World's oldest bartender retiring

• From the Associated Press

WEST VIEW, Pa. — Only minutes after Prohibition died in 1933, Angelo Cammarata, 19, served a 10-cent bottle of Fort Pitt beer to a customer in his father's neighborhood grocery.

Ever since, except for a 30-month hitch during World War II, the son of Italian immigrants has been tending bar and serving drinks. Guinness World Records dubbed him the longest-serving bartender a decade ago, and he's earned induction into Jim Beam's Bartender Hall of Fame and numerous other honors.

Now 95, he's calling it quits.

[Go here for the full story.]

To Dowd's Wine Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Spirits Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Brews Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Tasting Notes latest entry.
Back to Dowd On Drinks home page.

Bushmills preps rollout for new bottle

Bushmills' iconic Irish whiskey has been around for more than four centuries without a whole lot of changes. So, when the Northern Ireland distiller decides to repackage its spirits, it's news.

Bushmills' new bottle (right), which goes on the Northern Ireland market this November and then globally next March, represents an investment of $2.8 million by owner Diageo, part of an ongoing investment program that has hit $16.7 million since it acquired Bushmills in 2005.

“The new bottle highlights a lot of the quality and pride people at the distillery have been investing into this whiskey for centuries," Gordon Donoghue, Bushmills supply director said at a press conference. "It’s an Irish whiskey made by local people, and we’re delighted to be able to launch it in its home market nearly six months ahead of its global release.”

The new bottle has an embossing of both the 1608 original distillation license and the famous Old Bushmills Distillery potstill.

To Dowd's Wine Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Spirits Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Brews Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Tasting Notes latest entry.
Back to Dowd On Drinks home page.

A celebri-quote: Dmitri Medvedev

• It has been nearly a quarter-century since the Russian government's last major effort to slow the population's legendary and self-destructive consumption of alcohol. Now, President Dmitri Medvedev is taking up the crusade. His comments were reported in Time magazine.

At a government meeting earlier this month, President Medvedev said alcoholism has become a "national calamity," with every man, woman and child consuming the equivalent of 4.8 gallons of pure rubbing alcohol per year, according to the National Institute of Health.

"Imagine how many bottles of vodka that comes to," he said. "It takes your breath away."

[Go here for more celebri-quotes.]

To Dowd's Wine Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Spirits Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Brews Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Tasting Notes latest entry.
Back to Dowd On Drinks home page.

Jack Daniel's No. 1 in South Africa

Jack Daniel's Tennessee whiskey, the official drink of hip young South Africans?

True. In the nation's Top Brands survey this year, seven of the 10 favorite spirit brands were whiskies, or whiskey-based.

“The broad appeal of Jack Daniel’s stretches from biker to broker," said Joffy Senekal, marketing manager of the spirit’s local distributors, The Really Great Brand Co., in an interview with The Times of Johannesburg.

"It’s a brand with attitude and style, with a slightly rebellious undertone. It appeals to people who are independent, who prefer not to be followers and who tend to embrace the brand for its freedom and masculinity.”

No. 2 in the alcoholic spirits category is Johnnie Walker blended Scotch whisky, and No. 3 is Jameson Irish whiseky.

To Dowd's Wine Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Spirits Notebook
To Dowd's Brews Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Tasting Notes latest entry.
Back to Dowd On Drinks home page.

Bill's eMailbox: What is a 'Screaming Viking'?

Q: I just saw a clip from one of my favorite “Cheers” episodes where Woody wins a bet against another bartender for knowing how to make a “Screaming Viking.”

Is there such a drink, and how would it be made?

– Joseph Cea

A: How do you make a Screaming Viking? Tell him Brett Favre is going to retire again.

But, on to your question. There is, indeed, such a drink. In fact, it’s been around a long time and has settled into a “classic” recipe that is a takeoff on a basic vodka martini.

2 ounces vodka
1 ounce dry vermouth
1 ounce fresh lime juice
1 celery stalk
1 cucumber spear

Stir liquids with ice, strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with celery and cucumber and serve immediately.

Got a question or comment? Feel free to pass it along.

To Dowd's Wine Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Spirits Notebook
To Dowd's Brews Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Tasting Notes latest entry.
Back to Dowd On Drinks home page.

Illinois alcohol taxes set to soar

Consumers in Illinois will be hit with the largest alcohol tax increase in state history come September 1. Oh, and many suppliers also plan to rase the prices of their products as well.

It reminds me of the situation a Canadian distillery official told me about during a visit to his operation a few years ago when the subject of high prices of adult beverages in his country came up.

"Why don't you find many Canadian alcoholics?" he asked. "Because no one makes enough money to be one."

