A Muddled Thought

2011 was my third year attending Tales of the Cocktail, the four day cocktail festival that’s held every July in New Orleans for the past ten years. Each year my the capacity of my attendance has changed just as my involvement in the cocktail and spirits industry has grown. My first year attending Tales of the Cocktail was in 2009, a few months after this very website was born. I attended strictly in the capacity of media and for the purposes of education and fun. Yes, Tales of the Cocktail can be both educational and fun, something that I’m reminded of each year at the end of the week as I reflect back on some new skills or techniques I’ve learned, some new friends I’ve made with folks from all over including as far as Australia and the fact that I’ve come out better and stronger in my abilities each year. During my first year attending Tales it was like I was experiencing a whole new world filled with so many potential opportunities and wonders. That first year, I left Tales knowing a few things. The first was that for the first time in a long time I knew what I wanted to do with my life, the second was that it was a career in the spirits world. The last thing was that I wanted into the Cocktail Apprentice Program the next year.

Flash forward to 2010; I wrote about my experiences in the Cocktail Apprentice Program (CAP) here.

And that brings me to 2011, my third year experiencing Tales. I say experience because you don’t just go to Tales of the Cocktail, you experience it. Over the course of several days, the environment seeps into your skin. While this might initially sound like a negative, it’s actually quite the opposite. From the time you set down in NOLA and you see that first friend in either the airport or the lobby of Mission Control (otherwise known as the Monteleone) to that last goodbye at Louis Armstrong Airport to that person you just met two days earlier, whose flight is about to leave your body switches from it’s usual schedule of functioning on 6-8 hours of sleep to a mode that is constantly going, whether you’re attending seminars, shaking cocktails at an event, party or a tasting room, exchanging business cards and meeting people for lunch or finalizing that last detail for that party you’ve helped organize. Whatever activity drives you during the week, the experience as such a high energy that it more than makes up for the lack of sleep one is likely to experience with all that’s going on.

So that brings us back to this year’s experience at Tales. After attending my first year as exclusively media, and my second year as a CAP and writing about my experience here, I decided to apply for media credentials to cover a portion of what I saw this year, but I also had several events to work during the week. Some of the events I was set to work included a Spirited Dinner at The Grill Room, inside the Windsor Terrace Hotel, the “Party like a Don” Don Julio Party and a table at the Marie Brizzard tasting Room. But we’ll get back to some of these events a little bit later.

Tales 2011 started off the same way it has the past two years, by running into an old friend inside the lobby of the Monteleone and having that first Sazerac of the week at the Carousel Bar.

Sazeracs in “to go cups” at the Carousel Bar.

The first seminar of the week that I attended and one that had been on my radar since the seminars were announced months earlier was “Brand Ambassadors”. The topic specifically was do we still need brand ambassadors? And do they do more good than bad?

Brand Ambassadors-Do we love them or hate them?

Our good host for this seminar was the lovely Claire Smith, Brand Mixologist for Belevedere Vodka and Moet Hennessy.

Claire Smith, of Belvedere Vodka and our host for the Brand Ambassadors Seminar.

Speaking on the panel was Simon Ford, Director – Trade Outreach and Brand Education for Pernod Ricard, Allen Katz, Director of Mixology for Southern Wine and Spirits, the always entertaining Angus Winchester of Tanqueray Gin, John Lermayer, Dan Warner, Beefeater Global Brand Ambassador, and Nuri Djavit of marketing firm, Imedia Connection.

Our Panel for the Brand Ambassador Seminar:Simon Ford, Allen Katz,Angus Winchester of Tanqueray Gin, John Lermayer, Dan Warner, and Nuri Djavit.

Taking the side against Brand Ambassadors were Simon Ford, John Lermayer, and Nuri Djavit while Angus Winchester, Allen Katz and Dan Warner took the side for Brand Ambassadors.

This seminar drew a large and energized crowd, something not always easy to do early in the morning.

The energetic audience at the Brand Ambassadors Seminar. Filled with lots of familiar industry faces.

