Settin' them up on 'NCIS'

Actress/singer/writer Pauly Perette's character Abby is the best guilty pleasure of the CBS hit series "NCIS."

The tatooed, 5-foot-10 Goth genius who runs the high-tech lab for the Navy Criminal Investigation Service not only keeps coming up with wild outfits and unusual pasttimes to keep her colleagues and viewers guessing, she also pops up with skills you don't expect.

Like bartending, for example. That's something that should come naturally since in real life Paul was a bartender at one time.



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Now serving 'Cocktails For 2'

I have an older cousin who has a particularly unusual collection: every 78 rpm recording every made by the 1940s/'50s novelty band Spike Jones & His City Slickers.

That runs to dozens of the old-style discs with the group's goofy sound-effects-laden songs that were all the rage in films, personal appearances and even early television shows back then.

One in particular was just made for a one-reel film. It's the 1945 classic "Cocktails For 2," and here it is. (That's Spike himself as the bartender.)



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Letters: In search of a lost 'Love'

Mr. Dowd:

While on a college trip to Greece in the early '70s, I purchased a liqueur on the island of Rhodes called "Love of Rhodes." It was supposedly made from 50 different flowers and or herbs and was a beautiful shade of violet.

I've done many Google searches and have not been able to locate any info on it. Can you help me? Thanks!

Christine VanUllen

Dear Christine:

It sounds as if you came across one commercial example of a Greek treat usually known by a French term -- Parfait Amour. It's a sweet, citrus-based liqueur infused with a variety of spices such as coriander and floral extracts, particularly from the Parma violet.

Most other Greek liqueurs such as ouzo and mistra tend to run to pale yellow, gold or light greenish colors.

While I can't guarantee the Parfait Amour is what you're seeking, it is available at many high-end spirits shops as well as online vendors.

---

(Note: For you armchair travelers, here is a capsulized timeline and photo gallery of Rhodes, the largest of Greece's Dodecanese Islands.)

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Buy...sell...buy...sell...buy...

For those who keep track of such things:

• The French wines and spirits group Pernod Ricard is acquiring Lillet, the small French aperitif maker.

It apparently is no big deal, according to Emmanuel Babeau, Pernod Ricard's chief financial officer. When asked by the Reuters news service about the purchase price, he said: "It's more millions than tens of millions of euros. In the context of the Pernod Ricard group, it's not very significant."

Lillet makes an aperitif that already is being distributed by Ricard. In 2006, it had sales of about $5.5 million.

• In larger potential deals, Pernod Ricard is working to purchase Vin & Sprit, the maker of Absolut vodka, which has been put up for sale by Sweden's government as part of a multi-billion-euro privatization program. And, it negotiating with Russia about acquiring full rights to the Stolichnaya vodka brand.

• Constellation Brands of Fairport, NY, is selling Almaden Vineyards and Inglenook Vineyards to the Wine Group of San Francisco for $134 million in cash. The deal includes the Paul Masson winery in Madera, CA, where Almaden and Inglenook are located.

Constellation's portfolio includes 100 brands of U.S. wine. It is moving to emphasize its premium and luxury brands. Almaden and Inglenook do not fit into those categories. In December, it acquired the wine portfolio of Fortune Brands, U.S., for $885 million. The deal includes wines such as Clos du Bois, Wild Horse, Geyser Peak and others, as well as five wineries and vineyards in California.

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Gorilla In The Mist

PHOTOS BY WILLIAM M. DOWD

From the archives

COLLINGWOOD, Ontario -- The 800-pound gorilla swirled the amber concoction around, sniffed it, tasted it, then delivered the verdict. "Well, Terry, this is ... uh ... crap," he said.

If that's the way he felt about my crestfallen colleague's efforts, there was no way I was going to let this guy sample any of the whisky blend I'd just created.

He was, after all, the master distiller and master blender for Canadian Mist, the second largest maker of Canadian whisky in the universe. I didn't need that kind of pressure.

But, let's back up a couple of days.

