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Archive for the ‘Cocktails & Recipes’ Category

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Introducing: Alexandre Gabriel (Cognac Ferrand)

Posted by Arctic Wolf on September 14, 2012

Alexandre Gabriel (Cognac Ferrand)

Allow me to welcome Alexandre Gabriel, President and Owner, of Cognac Ferrand to my website.

Alexandre Gabriel was born in France, on a farm in southern Burgundy near the medieval town of Cluny, where his grandfather taught him how to make wine and distill spirits. He went to university in Lyon, and then in the U.S. as an exchange student, before returning to Paris to attend business school. More than 20 years ago, Alexandre came upon an ancient and almost defunct Cognac house. Through his passion and his vision, Alexandre Gabriel turned this small Cognac House into a specialized house of artisan spirits before the term was even coined. He re-built what is known today as Cognac Ferrand, in the heart of the Grande Champagne district of Cognac.

Mr. Gabriel believes in making spirits for people who enjoy the epicurean life and for the bartenders that make these epicurean libations possible.

______________________________________________

I was given the opportunity to conduct an email interview with Alexandre Gabriel here on my website, and to my delight, Mr. Gabriel exceeded all of my expectations sharing his energy and passion for Craft Spirits. Mr. Gabriel shares how he “fell into a barrel of Cognac” when he was “only 2 years into drinking age by American standards”. He explains why craft spirits are so important to Cognac Ferrand, and whether or not he is he is leading the spirits world into the realms of madness.

We discuss not only Cognac, but also Gin, Vodka and Rum, and then Mr. Gabriel shares not only two of his favourite cocktails with me, but also (after a certain amount of wailing and gnashing of the teeth), his favourite or most treasured spirit which Alexandre would wish for if he were to be stranded on a deserted island…

Here is a link to the full interview:

A Man of Passion: Alexandre Gabriel

Posted in Brandy and Cognac Reviews, Cocktails & Recipes, Extras, Gin, Interviews, Rum, Vodka | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Introducing: Alexandre Gabriel (Cognac Ferrand)

Review: Forty Creek Portwood Reserve 2012 Whisky

Posted by Arctic Wolf on September 13, 2012

Forty Creek Whisky has for the past several years produced a special limited release whisky and allowed the public to participate in its release by offering to let those who pre-order the whisky to choose their own numbered bottle(s). These special release whiskies are built upon the foundation of the company’s flagship whisky, Forty Creek Barrel Select, and are actually versions of this whisky which have spent additional time finishing in certain selected oak barrels. This year’s special release is the Forty Creek Portwood Reserve – 2012 Whisky.

This is the actually the second edition (lot 061) of the Portwood Reserve; the first edition (lot 060) was a very limited bottling released only in Ontario in 2009. As you have already determined, what makes this whisky special is that this Forty Creek Whisky has been finished in Port Wine Barrels. I am one of the lucky few who managed to buy a few bottles of the first edition 3 years ago, and as you can see by my 2009 review (see review here), I found this first edition of the Portwood Whisky very much to my liking. Of course, this means that I am delighted to have been sent a pre-release bottle of the second edition such that I can share my thoughts here on my website. This whisky is produced at 45 % alcohol by volume and is limited to only 6600 bottles and will be available in limited markets across Canada.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“…  The scents and smells rising into the breezes above the glass remind me of dark ripe BC cherries, blackberries and raspberries. Some dry fruit sensations (reminiscent of raisins and prunes) are part of the overall fruit and berry aroma. Subtle but firm impressions of cinnamon and cloves join in with a bit of sweet Demerara sugar thrown in for good measure. There are strong impressions of oak and orange peel in the air as well as hints of rye spice… “

You may read my full review here:

Review: Forty Creek Portwood Reserve 2012 Whisky

Included with the review is a very nice cocktail, the Portwood Manhattan. Please enjoy my review and the included cocktail, cheers!

Posted in Canadian Whisky, Cocktails & Recipes, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: , , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Forty Creek Portwood Reserve 2012 Whisky

Review: Siesta Key Spiced Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on September 10, 2012

The subject of this review: the Siesta Key Spiced Rum is an interesting spirit. Founder (and Distiller) of Drum Circle Distilling, Troy Roberts, begins with his award-winning Silver Rum. (Siesta Key Silver Rum took the Best in Class Gold Medal at the RumXP International Tasting Competition, earlier batches won a Silver Medal at the highly competitive New York International Spirits Competition and a Silver Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition). Then he adds a bit of his Siesta Gold Rum (reviewed here) to the mix. Finally, he spices the resulting blend using real spices. Troy literally weighs each of the spices and tosses them into a tank of rum to infuse. He uses no corn syrup or other industrial sweetener, instead Mr. Roberts uses honey to add sweetness (and flavor). The spices are primarily fall cooking spices with some exotic twists thrown in. Troy has told me that he is a strong believer that high quality real ingredients lead to a better rum.

