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New Booze: Tequila, Sake, Rum, Vodka, and Tons of Whiskey

Here are some new booze launches of late:

Peligroso Cinnamon

The world’s first 84 proof cinnamon-flavored tequila is infused with 100% pure cinnamon and a blend of secret ingredients.

Peligroso Cinnamon launches March 2013, to key markets across the country including California and Nevada. The suggested retail price will be $29.99.

SakéMoto, imported by SakeOne

SakéMoto is brewed with rice from the Yamaguchi prefecture in Japan and created with mountain-sourced water from the Nada region. It is the result of over two years in development working with a Japanese brew master to craft the perfect Japanese style saké for the American marketplace. SakéMoto's brewer has 41 years of saké brewing experience and the brewery has been crafting saké since 1743.

SakéMoto is a Junmai saké – meaning, it is made purely from rice, water, yeast and koji (the natural mold that converts rice starches into sugars), and given that it is junmai grade, the rice is polished to 70%. SakéMoto is distributed nationally at a suggested retail price of $11. For more information, please visit sakeone.com.

 Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

The limited edition release Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Small Batch will begin shipping in mid-March with a national average retail price of $39.99. It is a 12 year old, barrel proof bourbon without chill-filtering.

It will have a hand written proof/alcohol by volume information, which will vary from one dump to the next. The proof of the initial release will be 134.2, or 67.1% alcohol/volume.

 Michter's Original Sour Mash Whiskey

During the 1970s and 1980s, Michter’s Original Sour Mash was the brand's best selling whiskey type. Despite its popularity it disappeared from the marketplace in 1989 when the distillery, which dated back to 1753, went bankrupt.

Since its rescue in the 1990s, Michter’s has focused on producing single-barrel rye, single-barrel bourbon, very small batch bourbon, and unblended American whiskey.

Twenty-three years passed before Michter’s resurrected its Original Sour Mash Whiskey. It will sell for a suggested retail of $44 for a 750ml bottle.

Jefferson’s Presidential Select 21 Year Old Straight Bourbon Whiskey

This new product joins the Presidential Suite (Jefferson’s Bourbon, Jefferson’s Reserve, Jefferson’s Presidential Select and Jefferson’s Rye). Jefferson’s Presidential Select 21-Year-Old Straight Bourbon Whiskey is aged in new oak barrels for 21 to 24 years and bottled at 94 proof (47% ABV). It will be released nationally on April 1, 2013.

Jefferson’s Presidential Select 21-Year-Old Straight Bourbon Whiskey consists of 15 lots of bourbon aged from 21 to 24 years. Because of the evaporation that occurred over the aging period, Jefferson’s will have just 2,000 cases to release of this spirit.

Jefferson’s Presidential Select 21 Year Old Straight Bourbon Whiskey is priced at $119.99 for a 750ml bottle and is available for purchase at fine spirits retailers across the country.

Mount Gay Black Barrel

This is a new marque was released in celebration of the brand’s 310th anniversary of Mount Gay with select availability nationwide beginning in April. Mount Gay Black Barrel boasts double pot distillation and maturing in bourbon oak barrels which are combined with the harmonious blending orchestrated by the Master Blender to create an outstanding rum.

All Mount Gay rums are made from a blend of single column and double copper pot distillates and matured in toasted oak barrels. Black Barrel has a higher proportion of double distillates and, after hand selection by Master Blender Allen Smith, Black Barrel is the only marque finished in charred bourbon oak barrels.

Black Barrel will retail for $29.99.

Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel Straight Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey

This bottling is 110 proof and non-chill filtered. Chill-filtration is a common process whereby the whiskey is chilled at temperatures below freezing and is passed through an absorption filter thus removing fatty acids and other flavor contributors such as esters and proteins. By avoiding the chill-filtration process, the whiskey is bottled with more flavor compounds and a deeper color which is denoted by an impressive haze when ice or chilled water is added.

Every expression of Russell’s Reserve – both the Bourbon and rye Whiskey - is matured in only the deepest number 4 or “alligator” charred American white oak. The  aged whiskey barrels are hand selected only from the center cut of the rick house – since that's where the optimal maturation occurs.

Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel (750ml) will be available nationwide at specialist liquor stores priced at $49.99.

EPIC Vodka

EPIC is made with hand-selected wheat harvested from the Champagne region in France and is distilled in the Cognac region.

EPIC vodka will be available in a classic unflavored vodka at 80 proof plus six different flavors in 70 proof each; Peach, Whipped Cream, Kiwi Strawberry, Cherry, Cake and Coconut. More flavors will be added at later dates. EPIC will start shipping to about 30 states in February and will be available nationwide as the year progresses. It is available in 1.75 ml, Liter, 750 ml and 50 ml. Suggested retail pricing for EPIC 750 ml is $12.99.

