Posts from — October 2009

This month Japan’s Suntory Limited introduced its HIBIKI 12 Year Old whiskey to the United States market.  HIBIKI whiskey was first seen by many Americans in the film Lost In Translation, in which actor Bill Murray touted the brand for Japanese TV.

From Suntory…

As a fitting way to encourage worldwide brand-building, Suntory has planned a special US launch expanding the global popularity of the 12-year-old class in the global blended whiskey market.  This new offering brings together all of Suntory’s whiskey making expertise and blending craftsmanship for whiskey enthusiasts around the world.

About HIBIKI 12 Year Old
HIBIKI 12 Year Old boasts unique characteristics that no other 12-year-old whiskey in the world has to offer.   A superior blend of over 30 handcrafted, specially aged whiskies, HIBIKI is Suntory’s original blended whiskey.

The Art of Blending
To create HIBIKI, Suntory selects malt whiskies with extraordinary qualities that spring naturally from the crystal clear waters and warm climates surrounding the Yamazaki and Hakushu distilleries.  These carefully selected malts are then blended with a variety of Japanese grain whiskies that feature a touch of malt matured in Umeshu casks — special casks that have been used in the long-term aging of Japanese plum liqueur.  Finally, the blend is topped off with a superlative vintage whiskey aged more than 30 years.  The artistry of blending is combined with bamboo charcoal filtering, a unique process which gives HIBIKI its distinctive sweet and mellow flavor.

The HIBIKI Aging Process
The malt whiskies in HIBIKI are matured 12 years or more and are perfectly matched with mellow grain whiskies of the same age.  Once the whiskey has been aged in white oak casks it is then allowed to mature in Umeshu casks. The use of these plum liqueur-seasoned casks creates a unique bouquet of fruity aromas and a velvety soft texture, two characteristics that are unique to Suntory whiskey. The addition of venerable malt aged more than 30 years strengthens the full bouquet, resulting in a clean, full bodied flavor.

Tasting Notes
On the nose, HIBIKI opens with a fruity bouquet of plums, raspberries and pineapples, followed by sweet honey and vanilla. On the palate, a soft and mellow sweetness makes HIBIKI a whiskey best enjoyed straight.  The finish is long, clean, sweet and spicy. As for color, HIBIKI shines with brilliant amber hue that’s tinged with a warm hint of gold.

Packaging Highlights
The exquisite HIBIKI bottle has 24 facets, representing both the hours in a day and the ancient Japanese calendar, in which a year was divided into twenty four parts. Suntory uses a unique Japanese paper for the HIBIKI label.  The texture of the Echizen paper, or “Washi” in Japanese, is achieved through the careful application of traditional Japanese paper-making techniques. The Japanese symbol on the label means HIBIKI, a word that holds many positive meanings in Japanese, one of them being “Harmony.”  Suntory chose HIBIKI to express the exquisite balance of this whiskey, born of the harmony of malt on malt.

It will be interesting to see how the brand fares in the competitive U.S. market, but any discerning whiskey drinker should be happy to see more quality products invade the states.

Stats:
43 percent Alcohol By Volume
$55-$60 for a 750ml bottle

The Manhattan, a classic cocktail and a favorite among serious drinkers, is a great way to pass the time.  Traditionally composed of rye whiskey, sweet vermouth and Angostura bitters, the Manhattan is a perfect drink to enjoy on a cool fall day.  Or any day.

But with the onset of fall, one might elect to change up the tried-and-true Manhattan to create a drink even more indicative of the season.  By using tawny port in place of sweet vermouth, the traditional Manhattan becomes a bit more complex and warms the soul as it soothes the thirsty drinker.  Subbing orange bitters for Angostura bitters adds a zesty citrus note to the drink, which balances nicely with the buttery, oaky flavors imparted by the port.

Ingredients:

2 ounces rye whiskey
1 ounce port
2 dashes orange bitters

Directions:

Stir all ingredients with cracked ice until cold.  Strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with an orange twist.

Simple syrup is found in cocktails ranging from the Cable Car to the Sazerac, and it’s an important component for any home bartender serious about making drinks. Luckily, it’s incredibly easy to make and can be produced in whatever quantity best complements your drinking habits.  And all you need to make it is sugar and water.

Dole out two parts sugar to one part water, and bring the water to a boil.  Slowly stir in your sugar until it fully dissolves in the water.  You’ll know it’s properly dissolved when the liquid changes to a syrupy texture that slowly drips off your stirring spoon.  Remove from heat and let the mixture cool.  Once fully cooled, bottle it or start whipping up some drinks.

It’s that easy.  And since so many drink recipes calls for simple syrup, it takes the guess work out of adding granulated sugar to cocktails.

For a related tip, learn how to make your own grenadine.

The Harvey Wallbanger cocktail was invented in 1952 by highly-regarded mixologist Duke Antone.  Supposedly, he named the drink after a Manhattan Beach surfer who was a regular of Duke’s Blackwatch Bar in Hollywood.

I’m generally not a big fan of Galliano, or cocktails with orange juice, but when Duke creates a cocktail, it’s wise to pay attention, as other notable drinks to his credit include the Rusty Nail and the White Russian.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 ounces vodka
3/4 ounce Galliano
4 ounces orange juice

Directions:

Add vodka and orange juice to an ice-filled glass.  Float Galliano on top, and garnish with an orange slice.

