Vodka Belt vs. the world in labeling flap

That clanging sound you hear way off to the east is the crossing of swords being wielded as the European Parliament battles over what, precisely, constitutes a vodka.

Since the potent distillation has been with us for centuries, you might think a squabble over a definition is a little late in coming. But that's only if you ignore the matter of money.

As more and more distillers, from major comglomerates to one-person operations, bring their vodka to market, what they've made it from has been at issue.

Traditionally, grains or potatoes have been the base of vodka, sometimes a mix of the two. But in recent years makers have been trying to separate themselves from the pack in the race for success in the world's largest-selling spirits category. I'm not speaking about flavored vodkas --the fruits, spices, peppers, herbs, etc. -- but of the so-called colorless, odorless, tasteless neutral spirit that is the base of it all.

The styles veering away from grains or potatoes certainly are imaginative. Grapes have come into vogue, particularly in France where Ciroc is the leader. Maple syrup is the base of the new Vermont Gold vodka. Sweet potatoes are used in Korean soju vodka. Rice is used in some other Asian styles.

In Florida, Touch vodka is made from local, natural wildflower honey. Elsewhere, distillers following the rum mold use sugar cane or molasses. If it is organic matter, it can be transmuted into vodka of some sort.

The "Vodka Belt'' countries such as Poland, Lithuania, Russian, Finland and Sweden feeling the heat of increasing competition, have been campaigning to prohibt any vodka not made from grain or potatoes from being labeled as vodka. Other EP members, particularly from the south where grapes and apples are often used, oppose such a sweeping change. Likewise,
our own U.S. industry wants to protect its non-traditional vodka makers, so lobbying pressure has been exerted even though we're not in the EP.

The most recent bump in the negotations was reported by the indignant Polish media when a representative of the German government sent a letter to 24 countries asking for their support for defining vodka to include products made of different ingredients. However, the letter was not sent to the Polish delegations.

But, looking past all the competition for dollars, it eventually comes down to what we consumers will buy and enjoy.

We each have our own favorites. Mine is Chopin, an elegant, traditional Polish potato vodka. I tend toward potato vodkas because I find them more full-bodied, less harsh than many grain-based distillations and that they hold their character either well chilled straight or in a simple martini.

However, a word of advice. If you're using vodka in a Cosmo or some other multi-ingredient cocktail, drop down a few price grades. No sense wasting an ultra-premium.

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There's always another contender

Right after I had submitted a story on the rye whisky rebound to the English magazine Whisky, something happened that totally changed my mind on which was the best. I had a birthday.

Not a remarkable occurrence in itself, since it seems to happen about once a year or so. The difference this year was that my wife surprised me with a bottle of an elusive distillation, Black Maple Hill 23-year-old Straight Rye Whiskey.

It is, without doubt, the finest rye I've ever experienced. From a Bardstown, KY, distiller, owned by CVI Brands of San Rafael, CA, this hand-barreled gem comes in at 95 proof. It is like the perfect woman: stunning at first, then surprising in depth and allure. My gift-giving wife didn't even object to this sexist description, that's how good the rye is.

I immediately dashed off a "Stop the presses!" e-mail to the magazine editor, along with an insert for the story and an addition for the tasting notes accompanying it. For an advance look at those tastings notes, go here.

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Drought may threaten Jack Daniel's water supply

PHOTO BY WILLIAM M. DOWD
(Double-click to enlarge image)



The main distillery at the Jack Daniel's Distillery.

The last time I stood next to Cave Spring, the gurgling water supply for the Jack Daniel's Distillery in Lynchburg, TN, was running strong.

The coolness coming off the water and the wetness of the rock outcropping were refreshing on what was an unseasonably warm day.

That was in February. Today, the ongoing Tennessee drought may, in the views of some, be threatening the distillery's sole water supply.

Jerry Hamilton, plant manager, is quoted in the Louisville (NY) Courier-Journal as saying the issue is threatening whiskey production since Cave Spring has been supplying all the water for the facility for more than a century. Company officials have always credited the iron-free spring for the unique taste of the Tennessee sipping whiskey, the world's largest-selling distillation.

"The water flow is down substantially," Hamilton said. "I would say at least a third to a half of what we normally see. ... If we can’t use what it takes to make Jack Daniel’s, I suspect we won’t make Jack Daniel’s until we get all the ingredients we need.”

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Hot new tequila has more going than just a bottle

In a little cafe just the other side of the border ...

Wait. That's the opening line to the Jay & The Americans classic "Come a Little Bit Closer." But, it's true.

I was spending a few relaxed hours with a group of people in an old cantina in dusty downtown Tequila, Mexico, discussing the explosion in the town's namesake liquor among U.S. consumers and others and the merits of the various brands and styles.

It was the perfect setting for the topic. A few tiny tables for two. Long, dark wooden tables. Plum-colored walls. Faded posters that had been pasted to them long ago. A dark bar with a pleasant, weather-beaten bartender presiding, pausing from time to time in his chats with other customers to deliver little tapas plates of soft, fresh cheese, crisp nuts and salted pineapple chunks to go along with our glasses of cerveza and tequila.

As the tapas and drinks were downed, the opinions ranged far and wide: Tequila is by nature a raw drink, so the younger stuff is truer; like food right from the microwave, tequila needs to settle down a bit before it is consumed; tequila tastes smoother and classier after at least a few months in wooden aging barrels. And on it went. Ultimately, only three things were unanimously agreed upon:

1. The industry standard that the liquor must be made 100% from the blue agave plant to be called pure tequila is an excellent rule, particularly when one drinks it straight.

2. The mixto version that combines agave juice with other sugars is OK for mixed drinks, but only a few labels are good for straight imbibing.

3. When tequila is aged beyond a certain point, the possibility arises that it turns into something other than tequila.

In my view, the first two points are givens. The third is perhaps most pertinent to the expanding tequila field. Javier Orendain Lopez agreed. The brand manager of Tequila Orendain de Jalisco told me, "It's a topic that is being discussed and debated more all the time.

"As distillers try to separate themselves from the competition they want to keep turning out new and different tequilas. So, many of them age them in different wooden barrels for different amounts of time. A lot of people are saying the taste is so different after long aging that even though the results can be wonderful they may not truly be tequila anymore."

By law and industry decree, tequilas fall into one of five categories:

• Blanco (white, or silver) is unaged and bottled immediately after distillation.
• Joven (gold) is a blend of unaged tequila with aged.
• Reposado (rested, or aged) has been aged in oak containers for at least two months.
• Añejo (extra aged, or vintage) has been matured in oak containers of a maximum capacity of 600 litres, for at least a year.
• Extra Añejo (ultra-aged), the emerging category and the one in which prices are skyrocketing, aged for at least three years in direct contact with oak.

