tanstaafl2

I did see somewhere before that Bulleit and Templeton were related, and it's interesting to read in your post that these products are coming from the same distillery. I don't pay much attention to marketing because I am doubtful that a true "small batch rye" could be found at Costco of all places! In my area, Bulleit (~ $25) is sold cheaper than Templeton (~ $35). Even if they are produced at the same place, their taste is quite different. I've done a mini side-by-side rye tasting recently and here were my thoughts. Templeton (80 proof) was very smooth and was the best neat. I found it a little thin but it was the most sippable. In comparison, Bulleit (95 proof) was very spicy and not especially pleasant neat (but I really like it in cocktails and the price is right!). Rittenhouse BIB remains my favorite overall (~ $25 when I can find it). It's the most interesting one of the three, a great combination of smooth/full flavors with enough spice to make it work beautifully in cocktails. I like to have different options though based on the type of cocktail that I am making, so it's good to have ryes with different flavor profiles on hand. I didn't have enough ryes in my collections anyway. Since we are on that topic - what other ryes would you recommend in that price range? I've had Old Overholt which I found OK but a little too basic. I only have Bulleit in my cabinet since as you note it tends to be the least expensive. I have tried all three though. I don't recall Templeton being that much different but it has been awhile. Perhaps Templeton is using a slightly older LDI/MGPI rye Anytime you see a bottle with a 95% rye mashbill it is reasonable to think it came from MGPI until proven otherwise since they are one of the few places making a 95% rye mash bill. Redemption tends to be somewhere between Bulleit and Templeton in cost. Templeton is kind of the Darth Vader in the whiskey enthusiast world because for a long time they tried to hide the fact that they were sourcing whiskey and claiming they made it from a "secret recipe" in little ol' . The history is mostly BS. Instead it comes from a mass producer in Indiana. And I doubt Al Capone every heard of "the good stuff".Another rye to consider is Jefferson 10yo Rye. It is from the same source in Canada as Whistlepig and Masterson's at usually about half the cost. Unfortunately Jefferson is another non distilling producer and they have recently run out of the Canadian rye. They are putting some other sourced rye, apparently a Kentucky rye but the source is not known at least to me (Maybe Barton's which makes an excellent rye by the way), in the bottles now. But if you can still find a bottle that notes it is a product of Canada it is pretty good juice. it typically runs anywhere from the $20s to the $40s but remember it is much older than Ritt, Templeton or Bulleit. If you can find the Canadian version close to the $30 mark I think it is a good buy. I haven't tried the newer version yet. Speaking of Barton there is a very inexpensive Barton product called Fleischman's rye apparently sold only in Wisconsin (I have no idea why!). I have never tried it but others rave about it. Sazerac 6yo, typically known as "Baby Saz" to distinguish it from the Sazerac 18yo rye in the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, is also generally well regarded. I have it and think it is superb but it can sometimes be hard to find. It is usually around $30. Willet, another non distiller producer, puts out several cask strength expressions of LDI rye that are 3, 4 and 5 years old that are generally not very expensive and I find to be quite good. And higher proof is always useful in making cocktails! I just recently got a bottle of the Leopold Brothers Maryland style rye which is very different but again tends to be hard to find and cost more in the $45-50 range. The High West Double Rye is also interesting and usually around $35. It is a blend of 2yo LDI and 16yo Barton rye I believe and tends to have a nice spice kick to it. I prefer the HW Rendezvous Rye which is a blend of older ryes but also more expensive.

That sounds wonderful... Added to my to-do cocktail list. Templeton is rye from what used to be the LDI and is now MGPI distillery in Lawrenceburg, Indiana who makes a ton of different distilled spirits that they sell to others for use in their own brand. Essentially the same stuff is also found in Bulleit and Redemption rye and quite possible several others. High West uses LDI rye in some of their blends. Templeton, Bulleit and Redemption don't make any of it themselves, despite what they may claim in their marketing. It is not a bad rye mind you but between the three I would be inclined to buy the one that has the best price. My experience is that it is usually not Templeton.

I checked and don't have Talisker anyway. I don't have too many options for mixing - other than Glenfiddich 12, I have Glenlivet 12 and 15 and that's about it. I also have Bunnahabhain and Lagavulin but we prefer to drink them neat. The Bowmore Legend looks interesting - I will keep my eyes open for it! Dump the scotch and go with a nice smokey mezcal instead. Sombra is a good place to start. Chris Carlsson recommends it as an "authentic" Blood and Sand. I found it to work quite well. Maybe cut back the OJ a bit or make it a bit less sweet by using Luxardo Maraschino instead of Cherry Heering which is almost cough syrup sweet. Not familair with the Luxardo Cherry liqueur but i would guess that is pretty sweet as well. Maybe make up a bit for the lost OJ with an orange liqueur. Never used it in this drink but Solerno Blood Orange liqueur comes to mind as an interesting option.

