Big Apple entries head 'Tales' awards

PDT, a New York City cocktail lounge, was named "World's Best Cocktail Bar" at the 7th annual Tales of the Cocktail convention.

Not only that. Co-owner Jim Meehan was named "American Bartender of the Year."

PDT is located at 113 St. Marks Place in Manhattan, near First Avenue.

New York magazine calls it "the hot-dog joint for grown-ups. Actually, it’s the cocktail-lounge annex to Crif Dogs, an East Village mainstay known for its deep-fried Jersey-style franks. Accessed through a vintage phone booth within Crif Dogs, PDT (short for Please Don’t Tell) is a snug, sexy speakeasy with a twist: Along with its high-quality classic cocktails and a well-chosen selection of beer and wine, patrons can order food from Crif’s kitchen next door. Oddly, it works. ...

"As well as rendering classic cocktails with unparalleled expertise, mixologist Jim Meehan (formerly of Gramercy Tavern and Pegu Club) offers up irresistible seasonal creations ... ."

The Merchant Hotel of Belfast, Northern Ireland, won three awards:

• World's Best Hotel Bar
• World's Best Drink Selection
• World's Best Cocktail Menu

Other winners:

• World's Best New Cocktail Bar: The Clover Club, Brooklyn, NY
• Best American Cocktail Bar: Pegu Club, New York City
• International Bartender of the Year: Tony Conigliaro, England
• Helen Davis Lifetime Achievement Award: Peter Dorelli, manager, American Bar, The Savoy Hotel, London

Tales of the Cocktail is an annual event held in New Orleans, where bar professionals, enthusiasts, writers, chefs and others gather to share information in a variety of seminars and demonstrations. This year's Tales ended Sunday night.

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Time for a down-to-Earth 'Moonwalk'

Monday, July 20, will mark the 40th anniversary of astronaut Neil Armstrong’s historic walk on the moon.

The publicity mill at Grand Marnier is making sure everyone remembers its liqueur was part of the first cocktail Armstrong and his crew enjoyed upon their return to Earth in 1969.

The cocktail, called the “Moonwalk,” was created by Joe Gilmore, who was the head barman at the Savoy Hotel in London. Here is the recipe:

1 part Grand Marnier
1 part fresh grapefruit juice
2 dashes rosewater
Moët & Chandon Champagne

Shake ingredients well and strain into a wine glass. Top off with Moët & Chandon.

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Johnnie Walker closures sparking anger

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The last battle on Scottish soil was at Culodden in 1746, during the Stuart uprising. The long peace may be broken if the uproar over the loss of jobs in the country's whisky industry heats up much more.

As the Scottish newspaper the Daily Record reports, "Whisky bosses sparked fury [Friday] night when they told 900 Scots workers there was no hope of saving their jobs."

Diageo, the international drinks giant that owns Johnnie Walker, had announced the closing of its distillery and cooperage in Port Dundas, Glasgow, and the closure of the bottling plant in Kilmarnock. (See earlier story here.) Work from the plants to be closed is to be transferred to other facilities.

"Diageo's European president Andrew Morgan dashed workers' hopes of a reprieve for the Johnnie Walker bottling plant in Kilmarnock. But he promised to leave the town a legacy, possibly in the form of a museum.

"Unite's John Quigley said: 'It's very kind of them to plan a wreath for us, but we aren't dead yet. The death of the plant is being exaggerated. We will continue to campaign to save the plant for our members, the local community and Scotland. We are going to keep on working to ensure that Johnnie Walker stays in Kilmarnock'."

Morgan reiterated the corporation's plans, saying, "Our current plans are very clear. We have done the review and our current plans would say the best alternative, from a competitive angle, is to come out of Kilmarnock.

"We didn't take that decision lightly. And, of course, we are sorry for all the people affected. We have done it to protect the 4,000 people who will remain with us and keep Scotch in Scotland."

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Dry Fly's new whiskey will be a tough buy

Liquor bottle designs have become a true work of art in recent years. The increase in the number of craft distilleries has much to do with that as companies try to draw attention in a crowded market.

One of the most attractive, to my eye, recent ones contains Washington wheat whiskey
from Dry Fly Distilling.

The perfume bottle-shaped decanter is adorned with a fly fishing lure in brilliant red, accented by a red cap and a label with a somewhat metallic-looking background.

What does it taste like? Not many people know at the moment. The first bottles of the two-year-old spirit are being sold to restaurants and bars. What's left of the limited batch then will go on general sale only in the state. So, if you're not a resident of Washington and you're interested in obtaining a bottle of Dry Fly, you'd be well advised to pull any strings you can find with someone who lives in the state to make the purchase for you. You can get a list of the stores that will handle Dry Fly online.

The company says of the rollout, "We will be doing our first release of Washington Wheat Whiskey the first week of August. On August 3rd, Class H license holders (Washington State Licensed Bars and Restaurants) will be able to secure product at the stores listed below. On August 7th those stores will sell their remaining stock to retail customers. Also on August 7th, we will sell our inventory from the distillery. We expect to have about 20 cases at the distillery and expect it to sell out in hours. A limit of 2 bottles per person will be in effect."

Dry Fly, owned and operated by Don Poffenroth and Kent Fleischmann, has been producing gin and vodka in its Spokane craft distillery since 2007. Its German-made Christian Carl pot still has a 450-liter capacity.

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Burnett's unveils ready-to-drink cocktails

RTD. That's an an acronym growing in meaning to those in the beverage industry.

It stands for "ready to drink," a niche being targeted by more and more companies with a wide variety of products.

I recently wrote about Southern Comfort's Sweet Tea Vodka and Hurricane Cocktail RTDs. Now, Heaven Hill Distilleries has unveiled Burnett’s Cocktails. The first three flavors in the line are the cosmopolitan, margarita and mojito.

The prepared cocktails were developed from traditional recipes that feature quadruple-distilled, triple-charcoal filtered Burnett’s Vodka and natural ingredients.

“In-home entertaining and flavor experimentation are incredibly popular trends today, particularly as the economy draws consumers away from the on-premise," said Reid Hafer, senior brand manager for Burnett's. "Consumers may now embrace the cocktail culture off-premise with this new range of cocktails ... ."

Burnett's Cocktails are available in 1.75-liter bottles. They are 15% alcohol by volume, or 30 proof.

Heaven Hill, headquartered in Bardstown, KY, is the nation's largest independent, family-owned and operated spirits producer and marketer. Its Burnett's line has 19 different flavored vodkas.

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Guadalajara to host World Tequila Conference

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Guadalajara's Teatro Degollado
GUADALAJARA, Mexico -- The first World International Tequila Conference will be held here September 13-18.

The conference will be presented in English and offer industry professionals an insider's perspective about the tequila industry, its history, culture, and internal workings. The conference will cover facts about regulations, production techniques, and future challenges faced by the industry.

The deadline for discount registration is July 31, at $450 per person. Regular registration begins on August 1 at $495. Registration costs include entrance and transportation to all the events and distillery tours, conference materials, luncheons and receptions. Registrations after August 31 will be accepted depending on space and availability. Air travel and hotel are not included in the fee.

The conference coordination is being provided by TequilaTours.com. It is registered with the Mexican Secretary of Tourism as a destination management and event organization, specializing in the tequila industry.

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An extremely limited Oregon vodka

What's made in Oregon, for sale only in Virginia, and you have to make a special request for it?

Introducing Black Lab Vodka.

You can get the vodka by requesting it at a Virginia ABC store, product code number 952378.

And, if you don't live in Virginia? As the Black Lab folks say on their Web site:

"If you are unlucky enough not to live in Virginia, and would like to know when it will be in your area, you can contact us or sign up as a Club Lab member. Updates are sent out to all members and anyone else who asks to be notified. We'll also be posting the news of our territorial expansion right here ... . Liquor retailers and distributors can check out the distributors' page for more information."

Black Lab is named after Waterdog Spirits owners Melissa Zeppa's and Kerry Schmelzer's favorite breed of dog. They founded the company in 2007 when the economic decline hit their gift ware niche market business. Zeppa is an artist and designed the vodka bottle.

Black Lab Vodka is a five-times-filtered spirit utilizing water from the Cascade Mountains of Oregon. Its makers note "We could tell you all about how Black Lab Vodka is filtered ... through charcoal and crushed lava rocks and uses only the finest grain and pure clear water ... for a really smooth vodka sipping experience. Even though it's all true, it isn't what is going to make your customers buy it.

"They are going to buy it because the bottle has a Labrador Retriever on it."

Time will tell.

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Montana's first legal whiskey to debut

RoughStock Distillery, the only legal craft distiller in Montana -- ever, is about to unveil its first batch of single malt whiskey.

The facility, located in Bozeman and run by fourth-generation Montanans Bryan and Kari Schultz, has been in operation for two years. Their whiskey is made from Montana-grown and -malted barley, water from fresshwater streams fed by snowmelt, and aged from six months to two years in new, charred oak barrels.

RoughStock's 250-gallon copper pot still was custom designed and manufactured by Vendome Copper and Brass Works in Louisville, KY. The owners plan to produce 3,000 cases a year, with the intent to ratchet up production to 5,000 to 6,000 cases annually.

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KY cooperage will begin welcoming visitors

Brown-Forman announced today it is opening its world-famous cooperage to visitors for the first time in its history.

The Louisville, KY, barrel-making facility also has had its name changed, from Blue Grass Cooperage to Brown-Forman Cooperage.

Barrels are crafted there from American white oak for the aging of spirits owned by Brown-Forman, such as Jack Daniel’s, Woodford Reserve, Old Forester, Early Times, Canadian Mist, El Jimador and Herradura. Brown-Forman is the only spirits company in the world to make its own barrels.

Tours must be arranged in advance online through Mint Julep Tours or by phone at (502) 583-1433. Mint Julep Tours also is offering an “All Woodford, All Day Tour” which includes transportation to both the Brown-Forman Cooperage and Woodford Reserve Distillery, a guided tour, admission to both venues, and lunch.

Is it worth the trip? Having visited Woodford several times as well as having a private your of the cooperage, I'd definitely say yes. The cooperage, which Brown-Forman founded in 1945, turns out more than 1,500 barrels per day,

Here's a small photo tour of thefacility.

---

William M. Dowd photos

Workers known as “barrel raisers” assemble 32 staves into barrels.



As part of the process of a zero-waste manufacturing stream, some scrap wood is made into dowel pegs to hold together barrel headers.


Barrel headers are coated with beeswax, then run through a charring apparatus.



Finished charred headers are stacked up until the remainder of the barrels come off the assembly line.

Meanwhile, the barrels are “toasted.” Wood begins to ignite at 482°F, creating a controlled char of the inside of each barrel.
Once barrels are fully processed, they are put on conveyer belts and head for their final destinations.

---

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A celebri-quote: Emma Shulman

• Emma Shulman, 96, is a world-famous gerontologist at the NYU Langone Medical Center. From 1981 to 2005 she was a senior social worker and research associate at the Center for Excellence on Brain Aging and Dementia. She did some of the first research on how to care for Alzheimer’s patients and lectures widely on memory retention. She was interviewed by the New York Times, and this subject came up.

Q: What are your vices?

A: I smoked. Seventy-something years. I just quit three months ago. Cold turkey. I quit because I got a bronchial infection.

I like red wine, a glass with dinner.

And, I used to drink Scotch. I was a Scotch maniac.

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Tenn. entrepreneurs targeting distilleries

• From KnoxvilleBiz.com

Entrepreneurs across Tennessee are chomping at the bit for the chance to get into the whiskey-making business.

A new state law that allows legal production of whiskey and other distilled spirits has investors ready to pump millions of dollars into new distilleries that can capitalize on Tennessee's reputation for moonshining and creating whiskey.

Several entrepreneurs are interested in opening legal distilleries in East Tennessee counties, according to Nashville developer Jim Massey, who plans to open a distillery in Nashville and possibly start a side business helping other distillers with the startup process. ...

Prior to the law, production of distilled spirits was only legal in Moore, Coffee and Lincoln counties where distillers Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey, George Dickel Whisky and Prichards' Rum operate. Under the new law, about 44 counties are now eligible for distilleries.

[Go here for the full story.]

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A Johnnie Walker collectible in the making

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Drinks multinational Diageo's decision to close a distillery and a nearby packaging plant in Scotland will give collectors an opportunity to make a small investment.

The company's packaging plant in Kilmarnock, where the line of Johnnie Walker whiskies is completed, had been affixing labels and/or caps bearing the "Kilmarnock" name on every bottle since 1820.

That obviously will have to change, and the presence or absence of the "Kilmarnock" name will be an indicator to consumers of whether the whisky they are buying was pre- or post-closing.

A year before it would have marked its 200th anniversary, the Port Dundas Distillery in Glasgow will be closed.

Diageo announced plans to shutter the facility, in the process eliminating 140 of the 220 jobs. They are among the 900 jobs Diageo is eliminating across Scotland.

Diageo, which employs more than 4,000 people in the country, said work now handled at Port Dundas will be handled through expansion of its Cameronbridge Distillery in Fife.

The plant, located on a 21-acre site, supplies grain spirit for about 39 million liters of alcohol each year. It was rebuilt twice, after fires in 1903 and 1913. Production was halted during World War II, but re-started in 1945.

As far as the packaging plant in Kilmarnock, a 7% sales drop in the first quarter of the year forced cutbacks, Diageo says.

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'Tequila detector' a Cornell spinoff

• From the Latin American Herald Tribune

MEXICO CITY – A Mexican specialist in environmental agriculture and chemistry has invented a device to detect a tequila’s authenticity and quality and the manner in which it was processed.

In an interview with Efe, Mercedes Guadalupe Lopez Perez, an expert with the National Polytechnic Institute’s Research and Advanced Studies Center in the central city of Irapuato, acknowledged that this technology -- first built in the mid-20th Century at Cornell University in the United States -- has been used extensively with wines but not tequila.

The device is capable of “measuring the potency of the different aromatic compounds in any given product,” making it useful for determining the authenticity of a food or beverage, the researcher said.

Lopez Perez has been working since the mid-1990s on developing the apparatus -- known as a gas chromatography-olfactometry, or GC-O device -- both in the Mexican state of Guanajuato and in Germany and New Zealand.

[Go here for the full story.]

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A celebri-quote: Shia LaBeouf

• Actor Shia LaBeouf ("Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen") says he has given up drinking whisky at age 22. He was injured in a car accident last summer, arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, but later cleared. He suffered such a severe hand injury it had to be written into the "Transformers" script. He is quoted on the Web site theBosh.com.

"I had to give up scotch, because it turns me into a werewolf -- and cigarettes, too.

"I seem to like to kiss trouble on the forehead and then try to back away. I test my limits quite often. I guess that's what 22-year-olds do. But I'm fallible and human and I'm figuring it out."

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Southern Comfort RTDs a very nice mouthful

William M. Dowd photo

In the world of ready-to-drink cocktails, known in the trade as RTDs, what once was a largely unpalatable option is becoming a viable one.

For decades, Holland House was the market leader with its various pre-mixed manhattans, whiskey sours and the like. I found them of the same caliber as “cooking wines,” those hideous concoctions laden with excess salt and aimed at consumers who didn’t know anything about cooking with wines and spirits. Or, in the case of the cocktails, people who didn’t know what quality drinks were supposed to taste like.

However, that is changing. Stirrings, for example, with its varied portfolio of mixes that can be enjoyed over ice as-is or with a spirit added, is perhaps the best of the non-alcoholic bunch.

Now, the long-popular Southern Comfort brand has come up with a pair of RTD offerings, 15% alcohol by volume (abv) or 30 proof.

Whoever came up with the Southern Comfort's Sweet Tea Cocktail and Hurricane Cocktail flavors is to be commended from both marketing and flavor profile standpoints.

Southern Comfort (I refuse to bend to that silly "SoCo" nickname its ad agency has given it in recent years in an effort to be attractive to the young bar crowd) has immediate name recognition as, indeed, an iconic Southern U.S. liqueur.

It's been around since the late 19th Century when it was developed by Martin Wilkes Heron, an Irish immigrant who became a bartender and "rectifier" in New Orleans.

In those days, a rectifier was someone who modified the rough-edged spirits with a variety of ingredients to make them more palatable.

Heron whipped up his own recipe utilizing cinnamon, peach, vanilla and sugar to create a liqueur he called "Cuffs and Buttons," a takeoff on the "White Tie & Tails" liqueur a competitor made.

In 1898, Heron changed the name to the more sedate Southern Comfort in an effort to appeal to the crowd coming to the Big Easy for the New Orleans Cotton and Industrial Exposition, a huge event of the time. He eventually began bottling Southern Comfort, and it made its way to the top of the sophisticates' list of choices, eventually winning a gold medal at the Paris World Exposition in 1907.

Heron died four months after the start of Prohibition -- some might say that was cause-and-effect -- and willed the secret recipe for Southern Comfort to Grant Peoples, his protegé. Peoples sold it to the Fowler family of St. Louis after Prohibtion was repealed. In 1979, the brand was purchased by industry giant Brown-Forman of Louisville, KY. Through all this turmoil, Heron's original recipe, which the company says is known to fewer than 10 people, was adhered to.

But, all that is history. What about today?

Southern Comfort probably has gotten all the advertising mileage it can with its "SoCo and lime" push. The Sweet Tea Cocktail and Hurricane Cocktail, both laden with "southern-ness," was a natural next step.

Sweet tea, a Southern drink of great popularity, has made its way into the spirits world in the past few years, spurred along perhaps most by the instant popularity of Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka from South Carolina and Burnett's Sweet Tea Vodka from Heaven Hill Distilleries.

The Hurricane Cocktail is a New Orleans staple, purportedly invented at Pat O'Brien's bar in the French Quarter. It should hit the palate of people who like a fruity taste to their light cocktails. The original contained both light and dark rums plus juices from oranges, limes and passion fruit.

Each carries a suggested retail price of $19.99 for the 1.75-liter bottle, the only size being marketed.

[Go here for my "Tasting Notes" report on both new cocktails.]

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'New' Tanqueray a mix of old and modern

Everything old is new again to some extent, especially in the tradition-heavy world of alcoholic spirits.

Diageo is relaunching its Tanqueray gin brand with its first global advertising campaign and new packaging.

The new bottle design returns to the cocktail-shaker shape first introduced in 1948, although the label itself has been changed to give it a more contemporary feel.

The campaign, entitled "Resist Simple," opens in the U.S. this week and will expand into the global market in September.

Shivaun Lucey, global brand director for gins at Diageo, said the activity encourages consumers to resist the bland and "enjoy the pleasure in the complexity and richness of life."

Preferably with a glass of Tanqueray, of course.

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What will they think of next? (July edition)

This month I've decided to stick very close to home for my trip of cocktail recipes you can add to your collection. How close? I created all three of them, intending them primarily for warm-weather entertaining. Let me know what you think.

• DOWD'S MARTEANI

2 oz. Arizona Green Tea w/honey and ginseng
2 oz. all-grain vodka (Blue Ice, Beldevere, etc.)
4 drops Angostura Bitters
Splash of Galliano or Strega
2 orange slices
1 mint leaf

In a metal cocktail shaker, combine tea and vodka. Add bitters and splash of Galliano liqueur, or the more herbal Strega if you prefer, plus a handful of ice cubes. Stir briskly, then strain quickly into a frosted martini glass. Twist the juice from an orange slice into the drink and let it meander through the solution on its own. Garnish with an orange slice and a mint leaf for color.

• JALISCO BREEZE

This was named for the Mexican state where more than 90% of the world's tequila is produced, and a place I love to visit.

2 oz. 100% agave tequila blanco
1/2 oz. Pama pomegranate liqueur
Juice of one-half fresh lime
1 1/2 oz. ginger ale

In a cocktail shaker, combine the tequila, Pama and lime juice with fresh ice. Shake vigorously over fresh ice in an old-fashioned tumbler, top off with ginger ale and a slice of lime for garnish.

• THE FLYBOY

I whipped this one up for a friend, an off-duty commercial airline pilot -- thus the name -- who usually doesn't venture much beyond a beer or a glass of wine.

2 oz. Michter's rye whiskey
1/2 oz. St. Germaine Elderflower Liqueur
1/2 oz. fresh lime juice
1 oz. Fever Tree tonic

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker over ice, stir 35 times (yup, 35) with a bar spoon to release just the right amount of water from the ice, and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a cherry or fruit slice as desired.

[Go here for my archive of monthly cocktail recipe collections.]

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Come visit me

This is the logo for Examiner.com, a multi-topic Web site created by the same company that started the free-distribution Examiner newspapers in major U.S. cities.

I've been signed as the Web site's National Drinks Columnist, and I'm inviting you to join me here as well as on this site, for all the latest in beverage news and views -- spirits, wine, brews, non-alcoholic drinks.

(Bonus for those of you interested in the Upstate New York restaurant scene: I'm also Examiner.com's columnist for that topic. You can find it here.

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New MA tax hike should aid NH

• Analysis excerpted from Boston.com (and edited to clean up some very sloppy writing in the original)

Yesterday, with significant fanfare and reporters present, Governor Patrick signed into law a stimulus bill for the New Hampshire Retailers Association and e-commerce Web sites.

By increasing the Massachusetts sales tax by 25%, both Mr. Patrick and the legislature have enacted the equivalent of the Northern Massachusetts Uncompetitive Act. This ensures that those retail vacancies, that are already abundant, will continue to rise (consequently local real estate rolls and real estate tax revenues will decline).