Some of the items mentioned were:

1.The brand ambassador should not be a glorified sales person but should essentially live and breathe the product they represent. They should understand how it’s made and visit the distillery. They should spread the gospel and joy of their brand.

2.Competing brands should work together. That way all brands involved are seen in the best way and seen as supporting the industry.

3.It is the brand ambassador’s responsibility to educate the corporate side of their company on the products they put out.

4.Brand ambassadors shouldn’t be celebrities. One reason being what happens to a brand once a celebrity is no longer a celebrity? Additionally the brand should be the most important thing, not the person behind it.

5.Also if you’re a brand ambassador, stop re-arranging the shelves behind John Lermayer’s bar.

The overall opinion of the audience at the end of the presentation was that the industry still needs brand ambassadors to continue to educate on the brand they are representing. Out of all the seminars I’ve attended in the past three years at Tales of the Cocktail, this one might be the most memorable. It might because the timing was just right on the topic, about two weeks before attending this seminar I started working with Angel’s Envy Whiskey as their brand ambassador for the NY Area. It could also have to do with a great panel of speakers, a great host and the right combination of educational points and good humor that made this seminar one that I’ll remember for years to come.

And now we arrive to the events of Thursday. Thursday Night has traditionally been the night the Spirited Dinners take place. And this year was no difference. While I’d love to be able to say I spent most of Thursday attending seminars, I only was able to make it to one seminar before running off to finish up a few last minute items to prep for the Spirited Dinner I was doing with Jonathan and Jeffrey Pogash at the Grill Room inside the Windsor Terrace Hotel.

That’s the bad news. Well that and the fact I that I walked in halfway through this seminar.The good news is that it was a seminar dubbed “The Mysteries of Wood Maturation”. The seminar was lead by Doug Frost(of BAR), Dale Degroff(also of BAR) and Alain Royer (of The Remy-Cointreau Group)

For the part of the seminar I did manage to catch, Alain had some great slides that demonstrated what each chemical compound that exists in oak contributes to the aromas of the spirit aging in the barrel.

And then he tasted us through through several samples that were aged under different conditions.

Sadly I would have liked to catch more of this seminar, but missed a good portion of it due to other commitments that day.

After the seminar it was back to prepping for my spirited dinner. The rest of the day went by pretty quickly until it was finally almost time the dinner to start.

When I walked into the Grill Room, located inside the Windsor Court Hotel I was greeted with the calm site of the area we had reserved for our spirited dinner.

The Grill Room-The Calm before the Storm

It was now time to setup the bar and begin prep for the evening’s cocktail service.

The bar setup at the Grill Room.

B.G Reynolds(formerly Trader Tiki) syrups that were used in two of our cocktails.

The Balvenie and Tuthilltown Spirits Hudson Unaged Corn Whiskey, two of the sponsors for our spirited dinner. The other sponsors were Glen Fiddich, Tullmore Dew and GIbson Canadian Whisky.

Here’s the menu we served:

Aperitif Cocktail
The Dutchess of Hudson
Chai Tea-infused Hudson Corn Whiskey, fresh orange juice, Mathilde peach liqueur, freshly grated nutmeg

****
Carpaccio of Milk Fed Veal
Smoked Portabella Mushrooms, Shaved Pecorino, Rainier Olive Oil
Paired with
Crooked Bowtie
Tullamore Dew Irish Whisky, Cardamaro, Dolin dry vermouth, Hendrick’s Gin, Boker’s Bitters

****

Seared Gulf Yellow Fin Tuna
French Lentils, Cured Tomatoes, Foie Gras Reduction
Paired with
The Pangaea Experiment
Glenfiddich 15-yr old whisky, Solerno blood orange liqueur, Trader Tiki’s passionfruit syrup, Kahlani coconut liqueur, ginger beer, The Bitter Truth aromatic bitters

****

Whiskey Braised Niman Ranch Pork
Root Beer Leaf, Salsify, Pearl Onions, Jus
Paired with
The Draper
Gibson Canadian Whiskey, Laird’s bonded applejack, Cocchi Americano, maple syrup, Regan’s orange bitters, Peychaud’s bitters, Laphroiag single malt

