20101229

A 'go-to' hot chocolate with a twist


NEW YORK — Looking for something a little out of the ordinary to chase away the winter chill? Jenn Smith, general manager of the Astor Center, shares with us her “go-to” hot chocolate recipe just in time for you to use as a New Year’s Eve treat.

CHOCOLATE VERTE

(Serves 4)

4 ounces dark bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces
¼ cup cocoa powder
¼ cup sugar
½ cup heavy cream
2 cups whole milk
4 teaspoons Chartreuse Green

Mix dry ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring until chocolate melts. Whisk in heavy cream and beat with spoon until sugar melts. Whisk in milk, more or less than called for depending on how thick and dark you prefer, and continue to stir until hot.

Distribute evenly among four mugs, and add one teaspoon Chartreuse to each mug.

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Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey sold to NYer


NEW YORK -- Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey has become a New York product, in a sense.

Proximo Spirits of New York has purchased the Denver micro-distillery founded in 2004 by Jess Graber and George Stranahan, according to Graber who confirmed the sale but offered no details.

This isn't the only venture beyond the East Coast for the New York company. Proximo also owns Hangar 1 in the San Francisco Bay area and Kraken Black Spiced Rum, which is finished in Indiana, and 1800 Tequila made, of course, in Mexico.

Graber's announcement said, "Through combined efforts, Stranahan's will be able to increase production, distribution, and marketing. Founder Jess Graber will continue working with the company to maintain quality control and as brand ambassador. We are all very excited about the new opportunities available to Stranahan's."

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20101228

Guest comment: The myth of micro-distilling


The author is a New York City writer and editor. This commentary appeared on The Atlantic magazine's online site.

By Clay Risen

In a recent profile of New York-area micro-distillers, The New York Times praised the way that, like craft charcuteries and urban apiaries, these small-bore labors of love churned out a better product than their larger, more established cousins. "Virtually all craft distillers use small pot stills rather than the huge column stills used by the industry giants," wrote author Toby Cecchini. "Though more labor-intensive, these more faithfully capture the essence of fruit and grain, and let a distiller precisely select what part of the distilling run to use to create the most nuanced styles and flavors."

... I've written admiringly of some of the distillers he mentions in his piece, including Tuthilltown, Breuckelen, and Kings County, in this space over the past year. It's hard not to love people who spend their free time making alcoholic beverages. But there's a difference between praising their efforts and lauding the outcomes.

When it comes to the craft food movement, one of the operating assumptions is that smaller is better. Corporate ownership and large-scale production are not only karmically bad, but they guarantee an inferior product. Two guys carving up meat in a rented kitchen, we're told, will always do better than Oscar Mayer.

This is, of course, ridiculous.

(Go here for the full commentary.)

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20101227

Memories of Zhivago, bottles of vodka

Bill Dowd photo illustration
On Christmas Eve, Constant Companion and I snuggled under some blankets, cranked up the fireplace and watched a DVD of the iconic David Lean film “Doctor Zhivago.” The images of ice-encrusted Russian buildings and shivering peasants and star-crossed lovers returned easily to mind when we awoke this morning to a blanket of 22 inches of new-fallen snow at our high-elevation home in Upstate New York.

No wonder I began thinking of vodka. No hot toddies or mulled cider for me. When I want to warm up on a blustery winter’s day, I’m reminded of the late great actor Rod Steiger’s Komarovsky character stumbling into the drafty “Zhivago” apartment shared by Julie Christy and Omar Sharif, ice-coated whiskers and snow-coated parka fairly screaming “I need heat!” And, what does Komarovsky reach for to fight the cold? Vodka, of course, true Russian that he was.

My favorite vodkas usually are those that are made from potatoes. In truth, you can make vodka out of virtually any organic matter — grains, grasses, tree saps, grapes, pineapple, honey, etc. — but I prefer the likes of Chopin, from Poland, and LiV, from Long Island if I have the choice. For non-potato styles, I prefer the Van Gogh Blue, made from a trio of European wheats.

Here’s my top 15 of vodkas of all sorts, from all over the globe:

1. Chopin (Poland)
2. LiV (New York)
3. Van Gogh Blue (Netherlands)
4. Vermont Gold (Vermont)
5. Diamond Standard (Poland)
6. Stolichnaya (Russia)
7. Bluecoat American Dry Gin (Pennsylvania)
8. ZYR (Russia)
9. Prairie Organic (Minnesota)
10. Reyka (Iceland)
11. Cirrus (Virginia)
12. Cold River (Maine)
13. Hangar 1 (California)
14. Idol (Franco-American)
15. Finlandia (Finland)




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Glengoyne's 'slow release' going to market

A man walks into a bar and says, "Gimme a single malt, quick."

