If you need a last-second inspiration for your New Year's Toast or a bit of verse appropriate to the moment, just go to my "Toasts & Crumbs" blog and scroll down. I think you'll find something you like.
HAPPY NEW YEAR 2008!
20071230
Help at the 11th hour
If you need a last-second inspiration for your New Year's Toast or a bit of verse appropriate to the moment, just go to my "Toasts & Crumbs" blog and scroll down. I think you'll find something you like.
HAPPY NEW YEAR 2008!
20071226
Tasting ... AsomBroso tequilas
Don't drink garbage on New year's Eve. Or ever, for that matter.
If like me you're sick and tired of hearing adolescent horror stories about overindulging in cheap tequila, open your wallets and try this line of classy Mexican spirits. Details on my "Tasting Notes" site.
If like me you're sick and tired of hearing adolescent horror stories about overindulging in cheap tequila, open your wallets and try this line of classy Mexican spirits. Details on my "Tasting Notes" site.
My best beverage moments of 2007
PHOTOS BY WILLIAM & APRIL DOWD
In no particular order, here is a big chunk of my 2007 in review:
(1.) Best Drinking and Driving: Put down the protest signs. Some fellow writers and I did the drinking and the charter-bus driver did all the driving -- through Tennessee, Kentucky and Virginia as we traversed the major portion of the American Whiskey Trail.
In addition to visiting such iconic distilleries as Jack Daniel's, Jim Beam, Labrot & Graham, Maker's Mark, Wild Turkey and George Dickel, we hit some historic sites and got to meet a wide range of people in all those states. True Americana.
(2.) Best Ad Campaign: The bust-a-gut-laughing set of TV commercials for the Irish whiskey known as The Knot. (See the whole batch of them here.) They feature a bantam rooster sort of guy in a pub who takes no nonsense about whiskey.
(3.) Best New-to-Me Whiskey: I had already completed, or so I thought, an article on American ryes for the UK magazine Whisky when I received this hard-to-find gem as a birthday present. It completely changed my mind on which ryes were the best. Black Maple Hill Rye is tough enough to find in the 18-year-old version, but the 23-year-old takes special investigatory powers.
An initial burst of brown sugar, heat and spice quickly transforms into a mellow, oaky smoothness. Despite the richness there is an ethereal lightness one seldom experiences in hot ryes. Fruit notes such as apple and pear dance around the edges, but the palate responds again and again to the varied spices. Utterly splendid, and worth every moment you spend tracking it down.
(4.) Best Appelation Visit: After participating in a wine competition judging in Napa, CA, I drove to nearby Lodi to experience a region in transition from wine grape producing to winemaking, sort of what Napa was like 20 years ago. The region is dotted with third- and fourth-generation farm families who have been moving from mostly supplying major winemakers to developing their own wines and brands.
They’re working hard at making the Lodi brand known outside the Pacific Coast and trying to develop tourism and ancillary businesses along with it, just as Napa did in its early days
(5.) Best New Cocktails Tried: This was a very interesting category to narrow down. In the course of my business I try a lot of different drinks in the course of the year. Some are very complex, some very simple. I like simple better. In two establishments -- T-Bar at Charlie's Restaurant in Lake Placid, NY, and the Reluctant Panther in Manchester, VT -- I coincidentally ran into signature drinks created for each place by Las Vegas-based mixology guru Tony Abou-Ganim then used by the on-premises bartenders to spin off their own versions.
At T-Bar, I enjoyed both the Gondolettes' Blackberry Caiprosca, a simple drink with a complexity of flavors from muddled fresh lime and berries with citrus vodka. Bartender Laura Keaney's recipe switched it to a raspberry recipe to take advantage of the availability of plump local berries.
At the Reluctant Panther, the signature drink takes on the name of the establishment. It's a mixture of Belvedere vodka, freshly-made lemon sour, chambord, champagne and blackberries marinated in Grand Marnier. Bar manager John Cohen created a spinoff using Stoli Blueberry vodka, freshly-made lemon sour, Blue Curacao, Sprite and fresh berries marinated in Grand Marnier.
(6.) Best New-to-Me Beer: Toña, hands down. This Nicaraguan beer is a lager brewed by Compania Cervecera de Nicaragua (CCN), made with German yeast and malt, North American hops and Nicaraguan deep-well water. The chief brewer is Rudiger Adelmann, who formerly worked for Steinecker GmbH, a German company that designs and produces brewing and filter technologies for the beverage production industry.