Fortunately, New Hampshire retailers and Amazon.com will continue to thrive under this legislation. Unfortunate as it is for Massachusetts retailers, consumers will search out these lower taxed havens. No need to send jobs to China when we can send them right over the border to New Hampshire.

Let’s look at some of the tax increases and other highlights of the bill ... :

Sales tax on alcohol: Alcohol purchased from liquor stores has historically not been subject to the sales tax, as the state already imposes a hefty excise tax on these purchases. For instance, a 1.75 liter of distilled spirits already has approximately $2 of state excise tax.

A $25 purchase of spirits will now increase the states take on the sale by a whopping 78%, to $3.56. The state now is charging sales tax on the $2 of excise tax that they already charge.

In the eyes of Mr. Patrick and the legislature, double taxation is twice as good as single taxation. This increase will generate $79 million of additional taxes to the state and cost the average family some $30 annually. We can only guess the cost to the local liquor store owners and their employees. ...

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Knob Creek not the only place to run dry

By now, most whiskey drinkers have heard about the Knob Creek bourbon shortage. A lesser-known, but regionally very popular, whiskey made in Iowa is having the same problem but with a dimmer spotlight.

As the Des Moines Register reports:

"Ask Brian Duax about Iowa's best-known, least-available whiskey, and one of the first phrases to spout from his lips is 'a pain in the ass.'

"Duax, co-owner of Central City Liquors in Des Moines, said he gets an average of 30 to 35 phone calls a day inquiring about Templeton Rye, a three-year-old whiskey brand made from a Prohibition-era recipe developed by moonshining Iowa farmers. The calls come from regular retail customers and from the roughly 300 bars and restaurants that Central City supplies through its wholesale license.

"Duax's answer for most of this year has been the same: No, he doesn't have any. Nor, usually, do Duax's competitors. For some, that's starting to get annoying."

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Mmmm, birch sap vodka and wine

• From Farm Focus of Atlantic Canada

As the cork is removed, hints of fruit are released, and once it's poured into a wine glass and lifted to one's lips, a semi-sweet taste with apple hints are followed.

That's according to the description for Lady of the Woods, a birch sap wine.

Craig Lewis, the brainchild behind the idea and the company Sap World, said he came up with the concept after reading an article about birch sap and its markets.

"When I read that article, something clicked," he said. "I did a bunch of research, invested $10,000, and on Baie Verte highway (Newfoundland) we ended up tapping 191 trees.

"(We) collected 500 gallons, took that to Rodrigues Winery and they produced 172 cases. We had that on the market and we sold that in three months."

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Craft distillers hope thay can go home again

Local boys make good. But, it took some perseverance.

Nashville natives Darek Bell and Andrew Webber, natives of Nashville, TN, at one time wanted to start a micro-distillery called Corsair Artisan in their hometown. Trouble was, distilling was not permitted in Davidson County, or in much of the state, for that matter. So, they opened for business in Bowling Green, KY.

However, if Gov. Phil Bredesen signs into law a bill passed on June 18 by the state legislature alowing distilling in Davidson County, the Corsair boys are ready to open a second distillery.

“We started two years ago with the intention of being a Nashville venture,” Bell said. “This is our hometown. We want to let the community visit and see what we’re doing as craft distillers.”

Since launching in late 2008, Corsair has produced several unaged spirits -- gin, red absinthe, spiced rum, and vanilla bean vodka – as well as bourbon and a rye whiskey. Their gin won a gold medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, getting them off to a flying start.

The partners intend to use a Nashville distillery to increase production of Corsair’s unaged spirits and to make experimental whiskeys. Their Kentucky distillery would then be dedicated to bourbon production.

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Tie at the top in 1st NY Spirits Awards

The inaugural New York Spirits Awards were announced today. More than 250 brands from around the world were entered in the competition, held at the Javits Center in Manhattan.

In a finish unlike virtually any other spirits competition I'm aware of, two entries tied for "best in show":

• Bache-Gabrielsen Hors d’Age Cognac
• Tequila Corrido Extra Anejo

The judging panel, led by Jack Robertiello of Drinks Ink, was composed of members of the on- and off-sale community. In a blind tasting, the judges scored each brand on a 100-point system. The NYSA awarded honors at three levels. "Best of Show" was given to the brand, or in this case brands, with the highest score. The "FDR Award," named for President Franklin D. Roosevelt who was credited with the repeal of Prohibition, was awarded to the highest scoring brand in each category. And the "Best of Class" honor was given to the top scoring 20% of brands in each category.

The New York Spirits Awards was founded in 2009 by two industry veterans, Dori Bryant, President of the Polished Palate, and Adam Levy, a spirits writer. It is dedicated to finding and honoring the very best of class in the spirits industry.

FDR Awards were given to:

• Tequila Corrido Extra Anejo (agave spirits)
• Tequila Lunazul Blanco (agave Spirits, tequila blanco)
• Tequila Lunazul Reposado (agave spirits, tequila reposado)
• Bache-Gabrielsen Hors d’Age Cognac (brandy/cognac)
• Bluecoat American Dry Gin (gin)
• St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur (liqueurs)
• Mathilde Pear Liqueur (liqueurs, fruit)
• Cruzan Black Strap Rum (rum)
• Fair Trade Vodka (vodka, unflavored)
• Firefly Peach Tea Flavored Vodka (vodka, flavored)
• Stolichnaya Vodka (vodka, wheat)
• Knappogue Castle Irish Single Malt Whiskey (whiskies, all)
• Glenfiddich 18 Year Old Single Malt Whisky (whisky, single malt)

The Best of Class awards, by category in alphabetical order:

• Agave Spirits: Tequila 3 Amigos Blanco Certified Organic, Tequila El Grado Blanco, Tequila Galindo Anejo, Tequila Gran Centenario Rosangel, Hacienda de Chihuahua Sotol Plata, Jose Cuervo Reserva de la Familia Extra Anejo, Tequila Lunazul Blanco, Tequila Lunazul Reposado, Metl 2012 Reserva Especial Mezcal.
• Agave Spirits, Tequila Blanco: Tequila 3 Amigos Blanco Certified Organic, Tequila El Grado Blanco, Tequila Mejor Blanco.
• Agave Spirits, Tequila Reposado: Tequila La Certeza Reposado, Tequila Mejor Reposado.
• Brandy/Cognac: Bache-Gabrielsen Classic XO Cognac, Camus Borderies XO Cognac, Camus Seraphin XO Cognac, Pierre Ferrand-Selection Des Anges, Pisco Gran Sierpe.
• Gin: Monopolowa Vienna Dry Gin, Seneca Drums Gin.
• Liqueurs: Artemisia Absinthe, Bottega Sambuca Liqueur, Domaine de Canton French Ginger Liqueur, Drambuie Liqueur, Nature’s Own Juggernaut Liqueur, Navan Liqueur, Zwack Liqueur.
• Liqueurs/Fruit: Grand Marnier Liqueur, Limonce Liqueur.
• Rum: Bacardi 8 Rum, Bacardi Reserva Limitada Rum, Bacardi Select Rum, Beija Cachaca, Don Q Grand Anejo Puerto Rican Rum, Sergeant Classick Gold Hawaiian Rum, Sunset Captain Bligh Golden Rum, Vizcaya VXOP Rum.
• Vodka, Unflavored: Core Vodka, LiV Vodka, Sonnema Vodka Herb, Stawski Potato Vodka, U4RIK Vodka, Vintner’s Vodka.
• Vodka, Flavored: Firefly Lemon Tea Flavored Vodka, Kai Lychee Vodka, Me Oko Strawberry Vodka.
• Vodka, Wheat: Stolichnaya Elit, Taxi French Vodka.
• Whiskies, All: Ardbeg Ungeidal Single Malt Whisky, The Balvenie 21 Year Old Portwood Single Malt, Connemara 12 Year Old Peated Single Malt Irish Whiskey, Connemara Cask Strength Single Malt Irish Whiskey, Eagle Rare Kentucky Straight Single Barrel Bourbon, George T. Stagg Kentucky Straight Bourbon, Glennfiddich 18 Year Old Single Malt Whisky, Glenfiddich 21 Year Old Single Malt Whisky, The Glenlivet 18 Year Old, The Tyrconnell Single Malt Irish Whiskey, Woodford Reserve Distiller’s Select.
• Whiskies, Single Malt: The Balvenie 21 Year Old Portwood, Glenfiddich 21 Year Old Single Malt Whisky, The Glenlivet 18 Year Old Single Malt Whisky.

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Timberlake's tequila hits his home state

Entertainer Justin Timberlake's much-hyped 901 Silver Tequila is continuing its nationwide rollout by hitting store shelves this week in his native Tennessee.

The tequila, named for the Memphis telephone area code, already is available in New York, California, Nevada and Missouri.

Kevin Ruder, president of 901 Silver, said, "As we all know, the brand's namesake was conceived here and we look forward to introducing 901 to the state that inspired it."

901 Silver is produced using 100% Weber blue agave. It is produced at the Tequilera Newton e Hijos, S.A. de C.V. Distillery in Tesistan, Jalisco, Mexico. The spirit is triple distilled in small batches at 40% alcohol by volume (80 proof).

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Maine liquor tastings now legal

Consumers in Maine may now sample distilled spirits products at tastings held at liquor stores.

Gov. John Baldacci this week signed into law legislation allowing such activity effective August 17.

LD 498, sponsored by Rep. John Tuttle, authorizes an agency liquor store to conduct tastings of distilled spirits on that licensee's premises. There is a limit of 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits per person and an agency store may conduct up to 12 controlled, planned tasting events per year.

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Effen sold to Beam, which sells off Old Taylor

I was sitting at the bar of Creo, a "green" restaurant and bistro in the New York Capital Region suburb of Guilderland, this evening, dawdling over an icy cold Chopin martini before dinner and mentally perusing the shelves behind the bar.

I spotted a bottle of Effen vodka and asked myself who owned that company. I just couldn't bring it to mind. When I got home I checked my e-mails and found a press release that began this way:

"Beam Global Spirits & Wine, the premium spirits business of Fortune Brands, today announced it has acquired the Effen Vodka brand from the Sazerac Company Inc. Effen, named after the Dutch word for smooth, is a super-premium brand produced in Holland with a patented distillation process."

So much for worrying about commiting such information to memory.

Effen's current distribution is concentrated in Chicago, Southern California and major Florida markets, although it pops up in various parts of New York State and elsewhere. The product line includes black cherry and raspberry vodkas as well as the basic unflavored spirit.

As part of the transaction, Beam Global has sold the Old Taylor whiskey brand and inventory to Sazerac. Other terms of the proposed transaction were not disclosed.

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Glenlivet portfolio a taste of history

William M. Dowd photo

In the wooded hills above the Glenlivet factory complex in the Scottish Highlands, the view is of history and modernity blending as smoothly as the whisky produced by Scotland’s oldest licensed distillery.

On two marked trails, one used by distiller George Smith and one by smugglers of illicit whisky, I got a sense of the laborious work and persistence that has always gone into the making and distributing of the storied spirits of Scotland.

From enduring onerous taxes levied by the British crown to battles over operating illegal stills to internicine battles between rival smugglers and distillers has come today’s major industry that is second only to North Sea oil drilling as far as revenue is concerned.

The Glenlivet region, a valley in the Speyside area of Scotland, has for centuries been a leading producer of non-peated whiskies -- single malts and blends without that signature smoky taste of so many others.

At one time, most distillers in the region appended the name “Glenlivet” to their products. But, after King George IV became smitten with George Smith’s particular spirit and asked for some of “THE” Glenlivet whisky during a visit to the region in 1822, eventually the competition was forced to drop the appellation and Smith co-opted “The Glenlivet” as his own brand name.

To this day, even though the distillery moved to a larger facility just 500 yards or so away at one time, the same water source -- known as Josie’s Well -- and Scottish barley are used in the double-distilled process.

Today, the Glenlivet portfolio has grown under the ownership of the international corporation Pernod Ricard to include six whiskies -- the basic 12-year-old expression, a 15-year-old French oak reserve, the Nadurra (Celtic for “natural”) 16-year-old, as well as 18- and 21-year-old expressions and, for just the past eight months, the XXV, a 25-year-old. The Glenlivet Cellar Collection also has seven releases, with the 1972 expression the latest on the market.

I had the opportunity to take part in a tasting dinner, led by Glenlivet’s U.S. brand ambassador Ricky Crawford, at the Saratoga National Golf Course in Saratoga Springs, NY, at which we sampled the six whiskies.

Each sample, accompanied by various small plates created by Jason Saunders, executive chef of Prime, the restaurant at the club, was treated in the same manner, with a few drops of water added to break the surface tension, the chemical shell, of the whisky and allow it to release its full aroma and flavor profile.

Each of the whiskies starts out as the same basic creation. It is in the maturation process that the wonders of the whiskies are revealed. Older is not necessarily better; that is a matter of individual taste. But, older usually is more expensive simply because when a distiller ties up a product for a long time, money is not being made and the return on investment must be recouped at some point.

[Go here for my tasting notes on The Glenlivet portfolio.]

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Knob Creek says, 'Thanks for nothing'

Sometimes the delivery people bring more to my house than junk mail. Take today.

The UPS guy showed up with a mysterious cardboard shipping box. It bore the return address of a PR company that deals with the spirits industry, but was far too light to contain any tasting samples.

When I opened it, the first thing that stood out was an empty Knob Creek Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey bottle. The second thing was the note that accompanied it, signed by distillery president Bill Newlands. It began:

"THANKS FOR NOTHING"

Rather than being a sarcastic remark, it was actually one part thank-you, one part bragging. Maybe two.

"For the next few months," Newlands wrote, "Knob Creek Bourbon is in a unique situation -- our product is so popular that we cannot keep up with customer demand. As a result, our supply will be running low over the next few months, And, in some cases, we may experience temporary stock depletions.

"But, instead of compromising quality to meet demand, we have chosen to let the supply run low. In deference to Booker Noe and his vision for Knob Creek, we will age all our bourbon the full 9 years. The next batch will be ready in November of this year. ...

" ... Again, with all the success we've had, we've still come up empty. Thanks for helping make it happen."

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A celebri-quote: Henry Allingham

• England's Henry Allingham, 113, became the world's oldest man, according to the Guinness World Records folks, on June 19. The World War I veteran lives in the St. Dunstan's care home for blind ex–service personnel in Ovingdea, England, near the resort city of Brighton. He is the last surving founding member of the Royal Air Force. The oldest person in the world is Gertrude Baines, 115, of the U.S., according to Guinness.

Q: Several years ago, a reporter asked Allingham to what he attributed his great age.

A: Cigarettes, whisky and wild, wild women.

His spokesman, Dennis Goodwin, said: "It's staggering. Henry is philosophical. He will take it in his stride, like he does everything else. ... He's getting a little bit frail now; his taste is non-existent so he can't enjoy eating or drinking. He doesn't have as much strength as before, but he is still willing. He still wants to go out."

[Go here for more celebri-quotes.]

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Cape Ann unveils its first vodka today

They're dancing in the distillery today with the launch of Ryan & Wood Distilleries' first vodka.

Beauport Vodka was released to stores today, three years after Bob Ryan bought his still and found a place to put it in Gloucester, MA, on historic Cape Ann.

Ryan and partner Dave Wood make Beauport from hand-selected grains, distilled to the usual 80 proof. It is carrying a suggested retail price of $28 for the 750ml bottle.

The name of the vodka comes from Gloucester's original name, Le Beauport. Ryan & Wood already has produced Knockabout Gin and Folly Cove Rum in their Blackburn Industrial Park facility. It also has a cranberry-infused rum in the works.

Ryan & Wood's rum is made from molasses, and is barreled for nine to 18 months.

Ryan is a native of Gloucester who formerly worked on the historic waterfront. Wood, a lawyer by trade, is Ryan's nephew and the "palate" of the company.

[For a report in words and images on Gloucester and the entire Cape Ann region beyond the distillery, go here.]

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Moonshine: Illegal after all these years

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• From Forbes.com

... No state allows the distilling of spirits for recreational or commercial use without a license.

The process of making moonshine dates back to ancient times. ... Most moonshiners start out as home wine or beer makers. That's also the source of their discontent with the law: In 1979, the federal government allowed states to permit home beer and wine making. But distilling remains illegal.

[Go here for the full story.]

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A drink for the Hudson quadricentennial

We're still a very young country. I'm reminded of that any time I think of Reno, Nevada, Las Vegas's little sister that celebrated its centennial just a couple of years ago. Or, as I'm reminded by an autobiography I'm currently reading by the actor Robert Wagner in which he notes that when he was a kid Tarzana, CA, was still just the name of the ranch owned by "Tarzan of the Apes" creator Edgar Rice Burroughs rather than a city as it is today.

But, we do have some oldies that are goodies. For example, European civilization along the mighty Hudson River that runs from Lake Tear In the Clouds on the U.S. Canadian border south to New York Harbor was ushered in four centuries ago with the Dutch-financed voyage of English explorer Henry Hudson on his ship the Halfmoon. New York is in the midst of its Hudson Quadricentennial celebration even as you read this.

So, it seems only fitting that some of the better restaurant/cocktail lounges in what is known as the Capital Region are coming up with better and better cocktail lists to please the tourists who are flocking to the Albany/Saratoga area now.

I found that out when I was in downtown Albany over the weekend, dining at Dale Miller, the celebrity chef's eponymous new restaurant, and searching for something different to drink.

Hmmm. For starters maybe a Paris Hilton. No, a Smallbany Sazerac ... or, a Tokyo Rose. No, wait. A Hudson’s Halfmoon!

What better way to recognize the Quadricentennial? And, no better way to start sampling the clever signature cocktail menu. Miller, one of only about 60 Certified Master Chefs in the entire nation, has long been known for his cuisine, but he also likes a cocktail or two when work is done. To give them some buy-in to the new venture, he asked everyone who tends bar at his new digs to come up with their own cocktail recipe.

John Wiz devised the Hudson's Halfmoon, a blend of Gosling’s Black Seal Rum and Liqueur Clement Creole from the island of Martinique, with a touch of ginger over a muddled slice of orange, served on the rocks in an old-fashioned glass.

I found it a refreshing change from the frequently cloying specialty cocktails that seem to be in vogue these days.

The base spirit, from a Bermuda distillery that has been in operation for slightly more than two centuries, is rich, warm and dark, with lingering hints of the molasses from which it is distilled along with light notes of caramel and vanilla, almonds and allspice. It is Gosling's biggest seller and has long been the main ingredient as the Dark and Stormy, Bermuda's classic cocktail, as well as a key part of Bermuda Fish Chowder.

There is even an herbal note to the Black Label, complemented nicely by the Liqueur Clement Creole. That's an 80-proof Curacao orange liqueur that is just beginning to catch on with U.S. bartenders even though it has been available here for several years. It's in the vein of Grand Marnier and Gran Gala.

I'm anxious to try some of the other cocktails, particularly at the very reasonable $9 price for each of the 10 varieties. They include:

• Tokyo Rose: It's an Asian-influenced interpretation of the Bloody Mary, using chilled sake, ginger, wasabi, shoyu sauce and V-8 juice blended smoothly and served tall over ice.

• Smallbany Sazerac: A nod to some people's snarky nickname for Albany, but referred to by the restaurant as "Our Celtic nod to the Big Easy Classic." It's Sazerac Rye and Powers Irish Whiskey combined with a touch of Peychaud’s bitters and Herbsant, the latter a sort of absinthe but without wormwood.

• Cucumber Martini: Muddled cucumber and organic cucumber vodka blended with lemon, mint, and fine sugar. Shaken until very cold.

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Colonial distillery excavation planned

Photo courtesy of Salve Regina

An archaeological team from Salve Regina University plans to return to a historic Newport, RI, site this summer to dig for a colonial-era distillery.

The team, working with the Newport Restoration Foundation, began excavating at the Thames Street site in the summer of 2007. Thomas Richardson II, an 18th Century Newport merchant, sea captain and slave trader, also manufactured rum, using slave labor, on his waterfront property.

The team, led by Jim Garman, chairman of the local university's Cultural and Historic Preservation Department, used ground-penetrating sonar tests that indicate the possible presence of the remains of a distillery.

Rum was commonly manufactured in New England during that period as part of the triangular trade among Africa, the Caribbean and New England involving slaves, rum and molasses.

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At last, a drinkable Pomtini

COLONIE, NY -- I was meeting a group of friends for drinks and dinner at the new Blu Stone Bistro & Bar in this state capital suburb last night. As I enjoyed an icy-cold Bombay Sapphire martini, I noticed a group of young ladies — if my wife were editing this she would say I could stop right there — at the other end of the curved, 40-foot bar enjoying a cocktail I can only describe as pale copper in color.

In reply to my query, the bartendress told me it was a special recipe pomegranate martini. The sudden popularity of that particular fruit is enduring in the past few years after having been relegated to biblical passages and exotic cookbooks for eons. The fact that some people think it has health properties doesn’t hurt.

I’ve found most pomegranate cocktails too sweet for my liking. Even the Great and Powerful Oprah couldn’t win me over with her recipe using pomegranate juice, citrus vodka or tequila, Cointreau and, if one liked it, sparkling water and a squeeze of lemon. No thanks, even though foodie and chat maven Rachael Ray championed Oprah’s recipe.

