Posts from — November 2009

Here’s some good news for cheese lovers.  The Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board offers a site called Cheese Cupid, which helps the discerning cheese fiend pair wines, beers and spirits with cheese. 

Everyone loves cheese (the lactose intolerant excluded), and if you can properly pair it with your drink of choice – even better.  Learn which cheeses best complement your favorite Chianti, pale ale or scotch, or switch it up to learn which drinks pair best with that block of cheese you’ve been saving for a rainy day.

While it’s new to me, Cheese Cupid has been offering its pairing services for awhile, but adding to its utility, last week Cheese Cupid revamped the site and launched a blog that details a new cheese pairing every week.  From Cheese Cupid –

The new CheeseCupid.com is fun, easy and super helpful, allowing mixologists of any skill to quickly pair alcohol with its perfect cheese counterpart (or vice versa). The site offers stylish cheese pairing guides that party hosts can print out for guests, helping them spread their love of cheese and libations with others. Foodies on the go can even download the free Wisconsin Cheese Cupid iPhone application to their smart phones before heading to the package store.

With Thanksgiving nearly upon us and a slew of other holidays on the horizon, it’s time to pull out cocktails that you don’t make any other time of the year.  Drinks with ingredients like pumpkin puree and vanilla liqueur are acceptable and downright tasty during the judgment-free holidays, when festiveness trumps sensibility.

The below cocktail recipes utilize some seasonal flavors as families everywhere gear up for the holidays with a drink in hand.

Pumpkin Egg Nog

Ingredients:

1 1/2 ounces Appleton Estate Reserve Rum
1/2 ounce Navan vanilla liqueur
1 ounce egg nog
1 ounce pumpkin purée
4 dashes Angostura bitters
1 bar spoon real maple syrup

Shake all ingredients with ice, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.  Optionally, add a topper of whipped cream.

Apple Pie Cocktail

Ingredients:

1 ounce white rum
1/2 ounce sweet vermouth
1 teaspoon Applejack brandy
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon grenadine

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

Maple Leaf

Ingredients:

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

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

Apple Pie Martini

Ingredients:

2 ounces apple cider
1.5 ounces Navan vanilla liqueur
1 ounce vodka
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 pinch cinnamon

Shake all ingredients with ice, and strain into a cocktail glass. Sprinkle cinnamon on top.

I’m no fan of flavored vodkas, but I’ve long been a firm believer in combining vices.  Enter Three Olives Triple Shot Espresso Vodka, which allows the drinker to take the bite out of winter with some caffeinated booze.  From Three Olives –

With three shots of the finest Italian Espresso, Three-O brings coffee lovers the ultimate in espresso flavored vodka. Infused with a premium selection of imported roasted beans, the caffeinated cocktail also offers a hint of chocolate and caramel flavors. Three-O Triple Shot Espresso captures the essence of the ideal after dinner drink, perfect for a chilly night on the town or for cuddling up by the fireplace.

Though it’s been around for a couple years, I’ve yet to try Triple Shot Espresso Vodka.  And while I can’t imagine drinking this vodka—or any vodka—straight, it might have its place mixed into a coffee cocktail.  In fact, this could be the perfect workplace pick-me-up, as vodka doesn’t have the telling smell of other spirits.

For this purpose alone Three Olives Triple Shot Espresso might be worth a taste.  And after all, vodka has certainly been infused with things far weirder than espresso.

Here’s a Triple Shot Espresso cocktail from Three Olives to get you started –

Spiked Mocha

Ingredients:

2 ounces hot cocoa
1 ½ ounces Three Olives Triple Shot Espresso Vodka
½ ounces Amaretto liqueur

Top with whipped cream, and sprinkle with shaved chocolate.

Recently I mentioned the wine and spirits auction at Christie’s, which included the prized Bowmore Trilogy and other rare whiskies.  The results are in, and the buyers of these fine spirits have racked up quite a bar tab.

The Bowmore Trilogy led the way at more than $21,000, and a Macallan 55 year old in a Lalique crystal decanter, of which only 420 were produced, sold at over $13,000.  Meanwhile, a bottle of Redbreast 15 went for a modest $84, a number I’m more familiar with.  All whiskies auctioned off are listed below, complete with sale price. 

