A Muddled Thought

Marko Karakasevic, Master Distiller of Charbay Distilleries, has released another one of his unique limited bottlings. This time, Marko decided to take a bottle ready IPA and distill it with a final bottling strength of 99 proof (or 49.5% alcohol). Marko dubbed this new whiskey, “Double & Twisted”, a term coined in the days when most distillers didn’t know what the exact proof coming out of a copper pot still was after that second run through the still. This is the heart of the heart cut, aka the best of the best.

Starting with a bottle ready IPA, Double and Twister, takes you on a journey down a tunnel of intense and incredible flavors that begins with the palate-shattering notes of barley and toffee. The next step down this journey is filled with nuances of powered cocoa, burnt orange zest and in a surprise shift in direction, the presence fresh summer berries. And at the end of this trip, the warming wave goodbye of pepper that’s mellowed to perfection that’s reminiscent of a fruit punch.

Double & Twisted, retails for $58 and has a limited run of 135 cases, with availability limited to only California.

Final Score: 9/10

So here’s an interesting experiment. What happens when you take one brand of tequila and taste it through from Blanco all the way through to the Anejo. How does it compare at each stage of aging?

Last year we took a look at Mejor’s Blanco and it left quite an impression on us. Recently we decided to take a look at a their Reposado, and Anejo offerings.

In our previous look at Mejor’s Blanco, we found an incredibly smooth spirit filled with characters ranging from vanilla crème, and crème brulee to minor notes of banana, and the occasional refreshing note of mint.

Keeping those flavors in mind, what happens when you first add seven to nine months of time in American Oak Barrels to this Blanco tequila . Well in this case, the Reposado teases you as soon as you open the bottle with aromas of cinnamon, agave, fresh grass so well defined that it makes you wonder what you’ll experience once you begin to introduce this spirit to your palate.

And that experience would be subtle notes of ginger, a touch of smoke, that’s followed up by black cherries, black licorice, and the occasional hint of cocoa.

As a final experiment, lets take that same tequila that we saw first unaged in the Blanco, then with about seven months of age on it in the Reposado and then let’s have it sit longer in those American Oak Barrels, for a time period between fourteen and twenty months.

And folks the result is Mejor’s Anejo offering. Does it stand up to flavors we’ve seen thus far in Mejor’s previous two offerings? It definitely doesn’t disappoint. Is it our favorite? Nope, that title still belongs to the Blanco, but only by a incredibly small margin. Mejor’s Anejo offering does make your palate do the “happy dance” . It achieves this with an introductory softness when it hits the mouth. As you let the Anejo caress your palate, warming notes of dark incredibly well defined chocolate welcome you, before introducing to seductive characters of cinnamon, and caramel. These notes yet again are pushed aside by a finish filled with sweet sherry, coffee and burnt cherries.

Mejor Tequila is currently working on an Extra Anejo, unfortunately it won’t be ready for at least another 24 months. While we wait, at least we have their Blanco and Reposado, and Anejo offerings to sip and. I guess we’ll have to make do with these three incredible tequila offerings.

Final Scores:

Mejor Reposado: 9/10

Mejor Anejo: 9/10

We decided to see how both the Mejor Reposado and Anejo worked in some new cocktails.

Census Perplexus
2oz Mejor Reposado
3/4 oz Marasaka
3/4 oz Canton Ginger
Bar Spoon Pacifique Absinthe
Bar Spoon Agave

Census Perplexus. A combination of Mejor Reposado, Maraska, Canton Ginger, Pacifique Absinthe and a Barspoon Agave Nectar

The Fleet of Three
1 ¾oz Mejor Anejo
Bar Spoon Carpano Antica
¾ oz Balvenie 12 year old Doublewood Whisky
¾ oz Cinnamon Syrup
2 Dashes Cherry Bitters

Garnish with Flamed Orange Peel

The Fleet of Three. A combination of Mejor Anejo, Carpano Antica, Balvenie 12, Cinnamon Syrup and Cherry Bitters.

Amélie’s Adventure. A combination of Don Q Anejo Rum, Aperol, Green Chartreuse, Cinnamon Syrup, and Peychaud Bitters.

