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Cocktail Hour: The Dog Star Daiquiri

Posted by Arctic Wolf on January 26, 2016

In mid to late January, if you look upwards to the southern sky at about 11:30 in the evening, you will see the mighty constellation Orion dominating starry landscape. Taurus the Bull is above the Mighty Hunter to his right, and Gemini is also above him, but the twins are to his left. The major stars of the Nimrod are Betelgeuse and Bellatrix which serve as his shoulders; Rigel and Saiph which serve as his knees;  and Mintaka, Alnilam, and Alnitak, the three belt stars, shining brightly like sparkling yellow-white gemstones. These belt stars are, at this particular time aligned almost vertically in the sky.

If you follow the belt line down towards the horizon and just a little to the to the left, you will find the most magnificent twinkling star in the winter sky, the blue-white giant star, Sirius, also known as the Dog Star.

Dog StarIt is that brilliant Dog Star (located directly below the belt stars of Orion) which is the inspiration for my delicious winter daiquiri creation:

The Dog Star Daiquiri

2 1/2  oz Bacardi Gold Rum
1/2 oz fresh squeezed Lemon Juice
1/2 oz fresh squeezed Lime Juice
1/2 oz fresh squeezed Grapefruit Juice
1/2 oz sugar syrup (more or less to taste)
dash Maraschino liqueur
3 drops Fees Cocktail Bitters
Ice
Lime slice

Add the Bacardi rum, and the rest of the ingredients into a metal cocktail shaker with ice
Shake until the sides of the shaker frost
Strain into a cocktail glass
Add a Lime Slice for garnish

And of course enjoy responsibly!

If  you are interested in more of my original cocktail recipes, please click this link (Cocktails and Recipes) for more of my mixed drink recipes!

Note: My new review for Bacardi Gold Rum publishes tomorrow.

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on Cocktail Hour: The Dog Star Daiquiri

Top 25 Rums of 2015

Posted by Arctic Wolf on January 25, 2016

The 2015 Best Rum in the World

The 2015 Best Rum in the World

I was not sure I would be able to complete my listing of the Top 25 Rums of 2015. Last fall was so hectic. My retail store where I sell sports and movie memorabilia was extremely busy, and the ramp up to Christmas was crazier than ever. As well, upon my website, I had embarked on the ambitious plan to countdown the best 100 spirits I have ever tasted.

Compiling the Rum Howler 2015 Top 100 Spirits Countdown fortunately afforded me the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. As part of the process of compiling my list of the best 100 spirits ever, I was able to taste almost everything I needed to compile my list of the best rums of 2015.

Unlike my Top 100 Spirits list which was a listing of the best spirits I have ever tasted regardless of whether they were still in production, this list of the Top 25 Rums of 2015 contains only those spirits which are currently available. Every spirit on this list is available somewhere in the world in a local retail shop.

I should point out that when I reached the top 5 spots in this countdown of 2015 rums, I decided to add a wrinkle. Rather than using only my tasting preferences, I asked two friends to join me tasting the final five rums. The top 5 rankings were arrived using an amalgam of our 3 scores. I was quite satisfied with the results.

And so with no further ado, allow me to present my list:

The Rum Howler – Top 25 Rums of 2015

Posted in Awards, Extras, Rum | Comments Off on Top 25 Rums of 2015

Review: Highland Park 12 Years Old (2015)

Posted by Arctic Wolf on January 23, 2016

Highland Park 12

The 12 Year Old Highland Park Whisky is the core expression of Highland Park Distillery, that is to say, it is their flagship brand. Highland Park prides itself in not making any compromises when making whisky. The twelve-year expression is bottled at 43 % alcohol by volume, and is the youngest in Highland Park’s impressive lineup.

I reviewed this particular expression of Highland Park Single Malt Whisky back in 2009, and for several years it was one of my all time favourites. Recently, I received a newer bottling. I decided to put the whisky once again through the paces of my review system to see how this bottling (2015) compared to the great 2009 bottling.

Here is a link to my latest Single Malt Whisky Review:

Review: Highland Park 12 Years Old (2015)

“… The whisky has had more time to breathe, and when I examine the breezes above the glass I sense more of the familiar aromatics of Orkney peat. There are light heather and lavender smells as well as smells of willow trees sitting atop a boggy peat. A very light butterscotch and honey sweetness is present as well, and this helps to make the Orkney peat more approachable …”

Please enjoy my review.

Chimo!

