A Muddled Thought

This past December, I came across Hiram Walker’s Pumpkin Liqueur. A product line produced by Pernod Ricard, Hiram Walker’s liqueur also include other flavors such triplesec , anisette, and creme liqueurs such as creme de cacao and creme de menthe. The pumpkin liqueur is part of a limited holiday line that also includes a ginger bread offering, that I wrote about here.

Hiram Walker Pumpkin Liqueur, with its mild notes of pumpkin spice, and cinammon conjure the feeling and flavors of fall. As with most of the Hiram Walker Product Line, the pumpkin liqueur retails for less than $10.

With the season of fall in mind, I decided to see how it would work in some new recipes.

All Hallow’s Eve

¾ oz Hiram Walker Pumpkin Liqueur
2 oz Rittenhouse 100 Rye
2 Dash Peychaud Bitters
2 Barspoons Grade B Maple Syrup
Stir with Ice
Serve in Old Fashioned Glass

All Hallow's Eve. A combination of Hiram Walker Pumpkin Liqueur, Rittenhouse Rye, Peychaud Bitters, and Maple Syrup.

Jack be Nimble

3/4 oz Hiram Walker Pumpkin Liqueur
1 1/2 oz Laird’s Applejack
1 oz Unaged Rhum J.M. Rhum Agricole
2 Dashes Peychaud Bitters
3/4 oz Demera Syrup

Jack be Nimble. A combination of Hiram Walker Pumpkin Liqueur, Rhum J.M. Agricole, Lairds Applejack, and Peychaud Bitters.

We recently sampled Xante, a spirit that has been making the rounds in Europe for the past ten years and has only been available in the United States since early 2009.

Xante finds its origins in cognac that’s matured in French Limousine Oak Barrels, which is then blended with Belgium pears. This results in a spirit that has subtle notes of vanilla, coupled with sweet hints of pears, and the occasional notes of citrus zest.

We decided to see what new recipes we could come up with utilizing Xante as a component.

The 37th Intersection

3/4 oz Xante
2 oz Rittenhouse Rye
A Bar Spoon Orange Marmalade
3/4 oz Cinnamon Syrup
2 Dashes Peychaud Bitters
Garnish with Burnt Orange Zest

The 37th Intersection. A combination of Xante, Rittenhouse Rye, Orange Marmalade, Cinnamon Syrup, and Peychaud Bitters.

Viva Va Loca

¾ oz Sombra Mezcal
½ oz Xante
2 oz Blanco Tequila
1 oz Chai Tea Syrup
1/4 Lime Juice

The French Backyard
1 ¾ Bushnel Fine Calvados
½ Xante
½ Batavia Arrack
2 Dash Whiskey Barrel Bitters
1 oz Demerara Syrup

The French Backyard. A combination of Xante, Bushnel Calvados, Batavia Arrack, and Whiskey Barrel Bitters.

Pama Pomegranate Liquor is created by combining natural pomegranate juice, vodka and tequila, with the end result, a product filled with notes of pomegranate, and minor hints of vanilla and citrus.

After tasting Pama Pomegranate, we decided to try our hands at a few new recipes utilizing it as a component.

Buckley and Sunshine

2 oz Bombay
3/4 oz Pama Pomegranate liquor
1oz Vanilla coconut Demerara tea syrup
1 Dash Scrappy’s Lavender bitters
Garnish with burnt orange zest

Buckley and Sunshine. A combination of Pama Pomegranate Liquor, Bombay Sapphire Gin, Vanilla Coconut Demerara Syup,and Scrappy's Lavender Bitters.

A Tini Tipple of Tea
1 oz Lapsang Souchong Infused Pama Pomegranate Liquor
1 ¾ of Beefeater 24 Gin
¾ Vanilla Syrup
½ oz Lime Juice
1 Dash Angostura Bitters
Shake with Ice
Garnish with Lemon Peel

A Combination of Lapsang Souchong Infused Pama Pomegranate Liquor, Beefeater 24, Vanilla Syrup, and Angostura BItters.

