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Items of Interest in The Tasting Panel Magazine

I learned lots of stuff in the August issue of the Tasting Panel Magazine. I write for this magazine but didn't have a story in the current issue. Anyway:

1. Isle of Jura has a 200th Anniversary Edition, a 21 year old single malt aged in an ex-sherry cask. 
2. The Don Julio Anejo Claro that someone gave me a sip of at Tales is a real thing. For the 70th anniversary of the Don Julio being in the tequila business, they are releasing an anejo tequila that is filtere to make it clear, which supposedly will "bring back the bold agave flavor typically found in a blanco." I don't understand how you can filter flavor into a spirit, nor the point of making clear aged tequilas in general, but we'll see.  
3. There is some strange new "botanical absinthe/ green tea liqueur" called Tempest that has suspended drops of absinthe in it. Sadly low ABV of 25% but goofy fun nonetheless. 
4. Phil Adler makes a flavored ice cube inside another flavored ice cube. (Page 114 of the digital edition. )

A Punch That Packs Absinthe

Over at Fine Cooking, I list a very simple recipe for an absinthe punch, courtesy of Pernod. 

It contains just absinthe, lime juice, water, and cucumbers, and it is delicious as all get-out. 

Check out the simple recipe over at FineCooking.com. 

Absinthe Apparatus

In my latest post for FineCooking.com, I discuss what all that absinthe-serving equipment is for.

The fountain is not, of course, filled with absinthe, as in this music video. It is filled with plain old ice water.

Read more about that here.

The Fading Beauty Cocktail

I created a drink last night that is simple and tasty. 

 

The occasion was Thursday Drink Night (TDN), over at the Mixoloseum chat room. On Thursdays starting at 7PM EST all the folks in the chat room makes drinks according to the theme of the week. One person will suggest a recipe then everyone who has the ingredients will go make the drink and critique it. We do this for several hours until people fade out or pass out in their own homes. 

Last Thursday was one of our sponsored TDNs, where we make all drinks with a product sponsor. Last night was Zaya, so I made this cocktail with the rum as the base. 

Fading Beauty
by Camper English

1.5 ounces Zaya rum
.5 ounces Small Hand Foods Raspberry Syrup
.75 ounce fresh lime juice (the drink can take an ounce of it if you want it more tart)
1 barspoon absinthe

Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime wheel.  

The rusty red of the drink and the green lime wheel reminded me of an empty landscape of red soil and the full moon above. For some reason I felt it was a sad moment so I called the drink Fading Beauty for the feeling it gave me. 

Maybe I should go write a poem or something.

Rickhouse Launches Summer Cocktail Menu

Starting this July, Rickhouse in San Francisco will offer a summer drink menu, because apparently the fifty cocktails on the regular menu are all seasonally inappropriate. (I kid!)

The regular menu isn't online, so those of you reading from out of town an get a glimpse of how it looks with its tiki bar-reminiscent descriptors (and low prices).

Note: Root beer and absinthe! Again!

Rickhouse Summer Cocktail Menu

Ginger’s Trois  $8

It’s as light and effervescent as the twinkle of a clouds silver lining.  Snappy and sparkling, this bubbly cocktail provides every minty answer you desire, and all without the trouble of having to ask a single question. 

Plymouth Gin, Sparkling Wine, Fresh Lime, Fresh Mint, Fresh Ginger and Bitters

Cherry Blossom Cobbler  $8

From the depths of the Orient, comes this sultry and seductive tigress that is heart-bent on sending a shock through your fingers and a chill up your spine.  We insist you proceed with caution, lest you lose yourself within its snowy abyss.

Yamazaki 12 year, Organic Cherry Blossom Jam, Fresh Lemon Juice and Seasonal Fruit

Sutter Street Swizzle  $10

Brazen and uninhibited, this beverage makes no apologies for its chilly disposition. For alas, even within the great depths of the Amazon will you find nothing quite as alluring and enticing as the subtle, yet untamed flavors of this exotic spiced beverage.

Cachaca, Falernum, Pineapple Gomme, Fresh Ginger, Fresh Lime Juice and Bitters

The Big Dig  $8

A delectable and enterprising adventure that is attractively saturated in the sweet taste of lost inhibitions.  Seasonal berries and sarsparilla sweetness unite to form an appealing combination that is one part carbonated fizz and one part summer bliss.