At the Blu Stone the recipe calls for, roughly, two ounces of Absolut Citron Vodka, and half-ounces each of Pama — a pomegranate liqueur, Triple Sec and pineapple juice, shaken briskly over fresh ice, and strained into a chilled cocktail glass.

Luscious stuff, as several members of our group quickly decided. The pineapple taste is evident, but its sweetness is offset by the vodka and even the Pama, giving the imbiber a pleasantly fruity taste with just an edge of tropical tang.

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And the winnahhhhhh -- Glen Breton!

OK, it's over. I think it is. Then again, who knows? I never completely count out those tenacious folks at the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA).

Scotland's trade group, which has a history of pouncing with full legal force on any entity it thinks may be encroaching on its members' turf, had appealed to the Supreme Court of Canada for permission to proceed with its third appeal of the use of the word "glen" by a small Nova Scotia distillery. The SWA has consistently claimed the word tends to confuse consumer into thinking the single malt whisky is made in Scotland -- even though it says "Canada" on the label, a label that also bears the Canadian maple leaf.

After a protracted, nine-year-long fight, the Supreme Court now has refused permission, which would appear to be the final blow to the SWA argument. In any case, Glenora Distilleries now is clear to register its trademark Glen Breton whisky under Canada's Trade Marks Act.

Glenora President Lauchie MacLean said he has always believed that Glenora competed honorably for success in the very challenging marketplace of single malt whisky, and that he hopes the SWA and its members will accept the ruling and that there will be open communication going forward.

You can read my coverage of the battle in chronological order:

• Tempest in a glen
• Canadians backing Glen Breton with dollars
• Scotland vs. Cape Breton, Round 2
• Canada's Glen Breton loses labeling battle
• Glen Breton wins another court round
• SWA not giving up on Glen Breton
• Battle of the 'glen' continues in Canada

And, you can go here to find out the availability of Glen Breton.

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Seven Tiki introduces spiced rum

The distillers of Seven Tiki have rolled out a new spiced rum.

The Fijian product is made from Polynesian sugar cane, baked Indonesian nutmeg, Madagascar vanilla and water drawn from beneath Fiji's volcanic highlands.

It will be interesting to see what sort of impact it has on the consumer market, where Captain Morgan has what looks like a stranglehold on the spiced rum niche. When I helped judge the 4th annual Polished Palate International Rum Competition earlier this year, no entry was deemed worthy of a gold medal in that category.

The new Seven Tiki spiced rum is 35% alcohol by volume (70 proof, compared to the company's regular 80-proof rum). Initially, it is being sold in California and Florida only at a suggested retail price of $19.99 for the 750ml bottle.

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New tequila line racing to market

A new-to-the-market premium tequila is about to be unveiled.

El Grado Tequila, made from 100% blue agave, will first appear in retail stores in Texas and California, then Arizona. However, online orders are being accepted.

El Grado’s co-founder, Ashly Kubicek, along with Texas partners Page Brockman, Ben Gonzales and Ron Park found Ana María Romero, a master tequilera, author and expert taster, to help them formulate a smoother brand of ultra-premium tequila.

The team worked with distiller Cesar Gonzalez, creating a dedicated production line in Los Altos, Mexico to produce El Grado this spring. The first bottles are being readied for shipment to arrive in July and August.

El Grado's line will include blanco, reposado and añejo expressions. The reposado is rested in second-use Tennessee whiskey barrels for six months, and the añejo for a minimum of 15 months.

Retail pricing is expected between $45 and $50 for 750ml bottles. A 375ml offering will follow later this year.

To help push the new product in the market, El Grado has entered into a motor racing partnership. Last month, it teamed with Rolex Sports Car Series competitor Dempsey Racing. Dempsey’s Mazda RX-8 GT debuted in El Grado colors in time for the team’s best finish in the Rolex series (7th) in Millville, NJ, and a 10th place finish at Mazda Raceway in Laguna Seca, CA.

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Battle of the 'glen' continues in Canada

A whisky label controversy has turned into a Scotland vs. Canada legal wrangle.

Even though the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) lost a protracted legal battle to stop a small Nova Scotia distillery from selling its Glen Breton brand single malt, it now has asked the Supreme Court of Canada for permission to appeal a lower court ruling that allows Glenora Distillers to use the Glen Breton name.

Glenora vice president Bob Scott said in a release that it was disappointing to think that a trademark battle that began nine years ago will continue.

"Glenora has, by its perseverance in craft distilling and the quality of its single malt, now earned a respected position in the world. We believe that the decision of the Federal Court of Appeal was correct in approving the registration of Glen Breton as our trademark, and it must be defended."

The SWA has a long record of protectionism of Scotch whiskies and anything that might adversely affect them anywhere in the world.

It has been arguing that use of the word "Glen" might lead consumers to believe the whisky is distilled and matured in Scotland even though the label clearly says the whisky is a Canadian product and even carries a maple leaf, the Canadian symbol.

Glenora plans to battle the appeal and has filed a formal response with the Supreme Court.

The SWA's appeal was no surprise. As David Williamson of the SWA told me back in February when the lower court ruled in favor of Glen Breton, “We find it surprising that the court has allowed this confusion to be perpetuated, and we are considering an appeal."

You can read my coverage of the battle in chronological order:

• Tempest in a glen
• Canadians backing Glen Breton with dollars
• Scotland vs. Cape Breton, Round 2
• Canada's Glen Breton loses labeling battle
• Glen Breton wins another court round
• SWA not giving up on Glen Breton

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Hoosier distiller clicks with new vodka

The story goes that Stuart Hobson visited a craft distillery while traveling through northern Michigan two years ago and was inspired to get into the business himself.

Actually, he had been in the spirits business, but in a different capacity, as owner of the Fishers Liquors chain. He sold that to a competitor and used part of the proceeds to launch his own microdistillery in Indianapolis.

The result is Heartland Distillers whose new Indiana label vodka is produced from local corn. It was introduced to the market in January, and already being sold at about 300 outlets. Hobson says he plans to expand his product line to include gin, absinthe and whiskey.

The 80-proof Heartland Vodka has a suggested retail price of $25.99 for the 750ml bottle. There's an ingenious little gimmick with this bottle. A thin copper wire is wrapped around te neck of the bottle before it is dipped in melted wax to seal the package. When the consumer grips the wire and pulls it, the wax is cut and the bottle opened.

This is just one of the newer entries in the spirits niche that accounts for more than a quarter of the distilled spirits sold annually in the U.S.

Olinger Distributing Co. LLC of Indianapolis has shipped out 2,400 bottles of Indiana Vodka since February.

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What will they think of next? (June edition)

This month I've collected a trio of recipes for historic drinks of a wide variety. They're perfect for entertaining a cocktail-savvy crowd who think they've heard of everything. You'll show 'em!

• TWILIGHT COCKTAIL

This was a popular drink in the early 20th Century. This version comes from the book "173 Pre-Prohibition Cocktails," taken from the recipe collection of bartender Tom Bullock's 1917 collection.

1 1/2 ounces bourbon
1/2 ounce sweet vermouth
Juice of one whole lime

Put ingredients into a shaker with fresh ice, shake well, strain into a Champagne glass, fill with seltzer or club soda and serve.

• FREE LOVE COCKTAIL

Two socially interesting movements battled for the hearts and minds of women in particular from about 1880 to 1920 -- Free Love, an early feminism push to free women from the shackles of male-dominated sexual rules, and Temperance, the anti-alcohol move that led to passage of Prohibition. This pale cocktail gained particular popularity in the U.S. in about 1890.

1/2 of an egg white
3 dashes anisette
1 1/2 ounces of gin
1 ounce of fresh cream

Pour ingredients over a shaker of fresh ice, shake well and strain into a cocktail glass.

• THE BLOODY CAESAR

This is purportedly Canada's most popular cocktail, with more than 350 million sold each year. It was created by the late Walter Chell, a bartender at the Calgary Inn (now the Westin Calgary), in 1969 to celebrate the opening of Marco's Italian restaurant and served as an aperitif. He based the drink on the flavors of spaghetti vongole (spaghetti with clams).

1 ounce vodka
2 dashes Tabasco sauce
4 dashes Worcestershire sauce
Salt, ground pepper
6 ounces Mott's Clamato Juice
Ice cubes

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass, stir vigorously, serve over fresh ice and garnish with a stalk of celery and a lemon wedge.

[Go here for my archive of monthly cocktail recipe collections.]

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LI vodkamaker adds a tasting room

Long Island Spirits Inc., which is making a big splash in the spirits field with its LiV vodka, today opened its new Distillery Shoppe and Sampling Room.

The shop is located in Baiting Hollow on the North Fork of Long Island at the beginning of that region's acclaimed wine trail. It's housed in a two-story structure, a renovated post-and-beam barn that is home to the Long Island Spirits Craft Distillery.

It overlooks 100-plus acres of potato fields -- which supply the basis of the vodka -- and vineyards, with windows that allow visitors to view the 28-foot-tall dual copper rectification columns of the stills (right).

The facility will be open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Friday, Saturday and Sunday to 6 p.m. Tours of the production facility will be limited and available during the week by appointment only.

It is the latest expansion of the business, founded in 2006 by Richard Stabile and Daniel Pollicino. Political and local dignitaries were on hand for the opening.

Said U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, “The Distillery Shoppe and LiV Vodka Sampling Room is yet another first class addition to Long Island’s wine region and I am pleased that it will help promote Long Island’s other celebrated agricultural products such as the Long Island potato."

State Sen. Kenneth P. LaValle added, “I am pleased that the Farm Distillery Law has not only helped preserve open space, but allowed our local agricultural communities to venture into new markets that will enhance the industry and create new jobs.”

[Go here for my "Dowd's Tasting Notes" entry on LiV Vodka.]

Wisconsin nears OK for spirits samples, on-site sales

The Wisconsin State Legislature's Joint Finance Committee has proposed allowing the state's makers of spirits to provide samples and sell their wares on site.

That is a provision in the proposed state budget approved Friday by the committee. Analysts expect the budget to be approved by the full Legislature.

Wisconsin's wineries and breweries already may provide samples and make sales to people who visit their facilities.

There are three craft distillers in the state -- Great Lakes Distillery in Milwaukee, Yahara Bay Distillers in Madison, and 45th Parallel Spirits in New Richmond. Some wineries have said that if the proposal is adopted into law, they will distill wine into brandy.

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Beam distillers unleash the Red Stag

William M. Dowd photo

Funny how everything old can become new again. Take Red Stag from Jim Beam.

Not that it is truly old, but it suddenly is being mentioned a lot. Even Craig Ferguson, a/k/a/ my favorite late-night TV host, mentioned it the other day, and he's a recovering alcoholic! I've also seen mention of it pop up in various print articles, ranging from wires services to magazines and major newspapers.

The reason I refer to it as "old," is that I reviewed it earlier this year on my "Dowd's Tasting Notes" blog. That, however, was well in advance of it going to market, and I promptly forgot about it until the publicity campaign began. Now, it's all the rage because this is the month it's being released to market. As I wrote back in March:

Billed as the first Jim Beam innovation in more than a decade, this black cherry-infused bourbon joins the industry trend toward more flavored spirits. It will be on the market in June.

As a longtime bourbon drinker, I'm a bit set in my ways. I like several brands, but I started on Jim Beam way back when, and that's my go-to whiskey. But, I also find the small-batch brands -- Elijah Craig, Booker's, Basil Hayden, Baker's -- enjoyable, both straight or in cocktails, so I'm not against a little variety.

That said, it took me several tries to cozy up to this new offering. A classic Manhattan cocktail is whiskey, sweet vermouth, bitters and a maraschino cherry. Sometimes a little bit of the cherry juice is added for those who like their drinks on the sweeter side.

Beam says Red Stag is an "extension of the cherry infusion made popular in the Manhattan cocktail." I'd quibble a bit with that, since the cocktail's cherry is maraschino, not black cherry as is used in this new expression. They're two different tastes.

Thus, when I tried Red Stag as the primary ingredient in a Manhattan I found it far too sweet for my taste. A tasting companion expressed the same reaction. I also tried it cut half-and-half with regular Jim Beam bourbon plus the usual vermouth and bitters. It still didn't have the appeal I sought.

But, when we tried it straight, at room temperature, in a tasting glass, we both liked it. What we have here, in my view, is a nice liqueur: warm, with a bit of spice from the rye in the grain mash, with mild notes of vanilla and caramel from the oak maturation that balanced off the black cherry infusion.

Suggested retail price: $3 above Jim Beam White. So, local pricing will prevail.

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An Absolut-ly naked marketing ploy

If you're in a duty free shop at some airport this summer and you see what appears to be a faulty, label-free bottle of Absolut vodka, you're wrong. It's exactly as the distiller intends.

The limited-run gimmick is Absolut No Label. The marketing people say it is intended "to challenge prejudice against sexual minorities."

Uh, huh.

The offering will be introduced in the duty free and travel retail market from June, with a global domestic launch following in September. The brand's new marketing tagline runs: "In An Absolut World, There Are No Labels", which is described as an initiative representing a completely new approach to LGBT marketing (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender).

"The vision from Absolut is to challenge the entire concept of labels and prejudice, in pursuit of a more diverse, vibrant and respectful world. For this purpose, Absolut introduces a unique naked bottle – one with no label, but plenty of attitude," explained Anders Olsson, global travel retail director for the Swedish company.

”For the first time, we’re facing the world stark naked. ... We do it in support of the people who spend their entire lives branded with labels by others. As a brand, we also question the relevance of the LGBT abbreviation in marketing.”

The Absolut Co. is part of Pernod Ricard. Globally, Absolut Vodka is the world’s fourth largest international selling spirit.

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The dawn of 'comfort cocktails'

"Comfort food" has become a routine part of today's American lexicon, so why not "comfort cocktails"?

I came across some that carried that label in the Baltimore Sun's "Midnight Sun" after-hours column. I don't know that I'd personally find any comfort in some of the concoctions, but to each his or her own.

If you're interested in the particulars of such drinks as Daddy's Girl, Choking Hazard and Wrong Island Iced Tea, go here -- and remember, keep your tongue firmly planted in your cheek.

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Scotsman newspaper launches whisky site

Scotland's prestigious newspaper the Scotsman has launched something that should be very well received in its own country and beyond.

It's Scotsman Whisky, a new Web site under the newspaper's online umbrella. Its grand opening announcement and mission statement reads:

Welcome to Scotsman Whisky, the site for whisky drinkers, industry professionals and those keen to get their first taste of Scotland's national drink.

With whisky writing from Scotland's top journalists, expert business coverage and up to the minute news, Scotsman Whisky offers an insight into the fascinating world of this historic spirit as it advances into the 21st Century.

Visit our interactive distillery map to find out more about whisky production, browse our features section for stories about your favourite dram, or check out our blog for news and gossip from the world of whisky.

There's fascinating footage to look at in our video section and if you want to find out about whisky events happening across the country then click on our whisky events listing.

Whisky may be regarded as the "world's most complex spirit", but our aim is to make it as simple and enjoyable as possible for you to find out more about this wonderful drink. So sit back and enjoy Scotsman Whisky: everything you need to know about whisky -- served straight.

I've added a live link to the site on my list of "Refreshing Links."

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A celebri-quote: Luke Goss

• Playing the role of the evil Prince Nuada Silverlance in the film "Hellboy II" took a lot of hard work for ex-singer Luke Goss, 40. He reveals his regimen in an interview with Gloucestershire.co.uk.

Q: You're up for an MTV movie award for 'Best Fight.' What was your daily workout?

A: 'Hellboy II' was nine weeks -- four hours a day fighting and learning to use the weapons, and an hour in the gym at night before dinner. Then vodka. It all seemed to work out!

[Go here for more celebri-quotes.]

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World Whiskies Awards have familiar look

A painstaking set of judging rounds resulted in a wide range of winners in the 2009 World Whiskies Awards, although two were repeats from 2008.

The annual competition, sponsored by Whisky Magazine, the UK publication that is the world's largest devoted to spirits, was run by Dave Broom, chairman of judges, with panels in Europe, the United States -- which included yours truly -- and one judge each for Canada and Japan.

As noted in the current issue of the magazine, "Impressively for the second year running in both the Grain and Whisky Liqueur categories, the winners retained their top spots showing great consistency."

They were Compass Box Hedonism in the "Grain" judging and Wild Turkey American Honey in the "Whisky Liqueur" judging.

The other major winners:

New Release: Highland Park 40 Years Old

Blended Malt Whisky: Taketsuru 21 Years Old

Blended Whisky: Hanky Bannister 40 Years Old

American Whiskey: Thomas H. Handy Rye

Single Malt Whisky: Highland Park 21 Years Old

Issue No. 79 of the magazine has all the category winners that vied for the major awards.

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Ministry of Rum competition a gold rush

Sixty-five rums were entered in this year's Ministry of Rum Tasting Competition in Miami Beach, FL.

Forty-four of them, or 68% of all those entered, were awarded gold medals.

The competition was organized by Edward Hamilton, author of several books on rum, and proprietor of the Ministry of Rum Web site.

The gold medalists, in alphabetical order:

Abuelo 7 year old
Abuelo 12 year old
Admiral Rodney
Bacardi 8
Bacardi Reserva Limitada
Barceló Imperial Rum
Bacardi Select Rum
Barceló Gran Añejo Rum
Bacardi 8
Bacardi Limitada Reserva
Bacardi Select
Batiste Rhum Agricole Blanc
Boca Loca Cachaça
Cabana Cachaça
Castries Rum Cream
Castro Rum
Cubaney 8 Años Solera Reserva
Cubaney 15 Años Solera Reserva
Cruzan Aged Dark Rum
Cruzan Single Barrel
Diplomatico Blanco
Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva
D J Cachaça
Dos Maderas PX
El Dorado 3 Year Old Cask Aged White Rum
El Dorado 5 Year Old Cask Aged Rum
Flor de Cana Rum Gold 4 year old
Hacienda Saruro
MaDoudou Vanille
Montanya Platino
Mount Gay Extra Old Barbados Rum
Opthimus 25 Años Summa Cum Laude
Rogue Dark Rum
Rogue Hazelnut Spiced Rum
Rum Jumbie
Rum Jumbie Coconut Splash
Seven Tiki Spiced
St. Nicholas Abbey 10 Years Old
Temptryst Applewood Light
Temptryst Hickory Light
Temptryst Peachwood Light
Tommy Bahama White Sand
Vizcaya Cask 21 Rum
Zaya

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Texas distillers can serve samples on-premises

Texas doesn't have many distilleries, but those it does have now will be able to ply their wares a little more easily.

Gov. Rick Perry has signed into law a piece of legislation that allows distilleries to serve free samples on premises, just as wineries have been allowed to do.

Dan Garrison, proprietor of Garrison Brothers Distillery in Hye, a tiny town in the Hill Country, told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that "a while back, he invited a number of senators and representatives to visit his distillery but that the lawmakers weren’t able to taste the product at the end of the tour.

" 'It’s frustrating to come out and spend an hour walking around and not get an idea how good it is,' Garrison said."

There are only nine distilleries in Texas. Go here for my earlier report on the effort to create a 10th.

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Japan's Hibiki 12 YO debuts in London

Suntory is the king of Asian distillers, but it chose a foreign market for the world premier of its latest whisky.

Its Hibiki 12 Year Old premium blended whisky debuted today in London.

The Hibiki premium blended range has earned 15 gold medals and trophies in less than five years, including the title of "The World’s Best Blended Whisky" from its Hibiki 30 Year Old in both 2007 and 2008.

The distiller says London was chosen "due to the growing interest and demand for Suntory premium whiskies in the U.K. and to further support the Hibiki brand positioning on the world stage, by introducing it to whisky connoisseurs in an international capital."

The new expression was aged in Japanese plum liqueur "Umeshu" casks, which sweeten the liquor, made from a blend of malt and grain whiskies. It is filtered through bamboo charcoal and is bottled at 43% ABV (86 proof).

Suntory also produces the Hibiki in 17-, 21- and 30-year-old expressions.

Seiichi Koshimizu, Suntory’s chief blender and the first Japanese representative to be appointed a judge at the International Spirits Challenge, says, “Our goal was to create a uniquely Japanese whisky that is mellower and smoother than any other premium 12-year-old whisky in the world.

“Hibiki is a niche brand, and we understand that not many people can afford to buy such premium whiskies. By adding Hibiki 12 year-old to the range we seek to make the brand more affordable to whisky enthusiasts and to increase awareness of the marvellous flavors of Japanese whisky.”

The whisky is packaged in a 24-facet decanter inspired by the original 24 seasons in the Japanese year. It is selling in the U.K. at a suggested retail price of £39.99 to £42.99 a bottle, which translates to $60 to $65 US. The company has not announced when the new expression will be available in the American market.

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Kentucky craft distiller debuting Friday

Friday is a big day for the Corsair Artisan Distillery in Bowling Green, KY. That's when the micro-distillery has scheduled its grand opening and open house.

The new company, which is specializing in premium spirits, is located on Bowling Green's historic square on the backside of the Pushin building at East Main and College Street.

It's a 2,600-square-foot facility that includes a stillroom, work area, tasting bar and gift shop. The stillroom hosts two copper stills: a 240-gallon antique still and a 50-gallon hybrid pot still.

Darek Bell and Andrew Webber are co-founders of the small-batch distillery. They are making four spirits to begin with: gin, red absinthe, spiced rum and vanilla bean vodka.

