"(He complained that the ginger liqueurs weren't gingery enough.) I let him peel and grate it himself, and the juice ended up in some vodka concoction."

Getting a solid, gingery ginger syrup is an art form. The Patterson House's Dark and Stormy floored me. When one of the owners came by our table, I asked how long did it take for them to manage the right balance of strong and but not over extracted. He stated that in tweeking the recipe they went through a produce box of ginger and that tears were nearly involved.