Two At The Most » Reviews

Crown Royal Black

Stevi — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 15:30:21 +0000

Crown Royal Black and the Quebec Cocktail

Canadian whisky doesn’t get a lot of love from the craft cocktail community. So when I was given an opportunity to sample Crown Royal Black, I wanted to approach it with an open mind. Unfortunately, it didn’t do much to improve my opinion of the category.

Crown Royal Black is being pitched as a darker, stronger version of Crown Royal. It is aged in charred oak barrels and bottled at 90 proof (45% ABV), compared to 80 proof for the original. The back of the bottle refers to “deep bourbon notes.”

The first thing I noticed is it’s surprisingly dark in color.¹ Compared to the other whiskeys in my bar, its color does have more black notes, as opposed to the deep reds I associate with aged liquors. I’m not quite sure how they achieved this color, except to note that Canadian whisky makers are allowed to add caramel and flavorings.

Smelling it, the strongest scents were a caramel sweetness, some wood, and vanilla. Taking a taste, the first thing I noticed was a strong pepper flavor, which lasted quite a long time. There was also a woody flavor. I detected a hint of charcoal, which surprised me – I think of charcoal as a filtering agent, not a flavoring one. They do highlight that it’s aged in charred oak barrels, but I don’t get this sort of burnt flavor from bourbon.

While the taste is reasonably well balanced between sweet and pepper at the front, that tapers off to an unpleasant astringency. Adding water through a single ice cube didn’t help much. It brought the sweetness out even more strongly, but not in a way that balanced the unpleasant flavors. I can’t imagine wanting to sip this straight.

Hoping to enjoy it mixed, I first tried it in a Manhattan. It failed miserably. The charcoal notes I tasted before were highlighted, as well as the astringency.

I searched high and low for a Canadian whisky cocktail to try. I’ve not yet hit on a recipe for the Scofflaw I really enjoy.² Searching the CocktailDB, I found the Quebec cocktail, which seemed worth a try. I thought the unique combination of additional flavors might balance the whisky out.

Quebec Cocktail

1 1/2 ounce Canadian whisky
1/2 ounce dry vermouth
1/4 ounce Amer Picon
1/4 ounce maraschino

Stir over ice until as cold as the St. Lawrence during Carnival and serve up in a cocktail glass

I made it two sips into this cocktail before I gave up on it. Once again, the odd flavor of the Crown Royal Black made a mess of the party. It amplified the funky maraschino flavor in a most unpleasant way.

I can say one positive thing about Crown Royal Black. It is better than Crown Royal. But I say that with bitterness, because I actually purchased a 375 ml bottle of Crown Royal to taste side-by-side.³ Regular Crown Royal tastes predominantly of sugar and astringency to me.

I know there are some very nice Canadian whiskies out there. I look forward to trying them. Sadly, Crown Royal Black is not among them.

[1] Yes, I get it, they named it “Black”
[2] And Ted Haigh insists it really should be made with rye
[3] Why not a mini? I have no answer for that question.

Port of Barcelona Gin

Stevi — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 01:00:53 +0000

I usually want a gin that plays well with others, one I can use in all sorts of different drinks.

Elderflower Royale

Some gins are more particular though, getting along famously with some and acting aloof and standoffish with others.

Port of Barcelona gin is one of those gins. It is produced in the Kingdom of Spain by Esmeralda Distillery, the same people who bring us the delightful Obsello Absinthe. The botanicals listed are wild juniper, sweet almonds, hazelnuts, lemon zest, star anise, allium cepa, orange peels, coriander seeds, chebub seeds, black cardamom, orris root, ginger root, nutmeg, and cubeb root. The gin is distilled three times, the final time in the same copper alembic stills used for Obsello.

The label tells us it’s a distilled malt gin, and I do sense some malt on the nose and the palate. The scent is more reminiscent of a genever than a London dry gin. I also smell a faint hint of juniper under the coriander, mild citrus, cardamom, and nut.

On the tongue, I taste the peppery cubeb root and oniony allium cepa, as well as the start anise, citrus, and nuts. It has a softer mouthfeel, once again similar to a genever.

