Pour water into a small cooler that can fit in your freezer. Optionally use filtered water and boil it to remove excess contaminants and dissolved gases, which can theoretically give a better end product. Put the cooler in the freezer with the lid off for about 24 hours at least.
Remove from freezer and let it "temper" for 20 minutes or so. The ice block should be clear and sweaty at this point. Then score the ice with a serrated knife where you want it to break; then lay the knife along the score and gently tap it with something heavy. We used a muddling mallet, and if it's tempered to the right amount, it will break really cleanly along the score marks.
Repeat this until you've created cubes roughly the size of your rocks glass, and then you can further shave those cubes down using a serrated knife or ice picks to whatever shape you want. The ice becomes quite easy to work with as it tempers.
Recipe forthcoming once the torched sugar situation is resolved.
Gin, sweet vermouth, and Campari — the standard Negroni trinity — plus fresh grapefruit juice and homemade cranberry simple syrup. Dry shake with egg white for foam, then shake again with ice. Double strain. Garnish with a grapefruit wedge and freshly grated cinnamon.
Standard French 75 build — gin, lemon juice, homemade cranberry simple syrup — topped with champagne. Garnished with a long twirled lime peel.
Muddle cucumber and fresh mint. Add gin, fresh lime juice, and a little simple syrup. Shake well and double strain into a coupe.
The technique: fill a small cooler with water and leave it in the freezer with the lid off. The top freezes clear while impurities and bubbles are pushed to the bottom. Score and crack to get your block, then carve to shape.
White bread poolish following Flour Water Salt Yeast (FWSY). Baguette technique mostly following the NYTimes baking lady.
Recipe forthcoming.
Lost to time. Best guess: a daiquiri base (rum, lime, simple syrup) with muddled watermelon and mint. Garnished with floating fruit and a mint flag.
2 oz whiskey of choice · 0.75 oz lemon juice · 0.75 oz simple syrup. Shaken and double strained into a cocktail glass. Gently float red wine on top using a spoon.
Some folks still do this with an egg white foam; some folks do this on ice, but I prefer it with no egg white, served neat in a coupe glass.