The tinkering is all over the place. For example, Jose Cuervo, the industry's top seller, ages its Black Medallion in new charred oak barrels just as bourbon distillers do. It's done for about 12 months or so, years less than bourbons but enough time to pull out a bit of the oak flavor and color.

Elsewhere, aging generally runs from 90 days to a year or two. In my experience, the longer the barrel aging the more floral and fruit notes begin to emerge along with the caramel coloring and flavoring that naturally come from oak. Sauza Tres Generaciones, as just one example, is a super-premium aged a full year in wood and winds up with a gold coloring and notes of pineapple and citrus although I find it lighter on the nose and with a comparatively short finish.

It's getting difficult to distance products from each other, so any nuance is trumpeted.

Vida ultra premium tequila, for example, has just launched in the New York, Chicago and Miami markets. The company notes that while other distillers toss away either the "head" or the "tail" of the blue agave heart, Vida tosses both and uses only the heart of the heart. This, it claims, gets rid of "the unpleasant tasting compound similar to the metallic taste found in many other tequilas."

But the hot number tequila aficionadoes are keeping a special eye on is a line of fine tequilas from a California-owned company called AsomBroso.

Owner Ricardo (Rick) Gamarra makes his tequilas in Tala, Jalisco state, near Tequila. He unabashedly refers to them as "the world's finest," and packages them in hand-blown Italian lead crystal decanters. Although there are variously decorated bottles, the basic design is patterned after an 18th century design.

And, what a design. One lady of my acquaintance took one look at what can only be described as phallic-shaped bottles and remarked, "Wouldn't these be better displayed in the bedroom than the kitchen?"

That first impression aside, the remaining impressions are, virtually without exception, high quality.

"I wasn’t your typical tequila drinker,” Gamarra says. “I don’t mean that I was a spirits snob, but I have always felt that many of the tequilas already on the market were too harsh and missing a level of sophistication to attract a broader market. With that first sip of AsomBroso, I knew I was tasting something truly special, something reminiscent of a fine brandy; certainly not a tequila I had seen in the market before.

"Ultimately, I was able to learn from the older, experienced artisans how to make the fine sipping style tequila, and to further refine the ultra premium tequila-making process.”

AsomBroso relies on multiple distillation and special filtration of the juice of the baked, aged agave. Its newest product is AsomBroso LaRosa Reposado (seen above), named for its reddish hue provided by aging in French oak wine barrels used in maturation of red Bordeaux wines. It's available in either 3-month or 11-month aged versions Gamarra describes as "like our El Platino (silver) gone off to a fine finishing school.”

A pair of 5-year-old tequilas are included in the line. AsomBroso del Porto, a five-year-old aged in vintage port wine barrels, was released to the market last November. El Carbonazado, extra aged in Tennessee whiskey barrels, will join the product line this year in limited quantities.

Go here for my AsomBroso tasting notes.

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Letters: Is my 54-year-old akvavit OK?

Dear Mr. Dowd

My husband found a bottle in the bar cupboard that he received in 1953 -- Taffel Akvavit, Dedanske Spritfabrikker Aalborg D.D.S.F. Is this still any good for drinking? Does it have any great value?

-- Linda Cully-Pines

Dear Linda:

That's a tricky question. There's only one way to know if it's drinkable since you probably don't know how many temperature changes the Danish liquor has undergone in its 54 years of existence, or how much direct light it's been subjected to. Both go a long way toward the condition, even if it has remained sealed.

As to value, I simply don't know. The recipe for Taffel Akvavit has remained unchanged since it was created in 1846. If it's a standard 84-proof, clear liquid, it's probably just an old bottle of liquor. If it's anything else, you may want to contact Danish Distillers, the maker, to see if there's anything special about your bottle.

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Ethanol demand will affect tequila supply

PHOTO BY WILLIAM M. DOWD
(Double-click to enlarge image.)

The blue haze is acre after acre of agave fields stretching for miles near Tequila town.

The tequila industry has made a tremendous comeback from an insect infestation that threatened the agave crop several years ago. Now, a shifting economy is presenting as great a threat.

Mexican farmers are burning fields of blue agave, the plant used to make tequila, and resowing the land with corn to take advantage of a sudden demand for corn for United States ethanol plants.

"Those growers are going after what pays best now," said Ismael Vicente Ramirez, head of agriculture at Mexico's Tequila Regulatory Council. Officials there estimate a 25-35% drop in agave growing over the next few years.

Agave plants take 8 to 10 years to mature to usable size, so even a sudden reversion to agave won't avoid a shortage in the near-term.

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Heaven Hill expands line

Heaven Hill Distilleries has added to its brand lineup, buying the Mohawk domestic distilled spirits portfolio from Boisset America, the U.S. branch of the French winemaker.

The company will acquire the Mohawk and Newport franchises, the Basilica Imported Liqueur line and Rosita Tequila. It already produces such brands as Evan Williams Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Whaler's Rum and Burnett's gin and vodkas.

Neither company would comment on the purchase price.

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Kiddie cocktails a Japanese trend

Sangaria, a Japanese beverage company, is doing what in most countries would be unthinkable: manufacturing pretend beer and other such beverage products for children.

Japan's drinking culture, which includes educating young people in the practices, is well known and the company says using such products allows children to more fully participate in family celebrations.

"Kodomo no nomimono," for example, comes in cans, bottles and six-packs. It looks like beer, tastes like apple juice and foams in a glass. The product line also includes fake champagne, wine and cocktails.

There's even a TV ad you can watch featuring kids downing these drinks.

Ridiculous stuff.

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Oil shortage stops Islay whisky making

What's happening on the water has halted the making of whisky at the Bruichladdich distillery on the Scottish island of Islay.

Other distillers on Islay also face the possibility of a stoppage -- ironically in the midst of the island's annual music and whiskey festival -- due to a shortage of oil.

A pier extension was built on Loch Indaal to allow an oil tanker to dock, but low tides and silting have prevented it from visiting regularly and the company that supplies the oil said it could not guarantee deliveries.

In addition, bad weather prevented the tanker from unloading on Sunday,

With the tanker only only holding one-tenth of its possible load to keep it from going aground, the oil will last only until Wednesday.

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Irish spirits choices lighten up

If you think of Ireland as a brown spirits and beer sort of place, think again.

