20080229

Prepping a cocktail party in 15 minutes

Photo courtesy of ColinCowie.com.

That sounds impossible, but celebrity event-organizer/author/TV host Colin Cowie laid out the blueprint for it during an appearance on CBS. As the transcript says:

Ever feel like having a few friends over, but don't think you have the time to throw something together? Master entertainer Colin Cowie showed how to create an incredible cocktail party in just 15 minutes, on "The Early Show" Friday. He says it's easier than you think.

Cowie says, "The kitchen is the central system in the home and where people always end up when you entertain," so feel free to use it as you base area for your party.

You can do a couple of things the night before with your decor and cocktails.


You can here to view a video of the whole segment. Or, you can go here for the print version.

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20080228

Plymouth Distillery saved from blaze

Fans of Plymouth Gin can rest easy. The historic Black Friars Distillery where the gin is made suffered only minor damage from a fire that hit the 15th Century facility this week.

The building, located in Plymouth, England's Barbican area, was a monastery in the 1400s. It has been the home to the gin distillery since 1793 and also houses the Barbican Kitchen Brasserie, run by celebrity chefs James and Chris Tanner.

It was the restaurant where fire broke out in the ducting system, and it was badly damaged.

(Go here for a visit with Sean Harrison, master distiller at Plymouth.)

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20080227

Jack Daniel's man of taste calling it quits

TOP PHOTO BY WILLIAM M. DOWD

THE VISITORS CENTER AT JACK DANIEL'S LYNCHBURG, TN, COMPLEX.


For the past 20 years, fans of Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey have had Jimmy Bedford to thank for the consistency of the product.

On March 31, he'll step down as master distiller, the job he has held for the last 20 of his 40 years at the distillery. A successor is expected to be named shortly afterward.

Bedford, 68, is only the sixth master distiller in the history of the company.

"It's been 40 enjoyable years for me," Bedford said. "Being part of making a product that's shipped around the world, I've had a lot of satisfaction in doing that."

Jack Daniel's is the flagship brand of Louisville, KY-based Brown-Forman Corp., with annual sales of more than 9 million cases in 135 countries.

Bedford hails from the Lynchburg, TN, area where Jack Daniel's is located and lives on a nearby farm. He worked in construction projects at the distillery as a high school and college student, then joined the compant fulltime in 1968 in the supervisor training program under then-master-distiller Frank Bobo.

Over the years, the facility has grown to include the sprawling visitors center and a worldwide reputation as the leading Tennessee sour mash whiskey.

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20080225

Take a bite of this cocktail

Cointreau has signed up a couple of France's best-known mixologists to bring a new gimmick to American drinking palates.

Fernando Castellon and Richard Lambert are working with Cointreau to bring what they call “caviar” — tapioca-like pearls containing a half-ounce of the liqueur — to your next drink.

They're working with a select group of New York City bartenders to learn how to use a batch of mad scientist tools to create and use this invention.

Get the full story here.

By the way, if you're interested in other drinks using the French orange liqueur, go here.

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Letters: Is this collection a treasure trove?

Hello, Mr. Dowd:

I hope you can help me. My 92-year-old father passed away in 2005, leaving behind at least seven unopened bottles, some in original boxes, of Seagram's VO ('55, '49, '56, '48), Vat 69 (undated), Dawson's "Special" Blended Scotch Whiskey (undated), and a 1952 Chivas Regal 12 year old Scotch Whiskey, Blended, in original box (dated 1952 by my father).

The liquor was always kept in boxes in a dark closet, never exposed to temperature extremes. My husband and I do not drink hard liquor, so we really have no use for this. Is there a market for dad's collection?

Can you possibly steer me in the direction of who ... may be interested in purchasing old liquor? Any assistance you can give me would be very much appreciated. Many thanks in advance for any information you can provide.

P.S. I am looking at a copy of an article entitled "$2,000 sip of Scotch almost too grand for words" you wrote on April 13, 2005, the day my dad passed away.

-- Jane Nathan, Champaign, IL

Dear Jane:

That's quite a collection. A pity you and your husband don't enjoy such beverages. It reminds me of the quote attributed to Frank Sinatra: "I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day.”

But, back to your inquiry. Selling whisky is dicey because most, if not all, state laws prohibit such transactions without proper licensing. You'll undoubtedly need some sort of middleman who is authorized to do such work.