The Red Smoking Bandit
1 oz Pama Pomegranate Liquor
¾ oz Lagvulin 16 Whiskey
1 1/2 oz Lillet Blanc
2 dashes whiskey barrel
¼ oz Lime juice
¾ oz Simple Syrup

Recently I had the opportunity to attend an event at The Astor Center known as the Cocktail Jam. During a jam session, brands generally sponsor an hour of bartenders seeing what they can come up with on the spot in while behind the bar. It doesn’t hurt that a portion of the proceeds from ticket sales went to The Food Bank of New York City.

While working at the Cocktail Jam, I ran into William Doyle who runs the marketing for Compass Box Whiskey. Compass Box had sponsored the hour from 7pm-8pm and I had offered to represent them with a cocktail behind the bar. Sharing the hour with Compass Box, was Partida Tequila, another favorite brand of mine to work with in cocktails.

During our conversation before my shift behind the bar, Billy had mentioned that in a past life he had worked with Partida and asked if I could create a cocktail with both products. As one whose always up for a challenge I told him it wouldn’t be a problem. My understanding at the time was I would be creating one cocktail with both spirits as ingredients.

I found out later that Billy had actually meant two separate cocktails, one with Compass Box and one with Partida.

I decided to go with my original thought and to see what I could up with by using both products in one cocktail

With the nice smokey yet subtle flavor that Peat Monster possesses, it lends itself quite easily to working in cocktails without overpowering the other spirits. Playing off the traditional margarita, I decided to combine some mole bitters that have a spicy yet sweet flavor, the Peat Monster and Partida Reposado with its hints of cocoa, and caramel.

The results of this misunderstanding became known as:

Branded and Confused
1 oz Peat Monster
2 oz Partida Reposado
¼ Lime Juice
1oz Demerara Sugar
Eggwhite

Branded and Confused. A combination of Peat Monster, Partida Reposado, Lime Juice, Demerara Sugar, Eggwhite and Mole Bitters.

We recently received a sample of Hiram Walker’s Gingerbread Liquor and as winter is the best time to enjoy the sweet yet spicy flavors of ginger bread, we decided to see what new recipes we could come up with.

“The Ginga Man is Callin”

1 ¾ oz Buffalo Trace
½ oz Hiram Walker Gingerbread Liquor
¾ oz Navan Vanilla Liquor
1 Dash Peychaud Bitters
¼ oz of Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice
Burnt Orange Zest

“Warm in Oh So Many Ways Cocoa”

For the next recipe with Hiram Walker Ginger Bread Liquor, we decided to try a version of homemade cocoa that utilizes a great deal of booze. That way if the heat doesn’t warm you up, at least the generous amounts of spirits might.

First we started with the cocoa base.

We combined the 2 1/2 cups of Milk and 1/2 cup of Hiram Walker Gingerbread Liquor, 20 black peppercorns, and 1/2 barspoon of chili powder. We heated these ingredients until everything began to boil. We then removed it from the heat, and added a bar and a half of Dagoba Mole Chocolate Bars and stirred until the chocolate was fully melted and combined with the rest of the base.

After this is complete, strain into a large mug that has already been filled with the following:

1 ½ Rhum J.M. Gold
1 Dash Mole Bitters
½ oz Solerno Blood Orange Liquor

For the boozy whipped cream:

Combine-

5 oz of Heavy Cream
2 teaspoons Sugar
2oz of Navan Vanilla Liquor

Shake until it becomes a whipped cream.

Distribute on top of the “Warm in Oh So Many Ways Cocoa”.

Warm in Oh So Many Ways Cocoa- The Navan Whipcream has started to melt slightly in this photo.

The Navan Vanilla Liquor based Whipcream before being used to top the Warm in Oh So Many Ways Cocoa.