Ardbeg 12 yr (OMC bottling) — $180 
Auchentoshan 37 yr old — $240 
Benrinnes 1989, Glen Garioch 24 yr old — $240  
Bowmore Trilogy — $21,600
Bowmore 1957 — $2,640
Bowmore 1964, Fino Cask — $2,880
Bruichladdich 1986 — $240   
Compass Box Monster & Canto Cask 46 — $180
Glenlivet 1943 — $1,800
Highland Park 24 & 34 yr old — $600      
Knockando 1977 — $540 
Ladyburn 1973 — $600  
Macallan 1946 — $5,040   
Macallan Millenium 50 yr old — $5,760   
Macallan 55 yr old, in Lalique — $13,200   
Mortlach 50 yr old — $2,280
Redbreast 15 yr old — $84
Springbank 37 yr old (Dun Bheagan) — $420   
Tomintoul 40 yr old — $360

[via What Does John Know]

The Auchentoshan Distillery was founded in 1800 and is located just north of Glascow, Scotland.  It is one of only three active distilleries that remains in the Lowlands region, with Bladnoch and Glenkinchie being the others.

Auchentoshan features a line of single malt whiskies aged 10 to 21 years, plus no age statement offerings that include its Classic, Three Wood and Select options.  Auchentoshan’s Three Wood is a triple distilled scotch whisky matured in American bourbon oak barrels and finished in Spanish Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherry casks.

On the Nose

On the nose the different casks come into play, with the clear presence of sherry and some underlying notes from the American oak.  The Three Wood reveals malt and dried fruits, plus a hint of zesty orange and some vanilla.

The Taste

Drank neat, you’ll find lots of sherry oak, with toffee, malt and a bit of acidity. The finish is long and gentle, with plenty of fruit and some oaky sweetness.

Mixing

While certain scotch cocktails like the Rusty Nail or Rob Roy certainly have their place, I usually drink my scotch neat.  But adding a couple ice cubes or a dash of water can really open up the spirit, either reinforcing flavors or introducing new ones to the mix.  With a bit of water, the Three Wood maintained roughly the same flavor profile, but its sherry oak flavors were softer and more subdued, while more sweet vanilla came to the front.

Overall

Auchentoshan Three Wood is a complex malt with lots of depth that derives much of its flavor and aroma from the sherry oak casks in which it finishes its maturation.  Fans of scotch and sherry alike should give this spirit a look, and though it’s certainly not a starter scotch, it’s a good foray into whiskies with sherry/port/Madeira finishes.

Stats

-43 percent Alcohol by Volume
-$55 for a 750ml bottle

Click for more liquor reviews.

In October Japan’s Suntory Limited launched its Hibiki 12-year-old whiskey in the United States.  This is good news for U.S. drinkers.

Hibiki 12 Year is a blend of more than 30 handcrafted malt whiskies from the Yamazaki and Hakushu distilleries.  These malts are matched with grain whiskies of the same age that feature a touch of malt matured in Umeshu casks, which were used to age Japanese plum liqueur.  This blend is then topped with a vintage whiskey aged more than 30 years.

I recently sat down with a sample of the highly touted Hibiki 12 Year to test its mettle against other whiskies of the world.

On the Nose

The Hibiki opens with lots of fruit, including oranges and berries, plus a hint of plum, presumably imparted by the plum liqueur casks.  Oak and sweet vanilla follow.  The bouquet gives something new each time you hover over the glass for another sniff.

Taste

On the palate Hibiki is very soft and mellow with oak and delicate, sweet malt flavors, complemented by citrus and pineapple. A bit of spice comes out, but everything works very well together, with no flavor overpowering another.  The finish is very gentle and stays on the palate, with spice flavors intensifying toward the end.

Overall

At just 12 years old, Hibiki is well-rounded, smooth and downright quaffable.  And considering that its blend of more than 30 whiskies comes from just two malt distilleries, it’s a feat of whiskey engineering not to be overlooked by those loyal to Scotland.

Stats

-43 percent Alcohol by Volume
-$55-$60 for a 750ml bottle

Click for more liquor reviews.

The Singapore Sling was invented around 1910 by bartender Ngiam Tong Boon at the Raffles Hotel’s Long Bar in Singapore.  And like many classic drinks, the recipe was lost decades ago, resulting in bartenders scrambling to make an interpretation of the original ever since.