Despite the worldwide reputation of some fine Irish whiskies, a new study says 56% percent of all spirits sales in the Republic of Ireland are of the white variety -- gin, vodka and white rum.

Research and Markets says in its “White Spirits in Ireland 2007” study that Smirnoff is the top-selling vodka in Ireland, Gordon's the top gin and Bacardi the top white rum.

Also, say sthe study, "alcohol consumption as a whole is declining in per capita terms with average spirits consumption just below their 1998 levels."

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A Porch Swing in Manhattan

The great majority of cocktail "competitions" I come across usually are restricted to one establishment or one brand. New York, however, came up with a much more interesting one, its Sidewalks Cafe Cocktail Competition.

The city's Department of Consumer Affairs and the New York State Restaurant Association selected one winner each in the alcoholic and non-alcoholic categories in a competition at the Institute of Culinary Education.

The contest was for bartenders representing restaurants with sidewalk cafés, as licensed by the city. Fourteen of 25 competitors made it to the finals.

The winners, both from Manhattan:

• Alcoholic Cocktail: The Porch Swing, from the Blue Smoke barbeque restaurant on East 27th Street.

1 1/2 ounces of Hendrick's gin
1 1/2 ounces of Pimm's No. 1
4 ounces of fresh lemonade

Pour into a tall Collins glass. Add a splash of 7-Up. Finish with 10 finely sliced half-moon cucumbers.

• Non-Alcoholic Cocktail: Watermelon Lemonade, from Bubby's in TriBeCa.

2 ounces of fresh-squeezed lemon juice
4 ounces of fresh watermelon puree, strained through a course strainer to remove seeds
1 1/2 ounces of simple syrup
6 ounces of water

Shake and serve over ice with a big wedge of fresh watermelon garnish.

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Hpnotiq creator is back in the pink

Blue is for boys, pink is for girls. Unless you're Raphael Yakoby. Then, both will do just fine, thank you.

When he was 25, the Long Island, NY, native came up with a blend of cognac, fruit juices and vodka, made sure it was colored light blue, and slapped the name Hpnotiq on it. Through some deft marketing at hip hop clubs, awards shows after-parties and the like, it became a big hit. Yakoby went on to sell the brand for tens of millions of dollars.

Now, at 32, he's hawking a pink sparkling vodka liqueur he calls Nuvo, contained in a tapered square bottle that resembles a perfume bottle.

He makes no bones about it: Nuvo is aimed at the female market niche. Like Hpnotiq, the packaging was inspired by the perfume industry.

Why so long between products?

As Yakoby said in an interview with the New York Post: "In this business, you have to be so perfection-oriented in not settling for what you don't want. I must have tried at least 175 different blends and seen 75 different packaging concepts before deciding this is the right fit, the right look, the right feel. It takes incredible patience to get a product exactly right."

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The world of rum going prime time

While public television has been concentrating on a documentary about the history of beer in America and the upcoming "The Wine Makers" reality show set in an "Apprentice" mode, commercial TV has had something else in mind.

CBS has put "Cane" on its fall schedule. It deals with the conflicts of a Cuban-American family running a rum and sugar business. And, it will give plenty of work to Hispanic actors. Jimmy Smits (above) heads the cast, backed by such veteran actors as Rita Moreno, Hector Elizondo and Nestor Carbonell.

The characters will be multi-generational versions of two families who are rivals in business.

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Tequila twist may be boon to consumers

PHOTOS BY WILLIAM M. DOWD
(Double-click to enlarge images.)

Workers at the Casa Orendain distillery in Tequila, Mexico, cut and load blue agave plants into the cookers prior to distillation.

The Orendain family has been an economic and political force in Mexico's Tequila city and Jalisco state since 1826.

That is when Don Eduardo Orendain Gonzalez founded his tequila empire, Casa Orendain. His three surviving sons run the current operation with a third generation already in middle management. The elders also have, in effect, taken turns being the mayor of Tequila and heading the powerful industry group known as the National
Council of Tequila, which their father also founded.

Now, international beverage giant Brown-Forman Corp. is taking over full ownership of Don Eduardo, Casa Orendain's flagship tequila brand, ending an eight-year joint venture with the family. Financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

Brown-Forman, headquartered in Louisville, Ky., has owned the right to sell Don Eduardo outside Mexico since 1999. Orendain will continue to make its other spirits in its rather small Tequila facility, labels familiar inside Mexico -- Orendain, Puerto Vallarta, Membrillo and San Andreas.

Meanwhile, Brown-Forman will switch manufacture of the high-end but limited-production Don Eduardo brand to a larger factory in nearby Guadalajara that makes Casa Herradura tequila, a brand Brown-Forman acquired in January.

What does all this mean to American consumers? No doubt a wider availability of the stellar Don Eduardo tequilas and perhaps, just perhaps, a slight reduction in pricing the super-premium brand if increased production results in increased sales volume.

One of the difficulties with the joint venture was that the Orendains' facility was not equipped to supply a larger demand. That problem should be solved by the move to the Casa Herradura plant.

"We believe Don Eduardo, which is still early in its development stage, has excellent potential to continue growing in the expanding super premium tequila category,'' said Paul Varga, Brown-Forman president and CEO.

"Just as our many successful American whiskey brands fit nicely into our portfolio, our premium and super premium tequilas will complement one another, as each tequila brand is uniquely positioned and differentiated. Together these wonderful brands give Brown-Forman a strong hand in one of the industry's most exciting growth segments."

A jimador works at harvesting the pina (heart) of a blue agave plant in the hills of Jalisco state.





I traveled last fall to visit the Casa Orendain installation, journeying with its owners from their hillside fields where the spiky-leafed blue agave plants used to make tequila are grown, right through the distillation and packaging process. I quickly succumbed to the lures of their brilliantly made tequilas.

Checking back on my tasting notes from various sessions, I found these observations among others:

• Don Eduardo Reposada: "This silky drink tended toward notes of butterscotch from being aged for several months in oak.''

• Don Eduardo Silver: "This triple-distilled liquid is made from estate-grown blue agave, like all tequilas produced by the Orendain family. It has a slight and pleasing floral nose, an oiliness that is very smooth on the tongue and palate, with enough body to linger pleasantly even when sipped over an ice cube or two.''