Port of Barcelona does have a unique list of flavors, and to my taste, they are flavors that do not work well in a martini. I made a 4:1 martini, and it was possibly the least enjoyable martini I’ve ever made. The gin and the vermouth seemed to be at war with one another, and the drink never settled down.

On the other hand, the Port of Barcelona makes what is currently my favorite gin and tonic. I have tried it with both Stirrings and Schwepp’s tonics, both with great success. The tonic really opens up the different flavors. The result is a fascinating, delicious drink. Granted, I do like a good gin and tonic, but these were so good I had a hard time resisting the urge to finish the review bottle I was sent making more.

I did want to experiment, however. Given that tonic worked so well, I thought I’d give champagne a shot, and maybe add a little more sweetness. I can’t believe the following isn’t a standard marketing drink for St. Germain, as it’s the way I most commonly use it, but I can’t find it on their site, so I’m going to give it my own name.

Elderflower Royale

1 ounce St. Germain Elderflower liqueur
1 ounce gin (Port of Barcelona)
dry sparkling wine to top

Pour liqueur and gin into champagne flute, top with sparkling wine.

This is another flavor combination that works well. The Port of Barcelona flavors seem to clash with the flavors of vermouth, but the mildness of a dry sparkling wine acts more like the tonic, to open them up and let them play. The St. Germain plays a pleasant backnote, bringing the flavors together.

You won’t catch me ever making another martini or other vermouth based drink with Port of Barcelona. But I plan to keep some on hand for making truly outstanding gin and tonics. Sometimes you have to appreciate that some liquors are just more particular, and treat them accordingly. They may show you their secrets!

Martin Miller’s Gin

Stevi — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 05:22:21 +0000

A lot of high end liquors try to sell you with a story. Martin Miller’s Gin has quite a doozy – after distillation, the raw spirit is shipped from England to Iceland to be combined with water to bring it to proof.

Fin de Siècle

I can tell you after receiving a sample bottle, and having enjoyed it in many fine establishments, that gimmick or not, Martin Miller has put his name on a fine gin.

As the story goes, in 1999, British entrepreneur and bon viveur Martin Miller and two friends set out to create the finest gin possible, no expense spared.

Their recipe, apparently formulation number 7, combines juniper, orange and lemon peel, coriander, licorice, cinnamon, cassia, nutmeg, angelica, and orris root. These botanicals are batch distilled in a century-old copper still in England’s Black Country before the aforementioned 3,000 mile round trip to Iceland.

Martin Miller is making two gins; my sample bottle is of the 80 proof (40% ABV) version.

On the nose, there is the slight scent of violet from the orris root, and a general pleasant spiciness. This plays through on the taste. I don’t find the citrus to be very strong, instead, there’s a confident bitterness from the juniper and licorice, along with a general interplay of all the spices. This gently eases into a balanced aftertaste that doesn’t linger. The mouthfeel is quite soft. Maybe there is something to that glacial Icelandic water.

In preparation for this week’s TDN, which is sponsored by Martin Miller’s gin, I wanted to try a new drink. SeanMike of Scofflaw’s Den sent me a bottle of his take on Jamie Boudreau’s recipe for Amer Picon, so I thought I’d finally try the Fin de Siècle. This cocktail was created in the 1920s, and refers to the19th century.

Fin de Siècle Cocktail

1.5 oz English dry gin (Martin Miller’s gin)
0.75 oz sweet vermouth
0.25 ounce Amer Picon
1 dash orange bitters

Stir with ice in a mixing glass while dreaming of the 19th century, then strain into a cocktail glass.

This is a nice balance of bitter and sweet, and I think it suits the Martin Miller’s well. This cocktail wouldn’t work as well with a more citrus-forward gin.

I have not yet had a gin cocktail with MM that I didn’t enjoy. It makes a wonderful martini and gin and tonic. It’s an overall solid gin. Its list price is $33.99, which puts it in the same price range as other premium gins I enjoy.

Boca Loca Cachaça

Stevi — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 02:02:45 +0000

Here in the Pacific Northwest, we seem to have transitioned from winter directly to summer. For me that means it’s time to rediscover cachaça, especially as International Cachaça Day approaches us on June 12. Tonight I’m enjoying a bottle of Boca Loca that was sent to me for review.