I don't know precisely how much any of your bottles may be, particularly the blended whiskies since they are virtually the same from year to year and, thus, have no particular "vintage." Also, label design modifications could affect the value of any bottles you may have.

Seagram's Canadian whisky, for example, has undergone a number of changes over the years. For example, its V.O. was introduced in 1913, but the meaning of the initials was not documented, according to a company historian. Family tradition says it means "Very Own."

In 1940, the Governor General of Canada, Lord Athlone, granted a warrant for "V.O." and his coat of arms was added to the label. The same year the company's racing stable colors, black and gold, were added to the label as a ribbon. That lasted until 1994 when the colors were changed to burgundy and gold, and in August 1996 the ribbon was dropped from the design.

Getting a precise genealogy on Seagram's products is difficult because the company has undergone so many ownership and licensing changes in recent years. Pernond Ricard purchased the Seagram's drinks line in 2000. The brand name now exists in such Pernod products as Chivas Regal "Seagram's Gin" and "Seagram's Coolers," in the Diageo product Seagram's Seven Crown and in The Coca-Cola Co.'s Seagram's mixers line.

The Dawson's you mention is on the lower end of that distiller's price scale, but the bottles dated in the 1970s and still available on the market are worth about $105. Given the average age of the bottles in your collection, the value probably is in that range.

The Chivas might do well for you. A bottle like the one you describe went up at a suggested bidding range of £150 to £200 in a 2004 rare whiskey auction in England and there was only a single bottle of it available. That range translates to $295 to $395 in today's currency.

Good luck in your hunt.

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20080224

Letters: Drinks list for a new restaurant

Bill:

I am opening a "global" themed restaurant North of Boston in two months and am attempting a beverage/whiskey list that represents accordingly, and strays from the norm of same ol' menu selections.

Any direction you could provide would be appreciated. Thank you.

-- Scott Plath, Lowell, MA

Dear Scott:

I'd suggest keeping really "up" on what is going on in emerging markets such as the tequilas of Mexico, the sochus of Korea, the caƧhascas of Brazil and neighboring lands.

Each can do wonders for cocktail recipes when used with always-fresh ingredients (fruits, herbs, the occasional veggie like cucumber) and creating such a list not only would pair nicely with global cuisine, but would be a great selling point in getting noticed.

In addition, for the non-cocktail portion of your drinks list, I'd strongly suggest getting into a wide range of teas. They're becoming extremely popular all over the U.S. and wildly popular in many European and Asian markets.

Good luck with your project.

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Latest 'most expensive' cognac is a stunner



The latest entry in the adult beverage world's "most expensive product" category comes in the cognac subdivision.

Henri IV Dudognon Heritage, valued in the decanter shown here at 1 million British pounds sterling --about $1.9 million US -- "is known to be the most luxurious and most expensive in the world," its producers said in a statement.

The name Henri IV honors the French king (1553-1610) who is a direct ancestor of Claudine Dudognon–Buraud, heiress to Maison Dudognon, which is located in the center of the smallest area of France's Cognac Grande Champagne region. It has been producing this cognac since 1776.

While this particular cognac is, by all accounts, excellent, the bottle is astounding: handcrafted crystal, dipped in 24-karat yellow gold and sterling platinum and decorated with 6,500 certified brilliant cut diamonds.

It weighs about 8 kilograms (17.6 pounds) and is filled with 33 ounces of Dudognon Heritage Cognac Grande Champagne, aged in barrels for more than 100 years to produce an alcohol content of 41% (82 proof).

The Dudognon family distills only the Ugni Blanc grown on their properties. Their two alambics produce about 200 barrels annually, some of which is sold to the well-known cognac houses of Remy Martin, Delamain and Hine.

All Dudognon farming is organic and the eau de vie made from the family's best grapes is aged on-premises in their small chai (pronounced "kay," as opposed to a wine cellar it is an aboveground structure used for wine storage and aging). The wood used for the barrels is air dried for five years prior to use. No additives are introduced in the process, so the finished cognac is light colored and airy.

20080222

Those little old ladies of Makers Mark

Stereotypes are a funny thing. Sometimes they stem from reality. Other times they stem from ... a detachment from reality?

Sonja Kassebaum, who writes the North Shore Distiller's Journal for the distillery in Lake Bluff, IL, has some tips in the current issue on finding good offbeat buys at liquor stores. However, one item in particular sounded a sour note for me.

