A Muddled Thought

Smith and Cross-Navy Strength Jamaican Rum-Courtesy of Haus Alpenz

After eagerly awaiting the announcement for this year’s seminars at Tales, they slowly began to take shape a few months ago, as they they began to be updated in small groups, one seminar caught my attention right away, based purely on title alone- “At Full Sail: The History and Application of Spirits at Proof, Navy Strength and Overproof”.

I’ve always felt that with the exception of a few drinks, the joys and wonders of overproofed spirits have gone unsung. People’s reaction outside of the spirits world to something bottled at anything over 80 proof otherwise labeled as Navy-Strength or overproof is usually something of fear or something along the line of “Dude if you set it on fire I’ll drink it”. From the overview I’ve gotten of this seminar’s coverage of this topic, the presenters mean to change this perception.

And what better group of presenters could we ask for?

Moderated by Eric Seed, Owner of Specialty Spirits Importer and the man responsible for bringing Crème de Violette, Allspice Dram, Velvet Falernum, and Hayman’s Old Tom Gin back in the hands of today’s bartender. Eric will moderate a panel made up that includes Audrey Saunders, celebrated mixologist and owner of The Pegu Club, Wayne Curtis, author of “And a Bottle of Rum: A History of the New World in Ten Cocktails” and Britt K Chavanne, of Kentucky Bourbon Distillers, Ltd..

During the course of this seminar, these folks will discuss the history of high proof spirits, the story behind “Navy Strength” and how to properly use these wonderous yet potent spirits in cocktails, both classic and modern recipes.

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.

As luck would have it, after covering all things Gin, here at A Muddled Thought for the past several weeks, we’ve had some time to take a look at another gin or two. As mentioned in our coverage of Old Tom, a sweeter styled gin, there are currently only two Old Tom offerings available in today’s market. Ransom, hailing from Ransom Distilleries of Oregon and Hayman’s Old Tom imported into the US by Haus Alpenz, the same people that helped make Batavia Arrack, and Crème De Violette available to use in today’s cocktails.

One of, if not the first Old Tom style Gin available, Hayman’s a gin that originates circa 1820 via James Burroughs; Mr. Burroughs also happens to be the same man behind Beefeater London Dry. While the Beefeater brand was sold off in 1987, the Hayman family led by Chairman and James Burroughs’s great grandson Chris Hayman retained partial ownership of the business. Based on a family recipe, Chris continues to oversee production of this magnificent spirit that has influenced imbibing from past into the present and thanks to Haus Alpenz will continue being part of our spirits culture far into the future.

Using a column still along with botanicals that include juniper berries, coriander seed, angelica root, along with orange and lemon peels among others, leads to the end result of a gin that grabs you from start to finish.

From that first second of that first taste, Hayman’s throws it all at you. A sweet seductive opening with hints of juniper waltz across your palate with nuances of sweetness. These notes of sweet lead into the minute touches of pepper, coriander, sweet orange and teases of cinnamon. As that last drop hits your palate you’re left with hints of vanilla, and perfectly defined touches of citrus.

A Bit of Time
1 ½ Haymans Old Tom Gin
1 oz DH Krahn Gin
Barspoon Allspice Dram
½ Cinnamon Syrup
½ Lime Juice
2 Dashes of The Bitter Truth Aromatic Bitters

A Bit of Time. A combination of Hayman’s Old Tom Gin, DH Krahn Gin, Allspice Dram, Cinnamon Syrup, Lime Juice and The Bitter Truth Aromatic Bitters.

Bungalo Bay
1 ½ oz Haymans Old
½ oz Batavia Arrack
½ oz Vanilla Syrup
Peach Bitters
Eggwhite
Sprinkle Cinnamon on Top

Bungalo Bay. A combination of Haymans Old Tom Gin, Batavia Arrack, Vanilla Syrup, Peach Bitters, and Eggwhite.

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.

After taking a look at Tanqueray London Dry Gin a few weeks ago, we now come to Tanquerays two younger siblings. Tanqueray Ten and Tanqueray Rangpur.

These two gins couldn’t be more different than one another.
Tanqueray Ten (or Tanq 10) is created by distilling handpicked fresh fruits such as white grapefruits limes and oranges and is distilled in small batches. In addition to fresh grapefruit and oranges, additional botanicals include juniper berries and coriander seeds.

This results in a gin that starts off with slightly sweet notes and a creamy feel on the mouth that are married with tones of juniper, and subtle hints of mint. Tanqueray Ten ends with a floral and peppery finish.

