Drinks! 2014 (Part 1)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I live in central NJ. My local store has McKenzie's bourbon and they used to have their rye -- I have the last bottle. I assume the store will restock it. I should have mentioned the delightful scent left in the glass. Maybe it's genetic, I was born near Rye, NY.

As to use in mixed drinks, I must say the whiskey punch I'm having now is pretty good (Imbibe! p76). True, not all the McKenzie character cuts through the rum and lemon juice. But enough. (After all, there are three ounces of it.) I like McKenzie better than Black Barrel in the recipe if only because my mouth doesn't feel like I am sucking on a block of alum.

Has anyone had McKenzie bourbon? Would it be worth trying?

[haresfur]

I live in central NJ. My local store has McKenzie's bourbon and they used to have their rye -- I have the last bottle. I assume the store will restock it. I should have mentioned the delightful scent left in the glass. Maybe it's genetic, I was born near Rye, NY.

As to use in mixed drinks, I must say the whiskey punch I'm having now is pretty good (Imbibe! p76). True, not all the McKenzie character cuts through the rum and lemon juice. But enough. (After all, there are three ounces of it.) I like McKenzie better than Black Barrel in the recipe if only because my mouth doesn't feel like I am sucking on a block of alum.

Has anyone had McKenzie bourbon? Would it be worth trying?

I tasted the McKenzie bourbon and it was nice enough but I'm not sure it would be up with my favourites. I bought the rye and it is decent for sipping but I haven't had much success mixing with it. Something about the funk doesn't work so well for me. YMMV

ETA if I could get Rittenhouse for $27 I would be happy indeed.

Edited January 19, 2014 by haresfur (log)

[ChrisTaylor]

A Bitter Elder modified as per EvergreenDan's sage advice: a 2 bitter to 1 boozy junipery booze to .75 citrus to .5 elderflower deal.

2 oz Campari

1 oz Botanist

.75 oz lime

.5 oz St Germain

Shaken. Up. Pretty fucking good, Dan. I like that it looks and smells like a girly drink.

Edited January 19, 2014 by ChrisTaylor (log)

[tanstaafl2]

I live in central NJ. My local store has McKenzie's bourbon and they used to have their rye -- I have the last bottle. I assume the store will restock it. I should have mentioned the delightful scent left in the glass. Maybe it's genetic, I was born near Rye, NY.

As to use in mixed drinks, I must say the whiskey punch I'm having now is pretty good (Imbibe! p76). True, not all the McKenzie character cuts through the rum and lemon juice. But enough. (After all, there are three ounces of it.) I like McKenzie better than Black Barrel in the recipe if only because my mouth doesn't feel like I am sucking on a block of alum.

Has anyone had McKenzie bourbon? Would it be worth trying?

Had a chance to try three different McKenzie whiskies recently.

The rye was the favorite for me. About 3 years old and aged in barrels that are air seasoned for 36 months before being finished briefly in barrels that had contained locally made sherry allowed it to have a nice rye grain nose but a more rounded palate than one might have expected for its age while retaining a solid rye spiciness.

The bourbon was also good although I hope they will continue to let it age a bit more as I think it has great potential.

Everything used to be made in pot stills but they have since converted to a column still which they feel allows them to produce an even better product although it will take some for it to age before it will be released.

I definitely think they are a distillery to watch in the near future. They don't rush things and are trying to do it in what I would consider the right way with full size barrels and a decent amount of aging as well as trying some different touches like the sherry finish on the rye.

Hard part for me as that there is only so much so distribution is limited. Not available locally so I have to order it online currently.

[Rafa]

How's the Irish-style whiskey? If I remember correctly it's made with both malted and unmalted barley and a bit of oats, which piques my interest.

[tanstaafl2]

Dinner out last night to try Kimball House for the first time. Packed on a Saturday and the bartenders didn't have a spare second to chat which I always enjoy doing when I can.

Ended up with three different cocktails but forgot my phone so no pictures to be had. Also no opportunity to see if they would share the recipes.

One was a Johnnys Hideaway. Presumably an homage to an older Atlanta cocktail bar/dance club generally featuring 50's and 60's music to the best of my knowledge.

james e. pepper rye

cocchi barolo chinato

punt e mes

amaro sibilla

pickled peach

bitters

Quite dry but tasty.

Next was a Death & Company. Presumably named after the New York bar of the same name although Company was spelled out rather than abbreviated.

j.w. dant bonded bourbon

spiced honey

lemon

la muse verte absinthe

green chartreuse

angostura bitters

Had a couple of these. Very good but very dependent on the absinthe rinse. The second one seemed to have a touch too much and of course the absinthe can quickly dominant.

But the "sleeper" of the night was the Sleep Walk.

scarlet ibis trinidad rum

capano antica formula

chichicapa mezcal

tart cherry brandy

aromatic cola bitters

Really, really good! Although the use of Scarlet Ibis made me think of Death & Co. again since they created the original blend for this rum brand.

