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WoW Report

Live from the Denver airport (kudos for the free wi-fi), my take on last night's Whiskies of the World in San Francisco:

• Eades "Double Malts" is a lame advertising term to describe the combination of two single malts, married in an additional cask. However, their Islay blend, made with Bowmore and Caol Ila and finished in a Zinfandel cask, is going in an interesting direction. I think I like it when people put a sweet and soft spin on a macho spirit, kind of like a drag queen with a beard.
• The new Ardmore single malt (previously it went mostly into the Teacher's blend) seemed to be a big hit at the event. I'm glad- I like the stuff. I had lunch with the brand ambassador Simon Brooking the previous day. He said that there are about 3,000 cases released this year (in the next couple of weeks), but should be five times that next year. It's the only fully peated Highland malt, with the peat smokey flavor profile of an Islay scotch, but there's something about the texture of the whisky that's most like the smoothness Glenlivet or Glenfiddich. The combination of lighter texture and heartier flavor I really enjoy.
• I tried Tuthilltown Spirits products for the first time. I was surprised to love their unaged corn whiskey (moonshine, basically). I didn't like the Baby Bourbon at all, but found their Single Malt to be tasty. And those little tiny bottles are just so cute. I'll take a dozen!
• But the big hit of the night was the High West Rendezvous Rye, a blend of a 6 year old and 17 year old rye that was destined to be blended into Canadian Whisky. The man behind the brand, David Perkins, saved it from its fate and married the two together. Perkins says that with the exception of Anchor's 100% rye, his product probably has the highest rye content on the market. And in a strange coincidence, Perkins is the future father-in-law of an old raver friend from the early 1990's I ran into at the event. Flashback!
• There were also a few vodkas, rums, eau-de-vie's, and absinthe at the event. I skipped most of them but tried some tequila.
• Querido Viejo had a deliciously sweet blanco that reminded me a little of Corralejo crossed with Don Julio. I didn't like their reposado at all- it was aged 9 months in new oak. The anejo, aged in Canadian whisky casks (and I think Canadian whisky casks are often used bourbon casks used again but I could be wrong) I also enjoyed. It's strange how so many tequila brands have blanco, repo, and anejo expressions, but they may not share the same barrel finish or flavor profile.
• Speaking of that, I also tried the Don Eduardo tequila. The blanco is triple distilled and thus doesn't taste like anything much. The reposado, on the other hand is only double distilled like usual, and is wonderfully strong in agave character and spiciness from aging in Oregon pine. The anejo, aged in used bourbon barrels, I thought was just okay. Go repo!

Phew! That's it. Now I'm thirsty again.

Labels: events, SanFrancisco

World whiskies, then world travel

Posting will be infrequent if not non-existent over the next week and a half. I'm headed to the Whiskies of the World tasting event tonight in San Francisco, then to Vail early in the morning for the Navan/Grand Marnier Mixology Summit, then to Martinique with Rhum Clement to drink rhum agricole right from the source.

Work, work, work.

Labels: rum, travel

Uslurper and vinegarwatch sighting

Paul Clarke has a story on pimento/allspice dram in today's SF Chronicle. The title: "Hot Dram!"

Included in the story is a recipe from Martin Cate of Forbidden Island, and included in that recipe is the magic ingredient: vinegar!

Labels: liqueurs, trends, tropical

On the organic happy hour circuit

Kuleto's, which has the first and only all-organic cocktail menu in San Francisco, has expanded their program. Now from 3-5 PM on weekdays they offer an Organic Happy Hour with reduced prices on orgo cocktails, wine, and beer. They also deny you plastic straws and paper napkins to rub it in, err... set the mood.

And as an after-party for that, the W Bar at the W Hotel is starting an "ecolicious" happy hour in April. The party goes from 5:30 to 7:30 (so walk slowly from Kuleto's) on weekdays, serving two each of organic wines, beer, and cocktails. The $10 cocktails are a vodka-elderflower drink with a prosecco float, and a tequila-watermelon-chili drink. A portion of the proceeds goes to Save the Bay.

Labels: bars, eco-booze, SanFrancisco

Belgian showers

The Toronado, a bar that normally specializes in Belgian beers, is celebrating Beglian Beer Month in April, with, I assume, even more Belgian beers than usual. I bet between this bar and La Trappe and The Trappist and Monk's Kettle you could try nearly every Belgian beer on the market. Not a bad way to spend your April.

