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Posts Tagged ‘Cocktails and Recipes’

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Rum Cocktail: El Padrino

Posted by Arctic Wolf on January 7, 2010

Okay I am revamping my cocktail section, my original concept was kind of, shall we say, not meeting the requirements of my audience.  So I redid the menu so that all the cocktails are now in one section only.  If you go to the ‘page menu’ at the side of the blog and scroll down you will find them.

Photo courtesy forrest

But on to the EL PADRINO.  This cocktail is the result of an idea of mine, which was tweaked by the cocktail guru, forrest (if you click his name you will be directed to his very nice web site).  I actually introduced this cocktail in my review of Flor de Cana Centenario Gold 18 Year Old Rum, but it occurred to me that no one would find it unless they were looking at the review.  So I decided to add it into the cocktail section with a page of its own.

This is a premium aged rum cocktail.  The idea of mine was that premium aged rums like Flor de Cana Centenario Gold, have a complex 0aky profile, which should work well in cocktails which used an aged complex spirit.  A quick check of my handy book; 1001 Cocktails: 1001 Recipes for the Perfect Drink (Hardcover),~ Alex Barker (Compiler), gave me the starting place I needed.

The cocktail recipe I found was, The Godfather, which is a simple 2 part Scotch, to one part Amaretto, recipe.  I emailed forrest and told him of my idea.  He loved it, then he tweaked it, and El Padrino was born.  Those who are  a little smarter than the average bear will realize , El Padrino, is Spanish for Godfather.  A perfect name for a rum based version of the Godfather.

Here is a link to the final version of the recipe: 

Rum Cocktail: El Padrino

Please enjoy in a responsible manner, remember the aim is not to drink more, it is to drink better!

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes | Tagged: , | 2 Comments »

Rum Review: Barcelo Imperial Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on January 5, 2010

The Barcelo Brand and Company was founded in 1929. The company survived the destruction of its first distillery by the San Zenon Hurricane in 1930, and has grown to be one of the Dominican Republic’s major rum producing enterprises.    Now Barcelo is an international brand which claims sales in over 20 countries on 3 continents.  The Ron Barcelo portfolio includes five basic brands which climb the ladder from the basic white rum “Ron Barcelo Blanco” to the premium rum “Ron Barcelo Imperial”.   Here is a link to the Ron  Barcelo  web page:  Ron Barcelo Web Page .

In preparing this review I went back to my good friend forrest, who is a cocktail maniac.  I wanted to make sure the cocktail I had created would ‘pass the mustard’ so to speak.  His answer to my cocktail was simple, “Make me one…better make that two!”

So complete with my “forrest approved” cocktail. Here is my review:

Rum Review: Ron Barcelo Imperial Rum

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Dark Rums, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , , | Comments Off on Rum Review: Barcelo Imperial Rum

Whisky Review: Forty Creek Portwood Reserve

Posted by Arctic Wolf on December 29, 2009

On September 15, 2009, Forty Creek introduced to the world, (well actually just to Ontario, Canada) a brand new whisky,  Forty Creek Portwood Reserve Canadian Whisky. Luckily for me, I had advanced notice.  A posting on the Forty Creek website informed all who visited that the whisky was coming, and that it would be severely limited.  Only 3000 bottles;  and, available only in Ontario Canada.  So I emailed my good friend Terry Martin who works  for the distillery and reserved a case of individually numbered bottles for myself.  Then I arranged (which all who reserved bottles could arrange) for each one to be signed to me by John Hall, the Master Distiller.  The people who work at Forty Creek are good at things like this.  Last year they arranged for me to get a case of their fantastic Icewine and Brandy with personalized labels for my wife and my 20th wedding anniversary.

Living in Alberta presented problems in getting these fine products to myself, but I have friends in Ontario who do not mind picking up my goods at the Distillery.    I guess I should reiterate a little information about the Forty Creek Whiskies which I wrote in my last review of the Forty Creek Barrel Select.

Forty Creek Whiskies are the brainchildren of Master Distiller John Hall.  John Hall bought the Kittling  Ridge Estates Winery in 1992.  Although primarily a winemaker, when John discovered a small pot copper still on the estate he couldn’t resist the urge to experiment with another product he loved… whisky.  The wine making heritage combined with the love of whisky has produced what I consider to be a unique Canadian Whisky.  Each batch of whisky is produced upon this small pot copper still, but what makes Forty Creek special is that John doesn’t use a single mash for his whisky like other producers.  He makes three separate batches.  A corn mash produces a corn whisky, a barley mash produces a barley whiskey, and a rye mash produces a rye whisky.  Each whisky is aged separately in a variety of oak barrels,  and then blended and finished in sherry casks.  The sherry is actually made right at the winery so Forty Creek can utilize their own sherry casks for the final finishing.

The Portwood Reserve has been constructed in the same manner.  The difference is in the finishing.  Beginning in 1993 John began to construct Port Pipes for making his own Port Wine.  These port pipes were used to finish the Portwood Reserve Whisky, rather than the Sherry casks.  The result is a unique Canadian whisky, which preserves all of the heritage of Forty Creek, yet raises itself to a new standing within their whisky line.

Here is my review:

Review: Forty Creek Portwood Reserve Canadian Whisky

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

Whisky Review: Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban (Scotch Whisky)

Posted by Arctic Wolf on December 27, 2009

Glenmorangie – The Quinta Ruban

The Glenmorangie Distillery  Company was officially licensed to produce whisky in 1843, and began with a tradition of uniqueness and innovation right from the start,  beginning with the construction of tall gin styled stills instead of the traditional onion shaped stills in use at the time.  Glenmorangie also was amongst the first distilleries to used American Oak for aging the whisky, as well as at the forefront of the new wave of unique wood finished whiskies.  In fact the core range of Glenmorangie includes three unique wood finishes;  the La Santa which is a Sherry finish, the Nector D’or which is a Sauternes Wine finish, and the whisky which I am reviewing in this article, The Quinta Ruban, which is a Ruby Port Finish.  Here is a link to the Glenmorangie website for more information on their history and their core range of whiskies.

And without further ado here a link to the review:

Review: Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban (Scotch Whisky)

And I had better add, that added at the end of the review, I have not one but five bar drinks constructed for this special Scotch,  four of them by my favourite cocktail connoisseur …. forrest!

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Scotch Whisky, Single Malt Whisky, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: , , , , , | Comments Off on Whisky Review: Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban (Scotch Whisky)

Rum Review: Havana Club Barrel Proof Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on December 13, 2009

This week’s Rum review is an authentic Cuban rum which, to be honest, blew me away by how good it is.  The Barrel Proof rum is a blend of select older rums which are refinished in young oak, and then bottled at 45 % alcohol content.    The finishing in the younger oak allows newer oak tannin to be introduced into the blend.  This is a tricky procedure but one which bears stunning results if done properly.

The Havana Club website expands on this process as if you wish you may give it a read with this link.

Havana Club website.

Or if you wish you can go straight to my review and read my thoughts on this stunning rum:

Review: Havana Barrel Proof Rum

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Dark Rums, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , , | 1 Comment »

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