Here's the item:


Over-Dipped Wax

A bartender friend told us that every once in a great while the little old ladies who dip the Makers Mark bottles get to over-dip one of them, and sometimes they make it out of the warehouse. We saw one recently here in Chicago -- unfortunately it wasn't for sale.


Here's what the "little old ladies" who work the Makers Mark assembly line really look like, courtesy of some photos I shot while touring the Kentucky distillery last fall:








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20080221

What do you serve at a kosher whiskey dinner?

You don't come across a selection of high-end kosher whiskies every day. You will if you head down to New York City to take advantage of the Kosher Wine Society branching out for a special whisky dinner scheduled for next Tuesday, Feb. 26.

Actually, most whiskies are kosher, but there are a few that require certification because of the grains used or the process. In general, bourbon, sour mash and rye whiskies are kosher. Many scotches are, as well, but blended whiskies need to be certified kosher.

The event, planned as an annual offering if this one draws well, will send 18% of the proceeds to support the Tikva Children's Home which cares for orphans from the Ukraine.

The five-course meal will be preceeded by an hour of passed hors d'oeuvres, then the meal by Ari and Gemma White of Gemstone Catering. The whiskies being paired with the food include:

1975 Dallas Dhu
1977 Highland Park
1979 Port Ellen 22 year old
1977 Glenmorangie
1960 Strathisla 44 year old
1974 Glenfarclas 31 yr OB

The dinner will be held at Mendys Galleria, 115 East 57th Street in Manhattan.
The Chicago Rabbinical Council has a handy guide to what alcoholic drinks are kosher or not.
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20080216

Agave competition draws 80+ Mexican entries

El Gran Jubileo Tequila Extra Anejo walked off with top honors in the inaugural Agave Spirits Competition, held in Cancun, Mexico.

The 100% blue agave liquor from Destileria la Alborada in Jalisco state took the Platinum Medal, the Top Agave Spirit Award and the Judges Favorite Award.

A panel of six judges from three countries reviewed more than 80 spirits from Mexico during competition at the Royal Resorts Club International and Hacienda Sisal Restaurant between February 2 and 8. They blind-tasted the entries in sixh categories -- aroma, initial taste, body, finish, smoothness, and quality for price. Agave spirits from all over Mexico were eligible to compete in this inaugural Agave Spirits Challenge and dozens of tequilas, mezcals, sotols and agave-based liqueurs entered.

The final rankings produced the top six spirits, which then were tasted blind for the final grand tasting. The finals included three tequila products, two sotols and one mezcal. In addition to the El Gran Jubileo, other platinum winners were El Zacatecano Mezcal AƱejo, Hacienda de Chihuahua Sotol H5 Extra AƱejo, Tres Mujeres Tequila AƱejo, Vida Tequila Reposad and Hacienda de Chihuahua Sotol AƱejo.

The complete list of medal and other award winners is available at Agave.net, the sponsoring organization. The event was hosted by founder Darin Jones, owner of TEQUILA.net. It was open to all agave spirits of Mexico, including tequila, mezcal, sotol, destilado de agave, raicilla, and bacanora.

Go here for an explanation of those categories.

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20080215

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 descendants all over the U.S.

March 20 brings in Alban Eiler, known elsewhere as the spring solstice 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.

In between, 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 attendance, parades, festivals, dances, silly hats and drink specials at your favorite pub -- featuring Scotch and Irish whiskies, in particular.

The line between Scotch and Irish distillations is blurry for some (although the Scots, along with Canadians, spell whiskey without the "e.'') The difference comes primarily in the malting stage.

For Scotch whisky, malted barley is dried over peat fires, which allows the smoke to penetrate the grain and create its signature
smokey flavor. For Irish whiskey, malted barley is dried in closed ovens and never comes in contact with smoke.

In addition, Scotch whiskies usually 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 personal preference.

Bushmills is an Irish whiskey preferred by many. It is turned out in the town of the same name by the world's oldest whiskey distillery, located in County Antrim, Northern 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 distillers.

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Decade-old Irish whiskey puts on a new face

If you begin seeing ads for "new" Clontarf Irish Whiskey, don't be confused.

The brand has been around for a decade. "The New Irish" refers to a new marketing and packaging campaign created by brand owner Castle Brands Inc.