They also are working on a variety of whiskey recipes. The first will be Wry Moon Unaged Rye Whiskey, which is crafted in extra small batches to produce a full peppery moonshine that preserves all the character of its rich rye mash.

Three aged whiskies are currently in the works as well: a four-grain whiskey, an aged rye whiskey and a Kentucky bourbon. The distillers say the micro-batch spirits will become available "as they reach their optimal character in the barrel-aging process."

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What's your drinking niche?

William M. Dowd photo

If you like finding out who shares your beverage tastes, the folks at The Harris Poll can be of some assistance.

The company has just released the findings of its online survey of 2,401 U.S. adults conducted last month.

First off, the survey found that near;ly three in ten adults (29%) drink alcohol, including beer or wine, at least once a week; 6% say they drink daily; 20% drink at least once a month; 12% say they drink several times a year; 6% drink at least once a year; 8% drink alcohol less often than once a year. However, 25% say they never drink alcohol.

Men are more likely to drink alcohol at least once a week than women are (40% vs. 19%). Women, however, are more likely to say they never drink alcohol (29% vs. 22%). Among generations, 33% of Echo Boomers (those aged 18-32) say they drink at least once a week compared to 26% of Gen Xers (those aged 33-44).

Easterners are much more likely to drink daily and at least once a week compared to other regions of the country. Thirty-seven percent of those living in the East drink alcohol at least once a week compared to 26% of Midwesterners, 28% of Southerners and 29% of Westerners. Also, 12% of Easterners drink daily compared to just 3% of both Midwesterners and Westerners.

What are they drinking?

Among those who drink alcohol at least several times a year, here's the breakdown:

• 67% drink beer
• 49% drink domestic wine
• 41% drink vodka
• 32% drink rum
• 29% drink imported wine
• 24% drink tequila
• 18% drink champagne
• 16% drink Canadian or Irish whiskey
• 15% drink bourbon
• 14% drink gin
• 14% drink cordials
• 13% drink Scotch

Full data tables and methodology are available online.

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Four Roses selects latest limited edition

Four Roses master distiller Jim Rutledge has chosen a Bourbon recipe to add to its limited edition single barrel collection.

Four Roses Single Barrel Limited Edition 2009 Release will be uncut and not chill filtered. It is expected to go on sale in June, with 1,800 bottles put in select markets.

Rutledge selected the 11-year-old whiskey from among the 10 recipes the distillery produces.

Four Roses is produced in a Spanish-mission style distillery in Lawrenceburg, KY.

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Oregon gin debuting this week

The slow but steady comeback of gin in the U.S. market gets another boost this Friday when Penney's Gin makes its debut.

The spirit is from McMenamins' Edgefield Distillers in Troutdale, OR. The distillery is part of the McMenamins company that also has eight hotels and 57 pubs in Oregon and Washington.

Penney's Gin, the company's first new liquor in four years, is a 90-proof American dry gin produced using English methods. It is named for Joe Penney, a late-1800s adventurer, gambler and Portland saloon owner who fell on hard times and retired to the county poor farm, now McMenamins Edgefield.

It will retail for $26.75 for the 750ml bottle.

McMenamins makes a variety of ales and beers such as Terminator Stout, Hammerhead, Ruby, Edgefield Wheat and Sunflower IPA, runs the Edgefield Winery, the Edgefield Distillery, and produces a line of roasted coffees.

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Meat and potatoes in a bottle

Who says you can't have it all? Black Rock Spirits is producing an Idaho potato-based, bacon-flavored vodka called Bakon. In a sense, meat-and-potatoes in a bottle.

Bakon made its public debut a week ago at the Belltown Bistro in Seattle, and went on sale in local liquor stores several days later.

However, unless you live in or visit a very specific northwestern part of the U.S. (see map), you'll have to be patient about locating a bottle.

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KY Bourbon Trail re-launches

The Kentucky Bourbon Trail today marked its 10th anniversary by unveiling a new logo, brochure, souvenir passport and commemorative T-shirt.

“This is a significant milestone for one of Kentucky’s most popular tourism attractions,” said Eric Gregory, president of the Kentucky Distillers’ Association. “It’s also a perfect opportunity to introduce a fresh new look that reflects the growing bourbon revolution.”

The association created the Trail in 1999, inspired by the tourism and marketing opportunities in California’s wine country and Scotland’s whisky trails. The Trail features eight historic distilleries located in the Bluegrass country:

• Jim Beam
• Maker's Mark
• Buffalo Trace
• Four Roses
• Heaven Hill
• Tom Moore
• Wild Turkey
• Woodford Reserve

Visitors who collect stamps on their souvenir "passports" at all eight distilleries can redeem the passport for a free Kentucky Bourbon Trail T-shirt. This year’s shirt commemorates the 10th anniversary of the Trail.

The Trail also has added a Facebook page, and a revised web site Web site and Twitter page are due to be launched soon.

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Macleod releases 40-year-old Scotches to market

William M. Dowd photo illustration

• This is part of "Gotta Have ...", a series of occasional postings on unusual products.

Glengoyne Distillery is releasing a 40-year-old Highland Single Malt in limited quantities. Quite a decision for a 175-year-old distillery.

Iain Weir, marketing director for Ian Macleod Distillers which owns Glengoyne, said, “This is a world class, once-in-a-lifetime bottling. It was essential that the design and presentation of the Glengoyne 40 Year Old Highland Single Malt be a true reflection of its outstanding quality, and reinforces its position as one of the top luxury Limited Edition Single Malts available in the market today."

The expression is bottled in a a hand-blown Glencairn Crystal decanter, each of which has an individual number engraved in the base. An etching of the Scottish distillery is reflected up through the whisky.

The decanter is housed in a lacquered, piano-finished, solid oak wood presentation box, with gold plates on the front and hand-stitched cream leather interior. An accompanying cream leather and gold foil traditionally bound book, signed by Distillery Manager Robbie Hughes, provides tasting notes and detailed background on Glengoyne’s history as an independent distillery since 1833.

Just 250 crystal decanters will be available from specialist whisky outlets and in travel retail worldwide, retailing at £3,000 ($4,552 US).

However, if you're looking for a bargain-priced 40-year-old, Macleod also is launching a rare, limited-edition expression of its Springbank brand at just £800 ($1,213 US). It is from the Campbelltown distillery's Chieftain’s Single Malt Whisky collection.

Only 398 bottles of the natural strength, unchill-filtered whisky will be available. The distiller says it is the last and oldest Springbank cask available from the current Chieftain’s collection.

The bottle is presented in a silver leather-lined, solid oak box. Two silver plaques on the front display all the individual bottle details, as does the certificate of authenticity scroll, signed by Antony McCallum-Caron, Chieftain’s rare malt manager.

Weir notes, “The combination of age and the limited release of 398 bottles mean this will be a real collector’s item, with its unparalleled quality making it a joy to drink.”

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California vodka is truly organic

"Why does America buy into this 100-times distilled, diamond-filtered vodka crap? If it were really that pure, it would be organic!"

That's Allison Evanow, founder and CEO of Square One Organic Vodka, in a local television interview.

It's her mantra and her business plan to supply truly organic vodka to people who really care about such things. Working with master distiller Bill Scott, she has created a line of such spirits, made from 100% organic American rye through a proprietary certified organic fermentation process.

As the Northern California distiller explains it, the rye "receives only chemical-free compost, fresh water, and tender loving care during its entire growth cycle. The natural robust health of the plants themselves is their main defense against disease and infestation.

"Square One Organic Vodka then takes this organic philosophy right into the distillery, using only organic yeasts and natural nutrients in a process certified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National Organic Program (NOP). The only other ingredient is pure, fresh water from the pristine watershed of the nearby Teton Range."

In addition to the basic vodka, Square One also creates cucumber and botanical styles. The suggested retail prices are in the $30 range. Go here to find out where it is available.

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Bacardi adds flavor to RTD line

Bacardi has added a second flavor to its ready-to-drink (RTD) portfolio -- the Bacardi Classic Cocktail Raspberry Mojito.

The first flavor was the Original Bacardi Mojito. Both are made with Bacardi Superior Rum, natural lime and mint flavors. The new flavor has ripened raspberries added.

Says Gordon Chisholm, brand director, After the original mint and lime mojito, the raspberry mojito is one of the most popular mojitos requested at bars and nightclubs, so offering a convenient, ready-to-serve raspberry mojito for home entertaining was a natural extension for the brand."

The 15% alcohol by volume (30 proof) cocktail is available in a 750-ml size as well as a 1.75-liter at suggested retail prices of $12.99 and $19.99.

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Distillers group picks officers

FRANKFORT, KY -- Andrea Wilson, of Diageo North America in Louisville, has been named chair of the Kentucky Distillers' Association.

The 129-year-old group promotes and protects the commonwealth's signature bourbon and distilled spirits industry.

Chris Morris, master distiller at Brown-Forman in Louisville, has been named vice chairman. John Rhea, chief operating officer at Four Roses Distillery in Lawrenceburg, has been named secretary-treasurer.

Other board members are Jeff Conder of Beam Global Spirits & Wine, Meredith Moody of Buffalo Trace, David Hobbs of Heaven Hill Distilleries, and Tom Krekeler of Wild Turkey Distillery.

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Tennessee distilling sites may be expanded

The production of distilled spirits in Tennessee is legal in only three counties. That could soon change.

A bill introduced by State Sen. Bill Ketron, R-Murfreesboro, to broaden that list has been approved by a 19-5 vote. The companion bill is awaiting a vote in the House.

Right now, only Lincoln, Moore and Coffee coiunties are allowed to host spirits production facilities. Under the bill, other counties would be eligible if they have approved retail package sales and liquor-by-the-drink sales through voter referendum.

The individual county commissions would decide which companies could produce the spirits.

Ketron (left) earlier had withdrawn his sponsorship of a bill that would allow sales of wine in supermarkets.

Ketron's 13th Senate District covers part of Rutherford County and all of Maury, Marshall and Lincoln counties in middle Tennessee. He is the secretary for the Senate State and Local Government Committee, serves on the Senate Education Committee and Senate Government Operations Committee, and is a member of the Joint House-Senate Education Oversight Committee. He was first elected in November 2002 and won re-election in 2006.

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Washington state hikes liquor markup

Liquor prices in Washington state will increase on August 1.

In a move to increase declining state revenues, the state's Liquor Control Board has approved a huge markup on prices.

The current markup on liquor sold in the state is 39.2%. Under the new rules, it will be 51.9%. In theory, the increase will run only through 2011, but that's a long way off and many things can happen in the interim.

The state is hoping the increase will make up for the $78.6 million to be removed from the Liquor Revolving Fund by lawmakers trying to deal with the state's $9 billion budget deficit.

The increase does not apply to beer and wine products. The Liquor Revolving Fund includes revenue from sales of spirits, beer and wine liter taxes, license fees and other related revenue sources.

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NY craft distillers get organized

New York State wines have a growing image around the country, but there's another adult beverage movement that is gaining traction as well.

The recent creation of the New York Craft Distillers Guild is evidence of that. An even dozen licensed craft distillers and the interest of the New York Farm Bureau created enough of a critical mass for such a group, whose first meeting was organized by the Hudson Valley Agri-Business Development Corporation.

“We want to make the firm statement that spirits production in New York is an agricultural undertaking,” says Todd Erling, executive director of HVADC, “distillers use agricultural products, and craft distilleries have the potential to create new markets for New York-grown fruits and grain while also creating a new tax source for the state.”

Changes in the state’s Alcohol Beverage Control Law have made it possible in recent years for small distillers to develop and flourish. With 12 licensed craft distillers, New York now has the highest concentration of distilleries of any state east of the Mississippi, according to the Guild. The distilleries are:

• Castle Spirits (Monroe)
• Delaware Phoenix Distillery (Walton)
• Finger Lakes Distilling (Elmira)
• Harvest Spirits (Valatie)
• Hidden Marsh Distillery (Seneca Falls)
• Knapp Vineyards (Romulus)
• Lake Placid Spirits (Lake Placid)
• Long Island Spirits (Baiting Hollow)
• Spirits by Battistella (Ithaca)
• Swedish Hill Winery (Romulus)
• Tuthilltown Spirits (Gardiner)
• Warwick Valley Winery and Distillery (Warwick)

Some of the distilleries are part of winemaking operations while others are standalone businesses. As a group, they produce spirits ranging from fruit brandies to vodka, rum and bourbon.

The number of distillers in New York is expected to double over the next five years, creating significant economic value for the state.

Ralph Erenzo, owner of Tuthilltown Spirits, notes "A small distillery operating at the limit of production allowed by their license can generate up to $1 million in annual excise and sales taxes to the state, not including the multiplier effect."

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Vermont eases wine, spirits sales law

Vermont winemakers and distillers got good news Tuesday when Gov. Jim Douglas signed a bill allowing them to sell more products on-site.

Previously, wineries could offer tastings or sell bottles of wine. Distilleries could do neither.

Now, wineries also may sell glasses of wine on-premises, and distilleries can offer tastings and sell bottles of their spirits.

In addition, wineries will be allowed to sell and offer tastings of other winemakers' wares, rent their sites for events such as weddings, and produce and sell fortified wines such as ports.

Vermont's first winery was founded 25 years ago, and the state now is home to 20.

Ed Metcalfe, of Whitingham, told the Associated Press he was on the fence about opening a distillery in Vermont if he couldn't sell his vodka and specialty liquors on site. He said the new law cinched it for him, allowing him to sell and offer tastings at the distillery he plans in Marlboro.

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Carbon dating catching whisky cheats

• From Scientific American magazine

Carbon dating, a valuable tool for placing ancient archaeological finds in context, is now being applied to date more modern treasures: pricey bottles of Scotch.

... 20th-century nuclear tests ... left their mark in the isotope record, significantly boosting levels of atmospheric carbon 14, the radioactive form of the element that researchers measure in carbon dating. ...

Stakes are high in the antique whiskey business -- a bottle of 1926 Macallan fetched $54,000 at Christie's New York in 2007 -- and forgeries appear to be commonplace.

[Go here for the full story and related links.]

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20-gallon cocktail a Vegas fundraiser

Introducing The Opportunitini.

The 20-gallon, gin-based martini was created at the Hard Rock Cafe in Las Vegas as a fundraiser for Opportunity Village, a local not-for-profit that provides vocational training, job placement and respite to people with intellectual disabilities.

Proceeds from sale of individual drinks made from the giant cocktail were raised Tuesday with Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman pouring in the final bottle of gin.

The Opportunitini, in standard size, was created by bartenders at the Hard Rock and will be on the menu all summer.

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Smirnoff debuting RTD cocktails in Ireland

RTD -- the beverage industry acronym for "ready to drink" -- cocktails under the Smirnoff name will be unveiled on the Irish market next week.

Diageo, the international drinks company that owns Smirnoff, will offer mojito vodka cocktails beginning Tuesday, company executives told the news media yesterday. They are packaged in 70cl cocktail shaker-shaped bottles and will sell for €14.99 ($22 US) each.

In another matter, Diageo officials said plans to develop a premium-priced cachaça, the sugar cane-based Brazilian clear spirit, have been out off until the financial market improves.

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What will they think of next? (May edition)

This month marks a lot of things -- May Day, of course, plus Mother's Day, Memorial Day, National Hoagie Day, Limerick Day, Eliza Doolittle Day, National Hamburger Day, End Of The Middle Ages Day, National Macaroon Day...

But, in the world of international celebrations, Cinco de Mayo celebrations have grown from Mexico to be celebrated around the world. And with May 5th -- which commemorates a Mexican victory over the invading French at the Battle of Puebla in 1862 -- looming, that Mexican cocktail icon klnown as the margarita comes to the fore. Here are three examples of innovative twists on the basic drink.

• TRIPLE ORANGE MARGARITA

Ronaldo P. Colli, mixologist at the Americano restaurant in San Francisco, was asked by the makers of Gran Gala Triple Orange Liqueur to come up with a seasonal margarita showcasing their product.

1 1/2 ounces ultra premium tequila
3/4 ounce Gran Gala Triple Orange
1 ounce orange juice, freshly squeezed
1/2 ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed
1/4 ounce agave nectar
1 lime wheel
1 orange peel

Pour Gran Gala, tequila, orange juice, lime juice, agave nectar and orange peel into a shaker with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a chilled glass filled with ice. Strain into a chilled margarita glass if you prefer your margarita up. Garnish with a lime wheel and the same orange peel on top of the cocktail. Salted rim is traditional, but optional.

(Agave nectar is a natural sweetener. Adjust according to desired sweetness. Available at gourmet stores or from online retailers.)

• WHITECAP MARGARITA

This recipe comes courtesy of the Texas Margarita Web site.

2 ounces tequila
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 cup cream of coconut
1 cup ice

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. This makes one drink.

• POMEGRANATE MARGARITA

Celebrity chef Tyler Florence developed this particular recipe for the Food Network.

1/4 cup pomegranate juice, plus seeds for garnish
4 ounces tequila blanco
1 ounce Triple Sec
2 ounces fresh lime juice
12 ounces ice cubes
Margarita salt, optional

Combine all ingredients, except salt, in a blender and pulse until frothy and well combined. Rim glasses with lime juice using a lime wedge then dip in margarita salt, drop some fresh pomegranate seeds in the bottom of the glass and pour margarita mix over the top.

[Go here for my archive of monthly cocktail recipe collections.]

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Arizona in line for new distillery

By the end of the year, the number of Arizona cities with distilleries should double.

Of course, that's not a difficult target to reach. At the moment, Flagstaff is the only one.

However, the Kingman Airport Industrial Park -- marked in map at right -- has auctioned off a two-acre parcel of land for $130,680 to a Nevada couple who said they plan to construct a distillery there.

The sole bidder for the property was PJ Patt Investments LLC, owned by John and Deborah Patt of Boulder City, NV. Bob Riley, the Industrial Park's director of economic development, told the Kingman Daily Miner the Patts have purchased a German-manufactured still similar to the one used by the Flagstaff-based High Spirits Distillery, manufacturer of a prickly pear-flavored vodka that debuted in December 2005. (Go here for my original story on High Spirits.)

He said the Patts intend to manufacture vodkas and specialty brandies, with the potential for tourism somewhere down the line.

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Organic liqueur line makes its debut

The move to create and sell "organic" alcoholic beverages marches on.

The latest is something called Thatcher's Organic Artisan Liqueurs. They come from Dave Racicot, former marketing VP for Campari/SKYY Spirits. The eight expressions, all U.S.D.A. Certified:

• Cucumber
• Elderflower
• Apple spice ginger
• Pomegranate
• Tres chili
• Dark chocolate
• Chipotle
• Blueberry

To complete the "green" theme, the liqueurs are packaged in lightweight, recyclable glass bottles bearing labels are made from recycled materials.

So far, only vendors in California and Illinois are handling the liqueurs, which sell for about $23 a bottle.

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Brooklyn Brewery founder now wants a distillery

Brooklyn, the historic and storied New York City borough, may be home to more than beermaking if Tom Potter (right) is successful.

Potter, who helped start the Brooklyn Brewery more than two decades ago, now wants to create Brooklyn's first distillery since Prohibition. He's trying to raise $600,000 in capital to rent space in the Williamsburg, Gowanus or Red Hook neighborhoods by this summer.

The Daily News reports that the business will be called the New York Distillery Company, and that the renowned designer and artist Milton Glaser has been retained to create the visual image of the as-yet-unnamed product line.

"There's this long-term trend towards locally made beverage products. I saw it in the beer industry 20 years ago and that same movement is starting ... for distilled spirits," Potter told the Daily News.

He said he got the idea to make his own gin and whiskey after touring distilleries on the West Coast.

"I'm optimistic. These are very challenging times to try to raise money, but traditional alcohol is recession-resistant: In good times people drink, and in bad times people drink," Potter said. " ... I hope to get 10,000 cases out there within the next few years. They'll probably retail between $25 and $45 a bottle."

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Prohibition is in the p.i.n.k.

Prohibition Beverage Inc. has acquired The p.i.n.k. Spirits Company.

In 2006, p.i.n.k. released the first ultra-premium vodka infused with both caffeine and guarana, pricing it at $40 for the 750ml bottle.

It is distributed in 41 states and five countries. The p.i.n.k. Spirits Company received the Beverage Information Group's "Rising Star" Growth Brand Award in both 2008 and this year. It also was chosen as one of the "Top 50 Spirits" and one of "The 12 Most Fascinating Vodkas" by Wine Enthusiast Magazine, and swept the Beverage Dynamics Marketing and Promotions Awards in 2006, 2007, and 2008 by taking home 23 awards.

p.i.n.k. now also makes tequila, rum, white whiskey, sake and gin.

Prohibition Beverage Inc., a Philadelphia-based company, is focused on spirit brands that target premium market segments.

[Go here for my original story on the creation of p.i.n.k. vodka.]

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Scotch the muse for Virginia distillers

• From VirginiaBusiness.com

From the snowcapped heights of Ben Nevis to the enduring insights of poet Robert Burns, Scotland’s charms have captured the hearts of many men.

Chris Allgood is among them. A native of Yorkshire in England, he has devoted decades to sampling and learning about fine Scotch whisky. Now the seeds of that passion are bearing fruit in Nelson County, VA.

Allgood and two business partners -- Brian Gray and Joe Hungate -- are developing a distillery and barley fields on about 95 acres in a spot off U.S. 29 called Eades Hollow. Their dream is to produce a line of single-malt whiskies, but you’ll find the Eades name on “anticipation” double malts already on shelves in Virginia and six other states.

