A combination of rums originating from the 5 islands of Trinidad, Jamaica, Guyana, Barbados and Indonesia, the rums are aged between a period of a few months up to five years. Prior to bottling, Banks uses a single charcoal filtration system to remove the amber hue that comes from the aging process. The folks behind Banks hope the removal of the amber hue that aging bestows will aid in the end presentation of cocktails by not adding any additional color that might not mesh well with other ingredients.

Banks 5 Islands starts off with touches of funk aka hogo, that segues into a rum that’s brimming with so many flavors my mind started going nuts with cocktail ideas after a few tastes.

Once you get past the funk that many rums have Banks 5 Island hits you with flavors of espresso,lime, vanilla, bitter orange, and a back end of cocoa married to touches of grapefruit. On further tastes, flavors of ripe strawberries, hazelnut, cardamom, blackpepper and harvest spices.

Banks 5 Island is one of those rare spirits that you could consider “inspiration in a bottle.”

Rating: 9.5/ 10

*Hogo-The funky, weird aroma and often taste that sugarcane spirits throw off.

And without further ado those recipes I mentioned above that sprang to life during the tasting of Banks 5 Island.

Those Bitter Harpies

Those Bitter Harpies. A combination of Banks 5 Island Rum, Beefeater London Dry Gin, Campari, Lillet Blanc, Orgeat, Vanilla and Green Chartreuse.

1 1/2 oz Banks 5 Island
1/2 oz Beefeater London Dry Gin
1/2 oz Campari
1/2 oz Lillet Blanc
1/2 oz Orgeat
½ oz Vanilla Syrup
2 Dashes Green Chartreuse

Directions: Shake all ingredients except Yellow Chartreuse with ice.
Strain and pour into Zombie Mug that’s filled with crushed ice.
Garnish with grapefruit peel that’s been soaked with Green Chartreuse.
Ignite. Serve

The Time Warp

The Time Warp. A combination of Banks 5 Island Rum, Creme De Cacao, Cocchi Americano, Lime Juice, Cinnamon Syrup, Pernod Absinthe, Mole and Angostura Bitters.

1 3/4 oz Banks 5 Rum
1/2 oz Crème De Cacao
1/2 oz Cocchi Americano
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Cinnamon Syrup
2 Dashes Pernod Absinthe
1 Dash Mole Bitters
1 Dash Angostura Bitters

Directions: Combine ingredients in shaker. Shake with Ice. Strain and serve in cocktail glass.

Down the Wishing Well

Down the Wishing Well. A combination of Banks 5 Islands Rum, St. Germain, Aperol, Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth, and Bittermens Xocalti Mole Bitters.

1 1/2 oz Banks 5 Island Rum
1/2 oz St. Germain
1/2 oz Aperol
1/2 Carpano Antica
2 Dash Bittermens Xocalti Mole Bitters

Directions:Combine Ingredients in mixing glass. Stir with ice. Strain into cocktail glass.

Out of curiosity we decided to give a try. For what it is a schnapps, something most people generally associate with overly sweet, it isn’t exactly what you expected. Yes it’s sweet, not too sweet, thanks to being bottled at the high proof. Original Cinn resembles what would happen if you turned those red hot cinnamon candies you enjoyed as a kid into something boozy. While tasting Original Cinn, we oddly picked up notes other than cinnamon such as hints of grapefruit and orange.

For what it is a high proof schnapps, it’s not a bad product, especially at the price of point of $11. Would we use it everyday behind the bar? Probably not. Could it be used to make some fun cocktails? Definitely.

Rating:8/10

Quarter and a Wink

2 oz Absolut Vanilla
1/2 oz Original Cinn
2 Dashes Peychaud Bitters
1 Dash Orange Flower Water
Eggwhite
Dry Shake with Eggwhite. Shake with ice.
Serve up. No Garnish

Quarter and a Wink. A combination of Absolut Vanilla, Original Cinn, Peychaud Bitters, Orange Flower Water and Eggwhite.