Me too. Depends on your enjoyment of ginger beer but I have been drinking a lot of the Crabbie's lately and don't find it the least bit lousey! Rather enjoyable in fact. Was an interesting week for me this week. Got an email from my (current) favorite whiskey supplier that a bottle of Jefferson's Ocean was being held for me. I had been the first to approach them inquiring about it and it seems that got me on the top of list. A good thing too I suppose since the allotment was exactly one bottle. This bourbon was barreled and then aged while strapped to a ship doing ocean research. It was originally rumored that it would cost around $90 and would be available at higher proof but then apparently some barrels got damaged while on the ship and less was available. One bottle (the only one they received by their own report) was sold at auction on K&L for over $1000! Suffice it to say I didn't pay anywhere near that much. Despite some rather lackluster reviews I have seen (It isn't that it is bad, it's just that it doesn't stand out as special or unique considering the hype and cost, at least in the opinion of those reviewers) and the rather excessive cost (it didn't cost an arm AND a leg! But it did get most of that arm...) I decided to take the plunge. After all at least a little bit of it gets donated to OCEARCH right? Would be nice if they had left a bit more whiskey and a little less water in the bottle but not much I can do about that. No plan to "admire" this bottle, it will get cracked and tasted, probably at Thanksgiving. But it probably won't end up being a cocktail ingredient! I must say, for a swanky spirit the bottle itself is remarkable mundane. I suppose it is because it is such a limited bottling and perhaps they were trying to save some money on it since they are donating some part of the proceeds to the research organization. But the bottle itself screams "Blue light special! $12.98 on sale!". A simple plastic label is affixed to the surface, complete with an air bubble or two. The ring around the neck that says "special bottling" is crooked and the tag on the side with the UPC is partially torn. Looks like the whole bottle has spent some time at sea... The Jefferson 18 bottle has raised painted/printed lettering on the bottle. Even the modestly priced Jeff 10yo rye has printed lettering. Oh well, it's whats inside that counts, right? Then a couple of days ago an acquaintance gave me a chance to pick up a bottle of PVW 20. Had been shut out at my primary store so I hadn't expected to get any (although I did get the Jeff Ocean there so hard to complain).

Or forego the cider and try an apple based variation on the Pompadour with lemon juice, rhum agricole and Pommeau de Normandie. No idea how it would taste but sounds like it might be interesting to try. Probably a bit on the sweet side though. Maybe as a dessert cocktail option. Probably a pricey drink I would guess. But doesn't get too much more French themed than that!

That a Marita. You use 2/3's of the ingredients? You get 2/3's of the letters. Tequila Agave/sugar syrup lime juice Triple sec Nah, more like 3/4's! Which is hard to do with 9 letters... ¡Viva el puro Margarita!

Oh, I think there is. A quote-unquote "Margarita" with no orange liqueur in it is simply not a Margarita. It's a tequila sour, whether it's made with agave syrup or plain sugar syrup. It's no more a "pure" Margarita than a Sidecar made without Cointreau is a "pure" Sidecar, or a White Lady without Cointreau is a "pure" White Lady. To me, this is in the same category as making Gimlets with fresh lime and sugar syrup, rather than lime cordial: it's a backlash against the perceived "artificiality" of certain ingredients (in this case, I assume, bottom-shelf triple sec; never mind that agave syrup is a highly industrial ingredient itself). In the process, you're losing something of the drink. Take a look at Wondrich's Imbibe! He makes an interesting case that the Margarita is part of the old-school family of drinks known as Daisies. What's the defining characteristic of a Daisy? Orange cordial! Yes, the same discussion about the Daisy shows up in that bastion of knowledge, Wikipedia. But I certainly have more confidence in the Professor's research and think the Daisy connection is likely the real origin of the Margarita, curacao and all. Still, if the crap that passes for a martini these days in many bars can be called a martini then I am probably gonna call my tequila sour a "pure" margarita and feel OK about it! Just sounds better and most of my friends wouldn't know what a tequila sour was anyway...

I have seen more than a few sites refer to a "pure" margarita as tequila, lime juice and agave nectar. Here is one example. And another. Clearly some bartenders still consider it a margarita, since Tommy's recipe in the link above is sans orange, and some don't. I agree there is no reason to stand on semantics and don't think it unreasonable to refer to it as at least a variation on a margarita. I'll just call it the "Pure" Margarita! Just because people expect orange liqueur it doesn't mean you need to give into them! That said I have experimented making a margarita "variation" drink using Agavero Orange rather than going the more typical Triple Sec/Cointreau/Curacao/Grand Marnier route. You get some orange flavor with agave nectar all in a tequila base. Seems like a good place to start to me! I also like to use Damiana liqueur as my sweetener in another margarita variation. 3 oz of a good quality 100% blue agave blanco (I have been known to substitute with a reposado like Espolon as well. In fact I prefer it personally but if you like a little more edge to your margarita then a zesty blanco will work) 1 oz of Cointreau or good Curacao (Sometimes use Solerno for a blood orange twist) 1 oz of Damiana liqueur 4 key limes (about 3 oz usually) stir slowly with ice Salt the rim as desired (I usually do half the rim). Serve up in a margarita glass or over ice in a double old fashioned as desired. Admittedly on the sweet side but makes a damned fine margarita!