 

Knappogue Castle 14 Year Old Twin Wood Irish Whiskey 

Following in the tradition of sherry cask-aged Knappogue Castle 1951, the oldest known Irish whiskey, this single malt derives its Twin Wood name from the fact that it combines whiskey aged in two types of wood: Oloroso Sherry casks and bourbon barrels. Single malt Irish whiskey spends a minimum of 14 years in bourbon barrels; it’s then combined with more Irish single malt aged in casks infused for Knappogue Castle with Oloroso Sherry.

The Andrews family began bottling single malt Irish whiskey when most other producers were still making blends. Knappogue Castle is named after the 15th century castle in western Irelandbought by Mark Edwin Andrews II, who restored the castle in the 1960s. He amassed an impressive and rare collection of pure pot still whiskey; when the whiskey reached its peak age, it was bottled and named after his beloved Knappogue. The last of Mr. Andrews’s whiskey, Knappogue Castle 1951, is the oldest and rarest Irish whiskey in the world, and it is still available for purchase by special order. Many years later, Mark Andrews III continues his father’s legacy by with a line of premium vintage Knappogue Castle Irish whiskies and Castle Brands.

Knappogue Castle Twin Wood 14 Year was bottled in October of 2012. It is non-chill filtered and bottled at 92 proof, distinguishing it from the 80 proof 12 Year Old and 16 Year Old Knappogue Castle whiskies. The suggested retail price is $59.99.

 

Glenmorangie Ealanta

Glenmorangie Ealanta is the latest addition to its Private Edition range. Scots Gaelic for "skilled and ingenious," Ealanta is a 19 Years Old Glenmorangie, matured exclusively in virgin American white oak casks from the Mark Twain National Forest in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri.The casks selected from oaks of the Mark Twain National Forest were absolutely top quality and were unusual in that they had not previously held any liquor, such as bourbon.

Glenmorangie Ealanta is bottled at a strength of 46% and is non chill-filtered for extra texture and mouth feel. It will be available in limited quantities as only 1,500 9l cases have been made available for the US market.

Glenmorangie Ealanta is the 2013 addition to the ongoing Private Edition range, comprising so far of the Sonnalta PX, Finealta and Artein.

Phraya Rum

Phraya is a rum distilled, matured, blended and bottled in the Kingdom of Thailand.  Phraya is aged in oak barrels using a maturation technique developed to suit the tropical climate of south-east Asia. The warehouses are sited over cool lagoons which is fundamental the deep maturation process. The tropical climate cycle effectively slows down the ageing process and thus imparts a depth to the rum- Upon its coming of age between seven and twelve years old, barrels are selected for blending. The oak barrels are ‘fired’ to invigorate the wood within the cask. Phraya is distilled using the waters of the Ta Chin River. Phraya is sourced from an abundance of specially-grown sugar cane, nourished by the soil of Nakhon Pathom.

Phraya will have initial distribution in CA, IL, WA and NY and will be in stores in February for a suggested retail price of $39.99 - $49.99.

Westward Oregon Straight Malt Whiskey

House Spirits Distillery, the Portland-based craft distillery known for Aviation American Gin, has announced the launch of Westward Oregon Straight Malt Whiskey.

Westward is an original malt whiskey that is inspired by the Irish tradition, but crafted in a distinctively American style. Every numbered bottle begins with a wash of 100 percent locally-sourced Northwest two-row barley, which is then fermented with Scottish and American ale yeasts and double pot distilled. This spirit matures in full-size, two-char new American oak barrels for at least two years, allowing Oregon’s dry, hot summers and wet, cold winters to contribute to its flavor.

Available immediately in California and Oregon, Westward whiskey will be available in New York and DC in April, and it will roll out to other markets over the next few months. The anticipated retail price for a 375ml bottle is $49.99.

Pike Creek Whisky

Pernod Ricard USA announces the addition of Pike Creek Whisky to its portfolio of global whisky brands. Pike Creek is a small batch whisky, aged in American oak Bourbon barrels and finished in vintage Port barrels. Matured in warehouses in Pike Creek, Ontario, Canada. Making its debut in April 2013, Pike Creek will initially be launched at retail in WA, OR, ID, CO, TX, LA, GA, NC, NY and NH.

Pike Creek (40% abv/80 proof) will be available in 750ml for a SRP of $31.99.

 

Bottled Glog Made the Hard Way

A bottled glog came out this winter and I wasn't too excited about that until I learned how it was made. 