I was interested in more fully understanding the intricacies of the process that creates Canadian whisky (like Scotch, spelled without the "e" used in the U.S. and Ireland). Brown-Forman, the multinational alcoholic beverage behemoth, was just beginning a new campaign to push its Canadian Mist brand, so our mutual desires resulted in an invitation to visit the distillery here with several other adult beverage writers to learn about blending under the tutelage of Harold Ferguson, distiller and blender par excellence.

After a pleasant night in Toronto, it was off to this industrial city of 22,000 souls located about 90 miles northwest of the metro area. Collingwood seems the right place for such an adventure. Its legacy ranges from the sublime (named for Lord Nelson's second in command at the Battle of Trafalgar) to the ridiculous (an annual Elvis impersonator festival).

Along the way, it became obvious not many local business owners were interested in such frills as names, witness The Beer Store, Joe's Store, Steakhouse Tavern, Real Estate Office, Pine and Oak Furniture, and The Law Store.

The sprawling Canadian Mist distillery complex sits a mere hundred yards or so from the beach on Nottawasaga Bay, the southern scoop of the huge Georgian Bay that itself is nearly as large as Lake Ontario.

As we pulled onto the distillery grounds, I noticed an adjacent factory owned by Nacan, the starch manufacturer. "If these two companies worked together they could give you a good stiff drink," I mused aloud. To stony silence from my obviously humor-impaired companions, I must point out.

Then we were at the main door, being greeted by Harold Ferguson (above), the aforementioned 800-pound gorilla who joined Canadian Mist fresh out of college in 1969. The professorial-looking guru, with thinning sandy hair and eyeglasses perched low on his nose, is one of the best-known figures in his country's whisky business -- master distiller, master blender, vice president and general manager of the half-million square foot facility, board member of the Association of Canadian Distillers, and so on.

A tour of the distillery floor, the computerized quality control room, the barrel storage sheds and other nooks and crannies later, we assembled in an impromptu lab environment to try putting into practice some of the blending tips Ferguson had explained as we walked about.

An array of bottles containing Canadian base whisky -- essentially, a refined moonshine with a pleasant vanilla nose, Canadian rye whisky and wheat whisky, domestic sherry and port blending wines, imported rye whisky and brandy stood before us. Flanking them were beakers and Ehrlenmeyer flasks, things I hadn't dealt with since college chemistry that seemed so long ago I'd swear the Periodic Table had only about a dozen elements then.

Since Canadian Mist manufactures only one thing, Canadian whisky made of rye, corn and malt, it is tempting to think Ferguson's responsibility isn't difficult. But, as he is quick to point out, "think how difficult it is to produce the same thing every day exactly the same without any deviation." Plus, Canadian Food and Drug Regulations for what can be labeled Canadian whisky are stringent. We had to work within those regulations to come up with our particular blends.

I'd had plenty of experience infusing vodkas and gins with herbs, fruits and vegetables, but that's a comparative snap to blending whisky and all these rules don't make it any easier.

Obviously, we weren't going to click on all tries and produce great whisky. We were working with completed products that gave us a headstart, but Canadian has to be aged in "small wood" -- as opposed to large tanks -- for at least three years; contain no less than 40% alcohol (80 proof); may be flavored but no more than 9.09%, and then only by using certain substances such as those Ferguson supplied to us, and even most of them are subject to their own aging requirements.

We were instructed to mix 40-milliliter concoctions of our own tastes. I whipped up five, noting the heat of the liquids we were trying at cask strength -- undiluted by the sparkling water from the Collingwood municipal supply taken from Georgian Bay. That would be up to Ferguson to add when he passed judgment.

I began with a cautious mix of Canadian base, imported rye and port. Too hot. Then a mix of base, brandy and wheat whisky. Too cool.

It would have been nice in a Goldilocksian sort of way to report that third blend was just right. It wasn't. And, neither was No. 4.

Last chance. Twenty milliliters of base, 10 of water and 5 each of brandy and wheat whisky. Shake, sample, pray.

Which brings us back to the unfortunate Terry experience. Would my creation suffer the same fate?

Ferguson squirted some Georgian Bay water in the flask, swirled it around to incoporate my offering, held it up to the light, then sipped.