Chances are the whisky won't be the newest release from Glengoyne. The Scottish distiller plans to launch its slowest-ever bottling over a four-year period from a single cask. It's calling it a "world’s first" small batch release from a single cask, a claim that's hard to dispute.

The Glengoyne Christmas Cask will first be available tomorrow, December 28, and will be released each Christmas until 2014. Just 100 bottles will be released at a time, exclusively available to buy in person from the distillery shop.

Glengoyne says Cask 790, a First Fill Oloroso Sherry Butt distilled in 2002, "is currently rich, with hints of rose hip syrup, cocoa beans, oak and spice. It still clings to the last of its spirited youth, but delivers plenty and promises much more."

Says Stuart Hendry, Glengoyne brand heritage manager,"One day, after a particularly productive tasting session, we got to thinking: What if there is something more? We at the distillery are able to taste casks as they mature, witnessing their highs and lows, their flavor peak and troughs as they wind their way towards maturity.

"Headspace -- the area within the cask unoccupied by liquid -- is normally created through evaporation at the rate of approximately 1.5% per annum. In the case of the Christmas Cask, we will be removing 70 liters from the cask each year, leading to much increased headspace, giving the potential for higher rates of evaporation and interactive maturation.

"We don’t know for sure what will happen, but we’re looking forward to finding out."

Each bottle will be numbered and signed by the Glengoyne Tasting Panel, but will be presented without packaging in order to keep the price down. The first 100 bottles are priced at £100 each, or US$155. They will not be available online.

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20101221

Whiskey giant's wine business on the block

From the Associated Press

NEW YORK — There may be two more wine businesses up for sale as some parts of the industry struggle with weak sales volumes and pricing.

Brown-Forman Corp., the maker of Jack Daniel's whiskey, is putting its wine business on the block, The Wall Street Journal reported online late Monday, citing unnamed sources. The company, based in Louisville, KY, has reportedly hired Rothschild to run the auction process after its wine business -- which includes brands such as Fetzer and Bonterra Vineyard -- delivered sluggish sales for several years.

The deal could fetch a few hundred million dollars, according to the report. Brown-Forman and Rothschild declined to comment.

The paper also said that people familiar with matter expect Constellation Brands Inc. to sell the bulk of its non-U.S. wine business to an unknown buyer as soon as this week. That deal is reportedly valued between $300 and $400 million.

Constellation Brands, based in Victor, NY, did not return calls seeking comment.

UPDATE (December 28): Strong international sales helped Brown-Forman Corp. make up for a lackluster U.S. performance and post a 5% increase in its second-quarter profit. Brown-Forman raised its full-year earnings forecast to a range of $3.18 to $3.42 per share. That's up from $2.98 to $3.38 per share.

"Based on our first-half success, we have more confidence in our outlook for the remainder of the year and reflected that in our guidance," Brown-Forman CEO Paul Varga said in a statement.

The company earned net income of $154 million ($1.05 per share) in the three months ending Oct. 31. That's up from $147.3 million (99 cents per share) a year earlier.


[Go here for the rest of the story.]

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Do’s and don’ts for holiday partying

'Tis the time of year when inhibitions go out the window.

Office parties, gatherings of friends, family feasts, New Year's Eve ... Ah, how the drinks do flow.

Unfortunately, too many occasional drinkers tend to overdo in such circumstances, to the regret of not only themselves, but those around them who are (a) embarassed, (b) annoyed and/or (c) disgusted by their behavior.

Simply telling people to drink responsibly won't avoid all such negative experiences. But, armed with a little knowledge of one's own alcohol capacity and how well you metabolize what you drink, you and those near you will get through holiday partying in a dignified, enjoyable way. Here's a guide taken from my Spirits Notebook archives.

A few don'ts:

(1.) Don't "do" shots. Spirits are not for "doing." They are for slow enjoying. The only reason to do shots is to get drunk, which mature adults try to avoid.

(2.) Don't assume mixed cocktails are much less potent than straight whiskies, rums or vodkas. Many mixers -- red or white vermouth, for example, in Manhattans, Rob Roys, Martinis, etc.; various liqueurs in other recipes -- have a significant alcohol content on their own, so drinking too many cocktails made with them still lets the impact mount.

(3.) Don't be fooled by how easy a drink goes down. Fruit juices and liqueurs add color and flavor, but they also mask temporarily how much alcohol you're ingesting.

