Shadows on a sidewalk
We were out for a walk this afternoon in the sunshine. While the sky was a brilliant blue, I noticed the shadows we were casting on the sidewalk.
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We were out for a walk this afternoon in the sunshine. While the sky was a brilliant blue, I noticed the shadows we were casting on the sidewalk.
Sent from my fabulous iPhone.
For the past few evenings the sunsets have been clear and cloud-free. Enjoyable but hardly spectacular. This afternoon I noticed some clouds in the west and set up my camera in anticipation of the sunset. I wasn't disappointed. I was kept running from camera to the kitchen as I prepared dinner.
About a week ago I continued my quest for interesting infused vodka preparations by exploring the fringes with Juicy Fruit and Red Vines (red licorice). I gave them a week to infuse and tonight I filtered them. There is no surprise that the colors closely resemble the original product since I suspect there is a significant amount of coloring and flavoring. All in all, the flavors are good, consistent and reminiscent of the original products.
Isn't this fun? What's next?
Sent from my fabulous iPhone.
Sent from my fabulous iPhone.
This is an a la carte menu in Japanese. Your first clue? Read the heading of the menu board phonetically.
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Sent from my fabulous iPhone.
When we last left our intrepid hero in his experimental vodka laboratory, he was attempting to create three flavored vodkas. For the first round, he was trying both ends of the spectrum. Fresh watermelon, cut and infused with vodka... then fresh cherries from Chile, pitted and infused with vodka. These two attempts were left for a week before removing the fruit. But the unusual trial was smoky bacon vodka. About 150 grams of good ol' US sliced bacon, fried until crispy and then added to an infusion jar filled with vodka. Imagine the horror of the vegetarians and AA.
So what's happened since then? In short, the cherry vodka is wonderful. The vodka turned a deep red color and retained much of the fresh cherry taste. Shaken in a cocktail shaker filled with ice with a little Cointreau makes for a wonderful Cherry Martini (sorry to the purists out there). The watermelon vodka, on the other hand, was a disappointment. It turned a faint pink color and retained some noticeable watermelon taste and aroma but I couldn't find a suitable use for it. It's one for the summertime, methinks. Especially when watermelon is a lot cheaper.
Today I started Phase 2 of the Smoky Bacon Vodka. I strained and double filtered the vodka using paper coffee filters. It'll head to the freezer next to remove any unwelcome fats left over. It should be ready for Bloody Mary's by next week.
And finally, when one door closes, another one opens. I decided to continue to explore the fringes of taste infusions. Today I started two new vodka infusions: Red Twizzlers (licorice) and Juicy Fruit (the chewing gum). Isn't this fun?
Sushi sandwiches in a Tokyo convenience store. No, I didn't buy them.
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I captured this image last night at Ekki Bar & Grill at the Four Seasons Hotel in Tokyo. The Director of Restaurants was decanting a bottle of wine next to our table and the reflection in the mirror caught my eye.
I thought this is a clever ad on the train today. The vegetable juice box (with the straw) resembles a mobile phone. So the headline calls it "mobile vegetables". Japanese are wild about their mobile devices.
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