As a member of the NY Chapter of the United States Bartenders Guild (www.usbg.org) the opportunity often arises to enter cocktail competitions. Recently Don Q Rums held a contest looking for new original recipes with one of their Rum offerings, including Cristal(White), Mojito Flavored, Coconut Flavored, Gold, Anejo, and Grand Anejo.

Each chapter of the USBG had it’s own local competition, with the winner moving on the semi-finals, which will be held at the Manhattan Cocktail Classic in New York City in May. Whoever wins this competition will move on to the International Final Competition with competitors from all the world competing for a Final Prize of $2,000, a $5,000 donation for the charity of the winners choice, and media exposure in Don Q Promotional Video’s and mention in Esquire Magazine.

After tasting through a portion of the line in order to begin to formulate my recipe and plan of attack, I decided to use the Don Q Anejo offering. When I first tasted through Don Q Anejo I was hit with notes of cocoa, hints of cinnamon and caramel, along with nuances of hazelnut and vanilla with a finish that introduced flavors of candied oranges.

With the flavors of cinnamon and orange in mind, I decided to combine the Anejo with some Aperol, some cinnamon syrup, and some Green Chartreuse to add a bit of a kick. Continuing to play off those cinnamon flavors I added 2 dashes of Peychaud bitters and garnished the drink with a piece of burnt orange zest.

While I didn’t win the local competition, my drink seemed to be very well received during the event. So I figured I’d share the recipe. Inspired and the French origin of Chartruese and the playfulness of how the ingredients seemed to work together, I named the cocktail after the famous French movie, Amélie as the drink seemed to be a bit playful as the title character was.

Amélie’s Adventure

2oz Don Q Anejo Rum
½ oz Aperol
¼ Bar Spoon Green Chartreuse
¾ Cinnamon Syrup
2 Dashes Peychaud Bitters
Shake with Ice, Strain
Serve up in Coupe
Garnish with a piece of burnt orange zest

After taking a look at Mejor’s Blanco Tequila offering last year, we decided to take a look at one of their other offerings, known as Mejor Pink.

Hold up a second, before you start casting your doubts. It’s probably not what you’re thinking. Yes its colored pink, but it’s not flavored tequila.

Mejor decided to try an experiment initially after their Blanco offering, what would happen if they applied additional filtering technology to Mejor Blanco to add additional smoothness to the spirit. Using a proprietary (trust us, we asked) filtering technology that relies on chilled oxygenation along with a undisclosed mixture of gases at a specific(again unrevealed) temperature. According to our contacts at Mejor, if the temperature isn’t balanced correctly it will ruin the tequila. Once the initial filtration process has been completed over the course of several days, the spirit is rested for several days and then filtered again with a minimum of four runs. Using this process, Mejor is able to create a spirit that has a softer and smoother finish. Once this process has been completed, a natural odorless and flavorless pink hue is added to the Mejor Pink, before it’s bottled.

With the female vodka drinker in mind when creating their Pink offering, Mejor set out to make a very light yet tequila that starts off with smooth notes of pepper and mild agave, the occasional touch of mint, citrus, vanilla and finishing with touches of cherry.
Though still 80 proof, Mejor seems to have achieved what they set out to do, create a tequila that can be subbed in with a bit of tweaking for most vodka cocktails, or even a few of the simpler gin cocktails.

Final Score: 8/10

I recently received a package in the mail from Craft Distilleries, which contained one of the most interesting presentations of samples I’ve ever come across.

In it I received samples of the Hangar One line of vodka’s packaged in small test tube-like containers along with background information on the Craft Distilleries, and a small bag of Kaffir lime leaves.

As I read through the enclosed documentation, it explained that the Kaffir leaves were included to give a greater sense of how Master Distiller, Lance Winter creates each one of the Hangar One spirits. True, one could look at it specifically tied to the Kaffir Lime flavored Hangar One, but I prefer to use it as a broader example of the care, and thought that goes into bottle of Hangar One. From selecting fresh, quality ingredients such as the kaffir lime, or fresh tangerine flowers for the mandarin blossom to using viognier wine for the base of Hangar One, these included Kaffir leaves conveyed a greater message to me, which I continued to hear as I stated through all four of the Hanger One offerings.