On the other side of the gin spectrum, sits Tanqueray Rangpur. Launched in 2007, the center of this spirits flavors stems from the Rangpur lime. While little has been shared about the distillation process, the rare Rangpur lime joins other botanicals such as juniper berries, coriander, bay leaves and ginger to create a spirit that opens with light notes of juniper and sharply defined lime leading to a mellow and soothing finish.

The Whiz Bang

1 ¾ oz Tanqueray Ten Gin
Eggwhite
2 Dashes Fernet Branca
½ oz Batavia Arrack
½ Grapefruit Juice
¼ oz Lemon Juice
½ oz Chai Demerara
2 Dashes of Grapefruit Bitters

The Whiz Bang. A combination of Tanqueray Ten, Fernet Branca, Eggwhite, Grapefruit Juice, Chai Demerara Syrup and Grapefruit Bitters.

Jumping the Fence
1 ¾ oz Tanqueray 10
½ oz Crème De Cacao
½ oz Yellow Chartreuse
½ oz Simple Syrup
½ oz Lemon Juice

Jumping the Fence. A combination of Tanqueray Ten, Creme De Cacao, Yellow Chartreuse, Simple Syrup and Lemon Juice.

The Sly Bandit
1 1/2 oz Tanqueray Rangpur
½ oz Navan Vanilla Liquor
½ oz Averna
½ oz Lime Juice
2 Dashes Peach Bitters

The Sly Bandit. A combination of Tanqueray Rangpur, Navan Vanilla Liqueur, Averna, Lime Juice and Peach Bitters.

“Tin-Tin”
1 ½ oz Tanqueray Rangpur Gin
¼ oz Veev Acai Liquor
¼ oz Aperol
1 Orange Slice
Cucumber
¼ Simple Syrup
Muddle the Orange Slice, Cucumber Slice and ¼ oz Simple Together
Add rest of ingredients, shake with ice.
Serve Up in Coupe.

“Outside Rangoon”

2 oz Tanqueray Rangpur Gin
3-5 Mint Leaves
1 oz Simple Syrup
Barspoon of Tanteo Jalapeno Tequila
¼ oz Lime Juice
Muddle Mint Leaves and Simple Syrup
Add rest of ingredients, shake with ice.

Serve up In Coupe.

Moving along from yesterday’s look at American-made Seneca Drums we move back across the world to France with a look at the G’vine family of gins.
The G’vine family of gins includes to vastly different offerings, known as Floraison and Nouaison.

Both offerings start with a neutral grape spirit, instead of the more traditional neutral grain based spirit. Creating this base spirit is done by taking Ugni Blanc grapes that have been turned into wine and then and passing them through a column still a total of four times.

At this point the neutral grape spirit is ready to be used to create the gins known as Floraison and Nouaison.

While both gins are created using nine of the same botanicals which include juniper berries, green cardamon, lime, nutmeg, liquorice, ginger root, and cassia bark its this 10th botanical that is truly responsibly for the uniqueness of each spirit.

With Floraison , this 10th botanical is the incredibly rare green grape flower. With a time of only a few days during June of which this flower blossoms, G’vine only has a small window to harvest these flowers.

Prior to blossoming, this green grape flower is hand picked and macerated into neutral grape spirit for several days in order to capture the essence and full character of these flowers. After maceration is complete, this liquid is then distilled in copper pot stills. While this is occurring the other nine botanicals are being distilled separately and then are combined with the flower infused spirit for one final distillation to create Floraison.

The end result a spirit that welcomes the palate upon that first sip with hints of cocoa, mint, that segues into cleanly defined notes of fresh grass and burnt orange with occasional touches of celery that sneak in before bidding you farewell via light touches of smoke and orange marmalade.

With Nouaison the 10th botantical is still the seductively elegant green grape flower, however this time the grape has begun to blossom and give birth to a small green berry. This minor difference between what stage the grape is picked out, leads to the difference between the two gins.

This difference shows itself in Nouaison’s taste which grabs you right away with touches of pepper and lemon that lead into hints of burnt and candied oranges, cinnamon, and some touches of heat and barley that finishes with additional hints of pepper and citrus.

Middle of the Pond
1 1/2 oz G’ Vine Nouaison Gin
1 oz Sazerac Rye
½ oz Cinnamon Syrup
Barspoon Mathilde Peach Liqueur
2 dashes Regans Orange Bitters
Garnish with Lemon Zest

Middle of the Pond. A combination of 1 1/2 oz G' Vine Nouaison Gin, Sazerac Rye, Cinnamon Syrup, Mathilde Peach Liqueur, and Regans Orange Bitters.