Many European countries have traditions of hot wine drinks in the winter, often mulled with spices, and sometimes fortified with brandy or other distilled spirits. 

Geijer Glogg, though, is made in California at the St. George Spirits distillery, and it's not just wine + spirits + spices in a bottle. That would be the easy way.

St. George Spirits was founded as a brandy distillery and they apply brandy-making techniques to many products. 

According to Martin Geijer, founder of the brand: 

• The spices and botanicals (cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, Seville Orange peel, almonds and raisins) are infused in very warm water. 
• When the process is done, grain neutral spirits and cane sugar is introduced and allowed to settle for a while. 
• The leftover spices are then distilled in the pot stills at St. George Spirits with a gin basket to extract the alcohol and flavor that was absorbed. 
• The distillate is then blended with the infused product for the final result.

Just thought I'd share that as that extra distillation step is kinda cool. 

Cocktail Modifiers Then and Now

This post is sponsored by PAMA pomegranate liqueur and written by me. 

In a previous post I tried to come up with a definition of a modifier, finding that others didn't match my expectations. I proposed the following: A modifier is a cocktail ingredient, usually alcoholic and typically a fortified wine or a liqueur, that both softens the base spirit and adds flavor to the drink. 

In-demand modifiers change over time. After the original cocktail (spirit, sugar, water, bitters) was created, the modifiers orange curacao, absinthe, and maraschino liqueur created the new categories of "improved" and "fancy" cocktails. These three modifiers were all the rage in Jerry Thomas' day. And all three of them are very much back in fashion today. 

In the later 1800s, vermouth became a popular modifier in America, and that lead to the creation of the two most famous cocktails, the Manhattan and the Martini (as well as the Martinez and Brooklyn and other derivatives of each).  

Ancient liqueurs like Chartreuse and Benedictine popped up from time to time, and calls for orange curacao morphed into calls for triple sec - a drier orange liqueur with a more neutral spirit base. Other vintage modifiers mentioned here and there in classic cocktails include Cherry Heering, Drambuie, creme de cassis, and Strega.

Fast-forward many years and the modifiers-of-the-moment change quite a bit. In the 1960s through to the late 1990s liqueurs (many of them artificially flavored) like Chambord, Galliano, sloe gin, creme de menthe, Frangelico, peach schnapps, Midori, and Southern Comfort ruled the day. 

In the early 2000s, apple, watermelon, raspberry, and other fruity flavors took over in derivatives of the Appletini and Cosmopolitan. 

And that brings us into modern times and the classic cocktail revival. 

In the attempt to recreate vintage cocktails, some liqueurs no longer on the market were recreated. These include creme de violette, Creme Yvette, pimento dram, Batavia arrack, and Swedish punsch. 

Currently with the craze for "brown, bitter, and stirred" cocktails Italian modifiers are very much in fashion. These include Campari, Aperol, a wealth of new vermouths and other fortified wines, and all the bitter amari including Averna, Fernet-Branca, Zucca, Amaro Nonino, etc. 

In the last decade we've also seen many new modifiers come onto the market, including HUM, St. Germain, SNAP/ROOT, Solerno, Domaine de Canton, and of course PAMA. 

Many of these modifiers have something in common: they are made from hard-to-capture flavors including elderflower, ginger, blood orange, and pomegranate. Fresh versions of these flavors have existed (ginger beer, grenadine, blood orange juice), but these liqueurs give us shelf-stable modifiers to use in our drinks. 

Now let's here PAMA's take on the versatility of their product: 

PAMA is a versatile liqueur and can easily mix with all families of spirits. PAMA is a versatile cocktail ingredient that mixes with whiskey, rum and brandy equally well as it mixes with vodka, gin and tequila. Providing a delicately balanced sweet-tart flavor, PAMA brightens cocktails and elevates them from the everyday to modern classics.

A BIRD IN THE HAND

Glass: Tiki Mug
Garnish: Pineapple Leaf, Cherry and Orange Wheel

1 oz. PAMA Pomegranate Liqueur
1 oz. Spiced Rum
1/2 oz. Triple Sec
1 oz. Lime Juice
1 oz. Pineapple Juice
Dash Simple Syrup

Method:
Combine all ingredients in a shaker. Add ice and shake vigorously. Strain into mug, fill with crushed ice, stir and top with more crushed ice.

 

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Lesser Classic Cocktails in a New Book

Creme de Mmmmm

Last year around this time, Tempus Fugit spirits released some of their Creme de Menthe Glaciale for the holidays. It was delicious; bold and minty and icy and you can drink it on its own as a digestif a la Fernet-Branca. 