****

Grilled Tender Loin of Montana Elk
Parmesan Gnocchi’s, Braised Red Cabbage, Roquefort Cream
Paired with
Daisy Duke
Hudson Baby Bourbon, home-made grenadine, fresh lemon juice, Peychaud’s bitters
****

Irish Whiskey Cake
Whiskey “Gummy”, Praline Crunch Ice Cream, Heath Crunch Glaze
Paired with
A Slow Walk Down Memory Lane
Balvenie 14-yr old Rum cask single malt, Lustau Pedro Ximenez sherry, Trader Tiki vanilla syrup, Bitterman’s mole bitters, whole egg, Green Chartreuse, grated cinnamon

Remember that empty room that I first saw when I arrived at the Grill Room? Well it filled up pretty nicely by the time our spirited dinner was about to start.

The dining room at the Grill Room.

Putting the finishing touches on a round of cocktails before they go out.

In between courses, Jeffrey, Jonathan and myself would present to all attendees on how we came up with each cocktail as well as a bit of history on each whisk(e)y.

A toast to the evening of enjoyment filled with great food and tasty libations.

A table full of cocktails.

After several courses and many cocktails we were ready to serve the last cocktail of the evening to pair with the dessert course. This recipe happened to be a flip, so it called for an whole egg (recipe” A Slow Walk Down Memory Lane” shown below), so we had shake these a bit harder than most of the other shaken drinks.

Shaking the final cocktail of the night.

Jeffrey Pogash, Hal Wolin, Casey McMurray and Jonathan Pogash.

While I realize I mentioned I worked alongside Jason Littrell at the Don Julio “Party like a Don” party that launched the 70th anniversary bottling of Don Julio, I unfortunately didn’t get a chance to snap any pictures as I was too busy shaking cocktails behind the bar. I’ll leave you with this what my hotel room looked like before the event.

Batching Equipment and Bar Gear for a week worth of events

Note the large amount of batching gear. Something definitely needed if you’re going to serve cocktails to several hundred attendees over the course of a several hour party.

We’re going to jump ahead further to the last few hours of Tales of the Cocktail 2011 and I’ll leave you with one final picture of the Bartender’s Breakfast, the closing party that’s put on every year at the end of Tales of the Cocktail by Pernod-Ricard(Beefeater,Plymouth,Jameson,Pernod Absinthe,Chivas,Avion). While one picture can’t really sum up a party, it should at least give you an idea of how much fun everyone seemed to have.

Plymouth Gin on Ice. Does life get better than this?

And with that last shot, I bid you adieu until Tales 2012.

As Day 21 of A Muddled Thought’s Gin Madness, lets jump over to the Oregon and the Ransom Distillery. Founded in 1997, by Tad Seestedt, Master Distiller, the distillery started off producing wine which was their main product output until 2007 when whiskey and gin’s were added to the line-up. Two years later, the year’s 2009 and Ransom releases its latest project Old Tom Gin.

A recipe that was two years in the making as well as a apet project of Ransom’s Master Distiller, Tad Seestedt who worked with esteemed spirits historian, author and mixologist Dave Wondrich to perfect this modern take on Old Tom Style Gin.

Botanicals including juniper, coriander, angelica, as well as orange and lime are infused with a small amount of high proof corn spirit. This is then blended with a barley-based whisky. This blended spirit is then sent through a final distillation via a copper pot still before being placed in oak barrels to age for a brief period of time.

As one of the only two Old Tom style gins on the market(the other Haymans),be prepared for a spirit unlike anything you’ve probably tried before. Even before you take that first sip, Ransom Old Tom teases you with aromas of sweet cardamon. Once you put this elegant liquid to the palate it grabs you with hints of lemon, honey, that leads into minute inklings of sweet peppermint and the occasional presence of corn.

As you delve deeper into Ransom, notes of pistachio, dough and the touches of cherries reveal themselves before bidding you adieu with a soothing lemon finish.
Tad Seestedt, along with Dave Wondrich managed to succeed in creating an amazing example of Gin. In addition to being extremely sippable on it’s own, it also works very nicely in cocktails.