"This isn't bad," he said quietly. Another sip. "You know, this is really rather good. Nice job."

Anything after this would have been anticlimactic. A 20% success rate in my first attempt at blending. And a pat on the shoulder from the 800-pound gorilla of the Mist.

It was worth the trip. But, truth be told, I'm now retired from the whisky blending game and back to sticking herbs in my vodka. Much less pressure.

---

COCKTAIL SUGGESTIONS created by Tim Laird, Brown-Forman's CCO (chief cocktail officer):

• MISTHATTAN
1 1/2 ounces Canadian Mist
1 ounce sweet vermouth
Dash of bitters

Mix the Canadian Mist with the vermouth and strain into Martini glass. Add the dash of bitters and garnish with cherry.

• MIST MUDDLED OLD FASHIONED

2 ounces Canadian Mist
2 slices of orange
1 cherry
1 sugar cube
2 drops bitters
Lemon-lime soda

In a rocks glass, muddle one orange slice, cherry, sugar cube and bitters. Add ice, Canadian Mist and top with lemon-lime soda. For dryer version, use club soda in place of lemon-lime. Garnish with additional orange slice

• MISTY SOUR

1 1/2 ounces Canadian Mist
3 ounces sweet-and-sour mix
Orange wedge
Maraschino cherry

Combine ingredients with ice in a shaker. Strain into a glass over ice. Garnish with an orange wedge and a cherry.

• BLACKBERRY MIST LEMONADE

1 1/2 ounces Canadian Mist
1/2 ounce blackberry syrup or flavored liquor
3 oz. ready-mixed lemonade
Top with Sprite or club soda

Mix the Canadian Mist and blackberry syrup in a glass and stir in the lemonade and Sprite. Pour into a tall glass with ice. Garnish with lemon wheel or peel.

• CHERRY MIST BOUNCE

2 ounces Canadian Mist
2 ounces cherry juice
1 bar spoon brown sugar

Mix the cherry and brown sugar in a tumbler or rocks glass, add the Canadian Mist and stir, garnish with fruit.

• MISTY MAPLE LEAF

2 ounces Canadian Mist
1/2 ounce maple syrup
Splash of soda

Shake well Canadian Mist and maple syrup, strain into rocks glass with ice and add a splash of club soda.

• GINGER MIST

2 ounces Canadian Mist
1 teaspoon ginger preserves

Shake and strain into Martini glass. Garnish with sugared ginger

• CHOCOLATE MIST

2 parts Canadian Mist
1 part dark Crème De Cocoa
1/2 part hazelnut liquor

Place all ingredients in a shaker and strain into a martini glass rimmed with cocoa and sugar as an option. Garnish with a cherry.

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1,550% tax hike on malt beverages

From The Heartland Institute's "Budget & Tax News":

In a move that has roused constitutional and legal concerns in California, the State Board of Equalization has voted to uphold a ruling that amounts to a huge stealth tax increase on certain alcoholic beverages.

With a vote of 3 to 2, the board raised the tax on flavored malt beverages, such as Smirnoff Ice, from 20 cents to $3.30 a gallon. They did so by changing the classification of the beverages from beer to distilled spirits.

The reclassification must be approved by the Governor's Office of Administrative Law. Should it stick, the reclassification would amount to a tax increase of 1,550%.

You can read the full story here.

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'Green Fairy' flits back to legal U.S. status

When the first legal absinthe in a century went on sale in the U.S. a few weeks ago, it kicked off a demand for the controversial liquor all across the country.

It was quite a scene in Alameda, CA, where St. George Spirits, an artisinal distiller operating out of a former naval warehouse in San Francisco Bay, was given the OK to sell its version of absinthe by the federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. When it did so, on Dec. 11, customers lined up for a wait of two or more hours to get into the facility to sample the
120-proof spirit and purchase it at $75 a bottle or $300 a case.

Master distiller Lance Winters, 42, created the absinthe -- something he's been tinkering with for years -- for boss Jorg Rupf, a renowned maker of fruit brandies and Hangar One vodka in his St. George facility.

Winters' recipe includes a grape-based brandy blended with such herbs as wormwood, tarragon, basil, mint, anise and fennel.