Pearl Button with Boca Loca Cachaça

Boca Loca (“Crazy Lips” in Portuguese) comes to us from the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo. On the nose, the scent of sugar cane is dominant. On the tongue, it’s quite sweet, with some melon flavors and maybe even some peach, with some additional vegetal flavors that I find I like in a quality cachaça.

Boca Loca makes a fantastic caipirinha, but we’ve already covered that drink at Two at the Most, so I wanted to discover something a little different. Most cachaça recipes stick to a fairly tried and true, narrow range of pairing the spirit with fruit and lime juice.

That’s why the recipe for the Pearl Button caught my eye. The inclusion of Lillet, one of my favorite fortified wines, made me interested to try this highball recipe created by Naren Young for Bobo Restaurant.

Pearl Button

2 oz cachaça (Boca Loca)
0.75 oz Lillet
0.5 oz lime juice
4 ounces San Pellegrino limonata (sub sparkling lemonade)

Shake cachaça, Lillet, and lime juice and strain into ice filled highball glass. Top with lemonade, and garnish with grapefruit wheel.

I rarely find grapefruit I like here, so I substituted a lime wheel and a dash of grapefruit bitters.

I found the result to be pleasantly dry. It allows the flavor of the Boca Loca to come through in a very pleasant way. This will definitely enter the rotation of cachaça drinks in my home bar.

Boca Loca is a quality affordable cachaça, retailing for around $20 a bottle. Pick up some of your own to celebrate International Cachaça Day. What’s your favorite cachaça drink?

Voyager Gin and the Gin-Gin Mule

Stevi — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 02:20:35 +0000

I’m ready to become a locavore — at least when it comes to gin. That’s because I am lucky enough to live less than a 10 mile drive from Pacific Distillery, producers of the delightful Voyager Gin.

Gin-Gin Mule

Voyager is a single-batch gin that is distilled from 100% neutral grain spirits using a 500 liter copper alembic still. In addition to juniper, Voyager’s botanicals are coriander, licorice root, cardamom, aniseed, lemon, orange, orris, angelica, and cassia. After the botanicals are added to the spirits and distilled, the gin is brought to 84 proof (42% ABV) and bottled.

Pacific is a small, new distillery, and everybody pitches in on bottling day.

Marc Bernhard has put a lot of love into this product, and it shows. On the nose, the citrus and juniper dominates. Straight, there is some hotness from the slightly higher proof, but also a luxurious richness from the base spirits. This is a fairly citrus forward gin, perhaps most similar to Beefeater 24, but I find Voyager more balanced between the citrus and the juniper.

I’ve yet to find a gin drink I don’t like using Voyager. It makes a delightful gin and tonic. It’s great in a martini and even better in a martinez.

I’m not the only one in love with Voyager, either. Robert Hess has featured is on the Small Screen Network in a drink he created called the Clipper Ship.¹

Several great Seattle Metro bars are also using Voyager frequently, including Zig Zag. Last time I asked Murray for bartender’s choice, something with gin, he made me an Alaska Cocktail using Voyager, and it was fantastic.

But we’ve been having something of a heatwave here in Redmond, and a friend gave me a new bunch of mint from his garden, so I thought I’d go with something refreshing. The gin-gin mule, created by Audrey Saunders, is a great drink.

Gin-Gin Mule

2 oz gin (Voyager gin)
0.75 oz lime juice
0.25 oz rich simple syrup (2:1)
8 mint leaves
ginger beer
mint sprig for garnish

Shake gin, lime juice, simple syrup and mint leaves. Strain into ice-filled collins glass and top with ginger beer. Garnish with slapped mint. Sip on a sultry evening.

Voyager Gin is available in many Washington State Liquor Control Board stores. If yours does not have any, be sure to ask them to stock it. Voyager is also being carried by DrinkUpNY, which may be able to ship to your state.

[1] He had already created a cocktail called the Voyager, so he named this one after the ship on the gin’s label.

Beefeater 24

Stevi — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 02:05:42 +0000

Beefeater London dry gin has long been a go-to gin in my collection. Now Desmond Payne, the Master Distiller, is bringing us a premium take on the standard recipe, Beefeater 24. I had already heard great things when I received not one, but two full bottles for review in preparation for this week’s Beefeater 24 sponsored Thursday Drink Night.

