TBoner

Wrong thread to continue this, probably, but I think only wine and beer are legal to order from out of state. Spirits, AFAIK, are not. I've never been able to get anyone, no matter where else they ship, to ship here.

Agreed all the way around. I also will throw Broker's in as a tough-to-beat brand. I have sampled a few higher-end gins, but Tanq, Bombay, Plymouth, Beefeater, and Broker's remain my top 5 (in no particular order). I do enjoy Miller's, too, but the price of the higher-strength bottling is too much for regular use. I noted that Ted Haigh recommended/prefers the Distiller's Reserve for the cocktail he discusses in the current Imbibe. Interesting, and enough to send me scurrying out to pay $11.99 (!) to try it. I like the proof, as it's old school, and I look forward to trying it in a Vesper (Gordon's, IIRC, was 100-proof gin when the recipe first appeared in print).

Malkavian, It depends on the spirit. Peaty Islay malts, for instance, go well with Oriental blends that are latakia-heavy. But for bourbon or rye, I prefer a good blend of Virginias, some stoved and some not. This avoids the heavy earthiness of English and Turkish blends and allows the spice and sweetness of the whiskey to come through more. Irish whiskeys can pair with either of the above, or with a good aromatic. I don't like aromatics generally, but something with no artificial flavors, just a bit of Cavendish, is quite good with, say, Redbreast. I generally try to shop at Cornell & Diehl online, as they have very thorough descriptions and a huge selection. They will also custom blend, something with which I've just begun experimenting. I can give you some specific blend names if you like, but most blends are proprietary, even if they go by identical names. Generally, though, anything that references Sherlock Holmes in any way will smoke nicely with Scotch. I don't drink rum with pipes, since it goes so well with a cigar. As for other spirits, I usually mix those in cocktails and don't bother with smoking anything (I'm not a big enough cognac fan to have done much experimentation, though I do enjoy both armagnac and good Spanish brandy: but as for pairings, ????).

This drink is very similar to the bushwick cocktail which is Rye, Picon, Maraschino and Antica. Both sound very tasty. ← Tell me more. Proportions? BTW, I had another Front Street with Dalmore 12 tonight. 2 oz. Wowee. Now sipping some Wild Turkey Rare Breed.

Good information, Nathan. Just what I wanted to know (and what my checkbook feared). Thanks.

I have a question related to state liquor laws that I posed in the Sazerac thread, but a couple folks suggested I ask in this thread instead, so here goes: is there anyone who lives in a state where individuals cannot import spirits who has had success ordering from Jade Edouard? In other words, you live where you can't buy whiskey online from, say, California, but you've been able to buy absinthe from overseas? PM or respond in this thread if you have any input. Thanks.

A comment and a question with respect to this thread. First, the comment: what a wonderful source of historical insight and context this forum is! I am a bourbon and rye junkie, and I read several forums regularly related to those two beverages, but this is the most history and information I've ever found about Thomas Handy, the Sazerac cocktail, etc. For what it's worth, while I like a Sazerac made with straight rye (and I like younger whiskey for this cocktail: Van Winkle and the Saz 18 are almost too refined for the drink IMHO), my preferred version is the one discussed upthread: cognac and rye split 50/50. Marvelous complexity and some enhancement of the fruity character in the drink. Now, the question: is there anyone who lives in a state where individuals cannot import spirits who has had success ordering from Jade Edouard? In other words, you live where you can't buy whiskey online from, say, California, but you've been able to buy absinthe from overseas? PM or respond in this thread if you have any input. Thanks.

