I really can’t get enough of bitters, from tried and true stalwarts like Angostura, Peychaud’s and Regan’s Orange to newish offerings from The Bitter Truth.  Aside from using bitters to enhance my cocktails, I even consume bitters with a bit of club soda before or after meals to aid digestion.  So I was pretty excited when a package arrived from Urban Moonshine, a company in Burlington, Vermont whose mission is to “rekindle the relationship between herbal medicine and the modern world” by producing handcrafted, organic bitters and tonics.

Urban Moonshine offers three bitters—Original, Citrus and Maple—which I sampled, as well as three tonics—Immunity, Longevity and Chocolate Love—which I didn’t.  Each variety of bitters is available in a 10ml spray bottle, a 20z bottle with pipette and 8.4oz bottle.

I sampled each bitters first in a glass of water and then in a cocktail.  In water, the Original tasted similar to an aromatic bitters with complex, earthy, herby flavors, while the citrus was more… bitter than I expected, but still pleasant, with flavors or orange and maybe even some lime.  The Maple was sweet and decidedly maple-tasting, as the name suggests.

For cocktails, I used the Citrus bitters in a martini, and used both the Original and Maple bitters in a manhattan and old fashioned.  In the martini, the Citrus bitters worked quite well, adding a deep orangey note to the cocktail.  In both the manhattan and old fashioned, each constructed with rye whiskey, the Original bitters worked nicely.  But it was the Maple that really shined, adding a sweet and balanced note to the spiciness of the rye.

Another cocktail I tried came straight from Urban Moonshine, and was concocted by John Gertsen of Boston’s Drink, one of my favorite cocktail bars.  And though I can’t think of many reasons to mix orange juice and maple syrup, it too did not disappoint.

Old Vermont Cocktail Recipe

1 3/4 ounces London dry gin
1/2 ounce maple syrup
1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
1/4 ounce fresh orange juice
2 dashes Urban Moonshine Maple Bitters

Shake all ingredients with ice, and strain into a cocktail glass. Top with two dashes of Maple Bitters.

Whether their products are used as a digestive aid or to enhance a cocktail, the fine folks at Urban Moonshine are on to something.  The availability is still somewhat limited, so if you can’t find Urban Moonshine’s bitters in your area, you can buy online.

I recently had the opportunity to try the new single malt offering from The Balvenie, one of Scotland’s famed Speyside distilleries.  The limited edition 17-year-old Balvenie Madeira Cask was aged in traditional American oak whiskey casks before being transferred to barrels that previously held fortified Madeira wine.

This isn’t the first Balvenie expression that matures in fortified wine barrels.  The 12-Year DoubleWood matures in sherry casks, while the 21-Year PortWood finishes, as the name implies, in port casks.  Being a fan of the latter, and anticipating a tasty harmony of fruit and spice, I was eager to try The Balvenie Madeira Cask.

Nose
Rich, deep and complex. Warm spice, including cinnamon and nutmeg, with hints of vanilla and soft dried fruit.

Taste
The first sip is oaky, sweet vanilla that gives way to deep spices and raisin, along with more dried fruit flavors.

Finish
Very long, somewhat soft finish that continues the pleasantly balanced trend of fruit and spice with a bit of sweetness.

All in all, The Balvenie 17-Year Madeira Cask is an exceptionally balanced expression rich in spice and dried fruit, with subtle notes of sweet, honeyed vanilla.  You can taste it’s maturation process, moving from American oak (sweet vanilla) to Madeira casks (spice, dried fruit), and neither overpowers the other.  At $120 a bottle, it’s not an everyday whiskey, but you could sure drink it like one.

Stats:
- 43% Alcohol by Volume
- $120

Click for more liquor reviews.

Composed of cachaça, limes and sugar, the Caipirinha (pronounced kie-purr-REEN-yah) is Brazil’s national cocktail.  Cachaça is the most commonly distilled alcohol in Brazil, and is often referred to as “Brazilian rum.”  But unlike rum, which is distilled from the sugar byproduct, molasses, cachaça is distilled from fermented sugar cane juice.