When I served up Toña at a beer blind-judging session, among the comments were: "It's much smoother than the Budweiser, and with a bolder flavor. ... I'd drink this beer all night ... It's very rich and creamy. ... Plenty of taste but doesn't overdo the carbonation so it goes down easy. ... This is easy to evaluate: It's an excellent beer!"
(7.) Best News Story Comment: When I reported that an illegal cache of Jack Daniel's whiskey products, including some old and rare ones, had been seized in Tennessee and probably would be destroyed by the authorities, one of my readers e-mailed this perspective:
"When the authorities in Tennessee recover stolen art do they burn it?"
(8.) Best Host's Revenge: I've often wanted to find a way to get even with guests who reply to "What would you like to drink?" with the non-committal -- and unhelpful -- response "Anything" or "Whatever." A Singapore company called Out of The Box came up with soft drinks called "Anything," a carbonated drink, and "Whatever," a tea-based non-carbonated product. So, when someone makes the appropriate inappropriate reply, you can hand them a can of what matches their response. But that's only one level of revenge.
The second twist is that the flavors inside the cans remain a mystery. They could be cola with lemon, apple, root beer, lemon, peach, jasmine, apple, white grape and chrysanthemum , but there is no indication on the exteriors of the cans which flavor is inside. Gotcha.
(9.) Best New Old Beer: Most brewers strive to come up with something new. Sam Calagione, owner of the Dogfish Head Craft Brewery group in Delaware, Maryland and Virginia, is using a 9,000-year-old recipe for his latest offering, Chateau Jiahu. He explained it this way: "Preserved pottery jars found in the Neolithic villiage of Jiahu, in Henan province in northern China, has revealed that a mixed fermented beverage of rice, honey and fruit was being produced that long ago, right around the same time that barley beer and grape wine were beinginning to be made in the Middle East."
So, in 2005, molecular archeologist Dr. Patrick McGovern of the University of Pennsylvania asked Dogfish Head to re-create their second ancient beverage and Chateau Jiahu was born, and went to market in '07. It's an 8% beer.
(10.) Best New Old Distillery: No contest here. While some distillers were pumping millions of dollars into new or expanded facilities, the historic-minded folks at Mount Vernon, VA., rebuilt George Washington's original distillery, based on his diary accounts of the operation that burned down nearly 200 years ago.
Washington's rye whiskey has been recreated there, and the new structure is being used as a tourist attraction several miles from the mansion. I was privileged to be part of the invited group attending the official opening of the facility, and sampled some of the young rye.
To Dowd's Spirits Notebook latest entry.
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To Dowd's Tasting Notes latest entry.
To Beverage Events Calendar latest entry.
Back to Dowd On Drinks home page.
In no particular order, here is a big chunk of my 2007 in review:(1.) Best Drinking and Driving: Put down the protest signs. Some fellow writers and I did the drinking and the charter-bus driver did all the driving -- through Tennessee, Kentucky and Virginia as we traversed the major portion of the American Whiskey Trail.
In addition to visiting such iconic distilleries as Jack Daniel's, Jim Beam, Labrot & Graham, Maker's Mark, Wild Turkey and George Dickel, we hit some historic sites and got to meet a wide range of people in all those states. True Americana.
(2.) Best Ad Campaign: The bust-a-gut-laughing set of TV commercials for the Irish whiskey known as The Knot. (See the whole batch of them here.) They feature a bantam rooster sort of guy in a pub who takes no nonsense about whiskey.
(3.) Best New-to-Me Whiskey: I had already completed, or so I thought, an article on American ryes for the UK magazine Whisky when I received this hard-to-find gem as a birthday present. It completely changed my mind on which ryes were the best. Black Maple Hill Rye is tough enough to find in the 18-year-old version, but the 23-year-old takes special investigatory powers.
An initial burst of brown sugar, heat and spice quickly transforms into a mellow, oaky smoothness. Despite the richness there is an ethereal lightness one seldom experiences in hot ryes. Fruit notes such as apple and pear dance around the edges, but the palate responds again and again to the varied spices. Utterly splendid, and worth every moment you spend tracking it down.
(4.) Best Appelation Visit: After participating in a wine competition judging in Napa, CA, I drove to nearby Lodi to experience a region in transition from wine grape producing to winemaking, sort of what Napa was like 20 years ago. The region is dotted with third- and fourth-generation farm families who have been moving from mostly supplying major winemakers to developing their own wines and brands. They’re working hard at making the Lodi brand known outside the Pacific Coast and trying to develop tourism and ancillary businesses along with it, just as Napa did in its early days
(5.) Best New Cocktails Tried: This was a very interesting category to narrow down. In the course of my business I try a lot of different drinks in the course of the year. Some are very complex, some very simple. I like simple better. In two establishments -- T-Bar at Charlie's Restaurant in Lake Placid, NY, and the Reluctant Panther in Manchester, VT -- I coincidentally ran into signature drinks created for each place by Las Vegas-based mixology guru Tony Abou-Ganim then used by the on-premises bartenders to spin off their own versions.