A hop over the bridge
1 ½ oz Old Overholt Rye
½ oz Original Cinn
2 Dashes Grapefruit Bitters
¼ oz Lemon Juice

A hop over the bridge. A combination of Old Overholt Rye, Original Cinn, Grapefruit Bitters and Lemon Juice.

Cynar, the artichoke spirit as most people will refer to it. But what is it exactly?

Cynar, a liqueur made from a combination of 13 herbs and plants, with the main and most touted of the ingredients being artichoke. Yes, that’s right Cynar is made using artichokes. So what’s it taste like?

Think about that sense of bitterness you experienced if you’ve ever bit into a coffee bean, add subtle hints of vanilla, cinnamon and cardamom to the background of this bitter flavor, and then have that last sip end with a slight touch of sweetness. If you can imagine what this would taste like, you’ll have an idea of what the Cynar experience is all about.

That bitterness works Cynar’s advantage when it comes to working in cocktails as the Cynar plays well with a variety of spirits and can be used to add a bit of edge or even balance to a cocktail.

All Good Things

1 3/4 oz Don Julio Reposado Tequila
1/4 oz Cynar
3/4 oz Del Maguey Crema De Mezcal
1/2 oz Lime Juice
2 Dashes The Bitter Truth Mole Bitters

All Good Things. A combination of Don Julio Reposado, Cynar, Crema De Mezcal, Lime Juice and Mole Bitters

Wednesday Pick Me Up

2oz Rhum J.M. VSOP Rhum
¾ oz Creole Shrubb Orange Liqueur
¼ oz Cynar
1 Dash Fee Brothers Aztec Chocolate Bitters
1 oz Espresso Syrup
Garnish with Burnt Orange Zest

Wednesday Pick Me Up. A combination of Rhum J.M. VSOP Rhum, Cynar, Creole Shrubb Orange Liqueur, Espresso Syrup and Chocolate Bitters

Burning Alarm Clock
1 ¾ oz Ardmore Traditional Cask

½ oz Solerno Blood Orange Liquor

½ oz Cynar

1 oz Lemon Juice

2 Dashes Herbsaint(90 Proof) New Recipe

2 Dashes Aromatic Bitters

Burning Alarm Clock. A combination of Ardmore Traditional Cask, Solerno, Cynar, Herbsaint, Aromatic Bitters and Lemon Juice.

A Pirate’s Life for Me

1 ½ oz Appleton Estate 12
3/4 oz Aperol
1/4oz Cynar
3/4 oz Banana Syrup
Lime Juice-1/2 oz
2 Dashes The Bitter Truth Mole Bitters
Fee Brothers Whiskey Barrel Bitters-1 Dash

A Pirates Life for Me. A combination of Appleton Estate, Aperol, Cynar, Banana Syrup, Lime Juice and Mole Bitters.

Released in June by Pernod-Ricard, the company behind Beefeater London Dry Gin, Beefeater 24, and Plymouth, Beefeater Summer is the 2nd ever variation of the centuries old Beefeater recipe.

After Master Distiller, Desmond Payne released Beefeater 24 in 2009 and built on the original Beefeater recipe with the additions of botanicals such as grapefruit peels, and Japanese Sencha Tea.

Desmond went back to the drawing board or in this case the still and took the original Beefeater recipe, added the botanicals of elderflower, hibiscus and black currant which he then bottles at eighty proof for a softer finish than that of the ninety proof Beefeater London Dry

Beefeater Summer Edition starts off with soft floral notes, and is expected with the lower proof, is less forward than traditional Beefeater London Dry. Once you get past these introductory floral notes, you’re greeted with touches of sweet orange, subtle seductive juniper, followed up by just barely there spice that ends in a slightly fruity finish.

Beefeater Summer Edition has a slightly limited run, so if you see on the shelves of your local liquor store, grab it before it’s gone.