[Go here for the full story.]

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A bar, a beer and a boar

Miss that address? It's Taste for Travel.org. Just go there and scroll down to find the story.

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Beefeater 24 gets bicoastal launch

New York and San Francisco will get the honors when Pernod Ricard USA debuts its Beefeater 24 gin in the U.S.

The new gin is crafted with 12 botanicals, including a blend of teas along with extracts of grapefruit, bitter almond, orris root and Seville orange peel. It takes its name from the 24-hour steeping process.

Tim Murphy, vice president of Beefeater, said in a press statement, "The gin category continues to show momentum and offers excellent future growth opportunities, making this an ideal time for us to launch this super-premium expression."

After the bicoastal launch, Pernod Ricard plans to quickly make Beefeater 24 available nationwide.

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Astronomy can be so tasty

• From The Sun of London:

The centre of our Milky Way galaxy tastes of raspberries, say astronomers -- and smells of rum.

Scientists searching for life’s chemical building blocks found a molecule responsible for the fruit flavour. The ethyl formate also has a whiff of the Caribbean drink.

Astronomer Arnaud Belloche said: “It does happen to give raspberries their flavour -- but there are many other molecules that are needed to make space raspberries.”

The researchers had trained a 30-metre radio telescope on Sagittarius B2, a star-forming dust cloud at the heart of our galaxy.

Dr. Belloche, based in Bonn, Germany, added: “We’ve identified around 50 molecules in our survey, and two of those had not been seen before.”

He revealed the results at the European Week of Astronomy and Space Science at the University of Hertfordshire in Hatfield.

They follow claims, made in October last year, that space smells of fried steak and welding.

NASA astronauts reported the scents on their space suits.

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Bar Bets: Flipping an egg in a tequila glass

If you don't think an egg can be flipped in a glass without touching either the egg or the glass, guess again.

Go here to learn how to do it.

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Burnett's flavored vodka line unveils No. 19

Anyone who thinks the Burnett's Flavored Vodka portfolio of 70-proof vodkas has reached its maximum has another think coming.

The Heaven Hill Distilleries brand has introduced its 19th flavor -- Pink Lemonade.

It joins a line that already included blueberry, cherry, citrus, coconut, cranberry, espresso, grape, lime, mango, orange, peach, pomegranate, raspberry, sour apple, strawberry, sweet tea, vanilla and watermelon.

"We feel we have responded with some unique introductions like Sweet Tea and Pink Lemonade that do not necessarily conform to a standard fruit lineup," said Reid Hafer, senior brand manager.

Burnett's line includes the flagship vodka, the flavored vodkas, gin and rums.

Parent company Heaven Hill, headuqartered in Bardstown, KY, is the nation's largest independent, family-owned and operated spirits producer and marketer and the world's second-largest holder of Kentucky Bourbon.

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Presenting, the worst in drinks

Apparently the guys at Men's Health magazine actually are interested in something other than abs -- their own and the viewing of other men's.

They've come up with a batch of lists of "worst" things to eat and drink. A very subjective list, too be sure, but they use calorie, salt and fat content statistics to back up many of their contentions.

Here's the breakdown of drinks categories:

20. Worst Light Beer
19. Worst "Healthy" Drink
18. Worst Soda
17. Worst Beer
16. Worst Lemonade
15. Worst Tea-Like Substance
14. Worst Energy Drink
13. Worst Iced Tea
12. Worst Juice Imposter
11. Worst Chocolate Milk
10. Worst Chai Tea Drink
9. Worst Kid's Hot Beverage
8. Worst Summer Cocktail
7. Worst Coffee Alternative
6. Worst Hot Coffee
5. Worst Blended Fruit Drink
4. Worst Frozen Coffee Drink
3. Worst Smoothie
2. Worst Milkshake
1. The Worst Drink in America

I can't leave you in suspense over the "worst drink." It's the Baskin-Robbins Large Heath Bar Shake. It contains 2,310 calories and 108 grams of fat (64 of them saturated). That breaks down to 66 teaspoons of sugar. You would have to eat 11 Heath Bars to equal the number of calories found in one shake.

Go here to get the magazine's take on various drink comparisons, health foods, best and worst meals at chain restaurants, and lots more on the nutrition scene.

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Rumors of vodka's death are greatly exaggerated

Too often access to a major pulpit gives people the opportunity to say really preposterous things that somehow become "conventional wisdom."

A perfect example is drinks writer Eric Felten's latest sweeping pronouncement in The Wall Street Journal. To wit:

"It's now official (and not a moment too soon):
"Vodka is passé."

Poppycock. Pish-tosh. And, patooie, say I.

I assumed when I saw his introductory sentence that Felten was going to go on with a bit of tongue-in-cheek commentary, or debunk someone else's silly comment. That was not to be the case.

He cites as proof of his statement, and the "official"-ness of it, that "Cocktails '09" -- the new edition of Food & Wine magazine's annual drinks book -- shows far fewer cocktail recipes using vodka than in the four previous editions.

Hardly empirical evidence of the passing of so large a contender from the spirits field. Indeed, the overwhelming leader in sales worldwide among clear spirits remains strong.

Thus, I suspect Mr. Felten was merely being fanciful as a way to get into a book review. Unfortunately, because of the stature of his newspaper, his comment has created quite a stir of debate in the blogosphere. In reality, vodka remains the hottest of the haute among all libations, and for many reasons.

Vodka is one of the simplest spirits to make, usually as a neutral grain spirit although one can make it with potatoes, grapes, pineapple, grasses and all other manner of organic matter. By technical definition it should be odorless, colorless and tasteless. By experience, most of us know that is not true. The many permutations of vodka provide us with notes and hints and whispers of such things as pepper, florals, cream, soft fruits and the like without anything in particular being done to it. It's just part of the chemistry -- that of the vodka interacting with that of the imbiber.

As with any market niche, there are many facets that go into being a success. With vodka it was filtration -- through charcoal, through linen, through bamboo thatches, through stainless steel mesh, through silk, through crystal and jewels -- that took out the impurities and made it more and more palatable. And then it was packaging, with some gorgeously designed decanters created especially to attract the eye of both shopkeepers, who provided shelf space, and consumers, who provided money.

Vodka passé? No, Virginia, there is no decline. There is only innovation piled upon innovation.

Just a few months ago I was presenting a workshop for the staff at the sister restaurants Yono's and DP: An American Brasserie in Albany, NY, a fairly sophisticated waitstaff that its employers feared was getting lost in the rampaging flood of new vodkas, ryes, tequilas, et al.

As part of my preparation for the workshop, I had gone back over my notes and drawn up a list of new vodkas on the market -- just the ones I'd personally written about -- in the preceding 12 months. It was startlingly long. Not just new flavors and infusions from popular brands, but such innovations as a UK "health drink" product that is an 8-proof (no typographical error -- eight proof) line of vodka-based drinks also containing water, natural flavorings and 25% fruit juice.

Most people know all about Smirnoff, Grey Goose, Stolichnaya, etc., but not nearly as much as some names added to the list in recent periods. Names that are either new to the world or at least to the U.S. market --

• Firefly
• Silver Mustang
• Blue Ice
• LiV
• Cirrus
• Ciroc
• Bak
• Belvedere IX
• Patron (nothing to do with the Patron tequila line)
• DQ
• Dragon Bleu
• Khortyts
• Double Cross
• Orze
• Czysta de Luxe
• Sobieski
• Akvinta
• Permafrost
• Ocean
• Belvedere Intense
• Alexandar
• p.i.n.k.
• Pinky
• 02
• Tyrells
• Boyd & Blair
• Cold River
• Snow Queen
• Bu-Tay
• Prairie
• CapRock
• Chinggis Khaan
• Spudka
• Sub Rosa
• Saaga 1763
• Purus
• Bee
• St. Julian
• Beauport
• 360
• Crystal Skull
• Firestarter
• Jazz
• Pshenychna
• Debowa
• Han
• Boomerang
• Blavod Black
• Natt
• Diamond Standard
• Baojing 168
• Sonnema VodkaHerb
• Kai
• Shpilka
• Christiania
• X-Rated

Need I go on?

This list doesn't even take into account literally hundreds of new flavors and other hundreds of artisinal vodkas distilled in boutique operations and extremely limited in both volume and distribution. They abound worldwide.

Vodka passé? Non. Vodka au courant!

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Wine & Spirits Wholesalers CEO to be honored

The World Association of the Alcohol Beverage Industries Inc. (WAABI) has selected the recipient of this year's UNITY Award.

Craig Wolf, president and CEO of the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA), will be honored at an award dinner on Monday, July 27, at the Hilton Alexandria in Old Town Alexandria, VA, part of the WAABI’s 65th anniversary Leadership Conference being held there July 25-28.

This year's conference will focus on tax threats to the industry, new tactics against drunk driving, and other matters of concern to the alcohol beverage industry.

WSWA was created just one year prior to WAABI, in 1943, and today represents 330wine and spirits wholesalers and brokers doing business in all 50 states. As CEO, Wolf manages the day to day operation of the influential trade association. WSWA supports legislation, regulation and public policies at state and federal levels to promote the responsible distribution of beverage alcohol and the prevention of underage access.

Craig joined WSWA as general counsel in 2000 and was named president in 2006. Prior to that he was counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee and Chairman Orin Hatch (R-UT). He has also served as a prosecutor at the state and federal levels.

WAABI, organized in 1944, has several thousand members in chapters nationwide.

Registration for the WAABI conference is $350, which includes several meals as well as the UNITY Dinner. Registration forms and details are available online. Other information is available from Executive Director Jill Hawkins at (513) 675-3443.

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Rare Scotches hit U.S. market

William M. Dowd photo illustration

• This is part of "Gotta Have ...", a series of occasional postings on unusual products.

Beam Global Spirits & Wine has launched a pair of oldies it hopes U.S. consumers will think are goodies.

They are Laphroaig 25 Year Old and Ardmore 30 Year Old single malt Scotch whiskies, just now hitting the domestic market. Each has a suggested retail price of $499.99 per bottle.

Says Stacey Simmons, brand manager for Laphroaig and Ardmore. “The rarity and exclusivity of [these whiskies] is perfect for those who are looking to add to their collections or simply enjoy a rewarding single malt experience.”

Laphroaig 25 Year Old has been aged in Oloroso sherry and American oak casks, and was bottled last year at 51.2% alcohol by volume (102.4 proof).

Ardmore 30 Year Old has been aged in ex-bourbon barrels and handmade quarter casks. Only 1,428 bottles, each individually numbered, are available.

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Young Scotch for a younger market

• From The Scotsman:

Traditionalists may not like it, but it's a case of young whisky galore.

Distilleries are bringing out a new range of youthful malts in a bid to attract a younger generation of drinkers.

Advances in the technology used to make whisky mean that the world-famous water of life can be matured faster and sold earlier.

Although the consensus among experts until recently has been that malts matured for less than 10 years were not of high enough quality, some distilleries are now bringing out products as young as four years.

Ardbeg distillery on Islay has already sold thousands of bottles from its range of Very Young (six years) at £28 ($42 US), Still Young (eight) at £29 ($44 US) and Almost There (nine) at £29.99 ($45 US), with names deliberately targeted at a younger audience. But some distilleries and independent bottlers, such as Glen Garioch, are bringing out versions for less than £20 ($30).

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, the country's leading authority on malts, has been so impressed by some of the new products that it is considering a special tasting for members.

[Go here for the rest of the story.]

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Brown-Forman, Bacardi merger possibility reported

There's no official word on the possibility, but the Sunday Telegraph today said Brown-Forman Corp has hired investment bankers to look at a possible merger with rival Bacardi.

The British newspaper said Brown-Forman had hired Lazard to advise it on options ranging from selling individual brands to a merger with Bacardi.

"Brown-Forman and Bacardi are medium-sized, family-controlled businesses that fit well together," the newspaper quoted an unnamed drinks industry insider as saying.

Brown-Forman, headquartered in Louisville, KY, has an extensive brand portfolio that includes Jack Daniel's, Old Forester, Woodford Reserve, Canadian Mist and Old Times whiskies; Finlandia vodka; Don Eduardo and Herradura tequilas; Fetzer, Sonoma-Cutrer and Michel Picard wines, and, Tuaca, Chambord and Southern Comfort liqueurs.

Bacardi Ltd., headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda, has about 200 products. Among them are Bacardi rum; Bosford, Bombay and Bombay Sapphire gin, Grey Goose and 42 Below vodka; Cazadores tequila; Noilly Pratt vermouth; Dewar's, DWilliam Lawson's, Aberfeldy, Glen Deveron and Craigallachie Scotch whiskies, and B&B and Benedictine liqueurs.

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A celebri-quote: Miley Cyrus

• Teen singer/actress Miley Cyrus ("Hannah Montana") takes Hollywood to task for its role in the increase in underage drinking. The now-16-year-old made this comment in an interview with Glamour magazine.

"At one of my very first awards shows I ever did, there was a bottle of vodka in my gift bag. ... No one cared that they were giving this to a 12-year-old."

[Go here for more celebri-quotes.]

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Fastest cocktail shaker in the world

Record-setting bartender Chris Raph, right, nears the end.

The next time someone breaks the Guinness Book of World Records mark for making the most cocktails in an hour, don't be surprised if they are immediately rushed to the hospital for carpal tunnel surgery.

Last year, Las Vegas-based Bobby Gleason, better known as Bobby G, broke the four-year-old world record held by the UK's Paul Martin by 74, whipping up 253 different drinks in 60 minutes.

Then, Matthias Knorr cracked that record in Munich, Germany, by 136, mixing 389 cocktails in an hour.

Now, even that number has been surpassed -- by 273!

The new record-holder is Chris Raph, a bartender at The Shout House -- a "dueling piano bar" in downtown Minneapolis. The 31-year-old cranked out an astonishing 662 drinks Thursday night in the presence of several hundred cheering onlookers plus Carlos Martinez, an adjudicator for Guinness who had flown in from New York for the event and examined each drink.

Most of the drinks were simple two- or three-ingredients concoctions.

I spoke with Gleason this morning to get his take on the escalating number of cocktails being authenticated by Guinness.

"Well, records are made to be broken. But, when I did it (at the 2008 Nightclub & Bar Convention & Trade Show in Las Vegas) I was told each cocktail had to have at least three ingredients," the Jim Beam Brands master mixologist told me.

Gleason said he used 12 base spirits and three different DeKuyper cordials and liqueurs in his record-setting performance.

"As soon as I had combined all the base spirits with a DeKuyper product, I switched to another one and started all over again. You just have to keep it organized and stay focused."

[Go here for a YouTube video of Raph's record-breaking performance.]

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There's something intoxicating in the air

If you happen to find yourself in London between now and April 25, you can get the effects of a good stiff drink while being able to honestly say you didn't have a drop.

What's the gimmick? It's a temporary bar dubbed Alcoholic Architecture. It is offering a cloud of breathable gin and tonic to its patrons for about $7 an hour.

The "bar" creates an intoxicating vapor using an ultrasonic humidifier system. Patrons put on protective suits and "drink" in the air.

The cocktail mist is made using gin, tonic water and the same technology as Anthony Gormley’s Blind Light at the Hayward Gallery. The interior of the bar is decorated to look like the inside of a cocktail with giant limes and straws.

Harry Parr, partner of Bompas & Parr which created the bar, told the media, "I’m interested in states of matter. Here we’ve vaporised a cocktail. In the future I would like to make a liquid banqueting table.

"In the 1905 Gondola Banquet the Savoy Hotel was flooded and the meal was eaten on a floating gondola surrounded by live swans with dessert presented on the back of a baby elephant. That would be the ultimate meal."

Alcoholic Architecture is open today through April 18th and 23-25 at 2 Ganton Street, Newburgh Quarter, London, W1F 7QL.

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JD Single Barrel gets redesign

If you see a bottle of Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Tennessee Whiskey that doesn't look quite the way you remember it, don't be surprised.

A new bottle design has been introduced and will hit the domestic market in May.

“The updated package reflects the brand’s ultra premium nature while recognizing the authenticity and masculinity of Jack Daniel’s,” said Mark Grindstaff, Jack Daniel’s US Brand Marketing Director. “The bottle design improves visibility, making it easier to see on the shelf and behind the bar, and better communicates the status of the brand. We believe it will attract a sophisticated, discerning consumer.”

Each bottle is hand-labeled with its rick, barrel number and individual bottling date -- signifying the distinct taste profile of the whiskey from a single barrel. The bottle has a thick glass base and wide shoulders, giving it a “cut crystal” appearance.

The redesigned label has a black background with gold font. A raised, scripted signature of Jack Daniel is blown into the glass and appears across the front, bleeding onto the side of the bottle. The bottle retains the fluting around the neck and wood cork stopper. A coin is encased in the top of each wooden stopper.

Inside, the whiskey remains a 94-proof single barrel Tennessee Whiskey. It first came on the market in February 1997.

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Campus drinking program under way

The International Institute for Alcohol Awareness (IIAA) today launched Be WISE, a program aimed at curbing underage and problem drinking on college and university campuses.

Beam Global Spirits & Wine Inc. is funding the program. It involves all members of the college community in a collective effort to tackle the unique challenges of alcohol abuse in their communities, according to a statement released by the program founder.

The program calls on university administration officials, faculty, parents, students, retailers and law enforcement to mobilize together to eliminate underage and problem drinking.

The statement went on to say, "Be WISE provides relevant, action-oriented, evidence-based tools for each member of the community in addressing alcohol abuse. IIAA conducted extensive research on programs that have been effective in college communities, culminating in the launch of a best practices toolkit and Web site."

The University of Louisville is the first to officially implement Be WISE. The program launched today at an educational summit held in Frankfort, KY, along with 19 Kentucky colleges and universities. The summit was facilitated by IIAA, Beam Global Spirits & Wine and the Kentucky Network for Collegiate Substance Abuse Prevention. Its agenda was to address how colleges and universities can work together in finding the best solutions to address alcohol abuse. Policymakers, public health experts and college and university representatives participated in the conference.

“Community-based solutions are essential if we are to successfully address underage and problem drinking on campus,” said Jim Copple, IIAA president. “It is only through integrated and innovative partnerships like Be WISE that communities, law enforcement officials, public health experts, parents, students and retailers can work in partnership to achieve a safer environment.”

“While we sometimes find ourselves on the opposite side of issues with alcohol companies, we found a willing partner in the fight against underage drinking in Beam Global,” Copple said. “Strategic partnerships are essential if we are to make headway in the battle to prevent underage drinking. Deciding to partner with Beam Global was easy based on the company’s track record in developing innovative ways to address issues such as drunk driving and setting the strictest standards on the placement of alcohol advertising.”

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Mexican spirits competition set

The word is out from the Polished Palate company. Its 3rd annual Spirits of Mexico Tasting Competition will take place in San Diego on September 10 and 11.

"While there are other judging platforms," says Polished Palate owner Dori Bryant, this event "is the first and only such recognized competition for agave spirits in the United States."

The first Polished Palate competition drew 61 brands for judging. Last year's drew 70.

Once again, Jack Robertiello and Robert Plotkin will serve as competition co-hosts. Robertiello, editor of Drinks Inc., just hosted the Polished Palate International Rum Tasting Competition in Tampa, FL. Plotkin is the founder of BarMedia, a publishing company producing texts and training manuals. He has written 15 books on beverage management and mixology.

[Go here for the report on last year's competition.]

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A good guide to good rums

Robert A. Burr has made a nice living telling people what's available and where to get it, whether it's in the world of Coral Gables, FL, social events, diving in various hotspots or -- the one that most interests me -- the world of rum.

Burr and his wife, Robin, have been creating guides for some years. Now, joined by son Robert V., they have one of the best guides to rum I've seen on the market.

It is cleverly named "Robert Burr's Rum Guide" so if son overthrows father's business empire he doesn't have to re-name the guide.

The 50-page glossy pamphlet contains plenty of advertising, but it also offers an introduction by noted rum expert Ed Hamilton as well as recipes for about a dozen classic rum cocktails and thumbnail descriptions of their origin, several illustrated feature stories and, perhaps best of all, capsule descriptions of a whole host of rums by category:

• White or clear rum
• Gold or pale rum
• Dark or black rum
• Premium aged rum
• Cachaça
• Flavored, spiced rums and liqueurs

And, says the elder Burr, "We're updating it twice a year to include more rums and tasting notes."

This is an excellent pocket guide for the beginner and the experienced rum appreciator alike. And, for a mere $2, it also is a bargain buy.

To contact the Burrs at their Gifted Rums site about ordering the guides, call (305) 443-7973 or e-mail Robert V. at rvb@giftedrums.com.

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Moonshine legend ends it all in jail

The death of Marvin “Popcorn” Sutton, a nationally-known moonshiner, is being labelled a suicide.

Sutton, 61, built a three-decade reputation as one of the South’s top makers of illegal whiskey. He was the subject of several documentaries and wrote an autobiography titled “Me and My Likker.”

He had been incarcerated in Cooke County, TN, and briefly released while awaiting his transfer to a federal prison to serve an 18-month sentence for illegally making whiskey and possessing a firearm as a felon, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

[Go here for my original report on Sutton's legal woes.]

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Ciao, y'all, Campari's here

A Kentucky icon has been purchased by Italy's Gruppo Campari for an estimated $575 million in cash.