At T-Bar, I enjoyed both the Gondolettes' Blackberry Caiprosca, a simple drink with a complexity of flavors from muddled fresh lime and berries with citrus vodka. Bartender Laura Keaney's recipe switched it to a raspberry recipe to take advantage of the availability of plump local berries.
At the Reluctant Panther, the signature drink takes on the name of the establishment. It's a mixture of Belvedere vodka, freshly-made lemon sour, chambord, champagne and blackberries marinated in Grand Marnier. Bar manager John Cohen created a spinoff using Stoli Blueberry vodka, freshly-made lemon sour, Blue Curacao, Sprite and fresh berries marinated in Grand Marnier.
(6.) Best New-to-Me Beer: Toña, hands down. This Nicaraguan beer is a lager brewed by Compania Cervecera de Nicaragua (CCN), made with German yeast and malt, North American hops and Nicaraguan deep-well water. The chief brewer is Rudiger Adelmann, who formerly worked for Steinecker GmbH, a German company that designs and produces brewing and filter technologies for the beverage production industry. When I served up Toña at a beer blind-judging session, among the comments were: "It's much smoother than the Budweiser, and with a bolder flavor. ... I'd drink this beer all night ... It's very rich and creamy. ... Plenty of taste but doesn't overdo the carbonation so it goes down easy. ... This is easy to evaluate: It's an excellent beer!"
(7.) Best News Story Comment: When I reported that an illegal cache of Jack Daniel's whiskey products, including some old and rare ones, had been seized in Tennessee and probably would be destroyed by the authorities, one of my readers e-mailed this perspective:
"When the authorities in Tennessee recover stolen art do they burn it?"
(8.) Best Host's Revenge: I've often wanted to find a way to get even with guests who reply to "What would you like to drink?" with the non-committal -- and unhelpful -- response "Anything" or "Whatever." A Singapore company called Out of The Box came up with soft drinks called "Anything," a carbonated drink, and "Whatever," a tea-based non-carbonated product. So, when someone makes the appropriate inappropriate reply, you can hand them a can of what matches their response. But that's only one level of revenge. The second twist is that the flavors inside the cans remain a mystery. They could be cola with lemon, apple, root beer, lemon, peach, jasmine, apple, white grape and chrysanthemum , but there is no indication on the exteriors of the cans which flavor is inside. Gotcha.
(9.) Best New Old Beer: Most brewers strive to come up with something new. Sam Calagione, owner of the Dogfish Head Craft Brewery group in Delaware, Maryland and Virginia, is using a 9,000-year-old recipe for his latest offering, Chateau Jiahu. He explained it this way: "Preserved pottery jars found in the Neolithic villiage of Jiahu, in Henan province in northern China, has revealed that a mixed fermented beverage of rice, honey and fruit was being produced that long ago, right around the same time that barley beer and grape wine were beinginning to be made in the Middle East."
So, in 2005, molecular archeologist Dr. Patrick McGovern of the University of Pennsylvania asked Dogfish Head to re-create their second ancient beverage and Chateau Jiahu was born, and went to market in '07. It's an 8% beer.
(10.) Best New Old Distillery: No contest here. While some distillers were pumping millions of dollars into new or expanded facilities, the historic-minded folks at Mount Vernon, VA., rebuilt George Washington's original distillery, based on his diary accounts of the operation that burned down nearly 200 years ago.
Washington's rye whiskey has been recreated there, and the new structure is being used as a tourist attraction several miles from the mansion. I was privileged to be part of the invited group attending the official opening of the facility, and sampled some of the young rye.
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20071224
Nollaig shona duit!
That's in the old Irish tongue. Put in plain English, Happy Christmas!If you're looking for toasts and salutations for the holidays that will make friends and family smile or laugh out loud, check my "Toasts & Crumbs" blog, the sub-title of which is "When Words Fail You, Try These."
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20071222
Raising a lot more glasses to cognac
William Dowd photo
Cognac may not come immediately to mind when one thinks of the rapidly growing niches of alcoholic beverages. It should.A little background. Cognac is a brandy, a grape-based product -- an "eaux-de-vie'' fermented like wine then twice distilled. By French law, supported by the World Trade Organization, the spirit can originate only in the town of Cognac and six surrounding viticultural areas.