If you’re looking for a last minute gift idea for your favorite spirit enthuiast, introduce them to Leblon Cachaca and Caipirinha’s, a combination of Cachaca(a Brazilian sugar case based spirit,similar to rum), muddled limes and sugar on the rocks.

Leblon Cachaca’s Holiday Caipirinha Set is the perfect gift for anyone on your holiday list from Hanukkah to office grab bags to hostess gifts to Christmas.  Complete with everything to make spirits bright, Leblon’s Caipirinha Set retails for $29.99 and includes a 750 ml bottle of Leblon Cachaca, a Leblon muddler, and a booklet of cocktail recipes.  

The Leblon Caipirinha Gift Set

Or if you’d like to try a twist on a Caipirinha, give this new recipe a try.

Seven Days of Insanity

2 oz Orange Blossom Infused Leblon Cachaca

1/2 oz Lime Juice

1/2 Canton Ginger Liquor

2 Dashes Grapfruit Bitters

2 Sugar Cubes

Muddle Sugar Cubes, Canton Ginger and Bitters

As you would a Caipirinha, shake all ingredients with ice and then pour entire contents (with ice) into highball glass. Top with Club Soda

Garnish with one star anise and an orange slice.

Seven Days of Insanity. A Combination of 2 oz Orange Blossom Infused Leblon Cachaca, Lime Juice, Sugar Cubes, Grapefruit Bitters, Canton Ginger.

(Editors Note:This recipe can be also be done as a punch if you multiple by the amount of people your expecting.)

Sagatiba known around the world for their elegant unaged cachacha, Pura released an aged offering known as Sagitaba Velha in November 2008.

Aged two years, in American oak barrels this is not your usual cachaca.

Taking their Pura Cachaca and adding two years of aging shows itself right away.
With a nose filled with hints of orange and vanilla, the spirit really grabs your attention and has you wondering what’s different about this cachaca.
Once this spirit begins to hit your taste buds yours presented with a liquid rich with flavors of allspice, and caramel. Moving past these flavors your then hit with the presence of cloves, a tease of cocoa, figs, and just an inkling of barley wine
This taste ends pleasantly with a finish that shows characters of tobacco and cinnamon.

As one of the few-aged cachaca currently available on the market, Sagatiba Velha is an incredible unique product that would make any spirits lover jump up and take notice.

Final Score: 9/10

A few new recipes utilizing the Sagatiba Velha.

Teddy’s Toddy
2oz Sagatiba Velha
½ oz Allspice Dram
1 oz Cinnamon Syrup
Add 6oz of Hot Chai Tea
(I used Traditional Medicinal’s Organic Chai Tea)
Garnish with Burnt Orange Zest
Serve in Snifter

Teddy's Toddy. A combination of Sagatiba Velha, Allspice Dram, Cinnamon Syrup, and Chai Tea.

Fizzy and Lost on Lafayette
1 ¾ Sagatiba Velha
Barspoon Green Chartreuse
1oz Vanilla Syrup
Muddled Strawberries
Shake with Ice
Top with Zipang Sparkling Sake or Champagne
Garnish with Half Fresh Strawberry

Fizzy and Lost on Lafayette. A combination of Sagatiba Velha, Green Chartreuse, Vanilla Syrup, Muddled Strawberries. Topped with Champagne.

In the late eighties, Absolut Vodka brought to life its city campaign, with offerings representing the history and personalities of several major cities. In 2007, they relaunched this series with Absolut New Orleans, and in 2008, Absolut LA.
In 2009 they followed up these first two releases with the limited offering, Absolut Boston.
Combining Absolut Vodka, with black tea and elderflower creates a spirit that starts off with notes of black tea, that is balanced out with the mild sweetness of elderflower and ends with an extremely smooth finish.

Absolut’s Boston offering is a perfect gift for any fan of vodka or any spirits enthusiast that is always looking to try something different.
With winter approaching in a few weeks, here are a few recipes that might work well during these last few weeks of Fall.