I'm a former cigar junkie (I'm hooked on pipe smoking now) who still smokes one once in a while. One reason I gave it up is that my favorite spirit is bourbon, and I always felt my cigars wanted rum. In fact, my palate at some point started picking up almost exclusively on the rummy notes in any spirit I would consume with a cigar (I suppose this might be largely psychological). Bourbon tasted rumlike with most any stick I smoked (very frustrating, since I used to love pairing bourbon and cigars). It drove me nuts, and I switched to pipe tobacco, which I've found more versatile (there were other factors in the pipe decision, but pairings were foremost in mind for me). All that being said, I have had good luck pairing good maduros from a variety of regions with bourbon. Any spice-bomb stick will be a bracing contrast to bourbon's sweetness. Well-aged rye matches nicely with softer, sweeter smokes. When it comes to rum, I try to match rums with cigars from the same country or region. I haven't messed around too much with pairing cigars and cognac or armagnac. At any rate, I have spent a good bit of time on the forums over at Cigar Weekly. There's a forum dedicated to pairing beverages with cigars. You will find great insight over there as to successful pairings. Look for any post or thread by "jazznut." His experience and palate are remarkable, and he provides outstanding advice on pairing cigars with spirits (as well as wine and coffee).

Last night, I made a drink that I learned from a friend over at straightbourbon.com. He calls it The Front Street. 1 1/2 oz. rye 1/2 oz. Ramazzotti Amaro 1/2 oz. sweet vermouth (he recommends Vya; I used Cinzano) 1/4 oz. maraschino liqueur Stir with ice; strain into chilled cocktail glass; garnish with cherry I have made this a few times with minor variations. The most successful was using a good Scotch (Dalmore 12: anything w/o lots of peat would be great; a little smoke draws some smoke out from the Ramazzotti, but you don't want too much) instead of rye. I also tried increasing the whiskey to 2 oz. b/c I like boozy drinks, and it was quite good. Finally, I garnish with a flamed orange twist, though I tried one with a cherry and it was very good. This is a nice use for leftover Ramazzotti Amaro from that homemade Amer Picon you're making. Of course, the Ramazzotti is also terrific on its own as an after-dinner drink over ice or even neat. Bitter orange and a whiff of smoke. Yum. As I said, all credit goes to CrispyCritter at straightbourbon.com. He's a cocktail junkie, and his creation reflects some know-how. Tonight, it's Famous Grouse 12, neat. Maybe some Knob Creek neat later.

Okay, after playing with this, I think I've got something much better: 3/4 oz. barack palinka 3/4 oz. WT Rye or Old Grand Dad 114 (you want something sweeter than Rittenhouse, and also with huge flavor: I prefer OGD because I get apricot notes from it) 3/4 oz. Cinzano Bianco 1 tsp. Amaretto 2 dashes Fee Bros. Peach 2 dashes Fee whiskey-barrel bitters lemon twist There's excellent interplay of nuts, spice, and fruit here. I found the maraschino (even at 1 tsp) was interfering with this and weighing down the flavors without contributing much to the drink. I also found eliminating the huge anise of Peychaud's helped. Not even close to a Vieux Carre anymore, but I like it a great deal.

The same is true of Whole Foods here in Dallas and of Central Market. I've enjoyed a Sierra Nevada Celebration while shopping there, and it's a beautiful experience. I don't mind waiting in line at the fish counter so much when sipping on hoppy goodness.

Bumping this for a couple of reasons. First, it is true that Basil Hayden has a higher rye content than the other Small-Batch bourbons, but the others are all the same mashbill as Beam and Beam black, etc. They are, however, treated differently from barreling on, in terms of the barrels into which they are placed, their placement in the rickhouses, and of course, length of storage. This is all information gleaned from conversations I and others (including Chuck Cowdery, author of Bourbon, Straight) have had with Beam personnel. Basil Hayden has a different yeast than other Beam bourbons, as well. When the Old Grand-Dad brand came to Beam (along with several others, including Overholt) from National Distillers in the late 80s, the one bourbon that was not converted to the standard beam mashbill and yeast was Old Grand-Dad. Basil Hayden is made from that mashbill (in fact, Basil Hayden IS the man pictured on the Old Grand-Dad label). If you've ever tasted OGD, either at 86 proof, BIB, or 114 proof, you'll know right away it has a high rye content (rumored to be between 25 and 30 percent of the mashbill). But barrel selection, age, and proof mean that Basil Hayden won't come across as spicy or floral as the other OGD whiskeys. I actually really like the BIB and 114-proof. The BIB is a great value at around $16-20, and the rye content comes through well in cocktails. An OGD BIB Old-Fashioned is a beautiful thing. And OGD 114 is a nice neat sipper, if a bit fiery at times. Basil Hayden, on the other hand, is a watered down version of the same with a bit of extra barrel age (but since the barrels selected seem to be light on char and wood notes, who cares?). But I guess when Beam introduced the Small-Batch collection, having at least one 80-proofer made sense. As to the amount of rye in various straight rye whiskeys, I've been told many of them are "barely legal" at 51 percent. But then, a little rye goes a long way, so it doesn't take 70 percent rye to make it the dominant grain. Try a Buffalo Trace bourbon, a Beam or Heaven Hill, a Wild Turkey, and Old Grand-Dad side by side. BT bourbons are all 12 percent rye or less, Beam bourbons are closer to 15-20 percent, Wild Turkey slightly more, and OGD near 30 percent rye. You'll notice the influence in a huge way with only a 5 percent increase in rye from one whiskey to the next.