Gruppo Campari has signed an agreement to acquire Pernod Ricard's bourbon whiskey brand Wild Turkey, which includes the Wild Turkey brands, American Honey liqueur, distillery facilities in Kentucky and the aged liquid and finished product inventory. The transaction is subject to antitrust approvals, is expected to close prior to June 30, 2009 and the consideration will be paid for in cash.

Campari now has more than $1.1 billion invested in U.S. assets. It purchased SKYY Vodka in 2002 and both Cabo Wabo and X-Rated in 2007.

Bob Kunze-Concewitz, Gruppo Campari's CEO, said in a statement, said: "With Wild Turkey, Campari adds a brand of strategic relevance to its portfolio and further enhances its premium offering. This acquisition is another key step in the building of a leading player in the global spirits industry. In addition, Campari expands its presence in key international markets such as Australia, where the acquisition provides the foundation for establishing its own distribution platform, and Japan."

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Vodka 'health drink' unveiled in UK

Forget all those electrolyte- and vitamin-laced health drinks. England's Pure Food and Beverage Company Ltd. has unveiled a line of vodka-based drink it says is for health-conscious guests frequenting high-end bars and clubs in the UK.

What the drinks have is vodka, water, natural flavorings and 25% fruit juice in three bottled varieties -- mango and passion fruit, pomegranate and blueberry and vina grape and lime, all with just 4% alcohol by volume (8 proof).

What they don't have is preservatives, artificial ingredients, stabilizers or sweeteners.

Emily Bellusci, managing director for Infusion Drinks, said: “ ... This premium product identifies and caters for consumers leading a cosmopolitan, modern and contemporary lifestyle. People want to feel good when they are out and about. With this in mind, we created Infusion drinks to fit in with this trendy and chic standard of living.”

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Mmmm, peel-and-lick vodka samples

Scratch-and-sniff. Pour-and-chug. Oh, the many combinations.

How about peel-and-lick vodka samples?

That's the latest gimmick in introducing new spirits flavors, in this case Finlandia Tangerine Fusion, perhaps as a way to make up competitive ground on the recent launch of Absolut Mango Vodka.

The only hook is that the flavored Finlandia will not be available until May and then only in duty free shops at first. Finlandia's line of fruit-flavored vodkas already includes lime, mango and grapefruit.

The peel-and-lick sample resembles a mouthwash tab. It actually contains no alcohol. The marketing gimmick comes from First Flavor which has signed such companies as Campbell's, Welch's and Skyy as clients.

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Kosher drinks are on the rise

• From the Los Angeles Times

How about a margarita with that matzo ball?

Until recently, syrupy sweet wine was a staple of the Passover Seder, the ritual meal that celebrates the liberation of the ancient Israelites from slavery in Egypt. But now Jews who observe the stringent food restrictions of the holiday have climbed a culinary Mount Sinai to find more kosher alcoholic choices than ever before, including a premium vodka, a $200 Herzog Cabernet Sauvignon from the famous To Kalon vineyard in Napa Valley, and even specially prepared pure agave tequila from Mexico.

The offerings are part of what "Kosher by Design" cookbook author and food maven Susie Fishbein calls a "renaissance" in kosher foods and drinks in America.

[Go here for the rest of the story.]

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Introducing world's peatiest whisky

Now, here's a claim you don't hear very often: World's peatiest whisky.

That's the claim for Octomore, a limited expression from the the Bruichladdich distillery on Islay, which also produces the world's strongest single malt Scotch whisky ever made, at 90% alcohol by volume (180 proof).

Octomore is distilled from barley peated to 131 parts per million, which makes it three times peatier than any other whisky ever produced.

The folks at Bruichladdich (pronounced brook-laddie) call Octomore "an iron fist in a velvet glove."

Only 6,000 numbered bottles were produced at natural cask strength of 63.5% ABV (127 proof). It is delivered in a matte black bottle and container sleeve to match.

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Tales of the Cocktail will feature DeVito

For a guy who made the tabloids by appearing on TV's "The View" a couple of years ago apparently tipsy from too many limoncellos, actor/producer Danny DeVito has been making the most of an opportunity.

The New Jersey native, who first came to national acclaim in the TV series "Taxi," has been the frontman for Danny DeVito's Premium Limoncello, a liqueur made from the zest of organic lemons from Sorrento, Italy, as well as sugar, water and alcohol to create a 60-proof drink.

Now, he's been announced as a featured attendee for the 7th annual Tales of the Cocktail, the cocktail and culinary festival that celebrates the history and culture of dining and drinking in New Orleans that is set for July 8-12 this year.

The event will feature more than 100 events, including such things as a Seven Deadly Sins theme party, On the Fly Bartender competition, USBG Caipirinha Competition, Spirited lunch on Moonshine, The Great Whisk(e)y debate, and the Tales of the Cocktail Spirit Awards. Dinner pairings, cocktail parties, tastings and demonstrations fill the schedule.

DeVito, by the way, will be back on the FX channel's "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" this season.

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Artist-jockey designs Woodford derby bottle

Woodford Reserve comes up with a new design each year for its commemorative Kentucky Derby bottle. This year, the small-batch bourbon has utilized the artwork of retired jockey Tom Chapman.

“Much as we try, it’s impossible to express in words the intensity of racing from a jockey’s perspective,” Chapman said.

“My goal is to capture it with a paint brush and canvas, often using unique angles and vibrant colors to set the tone. But no painting can truly capture the vibrancy and intensity of the Kentucky Derby.”

The image depicts the mood of the Derby as two jockeys in brightly-colored silks concentrate on the race, with the historic Twin Spires of Louisville’s Churchill Downs racetrack in the background. Chapman’s signature adorns the neck band of the bottle, and an attached tag bears information about the artist and product.

The limited edition liter-size bottle of 90.4-proof bourbon will be available later this month nationwide.

Chapman won more than 2,500 races and rode in the Kentucky Derby. He paints in oils, varying from realism to impressionism, and his work is represented in galleries and racetracks across the country.

Woodford Reserve Bourbon is the “Official Bourbon of Kentucky Derby 135” and has served as the official bourbon for the past 11 years.

It also sponsors a Grade I race, the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic, which is run on Derby Day, May 2, and has become one of thoroughbred racing’s premier events.

Woodford Reserve is produced in Versailles, KY, by Brown-Forman Corp.


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A bar, a beer and a boar

William M. Dowd photos

IN THE RAIN FOREST, St. Croix -- As rain forests go, this isn't much of one.

We're bumping along a rutted one-lane road, or what passes for one on an island with no particularly good roads of any kind and a lot of deserted shells of buildings. Typical of the other face of the Caribbean, the one the tourists aren't meant to see. The rundown homes, peeling paint, piles of rusted-out barrels and other metal debris; the scrawny goats and chickens that meander about, poking into corners for something to eat, and competing for walking space along the roads with uniformed school children looking bright-eyed despite the obvious poverty.

We'd been put on the trail of a particular drink called a "Mama Juana," apparently something very special on this American Virgin Island. Go into the rain forest, we'd been told. Look for The Domino Club. That's where you'll find it. And look for the beer-swilling pigs while you're at it.

The 15-acre western part of the island is dotted with all sorts of trees -- kapok, mahogany, turpentine -- as well as scraggly vines and ferns. The occasional banana quit, hummingbird or yellow warbler darts through the thick vegetation.

This spot north of the capital city of Frederiksted is privately owned, although no one stops the public from wandering through it, especially on a variety of narrow trails that snake through the underbrush.

Just when it seems we might have taken a wrong turn, suddenly we are there.

Our driver pulls off the tight road and our little group scrambles out, anxious for a Mama Juana or two. But first, we have to visit the wild, beer-swilling pigs.

A couple of accuracy alerts. For one, according to the strictest botanical definition, this isn't technically a rain forest, we're told, although no one seems to be able to supply that definition. For another, the pigs we were there to visit actually are boars. And for a third, we are told these particular boars are domesticated and have inherited their jobs from a previous generation of once-wild ones that drank real beer. The current creatures drink only O'Doul's non-alcoholic brew, a nod to animal rights groups.

Jacqueline, a stout, blonde-haired woman of indeterminate age, lines us up in front of the high-walled enclosure where she says the pigs live.

"Here's the drill," she says, mustering up all the charm of a Marine drill instructor. "Three dollars each for admission, a dollar a can for the beer, an extra five dollars if you want to shoot any video. Now, how many of you are coming in?"

We dutifully pay our money, then walk through the doorway, immediately spotting a pair of boars behind cement pen walls. They'd just stepped in from their larger outside pen. They are thirsty and bang against the walls.

"Don't let their tusks scare you," Jacqueline says. "Their teeth don't start till way back in their mouth, so you can place a can of beer in their mouth and they'll bite down on it without hurting you."

Several timid feints and the first of our group successfully "feeds" a beer to a boar. It clamps its powerful jaws on the can, crushing it and releasing the foaming brew. He guzzles the beer, spits out the can and looks around for more. His penmate does the same.

The process goes smoothly through most of two six-packs, until one of our group gets a little sloppy, or one of the boars does. A crushed can explodes its contents onto our companion's shirt front, soaking him to the skin. That's the end of the boar fest, and we head across a small clearing to the Mount Pellier Hut of The Domino Club.

We commandeer a rickety table in the thatched three-room hut. The place is dominated by a long bar in a dark part of the structure peopled by a couple who look as if they've been seated there for a very long time. Jacqueline, it turns out, also is the head bartender and in charge of the only other obvious employee.

The Domino Club is a structure that looks as if, in case a shot is fired and the authorities are called, it can be packed away and disappear in seven minutes flat.

We order Mama Juanas, then think to ask what is in the drink. Rum, honey and herbs, we're told. What kind of rum? What kinds of herbs? Just herbs, is the answer. Special herbs. And, don't chug the shots, Jacqueline warns.

We hoist, toast and -- despite the instructions -- chug. God almighty. This is vile stuff, is my first thought. I'll never need cough medicine again, is my second. The potion should be called Mama-don't-wanna.

Our driver is getting impatient. We don't mind, clambering back into the van and rattling off into what's left of this not-quite-a-rainforest, curiosity quenched, even if our thirst isn't. But, there is a nice bar back at the hotel that serves any kind of cocktail you can think of.

Aah, civilization.



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Margarita-in-a-Box coming in May

Sauza Tequila has unveiled Margarita-in-a-Box, the first boxed margarita cocktail made with real tequila.

The blend of lime juice, Sauza Blanco Tequila, triple sec and margarita mix will be sold in containers the company says will keep it fresh for up to six weeks after opening when refrigerated.

The new product will be available beginning in May in a 1.75 litre size, at 19.9 proof for a suggested retail price of $17.99.

Sauza is the No. 2 premium tequila in the world, behind Jose Cuervo. It is owned by Beam Global Spirits & Wine.

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Indiana mulls doubling alcohol tax

The Indiana State Legislature is considering doubling the excise tax on alcohol.

If the proposal passes and becomes law, it would make the state's tax rate 34% higher than the national average.

As is the case in numerous other states considering, or already implementing, increased taxes on alcoholic beverages, the idea is to help the state bring in more revenue to offset shortages in the current economic malaise.

Opponents of the increase say it would result in a loss of jobs in the hospitality industry.

Ben Jenkins, communications director for the Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S. (DISCUS) said, “A tax on alcohol is a tax on the entire hospitality industry. It's already struggling. It will affect businesses and there will be job cuts.”

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SF World Spirits awards run gamut

The San Francisco World Spirits Competition is a major event that each year gives numerous distillers a chance to get bragging rights for a year's worth of sales pushes.

This year, more than 450 distillers and importers submitted spirits from 21 countries.

The "Best in Show" awards:

• Distillery of the Year: The Glenlivet Distillery, Banffshire, Scotland
• Importer of the Year: Beam Global Spirits & Wine
• White: Linie Aquavit, Norway, $25
• Brown: Parker's Heritage Collection Kentucky Straight Bourbon, Kentucky, $$200
• Brandy: Père Magloire Calvados XO, Normandy, France, $75
• Liqueur: Coole Swan Cream Liqueur, Ireland, $30
• Platinum Award: Marquis de Montesquiou 1906 Vintage Armagnac, Eauze, France, $6,917
• Platinum Award: Marquis de Montesquiou Vintage Armagnac, Cuvee Pierre deMontesquiou Comte d'Artagnan, Eauze, France, $2,516

The Best In Category Awards:

• Vodka: Dry Fly Vodka, Washington, US, $30
• Flavored Vodka: Binboa Satsuma Vodka, Turkey, $19
• Gin: Bluecoat Gin, Philadelphia, $26
• Rum: Angostura Rum, 1824, Tobago, Trinidad
• Cachaça: Weber Haus Silver Cachaça, Brazil, $40
• Tequila: El Tesoro Platinum Tequila, Mexico, $38
• Reposado Tequila: Blue Head Tequila Reposado Tequila, Mexico, $40
• Añejo Tequila: Sol de Mexico Añejo Tequila, Mexico, $55
• Extra Añejo Tequila: Casa Noble Añejo Tequila, Single Barrel, Mexico, $105
• Flavored Tequila: Gran Centenario Rosangel Tequila, Hibiscus Infused, Mexico, $37
• Mescal: Los Osuna Reposado Mescal, Mexico, $38
• Rye: Wild Turkey Russell's Reserve Rye, Kentucky, $30
• Irish Whiskey: Bushmills 10 Year Old Single Malt Irish Whiskey, Ireland, $40
• Other Whiskey: Suntory Yamazaki Single Malt Whisky, 18 Year Old, Japan, $100
• Blended Scotch: Buchanan's Special Reserve 18 Year Old Scotch, Scotland, $32
• Single Malt Scotch: Port Ellen 29 Year Old Single Malt Scotch, Islay, Scotland, $400
• Cognac: (Tie) Courvoisier Cognac, Exclusif, Jarnac, France, $50; Hardy CognacNoces D'Or, D'Albatre / Rosebud, Cognac, France, $1,800
• Armagnac: Marquis de Montesquiou Cuvée Louis I Vintage Armagnac, Eauze, France, $755
• Pisco: Estirpe Pervana Pisco, Gran Amauta de Acholado, Ica, Peru, $23
• Fruit Liqueur: Leopold Bros. New England Cranberry Liqueur, US, $35

[Go here for results by medal and brand.]

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Peruvian rum takes world competition's top honor

William M. Dowd photo

YBOR CITY, FL -- A Peruvian rum can claim the title of world's best for the next year after winning the best-in-show award at the 4th annual Polished Palate International Rum Competition held in this historic Tampa neighborhood.

Ron Millonario Solera 15 Reserva Especial received a score of 90 or better from each of the judges to win the first-ever designation.

Dori Bryant, president of The Polished Palate, which organizes a variety of spirits competitions and events, said, “It is obvious that rum’s star has already risen. The amazing quality and the significant number of new producers joining the competition including those from Peru, Mexico, Africa, Panama and the U.S. bodes well for the industry. This year’s events were a great success, and I look forward to 2010.”

The competition, held March 26-27 at the historic Ritz complex, featured an international panel of judges who sampled, evaluated and compared 53 (51 of them sugar cane based) of the finest rums, rhums and other spirits to select this year’s honor roll.

The competition was part of the three-day International Rum Festival that included a variety of public events, podcasts, seminars and live entertainment venues. A silent auction benefitted The Sky Ranch Foundation, which has been helping troubled teens for 40 years.

The judging panel was headed by Jack Robertiello, wine and spirits writer and consultant with Drinks Ink of New York; yours truly, representing Dowd On Drinks of Troy, NY; Rick Crossland, recently retired senior vice president of the Bahama Breeze Restaurants chain; Terry Jones, vice president of ABC Fine Wine & Spirits of Florida; Ian Williams, author and correspondent, representing Rum Pundit.com, from Roscoe, NY; Arturo Sighinolfi, director of mixology and education, Southern Wine & Spirits, Florida; Chris Sherman, food critic, Florida Trend magazine, and Delon Cunningham, owner of Carrollwood Fine Wine & Spirits, Tampa.

This year’s event featured 12 categories. The medalists (bold type denotes "Best of Category." Not all categories received such an award):

• WHITE RUM

Gold: Carta Vieja Extra Claro Rum (Panama)
New Grove Plantation Rum (Mauritius)

Silver: Diplomatico White Rum (Venezuela)
Sunset Light Rum (St. Vincent & The Grenadines)

Bronze: Bacardi Superior (Puerto Rico)
Maui Platinum (Hawaii)
Sergeant Classick Silver Rum (California)
Tommy Bahama White Sand (Barbados)

• DARK RUM

Gold: Khukri Rum (Nepal)
Maui Dark (Hawaii)

Silver: One Barrel Rum (Belize)
Tommy Bahama Golden Sun (Barbados)

Bronze: Rogue Dark Rum (Oregon)

• GOLD RUM

Gold: Sunset Captain Bligh Rum (St. Vincent & The Grenadines)

Silver: Bacardi Gold (Puerto Rico)
Sergeant Classick Gold Rum (California)

Bronze: Carta Viejo Claro (Panama)
The Old Mill Gold Rum (US Virgin Islands)

• RUM AGED UP TO 8 YEARS

Gold: Ron Peruano 8 Year Old (Peru)
Diplomatico Reserva (Venezuela)
Ron Barcelo Grand Anejo (Dominican Republic)

Silver: Bacardi Select (Puerto Rico)
Carta Viejo Anejo (Panama)
Mount Gay Eclipse (Barbados)
Prichard’s Private Stock (Tennessee)
Ron Barcelo Imperial (Dominican Republic)
Ron Botran 8 Year Old (Guatemala)
Ron Medellín 3 Year Old (Colombia)
Ron Viejo de Caldas 3 Year Old (Colombia)
Ron Viejo de Caldas 8 Year Old (Colombia)

Bronze: Ron Barcelo Anejo (Dominican Republic)
Ron Medellín 8 Year Old (Colombia)

• RUM AGED 9-15 YEARS

Gold: Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva Rum (Venezuela)
Mount Gay Extra Old (Bahamas)
Ron Botran 12 Year Old (Guatemala)

Silver: Ron Medellín 12 Year Old (Colombia)

• RUM AGED 15+ YEARS

Gold: Ron Millonario Solera 15 Reserva Especial (Peru) BEST IN SHOW

• OVERPROOOF RUM

Gold: Braddah Kimo’s Extreme 155 Rum (Hawaii)

Bronze: Sunset Very Strong (St. Vincent & The Grenadines)

• AGUADIENTE

Gold: Antioqueno (Colombia)

Silver: Cristal (Colombia)

• FLAVORED RUM

Gold: Prichard’s Key Lime (Tennessee)

Silver: New Grove Orange Bliss (Mauritius)

Bronze: New Grove Lime (Mauritius)

• RUM LIQUEURS

Gold: Mauricia Tamarind Liqueur (Mauritius)

Silver: Empire Limonela (Florida)

Bronze: Empire Lemonela (Florida)

• SPICED RUM

Gold: None

Silver: Kilo Kai Spiced Rum (Curacao, Netherland Antilles)

Bronze: Horne Spiced Rum (US Virgin Islands)
Rogue Hazelnut Spice Rum (Oregon)

• OTHER SPIRITS

Gold: Ocucaje Pisco (Peru)
T&W Grappa Di Muscatto (Florida)

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What will they think of next? (April edition)

This month I'm looking at cocktails and punches that can be served up to large gatherings, something we'll need as we finally head into the warm months when we tend to host more cookouts and other such parties.

• CHENNAI SUPER KINGS

When it comes to punches, you have to have something from India, where the concoction originated. ("Punch" comes from the Indian word for five, thus five ingredients are needed.) This recipe is named for a cricket team in the Indian Premier League. It comes from the Leela Kempinski resort hotel.

2 parts light rum
1 part dark rum
1 part Galliano
Dash of lime juice
Orange juice to top up

Squeeze the lime juice into a shaker with ice. Add remaining ingredients and shake well. Strain into a goblet with some crushed ice, and garnish with a maraschino cherry.

• FISH HOUSE PUNCH

The origin, if not the name, of this concoction dates to as early as 1732. It is the official drink of what purports to be the oldest club in America, the Schuylkill Fishing Company, founded by Philadelphians with a love of fishing.

2 parts dark Jamaica rum
1 part cognac
½ part peach-flavored brandy
1 part fresh lemon juice
1 to 1½ parts (to taste) simple syrup
2 parts (more or less, to taste) water

Stir with ice and serve in a punch cup. If you make it in bulk, do so in a sizable punchbowl with a large block of ice. You may decorate the punch with thin slices of lemon.

• THE PAINKILLER

This luscious concoction comes, via the pages of Wine Enthusiast, from the island of Jost Van Dyke, in the British Virgin Islands. It was dreamed up at the Soggy Dollar Bar. It also is popular on tourist-rich Tortola -- using the locally-made Pusser's Rum, especially during the 4-6 p.m. happy hour at the Bananakeet Café.

2 ounces Pusser's dark rum
1 ounce cream of coconut
4 ounces pineapple juice
1 oounce orange juice

Blend rum with juices and coconut and serve over the rocks. Top with freshly grated nutmeg.

[Go here for my archive of monthly cocktail recipe collections.]