The new proprietary bottle now has a black label trimmed in gold for Clontarf Classic Blend and a complementary black and cream label trimmed in gold for Clontarf Single Malt. The label also includes a new graphic element—a stylized warrior mask. The “face” of the mask resembles a shield with a single grain of barley as the “eye.” The mask is topped by castle crenellations, evocative of Clontarf Castle which still stands -- although now as a 4-star hotel -- in the area where the legendary Irish warrior king Brian Boru had his most famous battle, in A.D. 1014.

“The first of the millennial generation" -- those born between 1980 and 2000 -- "are in their late 20s now, and are getting tired of fruit-juice cocktails. Irish whiskey, with its very approachable flavor profile, is new again and is a natural next step,” said Roseann Sessa, head of marketing and public relations for Castle Brands.

“Clontarf is not their father’s whiskey. The brand was ‘born’ in 1998 and is therefore itself part of the millennial generation.”

Castle Brands is a developer and international marketer of premium branded spirits in the vodka, rum, whiskey and liqueurs categories. Its portfolio includes Boru Vodka, Gosling’s Rum and Celtic Crossing Liqueur.

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20080214

Sub Rosa vodkas quietly making their mark

Mike Sherwood admits to creating "kind of a tease" with his artisan vodkas.

His two expressions of Sub Rosa vodka -- one saffron, the other tarragon -- are head and shoulders above most assembly line infused vodkas, many of which use extracts and chemicals for their flavorings. But the fact that he makes them only one 50-case lot at a time in rented quarters is both their blessing and their curse.

The blessing: "These infusions are made from fresh herbs and spices, hence the true flavors and natural colors. I don't use extracts or a flavor house to obtain the delicate flavors in my tarragon. Each of eight spices are infused separately for the saffron, then blended."

The curse: Because manufacturing is severely limited, the two vodkas are available only on the West Coast or through vendors located there. Last month, California joined Oregon, Sherwood's home state, and Washington as his market. Luckily for consumers, he's in talks with a Washington, D.C., distributor to break into the East Coast.

Sherwood's day job is at the small Sineann winery in Newberg, Ore. He makes his vodkas at House Spirits Distillery -- which allows outsider to use its equipment on a shared basis -- in nearby Portland, working with partner Linda Lausmann.

Sub Rosa Spirits isn't just a lark for Sherwood. His much-traveled background includes time as a logger, fisherman, software developer, wine and food writer, and craft beer expert after growing up in a family that had a beer and wine distributorship. He was the founding executive director of the Oregon Brewers Guild in the 1990s and is co-founder and vice president of the newly-formed Oregon Distillers Guild.

"Small-batch distilling is quite popular here in Oregon," Sherwood told me. "There are 17 distilleries right now, and plans are in the works to create several more."

It was as manager of Rogue Ale's rum distillery in 2004 that Sherwood became interested in this facet of the adult beverage world. He and distiller Kieran Sienkiewicz teamed up there to create spiced rums, wasabi vodka, spruce gin and absinthe.

The idea of picking tarragon and saffron for his first two products is "clearly part of the movement towards culinary-inspired cocktails," Sherwood said. "I have no doubt that adventurous bartenders will come up with inventive uses for these new flavors. At 90 proof, they were made to mix."

Each bottle of Sub Rosa -- the Latin phrase for secret or confidential -- is identified by batch number and the year produced. The suggested retail price is $29.95 for a 750ml bottle. Your local spirits purveyor should be able to order it from Sub Rosa in Dundee, Ore. 97115.

"The tarragon style is made with fresh-grown tarragon leaves and a hint of mint. The pale green color is natural, the flavor is refreshing," Sherwood explained. "The saffron-infused vodka is as complex as a gin with eight spices. These distillates use fresh ingredients, and darned expensive ones, too. Saffron is the most expensive spice on the planet. No essential oils were used for flavoring. What you taste is fresh herbs and spices suspended in alcohol."

Once Sherwood is able to get his own manufacturing space, he plans to "branch out into a spiced gin along the same lines as the saffron vodka, and maybe a liqueur with the same sort of Indian/Moroccan/Asian spices.

"I'm working on my next tarragon infusion as we speak. Peeling off the leaves one by one off of five pounds of fresh tarragon. I am going to boost the intensity of the tarragon a wee bit in my next batch, so it will stand up to more ingredients, but still keep the same flavor profile."