The Tea Leaves are Falling
2 oz Absolut Boston
1 oz of Fig Juice
¾ oz Cinnamon Syrup
½ Lime Juice
Serve in Martini Glass
Garnish with Lime Wedge

The Tea Leaves are Falling. A combination of Absolut Boston, Fig juice, Cinnamon Syrup, and Lime Juice.

Apples are Absolut
2oz of Absolut Boston
¾ Apple Cinnamon Syrup
¾ Lairds Apple Jack
2 Dashes Whiskey Barrel Bitters

Apples are Absolut. A combination of Absolut Boston, Apple Cinnamon Syrup, Lairds Applejack, and Whiskey Barrel Bitters.

Fizz and Berrys
2 oz Absolut Boston
3/4 oz Simple Syrup
3/4 Lime Juice
3 Muddled Strawberries

Top with Club Soda
Garnish with Whole Strawberry

Fizz and Berrys. A combination of Absolut Boston, Simple Syrup, Lime Juice, Muddled Strawberries, topped with Club Soda.

While we looked at Tanteo Tequila’s Chocolate offering, earlier this year, we decided with the holidays coming up, to take another look at it both as a stand alone spirit as well as in some new cocktails.

Tanteo Chocolate Tequila starts off with a nose of smokey cocoa.
This nose is followed up with a spirit filled with characters of milk chocolate coupled with slight hint of smokiness, creating a balanced flavor of a melted milk chocolate, with occasional hints of hazelnut.

With being the only chocolate flavored Tequila on the market, Tanteo makes for an interesting gift for anyone who enjoys a different kind of spirit or tequila.

While it can sipped neat, Tanteo’s Chocolate really begins to show its talents in cocktails. Here’s a few new ones to try …

The Great Daze
2oz Tanteo Chocolate Tequila
3/4 oz Aperol
1oz Espresso Syrup
2 Dashes Grapefruit Bitters

The Great Daze. A combination of Tanteo Chocolate Tequila, Aperol, Espresso Syrup, and Grapefruit Bitters.

2oz Tanteo Chocolate Tequila
¾ Creme De Cacao
¾ Navan Vanilla Liquor
2 Dashes Bitter Truth Mole Bitters
Egg White
Shake Dry with Eggwhite
Shake with Ice
Serve in Collins Glass
Top with Club Soda

Not Your Pappy’s Eggcream. A combination of Tanteo Chocolate Tequila, Navan Vanilla Liquor,, Creme De Cacao,Mole Bitters and Eggwhite. Top with Club Soda.

Nog Nog Whose There?

2 oz of Tanteo Chocolate Tequila
1 Whole Egg
1 oz of Cinnamon Syrup
1 oz of Heavy Cream
¾ of Maraska Maraschino Liquor

Pernod-Ricard recently released Kahlua Cream, a combination of natural cream joined together with the original Kahlua product. We were were curious to see how Kahlua Cream would work in some new cocktail recipes.

A Short Commute
1 ¾ Kahlua Coffee Cream
Barspoon Sailor Jerry’s Spiced Rum
¾ oz Lagulivin 16 Scotch
2 dash Peychaud
Serve in Coupe
Spray Coupe with Absinthe
Garnish with Orange Zest

A Short Commute. A combination of Kahlua Coffee Cream, Sailor Jerry's Spiced Rum, Lagulivin 16 and Absinthe.

Isaac’s Wake Up Call
1oz Kahlua Coffee Cream
2oz Don Q Cristal Rum
½ oz Averna
2 Dashes Regans Bitters
3 Muddled Strawberries
1oz Espresso

Isaac's Wakeup Call. A combination of Kahlua Coffee Cream, Don Q Cristal Rum, Averna, Regans Bitters, Strawberries and Espresso.

Afternoon Pick Me Up
1 ¾ Zacapa 23
1 oz Kahlua Coffee Cream
Barspoon Averna
2 Dash Mole Bitters