Tonight I tried the Vienna by Train, a creation from former Varnish general manager Chris Bostick, from Home Bar Basics. Gran Classico (a cousin of Campari), lime juice, simple syrup, and soda water.
Well that one was… disappointing. First it tasted very sweet, then I got this bitter and acid combo that was faintly reminiscent of bile. I did not have any oranges so I had to skip the orange wedge. I am doubtful that it would have made much of a difference though.
The almonds, on the other hand…
I had these dry roasted unsalted almonds from Trader Joe’s and was looking for a way to make them more flavorful. I was thinking of maybe smoking them but it sounded like a lot of work for little reward. As I was cooking little pieces of diced bacon to make a quiche, it occured to me to sauté a few almonds briefly in bacon oil. Then the salt easily adhered to them (I used a few pinches of koscher salt). Since this was a slab of heavily hickory-smoked Benton’s bacon, this quick step imparted a lot of flavor to the almonds. I think that I just discovered a new favorite snack!
Tartines to Tikis 
Another idea for almonds or other nuts is to simmer them in scant water with whichever spices you prefer and a generous squeeze of lemon juice and some salt, to the point where the liquid dissolves. That makes the spices adhere. Then toast them gently to dry them.
Excellent idea. I am thinking that zahtar or ras el hanout almonds may be next. Thanks for visiting Plantes Vertes!
* the SALT dissolves and the liquid EVAPORATES. Doh.
Got it! 🙂