(4.) Don't use diet sodas as mixers. You need sugar in cocktails since it helps metabolize alcohol. Using diet sodas results in a higher concentration of alcohol in your bloodstream.

A few do's:

(1.) Do bear in mind that drinking whiskey can result in a worse hangover than drinking vodka. That is according to recently-released research by scientists at Brown University. They say the reason may be because of the number of molecules called "congeners" which whiskey contains compared to vodka (Their study was just published in "Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.")

(2.) Do order water. In my family, we have a running joke that if you're given water when you ask for something to drink, you should inform the server "I'm thirsty, not dirty." However, alternating alcoholic drinks with glasses of water makes sense on several levels. You'll stay hydrated, important since alcohol tends to dehydrate you and creates a hangover; you'll satisfy the desire to have a beverage without loading up on alcohol.

(3.) Do avoid topping off your drinks. Get a refill only when you've finished so you can keep track of how much you're drinking, something that's easy to forget in the hustle and bustle of a party.

(4.) Do stay aware of calories. A piña colada has about the same number as a Big Mac. A straight shot of alcohol has about 90 calories but mix it with orange juice or pineapple juice, for example, and the calorie count climbs to 150.

There are, of course, one major do and one major don't to keep in mind at all times. Do have a designated driver and don't drink and drive. Even if you ignore the other do's and don'ts, following those two will help you have a safe, happy holiday season.

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20101218

12 Drinks of Christmas: Part 4

'Tis the season for entertaining and being entertained. No need to limit yourself or your guests to beer, wine and the standard martinis, Manhattans and Cosmos when serving up cocktails. Not when there is such a rich heritage of cocktails in the American archives of mixology. This is the final trio of recipes, leaving you enough time to be sure you have the ingredients on hand for the Christmas-New Year’s party crush.

DRINK N0. 10 -- THE SEELBACH COCKTAIL

During my travels, I've stayed at some historic hotels in various countries and tried their signature drinks. My favorite comes from the Seelbach Hilton Hotel in Louisville, KY.

The Seelbach is one of the South's "golden age" luxury hotels, opened in 1905 and since then host to nine American presidents and innumerable dignitaries. The stunning ambiance of the place, awash with oak and marble and gilded surfaces, inspired F. Scott Fitzgerald to use the hotel as the backdrop for Tom and Daisy Buchanan's wedding in "The Great Gatsby."

4 ounces quality champagne
1½ ounces bourbon
½ ounce triple sec
7 dashes Peychaud bitters
7 dashes Angostura bitters


Add bourbon, bitters, and triple sec first. Fill rest of glass with champagne. Garnish with orange twist, serve in a champagne flute.

DRINK NO. 11 -- THE DiVINE

One of the nicest new spirits to come on the market in the past few years is G'Vine, the French grape gin distilled in the Cognac region. (See my Tasting Notes entry here.) Michael McDonagh, beverage director at Fisherman's Wharf-adjacent bar/club The Parlor in San Francisco has come up with a cocktail featuring it.

2 ounces G'Vine Gin
½ ounce Dimmi Italian liqueur
4 lemon slices
¼ ounce simple syrup
5 drops La tourment Vert Absinthe


Muddle lemon slices with simple syrup in a mixing glass. Add gin & Dimmi. Fill with ice. Shake and fine strain into cocktail glass. Drop absinthe over the cocktail. Garnish with lemon twist.

DRINK NO. 12 -- THE PAINKILLER

This luscious concoction comes, via the pages of Wine Enthusiast magazine, from the island of Jost Van Dyke, in the British Virgin Islands. It was dreamed up at the Soggy Dollar Bar. It also is popular on tourist-rich Tortola -- using the locally-made Pusser's Rum, especially during the 4-6 p.m. happy hour at the Bananakeet Café.

2 ounces Pusser's dark rum
1 ounce cream of coconut
4 ounces pineapple juice
1 ounce orange juice


Blend rum with juices and coconut and serve over the rocks. Top with freshly grated nutmeg.

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20101217

12 Drinks of Christmas: Part 3

‘Tis the season for entertaining and being entertained. No need to limit yourself or your guests to beer, wine and the standard martinis, Manhattans and Cosmos when serving up cocktails. Not when there is such a rich heritage of cocktails in the American archives of mixology. I'm now offering four days of three-recipes-at-a-time, with enough time after the final installment for you to be sure you have the ingredients on hand for the Christmas-New Year’s party crush.

DRINK NO. 7 -- THE FLYBOY

I whipped up this cocktail for an acquaintance, an off-duty commercial  airline pilot -- thus the name -- who usually doesn't venture much  beyond a beer or a glass of wine. He quickly anointed it his official personal drink.