In Illinois, the excise tax on alcohol is paid to the state by the manufacturer or distributor. According to the state's Department of Revenue, consumers can expect to see the tax on a six-pack of beer go up by 25% (from 10.4 cents to 13 cents), the tax on a bottle of wine go up 86% (from 13 cents to 28 cents), and the tax on a fifth of distilled spirits 90% (from 90 cents to $1.71).

That all is based on current prices. Once supplier price hikes are figured in, consumers probably will be paying about $3 more for a 1.75-liter bottle of spirits and $1 or more extra for a bottle of wine.

To Dowd's Wine Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Spirits Notebook
To Dowd's Brews Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Tasting Notes latest entry.
Back to Dowd On Drinks home page.

Scarce Utah liquor licenses in demand

• From McClatchey-Tribune Information Services

SALT LAKE CITY, UT -- Restaurants vying for a dwindling number of liquor licenses are playing a game of chance.

On Thursday, liquor-control commissioners gave out permits to seven lucky restaurants, which can now serve all types of alcohol -- reducing the number of remaining liquor licenses to one.

Four other restaurants snapped up limited-service licenses that allow diners to order beer and wine with their meals; 11 of those permits are available this fiscal year.

"We're quickly running out of licenses," said Sharon Mackay, spokeswoman for the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. "In the coming months, we're expecting to see some jockeying for the few licenses that are left."

[Go here for the full story.]

To Dowd's Spirits Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Wine Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Brews Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Non-Alcohol Drinks Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Tasting Notes latest entry.
Back to Dowd On Drinks home page.

John Elway goes 'Nude'

Former pro football great John Elway has made successful forays into a variety of businesses since he retired from the Denver Broncos.

First it was a string of car dealerships, then several Denver restaurants as well as philanthropic endeavors, and now it's vodka.

Elway has joined the "advisory board" of Nude Spirits LLC of Punta Gorda, FL.

The company produces Nude Vodka, which it modestly calls "an American-born ultra-premium masterpiece."

Elway’s involvement will consist of dealing with future investors, partners, and distributors.

The vodka is filtered five-times over crushed volcanic lava rock and distilled in the High Cascades of the Pacific Northwest. It debuted on the market in the Washington, DC, area in January.

To Dowd's Spirits Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Wine Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Brews Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Non-Alcohol Drinks Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Tasting Notes latest entry.
Back to Dowd On Drinks home page.

New 100-proof Scotch blend arrives

The newest blended whisky from Scotland hit our shores this month, when Black Bull was introduced at a special tasting in Manhattan.

The 100-proof expression is new to the Black Bull line, although its predecessors have been sold in the U.S. and U.K. for about 70 years. Black Bull whiskies are bottled and distributed by Duncan Taylor & Co. of Huntly, Scotland.

The limited edition is a 50-50 blend of non-chill filtered single malt and single grain whiskies aged in sherry casks for a minimum of 30 years.

The tube and bottle feature an original painting of a black bull by Scottish artist Angela Davidson.

The suggested retail price: $199, and the first batch to arrive has been limited to 600 bottles.

To Dowd's Spirits Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Wine Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Brews Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Non-Alcohol Drinks Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Tasting Notes latest entry.
Back to Dowd On Drinks home page.

Ex-Jack Daniel's distiller dead at 69

Jimmy Bedford, 69, who stepped down as master distiller of Jack Daniel's under a cloud last year, has died.

Bedford, who had a 40-year career with the company and was regarded as one of the elite distillers in the industry, was found outside a barn at his farm in Lynchburg, TN, dead apparently of a heart attack, according to company officials.

Bedford spent 20 years as the master distiller supervising the entire operation at the 143-year-old distillery in Lynchburg, the oldest registered one in the United States.

"He was a friend and colleague to so many of us," said Phil Lynch, vice president and director of corporate communications for Brown-Forman, Jack Daniel's parent company. "He was a major figure in the whiskey industry and will be missed."

When Bedford retired, he was succeeded by understudy Jeff Arnett. It later was revealed that the company asked Bedford to “retire” after a female employee filed a $3.5 million sexual harassment lawsuit against him. It was settled out of court.

At the time, Lynch was quoted by the Associated Press as saying, "We investigated it thoroughly and took strong action. He soon left the company."

To Dowd's Spirits Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Wine Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Brews Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Non-Alcohol Drinks Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Tasting Notes latest entry.
Back to Dowd On Drinks home page.

New vodkas from two 'club owners'

Add veteran pro golfer Fuzzy Zoeller to the ever-growing list of celebrities hawking a new brand of vodka.

And, don't forget Manhattan/Hamptons nightclub entrepreneur Charles Ferri who has introduced Star Vodka, named for one of his clubs, the Star Room.

Zoeller, who over his lengthy career has won the U.S. Open and the Masters, these days plays on the senior tour as well as taking time to promote his new Fuzzy's Ultra Premium Vodka, being launched at various events this summer.

