Cocktail Name Winner
"Major Award," from Stefan Was, of Cleveland, OH
This was chosen from many, many wonderful names, by Paulius and Claudia, and I whole-heartedly embrace this great and elegant name, in its saying Cleveland without using Cleveland, its nuanced suggestion of Christmas and fun without saying either. Poetry! "Major Award" is a reference, of course, to one of my favorite movies, "A Christmas Story," which opens in Cleveland's Public Square. Donna and I never see a box with "Fragile" written on it without saying aloud, "Fra-GEE-lay." Darren McGavin's major award was of course, the famous leg lamp. Stop by Paulius's Velvet Tango Room, and you'll see the lamp in an upstairs window. Stefan, Paulius says come on in and you'll have a Major Award on the house. I'll get a copy of Twenty out to you shortly! (Here's a link to the drink itself, a decadent but simple combo of Scotch, truffled honey, and half-and-half.)
Winners of Ruhlman's Twenty from yesterday's post are:
Brian Vo, of Fremont, CA
"My favorite technique has got to be acid, because it was such a revelation when I discovered its power. Before then, it was more salt, more butter, more something else to really bring a dish to life. And then when I found out just a little bit of lemon or vinegar could really make something sparkle, I was hooked."
Dierdre Pim, of Cleveland Heights, OH (Yay, Cleveland Heights!)
"Hard to pick just one, but I think I’d say that dough is my favorite technique. I find working with yeast dough very therapeutic and I love the smell of bread baking and the satisfaction of cutting into a still steaming loaf of bread."
Kristen Lubben, of Wilmington, NC
"Well, I don’t cook much because a) I usually mess it up and b) my hubby is a CIA grad and usually cooks for us instead (the kids are thankful) … but my favorite technique that HE does, is grilling. I’ll take the grill over all else any day! Nothing like that charred taste … and always over charcoal. Happy Holidays!"
Pamela Madera, of Hyannis, MA
"Think! Think a recipe through before you start and after you’ve made it. I’ve learned as much from my mistakes as I have from instruction."
And via Twitter, the first to tweet all 20 Techniques, Melissa DiMauro, aka @suburbanitis of Fairport, NY
And finally the big ticket winner, winner of the SousVide Supreme and Ruhlman's Twenty, is Rob White, of Belmont, NC. (All winners except for Stefan were chosen using a randomizer, btw.)
Congrats to all and happy holidays, happy cooking!
The shopping links for the week:
- OpenSky Favorites
- Big-Ticket Items
- Small-Ticket Items
- Cookbook picks of 2012
- My Books
- Dalton-Ruhlman Products
© 2012 Michael Ruhlman. Photo © 2012 Donna Turner Ruhlman. All rights reserved.
Melissa D
Thank so much you again! I can't wait to tear into my copy of Twenty! Preferably while nursing a Major Award.
Melissa D
Wow, what happened to my first sentence? I swear I haven't gotten into the scotch yet...
Brian Vo - A Cook and A Geek
Thanks again for the copy of Twenty! The holidays have definitely come early for me, and I can't wait to try everything out!
Frank
Congratulations to the winners! Some great prizes, there! And huge thanks to Michael for giving us all the opportunity!
Michael Ruhlman
your welcome!
youre welcome, it's fun to give stuff away!
Andy
Love the cocktail name! Congrats to Stefan! Love the tie-in to my fav. Christmas movie!!!
I bought some truffle honey on Monday, will be making a few 'Major Award's' on Friday.
claudia young
please report back what you think!
stefan
thank you michael, paulius, and claudia! it is an honor to have played a small part in the company of true artists. your works and dedication to the craft of food & drink continually set the bar. congratulations to all the winners, and happy holidays to all. cheers!
claudia young
hi stefan, please be in touch with us. email paulius at paulius@velvettangoroom.com so we can arange to shake your hand and put a drink in the other!
Pam
Thanks so much! I, too, will raise a glass of Major Award in your honor. Cheers to all!
Mantonat
Great name for the cocktail, considering all the influences! So is that THE leg lamp from the movie at Velvet Tango, or just a similar leg lamp?
I didn't have any truffle honey or Oban, so I made do with what was on hand - tamarisk honey from Colorado and Templeton rye whiskey from Iowa. Tamarisk honey is dark, earthy, and a little tannic or bitter at the end - very nice with the rye.
Matt Germann
This cocktail sounds GREAT. I would love to see you mix up some drinks using locally distilled spirits. Micro-distilleries seem to be popping up all over the place. There are two here in Columbus that are both making some fantastic stuff. Any new players in the hooch business up in Cleveland?
Michael Ruhlman
theyre all over the place. i know folks at middle western spirits, who's the other c'bus distiller?
Matt Germann
Watershed Distillery in U.A. is fairly new (opened in 2010 I believe) and makes some pretty special gin. They just released their first bourbon, and it's pretty tasty. They also released a bourbon barrel aged version of their gin recently, but I haven't had the opportunity to try it. If you're a gin fan, and I predict you are, their spirits are uncommonly good.
I'm glad you know Middle West. Their OYO vodka and whiskey are quality drinks.
Mary
Ha ha -- I love the subtle shift in the photo at the head of this post. Major Award has now come fully into being -- not just a mise en place anymore, eh? Brilliant.
Allen
Love that movie, my favorite line: "nodafingah"!
I had a major number of these cocktails over the weekend, my only issue other than the cost was the ice. It does not mix well with milk when it melts. Chilled is good, but no need to dilute with water.
A jar of truffle honey cost more than two 1/2 gallons of Barton's gin, so for special occasions in my house. I have no problem with Barton's in a martini.
Must mention a great scotch if you like single malt. Johnnies Walker Green is a fantastic blend of four great malts. A perfect balance of two Islays and two Speysides.
Mantonat
Love the Johnny Walker Green!