Fizzing Sands with Beefeater 24

The 24 references the 24 hours that Beefeater steeps its botanicals in neutral grain spirits (24 hours) before distillation. Payne was supposedly inspired by the fact that Beefeater founder James Burrough was the grandson of a tea merchant. In addition to Japanese sencha and Chinese green tea, Beefeater 24 is flavored with Seville orange peels, grapefruit peel, lemon peel, coriander seed, licorice, angelica root, angelica seed, almond, orris root, and of course, juniper. After steeping, the gin is distilled in copper pot stills, and finally finished at 90 proof (45% ABV).

The resulting gin provides far stronger citrus on the nose and the tongue than regular Beefeater. The influence of the tea is, to my taste, fairly subtle but provides a nice acrid roundness. Despite the higher proof, I find this to be a slightly sweeter gin than than the regular Beefeater. Perhaps that’s because the peppery notes are far less dominant, and the higher proof creates a richer mouthfeel.

Overall, I’m really impressed with this gin. The suggested retail price is in the $28 range. At that price, I think it’s an excellent choice in the premium gin range, and I expect to keep it in rotation in my home bar.

The suggested 24 martini is 3:1 Beefeater 24 to Lillet, with three dashes of Regan’s orange bitters. While I do like the Regan’s, I’m still having a love affair with Angostura orange bitters, so I made mine like this:

Astoria 24

2 oz Beefeater 24
1 oz Lillet
2 dashes Angostura orange bitters

Stir until well chilled, strain into cocktail glass, garnish with lemon twist.

Beefeater 24 and Lillet blanc work exceptionally well together. I haven’t been using as much Lillet lately, and this drink has given me a whole new appreciation for it.

Glancing through the Beefeater 24 recipes, another caught my eye, the Shifting Sands. Credited to Sasha Petraske, this take on Milk & Honey’s Sands cocktail pairs 24 with maraschino liqueur, lemon juice, and grapefruit juice. I didn’t have a fresh grapefruit on hand, but I did have a bottle of Fizzy Lizzy Lonestar grapefruit soda, which tastes remarkably fresh, so I modified the recipe.

Fizzing Sands

1.75 ounces London dry gin (Beefeater 24)
0.25 ounces maraschino liqueur
0.25 ounces lemon juice
2 ounces Fizzy Lizzy Lonestar grapefruit soda

Shake first three ingredients, strain into ice-filled collins glass. Top with grapefruit soda. Garnish with spring of mint.

This is a great summer refresher. I never realized maraschino and grapefruit would pair quite so well as flavors. I’ll definitely return to this combination in the future. Honestly, this may not be the best way to experience all that Beefeater 24 has to offer. It does mix well with the citrus flavors, as I had expected from the gin’s flavor profile.

I’m happy to help welcome this new gin to the market. I’m even more excited at the chance to see what the collective cocktail consciousness comes up with at TDN.

Mount Gay Extra Old Rum

Stevi — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 03:32:28 +0000

This Thursday, April 9, Thursday Drink Night will be sponsored by Mount Gay Extra Old Rum, and I received a sample bottle to prepare for the event.

Milanese Sailor

Mount Gay Distilleries holds the distinction of being the oldest rum in the world, with documentation of rum production at the Mount Gay estate dating to February 20, 1703.

The Extra Old is perhaps the most distinguished product of Mount Gay Rums. The rum is blended from the distillery’s aged spirits reserve, and has a maturity of 12-17 years. The rums have been aged in 200 liter charred oak barrels. By using smaller barrels, there is more surface area relative to the rum, and there is a marked oak flavor in the finished product.

On the nose, Extra Old is redolent and rich of oak and molasses, with a hint of cocoa. Straight, it is far more dry than I expected given the nose. The oakiness is there, and the chocolate, as well as some coffee notes. This rum is 86 proof (43% ABV), but the extra alcohol doesn’t provide any extra sting.

I had read that a lot of people enjoy this as a sipping rum, so I was expecting a bit more body to this. For me, while a fine, flavorful rum, this won’t edge out Ron Zacapa Centenario or Ron Zaya in my heart when it comes to sipping.

But while I am loathe to mix with either of those Guatemalan beauties, to me the Mount Gay Extra Old begs to be mixed with.