Like most categories of whiskey there is a lot of wiggle room in the mashbill, not to mention all the other variables involved. Bulleit and other LDI/MGP ryes are all high rye (95%) and no corn while Rittenhouse is a "barely" legal rye at or near 51% rye with a lot of corn that tends to make it a lot more bourbon-y and adds the sweetness/smoothness (since there is less rye for the spiciness that is characteristic of rye grain) and the "weight" or "mouthfeel" of the spirit for me. I enjoy both as well but tend to mix more with Rittenhouse or another relatively low rye like baby Saz than Bulleit when a rye is called for unless I am making a drink where I really want rye character to stand out. I should probably experiment more with that notion but since it is typically only me drinking, and generally only on the weekends, it doesn't give me much opportunity to mix a variety of drinks. At least not if I want to remember any of it the next day...

I say be your own friend! Others can come to my place if they want to try it. Works for me..

I suppose the "typical" libation for agricole is the Ti punch as much as it is a daquiri. But that requires cane sugar syrup if you have access to that. The recipe is a bit loose in terms of ingredients. I have tried about 1/4 teaspoon sugar cane syrup (or 1/2 teaspoon of raw sugar if cane syrup isn't available), a light squeeze of lime from a thin lime slice and then drop it in followed by 1.5 to 2 ounces of rhum agricole according to your own taste. Ed Hamilton told me that traditionally they don't use any ice in Martinique but that he likes a bit of crushed ice and then swizzle the drink to combine the flavors well. In any case ice is optional.

In my quest to expand the Irish Whiskey portion of the liquor cabinet I added two new members. Both of these came from The Whisky Exchange. Yellow Spot (the 12yo 46% ABV older brother of Green Spot) is a fairly limited release and not available in the US. The Greenore from Cooley can be found in the US but not my area to my knowledge so I added it to an order placed with a couple of friends to help round out the order as it would have cost about the same to have it shipped on its own from a US supplier. It's an 80 proof all corn whiskey with only a hint of barley aged in used bourbon barrels that give it a somewhat bourbon-y profile or so say the reviews. Will be interesting to put the Yellow Spot head to head against the Powers John's Lane which is also a 12yo 46% ABV whiskey. Both come from Midleton so I am curious if the difference is subtle or distinct. Some of the Yellow Spot spent time in Malaga wine casks in addition to the more typical bourbon and sherry casks so presumably that will have an influence not found in the Powers which tends to be more heavily influenced by sherry casks.

69 Colebrooke Row and the Zetter Townhouse in London are both run by Tony Conigliaro. The Zetter Townhouse is the newer operation. 69 Colebrooke Row was recommended to me by David Wondrich (Splificator) a while back when I had the chance to meet him at a book signing. In fact I believe he was there just recently giving one of their Masterclass series presentations. So I am guessing they do a pretty good job with the cocktails. Unfortunately I did not get a chance to stop in and check it out on my most recent brief stop in London last month.

Moved to PM

I sometimes order from The Whisky Exchange as well for delivery to the US. Shipping costs are a bit painful but for things not currently available in the US there aren't many other options. Have a Yellow Spot Irish whiskey on order that I hope will arrive soon. Hopefully someone here has some insight that will make shipping possible for you. From what I have seen most US internet liquor sites either can't or won't ship internationally. I do not know if that is because of legal restrictions or not. As it is they usual can't even ship to some of the states in the US because of the insane, idiotic rules imposed by some states (including my own in some cases). That said, not sure it would matter much if they did, at least for Pappy and to a lesser degree the BTAC options like Handy, Weller or Stagg. I don't know that I have ever seen Pappy on any of these sites because of the ridiculously tight allocations and the feeding frenzy associated with their release. BTAC bottles occasionally will pop up on a site but usually it is Handy or the Eagle Rare 17yo. Whistlepig did not make it to the Atlanta market until about 2 years after its intial release. The allocations for high end booze appear to be even tighter this year as stocks of aged whiskey allegedly get more and more limited. Now the rumor is that Pappy will join Buffalo Trace in reducing their distribution to only once a year. Up until now it had been twice a year. Oh, and the already very high price is apparently going even higher. I may well get shut out this year myself despite my ongoing efforts to curry favor with my local spirits retailers. And I don't even live overseas, I live in Atlanta which is not exactly a small town. Apparently I need to move to Kentucky since even a mere 400 miles away is apparently too far.