(Go here for my "Tasting Notes" entry on Sub Rosa.)

Here are several cocktail recipes Sherwood has supplied, featuring his two vodkas:

MEADOW LARK

1/4 to 1/2 oz. St. Germaine Elderflower Liqueur
2 oz. Sub Rosa Tarragon Vodka
2 oz. soda water
Splash of fresh lemon juice

Combine all ingredients over ice in an Old Fashioned cocktail tumbler and serve.

SOUTH GOA BREEZE

2 oz. Sub Rosa Tarragon Vodka
2 oz. ginger ale
Splash of Cointreau
Orange slice

Add the vodka and Cointreau to a shaker full of ice.. Shake well. Pour into a highball glass and add ginger ale to taste. (Recipe ratio usually is 1-to-1.) Garnish with orange slice.

KASHMIR

2 oz. Sub Rosa Saffron Vodka
3 oz. mango, orange or apricot nectar juice
2 grinds black pepper
1 oz. Riesling-based simple syrup

Pour each ingredient over ice, shake vigorously and serve in a frosted glass. Alternatively, build and serve on the rocks.

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20080212

Drink calorie listing nears in NYC

Food calories have been getting most of the coverage in news about New York City's new regulation requiring chain restaurants to display calorie information. However, the rule includes cocktails, sodas and other beverages that appear on menus as well.

The law is scheduled to go into effect March 31, in place of a different version that was struck down last year by a judge.

However, the New York State Restaurant Association has filed a federal lawsuit challenging the latest regulation which would require restaurants with more than 15 outlets across the country to be in compliance.

Giving consumers information about the calories in what they're drinking can help them make better choices, Margo Wootan, director of nutrition policy at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, told Business Week.

"We've gotten to the point in our food culture where people expect to have a sweetened beverage with their meal," she said. "People end up drinking a lot more calories than they think."

An 8-ounce margarita on the rocks has 290 calories. That size is the equivalent of a cup, but in many restaurants, drinks come in much larger sizes.

"It's really a shock to see a drink is 500, 600 calories," Nonas said. "That's almost a third of what you should eat for the day."

New York City, which banned trans-fat-laden cooking oils from all restaurants last year, is the first U.S. city to enact a regulation requiring calories on menus.

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20080211

5 bartending classes from Vodka U.

POURING



CHILLING



MUDDLING



RIMMING



SHAKING



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Newest Cuervo Vintage Reserve unveiled

Jose Cuervo, you are a friend of ... Fernanda Brunet.

Casa Cuervo has unveiled its 2008 Ultra-Premium Tequila Vintage Reserve, complete with a handcrafted wooden box painted by the popular Mexican artist.

Each year since 1995, the Cuervo family has selected a Mexican artist to paint the latest wooden box for its ultra-premium product, part of its ongoing program to support Mexican artists and local culture. Brunet, winner of the 2003 Acquisition Prize, has had her paintings exhibited internationally.

The 13th edition of the tequila, called Reserva de la Familia, is an aƱejo product made from 100% pure blue agave grown on the Cuervo estate. Only a limited number of Reserva de la Familia bottles are produced each year. The 2006 expression won a double gold medal in the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

The tequila is aged in new French and American charred oak barrels. Each bottle is numbered and dated, hand-dipped in wax, then placed in the wooden box. It is expected to be available in most of the U.S. beginning in March at a suggested retail price of about $100 per 750ml bottle.

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20080209

The art and instinct of judging

PHOTO BY WILLIAM M. DOWD


What brands of bourbon, rye and Canadian whisky will you be drinking later this year?

If my vote is typical, Nos. 102, 103, 203 306, 310 and 311 will be the bourbons of choice, Nos. 501 and 502 among the ryes, and maybe No. 703 among the Canadians.

Confused? Don't be. Those are the code numbers for the best samples I judged over the past week as part of the Icons of Whisky awards, sponsored by Whisky Magazine, the U.K. publication that is the world's leading spirits magazine.

At this point I have no idea what brands the samples represented, nor does anyone else except those who decanted the various bottles into sampling-sized flasks, labeled them with the code numbers and categories, and shipped them to the judges who were participating in the North American portion of the competition. (Earlier "heats" covered Scotland, Ireland and Canada, with some Canadian whiskies entered in the North American "heat" as well. See results here.)

