20090330

A celebri-quote: Irina Voronina

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[Go here for more celebri-quotes.]

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Rare Highland Park cache found in Japan

• From Just Drinks.com:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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20090328

Going for the rum gold in Tampa

William M. Dowd photos


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

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

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

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

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

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

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20090325

Utah legislators gone wild

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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20090321

Timberlake pushing tequila

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

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

Whoopee.

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20090319

Firefly distilling 'coming home'

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

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

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

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Latest vodka gimmick: Online only

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

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

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

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

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Ontario recalls Indian rum

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

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

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

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20090315

What will they think of next? (March edition)

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

• THE LAST WORD

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

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

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

• THE FLYING DUTCHMAN

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

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

Shake, serve up, garnished with a dark cherry.

MY FAIR LADY

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

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

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

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

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Sunday sales law skirmishes in Connecticut

From the Danbury (CT) News-Times:

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

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

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

[Go here for the rest of the story.]

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20090313

Decluttering an inherited liquor cabinet


William M. Dowd photo

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Beam's Red Stag has cherry on top

William M. Dowd photo

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Oregon OKs surcharge on spirits sales

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

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

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

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

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More 'blue laws' may bite the dust

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

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

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

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

Additional information on the topic is available here.

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20090312

Mount Gay creates new rum

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

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

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Seagram's unveils rum line

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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NY Spirits Awards program created

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

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

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

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

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

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

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20090311

Golf titlist helps make Ballantine's limited blend

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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20090309

When in Mexico, viva la Cazuela!

April L. Dowd photo
TLAQUEPAQUE, Mexico -- Straight tequilas, whether blanco, reposoda or añejo.

Margaritas, traditional or various fruit flavors.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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They're No. 1, yet again

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

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

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

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

You can read my earlier story here.

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20090302

Blue Ice adds to vodka line

Man does not live by potatoes alone.

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

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

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

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

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

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Voodoo Tiki Tequila gets prickly

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

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

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

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

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

THE PRICKLY PEAR MARGARITA

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

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

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Cheeseburgers, then rum in paradise

William M. Dowd photos



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"The rules said you had to complete one cocktail before you began another, had to have at least three ingredients in each one, and each had to be different," he explained. "I think I had four or more ingredients in just about all of mine."

He's just as adept at leading a casually-paced tasting. Sitting in a converted 19th Century carriage house on the Cruzan complex, we sampled nine 80-proof rums of varying style. The results:

Bacardi Superior: A honey fragrance with a surprisingly lingering finish atop banana and apple notes and the characteristic Bacardi mild burn.

Cruzan Estate Light: A gentle nose with honey and applesauce notes, then elements of caramel, vanilla and sweet apple in the mid-range and finish.

Bacardi Reserva: More of the honey nose, but with the added element of butterscotch, which made the slight acidity of the taste a surprise. A round, structured mouth-feel.

Cruzan 2-Year Dark: Here we moved into softer, more refined fragrances of brown sugar and tropical tastes of coconut and pineapple. A very agreeable product.

Bacardi 8: Fragrances of almonds and creme brulee precede a spicy, nutty rum with the tropical notes of pineapple and toasted coconut. Complex and pleasing.

Pyrat XO: This is a blend of rums from nine different pot stills. The strong aroma of orange peel creates an expectation of something like a Grand Marnier, and that's what comes through along with touches of anise and cinnamon. A nice dessert offering.

Cruzan Single Barrel:
Vanilla, almonds and allspice all compete in the nose, but the taste is dry, soft and Scotch-like with a hint of orange. Very nice sipping rum.

Myers's Origional Dark: Notes of maple and chocolate in the nose, which match up with the dark color, then more chocolate, plus coffee and some molasses in the haste and finish.

Cruzan Black Strap Navy Style: This two-year-old is flavored with dark molasses, and that's what comes through in the nose and in the initial taste. It quickly softens, and coffee elements come through, leading to a long, smooth finish.

Cruzan and its Diamond Estate Distillery is still run by the Nelthropp family despite having passed through a succession of off-island owners. It now is in its seventh generation with Gary Nelthropp in charge of the daily operation. Although the five-still manufacturing equipment is old, it is kept in good repair and Cruzan can crank out 17,000 cases daily.

"We're expanding our warehousing under Beam Global," Nelthropp said. "We already have 12 warehouses that can handle about 10,000 cases each, but we'll be able to put 23,000 in the new facility."

The weather has changed dramatically over the years on St. Croix. At one time, it was the Caribbean's major sugar producer. When Nelthropp's father was young there were seven rivers that ran full year-round, helping supply the much-needed water.

"Now," Nelthropp says, "there are maybe two. We're not really sure what changed, but the rainfall just disappeared. At one time 85% of the island was planted in sugar cane; now it's virtually zero. That's why we started importing our own molasses, and what we get from Guatamala is very high quality."

Rums made from cane sugar are known as rum agricole. Because Cruzan, the island's lone rum distillery, makes its spirits from molasses which comes from cane, it is known as rum industriale.

Cruzan (pronounced crew-zhawn) matures its rums in once-used bourbon or other whiskey barrels. The aged rum is charcoal filtered. White (light) rum is aged 14 months to four years, the single barrel up to 12 years.

The bottling is done in Florida, which makes economic sense -- 85% of Cruzan rum is sold in the States.

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