Playing with Time
1 3/4 oz Ransom Old Tom
¾ oz Maraschino
½ oz Lemon Juice
½ oz Simple Syrup

Playing with Time. A combination of Ransom Old Tom Gin, Maraschino Liquor, Lemon Juice, Simple Syrup and an Absinthe Rinse.

Shake with Ice
Rinse Coupe with Absinthe, then discard

Serve Up.

The Three Year Sayonara
2 oz Ransom Old Tom
½ oz Velvet Falernum
½ oz Passion Fruit
½ oz Cinnamon Syrup
½ oz Lime Juice
A cap full of Pernod
Shake with Ice

Serve in Zombie or Collins filled with Crushed Ice
Top with Roughly 1oz Scarlet Ibis Trinidadian Rum
Garnish with Mint Spring

The Three Year Sayonara. A combination of Ransom Old Tom Gin, Velvet Falernum, Passion Fruit Puree, Cinnamon Syrup, Lime Juice and Pernod.

The Bar Smarts Tool Kit

Are you a bartender looking to take your skills to the next level? Or are you a cocktail geek looking to push your geekiness further?

Then maybe BarSmarts WIRED is just what your looking for.

After the success of the five day BAR (or Beverage Alcohol Resource) Program led by cocktail luminaries such as Dale DeGroff, Dave Wondrich, Steve Olson, Paul Pacult and Andy Seymour, this same group created the Bar Smarts Advanced Program. This is a one-day program that consists of lectures, a hands-on practical exam in which the student is required to prepare three cocktails for one of the BAR instructors and a one hundred question exam including a blind tasting portion. Students prep prior to this one-day event with four weeks of study that include four online quizzes.

Bringing this concept one step closer to home and making it even easier to access, Pernod-Ricard and the BAR Instructors created BarSmarts WIRED, an online version of the BarSmarts Advanced Class.

Through BarSmarts WIRED, participants complete assignments, take exams and gain certification at home or in their work environment during the specified two-month window.

This online version of BarSmarts covers the same topics that the live version does, only allowing the participant to take part from the comfort of their own home. Making it easy for any bartender or spirits enthusiast to expand their spirits knowledge and learn how a spirit is made and how to properly pick apart flavor notes in a spirit, as well as expand and gain new insight into classic recipes and bar techniques.

The cost of the program is $45 and includes a BarSmarts branded bag and bar tools, which will be sent to all registered participants. While not currently open for sign-up, BarSmarts WIRED will be re-opening on February, 1st 2010.

So if you have someone in the family that’s a bartender or appreciates the craft of cocktails, think about getting them a late holiday gift in BarSmarts WIRED.

For additional information, visit http://www.barsmarts.com

With the holidays approaching, we decided to take a look at some items that if we received we’d be very pleased with.

This list covers all range of spirits and mixology fans, whether your looking for a gift for your favorite bartender such as Japanese barware, a book to get a friend started exploring and learning how to make cocktails at home, or a unique spirit that you’d think would make a great gift for that spirit enthusiast in the family, we’ve got everything covered here.

So over the next 12 days, we’ll be posting a new gift recommendation each day.

Several weeks ago I attended a Beam Global Portfolio party in which I bumped into several individuals that were working with the new Benji Menedez Partagas Master Series Majestuoso Cigar line. During the discussion the topic came up of pairing this new cigar with a spirit.
As someone who enjoys a cigar from time to time, they offered to send me one to give a try and provide some thoughts on a spirit pairing.
The Partagas Majestuoso is a limited series that’s only being available in quantities of a five thousand box run with twenty cigars per box.
After nosing the cigar a bit, I detected some aromas of chocolate and espresso. Which made my first thought to try a rum that had some similar flavors to it.