Because this recipe is often misrepresented by bars and in recipe books, most drinkers have never had the original Singapore Sling, regardless of what they ordered.  So to continue that trend, below is the cocktail currently served at the Raffles, per a recipe card published by Drinkboy. Based on memories of former bartenders and scattered notes thought to be left behind by Ngiam Tong Boon, here’s hoping this is a close approximation to the original.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 ounce gin
1/2 ounce Cherry Herring
1/4 ounce Cointreau
1/4 ounce Benedictine
4 ounces pineapple juice
1/2 ounce lime juice
1/3 ounce grenadine
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake all ingredients with ice, and strain into an ice-filled Collins glass. Garnish with a cherry and slice of pineapple.

On rare occasions Christie’s auction house does something that makes me pay attention, like hock pricey bottles of hooch.  On November 14, Christie’s will auction off upwards of $2 million worth of wines and spirits, including select bottles of whiskey, cognac, armagnac and champagne, plus the very rare 1964 Bowmore Trilogy.

The Black, White and Gold Bowmore whiskies were aged below sea level at Bowmore’s Islay distillery for 42, 43 and 44 years, respectively. For their trouble, the trio of bottles is predicted to sell for up to $24,000.

Other highlights include a 100 year old armagnac from Baron de Sigognac, estimated at up to $3,000, and a ceramic demijohn of British Imperial Rum sourced from the last remaining stores of the Royal Navy, estimated to go for $4,500 – $6,000.

Opportunities to procure such fine spirits are scarce, so isn’t it time to cash in your kid’s college fund and invest in your future.

[via Duncan Quinn]

Many cocktails have predecessors, but perhaps none was quite as important as the under appreciated Martinez, a gin and sweet vermouth concoction that helped pave the way for the ubiquitous martini.

As with many cocktails, origins of the Martinez are a hazy mess of conflicting stories.  Some say it was created by a gent named Martinez, while others claim it was crafted by famed bartender Jerry Thomas for a fellow traveling to Martinez, California.  Both sound reasonable enough to me, but whatever its origins, it’s another good excuse to combine gin and maraschino liqueur, which work well in drinks like the Aviation and Last Word.

Proportions for the Martinez vary greatly, with some calling for a 2:1 ratio of gin to vermouth, and others calling for the opposite.  I tried a few different variations before settling on the one below, which offers plenty of sweetness but enough gin to maintain its integrity.  Orange bitters worked pretty well in place of Angostura, but I preferred the latter.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 ounces gin
1 ounce sweet vermouth
1/4 ounce maraschino liqueur
1 dash Angostura bitters

Stir all ingredients with ice in a mixing glass, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Here’s some good news for protein deficient vodka drinkers.  Devotion Spirits has just launched a vodka that’s infused with protein.  From Devotion –

Whether enjoyed on the rocks, mixed, stirred or shaken, Devotion Vodka provides for the smooth, delicious ultra-premium vodka taste discerning mixologists (professional or novice) are seeking.

Those are pretty ambitious words about a spirit that’s defined as colorless, tasteless  and odorless.  More from Devotion –

Created and developed by company President Drew Adelman … Devotion Vodka was inspired by his search to combine his two favorite passions: fitness and nightlife.  “With Devotion Vodka I can stay devoted to my regimen, while stepping out for a good time.  I used to actually take my own protein out with me when I went for a night on the town.”

Is that a steak in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?  Oh, a steak.  More from Devotion –

“I have been in the nightlife industry for many years and I have seen some of the best ideas come through our clubs and restaurants,” notes Bob Jones, co-founder/vice president.  “From Red Bull and Rockstar to Voss Water and Alize… all of those brands have a common thread—unique selling points that made them hugely successful.  Devotion Vodka is a top-tier vodka product spirit enthusiasts will embrace.”

An admission that Devotion Vodka is, above all else, selling a lifestyle, not catering to the spirit enthusiasts they’re confident will “embrace” the product.

Currently only available in San Francisco, New York and New Jersey, it will be interesting to see if Devotion sells.  I can’t see club-goers lining up for protein-infused vodka, but then again, I don’t understand the craze behind ultra low calorie beers either, and they seem to be doing well.