Labels: beer, SanFrancisco

At Beretta, less is more

When Beretta opens (currently scheduled for April 1), cocktail fans will recognize many familiar faces behind the bar. Thad Vogler (Slanted Door, Jardiniere, Bourbon & Branch) is leading the bar program, and some of the people taking shifts there will be Jon Santer (Bruno's, Range, Tres Agaves, B&B), Todd Smith (Cortez, B&B), Ryan Fitzgerald (Tres Agaves, B&B, Brick), and Eric Johnson (Eastside West, B&B). Vogler says it's coincidence that they were all looking to pick up a shift or two, but I'm already nicknaming the venue the Valencia Street All-Star Bar.

Though not finalized at this point, Vogler gave me the gist of his bar program: a paired-down spirits selection, quality valued more than quantity, and execution over innovation. They'll be carrying only two brands of vodka (one local, the other organic), but a good selection of gins, rums, aperitifs, and liqueurs. The cocktail list looks like it will include a lot of classic profile drinks emphasizing the American, Latin, and Caribbean base spirits.

I think it's going to be an interesting place, especially because this bar program is running in a pizzeria restaurant.

Labels: bars, SanFrancisco

A big month for vodka flavors

Smirnoff just added two flavors to their line of vodkas: white grape and passion fruit. Now the line stands at 13 flavors.

Then Skyy Vodka announced they are reformulating their flavors to use all-natural flavorings and now calling them Skyy Infusions (including grape and passion fruit flavors- coincidence?). I asked for specifics on the flavoring process but am not convinced by their answer that they're doing anything but purchasing natural flavors instead of artificial ones.

The Skyy flavors don't come close to the whole-fruit taste experience of flavors by Hangar One and Charbay, but you don't really expect them to. Though I'm very leery of their overuse of the words "infusion" and "natural," the flavors are much brighter and seem to have more flavor elements than the average mono-flavoral (I just made that up) stuff on the market. So all marketing aside, they did something new and interesting. Perhaps I'll blog some tasting notes later.

In other interesting flavor news, I've got to say that the organic Tru vodka lemon flavor is a total winner. You can taste rind and pith and smell the zest of the lemons. Of what I've tried, only Hangar One's Buddha's Hand is in the same league. Nice work.

And finally, Charbay vodka announced that now all the fruit used in their blood orange, meyer lemon, and pomegranate flavors is organic. It's great to see everything moving in this direction.

Labels: trends, vodka

Rumors of its demise have been greatly exaggerated

There's been a rumor that San Francisco's 209 Gin shut down its operations, but it's not true, says 209's distiller Arne Hillesland. He said he's not sure where the rumor originated, but thought it might be a misunderstanding about an employee who left.

In fact, he says they're distilling this week and shipping 300 cases of the product to London. Since I last checked, they expanded their distribution from just west coast states to many in the midwest and on the east coast, including New York, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire.

Phew. In this case, no news is good news.

Labels: gin, news

Tiki taking over?

Now that they're serving tiki drinks in New York, the rest of the country can read about the trend. At Elettaria they're serving a few tiki cocktails including the Navy Grog and Zombie, the Rusty Knot is some kind of tiki dive, and DISCUS threw a tiki party that was reported on all the blogs.

Out west, the Teardrop Lounge in Portland is doing Tiki Third Tuesday with a whole list of drinks just for the night- dang that's a lot of work! In San Francisco, a busload of bartenders went to Forbidden Island on Monday for a Rhum Clement event, so Tuesday at happy hour your favorite bartender may not look so happy.

The Times story does make a good point, though.

“Certain elements of mixology have gotten too dry,” (Angus Winchester) said, referring to a bar ethos that esteems pre-Prohibition cocktails, sometimes to a point of purism. “Cocktail lists are starting to look like history lessons, with bartenders hiding behind the fact that they’re using the 1812 recipe of a drink rather than the 1814 recipe. Tiki is the antithesis to all that.”

To a degree, anyway. As Mr. Miller said of the Navy Grog: “We’re using the original 1941 recipe.”