I happened to have a bottle of Chairman’s Reserve St. Lucian Rum handy that seemed like it might be a good fit. With Chairman’s Reserve being a combination of double distilled and continuous stilled rums its flavors of vanilla, caramel and cocoa among others made it a nice pairing with the flavors of the Majestuoso. A few other options to explore would be a tequila that has similar tones such as Riazul, Partida Reposado, or Milagro Anejo or a whiskies such as Laphroaig, or a Dalmore King Alexander that would play well with the flavors present in the cigar.

If your interested in trying a Benji Menedez Partagas Master Series Majestuoso Cigar, there holding several events to announce the launch of the cigar.

To register for one of these events you can go to BenjiMenendezSocial.com.
You’ll be asked to enter one of the city specific passwords below. Each password is limited to twenty-five attendees.
City Time Password
Los Angeles, CA Dec. 1, 2009, from 6-8 p.m. BC6FE5A
Las Vegas, NV Dec. 3, 2009, from 6-8 p.m. 002F932
Chicago, IL Dec. 8, 2009, from 6-8:30 p.m. FA0B2B1
New York, NY Dec. 15, 2009, from 6-8 p.m. 93F0C04

When do Bartenders have Breakfast? Usually late at night. What better time to celebrate the last night at Tales then with an unbelievable bash thrown by Plymouth Gin.

Uber Bar Tools Pro Stirrer

Finally some fresh tools to go with all these fresh ingredients.

So that doesn’t really make sense, though that was originally going to be the title for this article, which is the first thing that came to mind when I came across Uber Tools. With the move to fresh ingredients, home-made infusions, bitters, and more creative thinking behind the bar it was only a matter of time before someone decided to redo some of the most prized tools of the modern day bartender who more and more frequently are becoming known as mixologists.

Uber Bar Tools, a company based out of Australia has created a set of revised, high quality and nearly indestructible tools to be used by future mixologists.

We decided to take a look at a three of their products, the Pro Stirrer, The Julep Strainer and The Strain Ray.

So as many modern day mixologists tend to break ice with bar spoons, what better product to come up with then a bar spoon that includes a weighted back that is perfect for breaking and shaping ice to fit the drink at hand. The Pro Stirrer is weighted perfectly and just feels right in your hand. Made of high quality metal, it works great in any task as simple as stirring a drink, to helping top a drink with another spirit such as the occasional absinthe or wine float.

Next up a look at both of the Julep Strainer and Strain Ray. The Julep Strainer works great when mixing with fruits or vegetables and trying to keep most pieces out of your cocktail such as mint, basil or most berries. A note if working with some fruit such as black berries or blueberries we’d recommend adding another strainer to filter out additional pieces as while the julep strainer did a better job than we’ve seen with other strainers it did still let an occasional small piece through.

The Julep Strainer assisting in the end product.

The UberTools Julep Strainer

Sadly there’s not much we can say about the ray strainer, which is actually a good thing. It just does what it was designed to do. It fits in a boston shaker perfectly, and allows you to strain your drinks, keeping the ice and other ingredients out of your glass. As with the other Uber Bar Tools, it’s solidly built and does a great job for what it was designed for.

The Strainers in Action

A Closeup of the Uber Bar Tools StrainRay

The Uber Bar Tools Pro Stirrer retails for $21.95 while the Julep Strainer is $19.95 and the Strain Ray is priced at $29.95

Uber Bar Tools set out to do exactly what they wanted, to create a set of well crafted and durable tools for the modern day bartender or mixologist. These would a valuable addition to anyone’s bar kit. Additional information can be found at the Uber Bar Tools Website- http://www.uberbartools.com/

I’ve been unable to find any issues with these tools, and plan to add instructions to my will to be buried with the Pro-Stirrer as it’s become my favorite tool in my current bartending kit.

Kanpai is the Japanese equivalent of the english word cheers. Which is exactly what you’ll say after that first sip of whiskey from the Suntory family.