St. George does not have the field to itself. Three foreign manufacturers have begun exporting absinthe to the U.S. -- Kubler (Switzerland), Absinto Camargo (Brazil) and Lucid (France). Plus, it is likely other domestic distillers will join the wave to restore absinthe to consumer consciousness.

The licorice-flavored spirit that began as a medicine had been blamed for bad judgment, poor health, even outright madness. Nevertheless, it was the drink beloved of 19th century Parisian cafe society, enjoyed by such writers and artists as Baudelaire, Lautrec, Picasso, Degas and Manet. In fact, in those times the cocktail hour was referred to as l'heure verte -- the Green Hour -- in honor of absinthe.

There are those who theorize that the anti-absinthe forces were funded by the wine industry, which was losing ground in the marketplace to la Fee Verte, the "Green Fairy,'' as the drink was known. Any link, no matter how tenuous, between evildoers and absinthe was loudly proclaimed until enough of the public grew fearful of its continued availability to demand a ban around the time of World War I.

Absinthe began its comeback several years ago in England, where entrepreneurs discovered no legal ban remained in effect prohibiting sale or consumption of absinthe.

Classical absinthe is made by steeping dried herbs in ethyl alcohol, then distilling the liquor. The main herbs are nothing unusual -- anise and star anise, peppermint, wormwood, fennel, perhaps a few others, depending upon which recipe one prefers.

Wormwood is the catalyst for a chemical change during the process that, combined with the very high alcohol content (usually in excess of 120 proof, or 60%, compared to the 80 proof strength of most spirits), gives the drink its potency through release of the chemical thujone.

---

HOW TO DRINK IT

Pour 1 1/2 ounces of absinthe into an old-fashioned tumbler, then place a tea strainer containing one sugar cube on top of the glass. Pack a bit of crushed or cracked ice on top of the sugar.

When the ice melts, it will drip into the absinthe, taking the sugar with it and turning the green liquid milky.

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Nothing sacred in vodka- or wine-making

PHOTO BY WILLIAM M. DOWD

Tinkering and adult beverage creation seem to go hand in hand.

For example, the global explosion in vodka products in the past decade or so has caused no end of controversy.

Imbibers and producers alike seem to be divided into two camps. One regards any vodka made with anything other than potatoes or grains to be a pretender. In the other camp are those who see nothing wrong with using various fruits and vegetables.

That debate has been entered into at the highest marketing levels within the European Community as laws governing such things in international commerce are reviewed and rewritten.

Meanwhile, flying below the radar at the moment, are artisanal vodka makers in various parts of the U.S. who don't give a fig -- and, indeed, may even be using them -- what the EC thinks, blithely going on about their business with anything they can turn into a neutral grain spirit.

The same seems to be going on with wine. While the most common base by far is grapes, various fruits have been used for centuries to create wine. A couple of examples in a cluster where New York, Massachusetts and Vermont come together near Albany, N.Y.: The Brookview Station Winery at the Goold Orchard near Albany turns out a line of apple wines. The North River Winery has a tasting room in Bennington, VT, where you can try some of their 18 different wines made from apples, raspberries, pears, blueberries, cranberries ... even rhubarb. And, nearby in the Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts, the Furnace Brook Winery at Hilltop Orchards makes wine and cider from apples to supplement its line of grape wines.

While not widely known, these places are anything but secret. What is getting little notice is winemaking using very unusual ingredients in places not usually thought about in connection with wine.

Like India and Ethiopia.

Experiments conducted at the Tea Research Association's Jorhat, Assam, facility have resulted in a new product that will be put on the Indian market in about six months.

Mridul Hazarika, director of the TRA's Tocklai centre in Jorhat, claims, "We brewed wine out of pure tea. Of course, we have used some other requisite ingredients to whet the fermentation.

"The uniqueness of our product is that unlike the Japanese tea-based wine we don't mingle red wine with the beverage,'' Hazarika told Commodity Online.com. "The Japanese tea-based wine producers mix the red wine in specific proportion to make the drink. But our base would be pure tea with some added flavors to exude the exotic aromas of Darjeeling and Assam teas.''