There is more than one kind of cognac due to the variety of soils in the region. The grapes used are from several white wine varieties, principally the Ugni Blanc, known elsewhere as the Trebbiano grape. Cognacs must be aged in wood at least two years. Most producers use Limousin oak. Martell, for example, prefers the more aromatic Troncais oak.
According to the 2007 edition of "The U.S. Distilled Spirits Market: Impact Databank Review and Forecast" the market looks like this for cognac:
• It has posted 13 consecutive annual U.S. consumption gains.
• The U.S. remains its largest market despite its popularity in Asia with 4 million cases consumed annually.
• A demographic shift is holding steady in which younger Americans are consuming cognac as a main drink or main ingredient in a cocktail rather than merely as an after-dinner digestif.
• Cognac accounts for one-third of all brandy consumed by Americans.
Hennessy, Remy Martin, Courvoisier and Martell combined for 94% percent of the U.S. market last year, according to the report. While three-quarters of cognac volume in the U.S. is standard-priced VS (very superior) brands, much of the recent sales growth has been with VSOP (very superior old pale) and more upscale cognac, such as Napoleon and XO (extra old), according to Impact Databank.
Go here and type "cognac" into the search box to see my tasting notes on a couple of cognacs.
Jacques Menier (seen above), Asia Pacific sales director, presenting the new Martell Creation Grand Extra at an invitation-only dinner I attended earlier this year in Las Vegas. Go here to read my report on the event.
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20071221
Dickeling around with the consumer
The folks at the George Dickel distillery are either idiots or marketing visionaries.My vote is for the latter. It's the people who have fallen for the manufactrured "shortage" of George Dickel Whisky No. 8 who are acting idiotically.
Dickel stopped production of No. 8 from 1999 to 2003 at its Tullahoma, TN, facility, thus intentionally reducing inventory. Once the normal supply-and-demand forces came into effect, Dickel wasn't able to supply enough of its tipple to consumers.
Result: Dickel recently launched an advertising campaign "apologizing" for the shortage and saying it came about because its whiskey is so popular.
That was a great way to (1.) raise consumer awareness of a whiskey that, while a good Tennessee sipping spirit, is a pale shadow of category leader Jack Daniel's, and (2.) feed the fantasy that it is so popular the supply dried up.
Wise up folks. Nothing wrong with controlling production of your own product, but the beverage writers ought to know better than to fall for the gimmick.
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20071220
Tasting ... a historic Bushmill's
When Bushmills celebrates next year the 400th anniversary of being awarded its license to distill by King James I, the Northern Ireland company will be doing it with a very special whiskey. This particular commemorative was made using something known as "crystal malt."
I was able to get an advance tasting and you can read the results on my "Tasting Notes" site. If you scroll down a few postings on that site you'll also see my thoughts on a re-tasting of that old favorite Black Bush.
I was able to get an advance tasting and you can read the results on my "Tasting Notes" site. If you scroll down a few postings on that site you'll also see my thoughts on a re-tasting of that old favorite Black Bush.
20071215
Tradition in good taste for the holidays
If there is any holiday season that demands attention to tradition, we're in it.With that in mind, I've been hitting the books to honor the season. The bar books, that is. Such classic cocktail bibles as "The Ideal Bartender'' (1917), "The Old Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book'' (1935) and "The Savoy Cocktail Book'' (1937) provide fascinating looks at the society of their day as well as some great drinks. And, they make excellent last-minute gifts, available in various editions through the likes of eBay and Amazon.com.
"The Ideal Bartender" was written by Tom Bullock, an African American master bartender who in the early years of the 20th century was beloved by his customers at such upper-crust Midwestern and Southern places as the Pendennis Club in Louisville, KY, and the St. Louis Country Club in that Missouri city. His wizardry was so respected that the foreward to his book was written by George Herbert Walker, a patron of the St. Louis club and grandfather of President George Herbert Walker Bush.
The Waldorf-Astoria book is a post-Prohibition collection of pre-Prohibition drinks, honoring the bar at the storied Manhattan hotel that closed in 1929 then reopened in 1931 but without its iconic watering hole.
The Savoy book was written by Harry Craddock who reigned as head barman at The American Bar in London's elegant Savoy hotel in the 1920s and '30s where he was instrumental in transplanting the high-spirited American cocktail society to Europe.
That society, memorialized in jokes, films and stage plays, is acknowledged in each of the books. Such as this utterance by W.C. Fields: "Once during Prohibition I was forced to live for days on nothing but food and water.''
