frisco flip

2 parts Rittenhouse Rye
1 part Benedictine
1 egg
2 dashes Boker's Bitters

Shake vigorously with cracked ice until the egg is emulsified and pour into a cocktail glass. Then add the Boker's to the foamy goodness.

Fred was feeling under the weather last evening, so on my way home from dinner with my co-workers [1], I made a solo trip to Rendezvous for walnut cake and a drink. While I don't have any problems with eating dinner alone at a restaurant, I don't feel entirely comfortable sitting at a bar alone because of my overwhelming shyness. Drinking cocktails just seems like a fundamentally social activity, and I usually rely on super-social Fred to strike up a conversation with a stranger when the bartender is otherwise occupied. Fortunately, Scott is great at facilitating introductions, and he introduced me to two other people at the bar who happened to be friends of his visiting from out of town. In almost no time, I found myself having a wholly engaging conversation with them and time flew (a bit too much, Fred was fast asleep by the time I got home).

I knew that I only wanted a single cocktail, and Jess has been making me jealous with all of these flips she's been writing about. It's rare that I order any flips, since Fred isn't a fan of egg-based cocktails, and my general rule is to get a cocktail that he can happily sample as well. I thought some kind of flip would go well with the walnut cake, so I asked Scott if he felt like making one. He came up with this variation of a Frisco, in honor of the fact that one of my conversation partners currently lives there (as did I, once upon a time) [2]. He lacked any nutmeg to grate over the top, but the added Boker's shifted the scent of the cocktail in the correct flippy direction. It was rich enough without any simple syrup and complemented the quince compote and crème fraîche perfectly.

I finished the evening with a discussion of touchscreen tactile feedback and a pony of green Chartreuse, then said my goodbyes and headed home [3].

[1] Authentic German food and *75* beers on draft!! The Horseshoe Pub in Hudson is an annual field trip for us during the month of October, when they have a special German food menu. I finally got to taste Berkshire Brewing's Coffeehouse Porter (on nitro). And eat more wiener schnitzel. And see tons of kids in Halloween costumes pass out on the chairs after their sugar high - Hudson had their Main Street Trick or Treat event last night.

[2] She told me that Absinthe is *the* place to get a classic cocktail in SF. Very fondly do I remember a few of the meals I had there when I lived just up the hill. The lavender crème brûlée I had there in '99 was possibly the best dessert I've ever had in my life.

[3] You'd think that all the heavy german food + beer + cocktail + dessert would be the perfect recipe for a good night's sleep, but instead I was awake until 5:30AM. What else was in that flip (or cake)? I felt like pure vibrational energy.