The TRA earlier created tea tablets, ready-to-drink tea and tea biscuits.

Pradeep Ghosh, a TRA senior consultant, explained: "The tablet is basically a fine form of quality brew carrying the flavor of popular varieties like Darjeeling and Assam. Consumers can chew it or can dissolve it in a cup of hot or cold water and then relish it as a drink."

In strife-torn, starving Ethiopia, a medical doctor/scientist has developed wine from khat, a leaf commonly chewed in East Africa and parts of the Middle East to extract its narcotic properties.

Dr. Eyasu Haile Selassie, who has made and distributed 500 bottles of the wine so far and is working on plans for full-scale commercial production, told the Retuers news agency, "Khat wine is just as good as any wine produced from grapes and has been well-received by wine drinkers.''

Lest you think his wine would have a double-whammy from khat's amphetamine properties and the alcohol, Eyasu says khat leaves lose their narcotic qualities within 48 hours of harvest.

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Herradura takes top distiller honors

Casa Herradura has been named "Distiller of the Year" in Wine Enthusiast magazine's 2007 Winestar Awards.

The company is one of the oldest producers of Tequila. It was founded in 1870 by Ambrosio Rosales and Aurelio Lopez.

Casa Herradura, located in the Mexican state of Jalisco, produces 100% blue agave tequila, and is all natural, estate grown and estate bottled.

It introduced the first reposado tequila in 1974, and later launched the first extra añejo, Seleccion Suprema. Herradura was purchased in January 2007 by Brown-Forman of Louisville, KY.

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A rose by any bottle

While those of us who make a living writing about adult beverages are inundated by specialty cocktail recipes from various vendors each time a holiday or different season rolls around, a totally new product is more eye-catching than a mixture.

This year, for Valentine's Day, it's a new flavored vodka from Modern Spirits, a Los Angeles company: Rose Petal Artisan Vodka.

Melkon Khosrovian, co-founder of and vodka maker for Modern Spirits, says the new product is made with only the petals of three highly aromatic rose varieties he and his wife, company co-founder Litty Mathew, grew in their back yard. Khosrovian said he developed the flavor with an eye toward champagne cocktails and for pairing with desserts.

"The ancient Romans fell in love with roses so much that they tried to capture their intoxicating aroma and delicate flavor in sherbets and puddings, and even flavored wines with the fragrant petals," says Khosrovian.

Modern Spirits Rose Petal went on sale New Year's Day at suggested retail prices of $24.99 for the 375ml bottle and $43.99 for the 750ml bottle.

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Tomintoul releases special '76 Scotch

Tomintoul is bringing back the '70s.

The distillery, built in the 1960s in the heart of the Speyside-Glenlivet region of northeastern Scotland, has just released its sixth Scotch whisky -- a limited edition 31-year-old single malt called the Tomintoul Speyside Glenlivet 1976.

The 80-proof product is being initially sold only in travel retail (duty free and similar shops) at a suggested retail price of $405.

Tomintoul's other products are the Peaty Tang and 10, 12, 16 and 27-year-old single malts.

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French Indo-China favorite makes great rebound

The 2007-2008 World Beverage Competition results have been audited and verified, with the “Best of Show” award going to Domaine De Canton Ginger Cognac.

The event, the largest beverage competition in the world, is a member of the World Trade Organization and complies with all international law. It was founded on the premise that beverages should be judged on their quality and innovation rather than on the strength of their marketing, budget or sales force. Honors were given in wine, spirits, beer and non-alcoholic beverage categories.

This is anything but a new concoction. It was created years ago on the French Indo-China ginger root estate of Domaine de Canton, and first was embraced by the colonial French aristocracy in what became Vietnam. It is an 80-proof VSOP cognac infused with baby ginger, selling at a suggested retail price of $30.

The ginger comes through immediately in the zesty nose. The ginger-pepper taste relaxes a bit after the bottle is open for a while, but always reminds one of those warm ginger snaps fresh from the oven. The straw-yellow color, slight acidity, bittersweet flavoring components and tangy aftertaste make for a very unusual, refreshing liqueur.