I think I've seen the above listed somewhere else (Killer Cocktails, maybe?) as the San Martin. I have tried it with green charteuse, which was just too much, I think. I don't have any yellow, but I know of a bottle priced at $18.50 (a bit dusty and in a store that has more than a few incorrectly priced items), so I'll pick some up soon and give it a shot. I can see where a more assertive junipery gin would be needed here. I wonder if you could get away with Vya sweet with Junipero (or even Beefeater).

I did like the combo, sort of. Intuitively the spiciness of the rye and the fruity aroma and powerful finish of the apricot brandy should play well together, with the vermouth acting as a bridge. However, I found the barack palinka had such a strong aroma and distinctive character that, as I said, a rye with more character would be much better. WT Rye has a much more assertive flavor and, especially, finish than Saz Jr., so it seems the obvious choice. All of that being said, the drink as described above doesn't have near the finesse of a Vieux Carre (nor was it necessarily meant to). I'll post results after trying out the Wild Turkey version.

Agreed that giving away or selling spent grains is common. But using the waste water for irrigation, using hops grown on your own farm, etc., seem above and beyond, which is why I thought it sounded like a good operation.

Ummm...right you are. I meant Punt e Mes. Just a momentary brain lapse. At any rate, the drink was quite good. I've edited the post. Thanks for the heads-up.

I tried the variation you discussed above last night. Overholt, 1800 anejo, bitters were Peychaud's and Fee's Whiskey Barrel bitters. Spectacular. I also made the following variation (which is very far afield, really not the same drink): 3/4 oz. Zwack Barack Palinka 3/4 oz. Sazerac 6-yo rye 3/4 oz. Cinzano Bianco 1 tsp. Maraschino 1 dash Peychaud's 1 dash Fee Bros. Peach 1 dash homemade bitters flamed lemon twist This was pretty good (the aroma was spectacular), though I think it needs WT rye to truly balance the barack palinka. The vanilla from the Bianco was just right, though, and I think the funk of the maraschino works well with eau-de-vie. I'll probably play more with it, as it's a very nice, cool summer drink.

I made a Slope at 2:.5:.5 a couple of days ago. Really good, and the Apry came through nicely in good balance with the Punt e Mes. I used Overholt, BTW. I think WT Rye might overpower the Apry unless you bumped it up a bit. On the other hand, Chris had good results upthread with WT Rye. At any rate, I think the drink could handle experimentation with the basic ratios.

This does sound like a good operation, but I have a question about the spent grains. It has been my understanding that spent grains are predominantly indigestible fiber and perhaps a bit of protein, and that as such they aren't great for animals: little nutrition and lots of methane gas. Anyone have any info on that? Additionally, I remember reading about an operation somewhere in Africa (started by a Belgian company) that was designed to be zero waste. They used spent grains as a medium to culture and cultivate high-end mushrooms, and even recycle the CO2 produced during fermentation. I'll have to hunt down the link... In the meantime, check out this blog for info on organic beer and brewing methods http://beeractivist.wordpress.com/ EDIT: Well, here's the link to an article about that brewery. It's a bit old, but it's all I could find. Namibia Breweries seems to be doing well commercially, and has a website which doesn't explicitly discuss any zero-waste policies.