The Twisted Story
2 oz G’Vine Nouaison Gin
½ Green Chartreuse
½ Cinnamon Syrup
½ oz Lemon Juice
1oz Lillet Blanc
Burnt Orange Zest

The Twisted Story. G'Vine Nouaison, Green Chartreuse, Cinnamon Syrup, Lillet Blanc, and Lemon Juice.

With a flick of the Wrist
1 ¾ oz G’Vine Floraison Gin
½ Aperol
½ oz Crème De Cacao
2 Dash Mole Bitters
Egg White

With a Flick of the Wrist. A combination of Floraison Gin, Aperol, Creme De Cacao, Mole Bitters and Eggwhite.

Crossing the Barrier

1 ¾ oz G’ Vine Floraison
½ oz Solerno
½ oz Los Amantes Mezcal
½ oz Batavia Arrack
½ Lemon Juice
Burnt Orange Zest

Crossing the Barrier. A combination of G’ Vine Floraison, Solerno, Los Amantes Mezcal, Batavia Arrack, and Lemon Juice.

Our next gin hails from a distillery located in Upstate New York, known as the Finger Lakes Distillery, taken its namesake from the very area it calls home, specifically the Finger Lakes Region.

Formed in 2007 when Brian McKenzie, and Thomas Earl McKenzie(no relation) met at a distillers conference. Brian, with a background in finance, was looking to open a business in the Finger Lakes Region of New York, and connected with Thomas who has a long history of consulting with distilleries, and as a wine maker. Out of this chance meeting, Finger Lakes Distillery was born.

The Last Days of Summer. A combination of Seneca Drums Gin, Green Chartreuse, Black Pepper Watermelon Syrup and Lemon Juice.

Finger Lakes Distillery creates all its spirits via a 300 gallon copper pot still that was created by the Holstein Company and flown in from Markdoff Germany. Finger Lakes Distillery tends to keep everything close to home, with the company run by Brian, his wife, Jennifer, Brian’s parents, several cousins and Thomas.

Starting with a neutral grape alcohol base, that’s blended with some grain neutral spirit. Finger Lakes then macerates its botanicals during the first distillation. During a second distillation the botanicals are soaked directly in the base spirit.
Using a series of botanicals including juniper , cardamom, coriander, citrus, fresh cucumber, black pepper, and licorice results in a spirit, that introduces itself with notes of floral and sweetness on the nose. These notes are balanced just right so as to tempt and stir the desire to see what the spirit feels like whence it meets with your palate.

When you finally indulge in tasting this homegrown gin, you’re hit with notes of lemon, black pepper, candied ginger and coriander that ends with an refreshing twist of lime.

With Seneca Drums Gin, the Mckenzies have managed to create something a bit different than a standard dry gin. The spirit manages to balance occasional sweet notes with hints of dryness without introducing an overpowering presence of juniper. Any gin lover looking to experience something truly different should seek Seneca Drums out as they’ll be pleasantly surprised.

The Last Days of Summer
1 ¾ Seneca Drums Gin
½ oz Green Chartreuse
½ Lemon Juice
¾ Black Pepper Watermelon Syrup
Garnish with Lemon Slice and if available watermelon that’s been sprinkled with black pepper presented on toothpick.

Three Outta Three

Milagro Blanco 1 3/4
Milagro Anejo 3/4 oz
Seneca Drums Gin 1 oz
1/2oz Lime Juice
1 Mole Bitter
2 Dashes Grapefruit Bitters
2 Barspoons Agave Nectar

Three Outta Three. A combination of Seneca Drums Gin, Milagro Anejo and Blanco Tequilas, Mole and Grapefruit Bitters, Agave Nectar.and Grapefruit Juice.

Released in 2006 by Philadelphia Distilling and named to pay homage to the revolutionary soldiers who fought for this country, Bluecoat Gin continues to keep close to home by using botanicals such as organic juniper berries, and American citrus peels including sweet oranges and lemons. Other than these few botanicals, the remainder of the ingredients used to bring Bluecoat to life remain a secret to all except Master Distiller Robert Cassell.

Robert works his magic creating Bluecoat by a means of a ten-hour distillation process that starts with a slow heating of the pot still to enable Robert to slowly separate the heads and tails (the impurities) and leave the heart of the spirit. Once this process has been completed, the remaining spirit is bottled with triple filtered water to bring it down to 94 proof (or 47%ABV) and is filtered and tasted before Robert gives the go-ahead to begin bottling.

Bluecoat is a gin that starts off very soft and floral. This softness leads the way into notes of lemon, and hints of black pepper that tag along with each sip. Blue coat finishes with a touch of heat and sweetness.

A very light and refreshing gin that’s soft enough for one to sip on its own with a rock of ice.

