KD1191

Yeah, that was my thought as well, but it's not something I'd keep around. Closest thing I have is a 76 proof German vineyard peach eau de vie.

Here are my notes: 100/15/1 Wondrich Mix Aroma: Heat, Ethanol, Cardamom (from the Angostura), Bitter Orange Peel Flavor: Syrupy, burnt orange. Glycerin-like artificial smoothness at first, but finishes with a sharpness from the rectified spirit. The Angostura Orange flavors (which I most associate with subcontinental spices) dominate. The Violet Hour Picon Mix Aroma: Dried Seville orange, marmalade-like. Reminiscent of Amaro Nonino. Flavor: Lighter. More subtly bitter, but mouth-coating and lingering, evokes Gran Classico. No burned/cooked/caramel flavors. Picon Bière Aroma: Suze...gentian, gentian, gentian, burnt orange. (Here, I stopped to wonder if Crêpe Suzette might have originally been made with Suze?) Flavor: Gentian bitterness, orange sweetness. A smooth, caramelized finish. Pretty inoffensive, not particularly interesting. Vintage Amer Picon Aroma: Brandy-soaked fruitcake? A bit musty. Clearly higher proof than the last two. Flavor: Clean/angular, burnt bitterness. Orange only appears in the aftertaste, but the finish is ridiculously long. The orange note is more Campari-like than any of the others. There's a sweetness to it, and some hogo or something very similar...reminds me of the lower-proof Inner Circle rums (blue/red dot), though this could just be the age of the bottle and/or whatever bleached the label showing through. I'm left with the impression that the original started with fruit-based distillate, likely grape, not neutral spirit. In playing around with trying to recreate the flavor, I mixed up a blend of Amaro CioCiaro, Louis Royer Force 53, and Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao (2:1:1)...it wasn't all that close. Swapping the Force 53 for Lemon Hart 151 and adding a couple drops of Ango Orange felt like I was getting closer. That said, I'm not sold on the integrity of my original sample. I have another sealed bottle and will have to do a side-by-side once the first starts to get low.

Here's the tasting I just completed...for science. Still processing the results, and will post detail later. However, I will say that after I was done I went about trying to create a better stand-in for the real thing based on products I had around the house, and Lemon Hart 151 was involved. The lineup, from right to left: 100/15/1 Mix (a la Wondrich), The Violet Hour's House Picon Mix, Picon Bière, the Original Amer.

Binny's is probably your best bet for wide range of options in Chicago. [ETA: I misread the topic...thought it was about bringing booze back to the U.S...never mind.] On bringing volume back into the U.S., I've found ORD to be one of the laxest customs arrivals points in the country. For years, we would take 2 trips a year to France and return with at least a case of wine (usually two) in the checked luggage. We always declared the full value of what we were bringing in, and were never once asked to pay any tax. Worth noting, the trigger for customs duty on alcohol is based on volume, but the volume you are transporting isn't requested on the form...something of a loophole, and an opportunity to play dumb. On a few occasions where we had connections coming into the country (D.C. and Miami, specifically) we did get some extra scrutiny for the volume we were carrying, and the agents intimated that they could make us go stand in the line to pay tax on the excess, but ultimately the total dollar value on what we had wasn't significant enough to make it worth their while, and they may have been swayed by our insistence that everything was for personal consumption.

Or, you could try the eponymous cocktail for his new spot, Lost Lake: 2 oz Appleton V/X3/4 oz Passion Fruit Syrup (B.G. Reynolds’)3/4 oz lime juice1/2 oz pineapple juice1/4 oz Maraschino1/4 oz Campari Shake with ice, strain over crushed ice.

As a consumer, what is the impact, here? Am I getting a larger drink with the same amount of spirit? Or, a typically-sized cocktail with less alcohol?

You're welcome to call a hamster a hand grenade if it suits you, but it'll only complicate matters when you try to communicate with others on the subject. Aperol & Campari are quite similar in the grand scheme of things, and could be used as substitutes in more than a few cases, but they are still quite different.

Not today, but looking forward to stocking up on Havana Club in the near future.

NV Savart Champagne L'accomplie 2007 Agrapart & Fils Champagne Minéral 2008 Domaine de la Noblaie Chinon Les Chiens-Chiens 2009 Fisher Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Mountain Estate 2011 Carmen Carménère Gran Reserve Apalta 2012 Marc Plouzeau Château de la Bonneliere Chinon Les Cornuelles Stocking up for the holidays...the Fisher fills a hole in a vertical I'm planning to taste through over Christmas (2006-2010). At $13, the Carmen Carménère has one of the best QPRs I've found in some time.