2 oz. Michter's rye whiskey
½ oz. St. Germaine Elderflower Liqueur
½ oz. fresh lime juice
1 oz. Fever Tree tonic


Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker over ice, stir 35 times (yup, 35) with a bar spoon to release just the right amount of water from the ice, and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a cherry or fruit slice as desired.

DRINK NO. 8 -- THE WARD 8

This concoction, sort of a variant on the whiskey sour, was dreamed up in Boston at the Locke-Ober restaurant bar in 1898, according to the most persuasive version of the story. Ward 8 was the section of the city that consistently delivered a winning margin of votes to the powerful Democratic political leader Martin M. Lomasney, who reigned for a half-century. The drink supposedly was created to honor him.

There are variations on the drink, using bourbon or rye or blended whiskey, and using lemon juice or lime juice or no juice. This is the original version re-introduced to legal drinkers at the Locke-Ober after Prohibition was repealed.

2 ounces rye whiskey
½ ounce fresh lemon juice
½ ounce fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon grenadine
Maraschino cherry


Shake the whiskey, lemon juice, orange juice and grenadine with ice. Strain over ice into a chilled Collins glass or Old Fashioned glass. Garnish with a cherry. (Originally, the drink was decorated with a small paper Massachusetts flag.)

DRINK NO. 9 -- PADMA'S SWEET LIME-GINGER RUM PUNCH

This recipe is from international model/magazine writer/cookbook author/TV personality Padma Lakshmi, host of Bravo television's "Top Chef." It is the second punch recipe I've selected for the "12 Drinks of Christmas" collection.

⅔ cup water
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
¾ cup fresh lime juice
2 cups dark rum
2 cups ice, plus more for serving
Lime slices, cilantro for garnish


In a small saucepan, bring the water, sugar and ginger to a boil. Simmer over moderate heat for 5 minutes. Strain the syrup into a large pitcher, pressing hard on the ginger. Let cool to room temperature. Stir in the lime juice, rum and the 2 cups of ice. Strain into ice-filled glasses and garnish with lime slices and cilantro. Makes 8 drinks.

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20101216

12 Drinks of Christmas: Part 2

‘Tis the season for entertaining and being entertained. No need to limit yourself or your guests to beer, wine and the standard martinis, Manhattans and Cosmos when serving up cocktails. Not when there is such a rich heritage of cocktails in the American archives of mixology. I'm now offering four days of three-recipes-at-a-time, with enough time after the final installment for you to be sure you have the ingredients on hand for the Christmas-New Year’s party crush.

DRINK NO. 4 -- THE JACKIE COLLINS

Cuddling up with a good book and a good drink is a pasttime to be savored. Here’s a cocktail that serves the purpose perfectly. It was created by celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck in honor of steamy-novel writer Jackie Collins’ 25th book, “Drop Dead Beautiful.”

7 raspberries
2 ounces vodka
2 ounces lemonade
One-half fresh lime
1½ ounces club soda
Simple syrup
1 fresh mint leaf


Muddle raspberries in a shaker with a splash of simple syrup. Add ice then the vodka and the lemonade. Squeeze juice of half a lime. Shake all ingredients vigorously. Add the club soda, then shake once more. Strain into a highball glass and garnish with a raspberry and the mint leaf.

DRINK NO. 5 -- THE PIRANHA

I hate the overuse of the word "ultimate," but I do like like "The Ultimate Book of Cocktails," Stuart Walton's 256-page tome first published in the UK by Hermes House in 2003. Here is a particularly simple and tasty drink. But, beware. As with virtually any cocktail using a soft drink as a main component, one can down too many of these too easily.

1½ 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.

DRINK NO. 6 -- THE UPSTATE MANHATTAN

The borough of Manhattan, on Manhattan island, is the center of the universe for most people. So, they like to think of that area when they drink their Manhattans. However, after attending a seminar on New York State's emerging craft-distilling scene, it occurred to me to jump on the "Pride of New York" bandwagon that promotes state-produced food and drink to come up with my own cocktail using only Upstate ingredients.

3 parts McKenzie Rye Whiskey or Tuthilltown Baby Bourbon
1 part Warwick Valley Sour Cherry Cordial
2 dashes Fee Brothers Old Fashioned Aromatic Bitters
1 Montmorency cherry


Put whiskey, sour cherry cordial and fresh ice cubes in a cocktail shaker. Stir several times, then add bitters. Stir vigorously to chill the mixture, then strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with Montmorency cherry. If not in season, you may use a traditional maraschino cherry. (For a tangier cocktail, substitute Fee Brothers Rhubarb Bitters.)