Given Brown-Forman's reputation for maintaining, and in some cases improving, the quality of brands it takes over, I have no particular fears for the future of Don Eduardo tequilas. When a company produces the likes of such spirits icons as Jack Daniel's, the world's largest selling whiskey, Finlandia vodka, Appleton Estate Jamaican rum, Southern Comfort and Chambord Liqueur as well as a substantial line of wines with such popular labels as Fetzer, Bolla and Michel Picard, quality is pretty much a given.

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Indian firm buys Whyte & Mackay

For generations, India has been importing Scotch whisky to satisfy a strong demand created during the British rule over the nation. Now, the Indian company United Spirits Ltd., part of the United Breweries group headed by Vijay Mallya, has purchased Scotch maker Whyte & Mackay Ltd. for US$834 million.

Whyte & Mackay is a leading distiller of Scotch whisky, with such other brands as The Dalmore, Isle of Jura, Glayva and Fettercairn, plus Viadivar vodka. United Spirits also owns several other Scotch whisky brands such as Mackinlays, John Barr, Cluny and Clayrnore.

The Indian company -- which also makes and distributes beer, headed by its flagship Kingfisher brand -- now will also have better access to international distribution, and be able to export its brands. It sold 66 million cases of spirits for the year ended March 31. Whyte & Mackay, which was founded in Glasgow in 1844, sold 9 million cases and case equivalents in the past 12 months.

The aforementioned Vijay Mallya, a billionaire member of the Indian parliament, is one of his country's top entrepreneurs. His company also owns the Kingfisher Airline.

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What will they think of next? (June edition)

Having spent most of my life in daily journalism, I had it drilled into my skull for decades that press releases should rarely be used verbatim because they're designed to push a particular product or point of view and, thus, are suspect.

This is one of those rare occasions when a press release seems so full of useful and intefresting information, I'm passing it along as this month's edition of "What will they think of next?"

It's from the folks at Knob Creek Bourbon, who have come up with a lineup of summer recipes for food and drink, beginning with a trio of classic cocktails that are beginning to undergo a resurgence among young consumers.

Obviously, you don't have to use the Knob Creek brand in the recipes, but they'd be pleased if you do.

Whiskey Sour
1 ½ ounces bourbon
½ ounce fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon superfine sugar
1 orange slice
1 maraschino cherry

In a shaker half-filled with ice cubes, combine the bourbon, lemon juice and sugar. Shake well and strain into a whiskey sour glass. Garnish with the orange slice and cherry.

Old Fashioned
½ orange slice
1 maraschino cherry, stem removed
3 dashes bitters
1 teaspoon water
½ teaspoon superfine sugar
1 ½ ounces bourbon

In an old fashioned-glass, combine the orange slice, cherry, bitters, water and sugar. Using the back of a teaspoon, muddle the ingredients, dissolving the sugar and mashing up the fruit somewhat. Fill the glass with ice cubes, add the bourbon and stir gently.

Bourbon Sidecar
1 ounce bourbon
½ ounce triple sec
½ ounce lemon juice

Combine all ingredients with crushed ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake well. Strain into chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a lemon wedge.

COOKING WITH BOURBON

Bourbon & Brown Sugar Cocktail Sausages

3 lbs. cocktail sausages
2 lbs. sliced bacon
2 ½ lbs. brown sugar
2 ½ oz. bourbon

Wrap cocktail sausages with a small piece of bacon and skewer with a toothpick. Place in a crock pot and cover with brown sugar. Cook on low setting for four hours until sugar melts. Add bourbon and continue to simmer for one to two more hours.
Serve warm from the crock pot.

Bourbon Bleu Cheese Dip

6 oz. quality bleu cheese (Maytag, Roquefort, etc.)
3 oz. package cream cheese
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
2 tbsp. bourbon
1 cup whipping cream, well chilled
1 cup walnut halves, toasted*
Fresh pear and apple slices

Place the cheeses and butter in the food processor. Process until well blended and fluffy. Pour in the bourbon and process to blend well. Whip the cream until stiff. Stir a large spoonful of whipped cream into the cheese mixture to lighten the mixture, and then fold in the remaining cream. Spoon the mousse onto a serving plate and arrange the toasted walnuts on top. Spread onto the pear and apple slices. Serve as an appetizer or as the cheese course following the meal.

Bourbon Barbecue Sauce
2 cups ketchup
4 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
4 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. dry mustard
1 cup packed brown sugar
½ tsp. cayenne pepper
4 tbsp. cider vinegar
¾ cup bourbon

Combine ingredients and enjoy.

Bourbon Barbecued Shrimp

2 lbs. large (16 to 20 count) raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tsp. fine sea salt
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
The Sauce:
1 stick butter
2 cups finely chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup bourbon
1 cup bottled chili sauce
2 tbsp. cider vinegar
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
½ cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tbsp. sea salt

Make the barbecue sauce according to the directions below. This may be done a day ahead. Cool the sauce, cover and chill. Reheat before the shrimp is added to it. Place the shrimp in a gallon-sized plastic bag. Add the salt and peppers and toss to coat well.

Heat the oil over high heat in a large skillet. Sauté the shrimp, turning once for about 5 minutes or until pink and lightly browned. Add to the hot barbecue sauce. Allow to sit for a few minutes and serve with crusty bread.

To make the barbecue sauce: melt the butter and sauté the onions and garlic for 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 40 minutes, stirring often.

Bourbon Marinated Flank Steak

1 large flank steak (approximately 2 lbs.)
½ cup light soy sauce
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 medium onions, sliced
3 large cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbsp. minced fresh ginger root
2 tbsp. dark brown sugar
¼ tsp. hot pepper sauce
½ cup Knob Creek® Bourbon

Trim all visible fat from the flank steak. In a heavy duty, gallon-size plastic bag with a zip top, mix together all of the marinade ingredients. Add steak. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours or as long as 24 hours.

Cook on hot grill for 8 minutes on the first side and 5 minutes on the second side for a medium-rare steak. Increase the cooking time according to taste. To serve, cut across the grain into 1-inch wide strips. Serves 4-6.

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Ikon changing its image

Ikon True Russian Vodka, a top-seller in the low-end of the price spectrum at $9.99 or so for the 750ml bottle, is putting on a new face.

The quadruple distilled and filtered vodka that has won plaudits in all sorts of competitions and various tastings is changing its label to the one seen here that had been used only in Canada. It is, says a company press release, "a shrink wrap label which will better enhance the premium quality of Ikon to retailers and end consumers. This package ... will be phased into the U.S. market."

Ikon was created in 1862 when merchant Vassil Vassilivitch Alexandrov was awarded an Imperial license to produce vodka for the Russian nobility.