Beefeater Gin, Fresh Lemon Juice, Organic Raspberries, Artisanal Root Beer and a Dash of Absinthe

High-Plains Drifter  $8

Earthy and mean, this glass of bad attitude is known for providing courage to the brave, and a kick in the pants to the timid.  It’s just the curly wolf to have in your corner when you’re going through the mill and there’s trouble in the air.

Rye Whiskey, Sweet Vermouth, Amaro Nonino and Celery Bitters

Berry O’Brien  $8

A drink that is as attractive to the ladies, as it is suitable for a diplomat.  Do not let its innocent flavor fool you, for this drink is precisely the right combination of Whiskey served tall with just a dash of Irish charm.

Jameson Irish Whiskey, Fresh Blackberries, Fresh Lemon Juice, Ginger Beer and Bitters

Latin, Packing, Pisco: A Few Articles I've Written Lately

I've had several stories come out recently, so I thought I'd share them here. This blog is also my resume, after all. 

Friday I wrote about my recent piece in the daily email Tasting Table San Francisco. This one is about Encanto Pisco, brought to us by a bartender, a sommelier, and a distiller. 

Attention people attending Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans this July: My story about what to pack for the week (for media, speakers, bartenders, PR, and brand reps) in the June issue of Tasting Panel Magazine is now online. 

 In the July issue of Executive Travel Magazine I have a story on the Latin libations that are hot and the ones that soon will be. 

I have recently become a regular contributor to SilverKris, the in-flight magazine for Singapore Airlines. Unfortunately the magazine is not online. Recent stories have focused on new classic cocktails, the return of absinthe, and where to drink in Wellington, New Zealand. 

A Peek at the New Clock Bar Menu

Clock Bar in San Francisco will be launching a new seasonal menu soon (probably Monday), with some great looking drinks on it. Here's a look at what to look forward to. (Subject to change.) I already tried the Carl and it was delicious.

I bolded my favorite parts.

BERRY SEASON / MAY-SEPTEMBER

SOFIA’S KISS ............................................................... 12
lavender-infused vodka, yellow chartreuse,
st. germain elderflower liqueur, fresh
blueberries, peychaud’s bitters, fresh lemon
served up with lavender

SHORTEST STRAW....................................................... 12
bulleit bourbon, orange shrub,
rose-geranium sugar, fresh strawberries
served short over ice

TENNESSEE SOUR SMASH......................................... 14
george dickel sour mash whiskey,
fresh blackberries, orange curacao, fresh lemon,
egg whites, peach bitters
served over crushed ice in a mason jar

CARIOCA...................................................................... 12
leblon cachaca, fresh raspberries,
house-made cacao syrup, fresh lemon, mint
served tall over crushed ice

WHEN IT WAS A WIBBLING WEEK................................ 12
raynal brandy, dolin rouge, campari
house-made rhubarb syrup
served short over ice

APIUM WAY................................................................... 13
plymouth gin, sauvignon blanc, celery soda,
edible arugula flowers
served tall over ice

BRITISH LIT.................................................................. 12
pimm’s no.1, fresh blackberries, raspberries &
blueberries, firelit coffee liqueur, gum syrup
served up

OREGON 609 .............................................................. 12
bols genever, house-made olallieberry syrup,
cynar, benedictine, fresh lemon
served up with a twist

MISSION FLIP............................................................... 13
pampero aniversario rum, house-made cane syrup,
fresh lemon, mission fig reduction, fresh egg
served tall

CARL............................................................................. 14
kuhbler absinthe, apricot reduction,
house-made root beer
served tall over ice

Changes at St. George Spirits/Hangar One Vodka

*Update* In the original post I mistakenly wrote that distribution/marketing for all St. George Spirits products was moving to Proximo Spirits. That was incorrect. This is only the case for Hangar One Vodka. I deeply regret the error and any resulting confusion.

News from St. George Spirits, the makers of Hangar One Vodka, St. George Absinthe, the forthcoming Agua Libre rum, and other products: They've changed their distribution and marketing from Craft Distillers to Proximo Spirits. The company has not been sold and Lance Winters, Jorg Rupf, and Dave Smith will still be making the booze.

I'm sure there will be much more news in the future from this new collaboration.