Not too long ago, the Caipirinha was a drink only enjoyed in Brazil, in large part because cachaça, especially good cachaça, wasn’t readily available outside of Brazil.  But in recent years the drink has begun to experience a revival and is popping up on cocktail menus across the world.  Hell, even TGI Friday’s offers a version of the Caipirinha, though it’s usually flavored and overly sweet.

Ingredients:

2 ounces cachaça
1 medium lime, cut into wedges
2 teaspoons fine sugar

Add lime and sugar to an old fashioned glass and muddle.  Add crushed ice, then cachaça, and stir.

Cachaça isn’t always easy to find, but many liquor stores will carry at least one brand.  Some available cachaças include Cabana, Leblon and Heaven Hill’s Agua Luca.

If each trip out of the house during the holidays—always with the best of intentions to get your shopping done—results in you huddled over a drink at a nearby bar, hiding from the crazed mass, then you may be in luck.  Turns out that Sazerac Company has recreated the original Herbsaint recipe, dating back to 1934, and has bottled it behind a vintage label.  So now a trip to the liquor store is all you need to please your friends and family.  If that doesn’t say Merry Christmas, then I’m not sipping an Old Fashioned at 2:30 in the afternoon.

From NOLA.com –

A new bottle that looks antique will appear on liquor store shelves this week. In honor of the 75th anniversary of Herbsaint, the local Sazerac Company dug into its archives for the original recipe and recreated the absinthe substitute first sold in 1934.

Over the years, the Sazerac company changed the recipe for Herbsaint. The proof was lowered from 100 to 90. The fresh herbs were replaced with extracts. Except for a few loyal drinkers, today it’s mainly used for cooking. The legalization of true absinthe in 2007 made Herbsaint even less popular as a cocktail ingredient.

Two years ago, Kevin Richards of the Sazerac Company found the original recipe. While absinthe is made by distilling the bitter Artemisia absinthium and other herbs, Herbsaint infuses the herbs into a base spirit. A sack filled with herbs, not unlike a giant teabag, is steeped in the alcohol. Because the herbs, such as mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris), are not distilled, more of their flavor survives in the final product.

The Sazerac Company plans to produce both the 90 proof Herbsaint and the 100 proof Herbsaint Original, which retails for $34.99. It should be in New Orleans bars and stores this week. The rest of the country won’t get to taste Herbsaint Original until after the New Year.

While the article contends that Herbsaint is most often used for cooking, plenty of bartenders continue to make Sazeracs with Herbsaint, and it fares well in other drinks requiring a pastis, like the Corpse Reviver #2.  But regardless, at $34.99, the 100 proof Herbsaint Original makes a hell of a gift.

The coca leaf has a long and storied history dating back thousands of years. From its use by Bolivian farmers for its energy giving properties to its use in the production of cocaine, the coca leaf is surrounded in a mysticism of attention and controversy.  And adding to the fun, it’s also distilled for consumption as Agwa de Bolivia Coca Leaf Liqueur by Amsterdam’s BABCO Europe Ltd. From the company –

To make the spirit, wild Bolivian coca leaves are hand-picked at 2,000 meters in the Andes and shipped under armed guard in 2,000 kilo bales to Amsterdam to be macerated and de-cocainized. The potent high strength flavor formula is reduced to 60 proof, bottled and then shipped around the world in a more conventional format.

Leave it to Amsterdam to undertake something so painstakingly cool.  Aside from Bolivian coca leaves, Agwa contains many other natural herbs and botanicals including green tea, ginseng, and guarana.  The coca leaf has its cocaine alkaloids removed during production, so the liqueur does not contain any traces of the drug.

Following are a couple cocktail recipes from Agwa de Bolivia, to be mixed up during the holidays, while alone on the couch, or wherever you find yourself wanting a drink –

Bolivian Mojito

1.5 ounces AGWA de Bolivia Coca Leaf Liqueur
12 spearmint leaves
1/2 lime
7 ounces club soda
2 teaspoons sugar

In a large glass, gently crush mint leaves.  Squeeze lime juice over crushed leaves, then add sugar and ice. Next, add Agwa and club soda, and stir. Garnish with a lime wedge and tiny pieces of mint leaves.

