I'm such a caffeine wuss; I had some dark chocolate M&Ms earlier this evening, and they are keeping me up! I know dark chocolate has probably like a thimbleful of caffeine in it, a super-tiny dose, but it still affects me strongly. Anything even remotely caffeinated after about 6 p.m. and I'm up!
So, I'm still trying to match the perfection of the Gemini Bistro's Old Fashioneds. They were so good. I've tried them at any number of places throughout Chicago, and the Gemini's were simply the best.
I made a couple today, came pretty close to it, but not 100%. I'm minding the boys for the next several days, so I'll not be able to do any field research at the Gemini, but I do plan to again. I want to get it right. Right now, I'm tentatively confident that it's
1 shot Maker's Mark
1 shot Cointreau
Several dashes Bitters
A dash of maraschino cherry juice
But I'm not completely sure about it. Maybe more Cointreau? The next time I order one, I'm going to watch the bartender make it (and hope it was the same one who made it back in November), and see if they add anything else. Hey, I take my Epicureanism seriously, dammit. It was the perfect Old-Fashioned, and I want to be able to replicate it!
So, tomorrow I'm going to take the boys to Adler Planetarium -- I told B1 we'd do that, and he was thrilled. I try to get the boys there twice a year, usually summer and winter, just because it's fun for them, a good "little kid" museum (e.g., just enough stuff there to entertain them, not soooo much stuff that they get all worn out). Adler's a trifle pricey for what you get, but twice a year, it's doable.
I guess that's all for the moment. I finally yawned, so maybe the mega-caffeine from the M&Ms (joking) is finally wearing off.