Incidentally, if you pick up any or all of these books, don't be surprised if some terms and ingredients are unfamiliar to you -- acid phosphate, carbonic, Calisaya, Bevo, shrubs, gum syrup and so forth. Remember how much the language and public tastes have changed since they were written. Nevertheless, it's easy to substitute an available modern ingredient for the original when necessary.
Here are samples from each of these guides to spruce up your holiday gatherings, begging with a trio of punches that were popular early in the 20th century.
• From "The Ideal Bartender"BRANDY PUNCH (serves 1)
2 teaspoons superfine sugar
1/2 fresh lemon
1 slice fresh orange
1 piece pineapple
1/2 jigger dark rum
1 1/2 jiggers brandy
Fill glass portion of cocktail shaker three-quarters full of shaved ice. Dissolve the sugar in a little water. Put juice from the half-lemon, sugar, rum and brandy into the glass with the ice. Shake very well, strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with pineapple and orange.
FISH CLUB PUNCH (serves 8)
2 1/2 jiggers fresh lemon juice
4 jiggers peach brandy
2 jiggers cognac
2 jiggers jamaican rum
3 pints ice water
Pour all ingredients into a large punch bowl. Stir well and ladle into punch glasses and serve.
BLACK & TAN PUNCH (serves 10)
1 pound white sugar
Juice of six fresh lemons
1 quart Guinness Stout
1 quart champagne
Assorted fresh fruit slices
Mix the lemon juice and sugar. Pour into that mixture the champagne and stout, both ice cold. Stir gently, serve in punch glasses dressed with fruit.
• From "The Old Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book''BERMUDA HIGH-BALL
1 part brandy
1 part Plymouth gin
1 part French dry vermouth
1 strip of lemon peel
Club soda
Combine brandy, gin and vermouth into a coocktail tumbler with several ice cubes, stir gently, then top off with a splash of soda.
WHITE LION
Juice of half a fresh lemon or lime
1 part raspberry syrup
1 part curacao
2 parts Jamaican rum
Put all ingredients in a cocktail shaker half-filled with ice. Shake, strain into a tumbler filled with fresh ice. Garnish with fruit if desired.
NARRAGANSETT COBBLER
Whole peel of orange
Juice of one fresh orange
1 jigger whiskey
1 8-ounce bottle of ginger ale
Muddle the orangel peel in a tall glass, discard. Add remaining ingredients over ice and serve.
• From "The Savoy Cocktail Book'' ENGLISH ROSE COCKTAIL
1 dash fresh lemon juice
4 dashes grenadine syrup
1 part apricot brandy
1 part French dry vermouth
2 parts dry gin
Put all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with fresh ice. Shake vigorously, strain into a chilled cocktail glass rimmed with cocktail sugar.
PALL MALL COCKTAIL
1 dash orange bitters
1 teaspoon white dreme de menthe
1 part Italian sweet vermouth
1 part French dry vermouth
1 part English dry gin
Shake all ingredients well over ice, strain into cocktail glass with fresh ice.
HONOLULU COCKTAIL
1 dash Angostura bitters
1 dash fresh orange juice
1 dash pineapple juice
1 dash fresh lemon juice
1 glass dry gin
1/2 teaspoon powdered sugar
Shake all ingredients together in a cocktail shaker half-filled with ice. Strain into chilled cocktail glass and serve.
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20071214
Tasting ... Hendrick's Gin
The folks at the Hendrick’s distillery in Ayrshire, Scotland, really try to emphasize that their gin is not for everyone. “Loved by a select few” is its byword.
I count myself as part of that discerning group. Go to my “Tasting Notes” site for thoughts on the iconic spirit and a lot of other interesting beverages.
I count myself as part of that discerning group. Go to my “Tasting Notes” site for thoughts on the iconic spirit and a lot of other interesting beverages.
20071211
Macallan 55 for a cool $12K
If you're looking for a special holiday gift for that special person, you better hurry.Only 100 of the obviously limited edition of 430 Lalique decanters of Macallan 55-Year-Old Single Malt Whisky are available in the U.S., and are going for $12,000 each.
The extremely rare, cask-strength whisky has remained undisturbed for over a half-century at the Easter Elchies House in Speyside, Scotland, where it matured in a sherry oak cask. The decanter's design was based on the classic Paquerettes tiara perfume bottle designed by the company's founder, Rene Lalique, in 1910.
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A new tequila joins the anniversary dance
The tequila field is expanding nearly at the same pace as vodka. Which is to say, at an astonishing rate.The latest brand is MuchoTE, a super premium reposado produced in limited quantities, produced by an entrepreneurial set of twins from Denver, CO, identified only as "Will and Dave." The tequila is distilled in Arandas, a small city in Mexico's Jalisco state.