Amsterdam Martini

2.5 ounces AGWA de Bolivia Coca Leaf Liquor
2 ounces Citron Vodka
Squeeze of Lime Juice 

Shake all ingredients with ice, and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with olives.

Click to check out more Agwa cocktails.

Agwa can be purchased online and shipped anywhere in the U.S. via www.shoppersvineyard.com.

Mixology Monday is a monthly (well, almost monthly.  Heavy drinkers don’t  abide by the same calendar as mere mortals) online cocktail party that rounds up drinks pertaining to a particular theme chosen by a rotating host.  This month’s theme is “money drinks,” and our brave host is Kevin Langmack of Beers in the Shower.  From Kevin –

I feel a “Money” drink is something you can put in front of anyone, regardless of tastes or distastes about the spirits involved. Come up with a drink or a list based on spirits about drinks that would appeal to anyone,  Example: turning someone onto a Corpse Reviver #2 when they like lemon drops.

Depending on your spirit or drink of choice, one might have several money drinks, like a properly made Martini, Manhattan or Old Fashioned, to stick to the classics, that would convert even the most finicky drinker to well-crafted cocktails.  Personally, I feel a gnawing sense of frustration whenever someone bemoans a distaste for gin, and I’ve been known to order a friend a gin-based cocktail without her knowledge.  I stress “her” because it seems the women in my life have a natural aversion to gin.  Perhaps I need to surround myself with tougher women, but regardless, one such drink that seems to convert well is the French 75.

Composed of gin, fresh lemon juice, simple syrup and Champagne, the French 75 is a light, refreshing cocktail that subdues the wary gin-drinker while still packing a sizeable boozy wallop.  This tart, tasty concoction has made even the most dubious skeptic rethink their distaste for gin, without alienating fans of the spirit.

Ingredients:

2 ounces gin
1 ounce lemon juice
1 teaspoon simple syrup
Champagne

Shake gin, lemon juice and simple syrup with ice, and strain into a champagne flute. Top with champagne, and garnish with a long, thin lemon spiral.

After four years in development, Samurai Love Sake is about to launch in the United States.  With its distinctive red bottle and memorable name, Samurai Love Sake will hit liquor stores, hotels and bars beginning in January 2010, a move Founder and CEO Marco Liuzzo hopes will expand sake’s reputation and popularity in America.

According to the company, Samurai Love Sake is a premium sake that “carries a full-bodied flavor, layered with earthy aromas.”  It is made from the “finest ingredients and the freshest, soft water (low mineral content) of Niigata, Japan, giving it an extraordinarily clear and smooth taste.”

Southern Wine & Spirits of New York will distribute the sake on the East Coast, from which the fledging spirit company will expand into other territories. A major marketing campaign will begin prior to Valentine’s Day, highlighting the romantic qualities of this “love” sake. Renowned mixologist Junior Merino will act as Samurai’s official mixologist and create signature cocktails for the brand, kicking off a debut drink for Valentine’s Day.

Liuzzo mentioned that, in developing Samurai Love Sake, he wanted to create a sake especially for Americans.  “We wanted exceptional quality but something that was approachable, fun and easy to remember.” 

A bottle of Samurai Love Sake will set you back about $32, and if you buy a bottle, try it chilled.  Although many Japanese restaurants serve sake warm, Liuzzo notes that his sake, and most good sakes, are best served chilled to bring out their true flavors.

With the holidays upon us, we’re likely to receive a few misguided gifts, like tacky sweaters or anything that’s not distilled, aged and potable.  With this in mind, The Balvenie is offering the chance to win a unique prize that’s more your style: a Scotch whiskey nosing and tasting kit.  The kit contains 24 separate aromas and a dedicated nosing guide, as well as other essential whiskey tasting tools.  The lucky winner will also receive a Balvenie hipflask, perfect for your boring office holiday party.  Click to enter the sweepstakes.

In more Balvenie news, the newest addition to The Balvenie 17-Year-Old range is finished in casks that once held Madeira Wine.  With “deep, luxurious aromas that translate into an equally rewarding flavor of spice and dried fruit,” The Balvenie 17-Year-Old Madeira Cask received a rating of 90% from Malt Advocate.  I’m eager to try it, as I’m already a fan of The Balvenie’s 21-Year-Old Portwood finish.