I think the tiki trend allows for the same nerd-ness as pre-Prohibition cocktail worship, but with different flavor profiles. Those earlier drinks (and their modern incarnations favored on the East Coast) use citrus zest, twists, flames, foams, and other aromatic tricks to give spark and life to small-volume drinks that largely come out of bottles. Many tiki drinks, it seems, use citrus and other mixers as the lively base canvas of the drink, allowing the spirits some breathing room in which to show off. (Does this make sense? I'm trying to say it's like the difference between drinking straight rum and a Daiquiri.)

In any case, I say more (well-made) tiki drinks is a good thing.

Labels: NewYork, Portland, SanFrancisco, trends, tropical

SF Spirits Competition Winners

Taken from the press release, here are winners of the SF World Spirits Competition for 2008:

"Best in Show-White,"  Weber Haus, Silver Cachaca, Brazil,
"Best in Show-Whisk(e)y" Highland Park, 12-year-old Single Malt Scotch,
"Best in Show-Brandy," Loujan, 1979 Armagnac, Bas Armagnac, France
"Best in Show-Liqueur" Domaine de Canton, Ginger Liqueur, France

"Top Absinthe" Vieux Pontarlier Absinthe
"Top Vodka," Snow Queen Vodka
"Top Gin" Plymouth Gin
"Best Rum" Matusalem Rum
"Top Tequila" AsomBroso Silver Tequila
"Top Reposado Tequila" El Tesoro
"Top Anejo Tequila"  Siete Leguas
"Top Extra-Aged Anejo Tequila"  Don Julio
"Top Irish Whiskey"  Jameson, Rare Vintage Irish Whiskey
"Top North American Whisk(e)y." Rittenhouse Rye Whiskey
"Top Blended Scotch," Chivas Regal, 25 Year Old Scotch
"Top Bourbon" Pappy Van Winkle, Kentucky Straight Bourbon
"Top Cognac" Hennessy Cognac Paradis Extra
"Top Fruit Liqueur" Cointreau Orange Liqueur

Labels: contests

Shapely bottles

If short and fat is the new tall and skinny, my bottle collection will soon match my body type.

Pictured: Rhum Clement VSOP, G'Vine gin, St. George Absinthe Vert.

Labels: products, trends

Sponsored Post:: A source for absinthe

The following post is sponsored by Buy Absinthe Alcohol.

Absinthe may be legally sold in the US if it contains less than 10 parts per million of thujone and is approved by the United States TTB. This is the same as 10 mg/kg, which, according to Wikipedia, is the legal limit in the European Union of thujone in spirits above 25% ABV. According to the website Buy Absinthe Alcohol, they sell only absinthe with limits of "35mg/lt for bitters and 10mg/lt for spirits." One liter of water weights 1kg, so the absinthes (not the bitters) appear to come under the safe thujone levels in America also. Many of the absinthes on the website list their exact thujone content, which is a nice double-check.

The products appear to ship from overseas (I'm not sure where) and are marked as "not for human consumption," as they are not (yet) approved by the US TTB. Shipping fees are a little less than $30 to North America. They generally stick to selling brands from France and Switzerland, which are better regarded than Czech Republic brands. And though they say they avoid dyes and color additives, a few of the bottles' bright blue or green colors would leave me to believe that's not a hard and fast rule. Some of the brands on the website are Lemercier, Versinthe, Absente, Rodniks, and Pere Kermmans. They also sell absinthe spoons, glasses, and hard-to-find absinthe fountains, though last time I checked they were out of stock of the fountains.

Here are links to the site: Buy Absinthe, the order information page: Buy Absinthe, and the blog: Buy Absinthe.

Labels: sponsored_posts

Easter brunch drinks

Green Street in Boston is celebrating Easter by making cocktails with eggs. Great idea.

Labels: seasonal, trends

Vodka hot spot:: Long Island

The New York Times reports on LiV, or Long Island Vodka, which will be released in a month. They're making the product from locally-grown potatoes; "the Long Island variety known as Marcy, which was originally developed for making potato chips."

Hamptons Vodka is also made on Long Island, but from Minnesota corn.

Labels: vodka

Grandpa's drink

Via Liquor Snob, Frozen Smiles ice cube trays. Available on Amazon.

Labels: funny, products

Absinthe: Hot or not?

In today's SF Chronicle Stacy Finz has a story on absinthe- will it outlive it's 15 minutes of fame? In it she lists some of the others coming to market.