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New distillery goes for the green

(Double-click on map to enlarge.)

An Aberdeenshire, Scotland, businessman is entering a very old business in a very new way.

Euan Shand has announced he will construct a US$6.9 million green distillery in Huntley to produce malt and grain whiskies, vodka and gin.

The distillery will be powered by woodchips supplied by local firms who will replace the trees used in the process to give it a carbon neutral rating. It also will also have a "living" grass roof.

The operation, expected to employ about a dozen workers when completed in 2008, will be on a two-acre site formerly occupied by a dairy farm. Shand, who runs Duncan Taylor & Co., bottler and seller of rare whiskies, also plans to have a visitors center, bottling plant and warehouse on the site.

Due for completion in June 2008, the project includes copper pot stills for single malt distillation, as well as a four-column neutral grain plant and a single experimental still. Production will be 750,000 litres of alcohol, making the distillery a similar size to Oban and Springbank.

“The distillery comes at an exciting time for the industry, with India and China opening up,” Shand said in an interview with Drinks International. “Europe is also a dynamic marketplace that is rediscovering Scotch whisky and we want to be at the fore of this renaissance. Duncan Taylor has established routes to market which will facilitate the growth of the new brands.”

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What will they think of next? (May edition)

The return to classic drinks, or at least some classic ingredients, is the hottest thing on the American cocktail scene this year. Here is a look at several examples.

• Audrey Sanders, who owns The Pegu Club in New York City's SoHo neighborhood, has a growing reputation among cocktailians. Not only does she provide imaginative, fresh ingredients for her lengthy line of drinks, she's picky about the size and density of her ice cubes (1.25-inch squares, frozen very hard to keep drinks from getting watery), and she provides a condiment set to patrons who can add a touch of sweet, citrus or aromatic flavors to their drinks.

Sanders is big on gins, which I've noted in previous stories are making a distinct comeback in American cocktail circles, with about 30 brands on hand. Here's one of her recipes:

Star Tested

2 ounces gin
3/4 ounce fresh lime juice
3/4 oz. orange curaçao (or Cointreau if you omit bitters)
1 or 2 dashes orange or Angostura bitters

Put all ingredients in an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake and strain into a chilled glass. Garnish with lime wedge.

• In Washington, D.C., the iconic McCormick & Schmick's recently introduced a Great American Cocktails menu that lists drinks by their years of creation. It also includes a brief history of each drink. A few examples:

1874 Manhattan: Gentleman Jack, sweet vermouth, Regan's No. 6 Orange and Angostura bitters.
Moscow Mule (1940s): Stolichnaya vodka, lime, ginger ale and soda.
Drambuie Fizz: Drambue Scotch liqueur with muddled limes, spiced honey, served over crushed ice.

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Buffalo Trace creates micro distillery

Buffalo Trace Distillery has been making a name for itself in the past several years, with a trio of “Distillery of the Year” awards and a pair of “Distiller of the Year” honors twice since 2000. It also has collected more than 150 awards for its various premium whiskies.

Not content to rest on his laurels, master distiller Harlen Wheatley (right) has announced creation of a micro distillery that will go on line in the fall.

The project is targeted at speeding up the pace of Buffalo Trace's experimental whiskey program, the distillation of new ultra premium vodkas, and further development of the company's organic spirits line.

"Our yeast room, sitting between the fermentation building and still house, is of a size to easily accommodate the new micro distillery. It is also perfectly located for connection to our existing systems," Wheatley said.

"We are very excited about the flexibility the micro will give us. We will now have the ability to run very small batches of experiments. Fundamentally, we will be able to distill anything."

Buffalo Trace Distillery is a family-owned company based in Franklin County, KY, dating back to 1787. The distillery is listed on the National Historic Register.

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A vodka that's good for the planet

An "Earth friendly" vodka is being introduced by McCormick Distillery, a Weston, MO, facility thought to be the oldest U.S. distillery west of the Mississippi River.

McCormick was founded in 1856 by Ben Holladay who went on to found the Pony Express and the Overland Stage Line. Its current portfolio includes such brands as McCormick Vodka, Tequila Rose, Tarantula Tequila, McCormick Irish Cream Liqueur, Wiser's Deluxe Canadian Whisky and Polar Ice Vodka.

The new product, 360 Vodka, is described as "an All-American spirit" to compete in the super premium category.

Ed Pechar, chairman of McCormick Distilling Co., located near Kansas City, says his company is crafting 360 Vodka through a unique, eco-friendly packaging program that will allow his company to support environmentally friendly groups with a "360 Close the Loop Program."

In addition to using American grain, 360 will be offered in a bottle using 85% recycled glass and a green-friendly packaging. Pechar said McCormick will set aside $1 for every closure returned to the "360 Close the Loop Program" to recognized environmental organizations.

"We are proud to introduce a totally All-American product that will be distributed in a totally environmentally friendly package," Pechar said, "and we will be able to give back to the community. American consumers no longer have to go overseas to enjoy a super premium brand vodka."

That last part may make for an interesting sales pitch, perhaps, but it doesn't give credit to a variety of super premium American vodkas, such as Peconika (New York), Cirrus (Virginia), 44˚North (Idaho), Ocean (Hawaii) and Cold River (Maine), among others.

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Nice work, so keep it up fella

From: Carla Griffin, Louisville, KY

No entry in the Spirits Notebook since 4/23! How am I to stay current without your insight? Please come back.

Dear Carla:

Thanks for the nudge. I've been posting with great regularity in my other notebooks (wines, brews, etc.) but I just put up a new entry in Spirits with several more waiting in the wings for completion.

Mr. Dowd:

I do enjoy your other blogs as well -- the one about cider was enjoyable -- it's just that your Spirits blogs are so informative. It's nice to have them back, and one on Kentucky as well!

Thanks for all the hard work you put into your research; they are well received by many here in KY.

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Norwegian whiskey in wings, vodka in spotlight

Call it KG Puntervold, call it Adger Brenneri. By any name. it could well become Norway's first commercial whiskey.

A distillery in Grimstad, on the country's south coast, plans to start producing whiskey this year, with the first bottles ready for market about 2010, according to distillery director Ole Puntervold (seen here).

Puntervold told the newspaper Aftenposten that his company plans to age its whiskey in used American bourbon barrels, to be delivered in May. He plans to produce small bottles of 80 proof whiskey, a different marketing enterprise in a country known primarily for its akevitt (aquavit) liquor.