West 12th Fizz

Beefeater Summer 2oz
1oz simple
1/2 oz Lemon
1/2 Campari
2 Dashes The Bitter Truth Aromatic Bitters
Eggwhite
Top with Club Soda

West 12th Fizz. A combination of Beefeater Summer Edition, Campari, Aromatic Bitters, Eggwhite topped with Club Soda.

Twisted Point of View

1 ¾ oz beef summer
¾ oz Gran Centenario Rosangel
3 Dashes Yellow Chartreuse
¾ oz Rosemary Anise Syrup
Tbsp Dolin Blanc Vermouth

Twisted Point of View. A combination of Beefeater Summer Edition, Gran Centenario Rosangel Tequila, Yellow Chartreuse, Dolin Blanc Vermouth and Rosemary Anise Syrup.

From the far southeast region of Scotland, known as the Speyside Region comes Ardmore Traditional Cask. Released in 2008, Ardmore Traditional Cask is the first bottling from the Ardmore Distillery, after several years without any new offerings coming out of the distillery.

Ardmore Traditional Cask is a fully peated malt, which means that all barley used to create the whisky is dried using heated peat fires. This creates a spirit that begins with the lure of seductive peat, touches of cinnamon and dough. These flavors lead into notes of smoked Apples, hints of bacon. and barely there touches of cocoa, that play second fiddle to orange zest and honey.
In an odd yet pleasant surprise the Ardmore Traditional cask finishes with the presence of a smoky sarsaparilla on your palate.

Ardmore Traditional Cask retails for between $45-$50 per 750 Ml Bottle.

Final Score: 9/10

After an interesting conversation with a friend about the joys of the Corpse Reviver #2*, I was inspired to create a loose interpretation playing off the notes in the Ardmore traditional cask. I replaced the gin component with the Ardmore traditional cask, the Cointreau with Solerno Blood Orange Liquor, the Lillet with Cynar to add a bit of a bitter kick and finished it off with Herbsaint to replace the absinthe component.

Burning Alarm Clock. A combination of Ardmore Traditional Cask, Solerno, Cynar, Herbsaint, Aromatic Bitters and Lemon Juice.

Burning Alarm Clock

1 ¾ oz Ardmore Traditional Cask
½ oz Solerno Blood Orange Liquor
½ Cynar
1 oz Lemon Juice
2 Dashes Herbsaint(90 Proof) New Recipe
2 Dashes Aromatic Bitters

Shake with Ice. Serve up

*Corpse Reviver #2
1 oz Gin
½ oz Cointreau
½ oz Lillet Blond
¾ oz Lemon Juice
Dash of Absinthe

Okay so we’ve been mostly covering brown spirits such as bourbons and whiskies for the last few days during our Spirited Father’s Day Coverage. Well we’re taking a break for a day from those darker colored spirts to something on the other side of the spectrum, a clear spirit, that of Vodka.

But we couldn’t take a look at any old vodka for Dad. We had to find something that just like some of our father’s was a bit different. And Dad if you’re reading this wherever you, we mean that with a lot of love. So we decided to take a look at Jean Marc XO.

A vodka that in its creation defines unique, Jean Marc XO has its origins in the Cognac region of France. and was brought to life by Jean Marc Daucourt. In his goal to create a vodka that in its purest form was a shippable spirit, Jean Marc combined four French wheat grain’s to create his unique flavor. These grains, Orvantis, Azteque, Ysengrain and Orvantis are removed from the connected chaff to remove any possible bitterness.

Once this is done, the grain is combined with spring water native to the surrounding cognac region and distilled in small batches using French Copper Alambic stills a total of nine times. A process used in the production of wine known as micro-oxygenation, is then introduced into the resulting spirit. Micro-oxygenation allows the spirit producer to slowly control the introduction of oxygen to the sitting wine or in this case vodka, which has been known to both produce a cleaner end result. As a final step, Jean Marc XO is charcoal filtered through Limousin oak.