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A celebri-quote: Irina Voronina

• Russian model and spokesperson Irina Voronina has been a Playboy Playmate, worked in ad campaigns for Skyy Vodka, Miller Lite, and Michelob Ultra. She most recently was on a year-long public relations tour across the U.S. as the 2008 St. Pauli Girl. She also has had small roles in the films "Reno 911: Miami," "Balls of Fury" and "Epic Movie." This is excerpted from an interview by Jaeki Cho for Complex.com.

Q: What's your favorite comfort food or hangover remedy?

A: I used to drink, but not anymore. But this is what Russian people do. Since there’s no Vitamin Water in Russia we drink a lot of pickle marinade to put electrolytes back in the body. But a cure for hangover in the morning is to just have a shot of vodka or a beer.

A lot of people do beer, but if you need to get well to compose yourself, you just need to have a shot of vodka and you’ll be fine.

It’s kind of like when you poison your body, it’s not going to recover unless it’s just a little bit more. Like seriously, I tell that to a lot of people here in America, and they don’t listen to me most of the time. Like you’re not going to get out your house today, unless you do what I’m telling you to do. If you’re going to stay around the house, just have a beer, or a couple beers. That’ll give you a tranquil feeling. If you need to get going, just have a shot of vodka, and you’ll be fine.

Q: What's the most effective aphrodisiac for you?

A: It can be food. It can be visual. It can be alcohol [laughs]. As far as food though, I think sushi maybe? Anything nicely served. Any clean food. Or even just strawberries and champagne.

[Go here for more celebri-quotes.]

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Rare Highland Park cache found in Japan

• From Just Drinks.com:

Nearly 700 bottles of rare Highland Park single malt whisky are to be re-released on the UK market, after being discovered in Japanese warehouses.

Highland Park is to release 694 bottles of its Bicentenary 1977 whisky, it announced on March 27.

Originally priced at GBP69.99 [$99.35] per bottle when released in 1998, the 21YO Scotch whisky can now fetch up to GBP300 [$425.95] at auction and is available at Highland Park's distillery shop at GBP250 [$354.96].

All of the bottles set for re-release were discovered in warehouses across Japan, said the Orkney-based distiller.

"We were astounded to discover this rare stock in our previous distributor's warehouses in Japan," said Highland Park global controller James Craig. "This is a very special expression of Highland Park and one which we thought had sold out and been consumed long ago."

Martin Green, whisky specialist at auction house Bonhams, said, "Highland Park has been one of the most highly collected malts for many years with a cult following by whisky collectors. For a relatively low investment this bottling is certain to be sought after in the years to come."

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Going for the rum gold in Tampa

William M. Dowd photos

YBOR CITY, FL — I’m in this Tampa Bay nightlife hotspot, once again judging in the annual Polished Palate International Rum Tasting Competition that is part of the three-day International Rum Festival that culminated with a citywide food-and-drink-and-music blowout last night.

This is year No. 4 for this event, called the International Cane Spirits Festival in its first two years. It is run by organizer Dori Bryant’s Polished Palate company and hosted by Dori and writer Jack Robertiello.

We’ve completed the blind judging, and now we’re simply awaiting the tabulation of the judges’ scores and the assignment of medals that we can share with you.

Part of the anticipation of judging any wine or spirits competition is looking forward to experiencing some new brands. And part of it is champing at the bit as we await the unveiling of just what we’ve tasted and what we thought of it. Everything is done via coded samples, divided into categories — light rums, dark rums, aged up to 8 years, aged 9-15 years, aged over 15 years, overproof, liqueurs, spiced, etc.

Rum consumption is on the upswing in this country, and not just as a seasonal treat. As more and more companies expand their brand portfolios as well as their distribution efforts, Americans are being exposed to — in many cases treated to — a wider variety of rums that appeal to a wider range of consumer preferences.

Check back over the next week to see which rums took home the medals. Meanwhile, check the Polished Palate> Web site for a set of podcasts being done today in conjunction with the festival and with rum itself.

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Utah legislators gone wild

Oh, those Utah scamps. They're just going wild these days.

State lawmakers have approved changes in the liquor laws that will eliminate two things Utah required that no other state has.

• Bartenders now will be allowed to serve cocktails directly over bar counters instead of walking around them.

• The state's private club system, which requires customers to fill out an application and pay a fee for the right to enter a bar, will be eliminated.

Once Gov. Jon Huntsman signs the bill into law, which he says he will do, the changes will go into effect July 1.

The legislators said the changes were made in an effort to help aid tourism.

Another legislative push that apparently will not go through was one that would restrict restaurants from making mixed drinks in full view of minors. Go here for my earlier report on that topic.

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Timberlake pushing tequila

I hate it when celebrities get a ton of media coverage simply for being involved with a product. But, it's all part of the game, so here goes:

Pop performer Justin Timberlake is pushing his new brand of tequila, called 901. That's the telephone area code of Memphis, TN, his hometown.

Whoopee.

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Firefly distilling 'coming home'

Firefly Distillery likes to call itself a South Carolina company. However, it had been having its increasingly popular sweet tea vodka and other spirits made in Florida and Kentucky.

Now, the Charleston County (SC) Council has amended a zoning regulation to allow Firefly to begin distilling on its property there, according to Firefly's Jim Irvin.

"Last year our products generated $550,000 worth of excised tax dollars for South Carolina," Irvin told ABC News 4. "This year we'll probably do in excess of $850,000."

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Latest vodka gimmick: Online only

If you like Chopin potato vodka, and I seriously question the palate of anyone who doesn't, you might be interested in the same distiller's Silver Mustang vodka.

If so, don't bother trying to find it on store shelves. Silver Mustang is the first ultra-premium vodka ever to be available exclusively through the Internet, at a new Web site.

It is produced and bottled in Poland at the Polmos Siedlce distillery, where it is made from organically grown grains, with no chemical additives, artesian water and distilled five times. HR Superior Inc. of Chicago is the exclusive U.S. retailer.

The 80-proof vodka gets a "highly recommended" rating from the Beverage Tasting Institute. It retails for about $29.

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Ontario recalls Indian rum

The Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) has suspended sales and issued a recall of 750ml bottles of Old Monk Rum from India.

Glass particles have been found in some bottles, which Canadian officials say is related to the bottling process.

“In the interest of customer safety, we recalled this product immediately after our quality assurance staff confirmed the presence of glass particles in some bottles,” said George Soleas, LCBO vice president for quality assurance.

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What will they think of next? (March edition)

This month I've rounded up a trio of cocktail recipes representing the old and the new, a mixture representative of today's cocktail scene where the very latest thing is offered on the same drinks menu as revived classics.

• THE LAST WORD

This is an old classic that long ago fell out of favor. Now, however, it's making a comeback, particularly on the Seattle bar scene, according to a story in the Seattle Times. The most popular bartender making it apparently is Murray Stenson at Zig Zag Café. Besides its taste, its price is a big drawing card: $4.75.

½ ounce gin
½ ounce fresh lime juice
½ ounce green Chartreuse
½ ounce maraschino liqueur

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

• THE FLYING DUTCHMAN

This drink, created by Jenn Philpot of Waterbar, was one of five cocktails that won the 2009 Damrak gin competition recently held in San Francisco.

Muddle 2 slices orange with skin
Dash of simple syrup
Dash of branded cherry juice
1¾ ounces Damrak and Dimmi
¾ ounce fresh grapefruit

Shake, serve up, garnished with a dark cherry.

• MY FAIR LADY

This cocktail was created at London's Savoy Hotel in the 1950s to coincide with the production of "My Fair Lady," the musical stage play based on George Bernard Shaw's play "Pygmalion."

1½ measures gin
2 teaspoons orange juice
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon creme de fraise
1 egg white

Thoroughly shake all ingredients together with ice,, strain into cocktal glass and garmish with an orange peel.

[Go here for my archive of monthly cocktail recipe collections.]

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Sunday sales law skirmishes in Connecticut

• From the Danbury (CT) News-Times:

Everyone in cars with Connecticut plates parked outside a Brewster, N.Y., liquor store on a recent Sunday afternoon agreed with Matthew Serfass of Danbury, who said it's time for the state to repeal one of its few remaining blue laws and permit the sale of alcohol on the first day of the week.

Direct the same question to package store owners in Connecticut, including John Marcy, who runs one just a few miles from the New York state line, and the response is overwhelmingly in the opposite direction.

While 14 states still cling to the Prohibition-era Blue Laws that bar Sunday liquor sales, Connecticut is one of only three states in the nation -- and the only one in New England -- that continue to ban Sunday sales of any kind of alcohol, including beer and wine, except at restaurants and bars. Georgia and Indiana are the other two.

[Go here for the rest of the story.]

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Decluttering an inherited liquor cabinet

William M. Dowd photo

• Naomi Seldin writes an online blog called "Simpler Living" for the Albany (NY) newspaper, the Times Union. One of her readers posed this question, which she passed along to me:

"How do you declutter a liquor cabinet full of oddball stuff you don’t drink?

"Over the years I’ve somehow acquired lots of bottles (some only part full) of liqueurs (pear brandy, pineapple liqueur, kirsch, a ton of amaretto) and other bottles of booze I don’t really drink (vermouth). Some things were bought to use in a recipe, some were acquired when my father sold his house. I brought back a bottle of mead from England as a novelty souvenir and never really wanted to drink it.

"I suppose the easiest thing would be to toss the contents down the drain and recycle the bottles. Yet some of this stuff would be of value to other people, but you can’t offer alcohol on Freecycle.

"We’re talking about hundreds of dollars worth of alcohol. Maybe I should just circulate a list among my friends? How do other people deal with this? Booze & wine can take up a lot of space in a small home, especially if it’s stuff you don’t even like."

A very good question, and perhaps of interest to more and more people as our population continues to grow older and more people have to break up households.

I recently went through the same process ("Four Roses a memorable bouquet") and found a few gems. But I also found a lot of junk I personally never would have purchased.

That may be the simplest and best starting point: Sorting bottles into (A.) things you like and would drink, and (B.) everything else.

What to do with Group B? It's illegal for you to sell the items, and giving them away presents certain logistical and perhaps even legal problems. So, go the direct route: Throw a de-cluttering party.

If there are enough bottles, invite a few friends over to sample your inherited wares. Make sure you have plenty of fresh ice, mixers and fruits so they can fool around with various cocktail recipes. It's a great way to use up spirits that don't interest you in the first place while entertaining friends.

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Beam's Red Stag has cherry on top

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Jim Beam Bourbon is an iconic spirit. Worldwide top seller in its category. Recognized everywhere as a classic American whiskey. In my estimation, a food group unto itself.

With Beam bourbon you get oak, caramel, brown sugar and spice. What you don't get with Beam bourbon is change. Unlike vodkas, rums and even tequilas, you won't find a long list of infused spirits.

Unless, that is, a new product to be introduced to the market in June takes off.

Red Stag, a four-year-old Beam bourbon infused with black cherry, is the first innovation for the distiller in more than a decade.

What's it all about? As Rory Finlay, senior vice president/CMP of Bealm Global Spirits & Wine said in a note to me:

"Red Stag is everything a whiskey should be. An extension of the cherry infusion made popular in the Manhattan cocktail, Red Stag turns traditional bourbon on its head -- all in the pursuit of fun."

[Go to "Dowd's Tasting Notes" and scroll down to find my thoughts on this new spirit product.]

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Oregon OKs surcharge on spirits sales

Consumers will be hit with an additional 50-cent tax on every bottle of distilled spirits purchased in Oregon.

The Oregon Liquor Control Commission approved the surcharge to take effect April 1 for a three-month period. The goal is to help ease the pressure on the state treasury after legislators imposed $3.8 million in cuts on liquor agents to help balance the budget for the fiscal year that ends June 30.

The surcharge will affect only distilled spirits. A proposal to raise the state tax on beer has stalled in the House. There are no current proposals to raise taxes on wine.

Oregon has an unusual setup under which the state buys and sells all hard liquor. (Go here for the details.) The 240 independent agents in the state get a commission for operating the stores that sell it, getting at most 8.88% of sales.

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More 'blue laws' may bite the dust

Arkansas is a step closer to becoming the 37th state to repeal "blue laws" that prohibited Sunday liquor sales.

A bill sponsored by State Sen. Robert Thompson was less a societal statement than an effort to increase revenue for the state.

It was signed into law last week by Gov. Mike Beebe. However, it is not an automatically all-inclusive change. Under it, local communities are allowed to vote whether liquor stores in their areas would be allowed to operate on Sundays. Conversely, they also may vote to further restrict sales.

The only states remaining with "blue laws" regulating Sunday alcohol sales are, alphabetically, Alabama, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and West Virginia, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S. (DISCUS).

Additional information on the topic is available here.

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Mount Gay creates new rum

Rémy Cointreau plans to unveil a new version of its Mount Gay Rum Extra Old at the IAADFS Duty Free Show of the Americas in Florida this month.

The rum, created by master blender Allen Smith, is contained in a new, black-labeled bottle embossed with the company crest. It is a blend of aged spirits from the Mount Gay reserves, fashioned from sugar cane and coral-filtered water native to Barbados, then matured in oak.

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Seagram's unveils rum line

Seagram's has unveiled its newest product for the U.S. market, Seagram’s Smooth Brazilian Rum.

The white rum also will be available in two flavors: citrus flavored and raspberry flavored. Each of the three styles is 40% abv (80 proof).

"The rum category has grown by 10 million cases over the last 10 years, and is forecasted to grow by another 10 million cases in the next decade," said Craig Johnson, marketing director for Seagram’s Rum at Pernod Ricard USA. "Consumers know and trust the Seagram's name. Seagram's Gin" which includes the Seagram's Twisted Gin and Seagram’s Gin & Juice products -- "remains the No. 1-selling gin in the U.S. The combination of growth opportunity and respected quality brand name made the decision to enter the rum category a no-brainer.”

The rums will be available to consumers in May. Each will carry a suggested retail price of $11.99 for the 750ml bottle.

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The whisk(e)y season is dear to Ireland, Scotland

The portal is about to open on a season dear to the Gaelic and Celtic folk of Ireland and Scotland and, indeed, their millions of descendants all over the U.S.

March 20 brings in Alban Eiler, known elsewhere as the spring solstice or vernal equinox. Weather be damned, it means spring has arrived and will last until June 20, the longest day of the year, when we will encounter Alban Heruin, the summer solstice.

Flanking that date we have such frolics as St. Patrick's Day on March 17 and Tartan Day on April 6.

St. Patrick's Day honors the patron saint of Ireland who drove the snakes into the sea where they became sharks, politicians and TV reality show producers.

Tartan Day celebrates that time in A.D. 1320 when King Robert the Bruce and his Scottish parliament sent off a letter called the Declaration of Arbroath to the Pope in Rome asking him to get the English off their backs. That worked so well that England rules Scotland to this day.

Both historic events, as well as the arrival of Easter, spring and a bunch of other traditional religious and secular days, will in this span be marked in many communities with once-a-year church attendance, parades, festivals, dances, silly hats and drink specials at your favorite pub -- featuring Scotch and Irish whiskies, in particular.
Scotch whiskies usually are distilled twice, Irish whiskies three or four times, thus increasing their purity and smoothness. In some instances, further aging in used bourbon or sherry casks or a bit of blending creates a crossover taste between the two categories.

As is the case with most such things, there is no right or wrong, best or worst. There is only personal preference.

Bushmills is an Irish whiskey preferred by many. It is turned out in the town of the same name by the world's oldest whiskey distillery, located in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Sir Thomas Phillips founded it in A.D. 1608 under license from James I of England.

Bushmills products include 10-, 16- and 21- year-old single malts; Black Bush, aged 8 to 10 years then blended with a small portion of a delicate sweet single grain whiskey; Bushmills Cream, a sweet Irish cream liqueur concoction, and Bushmills Original, aged five years. All are smoothed out by aging in used bourbon or sherry casks, a touch also employed by some other Irish and Scotch distillers.

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NY Spirits Awards program created

A new honors program, the New York Spirits Awards, has been created.

They will be the culmination of a two-day tasting competition covering all classifications of distilled spirits.

The program was announced by Dori Bryant, president of The Polished Palate, and spirits writer Adam Levy.

"Members of the on- and off-sale community will come together for two days, June 13 and 14, during The Bar Show at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City," the announcement said. "The judges will score each brand in five categories: appearance, aroma, taste, mouth feel and finish. The maximum point score is 100. The top 10% in each category will be awarded "best in class." The highest score in each category will be the recipient of an "FDR" award, named in honor of ...President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who actively supported and endorsed the repeal of Prohibition."

Brand owners and publicists can obtain online more about the New York Spirits Awards and download entry forms.

Bryant started The Polished Palate LLC in 2005. She has a long career in publishing and in the spirits industry. Levy is co-founder of The Whisky Life, and is a spirits writer and judge.

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Golf titlist helps make Ballantine's limited blend

The taste of a particular Scotch whisky is a jealously guarded thing, with the master distiller/blender making the real decisions at most distilleries.

At Ballantine's, which is marking its 180th anniversary this year, a joint effort between Sandy Hyslop, the brand's fifth master blender, and Graeme McDowell (right), winner of the inaugural Ballantine’s Championship golf tournament last year. The blend was created at Ballantine’s production site in Dumbarton, Scotland.

The unique 35-year-old Scotch is the result of the first time in company history anyone outside the company’s expert team has collaborated with a master blender.

If you want to latch on to a bottle of the historic whisky, called Ballantine's Championship Blend, you may have to pull some strings. Only 15 bottles will be made due to the scarcity of the whiskies contained in the blend. One person assured of receiving a bottle is whoever wins this year's Ballantine’s Championship which will taker place next month in Korea.

"This is a first not only for Ballantine’s but across the entire Chivas Brothers portfolio," Hyslop said. "It is one of the rarest blends I’ve ever created and contains some of the oldest samples from our inventory of over six million casks of ageing whisky. For example, we included two very old grain whiskies from Strathclyde and Dumbarton, the latter distillery no longer in production. Although the age stated on the bottle is 35 years, there are older whiskies contained in the blend."

Following a private master class, Hyslop drew on his expertise and cherished stocks to select the finest and rarest whiskies for McDowell to sample. McDowell then created a unique blend under Hyslop’s guidance that reflected his individual taste and strong preferences for sweet, lighter flavors.

The 2009 Ballantine’s Championship will have a field of 156 players. McDowell, of Northern Ireland, will be back to defend his title against the likes of former Masters champion Fred Couples and top-notch golfers Ernie Els and Colin Montgomerie.

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When in Mexico, viva la Cazuela!

April L. Dowd photo

TLAQUEPAQUE, Mexico -- Straight tequilas, whether blanco, reposoda or añejo.

Margaritas, traditional or various fruit flavors.

Typical Mexican beverages, and wonderful drinks all. But what if you're looking for something very neighborhood specific?

I was, while in Mexico last week, and I found it at the El Patio restaurant in this artisan-dominated suburb of Guadalajara — the community’s own drink, called the Cazuela, that is a wonderfully refreshing potion, particularly for hot days like the 85-degree one I was experiencing.

The Cazuela gets its name from the earthenware bowl in which it is served.

It's made with ginger ale or Squirt -- the lowly soft drink so favored as a mixer in Mexico, blanco tequila and squeezes of wedges of orange, lime, lemon and mango, with pieces of the fruits competing with ice cubes for room in the bowl.

This punch-like mixture is, like so many other drinks, subject to the preferences of whoever is making them. Back in 1995, when Mexican food was just beginning its current U.S. uptick beyond some Southern border communities, the much-honored cookbook author Fonda San Miguel ("Tequila! Cooking with the Spirit of Mexico") was invited to serve a lush ethnic meal at the James Beard House in New York.

The Cazuela punch she served with it was a much more complex recipe that included watermelon, pineapple, oranges, grapefruit, carambola (star fruit), lemons, silver tequila, gold tequila and citrus-flavored soda.

Besides the Cazuela drink, the bowl -- which originated in Spain -- also is used to whip up a variety of one-dish meals.

Just two examples: A classic Cazuela in Puerto Rico includes sweet potatoes, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and star anise. In Chile, a common Cazuela involves chicken or beef with potatoes and vegetables in an herbed stock.

You can get the precise recipe for Fonda San Miguel's Cazuela punch here. And, Stephanie Stiavetti's "Kitchen Window" column on NPR.org offers an interesting take on how to use the earthenware vessel in a posting titled "Travels With My Cazuela."

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They're No. 1, yet again

It wasn't that long ago I reported on a Minneapolis bar winning the title of selling the most Jameson Irish Whiskey in the world.

Now, The Local has picked up the title for a third consecutive year.

The establishment, located on Nicollet Avenue, sold an average of 22 bottles of Jameson a day, with 670 cases sold for the entire year, according to owner Kieran Folliard. He said he uses Jameson in everything from whiskey shots to cocktails, and even in soup.

The award from the irish distiller is a steel floor plaque. With three now lined up in the bar's floor, Folliard said he sees them as something like Hollywood's Walk of Fame.

You can read my earlier story here.

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Blue Ice adds to vodka line

Man does not live by potatoes alone.

The folks at Blue Ice Vodka, whose potato tipple has found favor with many critics and consumers since being released in 2001, is adding an organic wheat vodka to the line this month.

Blue Ice Organic Wheat Vodka is built on founder Jim Myerson's desire to use Idaho products in his spirits.

The new product uses Idaho water and locally harvested, certified organic winter wheat. Master Distiller Bill Scott utilizes a proprietary certified organic fermentation process that uses no chemical additives of any kind. The resulting product received a Beverage Testing Institute rating of 94 points, highest of any certified organic vodka.