Their launch gimmick is that the agave spirit will be introduced on Tequila.net, the agave online site celebrating its first anniversary on Dec. 12. MuchoTE is scheduled to be on store shelves on Dec. 26. However, it will be made available to Tequila.net members as a reserved inaugural, limited production bottle prior to the release date.
An online virtual tasting is scheduled for Jan 29, 2008, when Tequila.net members can discuss the new brand online and talk with the brand owners.
MuchoTE Tequila Reposado is aged for more than six months in American whiskey and sherry oak casks. The suggested retail price will be under $30.
Darin ("Mr. Agave") Jones, founder of Tequila.net, said of his company's Dec. 12 anniversary, "It has been a wonderful and productive year. In 12 short months we have added over 500 reviewable listings, including tequila, mezcal and sotol products. Our members have submitted over 350 reviews, along with news articles, links, and suggestions. There are close to 200 links to brand and distillery web sites, 55 reviewable tequila bar listings, and 11 tequila-friendly liquor store additions."
Tequila.net is sponsoring the 2008 Agave Spirits Competition, scheduled for Cancun in February. Entries and awards will be listed on Agave.net, the Tequila.net companion site.
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20071210
Bushmills 1608 marks 400th anniversary
When Bushmills celebrates next year the 400th anniversary of being awarded its license to distill by King James I, it will be doing it with a very special whiskey. Bushmills 1608 is made with a blend of the Northern Irish distiller's classic malt whiskies and newer whiskey made with "crystal malt." The recipe marries special malted barley, roasted while germinated, and elements from the basic whiskies that are matured in a combination of used American white oak and Spanish Oloroso sherry casks.
The 1608, made in limited quantities and carrying a suggested retail price of $100 for the 750ml bottle, will be available in the U.S. only from February to December next year. After that it will be sold only at the Bushmills facility.
Go here for my tasting notes on the 1608.
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20071209
NY spirits auction a hit
The first auction of alcoholic spirits to be held in New York since Prohibition went off smoothly Saturday in Manhattan.Rare spirits went for record prices at Christie's New York auction house, the top price of $54,000 for a bottle of 1926 Macallan Scotch that experts had predicted would be the main attraction.
It thus became the most expensive bottle of Scotch whiskey ever sold by Christie's, which has been holding similar sales in Europe since the 1990s. It was purchased by a private New York investor. The whisky was bottled in 1986 after spending 60 years in a wooden barrel. Early estimates were that it would bring a winning bid in the $20,000-$30,000 range.
An anonymous buyer had the winning bid of $102,000 for a collection of 729 Scotches, ranging from blends to single malts, including some from distilleries no longer in operation.
Also auctioned off were bottles of rare Armagnac, Calvados, Chartreuse and Cognacs. A bottle of Cognac Grande Fine Champagne named for Napoleon's wife, the Empress Josephine, and distilled in 1811 sold for $3,600. Overall, the auction brought in $304,800. Prices did not include the buyer's premium and sales tax.
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20071206
This tequila on the up and up
Things are on the upswing at Dos Lunas Tequila.Its first releases, Dos Lunas Silver ($44.99) and Dos Lunas Reposado ($49.99), were marketed last year. The first was priced at $44.99, the second at $49.99.
Product No. 3, Dos Lunas Grand Reserve, is now being distributed at a slightly higher price: $2,500 a bottle.
Heaven only knows what the sticker will say on the fourth tequila, Dos Lunas Añejo, scheduled for release next year.
Grand Reserve has been aged for 10 years in French oak casks that had been used for Spanish sherry, and is bottled in a numbered Baccarat decanter, kept in an ebonized wood box with an accompanying crystal stopper and sterling silver key and necklace.
Richard C. Poe II, founder of Dos Lunas, said: “In many ways Grand Reserve is closer to the finest single malts and cognacs than to other tequilas. We set out to create the world’s best tequila and that goal informed every decision that was made, from growth through production to packaging.”
Poe, an El Paso, TX, businessman, founded the company in 2005. Dos Lunas tequilas are distilled and bottled in Guadalajara, Jalisco.
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Whiskey maker has a run at rum
Bruichladdich, the iconoclast distiller in Islay, Scotland, has branched out.In addition to its whiskies, the company's newly-created Renegade Rum group is making rum.