After that first batch sold out, it dissappeared as they were preparing a larger batch of it, and then a change in distribution delayed it again. It finally arrived on store shelves only a couple of months ago. 

I waited until it was available to write it up for FineCooking.com, where I offer the recipe for a Stinger and the Grasshopper. 

So you can go read that over there.

If you haven't had a chance to try it yet, seek it out. It's good stuff. Bring some to grandma's house this holiday season and you'll be the star of the family. 

Essential Oils and Cointreau's Centrifuge

In 2011 I visited the Cointreau distillery in Angers, France. I wrote about that here. After I returned I realized I had a few more questions.

Luckily, Cointreau's Master Distiller Bernadette Langlais was in San Francisco last night so I had a chance to clarify some questions about the centrifuge part of the process.

To recap, Cointreau is made by steeping orange peels in high-proof neutral beet sugar alcohol and distilling it. This 'raw alcoholate' is reduced with water, centrifuged, then reduced with more water, more neutral alcohol, and sugar before filtration and bottling.

The centrifuge step was curious to me, so I asked Langlais for some clarification. She told me that this step removes some essential oils from the alcoholate. 

But then why not just use less oranges in the first place to have less essential oils?

It turns out that they use the centrifuge (which is a continuous centrifuge, by the way, not a batch process) to remove only certain essential oils. Surprisingly, they are not removing heavy ones that would collect at the outside of the centrifuge (a centrifuge separates by weight), but the lightest, zesty oils. 

Langlais said this was so that there is a proper balance between the 'juicy' flavors and zesty ones in Cointreau. If they left everything in, the liqueur would be overwhelmingly zesty.

Local Sugars 

I also brought up the topic of Cointreau in Brazil and Argentina, where it is made with sugar cane alcohol and cane sugar, instead of beet sugar. This is due to local tax regulations that would make Cointreau prohibitively expensive if they used their regular beet sugar. I learned that they make the same 'raw alcoholate' (high-proof orange-infused alcohol) at the distillery in France and ship that to the local countries. There, they add more (cane) alcohol and (cane) sugar before bottling. 

Langlais said that it tastes the same as regular Cointreau. She also said that the sugar from cane or beets tastes exactly the same, and the more important part of the equation is the alcohol, even though it is 96% alcohol and supposedly neutral in flavor.

Fizzy and Sticky: The Carbonated Liqueur Trend on Details.com

In my latest story for Details.com I wrote about NUVO sparkling liqueur and a couple of its modern spin-offs, the Timbaland-fronted Le SUTRA and the organic Prevu.

Is Carbonated Liqueur the New Cristal?
By Camper English 

There was really no way to predict that NUVO and its imitators would be more than a passing fad in U.S. bars and clubs. Cristal, Hennessy, Dom: Those kind of made sense when they blew up in pop culture over the years. They're luxury brands with luxury prices. The whole aspirational thing. But pink bubbly liqueur with a $30 price tag? What's more, there are at least two more NUVO-like products hitting store shelves this season.

How did this bizarre trend come to be?

 

I cover a short history of the brands and how they're being served at bottle service spots. 

Go read it!

New Booze for June 2012

On ShakeStir.com, an online community for bartenders, I write the New Booze blog. It is a round-up of new spirits products being released and products that have reached distribution in new states.

Products released in June 2012 were:

• Controy Orange Liqueur
• Appleton 50 Year Old Rum
• Tequila Tapatio
• Grand Marnier Cherry

 

 

 

Read about them all over on ShakeStir.com.

New Fernets in the San Francisco Chronicle

In the San Francisco Chronicle on Sunday, December 18th, I have a story on the category of fernet.

Leopold Brothers has a modern formulation of fernet that should be hitting story shelves this Wednesday afternoon, and Tempus Fugit Spirits has a vintage recreation of fernet coming in the new year.

(Photo by John Storey)

From the story:

While many people call for the bitter liqueur Fernet-Branca by the shorthand "Fernet," they should probably specify "Branca." Fernet is not a single product but a type of spirit, and its ranks are about to become more populated.

Angelico Fernet, from local importers Tempus Fugit Spirits of Novato, launches early next year, while Fernet Leopold, from Leopold Bros. of Denver, should be available this week. They join examples from Stock, Luxardo and R. Jelinek.

At the end of the story, there is a delicious cocktail from Darren Crawford of Bourbon & Branch  and Tony Nik's and Scott Brody of Per Diem. It contains fernet, Carpano vermouth, Domaine de Canton, lime juice, and ginger beer.

Go read it!

(Photo by Erick Wong)