The Jack Rose is an Applejack sour, a simple drink popular in the 1920s and 1930s.  While there are several theories as to the origin of its name, including talk of a notorious gangster, the drink likely got its name because it’s made with applejack and it’s rose colored.  Simple enough.

But it varies a bit from there.  Some drink recipes call for lemon juice, while others call for the juice of one lime.  I’ve made it both ways and, honestly, it’s pretty damn good regardless of which citrus you prefer.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 ounces applejack
1 ounce fresh lemon juice or lime juice
3 dashes pomegranate grenadine

Directions:

Shake with ice, and strain into a cocktail glass.  Garnish with a lemon or lime, depending on which juice you used.

No drink quite embodies the Kentucky Derby like the Mint Julep, the classic concoction of bourbon, sugar and mint served in an iconic copper cup.  But another cocktail, simply known as The Derby, was created to commemorate the Kentucky Derby.  The below drink recipe is taken from The Bartender’s Guide by Trader Vic.

Ingredients:

1 ounce bourbon
1/2 ounce sweet vermouth
1/2 ounce orange curacao
3/4 ounce fresh lime juice

Directions:

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.  Garnish with a lime.

As the seasons change, I often retire certain foods while introducing others to better complement the changing weather.  Hot summer days call for cold beers and barbeque, while cooler weather means hot soups and cozy cocktails to be enjoyed by the fire.

A favorite fall cocktail is the Maple Leaf, a drink that combines bourbon, maple syrup and fresh lemon juice.  The sweet maple syrup is tempered by the tart lemon juice, with each flavor melding nicely with the bourbon, yielding a tasty drink with enough kick to warm you up on a cold day.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 ounces bourbon
1/2 ounce real maple syrup
1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice

Directions:

Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

The Cable Car cocktail is a variation of the classic Sidecar.  But while the Sidecar dates back to World War I, the Cable Car is a recent creation, as far as drinks go, and was created in 1996 by Tony Abou-Ganim as a signature cocktail for the Starlight Room, a cocktail lounge in San Francisco’s Sir Francis Drake Hotel.

The Sidecar uses cognac as its base spirit, while the Cable Car opts for spiced rum, namely, Captain Morgan’s Spiced Rum.  The Sidecar also calls for Cointreau, and the Cable Car calls for orange Curacao.  I’ve crafted this drink with both orange liqueurs, and was pleased with the results of each, but in general I stick with Tony’s original recipe.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 ounces Captain Morgan Spiced Rum
3/4 ounce orange Curacao
1 1/2 ounces fresh lemon sour (to create lemon sour, mix two parts fresh lemon juice with one part simple syrup)

Directions:

Shake all ingredients with ice, and strain into a cinnamon sugar rimmed cocktail glass.  Garnish with an orange spiral.

Grenadine is a classic sweetener found in many drinks, and often an integral flavor agent in popular cocktails.  So it’s a wonder that such an essential ingredient can be so cheap, bastardized and dishonest.  Once a pomegranate-based syrup, today’s grenadine is rife with high-fructose corn syrup and food coloring, a far cry from the preservative free original.

Fortunately, it’s shockingly easy to make your own grenadine.  There are two popular methods to rolling your own, one that involves cooking on the stove, and one that doesn’t.  I prefer the latter, and for reasons beyond sheer laziness.  So if you’re up to it, grab a bottle of POM pomegranate juice, a bag of sugar and a jar.

I first attempted this endeavor by following the recipe and direction laid out by Paul Clarke of Cocktail Chronicles:  Add one cup of POM pomegranate juice and one cup of granulated sugar into a jar.  Shake violently until the sugar is dissolved.  Add another ounce or two of sugar and once again shake with a fury.  An optional step is to add an ounce of high proof vodka or grain alcohol to act as a preservative.

The end result is a bright, fresh grenadine readily able to sweeten up your drink without the artificial cloying flavor of commercial grenadines.  And depending on your personal tastes, you can add more or less sugar and/or pomegranate juice to achieve your desired sweetness.

I added my homemade grenadine to an El Presidente and Scofflaw, and was pleased with the results of each.  Give it a shot with some of your favorite cocktails to see if the homespun version trumps the store bought, and let me know what you think.

Now that October’s here, it’s finally starting to cool down in Texas.  Hell, I even spent some time outside yesterday.  And with the advent of fall’s welcome respite from the summer heat, I retire the Gin Rickey until the first hot day of next year’s summer, which, here in Dallas, has been known to start in March.

The Gin Rickey is a simple cocktail, composed of just gin, lime and club soda, but what it does to a hot day—which is to make it tolerable—should not be overlooked or underappreciated.  Nothing quite soothes the burn of a hot, sticky summer day in Texas than a refreshing Gin Rickey.  It’s crisp, tart and cold, like a tasty A/C in a glass.

Ingredients:

2 ounces gin
1/2 lime
Club soda

Directions:

Add gin and the juice of one half lime into a highball glass.  Fill glass with ice, and top with club soda.  Throw your lime in for garnish.