Go here for cocktail recipes using Canton and for a list of the limited number of vendors.

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New Massachusetts micro-distillery producing

Massachusetts' "other cape" now has its own micro-distillery.

Ryan & Wood Distillers, located in Gloucester on Cape Ann north of Boston, is billing itself as “the North Shore’s first small-batch micro-distillery of premium and handcrafted spirits.”

Gloucester native Bob Ryan, 53, who has worked in the family fish processing business, and his nephew and partner David Wood, 37, a real estate attorney in nearby Manchester-by-the-Sea, have turned out their first batch of vodka and plan to add rum to their line.

The production centerpiece is a 600-liter Arnold Holstein still custom-made in Germany. The company is using three different grains as the basis for its vodka, which will be called Beauport Vodka. Beauport was one of the early names for the Gloucester area.

Beauport is expected to be on local store shelves in the next few weeks. Next up is Folly Cove Rum, targeted for next summer.

In an interview with the Gloucester Daily Times, Ryan said the idea came when he read an article on micro-distilleries.

“I was looking for a business you don’t find on every street corner," Ryan said, and Dave had worked for me before and I knew I could depend on him. Soon my wife, Kathy, was on board and we went online and began looking for equipment and providers.”

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What will they think of next? (January issue)

Each year, cocktail competitions are held around the world. Some are sponsored by professional groups, some by manufacturers, some by neutral third parties. As I peruse results, I see some very interesting recipes.

This month, I'm looking at several that fall into that category. As is usually the case, a specific main ingredient is required to be part of the recipe. Thus, you often will see specific brand names used in the recipes.

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• Pear-Cardamom Flip

This drink took first place in Imbibe magazine's Imbibe/USA Pears Cocktail Competition. It was created by Daniel Braun of Oliver's Twist in Seattle, WA.

1/2 a ripe Bartlett pear
1 1/2 oz. Bacardi light rum
3/4 oz. fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1/4 oz. fresh ginger juice
3/4 oz. pear-cardamom syrup (recipe below)
2 dashes Fee's orange bitters
8 medium sized mint leaves
1 large egg white
1 tsp. huckleberry liqueur
1 tsp. Clear Creek pear brandy
Ice cubes
Tools: mixing glass, shaker, strainer
Glass: rocks or highball
Garnish: pear slice

Dice one-quarter of the pear into quarter-inch cubes. Place in rocks glass with huckleberry liqueur, mint and brandy. Stir and set aside. Cut another quarter of the pear into large chunks. Place in a mixing glass, add bitters and syrup and muddle to completely break down the pear.

To the mixing glass, add ice, rum, lemon juice, ginger juice and egg white. Shake for 30 seconds. Add ice cubes to the rocks glass. Strain ingredients from the mixing glass into the rocks glass. Garnish.

Pear-Cardamom Syrup: 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 cup water, 1/2 a peeled Bartlett pear, 1 teaspoon ground cardamom. Bring sugar and water to boil in a small pot. Remove from heat and add pear and cardamom. Cover and let sit for 20 minutes. Strain and chill.

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• Starfish Cooler

This cocktail won the top award in competition at the Tales of the Cocktail event in New Orleans. It was created by Stacy Smith, a bartender at G.W. Fins in New Orleans. Moët & Chandon White Star champagne was the main required ingredient.

1 oz. Moët and Chandon White Star
1 oz. lemoncello
1 oz. PAMA pomegranate liqueur
1 oz. Unsweetened iced tea
½ oz. simple syrup

Muddle orange slice and mint leaf in a Collins glass. Combine all ingredients and serve.

---

• Now and Zen

This was the winning entry in the U.S. Bartenders Guild's National Cocktail Competition. Skyy vodka was the required ingredient. The recipe was created by Debbie Peek of Tramonto’s Steakhouse in Chicago.

1 oz. Skyy Citrus Vodka
1/2 oz. Zen Green Tea Liqueur
1/4 oz. fresh lemon juice
1/4 oz. Monin Lemon Grass Syrup
1 oz. organic acai berry juice

Combine ingredients and fresh ice in shaker. Shake vigorously and serve straight up.

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