Bruichladdich is serious about the effort. Says Managing Director Mark Reynier, "Ours is rum 'unplugged,' bottled naturally, without chill-filtration and coloring-free on Islay, where it is reduced to 46% alcohol with island spring water.
"The rums are not for mixing with cola. They're for single malt aficionados and cognac enthusiasts."
Renegade Rum is expected to produce about 5,000 bottles, with prices running up to $85 a bottle.
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20071205
Prohibition repeal anniversary, or not?
Today is the 74th anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition. Or is it truly the day that hideous experiment in social control ended?Beer historian Bob Skilnik has some strong thoughts on the topic, which he has posted online as he does from time to time in debunking other myths. Even though he specializes in beer, Prohibition affected spirits as well, so let's see what he has to say:
"December 5, 1933 notes a 'first' in constitutional history. It was on this day, 74 years ago, that American voters, through state referendums, added the 21st Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. It was the first time in our history that a constitutional amendment was passed, not simply by the will of legislators, but instead through popular mandate, i.e., the power of the U.S. citizenry. For some of us, December 5, 1933 might even be remembered as the end of National Prohibition. Unfortunately, there are too many writers and trade organizations who should know this, but have chosen, instead to revise U.S. history for their own purposes, and if I might, usually for self-promoting ones.
"You might recall my rants back in April when organizations like the Brewers Association, the A&E network, Anheuser-Busch, with its pimping of 'The American Brew' an hour-long movie commissioned by the St. Louis brewery, and beer geek sites like Beeradvocate proclaimed April 7 as the day that Prohibition was 'repealed today in 1933.' The Jacksonville Business Journal went so far as to proclaim that 'The 21st amendment to the U.S. Constitution went into effect April 7, 1933 …' -- an amazing feat since the states hadn’t even gotten around to setting up constitutional referendums and state conventions to vote for delegates who would set the constitutional change into effect.
"They weren’t alone in repeating this historical inaccuracy, but the list of offenders would probably be longer than this entire blog entry. So once again, let me beat this dead horse of a canard one more time. The passages below are from my book 'Beer: A History of Brewing in Chicago,' and gives the perspective of events leading up to December 5, 1933 from a Windy City perspective. But throughout the story, the thread leading up to the end of Prohibition can be found."
You can find his full essay here.
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20071201
What will they think of next? (December issue)
PHOTO BY WILLIAM M. DOWD
Signature drinks sometimes have close competition within their own establishment. I found that to be the case when I visited the luxurious Reluctant Panther Inn & Restaurant in Manchester, VT, where a cocktail created by one of the industry's top names is being challenged by the man in charge locally.
Then, we finish this month's collection with a new concoction from a trendy Manhattan watering hole.
• The Reluctant Panther
This is the establishment's signature cocktail, created for it by Las Vegas-based mixology guru Tony Abou-Ganim. It fits in with owner Jerry Lavalley's penchant for grain-based vodkas.
1 1/2 ounces Belvedere vodka
1/2 ounce freshly- made lemon sour
1/2 ounce chambord
Champagne
Blackberries marinated in Grand Marnier
Combine vodka, lemon sour and chambord in a cocktail shaker with fresh ice. Shake vigorously and pour into a chilled cocktail glass. Top off with champagne and drop in several of the berries.
• Blueberry Fusion
Bar manager Josh Cohen came up with this spinoff drink that is giving the Reluctant Panther a run for the most-popular status at the inn.
1 1/2 ounces Stoli Blueberry vodka
1/2 ounce freshly-made lemon sour
1/2 ounce Blue curacao
Sprite
Fresh berries marinated in Grand Marnier
Combine vodka, lemon sour and curacao in a cocktail shaker with fresh ice. Shake vigorously and pour into a chilled cocktail glass. Top with Sprite and drop in several of the berries. Note: Cohen says six hours is sufficient marinating time.
• Ruby Manhattan
This drink was created by Michael Waterhouse of the Devin Tavern (363 Greenwich St.) in New York, substituting ruby port for the usual sweet vermouth.
2 ounces Michter's Rye Whiskey
1 1/2 ounces ruby port
Dash of Reagan's Orange Bitters
Orange twist
Maraschino cherry
Dash orange bitters into a chilled cocktail glass. Squeeze and treat the glass with orange twist. Build ingredients in a cocktail shaker over ice. Stir 20 seconds and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with maraschino cherry and orange twist.
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Signature drinks sometimes have close competition within their own establishment. I found that to be the case when I visited the luxurious Reluctant Panther Inn & Restaurant in Manchester, VT, where a cocktail created by one of the industry's top names is being challenged by the man in charge locally.Then, we finish this month's collection with a new concoction from a trendy Manhattan watering hole.