I’m certain I could happily stick with mai tais and daiquiris and never regret a single drop, but I need to get into the mood for TDN.

What first came to mind was bringing out that chocolate flavor by adding some crème de cacao. But I didn’t want to create a heavy, sweet dessert drink.

On a hunch, I picked up the Amaro Ramazzotti. Ramazzotti is one of my favorite amari. I think it blends well with the MGXO.

Given that Ramazzotti is from Milan, and Mount Gay has a long association with sailing, I dubbed the drink the Milanese Sailor.

Milanese Sailor

1.5 oz Mount Gay Extra Old
0.75 oz Amaro Ramazzotti
0.25 oz crème de cacao

Stir over ice and strain into rocks filled ice glass. Would also be great as a swizzle.

Think you can do better? Be sure to join us for TDN this week and submit your new cocktail featuring Mount Gay Extra Old.

Metaxa Seven Star and the Moschaton Cocktail

Stevi — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 05:03:23 +0000

When I was 10, I won a trip to Greece.¹ My dad and I went on a two week tour of the country, and I learned I did not like ouzo.²

The Author, age 10

I also learned that Metaxa is a Greek liquor that my dad wanted, and it was important he get the seven star. That I did not get to taste. It wasn’t until a bottle of the seven star arrived in preparation for Thursday Drink Night (TDN) that I finally could put a flavor to the memory.

Metaxa was created by Spyros Metaxas in 1888. It has an astonishingly complex production process. Various wines, mainly Savatiano and Rhoditis, are distilled and then aged in limousine oak barrels. The stars (3, 5, 7, and 12) on the label represent how many years the distillates have been aged.

Wine is matured separately in used Metaxa barrels for two years . Then the brandy and wines are mixed with a secret blend of herbs and spices, including rose petals. This mixture is aged for another 6 months before being chilled and filtered prior to bottling.

Moschaton Cocktail

The rose scent is evident on the nose. I was expecting the taste to be somewhat sweet from the additional wine, similar to pineau des Charentes, but it’s really more in line with most brandies I’ve tasted. In retrospect, this shouln’t have surprised me, given that it’s 80 proof (40% ABV). The general spices are well blended, with the rose bringing an interesting floral note that I quite like. There’s some honey and vanilla notes, and a hint of cinnamon as well, with an oakiness throughout. The spices linger longest on the tongue.

Now it’s time to try mixing. I wanted to start with some complimentary flavors. Since Metaxa already brings wine and brandy, I thought it would be fun to add some tartness with green grapes. Greece also makes me think of baklava, dripping with honey, so I added some for a little sweetness and roundness. I didn’t want to add a liqueur, so I went with some gin instead to open up the Metaxa flavors without diluting it too much.

Moschaton Cocktail

1.5 oz Metaxa 7 Star
1 oz London dry gin
0.5 teaspoon honey
6 green grapes

Muddle the grapes and honey in a mixing tin. Fill with ice, add Metaxa and gin, and stir for at least 30 seconds. Double strain into cocktail glass and garnish with additional grapes.

Join us at the Mixoloseum for TDN with your bottle of Metaxa 7 star and join in the fun. And as an extra incentive, the person who submits the best Metaxa cocktail will receive a bottle of blueberry bitters and will be entered into Imbibe’s Ultimate Metaxa Cocktail Competition and get the chance to win his or her own trip to Greece!

[1] Actually, I won a free round trip on TWA to any place they flew. I was obsessed with Greek mythology, so Greece it was.

[2] A story I’ll tell if I ever get a bottle to reevaluate my traumatic childhood memory against.

Bulleit Bourbon

Stevi — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 02:52:12 +0000

Bulleit Bourbon is a modern take on an old recipe. The modern product started in 1987, when Tom Bulleit attempted to recreate his great-great-grandfather’s bourbon recipe. By all accounts, the result is a great tasting bourbon. It’s long been a favorite of mine. When I received a box with a full bottle and two logo glasses, I felt compelled to post to Twitter a thank you for the care package.

Bulleit Bourbon Daisy

Bulleit is one of the more rye-like Bourbons out there, having approximately 30% rye in its mash bill. It’s still smooth enough to be a bourbon, but the rye gives it a peppery forward quality that makes it a great mixing whiskey. At 90 proof (45% ABV), it also packs a little extra punch.