Our task was to follow a set of judging guidelines in evaluating and ranking each entry by balance, complexity and character according to Whisky Magazine's 10-point scale: 9-5 faulty, 5.25-6.75 very poor/poor/average, 7-7.5 good, 8-8.75 excellent, 9+ exceptional. As noted in the guidelines "By the way, 10 is impossible. There is no such thing as perfection." We then were to ship our pronouncements to Norwich, England, HQ of the magazine, from whence they'll go into the global finals.

That led me to sample 28 whiskies -- 19 bourbons, six Canadians and three ryes.

Let's stop right there. I can almost hear the usual comments. "How do you keep from getting wasted?" "Boy, I wish I could get a job like that." "Can you really tell one kind from another?"

I hear that sort of thing when the topic is wine judging or spirits judging. To some people, alcoholic beverages have one overriding purpose -- to get a buzz on. To others, any sort of judging gig is akin to winning the lottery.

Yes, I enjoy such activities. Otherwise I wouldn't do them. But, it is interesting to hear public perceptions of such an arcane and often misunderstood undertaking. I suppose that people do get lost in the numbers when you try to explain that judging a wine competition usually involves trying 135 to 200 or more wines over a two-day period and a spirits competition requires trying several dozen strong entries, often in a day.

What some don't seem to grasp is the fact that you're not doing a tasting or judging just to imbibe. Drinking is not the desired outcome; charting the journey is, from eye to nose to palate.

There are tricks to keeping your wits about you. In wine judging, you rarely actually swallow wine. The mantra is "swirl, sip, spit," and that goes on time after time. In spirits judging, you also rarely drink the samples, instead allowing the eye and the nose and the palate to do the work for you.

Occasional breaks for palate refreshers like bites of mild cheese or very rare roast beef -- a takeoff on the old saw of putting a raw steak on a black eye -- help reawaken a palate that has been flattened out by the alcohol. Wine judging usually ranges from dry to sweet wines, with different schools of thought on whether to begin with a palate-clearing bubbly or having that between the flight of reds and whites. Spirits are trickier since there is not the same range as in wines. Then, pacing is the key so you have to build in a fair amount of time to allow the palate to bounce back.

Distillers and winemakers enter competitions for several reasons, chief among them the hope that they'll win medals which they then can use in their marketing campaigns. That's where the judges fit into the puzzle. Even if you don't care much about what we do, you'll eventually succumb to the lure of a heavily medaled wine or spirit beckoning you from a slick print ad or TV commercial. Gotcha.

Since I began this discussion with references to bourbon, rye and Canadian whisky, here are cocktail recipes using each:

MUDDLED OLD FASHIONED

2 ounces Canadian whisky
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, whisky Mist and top with lemon-lime soda. For dryer version, use club soda in place of lemon-lime. Garnish with additional orange slice.

SEELBACH COCKTAIL

1/2 ounce triple sec, chilled
7 dashes each, Angostura and Peychaud bitters
1 ounce bourbon
5 ounces brut champagne

Place triple sec, bitters and bourbon in a champagne flute. Stir and fill with 5 ounces well-chilled champagne. Garnish with a long orange zest and serve immediately.

COMMODORE

1 part rye whiskey
1 part freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 part creme de cacao
Dash grenadine syrup

Pour all ingredients in a cocktail shaker, shake vigorously and pour into a cocktail glass.

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Icons of Whisky has 3 'heat' winners

En route to the final judging of Whisky Magazine's annual Icons of Whisky awards, regional competitions in various categories are held in four places: Scotland, Ireland, Canada and the U.S.

The first three results are in, with the deadline for the U.S.. judging coming up next week. Winners in each of the regional "heats" go to the final judging with results to be announced at an awards ceremony at the CafƩ Royal in London on Feb.. 28, marking the opening of Whisky Live London.