Hangar One Straight:

Starting with the unflavored or straight Hangar One, Lance Winters uses the lees( or remnants of fermentation) of viognier wine as the base from which to distill Hanger One.

With a sweet wine-like aroma on the nose, the Hangar One sample reminded me more of a Pisco or other style brandy rather than any vodka I had come into contact with. Once you begin to taste the spirit your palate is welcomed with hints of subtle grape, specks of lavender and the occasional touch of vanilla.
Throughout each sip, the spirit reminded completely balanced, and incredibly smooth. If every vodka brand followed the lessons Hangar teaches, the category would be taken more seriously than it has been in the past. This should be one of the first vodka’s someone who thinks Vodka is a flavor-less and odor-less spirit is handed to obliterate that argument. Through and through each sip, you can appreciate the thought that went into crafting this spirit.

Final Score:9.5/10

Mandarin Blossom:

Master Distiller Lance Winters, uses fresh tangerine flowers macerated in spirit to create the Hangar One Mandarin Blossom Infusion. By utilizing tangerine flowers instead of artificial flavors Lance was able to create flavored vodka that’s scent easily conjures images of sipping orange soda at a summer’s barbecue. As you take that first sip, you’re greeted with the feel of a smooth spirit flowing through and through with notes of mandarin oranges that finishes with a slight touch of cream and heat.

Final Score: 9/10

Kaffir Lime:

With the Kaffir lime infused Hangar One, Lance Winters had his work cut out for him, how would he create a spirit that embodies the flavor of lime without either going overboard or using chemicals or artificial ingredient. Lance’s solution, was to use Kaffir Lime leaves that are macerated and then redistilled. This ingredient along with the flavor notes of Hangar One together create an end result brimming with the sweet delicate personality of lime throughout each sip. Hangar One Kaffir Lime doesn’t play around with the palate, what you’re tasting is actual tasting pure Kaffir lime, that’s occasionally joined by those hints of vanilla that showed themselves in the pure Hangar One.

Final Score: 9.5/10

Citron “Buddha’s Hand”:

Following along the pattern of fresh, wholesome natural ingredients combined with Hangar One Spirit, Lance also brings us Citron “Buddha’s Hand” Hangar One by using Buddha’s Hand(which is all pith) to create a vodka filled with notes of sweet tart, reminiscent of lemon candy yet without being overly sweet. It finishes with a slight tinge before mellowing out to pure smoothness.

Final Score: 9/10

Some of the best spirits in the world have come from a change in style by the distiller. Most of the time this is done without fully knowing what the end result will taste like. For Glenrothes, Master Distiller John Ramsey this was something he had to try. Known for their smooth, flavorful range of Whiskies, The Glenrothes offers a variety of bottlings ranging from a Vintage 1975 bottling through a Vintage 1998, the Glenrothes most frequently uses a combination of Spanish and American oak, seasoned with sherry, bourbon and malt Scotch.

When John Ramsey conjured up the concept for Alba Reserve he knew he wanted to do something different. The name Ouercus Alba when translated from Latin means white Oak. Alba also happens to the word for Scotland in the Gaelic language. With the Alba Reserve, John Ramsey aged his whisky in these very same white American oak casks that the name speaks of.

Applying this different barrel styling with the aspects such as extended fermentation time, water that’s harvested from nearby Ardcanny and Brauchhill Springs results in a whisky that begins with sweet, smooth notes. So smooth to the point that I had to check the bottle to remind myself I was actually sipping whisky, and not an entirely different liquid. As you continue to taste your palate is welcomed by hints of evergreen, sweet vanilla, clean precise characters of espresso that is followed up by sweet caramel, a touch here and there of cinnamon that leads into a combination of subtle cocoa and mint in the finish.

Glenrothes Alba Reserve is an exquisite whisky that embodies the style The Glenrothes line is known for and does what any good whisky should do,make one happy

Final Score : 9.5/10

The first time I tried Astar it was after tasting Glenmorangie Original (which we took a look at here).

