Posted by Arctic Wolf on October 22, 2016
I make my cocktails at home, and as a result I must be content with whichever ingredients happen to be in my cupboards and/or refrigerator. The Emissary is a tasty cocktail which came about when I was experimenting with different combinations of lemon, lime and grapefruit juice. I chose to accent the serving with just a hint of orange zest.
Although this particular cocktail is more complex to construct than a common sour cocktail, the results are well worth the effort.
The Emissary
1 1/2 oz Norvegia Vodka
3/8 oz fresh squeezed Lemon Juice
3/8 oz fresh squeezed Lime Juice
1/4 oz fresh squeezed Grapefruit Juice
3/8 oz Sugar Syrup (1:1 ratio)
Ice
Orange Peel (pith removed)
Add the Vodka, the fruit juice, and sugar syrup into a metal cocktail shaker with ice
Shake until the outside of the shaker begins to frost
Strain into a cocktail glass
Tie a long strip of fresh orange peel into a bow and drop it in for garnish
Enjoy!
Note: If you are interested in more of my cocktail recipes, please click this link (Cocktails and Recipes) for more of my mixed drink recipes!
Norvegia is a five-time distilled potato vodka from Norway. You may read my full review of this wonderful new potato spirit when it publishes tomorrow.
Chimo!
Posted in Cocktails & Recipes | Tagged: Cocktails, Emissary, Norvegia, Potato Vodka | Comments Off on Cocktail Hour: The Emissary
Posted by Arctic Wolf on October 20, 2016
Rum Old fashioned with Seven Fathoms
Cayman Spirits Co. began distilling spirits in 2008 at the George Town Harbour Distillery on Grand Cayman island. With a small single column still, the company uses local ingredients (including fresh cane juice from locally grown cane harvested on Grand Cayman’s East End) to produce their rum distillate in a batch style. The Seven Fathoms Rum distillate is then matured in American White oak bourbon barrels in a process that involves aging the rum seven fathoms deep under water in a secret location off the coast of the Grand Cayman island where the rolling waves rock the rum barrels in much the same way that they would be rocked in the cargo hold of a ship that was transporting the rum across the sea.
Here is a link to my full review:
“… I notice a lovely butterscotch scent rising into the air above the glass accented by some nice dusty wood spices. I like how the two scents merge together as the glass sits which is an indication to me that the rum may be a little older than I first suspected. Vanilla and cinnamon baking spices appear as well as a nice almond scent which moves to marzipan as I am examining the glass …”
Please enjoy my review of this unique rum which includes a nice cocktail suggestion, the Rum Old Fashioned.
Chimo!
Posted in Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: Cayman Spirits Co., Review, Rum, Seven Fathoms | Comments Off on Review: Seven Fathoms Rum
Posted by Arctic Wolf on October 18, 2016
Jas Hennessy & Co., is the largest Cognac producer in the world today with sales that exceed 45 million bottles per year. The company was founded in 1765 by Richard Hennessy who was an Irish Officer in the army of Louis XV. Fifty two years later, in 1817, Hennessy Cognac was so highly regarded that the Prince of Wales, (who later would become King George IV of Great Britain) asked the Hennessy House to produce what was termed a “very superior old pale cognac“. This was apparently the genesis for the initials V.S.O.P (Very Superior Old Pale), and these initials have become a labeling standard used throughout the industry to this day.
Hennessy’s eaux di vie spirit is produced from the fruity Ugni Blanc grapes which have been harvested from the four great crus of the Cognac region (Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne, Borderies and Fins Bois). The grape wine produced is (of course) double distilled upon copper pot stills and then set down to age.
Hennessy’s Paradis was the creation of Maurice Fillioux, the sixth generation of his family to act as chief blender for Hennessy Cognac (succeeded by his nephew Yann Fillioux) who in 1979 chose to blend eaux de vie which had been selected by his grandfather specifically because they displayed the temperament and structure which would lend themselves a long period of maturity. The result of his efforts was Hennessy Paradis Rare Cognac which is composed of up to 100 blended eauz de vie aged for between 25 to 100 years.