[tanstaafl2]

How's the Irish-style whiskey? If I remember correctly it's made with both malted and unmalted barley and a bit of oats, which piques my interest.

It was my least favorite which was a bit disappointing. It is a pure or single pot still style made with malted and unmalted barley (80% barley, 15% malt and 5% oats) and aged about 4 years. I compared it against the new Emerald 1865 Irish style whiskey from Ransom. It is a bit different with 67% malt, 7% barley, 12% oats and the addition of 15% rye which the McKenzie doesn't have. It is a bit younger at three years.

The Emerald was the better whiskey to me. I think it is a really nice whiskey that doesn't seem to know it is only 3 years old. Also the mashbill is closer to my recollection of typical single pot still whiskey like Redbreast being made today with a 2/3 malted, 1/3 unmalted mashbill. I think the oats add something unique that may contribute to the richness of this otherwise relatively young whiskey. I highly recommend it if you can find it. It is rather spendy though.

The McKenzie was all barley on the nose to me (not a bad thing) and retained a lot of grain on the palate. A bit more coarse then the Emerald which had a real richness and oily mouthfeel that was somewhat unexpected in such a young whiskey. I like it more every time I try it and have acquired several bottles.

[Rafa]

Thanks for the notes. I'm excited for the Ransom whiskey, especially given your description of its mouthfeel and apparent maturity. I'll try it at a bar before I invest in a full bottle though.

[ChrisTaylor]

Oh, the Sullivan's double. That's the one I'e had/own a 200mL mini of. Keen to hear your thoughts on it. I think it's forgettable.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

One note to add on the McKenzie's: it's a bit hard on the head the next afternoon.

[judiu]

JNW, the Knob Creek was the 100° proof bourbon.

[KD1191]

Needed mint for a recipe and had quite a bit left over, so I made a couple of my minty favorites and pretended it was a scorcher outside:

The Wry Grin (a Sam Ross modern classic)...not sure of the original ratios, but I took inspiration from here and made mine as follows:

2 oz Rye (Willett 4yr for that slightly minty note found in the high-Rye mashbills)

1/2 oz Fernet (Fernet Leopold, here, which was terrific)

1/2 oz Simple

1/2 a lemon, quartered

10 mint leaves

Everything got muddled a bit (though I tried not to beat up on the mint too badly), then shaken with ice and strained onto fresh ice with a healthy, spanked mint garnish.

After that was a classic Mint Julep. I used Ancient Ancient Age 10 Year, and the only liberty I took was a few drops of Bittercube's Jamaican Bitters #2 on the leaves of the garnish, a trick I picked up from Stephen Cole (The Barrelhouse Flat & Lone Wolf). The spiciness adds a delightful counterpoint...allspice dram works nicely, too.

Edited January 20, 2014 by KD1191 (log)

[ChrisTaylor]

A Flor de Cana 4-powered Hemingway Daiquiri. Lovely drink. I mistrust anyone that feels the need to add simple to this.

EDIT

And now an Arbitrary Nature of Time from beta cocktails. I used Elmer Lee in place of Wild Turkey as it is the booziest bourbon I have on hand.

Edited January 20, 2014 by ChrisTaylor (log)

[tanstaafl2]

Oh, the Sullivan's double. That's the one I'e had/own a 200mL mini of. Keen to hear your thoughts on it. I think it's forgettable.

Have tasted it but not opened that particular bottle and spent anytime with it. It just happened to be bought around the same time as the Emerald and so was in the same picture!

My samples were enough to get me to buy it but I do recall it was a bit thin at the lower proof. The French Oak was perhaps a bit more spicy with a little more proof but also more costly.

Edited January 20, 2014 by tanstaafl2 (log)

[tanstaafl2]

Thanks for the notes. I'm excited for the Ransom whiskey, especially given your description of its mouthfeel and apparent maturity. I'll try it at a bar before I invest in a full bottle though.

Will be interested to hear your thoughts once you have tried it. I really like it but recognize every palate is different!

[FrogPrincesse]

Picking up where I left things off - more cocktails with Japanese whisky.

Talent Scout variation with Miyagikyo single malt Japanese whisky (10 years), dry curacao, Boker's bitters.

I had this one before with bourbon a bunch of times . Very different with the Miyagikyo, obviously. Quite intense, with lots of spice and smoke in the (dry) finish. The Pierre Ferrand dry curacao did not completely mesh with the fruit in the Miyagikyo.

Tattletale variation with Miyagikyo Japanese whisky, dogwood honey, Boker's bitters. This is based on a cocktail recipe that uses a mix of Highland and Islay scotch. The honey has a very distinctive flavor so this was really interesting. I liked it better than the Talent Scout.

[Hassouni]

Cocktail in a Glencairn glass, you say?

[FrogPrincesse]

Cocktail in a Glencairn glass, you say?