The results so far:

SCOTLAND

• Distiller of the Year:
Inver House Distillers Ltd.
Visitor Attraction of the Year: The Glenlivet and the Smugglers’ Trails
•  Whisky Bar of the Year: The Grill, Aberdeen
Retailer of the Year: Loch Fyne
Retailer of the Year, Multiple Outlets: The Whisky Shop
Innovator of the Year: Glenmorangie
Ambassador of the Year:Ronnie Cox, The Glenrothes
Independent Bottler of the Year: Speyside Distillers

IRELAND

• Distiller of the Year:
Irish Distillers Group
Visitor Attraction of the Year: Old Kilbeggan
Retailer of the Year: The Celtic Whisky Shop
Innovator of the Year: Old Bushmills
Ambassador of the Year: Noel Sweeney, Cooley

CANADA

• Distiller of the Year:
Kittling Ridge Estates
Visitor Attraction of the Year: Canadian Club Visitor Center
Innovator of the Year: Diageo
Ambassador of the Year: John Hall, Kittling Ridge
Retailer of the Year, Multiple Outlets: LCBO
Restaurant of the Year: Via Allegro Ristorante
• Whisky of the Year: The Whisky CafĆ©, Montreal

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20080208

Zacapa rum taken under a big wing

If you're not familiar with Zacapa, the Guatemalen rum, you probably will be before long.

Beverage giant Diageo PLC has signed a three-year deal to distribute and market the brand globally. It will have control of the brand in most markets excluding Guatemala and Central America.

At the end of the deal, Diageo will have the option to buy a 50% equity stake in the brand.

"The Zacapa brand will widen our brand range within the second largest and fastest growing major spirits category in the world and diversify our reserve brand collection," said Randy Millian, managing director of Diageo’s Latin America & Caribbean hub.

The Zacapa rum range includes Zacapa Centenario 15, Zacapa Centenario 23 and Zacapa Centenario XO.

I first came across the brand while judging the inaugural International Cane Spirits Competition in Tampa, FL, in 2006. We awarded a gold medal in the premium rums category to Ron Zacapa Centenario 23 Year Old. My tasting notes at the time referred to it as "Irish whiskey style; very smooth; butterscotch notes."

Zacapa took first place honors in the premium rums category in the 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001 International Rum Festival competitions. In 2003 it was honored by the International Rum Festival as the first rum ever inducted into its Hall of Fame. And, it received the highest rum score from the Beverage Testing Institute at 98 points.

The rum is produced in the small town of Zacapaneca. It is aged in American oak barrels, which helps impart a dark amber-brown color as well as layers of taste.

Diageo, incidentally, recently dropped out of the bidding for Sweden's Absolut Vodka and formed a joint venture with the owners of the rival Dutch vodka, Ketel One.

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Whiskey in the jar

Mush a ring dum ring dum doo
Whack for my daddy'o
Whack for my daddy'o, there's
Whisky in the jar, o


The chorus of the old Irish pub fave "Whiskey In the Jar" sounds a bit like something you'd utter after visiting the jug a few too many times. For those who enjoy such crocks, the makers of Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey have resurrected their once-famous packaging.

Tullamore Dew was first distilled in 1829 in the small Irish town of Tullamore, County Offaly. It is triple-distilled, and utilizes malted barley that has been dried in closed kilns, rather than over peat fire, to maintain its natural flavor.

The new crock is in keeping with the style of the original launched 60 years ago prior to glass bottling. It has a white base with gold inscription, topped with the traditional green neck and cork stopper.

The suggested retail price for the new crock of whiskey is $32.99.

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Cheers awards go to top chains

Fourteen awards were handed out as part of the 2008 Cheers Awards for Beverage Excellence, sponsored by the industry magazine Cheers, at its recent annual beverage conference in Miami.

Twelve program awards and two individual awards were presented by editor Donna Hood Crecca. They were:

Best Chain Beverage Menu: Outback Steakhouse
Best Chain Beverage Merchandising: Hard Rock CafƩ
Best Chain Drink Program: Ruth’s Chris Steak House
Best Chain Signature Drink: Walt Disney World Resort
Best Chain Adult Non-Alcohol Drink Program: ESPN Zone
Best Chain Spirits Program: Bennigan’s Grill & Tavern
Best Chain Beer Program: Buffalo Wild Wings
Best Chain Wine Program: Carrabba’s Italian Grill
Best Chain Hotel Beverage Program: Hilton Hotels
Best Chain Multi-Concept Beverage Program: Back Bay Restaurant Group
Best Chain Overall Program: Walt Disney World Resort
Best Chain Responsible Alcohol Service Training Program: Applebee’s International
Raising the Bar: Patrick Henry, Patrick Henry Creative Promotions
Industry Innovator of the Year: Ann Rogers Tuennerman, Tales of the Cocktail

They were selected from a field of 110 entries from 47 restaurant chains. The competition was open to all chain restaurants, defined as an operation with five or more locations in two or more markets. The chain must be in existence for at least three years. Awards criteria include the program’s creativity, originality and impact on the sales and profitability of a full-service restaurant operation. Other factors considered are the level of marketing support, staff training and overall operator commitment to the initiative that lead to its success.

