Monthly Archives: January 2014

Suburban

21 Tuesday Jan 2014

Posted by musingsonthevine in Cocktails

≈ Leave a comment

Suburban

The Suburban is a pre-Prohibition libation that was first served in the old Waldorf Astoria Hotel, now the site of the Empire State Building in Manhattan. A favorite cocktail writer, David Wondrich expounded on it recently and what caught my attention was his description: “This dark, rich and masculine pre-Prohibition classic…” How could I go wrong?

According to Wondrich, the cocktail is named, not for the hordes of commuters taking trains from Penn Station, but instead the drink was named for a horse race, the Suburban Handicap that was run every June at Sheepshead Bay. Today the race is run at Belmont and I’m sure they serve a few of these very manly cocktails at post time.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present the Suburban:

1 oz.      Ruby Port (I use Offley)

½ oz.    Aged Rum (I use Zacapa Solera 23)

1-½ oz. Rye Whiskey (I use Bulleit)

Garnish with a lemon peel

Combine and stir all ingredients with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with the lemon peel.

Cheers!

Ants in the Pants

21 Tuesday Jan 2014

Posted by musingsonthevine in Cocktails

≈ Leave a comment

AntsinthePants1

I’m not sure if I like cocktails so much because of the way they taste, the way they make me feel, or simply because of their pithy names… This Prohibition favorite seems to address all three quite nicely. At first, I thought the mix of Grand Marnier and Sweet Vermouth was going to be too much sweetness, but surprisingly, the dash (albeit, a long dash…) of Lemon Juice makes for a well-balanced libation.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present Ants in the Pants:

1 oz.      Gin (London Dry)

½ oz.    Sweet Vermouth (Martini & Rossi is fine)

½ oz.     Grand Marnier

1 Dash Lemon Juice (I used a long dash)

Garnish with a lemon peel

Combine and shake all ingredients with crushed ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with the lemon peel.

Cheers!

The Botanist

02 Thursday Jan 2014

Posted by musingsonthevine in Spirits

≈ Leave a comment

In the immortal words of Ron Burgundy… I love Scotch! And, because I am a person who believes in equality and fairness, I also find myself loving other spirits too… like Gin.

Imagine how happy I was to find that one of my favorite Scotch whisky distillers now produces a Gin called The Botanist! Yep… you heard me correctly. Bruichladdich, the “Progressive Hebridean Distiller” has crafted a spectacular Gin.

You can learn a lot about why Bruichladdich is one of my favorite whisky distillers at their web site: http://www.bruichladdich.com/

Briefly, Bruichladdich is on the isle of Islay, which produces some of the most unique whisky in the world. I find that you either love the distinguishing peat flavor and briny iodine found in most Islay malt, or you simply don’t. Bruichladdich whisky has the definite soul of an Islay malt, but there is a purity and concentration that I find in no other whisky from the island.

The_Botanist_Isl_5278f7ad24323_thumb_

According to the marketing materials, The Botanist is a small-batch, artisanal Islay Gin, crafted from nine classic gin aromatics, and then augmented by the addition of twenty-two native Islay botanicals. The aroma and flavor profile are wildly complex, but not over-the-top – truly a very pretty Gin. The materials also speak to the distillation process – apparently an agonizing seventeen hour affair in a still that their head distiller Jim McEwan affectionately calls “Ugly Betty.” Betty prefers long, low pressure runs, which allows for a very long steeping with the botanicals that clearly accounts for the depth of complexity. It also must have a lot to do with the smoothness of the spirit. On the palate the Gin is remarkably rich and mellow with almost no bite or excessive heat. This is truly a sipping Gin that I found needed nothing, not even ice as an accompaniment. A light splash of spring water did loosen the nose a bit, but the palate is fine without it.

I can only hope that Bruichladdich continues with their Islay Gin, it will make me a very happy man!

Cheers!

Old Potrero

02 Thursday Jan 2014

Posted by musingsonthevine in Spirits

≈ Leave a comment

18THCENTURYPOTREROextensio copy

I have long been a fan of Anchor Steam Beer… I think for a few decades I actually could boast having annually collected a bottle of their Christmas Ale – Always delicious with all the correct reminders of Christmas. Like most breweries, Anchor has a distilling operation, oddly enough called Anchor Distilling. I have long enjoyed their Junipero Gin and recently came across their Old Potrero Whiskey, specifically the 18th Century Style Whiskey. I must say that I am very impressed.

Anchor makes three versions of their Whiskey: Old Potrero Straight Rye, Old Potrero Hotaling’s Single Malt Whiskey and the 18th Century Style.

According to the sales literature, the 18th Century Style Whiskey is Anchor’s attempt at recreating “the original whiskey of America.” The spirit was distilled in a small copper pot still at Anchor’s distillery on Potrero Hill (hence the name) from a 100% rye malt mash. The spirit is then gently aged in a mix of old and new oak barrels that have been lightly toasted over oak chip fires as opposed to heavily charred barrels a la Bourbon. The result is a lightly-colored, delicately sweet whiskey that retains much of the malt-quality of the mash. I found this an ideal sipping whiskey that opened nicely with the addition of a splash of spring water.

Anchor’s promotional materials speak to the “authenticity” of this colonial whiskey. The use of 100% malted rye, a small copper pot still and lightly toasted oak aging all add up to a very authentic experience. I actually think the whiskey is probably smoother than what our ancestors were drinking, but that’s just a hunch…

Based on the quality of the 18th Century Style, I will be searching out the other varieties. I sense, though that the limited, small batch production may make them hard to find in the main stream.

Cheers!

Subscribe

  • Entries (RSS)
  • Comments (RSS)

Archives

  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • August 2019
  • February 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • November 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2015
  • October 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011

Categories

  • Cocktails
  • General
  • Restaurants
  • Spirits
  • Uncategorized
  • Wine Events
  • Wines

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in

Blog at WordPress.com.

  • Follow Following
    • blog.musingsonthevine.com
    • Join 35 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • blog.musingsonthevine.com
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...