It looks like I was using the tasting glasses from Greenwood Ridge, which are fairly small wine glasses. The Cremant de Bourgogne Rose I used is not super dry, despite being called a brut. I think definitely quite a bit more champagne than 1.5 oz, probably at least 3. Thanks! I will start there when I am opening another bottle of champagne and see how it goes.

Last night I took a crack at this and since there was no suggested starting point I started with 1.5 oz of champagne to match the cognac/armangac/brandy. Seemed OK but I think perhaps a bit more champagne is needed, at least for my palate. I was using a fairly dry brut although of course I didn't have the specific brand of champagne or armangac (I used the Ferrand 1840 cognac) that was mentioned.

Regarding zubrowka, do avoid the brand Bak's. Their version is awful, completely artificial tasting. I have a bottle I have no idea what to do with. Will do. Lookling for the "Zu" version which I think comes from the same company, Polmos, as the bottle I got in London.

Reminds me that I need to crack open that bottle of Zubrowka that I brought home from London. Might have to track down the sanitized US version for comparison.

This time of year I am looking for an interesting pumpkin ale that tastes more like pumpkin pie than an ale with pumpkin spice. Last night was the Weyerbacher imperial Pumpkin Ale. Not bad but more pumpkin spice than pumpkin pie to me. The quest will continue.

In any case, it is a fine, fine cocktail and a proper restorative for the drinker who may have imbibed a bit too seriously the night before. Depending on your feelings about Fernet, the I.B.F. may or may not benefit from a slightly generous hand with the teaspoon of that substance. I kind of thought it needed a little more... I stumbled across this little cocktail from another source (Spirits Journal on the K&L blog by David Driscoll) and it sounded rather interesting. One limitation is that it has the dreaded "fill remainder with" instruction for the amount of champagne to be used. Erik Ellestad's Savoy Stomp site is the same as he posted here so it doesn't offer much help. Probably a bit obscure but I don't suppose Erik, if you are around, or anybody else can quantitate the volume of champagne a bit more precisely for me? It calls for the use of a wine glass and a health dose of brandy so I am guessing it is more than a "splash". I suppose I can experiment and see what works best but it was be nice to have a firm starting point!

High West Campfire arrived in the Atlanta area today so I went out on a raid. Had ordered some Macvin du Jura and that was in as well. Got a couple of bottles of each. While there I picked up a few other odds and ends. Had debated the expensive Elijah Craig 20 year old bourbon offering but I haven't seen the much less expensive 18 year old around any more and was curious to see for myself if the 20 year old was any good. Also the WhistlePig rye had finally managed to makes its way to Georgia and had been highly praised so I had asked the store to put one aside for me. Knowing my penchant for oddities and things like Pineau de Charentes and the Macvin it was also suggested I try a newly arrived bottle of the La TroussePinete desert wine flavored with blackthorn. What the heck, sounds interesting. Picked up a bottle Jack Daniels Single Barrel that had been selected by the store for those occasions when I have guests who just have to have it and to support the stores efforts in doing special bottlings. It was selected by the Spirits manager and he has done a lot to help me find and acquire unusual stuff. Was sorely tempted by a bottle of Bushmills 21 year old Single Malt but I managed to restrain myself. Barely! Maybe next time... Finally, as the holidays approach it is time for pumpkin ale. Still looking for one I really like and so I decided to start with the Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale. Made with a reasonable amount of pumpkin meat and lots of spice or so I am told. We shall see!

Seems like intensely bitter drinks is something of a mini culture of its own in the burgeoning cocktail movement. I think I have to finally admit to myself that I am not going to ever be a fan of that part of the cocktail movement that likes bitter "über alles" (for some reason intense bitterness strikes me as being German!). I am getting more comfortable with drinks they stray a bit to the bitter side but intensely bitter drinks for the sake of intense bitterness just isn't ever going to be my thing.

Tried out the Ceylon Arrack this weekend. Pours out a light golden color without much aroma to speak of. Not sure what I was expecting. No doubt something a bit coconut-ish I suppose but it was not there. A distilled beverage so that was probably unrealistic to think it would be like a coconut liqueur I suppose. I suppose it was closest to a rum with a bit of a vegetal quality. But not a whole lot going on here which was a little disappointing.

And to be fair it only says "Favorite Single Malt". Doesn't mention Scotch or even "whisky", anywhere... (OK, I know that was probably what was meant!) But for a pleasant and generally easy to find whiskey I concur with Chris and find that the Bushmills 10yo Single Malt always hits the spot. Although I do also like a bit of the Black Bush now and again as well even it is a mere blended whiskey.