The entries were evaluated by a judging panel that included previous Cheers Awards for Beverage Excellence winners and other leading operators.

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20080207

Cocktail comedy classic: 'A Round of Drinks'

"The Two Ronnies" -- big Ronnie Barker and little Ronnie Corbett -- were a staple of BBC television comedy for decades.

In a retrospective of their skits, they noted that many of them seemed to center around drinking. That led to the rebroadcast of the classic "Round of Drinks" sketch I suspect you'll enjoy, as much for the excellent memorization of the twisted dialogue as for the basic humor.

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20080203

Medley re-opening music to KY ears

Charles Medley Distillers, which just changed ownership, is back in action with announced plans for a $10 million renovation project that will re-open its Owensboro, KY, facility.

The purchaser is Angostura Ltd., the Trinidad company best known for its rum. The Owensboro plant has been closed for nearly 16 years. The upgrade will include making it a barrel-manufacturing site as well as a distillery.

Angostura plans to create a new Charles Medley Kentucky Bourbon label. The $3 million purchase price for the distillery included 23 acres, five warehouses and the stillhouse, but not Charles Medley's private label -- called Wathen's Kentucky Bourbon, a label his late father, R. Wathen Medley, once owned. Medley told the Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer newspaper that he will continue to bottle that brand himself.

Angostura bought the former Seagram's distillery in Lawrenceburg, IN, last year and will make that its North American headquarters. The Owensboro project will create 30 to 40 permanent jobs by the fall of this year, according to group director Patrick Patel.

The distillery has a capacity of 1.5 million proof gallons a year, he said, and he plans to increase that to 2.5 million - 3 million.

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20080201

What will they think of next? (February edition)

This month I'm looking at top-selling cocktails from "in" spots in the U.S. and Canada to add to our collection of great drinks recipes.

In two of the examples, the establishments have infused the basic ingredients to create new twists on old favorites.



The One Martini

Toronto Star writer Linda Barnard pried this recipe out of the folks at celebri-chef Mark McEwan's One restaurant in the Hazleton Hotel, located in the Yorkville section of Toronto. It presents layers of sweet, sour and spice.

Fresh ice
2 oz. apple-pear infused vodka
1/2 oz fresh pineapple juice
Splash of fresh lime juice
Splash of simple syrup

Add all ingredients to cocktail shaker filled with ice. Strain into a cocktail glass. Makes one drink.

(Note: The infused vodka is made at One. To duplicate it, you'll need one clear glass bottle or jar with lid, 1 cup apples, peeled and cut into small pieces, 1 cup pears, peeled and cut into small pieces, 750ml of plain vodka, a cinnamon stick, 4 whole closes. Put the whole batch into the bottle or jar, Cap tightly and steep in the refrigerator for a week, shaing it occasionally. Strain and use.)


Today's Harvey Wallbanger

This is an update of the '70s fad favorite, classed up by Stephanie Schneider and Andrew Boggs at their Huckleberry Bar, which opened four months ago on Grand Street in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, NY. They use freshly squeezed orange juice instead of the concentrate in the original recipe, and infuse the vodka with citrus.

2 oz. citrus-infused vodka
4 ozs. freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 ounce Galliano
1 orange slice, for garnish.

Fill a highball glass with ice. Pour in the vodka, orange juice and Galliano. Garnish with the orange slice. Yield: 1 serving

(Note: To infuse the vodka, use 3 lemons, one-half orange and one-quarter grapefruit, all sliced, in a 750ml bottle of vodka. Steep 2-3 days.)


Cirrus Blossom

Todd and Ellen Gray, owners of Equinox Restaurant in Washington, DC, created this cocktail with Cirrus vodka from Richmond, VA. Cirrus creator Paul McCann tells me "It was originally done for the Cherry Blossom festival, but we are revising it for Valentine's Day."

2 oz. Cirrus vodka
1 oz. Bols cherry brandy liqueur
1/2 oz. Cointreau or triplesec
1 1/4 oz. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 oz. sugar syrup
1/4 oz. grenadine syrup

Shake ingredients with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a maraschino cherry.

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