The Suntory Distillery was established in 1923. Suntory founder Shinjior Torii had the vision to create a whisky that embodied the spirit of Japan and was suited to fit the environmental conditions of Japan. Using a pot still based system* in which the flame is applied directly to the distillation system, this allows Suntory to develop scotches with a wide range of flavors from a light whisky to a heavy whiskey. While Suntory does use traditional pot still distillation methods, it does have some unique characteristics that its competition, that of Scotland and Ireland lack such as utilizing the pure waters of Kyoto which allow for the notes of honey that are a segment of the flavor profile. In addition, Suntory uses a combination of American, Spanish and Japanese oak to create it’s unique flavor.

So you’re probably wondering okay sounds like the process behind Suntory Yamazaki Scotch is similar to how distilleries produce their products, but does it taste any good?

Well actually yes. We took a look at both the 12-year and 18-year varieties of single malt Suntory Yamazki scotch.

12-Year Old Yamazaki

The 12-year exhibits notes of sweetness and heavy barley on the nose. When moving on to tasting it neat, flavors of oak, malt, barley banana and even the occasionally notes of toffee and nuts show themselves. Once a splash of water is applied, the sweetness that appeared while nosing the scotch comes out even more followed by mellow tones of butter, and mild notes of honey. Oddly adding water also gave this scotch a bit more heat, which is something we’ve not come across before, though while it did have an additional kick once a splash was applied it didn’t lose any of the original flavor. This scotch seems suited more for the experienced scotch drinker, rather than serving as an introduction to scotch for someone.

Rating- 8 out of 10

18-Year Old Suntory Yamazaki

In total opposition of the 12-year Suntory Yamazaki is the 18-year which between the two bottlings is the preferred option. While this might come off predictable in choosing the more aged of the two options, the reasoning behind this is due to the more balanced profile that the 18-year exhibits. Starting off with the nose that displays hints of honey, cherry that occasionally shows itself and a pleasant sweetness that just calls you to taste it. When taken neat the 18-year has a body that holds flavors of sweetness, mild vanilla and notes of oak. Upon adding water, some notes of berry begin to blossom. Additional mild notes of coffee then join alongside these notes of berry. Unlike some other whisky’s that are of similar age, the 18-year Suntory Yamazaki finishes very smoothly, and not harsh. These flavors and smooth finish make this a great introductory whisky to introduce any beginner to the world of single malts.

Rating 8.5 out of 10

A Glass of Suntory Yamazaki with a proper Japanese Ice Cube.

If enjoying a Japanese scotch on ice, the best style of ice to use according to the Japanese are ice spheres.

Don’t worry unlike some other Japanese innovations, you can purchase these within the US.

As pictured above, these can be purchased via the Museum of Modern Art’s store.

Follow this link for more information:

Moma Store Ice Spheres

*Pot Still –In a pot still distillation system, heat is applied directly to the pot that contains the mash. By utilizing this distillation method it allows for the vapor to condense with the alcohol and create a richer spirit. This process is usually repeated twice. Once this is complete, the spirit (in this scotch) is placed in barrels to develop age, which then results in a change from a clear to a darker brown spirit.

Pimms, the classic gin based liquor has it’s origins dating back to the 1800’s in a London bar. Invented by James Pimm as a digestif , it features a citrus and spicy herb taste. Today, Pimms is most commonly associated with the cocktail known as Pimms Cup.
We at A Muddled Thought decided in addition to trying out the Pimms Cup to also have some fun and see what other recipes we could invent using Pimms.

The Classic Pimms Cup Recipe-

2 oz Pimms No.1
Fill Highball Glass with Ice
½ oz Fresh Lemon Juice
Top with 7up, Sprite or Ginger Ale
Note: There are many variations of this recipe. Some use fresh lemonade instead of soda, and add other ingredients including cucumber.

Thinking the Pimms might balance with a Blanco Tequila and the sweetness of some Velvet Falernum, we came up with Rosa Pimms.

The Rosa Pimms. A Combination of Pimms No.1, Blanco Tequila, and Velvet Falernum.

Rosa Pimms

2 Oz- Pimms No .1
1 oz Partida Blanco Tequila
½ oz Velvet Falernum
Fresh Lime Juice(Half a Lime)
2 Dashes Whiskey Barrel Bitters

And to follow the Rosa up, here’s a drink that might help quench your summer thirsts. A new take on punch using Pimms and adding bourbon, Licor 43, and some mint leaves.

