Cocktails 101: Cameron’s Kick
I think I speak for everyone who isn’t an undergrad at UIUC when I thank the appropriate deities that the complete absurdity of Unofficial is behind us. Having spent time at the Pig wondering over the absurdity of having an Unofficial St. Patrick’s Day when St. Patrick’s day, in fact, falls within the semester, I think we can all admit we need a stiff drink. And, given the season, it’s probably appropriate to get outside a little something Irish.
It’s probably pretty obvious that I’m not going to be recommending a cocktail or shot based solely on the inclusion of a green ingredient — I remember hearing described, once, a shot that I hope was meant as an emetic, which included lime juice, Midori, and green Chartreuse — but my cocktail suggestion for this year skips the green goo entirely, relying instead on an ingredient that’s more, shall we say, authentically Irish. The Cameron’s Kick is slightly different from many of the cocktails I’ve written about so far, in that it’s not famous or even the precursor to something moderately well-known. It’s a weird little offshoot of the sour family, which, while definitely tasty, is notable mostly for using Irish whiskey, a spirit famous for mixing poorly. The Cameron’s Kick is also a wonderful symbol of international drunkenness, as it mixes Scotch and Irish whisk(e)y (Scotch partisans are notoriously curmudgeonly about the extra ‘e’), bringing together in one drink the two most important national contributors to distilled spirits in Western history.
| Bombay offers up an array of nice vegan options
First and foremost, vegan cuisine requires flavor. Bland food is never satisfying, but it's even more essential when eating vegan. Indian food is able to captivate the senses precisely because it provides both a variety of flavor, as well as an abundance of alluring smells. I don't know that it is possible to pack more character into a meal. Whether ginger, garlic, or its decoration of coriander, there is certain to be a taste to appease your senses in every single bite.
French fries, roasted potatoes, steamed vegetables and fish — they all go great with aioli. So what's the difference between aioli and mayonnaise? Not a lot. With the exception of garlic, they share the same ingredients and the same process. If you can make aioli, you can make mayonnaise. And, once you've had a fried egg sandwich or deviled eggs made with homemade mayonnaise, you'll wonder what you ever saw in the grocery store version. Making either isn't hard. …
Let me be clear: Kaiyo has the best sushi I have ever tasted. And speaking as a Chicago native, with access to extremely fresh fish, that is saying something. The buffet is $17.95 which comes to just under $21.00 with a beverage. The sushi was amazingly fresh tasting. The owner says that it's because the seafood is flown into Chicago then delivered to Champaign twice a week. The sushi is also prepared no more the thirty minutes before opening …
Windows lined with assorted wine bottles and a variety of pleasant earth tones greet you upon entering this incredibly quaint space named The Bread Company. It is a unique spot for a light, yet filling lunch on a still slightly chilly Saturday afternoon. The smell of freshly baked breads and the delightful chatter provide a sense of welcome immediately upon arrival. The Bread Company is located on Goodwin in a spot that always seems to be bustling with activity; …
In recent years, an incredibly successful marketing plan on the part of Gruppo Campari, the large liquor conglomerate based in Milan, has led to the appearance of a bottle of Campari in what seems like every bar in America, despite Americans general dislike of the liqueur. Campari has a distinctly un-American taste. It is at once intensely bitter and sweet, with a taste primarily of grapefruit and a color that is natural only on creatures native to tropical reefs. …
My friends, who grew up with Southern-style, white, sugarless cornbread, like to make fun of Midwest cornbread. "Why don't you just have cake?" they ask deridingly. And it's true, with just a little more sugar than most people put in cornbread up here, you can make a really good cornmeal cake. This particular cake is a great way to use up any softer, end of season apples that are hanging out in your fruit drawer or fresh rhubarb which …
Campus has KAM's and Chipotle, Urbana has the homely downtown with Crane Alley and the Courier, Champaign touches on the gourmet urban with Bacaro and Jim Gould's, and Savoy has... Dairy Queen and the abandoned Spaghetti Shop. Pretty much the only reasons to come out to Savoy are for the movie theater and Friar Tuck's. Food, generally, is left to be desired elsewhere. Even then, I have a M.O. when it comes to eating in Champaign-Urbana: I drive up …
Since this won't be nearly as clever without doing so, let me be gender-normative for just a moment. Sometimes, you need to have a cocktail in your repertoire that, as they say in deodorant commercials, is strong enough for a man but gentle enough for a woman. Whether you actually subscribe to annoyingly ubiquitous stereotypes or you just like a bit of gender-bending, The Sidecar, suave, sophisticated, and a little complicated, is for you. Whenever I have friends that …
For years, I have celebrated many birthdays by going out to dinner at one Mexican restaurant or another. Oftentimes, I have equated my love for Mexican cuisine to the mere fact that I was born on Mexico's Independence day (September 16). But, one of my favorite things about Mexican food is that it happens to be incredibly simple in terms of accommodating a vegan. My latest birthday was spent at Fiesta Cafe. This little delight is located on First …
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I understand the disclaimer, and I appreciate it, but given the title of the article, it would be nice to have more of a talk with the owner and less of a “to the best of my knowledge” thrown in the article as an aside, when vegan…
Um. Yeah — check out that “General Disclaimer” at the bottom of the article, folks.