Like the original vodka bottle, the new one is a sculpted style with the company's distinctive icicle design and light blue coloring.

Blue Ice is owned by 21st Century Spirits of Los Angeles. Blue Ice Organic Wheat Vodka is being released to the market at a suggested retail price of $30 for the 750ml bottle.

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Voodoo Tiki Tequila gets prickly

The brand name may not have the same elegant ring as Don Eduardo or Tesoro, but Voodoo Tiki Tequila is doing OK.

The company has just introduced the latest in a line of flavored tequilas made with 100% blue agave: Desert Rose Tequila, flavored with prickly pear.

The tequila already came in Mandarin lime infused (called Green Dragon) and a blue raspberry and kiwi infused (called Blue Dragon). The super premium tequilas are available in platinum, reposado and añejo. As many as 10 additional infusions are planned, but only as seasonal offerings.

The handmade glass bottles are etched and dipped in sealing wax and each features an actual glass “tiki” sculpture inside.

Voodoo Tiki Tequilas are made from blue agave plants aged anywhere from 8-12 years, and bottled in Mexico as set forth by law. The tequila factory is located in Arandas, in the state of Jalisco. The corporate headquarters are in Lighthouse Point, FL.

THE PRICKLY PEAR MARGARITA

2 ½ ounces Voodoo Tiki Desert Rose Tequila
½ ounce Triple Sec
1 ounce orange juice
2 ounces sour mix
Dash of grenadine syrup

Combine all ingredients in a glass with ice and shake. Drink on the rocks, or strain into a martini glass for "Mar-Tiki" style. Garnish with a lime wheel.

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Cheeseburgers, then rum in paradise

William M. Dowd photos

FREDERIKSTED, St. Croix -- The truck driver in the NFL football jersey placed one end of a curved PVC pipe into a larger, metal pipe in the blacktop driveway, then pulled a lever on his tank.

Moments later, a thick, dark stream of Guatamalan molasses began oozing its way from the tanker truck into the gravity-feed system that filled huge storage tanks at the Cruzan's Diamond Estate Distillery.

Step 1 in the process of creating a line of fine rums -- rum industriale, to be precise -- had been taken.

However, I was most interested in a point in the process that came numerous steps later. Tasting the final product of several Cruzan rums in a blind tasting involving rums from Bacardi, Pyrat and Myers's. Having been fortified with the requisite cheeseburger -- as in Jimmy Buffet's iconic song "Cheeseburgers in Paradise" -- the night before, I was ready to begin.

The tasting was led by Bobby Gleason (who goes by "Bobby G" in his professional life), right, the master mixologist for Jim Beam Brands, which took over the Cruzan operation last year from Absolut.

Gleason's forte is cocktails -- the history of them, the romance of them, the creation of them, and the enjoyment of them. He's a wealth of stories about the high and mighty and the down and dirty from his years as a bartender at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, but he's a star in his own right. Last year, for example, at the Nightclub & Bar Show he shattered the Guinness Book of World Records mark for the number of cocktails made in one hour.

The record had been 179 by London bartender Paul Martin. Gleason flew past it with an astounding 253.

"The rules said you had to complete one cocktail before you began another, had to have at least three ingredients in each one, and each had to be different," he explained. "I think I had four or more ingredients in just about all of mine."

He's just as adept at leading a casually-paced tasting. Sitting in a converted 19th Century carriage house on the Cruzan complex, we sampled nine 80-proof rums of varying style. The results:

Bacardi Superior: A honey fragrance with a surprisingly lingering finish atop banana and apple notes and the characteristic Bacardi mild burn.

Cruzan Estate Light: A gentle nose with honey and applesauce notes, then elements of caramel, vanilla and sweet apple in the mid-range and finish.

Bacardi Reserva: More of the honey nose, but with the added element of butterscotch, which made the slight acidity of the taste a surprise. A round, structured mouth-feel.

Cruzan 2-Year Dark: Here we moved into softer, more refined fragrances of brown sugar and tropical tastes of coconut and pineapple. A very agreeable product.

Bacardi 8: Fragrances of almonds and creme brulee precede a spicy, nutty rum with the tropical notes of pineapple and toasted coconut. Complex and pleasing.

Pyrat XO: This is a blend of rums from nine different pot stills. The strong aroma of orange peel creates an expectation of something like a Grand Marnier, and that's what comes through along with touches of anise and cinnamon. A nice dessert offering.

Cruzan Single Barrel: Vanilla, almonds and allspice all compete in the nose, but the taste is dry, soft and Scotch-like with a hint of orange. Very nice sipping rum.

Myers's Origional Dark: Notes of maple and chocolate in the nose, which match up with the dark color, then more chocolate, plus coffee and some molasses in the haste and finish.

Cruzan Black Strap Navy Style: This two-year-old is flavored with dark molasses, and that's what comes through in the nose and in the initial taste. It quickly softens, and coffee elements come through, leading to a long, smooth finish.

Cruzan and its Diamond Estate Distillery is still run by the Nelthropp family despite having passed through a succession of off-island owners. It now is in its seventh generation with Gary Nelthropp in charge of the daily operation. Although the five-still manufacturing equipment is old, it is kept in good repair and Cruzan can crank out 17,000 cases daily.

"We're expanding our warehousing under Beam Global," Nelthropp said. "We already have 12 warehouses that can handle about 10,000 cases each, but we'll be able to put 23,000 in the new facility."

The weather has changed dramatically over the years on St. Croix. At one time, it was the Caribbean's major sugar producer. When Nelthropp's father was young there were seven rivers that ran full year-round, helping supply the much-needed water.

"Now," Nelthropp says, "there are maybe two. We're not really sure what changed, but the rainfall just disappeared. At one time 85% of the island was planted in sugar cane; now it's virtually zero. That's why we started importing our own molasses, and what we get from Guatamala is very high quality."

Rums made from cane sugar are known as rum agricole. Because Cruzan, the island's lone rum distillery, makes its spirits from molasses which comes from cane, it is known as rum industriale.

Cruzan (pronounced crew-zhawn) matures its rums in once-used bourbon or other whiskey barrels. The aged rum is charcoal filtered. White (light) rum is aged 14 months to four years, the single barrel up to 12 years.

The bottling is done in Florida, which makes economic sense -- 85% of Cruzan rum is sold in the States.

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Mango-a-go-go in Albany penthouse

April L. Dowd photos

Absolut's painted pourers pose.
When the invitations go out to a penthouse party for a new flavored vodka, and the penthouse is atop an in-progress restaurant to be named for and run by one of the Northeast's top celebrity chefs, party planners have to be careful to keep the emphasis on the new product.

This week, Absolut Mango was the flavor du jour, the recently-released expression the latest in a long line of flavored vodkas from the Swedish distiller.

And the restaurant was Dale Miller: The Art of Dining, now receiving the finishing touches before opening opposite the Times Union Center in downtown Albany.

Miller himself, one of a comparative handful of Certified Master Chefs in the U.S., was making the rounds as guests snapped up all sorts of tidbits made with Absolut Mango. But the eyes kept going to gowned young ladies carrying lighted trays of such cocktails as an Absolut Mango Brazilian Cosmo and an Absolut Mango Metropolitan (see recipes below), and other young ladies anything but gowned.

A pair of models clad in short-shorts, body paint and smiles poured the Absolut down an ice chute to chill it and into little sampling cups for the assembled guests.

The mango version joins Absolut's flavor portfolio that already included Apeach, Citron, Kurant, Mandrin, Pears, Peppar, Raspberri, Ruby Red and Vanilia.

The business plan calls for Miller to be back in the kitchen by spring, cokking for a new 65-seat restaurant on the ground floor of a 14-story office tower called Keycorp Plaza (30 South Pearl Street).

It's a great space that once housed a restaurant called Starr's and then one called Dividends, but hasn't been in use for years.

Miller, 48, a native of Amsterdam, NY, is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America (Class of '79) in Hyde Park, and presently sits on the school's board.

Miller, not so incidentally, received the Chef Professionalism Award at the American Culinary Federation’s Northeast regional conference held early this month in Boston. The citation says it is given to the chef who “exemplifies the highest standard of professionalism through certification, continuing education and training, culinary competitions and community involvement.”

Miller is one of eight Northeastern honorees who will compete with other regional winners at the ACF’s national conference in Florida in July.

Miller initially gained fame with his own Stone Ends restaurant in suburban Albany, then as executive chef of the iconic Jack's Oyster House in Albany, and briefly was general manager and executive chef of the Inn at Erlowest on Lake George before deciding to head back to Albany.

Bar Notes: The above-mentioned cocktails contain: for the Brazilian Cosmo, mango vodka, Cointreau, fresh lime juice, cranberry juice and orange juice stirred with ice and strained into a cocktail glass; for the Mango Metropolitan, mango vodka, Triple Sec, lime juice and mango juices, stirred or shaken with ice and strained into a cocktail glass.

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I'm baaack

William M. Dowd photo

Mmmm. Cheeseburger in Paradise!

I just returned last night (Wednesday) from a trip to St. Croix, in the American Virgin Islands, to visit the Cruzan Rom Distillery and handle other business, thus the lack of recent posts.

Thanks to the gazillion readers who kept checking back in that quiet period. It was nice you were reading while I was enjoying a cheeseburger and a tropical breeze.

Since I was one hour ahead of the continental U.S. (much of the Caribbean goes by Atlantic Time), I have looked into the future for you. I can report that ...

What's that? I'm not allowed to reveal the future? OK, Sarah Connor, if you say so.

And now, we return you to your regularly scheduled blog.

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Diageo helps AIDS group's Oscar party

A year-long event partnership between Diageo and the Elton John AIDS Foundation has resulted in a trio of specialty cocktails created for the foundation's gala dinner and Academy Awards viewing party set for the Pacific Design Center in Hollywood this Sunday.

Diageo's Ciroc Ultra Premium Vodka was used to create the "Ciroc Chic" (right) and "Simply Scrumptious" drinks to be served at the custom designed Ciroc Ice Bar. The first is vodka mixed with pomegranate and pineapple juices, served in a chilled martini glass garnished with a lemon twist. The second is a mix of vodka, lemon juice, pear nectar and Cointreau, garnished with cinnamon.

Godiva will feature the "Godiva Carameltini," a blend of Godiva Caramel Milk Chocolate Liqueur and vodka, served in a chilled martini glass with a caramel swirl.

The Elton John AIDS Foundation, which the singer/composer established in 1992, focuses on the support of community-based prevention education programs, harm reduction programs, and direct services to those living with HIV/AIDS. The organization's outreach efforts include physical and mental health services, HIV testing and counseling, food distribution, assisted living services, social services and volunteer recruitment and support.

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A celebri-quote: William Elliott Whitmore

• William Elliott Whitmore is a rising young singer/musician from Iowa who specializes in Mississippi Delta-style blues. He was interviewed during a campus stop to promote his new CD, "Animals."

Q: Anyone who listens to even a tiny bit of your music knows your love for whiskey. What do you prefer to drink?

A: Hell, I don’t know any of the really nice brands. I’d have to say my favorite is Templeton Rye. It’s made right here in Iowa, which is how I got turned on to it. It’s the only distillery — well, the only legal distillery — in Iowa.

The word is that it was one of Al Capone’s favorites, and he would drive to Iowa just to bootleg it back to Chicago. But I don’t discriminate. I’ll drink any kind.

[Go here for more celebri-quotes.]

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Hendrix vodka hits sour note in court

Celebrity-backed spirits have always been a curiosity. Why anyone would buy a product simply because the name of someone famous is attached to it is beyond me.

At least I don't have to wonder about Electric Hendrix Vodka anymore.

A federal judge in Seattle has ordered the vodka, named for the late rock legend and Seattle native Jimi Hendrix -- who died in 1970, pulled from store shelves, all advertising and marketing of it to be stopped, and $3.2 million in damages paid for trademark infringement.

That, dear readers, is a whopper of a decision.

The legal wrangle has been going on since Seattle businessman Craig Dieffenbach and Hendrix's half-brother, Leon Hendrix, began marketing Electric Hendrix Vodka in 2005. The purple-tinged bottles carried an image of the iconic guitar player with a large Afro haircut.

U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Zilly gave the vodka company 10 days to comply with the order. The ruling permanently barred Electric Hendrix from commercially using, advertising or challenging the trademarks and logos controlled by Experience Hendrix and Authentic Hendrix, two companies owned by the Jimi Hendrix estate. The judge also barred the vodka company from registering identical or "confusingly similar" trademarks to those owned by the estate, according to court documents.

Zilly initially ruled in the estate's favor in October, but Dieffenbach filed an appeal with the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, court documents say. The two sides entered a settlement agreement in December, and Dieffenbach's appeal was voluntarily dismissed. The matter returned to Zilly's court, where he issued a permanent injunction and awarded $3.2 million in damages.

The lawsuit, originally filed in 2007, ends a long dispute between different factions of the Hendrix family over the estate. The musician died without a will, and his estate went to his father, Al Hendrix. Janie Hendrix inherited control when Al Hendrix, her adoptive father, died in 2002. Leon Hendrix, who was cut out of the will by his father, took Janie to court in 2004 for a share of the $80 million estate. Dieffenbach funded Leon's court battle.

Do celebrity endorsements affect vodka purchasing decisions? Sobieski Vodka had a camera crew ask bartenders and patrons people that question. View the video here.

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'Guys & Dolls' classic cocktail returns

Anytime a James Bond movie comes out, all of us drinks writers immediately pounce on what 007 is drinking in his latest flick. But classic plays and films rarely change their drinks menus despite many revivals.

A good example is “Guys and Dolls,” the classic musical comedy about gamblers and their gals that debuted on stage in 1950, was made into a movie in 1955, and since then has regularly returned to the stage.

The latest revival is the Broadway show scheduled to open in New York on March 1, starring Oliver Platt and Lauren Graham as Sky Masterson and Sarah Brown.

In the play, they travel to Havana, Cuba, where Sarah orders a Dulce de Leche cocktail.

The folks at Bacardi have jumped on this opportunity to remind consumers about the drink that now has survived more than a half-century. And, of course, they'd prefer it be made with their own products.

Here's the recipe for a Dulce de Leche:

1 ounce Bacardi Superior Rum (or any good rum)
½ ounce Dark Godiva Liqueur (or any other dark chocolate liqueur)
½ ounce sweetened condensed milk

Shake all ingredients very well in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Garnish with a pinch of ground cinnamon and shaved chocolate.

The movie version of "Guys & Dolls," by the immortal writer Damon Runyon, starred Frank Sinatra, Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons and Vivian Blaine.

Runyon, a New York sportswriter-turned short-story writer and poet, wrote a series of stories under the umbrella name "Guys & Dolls" in 1932. Two of them, on which the play was based, were called "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" and "Blood Pressure."

Runyon (spelled Runyan at birth but changed later due to a typographical error he kept) was known for being very specific about drinks in his work. He frequently mentioned the Tom & Jerry, a hot holiday drink, in his short stories.

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Latest Washington rye a new approach

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If you missed the first round of whiskey released at George Washington's re-constructed distillery, take heart. More is on the way.

Two weeks of distillation began this week at the facility located near Mount Vernon, VA, to generate 100 gallons of whiskey using Washington’s recipe. Half will be bottled and sold at Mount Vernon, starting probably in June. It will be sold unaged, as Washington sold it, by the pint for an expected price in the $100 range.

Mount Vernon’s first attempt at original distilling in the summer of 2007 yielded roughly a dozen gallons, all of which are being aged and which will be sold as whiskey starting in the fall.

It will be interesting to see the difference between the first batch that was released and the one currently being created.

The first was a unique "vatted" product made by marrying and re-aging at Mount Vernon portions of 11 American brands: Jack Daniel's, Jim Beam, Wild Turkey, Maker's Mark, George Dickel, Virginia Gentleman, Very Old Barton, I.W.Harper, Woodford Reserve, Rebel Yell and Platte Valley.

The product was created under the auspices of the Distilled Spirits Council (DISCUS) by master distillers at Mount Vernon on August 17, 2005, utilizing the contents of special barrels that had been aging on the mansion grounds since 2001. Samples of it were doled out on opening day. My tasting notes on the small samples showed some pleasant surprises:

"Remarkable color for something only in the wood for a year. ... Obviously, the maturation process had been sped up by using small, 10-gallon casks which surround the raw whiskey with very accessible oak. ... Fine nose, promising spiciness and herbal nuances. ... Much of the expected initial heat usually present in young whiskey was missing, leaving a warm yet palatable initial taste, along with the expected spice from the rye grain, and a satisfactory finish. ... All in all, a definitely promising young whiskey that I'd love to re-taste a year or two from now."

This time, former Maker's Mark master distiller Dave Pickerill is heading a team of Mount Vernon employees – historians, historic trades interpreters, archaeologists, and educators – working with Washington’s recipe.

Mount Vernon and distillery shops currently sell a $25 commemorative gift box set that includes a shot glass and a 50ml bottle of the 2005 blend.

Footnotes: A daily blog is documenting the whiskeymakers' work. You can access it here. ... George Washington’s Distillery & Gristmill re-open for the season on April 1, and remain open until October 31. Visitors will be able to see costumed distillers working with 18th Century-style equipment. The complex is located three miles from the main Mount Vernon Estate. ... Go here to read about opening day -- and a bit of Washington's distilling history.

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Anti-tax protest doesn't make a splash

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Presidents and master distillers from some of Kentucky's leading distilleries joined a protest Tuesday in Frankfort over a proposed retail tax on all alcohol products. However, on Wednesday the bill they were fighting received approval in one section of the state legislature.

The current liquor taxes include an 11% wholesale tax on packaged liquor, a 6% tax on drinks purchased in bars and restaurants, an 8-cent-per-gallon tax on beer, a 50-cent-per-gallon tax on wine and a $1.92-per-gallon tax on distilled spirits.

The protest was in reaction to a House committee approval for a 6% additional tax on alcoholic beverages in stores. The measure then passed the full house Wednesday and is expected to go to the full senate by the weekend, according to Senate President David Williams, R-Burkesville.

More than 400 people — many of whom work in Kentucky's signature bourbon industry — attended the Tuesday rally, which culminated in the bourbon "tea party," a play on the Boston Tea Party, the most famous American colonial tax protest.

A convoy of trucks from breweries and distilleries circled the Capitol building while individuals such as Wild Turkey's iconic master distiller Jimmy Russell (at right in photo with a tour group at the distillery) poured bottles of bourbon on the Capitol's front steps in protest.

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Bourbon splashes in KY protest

William M. Dowd photo

From the Associated Press:

FRANKFORT, KY -- It wasn't quite the Boston Tea Party. The proof was a little higher. Kentucky bourbon industry officials stood shoulder-to-shoulder Tuesday and poured spirits on the state Capitol's front steps to protest a proposed 6% sales tax on all booze.

"They've always been taxing us to death over the years," said Jimmy Russell, master distiller at Lawrenceburg, KY-based Wild Turkey (see in photo explaining the whiskey-making process to visitors), moments after pouring out an entire bottle of bourbon into a pile of melting snow.

Beer and bourbon trucks circled the Capitol all morning. A few hundred people holding signs and wearing stickers gathered in the Rotunda to shout their opposition.

[Go here for the full story.]

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More bison grass vodka on the way

Bison grass vodka has been enjoyed in Poland and most other European countries for generations. But, it took several decades of sparring between U.S. regulators and would-be importers to get it here.

In 2007, Zubrowka Bison Grass Flavored Vodka was the first to be sold in the U.S., at a suggested retail price of $26.

Now, Bak's brand bison grass vodka is the latest to arrive on our shores. It is distilled from zubrowka, or bison grass, that grows in the fertile fields of eastern Poland which are populated by huge bison.

Folklore says hunters celebrated a bison kill with their vodka that had been flavored with bison grass, which they believed had nutrients that increased stamina and virility. Bak's includes an extract of bison grass.

“We are extremely pleased to bring a touch of Polish nobility to America. Our creation is set to redefine the flavored vodka category with its one-of-a-kind vitality and mystical characteristics. We’ve showcased the aphrodisiac qualities in specialty cocktails at renowned accounts such as Tavern on The Green, The Grand Central Oyster Bar, & City Crab to name a few," said Adam Bak, CEO of Adamba Imports International, sole U.S. importer of Bak's.

The triple-distilled, 82-proof potato vodka should shortly be available in most major U.S. markets, including New York, New Jersey, California, Illinois, Florida, Virginia and Washington DC.

Suggested retail price: $29 for the one-liter bottle.

It was widely believed that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration opposed bison grass vodka because it contained coumarin. As I reported back in '07:

"Coumarin is a chemical compound also known as benzopyrone. In certain concentrations it is highly toxic. It has been found in bison grass, tonka beans, vanilla extract and even cigarettes. Its scent, usually described as 'new-mown hay,' is a pleasant, sweet one which had led to its use in perfumes since the 1800s.

"The U.S. government has long had rigid restrictions -- but not an overall, outright ban -- on imported goods containing coumarin. Coumarin itself is used in medical products such as anti-coagulants.

"As restrictions have been eased in recent years on various imports, principally from India and South Korea, with no apparent ill effects, globally coumarin is being viewed with less suspicion.

"I checked with the Pesticide Action Network North America's PAN Pesticides Database, which says coumarin is not banned by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or by any government agency."

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'Age Reverser' cocktail debuts