I was meeting with David Blackmore, the Brand Ambassador for Glenmorangie. Looking back on my very rough tasting notes from that meeting, one of the words I put down in my notebook, in big emphatic capital letters was WOW.

Going through re-tasting this spirit after several months had past, it took a few more tastes than normal to fully get why that spirit without a doubt blew my mind the first time I tasted it.

As I went back through and traveled down Astar Road, apologies for the horrible pun, I experienced a spirit that starts off with notes of seductive vanilla that lead the way into sweet orange cream. Those only begin to prepare the palate for even fuller flavors of crème brulee, that ends with nuances of mint.

At 114.2 proof, Astar isn’t anything but a spirit that’s on the light side, but that actually plays to its advantage.
After adding a slight touch of water to Astar, notes of brown sugar, ginger, pumpkin spice and the embodiment of Fall reveal themselves.

Glenmorangie achieves this unique array of flavors with an approach that starts with oak trees originating from the Ozark Mountains in Missouri that only experience a limited amount of sunlight and moisture. This results in oak that has a greater deal of porosity aka a tighter grain of wood. This allows the spirit to pick additional nuances of the wood, which in turn yields those amazing flavors I experienced while tasting Astar.

Once this Ozark Oak is harvested it is then shaped into barrels and then toasted via a proprietary process. This creates a delicate char level while still maintaining a precise level of flavors within the oak. Before Glenmorangie whiskey is allowed to age in these barrels, they are lent to distilleries in Tennessee who use them to age American whisky for a period of four years.

At this point they are sent back to Scotland and the aging process that yields Astar begins. The end result- a spirit that truly takes the palate for a journey to previously undiscovered worlds.

Final Score 9.5/10

This past February, Pernod Ricard released the latest flavor of its Absolut Vodka Line- Berri Acai. With the release of their Berri Acai offering, Absolut combined the flavors of the acai berry with classic blueberries and pomegranates. This results in a spirit that both inherits the characters normally associated with Absolut such as a smooth finish and hints of vanilla and then adds to it with the flavors of these three berries.
With these new added flavors, Absolut Berri Acai works in adapted classics such as a sour or rickey, but also works well in some new recipes.

Absolut Berri Acai Sour

2 oz Absolut Berri Acai
3/4 oz simple syrup
1 oz fresh lemon juice
Shake and strain into rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with blueberries.

Berri Ricky

2 oz Absolut Berri Acai
1 oz fresh lime juice
1 oz agave nectar (or simple syrup)
4 oz club soda
Build ingredients over fresh ice in a highball. Stir. Garnish with a lime wheel.

The Bizz

2oz Absolut Berri Acai
½ oz Luxardo
¾ oz Cinnamon Syrup
½ oz Lime Juice
2 Dash Peach Bitters

Shake with Ice, Strain.
Serve in Highball filled with Cubes

Top with Ginger Beer

The Bizz. Absolut Berri Acai, Luxardo, Cinnamon Syrup, Lime Juice and Peach Bitters. Topped with Ginger Beer.

Experiment in Berriness
Absolut Berri Acai
½ oz Cynar
¾ Pimms
Chai Tea Demerara Syrup
½ Lemon Juice

Shake with Ice
Serve up in Coupe.

Garnish with Lemon Twist

*Note- I decided to see how the berry flavor played off of the dryness of the Pimms, and the eccentricity of the flavor of Cynar and balanced it with 2 dashes of Celery Bitters.
This recipe I’ve posted was more of an experiment, however it resulted with an interesting cocktail that shows the berry flavors of the Absolut, and ends with a semi-dry yet sweet finish.

Agent 99. A combination of Absolut Berri Acai, Cynar, Pimms No.1, Chai Tea Demerara Syrup, and Lime Juice.

Agent 99
¾ oz Absolut Berri
1 ¼ oz Beefeater London Dry Gin
½ oz Maraska
½ oz Green Chartreuse
1-2 Dash Rhubarb Bitters
Stirred
Serve up with Lemon Zest
Top with club soda

Agent 99. A combination of Absolut Berri Acai, Beefeater Gin, Maraska, Green Chartreuse and Rhubarb Bitters.