I highly doubt a single dish is vegan at Bombay. Most Indian dishes use Ghee(essentially clarrified butter) as the base fat. While I guess they could make some dishes with canola oil, I would for sure ask the exact ingredients before I consumed if you are following a vegan diet.
Bread Company can do some fantastic vegan dinner dishes! Several of their pastas are vegan or could be made vegan and their pizzas can be ordered (and taste great) without the cheese. I also recommend their roasted potatoes and their roasted garlic head appetizer.
Glad you asked Stuart. In the 1950s (well before they were approved for human use) poultry producers began using subtherapeutic doses of quinolone antibiotics, specifically fluroquinolone, to reduce the incidence of respiratory disease in overcrowded production conditions. In humans, quinolones are a last line of defense antibiotic…
Hah! Good one, Joel. But my question was a serious one. I only buy eggs from a couple of local organic farmers, so I never thought about antibiotic-free eggs. I’m assuming that Anna meant the hen was not fed antibiotics, but am not wholly sure. I’m…
That sounds like a setup to a joke at a CSA’s annual banquet. Q: “How can you tell an antibiotic-free egg?“ A: “It just can’t seem to get rid of that cough.“ /shows self out
I love eating Vietnamese food, and having growing up my entire life eating it, I was excited to go. I really wanted to like this place because of all of the hype I had heard——unfortunately, I was sorely disappointed. I got the pho (vietnamese soup) and thought…
Kaiyo was decent for a sushi buffet, but it definitely isn’t as good as KO fusion. I thought it was better than any sushi I’ve ever had at a chinese buffet, but was not as good as my least favorite sushi item at KO fusion. However, I…
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Awesome looking lineup… I’m excited. Another vote towards the Smoking Popes rocking out at the first Laughing Prairie Dog festival… it was a pretty good energy, and plenty of groups considering the cheap ticket. The rest all look pretty good for the ticket price as well. …
(Not to talk too much, but I would delight in being proven wrong. I hope that there are many vegan dishes, and next time I am there, I will ask the owner for dishes that are vegan that are offered and post them as a comment here,…
I understand the disclaimer, and I appreciate it, but given the title of the article, it would be nice to have more of a talk with the owner and less of a “to the best of my knowledge” thrown in the article as an aside, when vegan…
Nate, No offers to crash but I was wondering if you’d ever considered publishing the plans to your trailer. You might make a dollar or two especially after you go solar! Let me know if you do it. Sincerely, Don
Not sure if it’s been mentioned here, but they’ll also be playing the Old Rock House in St. Louis on May 22
Interesting about who owns land in the path of the Olympian Drive extension. My comment was in response to ‘Tony C’s remarks about the I-74 expansion. Just who owns land in the 150 [BloomingtonRd]-I-74 corridor?? Because the corridor is zoned for future use as Commercial/Industrial, I am…
(happy face)
Wow, great article. I wish you the best in your endeavors and hope you have a nice trip.
Um. Yeah — check out that “General Disclaimer” at the bottom of the article, folks.
As an adoptee, I can empathize—although I’m not an international adoptee, and I apologize if I’m assuming too much on the nature of your adoption. You can feel what you feel, but don’t be too hard on yourself. When I started a search for my birth family,…
I highly doubt a single dish is vegan at Bombay. Most Indian dishes use Ghee(essentially clarrified butter) as the base fat. While I guess they could make some dishes with canola oil, I would for sure ask the exact ingredients before I consumed if you are following a vegan diet.
You’re right! Every runner, in my opinion, is a real runner.
Congratulations on the AG place! In all of your accomplishments, don’t forget what it was like to think a mile was an impossible distance. Getting to the six-mile point takes a lot of training and preparation to acclimate the mind and musculature to so much pounding. Your…
Sounds like it!
I heading out on my 9 miler before my 10 hour work day right now. Do I have what it takes?
Nice, killer work pretty man…the channeled, one sided collaborated rhyming poem. An oft forgot genre. The ruckus was felt even here in my living room, which is normally a safe haven from ruckus.
wait, I was commenting on the wrong thing - sorry - he’s actually a gigantic sellout but who really knows what all this is about.
If the democrats didn’t have Kucinich, and the republicans didn’t have Ron Paul, where would both these parties really stand? These men actually mean what they say.
Joel, thank you for the opportunity to answer these questions and have them posted here. I really appreciate it! Yes, I was thrilled to see that Rep. Kucinich flipped today, so he will has committed to voting yes for health reform. I appreciated his comments which seem…
It appears to me that your reviewer did all that could be expected: she paid her money, saw the play and conveyed her impressions. The review (on the whole, laudatory) may have been rushed, in a generous attempt to publicize the production while it was still available…
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(Not to talk too much, but I would delight in being proven wrong. I hope that there are many vegan dishes, and next time I am there, I will ask the owner for dishes that are vegan that are offered and post them as a comment here,…