This process, which is said to take weeks from start to finish, creates a vodka that’s unlike anything you’ve likely tried before. With hints of sweetness and the subtle presence of oranges on the nose, this is but a mere tease of what awaits your palate.
Hints of vanilla, through and through each sip, notes of cinnamon play in the background as the presence of pineapple and citrus surprise your palate. Yes, this is a vodka your tasting, and yes it’s complex as some of those brown spirits your usually pretty fond.

Jean Marc XO down to the basics is incredibly smooth, with subtle flavors throughout each sip with those last bits ending with an overall warming sensation.

Final Score 9.5/10

With Summer in mind, and playing off some of those vanilla, cinnamon and pineapple notes that jumped out in my palate during tasting through Jean Marc XO, the following cocktail came to be.

The Sum Together

1 ¾ oz Jean Marc XO Vodka
¾ oz Don Q Gold Rum
Bar Spoon Green Chartreuse
½ oz Cinnamon Syrup
½ oz Lime Juice
½ oz Pineapple Juice
2 Dashes Angostura Bitters
Serve in Highball or Julep Cup with Crushed Ice.
Garnish Spent Lime Shell with two drops of Green Chartreuse, flamed.

The Sum Together. A combination of Jean Marc Xo Vodka, Don Q Gold Rum, Green Chartreuse, Cinnamon Syrup, Lime Juice, Pineapple Juice and Angostura Bitters.

I had the pleasure of first tasting Greylock Gin, during the summer of 2009 at a visit to PDT in New York’s East Village. The first time I tasted it, I knew I was tasting something truly unique in the gin category.

After speaking with Chris Weld, the master distiller and owner of Berkshire Mountain Distilleries( otherwise known as BMD) he gave me the short but quaint story of how Berkshire Mountain Distillery came to be. The origins of which can be traced back to a nearly completed 8th grade project in which young Chris was attempting to build a working model of a still. Something he would have accomplished, had his mom not stopped him after finding out it was a bit of a federal offense.

Years later Chris went on to become a emergency room physician’s assistant and migrated from New England to the West Coast, a place he called home with his wife up until several years ago when the Weld family decided to move back to New England. During the search for a new home, they came across an old, slightly neglected apple farm that housed about 400-500 apple trees. After restoring the farm back to its original glory, the Welds had the idea of opening a distillery. Initially Chris had planned to create an apple brandy, until the realization that one cannot survive on apple brandy alone. This brings us to the year 2007 when Berkshire Mountain Distilleries came to be. With some assistance from fellow distillers who advised Chris, he began distilling Ragged Mountain Rum, Ice Glen Vodka and Berkshire’s first gin, Greylock, which was followed roughly a year later with Ethereal Release One.

During our conversation, Chris mentioned that Berkshire will be releasing both a corn whiskey and a bourbon later this year. For now we’ll be taking a look at both of Berkshire’s Gin offerings.

With Greylock Chris had a gin meant to be sipped on its own or to be used in classic cocktails such as a Gin and Tonic, Martini or Gimlet A year or so later, came Ethereal, a limited edition bottling whose botanicals change slightly with each new bottling and is targeted directly at the mixology community.

As with all of Berkshire Distilleries Spirits, both Greylock and Ethereal start off with natural spring water located on the same land as the distillery itself and is fed from a nearby mountain range.

This natural spring water along with botanicals including juniper, coriander, angelica, orris, cinnamon, orange peel and licorice give life to Greylock Gin a gin that upon that first introductory sip, greets you with notes of citrus teasing the forefront of your palate before leading the way into hints of vanilla, butterscotch(yep you heard that right), the occasional hint of orange, coriander and black pepper. Greylock finishes with hints of spice before leaving a final soft citrus sensation on your palate.

Taking the botanicals used in Greylock, Chris adds lemon, cubeb root, pepper, spearmint, nutmeg, rose hips and elderberry to produce the limited release Ethereal. A recipe that changes with each release, during our conversation Chris mentioned the third release of Ethereal will feature grapefruit.