Here is my review:
” … The breezes above the glass are oak stained with strong woody aromas accented by light baking spices (vanilla, nutmeg, cardamon and cinnamon) and hints of dark Demerara sugar. There is a firm underlying floral element with impressions of lilac, menthol and subtle reflections of blue iris. As the glass breathes, pipe tobacco seems to form from the aromatic constituents in the air …”
Please enjoy my review of this extra aged cognac.
Chimo!
Posted in Brandy and Cognac Reviews, Cognac Review | Tagged: Cognac, Hennessy, Paradis, Review | 2 Comments »
Posted by Arctic Wolf on October 17, 2016
If you delve into the history of Cognac, you will find that the spirit was drank in a very different manner in the 18th and 19th centuries. In fact, if you happen to enter an old bar in France you might still see blue glass bottles with handles which used to be filled with seltzer water to be used with Cognac. The grape spirit may have remained a mixing spirit had not phylloxera arrived and ravaged the European vineyards.
Because of phylloxera, Cognac all but disappeared in the 1870’s, and it remained a relatively rare spirit until the end of the 19th century. During this time, it was gradually replaced in bars and restaurants by whisk(e)y in both the United Kingdom and North America. When the vineyards recovered and Cognac became more readily available near the beginning of the 20thcentury, it had to find a new market niche to occupy. For this reason, the grape spirit came to be promoted as an after dinner sipping drink rather than as a spirit meant mixed drinks and cocktails.
Brandy Crusta
However, if we go back to the roots of Cognac and how people originally preferred to enjoy the spirit, we find that as a cocktail spirit it has tremendous appeal. Cognac displays intense taste and aromas, great complexity, and a wonderful finish. The original bartenders knew this, and with cognac they created many classic bar drinks for their patrons. In fact, some of our favourite whisky cocktails, the Mint Julep, the Old Fashioned and the Sazerac were originally mixed with Brandy and Cognac.
The recipes I have selected below (click on the mixed drink servings to go to each recipe page) may seem heretical to today’s Cognac enthusiast; but they are all rooted in the true history of the grape spirit which was the original spirit of choice for bartenders who created mixed drinks and cocktails.
Please enjoy these cocktail servings and if you are interested in other libations, please click this link (Cocktails and Recipes) for more of my mixed drink recipes!
Chimo!
Posted in Cocktails & Recipes | Tagged: Alabazam, Apricot Sour, Baby Doll, Blood Orange Bitters, Brandy, Champs Élysées, Classic, Cocktails, Cognac, Crusta, Fevrier, Heretic, Hummingbird, Lime Sour, Medusa Coil, Mint Julep, Old Fashioned, Presbyterian Cocktail, Sidecar, Smash, Wisconsin Old Fashioned | Comments Off on Cocktail Hour: Cognac Servings
Posted by Arctic Wolf on October 15, 2016
The Mt. Logan whisky brand has been turning up in the local Liquor Depot chain of stores in my locale. It is in fact a ‘destination’ brand, and is exclusive to Liquor Depot and Wine & Beyond stores in Western Canada.
The whisky itself is distilled and blended by Highwood Distillers who are located in High River, Alberta (about 40 Kilometers south of Calgary). According to the label on the back of the bottle, Mt. Logan 5 Year Old Canadian Rye Whisky is produced from prairie rye and wheat grain in a batch style distillation with each grains distilled and aged separately. The whiskies are aged for at least five years in charred American white oak barrels (without the addition of additives) and when they are mature, they are blended to produce that distinctive Canadian ‘rye’ flavour profile consistent with our Canadian Whisky.
Here is a link to my newest Canadian Whisky review:
“… Fine oak spices and rye grain drift upwards with a light aroma of butterscotch and vanilla. The breezes above the glass also carry hints of baking spice (ginger and cinnamon), some light tobacco smells and aromas of dusty grain fields ripe and ready to be swathed …”
Please enjoy my review of this new Canadian Whisky.
Chimo!
Posted in Canadian Whisky, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: 5 Year Old, Canadian Whisky, Mt. Logan, Review, Rye | Comments Off on Review: Mt. Logan 5 Year Old Canadian Rye Whisky
The Rum Howler Blog 