Another Norwegian newspaper, Lofotposten, reports that there may be other budding Norwegian whisky producers as well. It said the marketing firm Norsk Respons has been surveying households to determine interest in a Norwegian-produced whiskey priced at around US$75 a bottle. Puntervold said his firm hasn't commissioned the survey.

Lofotposten also said a businessman in Vestvågøy has aired plans to make whiskey, but will start with beer and mead brewing.

How does the existing spirits establishment feel about the idea of Norwegian whiskey?

"I'm afraid sales would dive after collectors have snapped up the first 20 cases," said Halvor Heuch. He's with Arcus, the Oslo company that produces Liniefjord akevitt and Vikingfjord vodka.

Meanwhile, a new Norwegian vodka named Christiania is getting the spotlight.

It's made with organic Trondelag potatoes and pure Norwegian water, distilled six times then charcoal filtered and aerated. It is named after King Christian IV who, in 1602, commissioned a recipe for premium vodka. It sells for $41.99 and is currently available in the New York/New Jersey/Connecticut area before going nationwide.

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Did your hangout make the top 100?

Of all the gin joints in all the world, or at least in the country, which did the editors of Nightclub & Bar Magazine choose for this year's top 100?

Nightclubs and bars from all over the U.S. were chosen based on a number of criteria, say the editors, "including annual revenues, marketing and advertising effectiveness, promotional expertise, uniqueness to market, food and beverage programs and much more. This list is not a ranking of just the most high-end, of-the-moment nightclubs. Instead, it is a dynamic mixture of clubs, neighborhood bars, sports bars, family-oriented venues and more that for one reason or another deserve notice."

The following bars and clubs, listed in alphabetical order, made the Editors' Choice Top 100 for 2007. The city designated for each is the city in which it is located, or, if the concept has multiple locations, the city of its first location.

230 Fifth - New York, NY
40 Watt - Athens, GA
8150 - Vail, CO.
The Abbey - Hollywood, CA
AJ's Seafood & Oyster Bar - Destin, FL.
Aria - Boston, MA
Avalon/Spider Club - Hollywood, CA.
Beach Bar at the W - San Diego, CA
B.E.D. - Miami, FL
Billy Bob's Texas - Fort Worth, TX
Blue Martini - Ft. Lauderdale, FL
the bosco - Ferndale, MI
Body English - Las Vegas, NV
Bombay Club - New Orleans, LA
Broken Spoke Saloon - Sturgis, SD
Brother's Bar & Grill - Lacross, WI
Butter - San Francisco, CA
Cabo Wabo - Lake Tahoe, NV
Casbah - Atlantic City, NJ
Cherry - Las Vegas, NV
Chilkoot Charlie's - Anchorage, AK
Coyote Cantina - Santa Fe, NM
Coyote Ugly - New York, NY
Crobar - Chicago, IL
The Crocodile Café - Seattle, WA
Diablo's Downtown Lounge - Eugene, OR
e4 - Scottsdale, AZ
Eight 75 - Biloxi, MS
El Gaucho - Seattle, WA
Elements the Lounge - Seabright, NJ
ESPN Zone - Baltimore, MD
Excalibur - Chicago, IL
Fadó Irish Pub - Atlanta, GA
Flatiron Lounge - New York, NY
The Flying Saucer - Memphis, TN
Fox Sports Grill - Scottsdale, AZ
Galapagos Art Space - Brooklyn, NY
ghostbar - Las Vegas, NV
Good Hurt - Los Angeles, CA
The Green Parrot - Key West, FL
The Greene Turtle - Ocean City, MD
Ground Zero Blues Club - Clarksdale, MS
The Helix - Washington, DC
House of Blues - New Orleans, LA
Iguana's Cantina - New York, NY
Ivan Kane's Forty Deuce - Hollywood, CA
JET - Las Vegas, NV
Kahunaville - Las Vegas, NV
Key Club - Hollywood, CA
Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop - New Orleans, LA
The Library Bar & Grill - Tempe, AZ
Light - Las Vegas, NV
Lotus - New York, NY
Louie's Backyard - South Padre Island, TX
Mango's Tropical Café - Miami, FL
Mantra - Milwaukee, WI
Marquee - New York, NY
McGillin's Olde Ale House - Philadelphia, PA
Mercy Wine Bar - Addison, TX
Midnight Rodeo - San Antonio, TX
Mie N Yu - Washington, DC
MIXX - Atlantic City, NJ
mur.mur - Atlantic City, NJ
The New Crown & Anchor - Providencetown, MA
The New Sheridan - Telluride, CO
Ocean Club - Honolulu, HI
Pangaea - Hollywood, FL
Pat O' Brien's - New Orleans, LA
Pavilion Bar & Café - Charleston, SC
Pin-Up Bowl - St. Louis, MO
Pink Elephant - New York, NY
The Playboy Club - Las Vegas, NV
Pure - Las Vegas, NV
Purple Moon - Flint, MI
Rockit Bar & Grill - Chicago, IL
Ruby Skye - San Francisco, CA
rumjungle - Las Vegas, NV
Sharkeez - Huntington Beach, CA
Sherlock's Baker Street Pub - Houston, TX
Sloppy Joe's - Key West, FL
Snatch/Suite - Miami, FL
Stingaree - San Diego, CA
Stubb's Bar-B-Q - Austin, TX
Studio 54 - Las Vegas, NV
Tabú Ultra Lounge - Las Vegas, NV
Tangerine - Las Vegas, NV
TAO - Las Vegas, NV
Therapy - New York, NY
Tini Bigs - Seattle, WA
Tipitina's - New Orleans, LA
Tongue & Groove - Atlanta, GA
Tryst - Las Vegas, NV
VICCI - Austin, TX
Vine Street Lounge - Hollywood, CA
The Viper Room - Los Angeles, CA
Walnut Room - Philadelphia, PA
Whiskey Blue - Los Angeles, CA
Worship - Atlantic City, NJ
Yard House - Long Beach, CA
Zinc Lounge - Manhattan Beach, CA

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Drinking your fruit a healthy way to go

For those of us who don't eat as much fruit as we should, a study just published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture hints at a way to remdy that.

Consume your fruit in an alcoholic cocktail.

The study, a joint undertaking of Kasetsart University in Thailand and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Research Service, says that plain fruits are good for you but those combined with alcohol are able to release more of their compounds that protect against, or help combat, such diseases as cancer, heart disease and arthritis.

The researchers, who were looking for better ways of keeping fruit fresh during storage, found that treating strawberriesand blackberries with alcohol enhanced their antioxidant capacity which helps the fruit's power to neutralize destructive molecules called free radicals by a third. Free radicals are known as highly reactive oxygen molecules which damage DNA and cell membranes.