The Swiss Kubler and French Lucid brands began distribution in the United States shortly after the absinthe ban was lifted last year. There are at least five more awaiting authorization from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau including Trillium, an absinthe being made in Portland, Ore. Gwydion Stone, an absinthe expert who founded the Wormwood Society, a nationwide club for lovers of the spirit, has teamed up with Portland's House Spirits distillery to make Marteau Verte Classique. The absinthe is awaiting federal approval.

Goth rocker Marilyn Manson is also jumping on the absinthe bandwagon, producing his own version in Switzerland. The aptly named Mansinthe hasn't yet received the proper licensing to be sold here. But the reviews, so far, have not been favorable. The Web site Epicurious compared Mansinthe's aroma to "sewage water or swamp mud."

Also in the story is a recipe for Jonny Raglin's Sacred Heart cocktail with pomegranate tequila, absinthe, and limoncello. Mmm.

Labels: absinthe

Branch news

News from Bourbon & Branch:

• They've added classes on Cocktails 101, Rum, and Absinthe to the Beverage Academy
• Taking co-management positions after Todd Smith's departure are Joel Baker and Yanni Kehagiaras (pictured)
• Russell's Room, an additional private room built into the former barbershop next door, is scheduled to open in April.

Labels: bars, education, SanFrancisco

Another absinthe cocktail

At the bottom of this absinthe story is a recipe for Neptune's Wrath from the Violet Hour in Chicago, containing gin, egg whites, lemon juice, absinthe, and flaming green Chartreuse. Sounds like my kind of drink.

Labels: absinthe, recipes

Good news about menu labeling in SF

Skip to the bold statement.

San Francisco's labeling law heads for enactment Source: NRN SAN FRANCISCO (Mar. 19, 2008)

As expected, the city's Board of Supervisors gave its final approval Tuesday to a requirement that some chain restaurants post nutritional information on their menus and menu boards. The measure now moves to the desk of Mayor Gavin Newsom, who is expected to sign it into law.

The measure will require local units of chains with at least 20 units in California to display the calorie, fat, carbohydrate and sodium content of every item on their menus. Places that use a menu board instead of a conventional menu must post the calorie count of each item, but they can make the other information available through other media, including brochures or posters.

Nutritional profiles of alcoholic beverages would not have to be disclosed.

The measure, patterned after a law scheduled to take effect in New York City at the end of the month, was unanimously approved by the 11-member board in a final vote. News reports have indicated that the mandate would take effect in about six months.

Hooray!

Labels: news, SanFrancisco

Absinthe about town

Since absinthe became available on the market again, many restaurants are serving it in traditional cocktails like the Sazerac. At the restaurant Absinthe, they've also rediscovered a classic cocktail called the Lawhill. Farallon offers the Sazerac, Corpse Reviver #3, and the Waldorff cocktail. For a while, Yankee Pier restaurant on Santana Row in San Jose was serving oysters Rockerfeller with absinthe, as the original recipe called for it. Who knew?

Other venues are experimenting with new uses for absinthe. At the lobby bar and Ame restaurant in the St. Regis, they're serving an Ame Tremor, made with Armagnac, sweet vermouth, absinthe, and a dash of bitters. At the launch party for Right Gin at bacar, they served a gin and absinthe drink that wasn't going to be on the permanent menu, but maybe if you go on Friday night Carlos will make you one.

Sens restaurant offers a Raspberry-Absinthe Press, made with absinthe, framboise liqueur, and sparkling water with a lemon twist. I've tried it and it's pretty darn tasty- and you can make it at home! I've also had a touch of absinthe in A Touch of Evil at Orson that was amazing. It has bourbon, mint, lemon juice, absinthe, and rhubarb syrup. (And by the way, Orson's cocktail list is now online here.)

At Conduit, a new restaurant a block from my house that I have yet to visit, they're serving a drink called The Hub with reposado tequila, absinthe, and bitters. I need to get in there and drink my way through the menu.

And these are just the drinks in San Francisco. It's fun when a new ingredient hits the market and everyone uses it in different ways. St. Germain had the same effect last year.

What might be the next hot spirit? I'll place my bets on Square One Vodka's cucumber flavor whenever it finally comes out (you guys know there is another cuke vodka hitting the market, right? hurry up!), and I bet we'll be seeing a lot of Veloce. But more on that later.

Labels: absinthe, SanFrancisco, trends