The vodka plays on Zoeller's links reputation, with the front label showing a golf course in full color. Inside is a grain-based vodka at the usual 80 proof -- and labeled "ultra premium," which really doesn't mean anything in particular these days except the price point, with a suggested retail price of $28 for the 750ml bottle.

Vodka isn't Zoeller's first foray into the world of ingestible goods. The Indiana resident also has a line of barbecue spices, rubs and steak and barbecue sauces. His Web site is called Fuzz.com.

Ferri's Star brand is a gluten-free vodka made for him in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon. It is filtered through lava rock, made in very small batches.

Because of the limited production schedule, Star availability is limited two retail outlets and through the company's online purveyor.

To Dowd's Spirits Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Wine Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Brews Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Non-Alcohol Drinks Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Tasting Notes latest entry.
Back to Dowd On Drinks home page.

They still exist????

A 136-year-old organization, gathered in Wichita, KS, this week for its annual convention, has found something current to complain about.

It's the Women's Christian Temperance Union, the same all-female organization that helped push through Prohibition back in 1919.

Their complaint? President Barack Obama’s suds summit with the Harvard prof and the local cop involved in a recent dustup that immediately became a cause celebre for people who love to play the race card -- from either side.

Bunny Galladora (honest), WCTU media director, said the meeting sent the wrong message because “alcohol and conflicts are not a good combination.”

To Dowd's Spirits Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Wine Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Brews Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Non-Alcohol Drinks Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Tasting Notes latest entry.
Back to Dowd On Drinks home page.

IW&SC wine/spirits results are in

What event involves 10 weeks of blind tasting by 70 industry experts from around the globe evaluating light and fortified wines from 33 different countries across Europe, Asia, the U.S. and Canada?

If you said the International Wine & Spirits Competition you'd be right. The UK-based global event has wrapped up its Northern Hemisphere wine and spirits judging, with the Southern Hemisphere's products to be judged later in the year.

The judges awarded 102 gold medals, a number that represents just 3% of the entries.

Riesling enjoyed a resounding return with Germany taking 12 Gold medals, predominantly for this grape variety. France, Italy and Spain were the highest scoring countries judged by total medals won. New entries came from Turkey, Tunisia, Thailand, South Korea and Montenegro, with the latter plus Serbia, Slovenia, Sweden being the only four countries to win medals for each entry from their country.

Go here for the results, available by category, from the IWSC.

To Dowd's Spirits Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Wine Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Brews Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Non-Alcohol Drinks Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Tasting Notes latest entry.
Back to Dowd On Drinks home page.

What will they think of next? (August edition)

I dislike the word "ultimate" for the simple reason that it has become so misused it has lost all meaning. Rarely is anything that is called the "ultimate" actually so. Nevertheless, I do like "The Ultimate Book of Cocktails," Stuart Walton's 256-page tome first published in the UK by Hermes House in 2003. It is for the novice as well as the professional bartender, containing as it does illustrated explanations of bar equipment, glassware, all sorts of cocktail ingredients, and numerous recipes. Here is a trio of warm weather cocktails taken from that work.

MAIDEN'S BLUSH

This drink from the 1920s had two different popular recipes. One mixed gin with orange curacao, lemon juice and grenadine. This one is a bit stronger and the blush effect in the colors is more apparent.

2 parts gin
1 part absinthe
1/4 measure grenadine

Shake all ingredients well with ice and strain into an ice-cold cocktail glass.


KEW PUNCH

This concoction takes advantage of fresh summer fruits and a lot of liquid flavors.

1 part vodka
1 part sweet vermouth
1 part orange curacao
2/3 part gin
2/3 part cherry brandy
2 dashes Angostura bitters
2 parts ginger ale
2 parts sparkling lemonade
Assorted sliced summer fruits

Measure the vodka, vermouth, curacao, gin and brandy into a pitcher of ice and stir well to chill. Strain into a highball glass full of fresh ice cubes and the sliced fruits (peaches, apricots, straewberries, etc.). Add the bitters, then pour in chilled ginger ale and lemonade. Garnish with lemon twists and mint leaves.

PIRANHA

Be careful. As with virtually any cocktail using a soft drink as a main component, one can down too many of these too easily.

1 1/2 parts vodka
1 part brown creme de cacao
1 part ice-cold Coca-Cola or other cola

Pour the alcohol into a rocks glass containing plenty of cracked fresh ice and stir vigorously before adding the cola.

[Go here for the archive of monthly "What will they think of next?" cocktail recipes.]

To Dowd's Spirits Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Wine Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Brews Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Non-Alcohol Drinks Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Tasting Notes latest entry.
Back to Dowd On Drinks home page.

Contributors get PA wine vending machines

• From the Associated Press

HARRISBURG, PA -- A company that won a contract to supply state-controlled wine vending machines at no cost to the state has two investors who have given more than $400,000 combined to Gov. Ed Rendell's campaigns for governor, a Pittsburgh television station reported.