The combination of these new botanicals to Greylock’s formula leads to a gin that opens with nutmeg, very forward notes of orange, fresh grass, and crème de menthe. Light touches of lavender and nuances of sweet rye and harvest spice make an appearance before the spirit finishes with touches of floral, additional subtle characters of crème de menthe and a final caresses of your palate by smooth hints of vanilla.

A Short Journey
1 ¾ oz Greylock Gin
Bar Spoon Orange Marmalade
½ oz Vanilla Syrup
¾ oz Sombra Mezcal
2 Dashes West Indian Orange Bitters

A Short Journey. A combination of Greylock Gin, Sombra Mezcal, Orange Marmalade, Vanilla Syrup, and West Indian Orange Bitters.

The Gineva Convention
1 oz Greylock Gin
1 oz Bols Genever
¾ oz Maraschino
¾ oz Green Charteuse
¾ oz Cinnamon Syrup
2 Dashes West Indian Orange Bitters

The Gineva Convention. A combination of Greylock Gin, Bols Genever, Maraska Maraschino Liqueur,Green Chartreuse, Cinnamon Syrup, and West Indian Orange Bitters.

Breaking The Barrier
1 ¾ oz Ethereal Gin
Bar spoon Vieux Carré Absinthe
Muddled Peppercorns
½ oz Crème Y’vette
½ oz Orange Juice
2 Dash Jerry Thomas Decanter Bitters

Breaking the Barrier. A combination of Ethereal Gin, Vieux Carre Absinthe, Muddled Peppercorns, Creme Y'vette, Orange Juice and Jerry Thomas Decanter Bitters.

Just Passing Through

1 ½ oz Ethereal Gin
½ oz Lillet Rouge
½ oz Allspice
½ oz Demerara Syrup
2 Dash Bitter Truth Aromatic Bitters

Just Passing Through. A combination of Ethereal Gin, Lillet Rouge, Allspice Dram, Demerara Syrup and The Bitter Truth Aromatic Bitters.

White Dog otherwise known as unaged whisk(e)y a spirit that for years has been unavailable to the masses.

Up until recently the only way to taste white dog was on a tour of a distillery or at a tasting event. Case in point, Makers Mark offers its white dog on occasion during tours and hosted tastings at liquor stores and bars. A lovely spirit sans aging, many of us in the spirit world hold this rare offering close to our hearts.

While we can’t yet walk into any liquor store and buy a bottle of Makers Mark White Dog, other distilleries have been seen this untapped market as an opportunity to release unaged offerings of their products.

Producers such as Tuthilltown, Deaths Door, and Buffalo Trace all currently have a white dog offering on store shelves.

Today we decided to take a look at Buffalo Traces White Dog bottling.

Reasonably priced at between $15-$20 for a 375ml bottle, the spirit doesn’t disappoint in the impression it leaves on your palate.

Uncut at 125 proof, this is a spirit that needs a touch of water to be truly appreciated on its own. Once a splash of water is added the incredible heat of the 125 proof white spirit, begins to mellow and give way to sweet notes of corn, that are joined by nuances of orange and deep pepper, before finishing with additional notes of heat.

An interesting spirit and a must try for anyone who appreciates American bourbon, though with such a high proof, it might not be for everyone.

*Generally white dog producers will use stainless steel containers to store the distilled spirit for a period of 24-48 hours before bottling. Since the containers have no inherent characteristics as oak barrels do, the spirit can still be considered white dog.

The 19th Lesson
1 ½ oz Buffalo Trace White Dog
½ oz Aperol
2 Dashes Regan’s Orange Bitters
1 Dash Angostura Bitters
1 Cube Brown Sugar
Muddle Brown Sugar Cube with Angostura Bitters and Orange Bitters.
Add Aperol and Buffalo Trace White Dog.
Stir with Ice

Optional Garnish-Orange Twist

The 19th Lesson. A combination of Buffalo Trace White Dog, Aperol, Regan's Orange Bitters and Angostura Bitters.