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Liqueur-and-candle sets recalled

If you gave or got a Tequila Rose Strawberry Cream candle sets, sold nationally from January through March of this year, beware.

McCormick Distilling Co., doing business as Tequila Rose Distilling Co., is recalling the sets because the martini glass containing a gel candle can break while the candle is burning, posing fire and burn hazards.

The gift sets also includes 750ml bottles of Tequila Rose Strawberry Cream liqueur.

The company, which had 60,000 of the sets on the market, said consumers should contact Tequila Rose Distilling at (800) 567-7303 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays for instructions on how to get a free replacement candle or check online.

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New products, from genteel to X Rated

Voyant Chai Cream Liqueur is a Dutch import made of aged Virgin Islands rum, Dutch cream, Indian black tea, vanilla and a variety of Asian spices.

The company has come up with a menu of "original recipes" for cocktails rather than simply substituting this cream liqueur for another one in a previously existing recipe. Click here for a PDF of that menu.

Other notes:

• 25 proof
• Category: spirits/liqueur
• Packaging: 750ml and 50ml orange bottles
• Suggested retail price: $21.99 per 750ml bottle

Twistee Shots come in twisted plastic 12ml shot glasses that deliver two separate flavors in a single shot. Each side of the container holds a different vodka-based spirit flavor, but the consumer drinks both at once.

The Twistees come in a variety of flavors: melon & vanilla, strawberry & vanilla, zambuca & banana, blueberry & vanilla, and butterscotch and vanilla.

Other notes:

• 40 proof
• Category: Spirits
• Packaging: 8-packs of 25ml plastic shot glasses
• Suggested retail price: $11.99 per 8-pack

"Sex and the City" may have been banished to reruns, but the spirit of Carrie and her friends lives on. Here's one example of how: X-Rated Vodka.

The French creation is made in copper alambic stills and distilled seven times. Its main component, after water of course, is French wheat plus a touch of roseberry grain grown on the island of Madagascar.

It already has picked up a double gold medal at the prestigious San Franxcisco World Spirits Competition.

Other notes:

• Category: Spirits
• Packaging: 750ml bottle
• Suggested retail price: $29.99

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New flavors the name of the game

There's no standing still in the drinks industry, not with new competitors and new products popping up on a nearly daily basis.

Several familiar brand names are introducing new flavors to the market. Beam Global Spirits & Wine Inc., for one, has come out with three new flavors for its Gilbey’s vodka. DeKuyper, the maker of cordials and liqueurs owned by the same company, has launched its Tropical line. Hiram Walker, owned by Pernod Ricard, is unveiling two new flavors of schnapps. And, Diageo is adding new flavors through both its Smirnoff and Captain Morgan brands.

Gilbey’s new flavors are citrus, raspberry, cherry and grape, which research says are the top flavors in the economy vodka niche. Flavored vodkas within that market grouping grew at a 22% rate in 2006, outpacing growth for the overall economy vodka category, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS).

The new 70 proof Gilbey’s vodka flavors will be available in 750ml, 1L and 1.75L bottles beginning in May.

DeKuyper is aiming for a May market debut for its new Tropical Mango, Tropical Pineapple Coconut and Tropical Papaya cordials. The Tropical line will bring to nearly 60 the number of flavors in all its lines.

The new 30-proof products will be available in 50ml, 750ml and 1L bottles. A 750ml bottle has a suggested retail price of $9.99.

According to the DISCUS figures, cordials and liqueurs represent 14.4% of total spirits growth in 2006.

Hiram Walker is introducing the industry's first pink grapefruit- and pear-flavored schnapps. That will bring to 38 the number of flavors in the company line of schnapps and flavored brandies.

Both products will be available in 50 ml, 750 ml and 1 L sizes and carry a suggested retail price of $8.99 to 11.99 for the 750 ml.

Meanwhile, Diageo is launching new flavors through its Smirnoff and Captain Morgan brands.

Smirnoff Raw Tea, which had been available only in the Northeast, is going national in May with three flavors: lemon, raspberry and the new green tea. All are non-carbonated and made from real tea with natural fruit flavors.

Smirnoff Ice Pomegranate Fusion is the latest flavored malt beverage in the Smirnoff Ice line.

Captain Morgan Parrot Bay Pineapple Colada joins a line that already offers Sunset Surf, Matava Blue and Wave Runner. the new flavor is a mix of pineapple and sweet coconut, with a malt base.

All the new Diageo products will sell for a suggested retail price of $7.49 per six-pack.

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Does chewing lead to drinking?

There is no truth to the supposition that squeezing the juice out of a piece of Orbit Mint Mojito chewing gum will result in a cocktail.

However, at least one alcohol watchdog group predicts exposing children to the new flavor might well lead them to trying the popular cocktail before they are of legal drinking age.

"It's something I'd call mildly reprehensible, and it'll almost certainly lead to others going further," said a spokesman for the Marin Institute. "It's sad they need to name it like an alcoholic beverage to sell it."

Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co., which owns Orbit, said in a rebuttal statement that mojito flavor has transcended alcohol and become a wider phenomenon, used in sauces, salsas, marinades and even scented candles. It compared the mojito to the piña colada, which is used in gum, candy bars and jelly beans by Wrigley competitors Trident, Carefree, Hershey and Jelly Belly. The latter, by the way, also offers a margarita flavor.

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Woodford Reserve: A second shot at history

William M. Dowd photos

A distillery worker rolls out American white oak barrels just filled with new bourbon whiskey prior to loading them up for placement in aging house elsewhere on the grounds.

VERSAILLES, KY -- The Labrot & Graham Distillery has something probably no other bourbon maker can boast about.

No, not the copper pot stills. True, they are reputedly the only such devices among the nation's bourbon distillers, handcrafted in Scotland by A. Forsyth & Son Ltd. And, no, not the fact that the distillery's Woodford Reserve bourbon is the only triple distilled bourbon made in these parts.

What it also has is a grave containing a human torso buried with two legs, three thumbs and no head. The missing head was the result of an industrial accident; the extra thumb came from a distillery worker who lost it in an accident, didn't think there was much sense keeping it in his pocket, and tossed it into the grave before it was covered up. That, at least, is the gist of the way master distiller Chris Morris (right) tells the tale. No doubt an archaeologist in the far distant future is going to have some strange thoughts after happening on this site. And, don't even get me started on the ghost of the girl who died in a fire in the big house on the hill.