I was sent a sample of the Siesta Key Spiced Rum for the purpose of a review upon my website.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“… Here is a spiced rum that refuses to knock me over with vanilla. The sweetness which normally accompanies spiced rum is diminished as well. Instead it is those pumpkin spices which lead out onto my palate. The flavour is just aggressive enough to let you know that you are drinking a spiced rum, but not so aggressive that anything is uncomfortable. I am very pleased with my initial impression…”

Here is a link to the full review:

Review: Siesta Key Spiced Rum

Of course I made a few recipe suggestions at the end of the review and I hope you get a chance to try my Spiced Rum Punch, and the Orange Push-Up.

Cheers Everyone!

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Rum, Rum Reviews, Spiced Rum | Tagged: , , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Siesta Key Spiced Rum

Review: Cruz Del Sol Silver Tequila

Posted by Arctic Wolf on September 9, 2012

According to the website information, Cruz Tequila contains no chemicals, additives or flavorings. It is produced entirely from Blue Weber agave plants grown in the highlands of the Los Altos region of Jalisco, Mexico. After harvesting the agave, it is slow cooked in traditional brick ovens for two days, then cooled before the juice is extracted and then naturally fermented. The fermented juice is double distilled in small batches using a proprietary process. All Cruz Tequila is packaged and bottled using recycled materials. This includes the blown glass bottles and the aluminum caps as well as the aluminum cross on the front label.

I good folks at Cruz Tequila arranged for me to receive a bottle of Cruz Del Sol Silver Tequila at the beginning of the summer so that I could taste it and write about it if I chose to do so.

Here is an excerpt from the resulting review:

“… The initial aroma the aroma from the Tequila is somewhat earthy, and has a sweet underlying agave scent that to me is somewhat reminiscent of freshly broiled garden squash. Soft peppery notes come forward out of the glass, followed by clean scents reminiscent of lightly sweet orange and lime citrus juices…”

You may read my full review here:

Review: Cruz Del Sol Silver Tequila

Included with the review is a nice recipe I created for this silver tequila called, Free Fall in Crimson.

Please enjoy the review and the great recipe I provided.

Posted in Blanco Tequila, Cocktails & Recipes, Tequila, Tequila Review | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Cruz Del Sol Silver Tequila

Review: Alberta Premium Dark Horse Canadian Whisky

Posted by Arctic Wolf on September 7, 2012

Big things are afoot at Alberta Distillers, as today Beam will be launching Alberta Premium® Dark Horse Canadian Whisky in my home Province of Alberta. This whisky promises to build upon the success of the Alberta Premium® brand which has won accolades for being one of the best rye whiskies in the entire world. In fact, Jim Murray, one of the world’s most renowned whisky critics, not only thinks the Alberta Premium Canadian Whisky is good, he thinks it is great! For years he has extolled the virtues of the Alberta Premium in his Whisky Bible naming it the best Canadian Whisky in 2006, 2007, and 2009. (The year that is missing, 2008 was the year that the Alberta Premium 25 Year Old won the award.)

According to my contacts at Beam, Alberta Distillers Limited is raising the bar with the new Dark Horse Whisky because they believe that Canadian whisky connoisseurs are ready for a bolder, richer tasting premium whisky. The Alberta Premium Dark Horse Whisky is designed to meet this challenge with a distinct new flavor profile which is to represent a bold new experience for the Canadian rye whisky drinker.

This new deluxe Canadian whisky builds upon its rye base with an added touch of sherry and bourbon flavour. The whisky is aged in heavily charred American white oak barrels, and represents a blend of 12-year-old rye, and 6-year-old small pot rye. It is bottled at a higher than normal 45 % alcohol by volume, and is being launched as a premium Canadian sipping whisky designed to deliver, (quoting from the information sheets here):

“high barrel aging extractives and a richer colour and flavour profile.”

This whisky launches today in Alberta, and will soon be available across Canada.

I received a pre-release bottle of the Alberta Premium® Dark Horse from Beam Global (who are the brand owners), and I have decided to provide a timely review here on my website.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“… The nose is complex and engaging, presenting the sharp spicy smells of rye alongside aromatic breezes full of black cherries and fieldberries (strawberry, saskatoons, and black currants). The air above the glass is sharp with oak and rye spices leading out (represented by ginger, cinnamon, and hints of cardamom). Caramelized brown sugars, a freshly bitten Turkish Delight candy bar, and bits of black licorice all find their way into those breezes which also has a distinctive bourbon taint…”

Here is a link to the full review:

Review: Alberta Premium Dark Horse Canadian Whisky

Although this is intended as a sipping whisky, I could not resist constructing a very nice cocktail which is appropriately called, the Dark Horse Cocktail.

Please enjoy my review and my cocktail libation, Cheers!

(Note: As more information has come to light, I have learned that the “added touch” of bourbon flavour is a whopping 8 to 8.5 % by volume addition of corn whiskey to the blend, and the “added touch” of sherry flavour is about 0.5 % by volume addition of sherry. These percentages stretch the definition of “added touch” and this knowledge which came to me after the review was written serves to illuminate some of my comments in the review especially with respect to balance.)

Posted in Canadian Whisky, Cocktails & Recipes, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

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