I give in!

I was intent on giving up on this blog for a bunch of reasons, but 11 years is a long time and sometimes what I am thinking about doesn't fit anywhere else.

So, what I have been thinking about is kind of a continuation of this post about using spirits like Rum Fire in cocktails, it is short, I will leave the details there, but here are a couple of drinks with Licor 43 I was toying with:

Fire Licor Cooler <<?I don't know about the name?>>

1 oz Rum Fire

1 oz Licor 43

1 oz Lime

Shake, strain onto fresh ice, top with soda water

Garnish with a lime wheel.

I recommend bigger bubbled sparkling--preferably a mineral-- water to keep it alive.

Licor Kicker

1 oz Rum Fire

1 oz Licor 43

Shake the heck out of it, strain it, serve it in a short single and sip, toast, enjoy.

cocktail, or a cooler?

3/4 oz Rum Fire

1 oz White Wine

1 oz Pineapple Juice

1 oz Licor 43

I can't decide with this one. Shaken, and strained into a cocktail glass it is gorgeous  and tasty, but served on cracked ice with a mint garnish is awesome too...

I was going to take some photos, but they all looked poopy.

Here is something.

I hope you all enjoy.

Happy 11th Anniversary! Or, It is time to end!

It has been 11 years. Just recently I went through and deleted 200 posts, that is after I did almost as many last year.
I now have fewer posts than I have deleted, perhaps that is a sign?.
Welcome to the year. It may be the last for this blog, but I hope you all are having fun.

Cleaning up

I deleted just under 200 blog posts. It is the first step to prepare for the upcoming anniversary of this blog.
Feels good. I think I'll do some later. I still have a week or so.

Flash back 2010: I am a Winner!!!

I just heard that my friend Gaz Regan passed away. It is a great loss to the world. This is a post I wrote about winning a cocktail competition that he sponsored. I loved the Mandala he made me. I hope whoever has it now loves it too.
Here is the original post: >>>

So for the Manhattan Cocktail Classic Gaz Regan Sponsored a Cocktail Contest...

The contest was limited in that we were supposed to use Dubonnet, Bernheim Wheat Whiskey, Rittenhouse Rye, Lunazul Tequila or Pama Liqueur as the base of the cocktail and it had to be simple.
Anyways I won the Bernheim division of the contest and now I am going to let you in on how. . .
Being the wiseacre I am, I took 4 out of the 5 ingredients and mixed them together and surprisingly it tasted good (I would have used all 5 but I didn't have one of the ingredients...).

What I do when crafting a 'constrained' cocktail (one with specified ingredients) is mix them equal parts and experience on my palate what 'needs' to be adjusted (too sweet - less of that, to strong - less of that, to herbal/spicy/etc. - whichever . . . less of, or complete removal... and then I think in the opposite direction. . . need more of this, or more of that--etc.).

So here is the winning recipe...

Friskey Eve

20-25 ml Bernheim Wheat Whiskey [3/4 oz]
20-25 ml Rittenhouse Bonded Rye [3/4 oz]
20-25 ml Dubonnet Rouge [3/4 oz]
20-25 ml Pama [3/4 oz]

Stir and Strain into a chilled Glass
Garnish with an orange twist

Here is the Mandala that Gaz Made me... AWESOME!!!

Mystery Mezcal . .secret

My friend sent me a sample marked Secret Mezcal. After tasting how yummy it was, I asked him to share with me who it was from and I would "keep" the secret. His reply: "I don't remember". Apparently traveling around Oaxaca, he stopped at a local palenque, he found it, bought a bunch and neglected to make detailed notes. Anyone who has been to Oaxaca has done this, but I thought I would share the tasting notes anyways.

Overall very savory, layered character-I love surprises.
The aromas are phenolic, with algae, oily roasted pepper, poblano, taro root, and casaba.
The palate begins at the aroma but is brighter and more vibrant, crisp and vigorous.
The finish is clean and layered with rich green vegetal characteristics popping up to prolong the interesting fade in a delicate balance.
Very nice mezcal. I paired it with roasted peanuts and dark chocolate. The pairing was magnificent.

Duckett=Delicious Rum

Duckett Rum made from 100% fresh sugarcane juice from nearby Franklin County Missouri; it is made at Nobletons Distilling house and bottled at 50% ABV. I will let you check out the details on their website. Suffice it to say, if you can find some, try it.

The nose smells initially like a very bright cachaca with back notes of a very rich Agricole; grainy, cane forward, grassy goodness, with surprising fruit nuance, such as persimmon, green mango, under-ripe plum. 

The palate follows through and with clean cane minerality that drives the richness of the sugarcane and fruit implications in layers.

The finish is wonderfully complex, restating the delicate flavors and enthusiastic invites you try another taste.

Overall this wonderful and creamy and oily mouthfeel implies coconut and slight fruit is rich and elegant. It pushes the flavors across your palate layers and ends with a lingering that flows all the way through to the finish.

To be honest with you, I was worried about this trying this rum. They are a small producer and making an agricultural rum from local sugarcane juice. There are a lot of things that could go wrong. I am very happy to report NONE of them did. Fantastic rum and an honestly praise-worthy offering from Missouri--I loved it.