Posted in Scotch Whisky, Single Malt Whisky, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Highland Park 12 Years Old (2015)

Cocktail Hour: Blood and Sand

Posted by Arctic Wolf on January 22, 2016

Mixing a cocktail with a Single Malt Whisky always brings out a few cat calls from persons who believe such a thing is sacrilege. However, having discussed the topic with more than a few of the master blenders and whiskey makers from Canada, Scotland (and elsewhere), I have found almost unanimous support for my point of view which is that a spirit of any quality may be the focus of a cocktail. In fact, ‘the better the spirit, the better the cocktail’ is a sentiment I hear often. With that in mind I have chosen to follow my chosen path and bring together a classic Scotch whisky cocktail, Blood and Sand, with the highly regarded Single Malt, the Highland Park 12 Year Old.

Blood and Sand (the cocktail) was apparently named for the Rudolph Valentino 1922 bullfighter movie of the same name. The connection is by no means certain, as the first printed recipe for the bar drink did not appear until 8 years later in the Savoy Cocktail Book (1930).  The Savoy Cocktail Book’s recipe calls for equal parts orange juice, scotch whisky, cherry brandy and Italian vermouth which makes the bar drink easy for both the home and the profession bartender to master.

Today, it is common to see recipes which replace the orange juice with the juice of the Blood Orange. Not only does this play nicely with the name of the cocktail, but the tart, almost raspberry-like flavour of the blood orange is complimentary to the bar drink making it slightly drier (and to me more appealing). When a high quality peated single malt whisky is used as well, the Blood and Sand becomes a wonderful wintertime cocktail.

For my suggested construction, I tweaked the ratios slightly to increase the light punch of smoke and to further limit the sweetness of the serving. This of course allows the Highland Park 12 Year Old Whisky to be the star of the libation.

Blood and SandBlood and Sand

3/4 oz Highland Park 12 Year Old
5/8 oz Sweet Vermouth (Martini Rosso)
5/8 oz Cherry Brandy (Bols)
3/4 oz Fresh Squeezed Blood Orange Juice
ice
Orange Zest or Peel (optional)

Add the first four ingredients into a metal shaker with ice
Shake until the outside of the shaker frosts
Strain into a cocktail glass
Garnish with orange peel (optional)

If  you are interested in more cocktail recipes, please click this link (Cocktails and Recipes) for more mixed drink recipes!

Note: a new review based upon a recently acquired bottle of Highland Park 12 Year Old Single Malt Whisky will publish tomorrow.

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes | Tagged: , , , | 4 Comments »

Big Rig Craft Distillery

Posted by Arctic Wolf on January 20, 2016

On January 12, 2016, I took a little tour south of Edmonton along the Queen Elizabeth II Highway to the Hamlet of Nisku. The small hamlet, which sits adjacent to Edmonton, is surrounded by what is called The Nisku Business Park. This industrial park contains an important assortment of businesses which provide support to the Oil Industry here in Alberta. What brought me to Nisku was Alberta’s newest craft distillery, the Big Rig Craft Distillery and their Pure Alberta Spirit.

Welcome

I had been invited by the company President & Head Distiller, Geoff Stewart to come on down for a private tour of the facility, and of course to sample some of their new spirit in their newly opened Big Rig Craft Distillery Tasting Room. When I arrived I was greeted by Geoff and introduced to his team which included his General Manager & Co Distiller, Mike Beile and Blenders, Adam Smith and Joanne Keller.

The Big Rig Craft Distillery opened their doors on October 17, 2015 and they already have an impressive line-up of spirits for sale at their boutique store within the facility. These spirits include their Premium 16x Distilled Vodka and Wildrose Gin; their selections of White Dog Distillate (not whisky for three years yet); and their intriguing Sugar Beet Brum. As well, they are experimenting with an array of flavoured Vodkas some of which are bottled and ready for sale, and others which are in development. The most intriguing of these flavoured spirits was their Garlic Vodka which makes an entirely delicious Big Rig Garlic Caesar Cocktail (recipe coming soon).

Big Rig Team

The Big Rig Team: Adam Smith, Mike Beile and Geoff Stewart

During my tour, the team was busy producing both Vodka and Gin, and I was able to see both the equipment and the team in action. The distillery truly is a craft operation, as the entire process from grain to glass is completed in about 2 weeks in a batch-style by the Big Rig Team.

If you are interested in how the Big Rig team actually produces these premium spirits, here is a link to my description of the full tour.

The Big Rig Craft Distillery Tour

Note: Please contact the Big Rig Craft Distillery for information regarding your own opportunity to tour their Craft Distillery (and Tasting Room).

Posted in Distillery Tour, Extras | Tagged: , | Comments Off on Big Rig Craft Distillery

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