Well, I might observe that the distiller has likely pre-diluted the product in the bottle, as more than a few put out 80 proof gin, compared to the 90+ of most traditional London Dry.

Lived in the NW corner of the state for awhile, and beyond the hatch chiles, the iconic flavor I miss is Navajo Fry Bread...the real thing certainly wouldn't travel. Perhaps a recipe?

I would guess they are Monin...or, similar. While we're on the topic of hunches, I'm also starting to think this forum is being punked.

Went out looking for whiskey, but came home with wine...a baker's dozen, in fact. California: 2012 AHA Bebame Cabernet Franc/Gamay Blend2012 Flowers Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast2011 Jenner Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast France:2012 Domaine des Terres Dorées Moulin-à-Vent2012 Domaine Costal Chablis Les Truffières2012 Beauvignac Coteaux du Languedoc Picpoul-de-Pinet2010 Château d'Aurilhac Haut-Médoc Red Bordeaux2009 Château Tour St. Joseph Haut-Médoc Red Bordeaux2007 Château Larose-Trintaudon Haut-Médoc Red Bordeaux Spain: 2013 Eguren Selección 2009 Ramirez Rioja Crianza Chile: 2012 Casa Silva Carménère Los Lingues2011 Carmen Carménère Gran Reserve

More drinks should come with a thematically appropriate appetizer on the side.

Flop Sweat Duo of Groupies

I give you the Reverse Crooklyn (aka Reverse Craighatten)...it was...robust. 2 oz Punt e Mes 1 oz Elijah Craig Barrel Proof 1/4 oz Amer Picon Scant barspoon Leopold Bros Maraschino A coin of lemon zest let the thinnest ray of sunshine through a crack in the door of an otherwise dark and brooding saloon.

Roger. Reminds me that I really enjoy this template...will see what I do with that.

Trying to finish some of the emptier bottles to make room on the bar, have been sipping on a lot of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof (68.5%, 2nd Release) and Weller 107. Intriguing though they are straight, I'd love some suggestions for favorite over-proof/barrel strength bourbon cocktails. I'm fond of the Staggerac and the Boulevard Des Rêves. The Reverse Brooklyn (aka Reverse Stagghattan) might get made tonight. Any other suggestions for mixing with high(er) proof bourbon, other than a few drops of water?

I've seen the 9th Century and 1605 for sale in the U.S. The MOFS is a bit more scarce...my first bottle did come from the distillery in Voiron, but more recently I found it at CDG Duty Free. The Whisky Exchange in London sells all of them...and, samples are certainly available at Pouring Ribbons in NYC.

Please report back! It's my favorite at the bar of the same name.

Did they serve Peaches in Chartreuse Jelly? Oh, there are so many more than 5...and that's not counting the original 142 proof EV or special blends bottled for various bars and clubs...not to mention the way each year's release seems to taste slightly different (perhaps due to recipe variation, or changes to infused elements as they age in the bottle). Sometimes I think Chartreuse is a rabbit hole just as deep as rum or bourbon.

Just looking to restock a handle of Tanqueray, was stopped in my tracks as I saw two bottles of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof (70.1% - 6th release) stocked on the shelf with the regular Elijah Craig 12 year. My lucky day.

The 2014 Stagg arrived last night. For the first time ever I was shut out of the William LaRue Weller sweepstakes at my usual source. Not giving up hope, as the BTAC hasn't officially hit here in Jersey, but it's not likely I'll see it anywhere I frequent. Very sad effect of what I can only assume is the Pappyfication of any high-proof wheated bourbon within BT's ambit. If anyone has an extra bottle of this year's Weller, I've been holding an unopened 2011 Stagg in reserve for just such an occasion, which I'd happily trade. Anyway, on to the 2014 Stagg...rebounding from last year's lowest proof ever (128.2), this release is nearly back into HazMat territory (138.1). And, boy...this is not a sipper. It doesn't have the harsher, desiccated wood burn of some of the Stagg, Jr. out there, but it brings mouth-coating hot, hot heat. In the past I've been happy to drink some years of GTS neat, this is not one of those. The tasting notes provided by BT are pretty spot on. Dates and vanilla up front...very sticky toffee pudding, then dark chocolate and coffee on the ever so slightly bitter finish.

Like obscenity, it's hard to define, but I know it when I see it.