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20101215

12 Drinks of Christmas: Part 1

'Tis the season for entertaining and being entertained. No need to limit yourself or your guests to beer, wine and the standard martinis, Manhattans and Cosmos when serving up cocktails. Not when there is such a rich heritage of cocktails in the American archives of mixology.


Beginning today, and running for three more days, I'll be sharing a trio of drink recipes each day, with enough time after the final one for you to be sure you have the ingredients on hand for the Christmas-New Year's party crush. Here's the initial cocktail.

DRINK NO. 1 -- EYES WIDE SHUT

This recipe was created to honor the odd mix of Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise in the offbeat 1999 movie of the same name. The disparate ingredients are colorful and pleasing in combination, and certainly festive.

½ ounce Southern Comfort peach liqueur
½ ounce Crown Royal Canadian whiskey
½ ounce amaretto almond liqueur
½ ounce orange juice
½ ounce pineapple juice
½ ounce cranberry juice
Splash of grenadine syrup


Place ice in shaker and add all ingredients. Shake well and strain into  cocktail glass filled with ice. Garnish with orange slice and cherry.

DRINK NO. 2 -- FISH HOUSE PUNCH

This drink has a name that smacks of colonial America. And with good reason. The origin of this concoction dates to as early as 1732.  It is the official drink of what purports to be the oldest club in America, the Schuylkill Fishing Company, founded by Philadelphians with a  love of fishing.

2 parts dark Jamaica rum
1 part cognac
½ part peach-flavored brandy
1 part fresh lemon juice
1 to 1½ parts (to taste) simple syrup
2 parts (more or less, to taste) water


Stir  with ice and serve in a punch cup. If you make it in bulk, do so in a  sizable punchbowl with a large block of ice. You may decorate the punch  with thin slices of lemon.

DRINK NO. 3 -- CIDER MILL MARTINI

For the apple-cinnamon vodka infusion:

1 750 ml bottle of vodka
3 cinnamon sticks
4 red apples (any kind you like; organic are best)
1 doughnut hole


Put cinnamon sticks and vodka in air-tight container or jar, seal. Let soak for a few days, then wash, seed and quarter the apples and put them into the cinnamon vodka. Leave it refrigerated for four days, then strain into an empty bottle. Infusion will keep for up to a week refrigerated.

For the cocktail:

5 ounces apple-cinnamon vodka
2 ounces fresh apple cider
1 ounce simple syrup

Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker, shake well, strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a mini regular doughnut or cinnamon doughnut hole on the rim.

(Note: To make simple syrup, put equal parts sugar and water in saucepan, heat and stir until sugar dissolves. Chill.)

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20101209

Tequila.net Awards announced

Tequila.net is a website chock full of all things tequila. It also has its own awards program, and today announced this year's winners.

Gold Medalists
  • La Piñata Tequila Plata
  • Marquez de Valencia Tequila Reposado
  • Dulce Vida Tequila Añejo
  • Corrido Tequila Extra Añejo
  • Ilegal Mezcal Reposado
Silver Medalists
  • Azuñ ia Tequila Platinum Blanco
  • Tres Genaraciones Tequila Reposado
  • Ambhar Tequila Añejo
  • Voodoo Tiki Tequila Extra Añejo
  • Fidencio Mezcal Joven
Bronze Medalists
  • Revolucion 100P Tequila Silver
  • Dulce Vida Tequila Reposado
  • El Viejito Tequila Añejo
  • El Gran Jubileo Tequila Extra Añejo
  • Ilegal Mazcal Joven

Tequila.net describes itself as "a community website for aficionados and consumers including product listings, ratings and reviews for over 800 Tequilas, 46 Mezcals, and many other spirits of Mexico."

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20101203

Celebri-quote: KT Tunstall

Singer-songwriter KT Tunstall is a true child of Scotland. She even has a guitar made from an old Talisker whisky barrel. In an interview in the current issue of Whisky magazine, she commented on -- among many things -- her passion for whisky.

"Whisky for me is linked to the landscape, and I find there is a bit of escapism in whisky when I know where it's made and I've been to some of the places where it's made and I've learnt about how it's made.

"I really, really respect and appreciate the process and the unique aspects to different whiskies. And, I know how much passion goes into it. A lot of the time it's a natural process. Seeing these distilleries and these fantastic locations, there is something exceptionally romantic about it. It is the work of artisans."

(Go here for more celebrity quotes.) 

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