My father always put a few dashes on a lemon wedge to cure hiccups. I think I only had to eat one bitters covered lemon wedge. Now the prospect of doing this scares the hiccups right out of me.

Christine-
I've heard the same thing about hiccups. Although a much better cure is a packet (or teaspoon) of sugar will do the same thing.

You can make your home smell absolutely wonderful and relax on a cool evening by making the folloiwng:

Combine 1 (one) 6 inch cinnamon stick, 16 cloves, and 1 tsp. allspice in a cheese cloth bag (we use some thin cotton tied with a strip of the same material). Mix 6 cups apple juice, 2 cups cranberry juice, 1/2 cup orange juice, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tsp aromatic bitters, and the bag of spices in a large saucepan. Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Drink to your heart's content.

You can also add 1 cup of brandy or rum, but then you can't share it with the teens in your house who will come running for their cup as soon as they smell the aroma wafting through the house. Trust me on this.

Thanks for reminding about this; I know what I'm drinking during Monday night's game!

Also good with G&T, though summer has faded, and in orange juice.

But winter is coming, and Manhattans are a good bet.

Please don’t add bitters to the Gruet. It is so fine as it is. And to think it comes from New Mexico.

I am opposed to adding things to something that is excellent the way it is. Certainly, the additions add flavors but seldom do they produce something that exceeds the original.

For instance, adding onion and green peppers to Chesapeake crab, anything other than lemon juice to raw oysters or fried calamari, or the addition of bitters and vermouth to good bourbon to create a manhattan.

Use an inexpensive Spanish Cava if you will but please don’t destroy a product that is fine the way it was created.

Why aren't you in Chitown?

Next week. EL

It seems strangely coincidental, but I've been thinking about champagne cocktails since watching Casablanca on television a week or two ago. For some reason they piqued my interest and I googled the ingredients. I still haven't gotten around to buying a bottle of bitters yet, though (we keep champagne on hand as a staple).

For some reason I've also been thinking lately about Manhattans. For that I'd also have to buy a bottle of sweet vermouth. And if it turned out that I wasn't wild about Manhattans, what the heck would I do with the rest of a bottle of sweet vermouth?

Did I miss a memo here? They have Gruet in Hampden??? And to think I've been driving to Solomon's Island to get mine. Geeez!

I used to have a jar of Cassia Buds, a few of which were to be gently simmered in a small pot of water to make your house smell cinnamon-ny.

It's inconceivable, Mr. Laurent, that you would not be wild about Manhattans.

And, LEC, while I wouldn't dream of using Woodford Reserve or one of the other premium bourbons in a Manhattan, a bourbon ordinaire like Old Forester is quite satisfactory.

Mmmm ... Gruet! And the fact that a really good champagne is made in New Mexico just tickles me all the more.

Someone brought a bottle of sweet vermouth to a party at our house several (and I do mean several) years ago. We still have it, so I would also like to know what else to do with it.

And, really, I thought everyone had a bottle of bitters in their frig hiding behind something on one of the door shelves.

I like sweet vermouth as an aperitif. As to how to cook with it, why not search sweet vermouth on the Epicurious.com or FoodTV.com for recipes?

El, you may be foodie but you don't appear to be a wino. Unless you are buying Gruet Champagne and not the sparkling wine made by them in New Mexico. Champagne comes from the Champagne region of France. All other sparkling wine is sparkling wine even if it is made by a Champagne house. Some Champagne is less expensive than others but I don't think any of it is cheap. To get the most bang for your buck stick with Paul Bara and J. Lasalle.

Sorry for the shorthand, but this blog is a more casual place than the print edition. EL

Waitrons are always drinking bitters and soda to calm their stomach. I think it's all a placebo effect since their is no actual bitters in them anymore.