After years of working in the finance industry, there was a part of Anshuman that felt unfulfilled by his work related accomplishments. Having had the idea of starting his own business in the back of his mind for a while, he started the process that eventually led to Bulldog Gin showing up on back-bars throughout the United States, and more recently other parts of the world. In 2003, having realized the opportunity to launch a new premium gin brand into the spirits market, Anshuman started using those skills he had developed during his years working in the finance market, including working with investors, though this time he had to convince them to believe in an idea, that of a new gin rather than venture capital or equity funds.

After working on this new gin for three years, Anshuman deemed it ready and in 2006 Bulldog Gin was launched. Bulldog is created using a combination of botanicals such as Juniper, lavender,orris root, angelica, lemon, almond, liquorice, and in a unique change of pace, dragon’s eye, a fruit of Chinese origin loosely related to the lycee family.

The result of this combination of botanicals is a gin that leads in with clear and strongly defined notes of juniper, yet still maintains a pleasant softness that’s followed up by hints of floral and citrus including hints of lemon. As you continue to taste through Bulldog Gin, your palate is hit with characters of lavender and spice that lead into a refreshing and soft finish.

Bulldog Gin with all the flavors that hide within each sip affords itself to working well in cocktails and enables the bartender or mixologist the opportunity to play off each of these notes in new cocktail creations.

Days Lost Floating About
1 ½ oz Bulldog Gin
¼ pz Combier
1oz Partida Reposado
½ oz Cinnamon Syrup
½ oz Velvet Falernum
2 Dashes Pernod
1 Dash Regans Orange Bitters

Days Lost Floating About. A Combination of Bulldog Gin, Combier Orange Liqueur, Partida Reposado, Cinnamon Syrup, Velvet Falernum, Pernod and Regans Orange Bitters.

Yellow Buzz
1 ¾ oz Bulldog Gin
½ oz Barenjager Honey Liqueur
½ oz Yellow Chartreuse
½ oz Lemon Juice
2 Dashes Angostura
Eggwhite

Shake Dry with Eggwhite.
Add Ice and Shake again.
Serve up in Coupe.

The Yellow Buzz. A combination of Bulldog Gin, Barenjager Honey Liqueur, Yellow Chartreuse, Eggwhite and Angostura Bitters.

We took a look at Don Roberto’s Anejo offering a few weeks ago and were pretty impressed. So impressed in fact that we decided to take a look at their Reposado Offering. Using the same production and distillation methods as as they do with their Anejo offering, Don Roberto’s Reposado rests for a time period between six and nine months in American oak barrels previously used by Jack Daniels and Jim Beam.

This spirit starts off teasing you with aromas of sweet agave, cinnamon and a body filled with beautiful allspice. Once you introduce the spirit to your palate flavors of cocoa and wintermint welcome you before being pushed aside by attention-grabbing notes of blood orange. The spirit bids you a final farewell with nuances of vanilla bean and a bold espresso finish.

Final Score: 9/10

The Madness of El Topo
2oz Don Roberto Reposado
Bar Spoon Solerno Blood Orange Liqueur
1oz Hine VSOP
½ oz Espresso Syrup
2 Dashes Mole Bitters

The Madness of El Topo. A combination of Don Roberto Reposado, HIne VSOP Cognac, Solerno Blood Orange Liqueur, Espresso Syrup and Mole Bitters.

This drink was loosely inspired by the Stinger, a combination of Brandy and Crème De Cacao. This inspiration led to the following drink.

Cobra La
2oz Don Roberto Reposado
½ oz Green Crème De Menthe*
1oz Del Maguey Crème Mezcal
½ oz Simple Syrup
Eggwhite

*If available you can also experiment with this drink using white crème de menthe, unfortunately I only had green available at the time.

Cobra La. A combination of Don Roberto Reposado Tequila, Creme De Menthe, Del Maguey Crème Mezcal and Simple Syrup.