When drinking this whiskey or any whiskey, check out The Balvenie’s Warehouse 24.  It’s a members area featuring what they call the “Whiskey Shelf,” in which users can log their entire whiskey collection online and create detailed tasting notes and ratings. You can add any malt you like—not just The Balvenie—and see how other people are rating whiskies.  I’m sure I’m not the only overzealous drinker to thoroughly enjoy a whiskey only to forget everything I tasted the night before.  Warehouse 24 has the potential to solve this surely rampant problem, but still takes some initiative by the imbiber.

While there’s always a place for intricate cocktails boasting fun ingredients like Benedictine, Orgeat or Maraschino liqueur, sometimes you just want to simplify your life and your drinks.

Comprised of five simple ingredients found in any reasonably stocked home bar, the Bronx Cocktail is basically a perfect martini with orange juice added.  It’s a classic, pre-prohibition cocktail that’s a bit fruity—but not overly sweet—and its base spirit, gin, is a good carrier for both the sweet and dry vermouth.

This innocuous looking cocktail packs quite a punch, and the addition of OJ makes it a healthy alternative to not drinking cocktails.

Ingredients:

2 ounces gin
1/4 oz sweet vermouth
1/4 oz dry vermouth
1 ounce orange juice
1 dash orange bitters

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

For a visual on how to craft the Bronx Cocktail, here’s a quick instructional video from Dave Harrison of Lush Life Productions – The Bronx Cocktail in 12 Seconds.

Canned cocktails from El Jimador Tequila are coming to stores this month.  Beginning in California, and then rolling out to the rest of the country by late spring, El Jimador’s “New Mix” cocktails will be available in three varieties: Paloma, which is a drink comprised of tequila, grapefruit soda and lime, Margarita and Spicy Mango Margarita.

El Jimador New Mix cocktails were introduced to the Mexican market in 1997, apparently with much success, so it will be interesting to see if U.S. consumers embrace the concept.  I would imagine the canned cocktails will be most popular with the younger set, more interested in price and convenience than fresh squeezed juices.  But at 5% ABV, they’re an alternative to canned beer, and the ready-to-drink nature will be attractive to the scores of drinkers not interested in making their own cocktails.

From El Jimador –

el Jimador Tequila is breaking new ground in the U.S. spirits industry by offering the first authentic tequila cocktail in a can. Beginning in December with California then rolling out to the remainder of the U.S. by late spring, the number one selling ready-to-drink tequila cocktail in Mexico, el Jimador “NEW MIX”, will be available where spirits are sold in a single serving or four-pack of cans.

“el Jimador NEW MIX was introduced in 1997 and quickly became the top selling RTD in Mexico,” said John Hayes, managing director for Casa Herradura, the maker of el Jimador NEW MIX. “Because of the popularity of NEW MIX in Mexico and the increasing call for tequila in the U.S., it was an easy decision to bring NEW MIX to the U.S.”

Made with el Jimador Tequila, NEW MIX will be available in three refreshing cocktails: the Paloma, the most popular tequila cocktail in Mexico, the Margarita, the #1 requested cocktail in the U.S., and the Spicy Mango Margarita, which blends a nice mix of sweet heat. Each cocktail comes in a 12-ounce can at 5% ABV, similar to most beers.

“NEW MIX delivers a premium alternative to beer in a true spirit-based, readymade cocktail that consumers have been looking for,” said Carrie Kleban, global marketing director for Casa Herradura.  “NEW MIX makes it easy to enjoy the perfect pour of your favorite tequila cocktail at barbeques, tailgating, or sitting by the pool.”

With the U.S. launch, NEW MIX will receive a new look and an advertising campaign to introduce the brand.

“NEW MIX in the U.S. will feature a slightly different can design than in Mexico, plus will receive an energetic advertising campaign that builds on the black and white iconography success of the el Jimador Tequila campaign,” she said. “The U.S. cans position the el Jimador brand name more prominently to reinforce the tequila in the cocktail as well as the 21+ responsibility message.”

With more people entertaining at home, NEW MIX offers a refreshing alternative to the norm and is a perfect addition to your cooler.