• The Reluctant Panther
This is the establishment's signature cocktail, created for it by Las Vegas-based mixology guru Tony Abou-Ganim. It fits in with owner Jerry Lavalley's penchant for grain-based vodkas.
1 1/2 ounces Belvedere vodka
1/2 ounce freshly- made lemon sour
1/2 ounce chambord
Champagne
Blackberries marinated in Grand Marnier
Combine vodka, lemon sour and chambord in a cocktail shaker with fresh ice. Shake vigorously and pour into a chilled cocktail glass. Top off with champagne and drop in several of the berries.
• Blueberry Fusion
Bar manager Josh Cohen came up with this spinoff drink that is giving the Reluctant Panther a run for the most-popular status at the inn.
1 1/2 ounces Stoli Blueberry vodka
1/2 ounce freshly-made lemon sour
1/2 ounce Blue curacao
Sprite
Fresh berries marinated in Grand Marnier
Combine vodka, lemon sour and curacao in a cocktail shaker with fresh ice. Shake vigorously and pour into a chilled cocktail glass. Top with Sprite and drop in several of the berries. Note: Cohen says six hours is sufficient marinating time.
• Ruby Manhattan
This drink was created by Michael Waterhouse of the Devin Tavern (363 Greenwich St.) in New York, substituting ruby port for the usual sweet vermouth.
2 ounces Michter's Rye Whiskey
1 1/2 ounces ruby port
Dash of Reagan's Orange Bitters
Orange twist
Maraschino cherry
Dash orange bitters into a chilled cocktail glass. Squeeze and treat the glass with orange twist. Build ingredients in a cocktail shaker over ice. Stir 20 seconds and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with maraschino cherry and orange twist.
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Letters: What was that green stuff?
Bill:While reading a recent "Dowd on Drinks," it suddenly occurred to me that your encyclopedic knowledge of adult beverages might be able to solve a 25-year-old mystery.
Long before Sebastian's bar in Latham, NY, became a strip club, it was a popular hangout for employees of Factron, an electronics manufacturer. Sometime in the early 1980s, I was wasting oxygen there with a bevy of co-workers, chatting with the barmaid.
As we were still young and foolish instead of just foolish, we were discussing the various bottles of alcoholic beverages visible behind the bar. This led to taste-testing, conducted without benefit of scientific reasoning, or, for that matter, without much reasoning at all.
In a rather non-prominent place was a bottle containing a bright green liquid, and somebody asked what it was. The barmaid, acting somewhat surprised that it was there, said she had no idea. She took down the dust-coated bottle and we passed it around. It had a brand name (which of course I cannot remember), but none of us, including the barmaid, had ever heard of it.
We tasted it. It was rather sweet but might be good as a minor ingredient in certain cocktails. More importantly, all agreed that its taste was something we had experienced before. Yet we could not identify it. Suddenly someone shouted "Circus peanuts!" Everyone else said "That's it!" as we remembered the orange marshmallow-like confections we had occasionally consumed as children.
Every now and then, I wonder what that beverage was. Circus peanuts have a distinctive flavor, but I don't know what that flavor is.
Any thoughts?
Michael D. Trout, Selkirk, NY
Michael:
I love a good mystery, and this one is particularly intriguing.
"Circus peanuts" are made by four different companies (no one ever bothered trademarking the name), so the ingredients might vary slightly from one manufacturer to another. However, they are marshmallows made of sugar, corn syrup or high-fructose cporn sweetener plus gelatin, pectin, maybe even soy powder and some color plus a bit of artificial flavoring.
I suspect it's the latter element that piques the curiosity and may cauise some differences of opinion. Melster, Brach’s, Farley and Spangler are the four manufacturers, and Melster makes many of the candies for other brands.
Candy aficionadoes have often remarked that Circus Peanuts, while of indeterminate flavor, usually are most like banana. Using that as a basis, the closest I can come to banana flavor and a green liqueur -- without it actually being banana-infused -- is, ta da!, Chartreuse Green. (I rule out creme de menthe since you made no mention of a minty smell or taste in your mystery liquid.)Chartreuse Green (there is a yellow version as well) is one of those ancient potions created by 16th century monks -- in this instance the Carthusian order located near Grenoble, France -- who didn't have anything better to do. It's a 110-proof liqueur made up of 130 plant ingredients, and the precise recipe and proces usually are known to only two monks at a time as a security measure.
While it can be mixed in a cocktail, to get the true experience Chartreuse should be chilled and sampled on the rocks.
(See Michael's response under "Comments.")
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