WTAE-TV reported Thursday that the two investors in Simple Brands LP are Ira Lubert and Herbert Vederman.

Vederman was Rendell's campaign finance chairman, while Lubert is an investor in two licensed slot-machine casino projects, Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh and the Valley Forge Convention Center.

[Go here for the rest of the story.]

To Dowd's Spirits Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Wine Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Brews Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Non-Alcohol Drinks Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Tasting Notes latest entry.
Back to Dowd On Drinks home page.

NJ wine/spirits tax hike in effect

Anyone who went wine or spirits shopping in New Jersey this weekend found it a different experience.

That's because August 1 was the effective date for a tax increase on the beverages -- a whopping 25% hike meant to help the state gain some footing in its battle against revenue dropoffs. The new rules do not affect beer sales/

Gov. Jon Corzine's tax proposal projected an extra $22 million per year for the state.

The tax is charged by the gallon. For distributors, the tax will amount to an extra 51 cents for a 1.75-liter bottle of whiskey, for example, and three cents for a standard bottle of wine. Precisely how much they raise prices to consumers is up to each vendor.

Jeffrey Warsh, executive director of the New Jersey Wine and Spirits Wholesalers Association, said a $6.99 bottle of wine probably would be raised to $7.49 or even $7.99 rather than the $7.02 that would cover the tax.

Thus, the extra money could help offset any reduction in sales or, in the best of circumstances, make extra money for the vendors. Higher prices for wine and spirits sold to restaurants and taverns likely would see corresponding rises.

To Dowd's Spirits Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Wine Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Brews Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Non-Alcohol Drinks Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Tasting Notes latest entry.
Back to Dowd On Drinks home page.

Connecticut targets drinkers' wallets

Connecticut is joining the parade of financially troubled state governments looking to raise revenues by raising taxes on drinkers.

Gov. M. Jodi Rell on Thursday unveiled a new two-year budget that would raise "sin taxes" such as those on alcoholic beverages and tobacco and corporation taxes by $391 million. Those, she says, are the only taxes she'll consider.

Meanwhile, the General Assembly's two Democratic-controlled budget committees passed a proposal calling for $1.8 billion in tax increases, including higher income tax rates for wealthier taxpayers.

Connecticut, Pennsylvania and North Carolina are the only states that have not yet passed a budget for the current fiscal year.

Senate President Pro Tempore Donald E. Williams Jr., D-Brooklyn, said Friday that the governor's proposal to raise the excise tax on beer, wine and distilled spirits by 10% to raise about $8.5 million over the two years "is taxing the six pack but not the six-figure salary. This is not shared sacrifice. This is Republican-style trickle down economics."

Democrats would not raise alcohol taxes, but would hike the $2-per-pack tax on cigarettes to $2.75 to collect about $142 million over the biennium.

The Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S., the industry lobbying and educational organization, called Rell's proposed tax increase on alcohol "a bad deal for recession-weary Connecticut consumers" and said allowing alcohol sales on Sunday -- now prohibited in the state -- would provide double or triple the revenue raised by the tax increase.

To Dowd's Spirits Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Wine Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Brews Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Non-Alcohol Drinks Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Tasting Notes latest entry.
Back to Dowd On Drinks home page.

Stranahan's spreading its wings

Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey is one of those limited-distribution spirits that has a strong following in its home state and a few other spots but is relatively unknown elsewhere.

That should change now that Stranahan's has signed a distribution contract with Republic National Distributing Company.

RNDC, which operates in 19 states, "will help us focus our efforts on what we do best –- making uniquely handcrafted whiskey," Stranahan's founder Jess Graber (right) said in a statement.

RNDC's area covers, alphabetically:

Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia, Washington DC and West Virginia.

To Dowd's Spirits Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Wine Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Brews Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Non-Alcohol Drinks Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Tasting Notes latest entry.
Back to Dowd On Drinks home page.

A celebri-quote: Oscar Goodman

• Oscar Goodman, who styles himself "the happiest mayor in the world," is the bombastic mayor of Las Vegas, frequently seen out promoting his city and its wonders. He just celebrated his 70th birthday with his favorite drink at Gold Diggers bar in the Golden Nugget casino.

Q: What is the recipe for the "Good-man Martini," the official drink of Las Vegas?

A: Two parts chilled Bombay Sapphire Gin, one part chilled Bombay Sapphire Gin, a quick glance over at the dry vermouth and two stuffed blue cheese olives -— preferably on the side, so as not to take up too much space in the glass.

[Go here for more celebri-quotes.]

To Dowd's Spirits Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Wine Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Brews Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Non-Alcohol Drinks Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Tasting Notes latest entry.
Back to Dowd On Drinks home page.