Woodford Reserve, named for the county in which Versailles (pronounced ver-sails, rather than the French vehr-sigh from which the name is taken) is located, is only the latest name for the facility that lays claim to the title of Kentucky's oldest bourbon distillery. It has been that since 2003, although the Labrot & Graham name that preceded it still is alive in some aspects of the operation.

It is located in the heart of Kentucky's famed Bluegrass country and maintains a relationship with the thoroughbred horse racing community through various business sponsorships, including being the "official bourbon" of the Kentucky Derby (see below).

The present distillery is largely maintained on 72 acres in a series of sprawling stone buildings, such as the distillery itself (seen above), dating from the 19th century and one reason the complex has been designated a National Historic Landmark. The original distilling works was built in 1812 by Elijah Pepper, then became the Oscar Pepper Distillery, then the Labrot & Graham Distillery in 1878 through 1941. Brown-Forman, now one of the world's largest alcoholic beverage companies, bought it in 1968, sold it in 1971, but, in a burst of renewed interest in bourbon making, re-purchased it in 1994, spending more than $7 million to restore and refurbish it.

Although much of the bourbon production work remains comparatively low tech, the whiskey quickly rose to the upper echelon of the field under Brown-Forman's second go-round. The main whiskey is a small batch product, although not a single barrel. As Morris explained it, a lot of sampling goes on to ascertain the readiness of the bourbon as it ages, rather than producing it on an unwavering calendar-only basis.

The actual making of bourbon is essentially a simple four-step process: mash making, fermentation, distillation and maturation. The differences in brands lie in water quality, grain quality, the chemistry of the yeast, the filtration and the aging process.

The chemical reactions going on in this 20,000-gallon cypress plank fermentation vat results in a substance resembling cooked oatmeal.

Whereas most distillers have converted to steel fermentation tanks, Woodford Reserve is begun in old 20,000-gallon cypress plank vats where water from a local aquifer is mixed with yeast, corn, rye and malted barley. By law, bourbon must be made from at least 51% corn, but distillers usually use 70% or more. Morris told me he uses 72% corn, 18% rye and 10% barley.

The water may be as important to the finished product as any other component. The age of glaciers on mainland North America left a huge limestone shelf extending from southern Indiana down through Kentucky and Tennessee, creating a natural filtering mechanism for water that "sweetens" it by removing iron and other impurities.

Once the grain mixture, called "mash," is joined by the yeast -- itself a proprietary strain owned by particular distillers -- the chemical process takes off. Over a period of about three days, the yeast converts the natural sugar of the grains to alcohol and CO2. The result is "distiller's beer," a slightly sour, yet overtly sweet-smelling liquid with the spent grains and yeast sinking to the bottom of the vats.

Finished whiskey flows into these receivers, then is put into barrels for aging.

The "beer" then is distilled into raw whiskey by heating the liquid, creating steam, which is cooled and forms a more refined liquid. The alcohol is removed at the top, and any fiber and other solid matter is removed from the bottom. Since most distilleries recycle virtually everything, such leftover matter -- sometimes called "wet cake" -- is sold or given to farmers to be used for livestock food.

Typical bourbons are triple distilled, although the number of individual stills, the height of them, and the tubing systems make the actual number of distillations a matter of some debate since the total length run by the whiskey often exceeds a strict mathematical equation.

Morris, a native of Kentucky, has been Woodford Reserve's master distiller since 1999. He is a judge at the prestigious International Wine & Spirit Competition in London, co-chairs the Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S. (DISCUS) Master Distiller's Committee, and is the only American distiller named a "Keeper of the Quaich" by the Scotch Whisky Association.

------ $1,000 julep coming up ----------------------
In my never-ending quest to keep you abreast of the latest in wildly inflated cocktail prices, here's a timely entry in the sweepstakes: a $1,000 drink in honor of the Kentucky Derby.

As the official drink maker of the Derby, Woodford Reserve has come up with a blend of ingredients from around the world to top its mint julep offering of last year. Woodford is offering 132 of the special cocktails in gold cups, some of which will be auctioned off by Christie's. Each will be engraved with the name of a Derby-winning horse.

A batch of premium bourbon from the Labrot & Graham Distillery mixed with organic sugar from Australia, mint from Ireland and ice from the Bavarian Alps.

"We did try to make the ultimate mint julep, and that's something that we're striving for again this year," Wayne Rose, Woodford Reserve's brand director, said in a prepared statement. "It'll be a little bit different taste, but that's because the ingredients are a little bit different."

The auction of 11 gold cups featuring Triple Crown winners and carrying three rubies — signifying the Derby, Preakness and Belmont legs of the Triple Crown, and of two other diamond-studded cups -- for Barbaro, last year's winner, and the first Derby champ, Aristides -- is scheduled to begin at noon Tuesday. The remaining cups can be purchased on Woodford Reserve's Derby Web site. Auction proceeds will go to the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, which helps retired horses and disabled jockeys.

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What will they think of next? (April edition)

This month's collection of cocktail recipes I've gathered from all over is headed by the delightful Seelbach Cocktail I recently sampled at 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."

• The Seelbach Cocktail

4 ounces quality champagne
1 1/2 ounces bourbon
1/2 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.

• Cocktail Times.com

The Balsamic Pear Cocktail is well off the beaten path. It was created by Gwen Kaiser, master mixologist for this Web site.

2 oz. freshly juiced pear nectar
2 oz. sake
1/2 oz. balsamic syrup
2 drops bitters
Pear slice for garnish

To make balsamic syrup: Simmer 2 cups sugar, 1 cup water, 1 cup balsamic vinegar for 20 minutes. Pour into final storage container, adding approximately 1 oz. vodka to aid in preservation.

Stir all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with pear slice.

• Houstonist.com

The Mint Julep Martini packs quite a punch. This Web site's bartender feature admits "We have a little penchant for brown drinks (ie. bourbon) and we are sharing this addictive version with you."

3/4 cup Maker's Mark or other bourbon
1/4 cup vanilla vodka
1 teaspoon Triple Sec or Cointreau
1 teaspoon peppermint schnapps

Combine all ingredients in a shaker and, well, shake. Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with fresh mint or an orange twist. Sip carefully, rinse, re-chill or re-glass, repeat.

Note: Emergency glass chilling can be done by filling the glass with crushed ice while you make your luscious, bourbony concoction. Throw out ice, fill glass.

To Dowd's Spirits Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Wine Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Brews Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's No-Alcohol Drinks Notebook latest entry.
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