key Food on Fifth Ave at Baltic

Ahhh! They did, indeed, have bitters at the Key on 5th!

Old fashioned, anyone? I'm sure they'd go well with cigars...

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