On the nose, Bulleit lets you know that it is aged in oak barrels. On the tongue, the rye asserts itself in a playful way, along with some notes of apples and vanilla. I definitely enjoy Bulleit on the rocks, but I really like to use it for making great drinks. It should not be surprising that it tastes great in those cocktails where either rye or bourbon is called for, such as a Manhattan or Old Fashioned.

I’ve been trying to expand my horizons lately by going through my steadily increasing cocktail book collection to find new drinks. Tonight I was paging through Harry Johnson’s New and Improved Bartenders’ Manual, a late 1800′s guide recently reprinted by Mud Puddle Books. Looking at the whiskey drinks, I found his take on the whiskey daisy, and gave it a try. Below is my adjusted version of his drink.

Whiskey Daisy

2 oz bourbon whiskey (Bulleit Bourbon)
0.5 oz yellow Chartreuse
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon lime juice
1 generous spritz of soda water

Mix all ingredients over ice, and strain into cocktail glass. Garnish with fruit if it strikes your fancy.

I removed the sugar he called for as the yellow Chartreuse was plenty sweet enough, and upped the citrus for the same reason. The resulting cocktail has an unexpected mint aftertaste, which I’ve never noted in Chartreuse before, but will see if I find elsewhere. A fun twist on bourbon, and one I’ll try again, although it won’t replace the Manhattan as my favorite whiskey drink.

At $27 a bottle with taxes in Washington State, I think Bulleit Bourbon is a great deal. I find it a great go-to choice, and recommend it often as an affordable quality bourbon. While I can’t always justify the price of Woodford or Ridgemont Reserve for mixing, it doesn’t take me much to feel like a bottle of Bulleit is worth the cost.

Obsello Abinthe Verte

Stevi — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 03:03:14 +0000

Lately I have received an embarrassment of riches in terms of sample bottles of absinthe. One of those I was most excited to receive was Obsello, a Spanish verte.

Obsello Absinthe Verte

Obsello is an absenta, which is the Spanish word for absinthe. Absentas are known to be slightly sweeter than the traditional French style. They also tend to have a distinctive citrus note to their flavor profile and are flavored with melissa (lemon balm), higher levels of star anise, and coriander.

Obsello is made with grape neutral spirits produced from grapes grown in the Penedès region of Spain. Eight herbs, including grande wormwood, melissa, star anise, coriander, and mint, are added to the copper alembic stills used to make this absinthe. The final product comes in at 100 proof (50% ABV), which while stronger than most base spirits, is actually quite mild for an absinthe.

Obsello is bottled in a black champagne bottle. After corking, it is dipped in black wax. And this is a pretty successful sealing mechanism. It took me quite a while to pry the wax off.

The absinthe itself is a very pale green, almost more yellow than green. It is very pleasant on the nose, with slight hints of anise and mint. Straight, it has a very balanced set of flavors, with none predominating.

It louches quite quickly. A 4:1 water to absinthe ratio with just a dash of simple syrup works very well, although sometimes I dispense with the sugar altogether. With water, the scent opens up. On the tongue, this is a milder absinthe. The anise flavor is there, but not highly dominant, making this an excellent introductory absinthe. The mint is also there, with the mild citrus. Wormwood plays quietly in the background. I can’t pick out the coriander. The aftertaste is surprisingly mild, althought the tongue does get that pleasant absinthe numbness.

One of my favorite absinthe cocktails is the Death in the Afternoon. What’s not to love? Contributed by Ernest Hemingway to a 1935 celebrity recipe collection, he advised “Drink three to five of these slowly.”

Death in the Afternoon

1 oz absinthe (Obsello Absinthe Verte)
5 oz champagne

Build in champagne glass and enjoy on a languid afternoon.

I find the Death in the Afternoon an excellent, slow slipping cocktail, and the relative mildness of the Obsello works well here.

Quality absinthes tend to be expensive in comparison to other liquors, but given that I rarely use more than 1 ounce at a time, that’s fine for me. The list price for Obsello is $60, and in comparison to other absinthes, I think this is a fair price. This is a well crafted product that I quite enjoy.

What’s your favorite absinthe cocktail?

Port of Barcelona Gin