Sprecher Ginger Ale is my favorite, with about the same sugar level as GUS (i.e. about half of what most commercial sodas have), but much more spice than GUS. The ginger character is potent, but not overpowering. I'm also partial to Idris Ginger Beer. This is a much spicier concoction, but there's no caramel character, just a light sugar sweetness to balance the spice of the ginger. Idris also has the advantage that, at least around here, it's sold in individual servings rather than 4-packs or 6-packs, so you an try it and, if you don't like it, you're only out a little over a buck.

Thanks for the info. on the creme de violette. Based on other cocktail ingredients, it will be about 5 years before this stuff gets to Dallas, and even then, finding it will be an all-day chore. Sometimes, I hate living in TX. BTW, the rhubarb juice intrigues me. I grew up in the Midwest, and I desperately miss rhubarb season. Last year, I found some rhubarb in a grocery store. They got two shipments, and I think I and an older woman from Wisconsin whom I worked with were the only two customers who bought any. Maybe some will show up sometime this summer. An application besides dessert and stewed side dishes is a welcome thing. Thanks for the idea.

This sounds very good. I think I would probably leave off the sugar rim, too. I wonder what this would be like if you pushed that lemon juice up just a hair, though, alleviating some of the sweetness and bringing the tartness more into balance. I'll have to play with this drink a bit whenever I get over the sinus infection I'm fighting.

I second this. I sampled GUS on a trip to Chicago a few months ago, and fell in love with the Ginger Ale. Much drier than others without being extremely spicy (not that I don't love a spicy ginger ale). I'm a big fan of rye whiskey and ginger ale as a summer libation, and drier g.a.'s tend to work better for that. Highly recommended. ← Where did you find GUS in Chicago? I live there and I want to find me some!!! ← LindsayAnn, Sorry for the very slow response. I found GUS at Lush, a high-end wine and spirits shop near Little Italy. Terrific store, great service. I'm sure it's available elsewhere in the city at gourmet markets or high-end shops, too. As to price, I get 4-packs for (I think) $5.99 here in Dallas. Pricey, but not out of line with other high-end sodas. For instance, Central Market here in town just got Dry Soda, and they are priced within a dollar of GUS, depending on flavor. By the way, I like Dry Lemongrass very well, and the Kumquat is okay, but neither is as good as the GUS ginger ale.

bostonapothecary, Maybe you covered this somewhere else, but if you don't mind saying, where did you pick up the creme de violette? I haven't managed to find any down my way, and didn't know there was really any available stateside right now.

I'm not over fond of the Michter's Rye. Prefer the Wild Turkey 101 Rye. If you really want to go up-market, there's the Thomas Handy Barrel Proof Rye from Buffalo Trace. 130 or so, I think, and really nice stuff. Sold out in many places, I imagine, by now; but, there should be a new batch of bottles (hopefully!) when the antique collection is released again this fall. I'm not sure what proof the incredibly expensive Rittenhouse 21 is bottled at. Anyone know? edit - It appears the Rittenhouse 21 is bottled at 100 proof. Is the Handy the only barrel proof rye? ← Yes and no. Handy's not quite the only one. LeNell's two bottlings (which aren't really regular enough to be called "annual") have been barrel proof. Also, KBD bottled an independently-selected barrel (that's right, one barrel) of a 22-year-old rye at barrel proof a little over a year ago. It was sold as "Willett's Rye." I picked up a bottle, which I expect I'll get around to opening at some point. There was another bottling produced very recently, but with only a little over 200 bottles coming out of each barrel, there's not much of either bottling (as in none) floating around. Both of those ryes (LeNell's and Willett's), by the way, purportedly come from the same stock as the 21-year-old Rittenhouse. At any rate, the only barrel-proof with a truly regular release schedule (even if it is limited-edition) is the Handy. Next-highest proof of a regular release is the WT (BTW, 101 is very close to the barrel proof of Wild Turkey's products, which typically enter the barrel at 110).