A Pimms Splash. A combination of Pimms No.1, Bourbon, Licor 43, Orange Juice and Grapefruit Bitters.

The Pimms Splash-

Pimms Splash
1 oz Pimms No. 1
2 Oz Makers Mark Bourbon
Bar Spoon of Licor 43
¼ Oz Orange Juice
2 Dashes Grapefruit Bitters
3 Mint Leaves in bottom of glass(Do not muddle, rather clap them)
Shake with Ice
Fill Old Fashioned Glass with Crushed Ice

Q Tonic in it's purest form..

I recently received a sample of Q-Tonic to try out. In recent weeks I’d heard some very interesting things about how Q-Tonic was the next revolution of tonic, with its natural ingredients including Agave, Peruvian Quinine, lemon juice and bitters. The ingredients remind me of the beginnings of a summer beverage.

The story of Q-Tonic can be traced back to a summer night in Brooklyn when Q-Tonic’s founder, Jordan Silbert discovered that the tonic water he and his friends were using was essentially just fructose corn syrup, something that just didn’t seem right to mix with a good gin.

Jordan believed that fresh ingredients and quality spirits should be paired with a tonic water that is capable of standing both alongside as well as on Its own paired with just a lime slice and some ice.

Flash forward a few years later and after having scoured the world from the Peruvian Andes to the Mexican countryside, Jordan emerged with the recipe for Q-Tonic.

As with all items reviewed at A Muddled Thought, I had to try Q-Tonic without any other ingredients. What I discovered is that Q-Tonic by itself has a mildly sweet yet bitter taste, but pairs well with a dash of fresh lemon juice and ice for a quick summer refresher.

After the stand-alone taste test, I decided to try a few recipes. Some classic and some newly created for this review.

First up a Gin and Q-Tonic-

2 oz of your favorite Gin(We used G’Vine Florision for it’s floral and refreshing flavor)
High Ball Glass filled with Ice
Fill with Q-Tonic
Garnish with Lime Wedge

Between the lightness of the Q-Tonic and the Floral Tone to the G’Vine, this would make for a very refreshing version of a Gin and Tonic for those soon to come summer nights.

Next up is a recipe created to take advantage of the agave that’s used in the Q-Tonic.

Entitled the Mellow Q as it’s refreshing and from the few people who tested this drink seemed to be relaxing as well.(Note this drink was tasted by 2 tasters independent of A Muddled Thought)

The Mellow Q-

1 oz Canton Ginger Liquor
2 oz Partida Blanco tequila
1 oz Agave nectar
3 Dashes Grapefruit bitters
Splash of pineapple juice
Serve in a High Ball Glass that’s been filled with crushed ice
Top with Q-Tonic

The Mellow Q. A combination of Blanco Tequila, Canton Ginger, Agave Nectar, Grapefruit Bitters, topped with Q-Tonic.

Inspired by how well the G’Vine and the Q-Tonic worked with each other, I decided to try something a bit different, adding Absinthe, Mint and Averna. This has been dubbed the “Prohibition T”.

The Prohibition T-

The Prohibition “T”
2oz G’Vine Floraision Gin
1 oz Lucid Absinthe
3 Dashes Averna
Four muddled mint leaves
Shake with Ice
Serve in 4.5 oz Coupe Glass

The Prohibition T. A Combination of G'Vine Florasion Gin, Absinthe, Averna, Mint Leaves topped with Q-Tonic.

One final cocktail, a modified Pimms Cup No.1 replacing the Soda with Q-Tonic.

“Mind your P’s and Q’s” (Pimms and Q-Tonic)

2 ½ Pimms
½ Oz Fresh Lime Juice
3 Dashes Grapefruit Bitters
Fill Highball Glass with Ice
Top with Q-Tonic

Mind your P's and Q's- Pimms No.1 , Fresh Lime Juice, Grapefruit Bitters, and Q-Tonic.