Yes, I planned it this way. ;-)

[sbumgarner]

I've been enjoying taking drinks I've enjoyed at a bar and not necessarily trying to recreate them, but taking the flavor profile and making something of my own. Most of these experiments fail miserably or at best are decent but inspire nothing from the original. However this attempt, inspired by Death and Company's Cafe Sandinista, has been a pleasant surprise. They use rum (maybe aged, maybe not, can't remember), a coffee-and-chili-infused Campari, lime juice, and a few other things I've forgotten, shaken and strained over crushed ice. This is what I came up with:

2 oz white rum (both 5 Banks and Cana Brava have worked well, something with a little funk seems to be good in this)

.75 oz lime

.5 simple (also tried .25 simple, .25 cinnamon syrup, not sure which I prefer)

.25 oz Campari

2 or 3 coffee beans

Healthy dash of Bittermens Habanero shrub

Muddle the coffee beans slightly, shake everything, double strain over a big rock. This has been working for me when I want something both refreshing but also complex enough to keep me from downing it in 5 mins

[Hassouni]

OK, bollocks to this, I've been sick for the better part of 2 weeks and need a drink!!

[EvergreenDan]

Made a Shiver (Campari, Doug Fir, grapefruit) for the first time in a while. Even better than I remembered.

[Ian Tuck]

Made a very simple drink the other day as part of a "customers make bartenders a drink" night at a local bar. We raised about $600 in tips for the Bartenders' Benevolent Fund here in Toronto.

Anyway, I call it the Panga. Appletons donated some bottles of Vx, so I started with the idea of a rum sidecar.

Once the base spirit was rum, I figured lime would work better than lemon as the citrus, and rather than Cointreau I decided to use Domaine de Canton to add the sweetness and because it had cognac in it I thought it was still in keeping with the idea of a sidecar. I still added 1/4 oz 1:1 simple to bump the sweetness a little.

When I tried it, it tasted good but seemed a little thin. That's when I went off the sidecar reservation. I added egg-white, which thickened it up, but it had a really quick finish. 4 drops of Bitterman's Elemakule Tiki bitters later I had a pretty dry, rum based islands-type drink. Quite a way from a sidecar, alas.

To name it, since it was an island-y drink, it got me to thinking about those zodiacs that often ferry people between larger boats and shore - when I was in Galapagos they called them "Pangas". So a Panga was sort of a sidecar to the boats.

At any rate, people seemed to like it - we went through a bottle and a half of Domaine de Canton. I tried it with both vanilla and cinnamon syrup and it seemed to work fairly well with both, but I went with just regular simple as that was what was on hand and I ran out of time.

Here's the recipe for a Panga:

1.5 oz Appleton's Vx

3/4 oz Domaine de Canton Ginger Liqueur

3/4 oz Lime Juice

1/4 oz Simple Syrup (1:1)

3/4 oz Egg White

4 drops Bitterman's Elemakule Tiki Bitters

Dry Shake, Wet Shake, serve in a 5 oz Coupe.

I googled the name and the recipe and found bupkus, but it would surprise me if someone hadn't already made something exactly or pretty-much exactly like it. That said, I came by the recipe honestly, so thought I'd post it here. I've thought about trying to modify it to use The King's Ginger, which would require a bit of balance-rejiggering because it's much more more ginger-y, but I think I'll just leave it as is.

[FrogPrincesse]

The Panga looks good. It reminds me of another rum drink that I like, the Rum Crawl. Similar structure but instead of being all ginger, it's part ginger, part falernum. Very nice with Appleton (I use the 12 years).

How do you like the tiki bitters ?

[ChrisTaylor]

My first experiment in 'barrel'-aging a cocktail. Equal parts Negroni (about 3/4 cup of each component plus a few dashes of Scrappy's/Regan's orange bitters) with 13 grams of barrel chips.

[ChrisTaylor]

Picking up where I left things off - more cocktails with Japanese whisky.

Talent Scout variation with Miyagikyo single malt Japanese whisky (10 years), dry curacao, Boker's bitters.

I had this one before with bourbon a bunch of times . Very different with the Miyagikyo, obviously. Quite intense, with lots of spice and smoke in the (dry) finish. The Pierre Ferrand dry curacao did not completely mesh with the fruit in the Miyagikyo.

Tattletale variation with Miyagikyo Japanese whisky, dogwood honey, Boker's bitters. This is based on a cocktail recipe that uses a mix of Highland and Islay scotch. The honey has a very distinctive flavor so this was really interesting. I liked it better than the Talent Scout.

I just made the Talent Scout using Glenfarclas 15 in place of the Japanese whisky. It's okay. Drinkable but wouldn't make it again. I suspect the cocktail's dissatisfaction with itself, its internal struggle between whisky and curacao, isn't just something you find with Glenfarclas or the Japanese dram you used. Curacao and Scottish-style whisky--and I could Japanese whisky as mostly following in the Scottish tradition--merely tolerate each other.