Philisski
1 ¾ Bluecoat
¾ oz Aperol
¾ North Shore Aquavit
½ oz Simple Syrup
Grapefruit Bitters
Shake, Serve in Collins filled with Ice
Top with Club Soda

Philisski. A combination of Blue Coat Gin, North Shore Aquavit, Simple Syrup, and Grapefruit Bitters. Top with Club Soda.

Cool Revolution
2 oz Blue Coat
¼ oz Yellow Chartreuse
½ Lemon Juice
½ Simple Syrup
Egg White
Top with Mint Leaf

Cool Revolution. A combination of Blue Coat Gin, Yellow Chartreuse, Simple Syrup, Lemon Juice and Eggwhite

Coming in at higher proof than most gins you’ll normally come across on the back bar of your favorite speakeasy or local spirit vendor, Junipero Gin rings in at a hefty 98.6 proof or in another words 49.3% alcohol.

Hailing from Anchor Distilling, the same company responsible for Old Poterero Rye and the infamous Anchor Steam Beer, very little information is currently shared regarding the background of Junipero Gin.

What is known is this; Anchor Distilling uses a minimum of twelve botanicals, and uses the “soaking” method to infuse the flavors of these secret botanicals into the spirit, billed as a Dry or Distilled Dry Gin.

As the master distiller, Fritz Maytag currently refuses to share any information regarding any of these twelve botanicals, we can only taste the spirit and guess what he must use to create Junipero.

This secretive spirit starts out with a nose filled with juniper, and spice. As you begin to introduce Juniper to your palate, you hit with notes of lemon, orange zest, occasional flavors of celery, that mellows to introduce a flavor similar to a fresh baked bread or a dough that finishes with an almost sweet white wine like finale.

Sunset over the Bay
1 ¾ oz Junipero Gin
½ oz Orange Juice
¾ Lillet Blanc
2 Dashes Regans Orange Bitters
Barspoon Orange Marmalade
Bar Spoon Vieux Carre Absinthe

Sunset over the Bay. A combination of Junipero Gin, Vieux Carre Absinthe, Lillet Blanc, Orange Marmalade, Orange Juice and Regan's Orange Bitters.

Jumping from our last gin, Port of Barcelona hailing from Spain we skip over to Scotland and Hendricks Gin. Hendricks, a gin instantly associated with cucumbers by most gin drinkers. But that Hendricks, she’s a gin of so many more personalities. This can be attributed to the process used to birth this wonderous spirit. By taking a step outside the box that many distillers live in, and using a process that combines two different styles of distillation, the end result is a spirit with many different notes.

Before we get to all that, let’s take a quick look at what botanicals go into Hendricks. Hendricks infuses about thirteen different botanicals into its base spirit. Outside of the usual juniper berry, citrus peels, coriander, angelica and orris roots, Hendricks introduces elderflower, meadowsweet, and caraway to its neutral spirit during the distillation process. Oh and what a distillation process it is.

Unlike most other gins, Hendricks ’starts off by a vapor based distillation process by means of a Carter Head Still for one of its two base spirits. In this particular style of still, the botanicals are placed in a basket and meet the rising vapors of the spirit originate from the base of the still. This is but one part of the Hendricks Process. The second step of the process that leads to Hendricks is taking these same botanicals and steeping them again and the base spirit. These two separate distillations are combined or married together before the final ingredients of rose petal and cucumbers are added via an infusion method to create the spirit we all know as Hendricks Gin.

With a process like this, Hendricks falls under a category all its own and definitely doesn’t disappoint when it meets the palate. As you take that first sip, Hendricks grabs the taste buds he moment this elegant gin hits your lips. Layers of delicate sweetness peel away to reveal hints of soothing sweet orange, nuances of tangerine and the occasional touch of cucumber that leads the way into a finish brimming with softness yet at the same time spice.

Ease into It…
1 ¾ oz Hendricks
¾ Black pepper Watermelon Syrup
½ Navan Vanilla Liqueur
½ oz Lemon Juice
2 Dashes Angostura Bitters

Ease into It… A combination of Hendricks Gin, Navan Vanilla Liqueur, Black Pepper Watermelon Syrup, Lemon Juice and Angostura Bitters.

Petite and Deadly
1 ¾ oz Hendricks
¾ oz Laird’s Bonded Applejack
1oz Hudson Apple Vodka
¾ oz Apple Cinnamon Syrup
Barspoon Yellow Chartreuse
2 Dashes The Bitter Truth Aromatic Bitters

Petite and Deadly. A combination of Hendricks Gin, Laird’s Bonded Applejack, Hudson Apple Vodka, Apple Cinnamon Syrup, Yellow Chartreuse and The Bitter Truth Aromatic Bitters.