A relatively new tequila to the market, Don Roberto only recently begun to hit shelves in the United States in late 2009.

I know what you must be thinking; do we really need another tequila on store shelves? Well in the case of Don Roberto, the answer is yes.

Coming to us from the La Purisima Distillery in the lowland region of Jalisco, Mexico. The distillery is a family operation run by the Orendian family who opened the state-of-the-art distillery in 1995. The Orendian family brings with them 160 years of experience in tequila as well as a master distiller who’s been in the business since 1924. While Don Roberto Tequila is relatively new to the US Market, these decades of experience show in themselves quite clearly in each bottle.

As you take that first sip of Don Roberto Anejo, you’re welcomed with warming notes of agave married to seductive and sweet characters of cinnamon that lead into delectable flavors of caramel, and a body filled with sweet phenomenal cocoa. As you finish that sip, bits of hazelnut and crème de menthe wave goodbye.

Score: 9/10

“Down and Out in Mexico”

1 ¾ oz Don Roberto Anejo
½ oz Aperol
1/2oz Carpano Antica
1 Dash Mole Bitters
2 Dash Jerry Thomas Bitters
Stir
Serve up, without any garnish

Down and Out in Mexico. A Combination of Don Roberto Anejo, Aperol, Carpano Antica, Mole Bitter and Jerry Thomas Bitters.

How’s by You?
Black Chocolate Stout
2 oz Don Roberto Anejo
Egg
½ oz Chai Tea Syrup
1 dash mole bitters

How's By You? A combination of Don Roberto Anejo, Chai Tea Syrup, Mole Bitters, Egg and topped off with Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout.

Still Life
1 ¼ oz Vanilla Bean Infused Rittenhouse Rye
¾ oz Don Roberto Anejo
¾ oz Carpano Antica
2 Dashes Mole Bitters
Stir with Ice
Serve up with Orange Twist

Still Life. A Combination of Don Roberto Anejo, Vanilla-Bean Infused Rittenhouse Rye, Carpano Antica, and Mole Bitters.

Chinaco, a name most people aren’t nearly as familiar with as they are brands such as Don Julio, Partida, Tres Generaciones, Siembra Azul or even Casa Noble. Which is surprising as it was one of the first small batched tequilas to hit the market. Chinaco began to hit US shelves in 1983, years before any of its competitors.

We had the opportunity to taste through Chinaco’s core line of tequila’s which consists of a Blanco, Reposado and Anejo offering. They also offer an Extra Anejo known as Negro and a special 30th anniversary bottling known as Emperador.

Starting with Chinaco Blanco, you’re presented with a spirit that leads in with a very soft nose, so soft that it exhudes a layer of elegance not usually found in most blanco tequilas.

Once it hits the palate, it opens up with notes of velvety grass, a touch of nuttiness and ripe fruit almost that’s almost reminiscent of a tropical punch. It ends with a smooth finish that’s filled with characters of citrus and agave.
A must try specimen of blanco tequila. This would be a perfect example of tequila to introduce to someone that thinks all tequila is normally as harsh as those brands they shot in college bars. The floral and soft notes of Chinaco Blanco will truly open their eyes to what tequila should be.

Final Score: 9.5/10

Moving on to the Reposado, as the blanco embodied soft flavors of fruit, and a relaxing tequila coma, it’s slightly older brother smacks the taste buds awake from the soothing coma that the Blanco left you in with spicy notes that are mellowed by hints of cocoa, sweet hazelnut, ginger and cardamom. As you finish that sip you’re left with warming hints of cocoa, with a backbone of spiciness and nuances of espresso.

Final Score: 9/10

And finishing this look at Chinaco’s lineup we close out with a look at their Anejo offering.

Chinaco Anejo opens with notes of sweet agave, and a slightly milder cocoa than we saw in the Reposado offering. The spirit follows this up by notes of bitter orange, nuances of cinnamon and subtle hints of anise.

Just as that sip finishes caressing your taste buds it leaves a final mark filled with characters of vanilla, spicy cinnamon and caramel.

Final Score:8.5/10