Concord Grape Shrubb

It is that magical time of year when my neighbor hands me a big tub of concord grapes from his yard. So what to do with them all you may ask? Why make a shrubb. I will leave it up to you to go search the intertubes for information regarding the history and whatnot of shrubb. However, for the sake of us all being on the same page I will summarize. In order to preserve the fruit, we are mixing it with vinegar. The end result is something that is both sweet and tart and filled with the fresh fruit flavors.

I am using a process that comes from somewhere, I think Alcademics, where Neyah White explains the process for making the cold shrubb. Essentially I am using equal parts berries to sugar to vinegar, in this case, 2 cups of grapes to 2 cups of sugar to 2 cups of apple cider vinegar.

First I squished each grape as I placed it into the jar, then I addeded the sugar and muddled things up a bit. the end result is something that looks like this.

I put this in the cupboard to sit for around five hours. After that time was up I added in my 2 cups of apple cider vinegar and shook it all up pretty well to get all of the sugar dissolved. The end result is something that looks like this

This will now hang out in a cool dark place for the rest of the week with the occasional shake to make sure that everything is all dissolved.

In the meantime, I still have some additional concord grapes, so I opted to have a cobbler of sorts.

Concord Grape Cobbler

5 Concord Grapes + additional for garnish

2 oz Pyrat XO Rum

1/2 oz lime juice

1/4 oz Cinnamon syrup

1/4 oz Ginger syrup

2 dashes of angostura

Muddle the grapes with the lime juice. Add the remaining ingredients along with some ice and shake. Double strain into a collins glass filled with fresh ice and any reserved grapes. Top with soda water and enjoy.

Dalmore

Well, since I am home bound thanks to a hurricane, why not update the blog. The easy thing to do would be to blog about making a Hurricane, but I don’t have any Hurricane glasses so it would not be complete. However, I would hate to leave you without the ability to make one, so here is the recipe courtesy of Jeff Beachbum Berry

Hurricane
2 oz fresh lemon juice
2 oz passion fruit syrup
4 oz dark Jamaican rum

Shake well with plenty of crushed ice. Pour unstrained into a Hurricane glass or large tiki mug, adding more ice to fill.


Instead I thought I would blog about my chance to taste the Dalmore Eos. As with most of my more extravagant scotch tasting experiences this occurred down at Julio’s liquors. The tasting for the night was an evening with Richard Paterson, master blender for Whyte and Mackay.

The evening began as an introduction to scotch and how to taste it. One of my biggest take aways from this was to slow down a little and enjoy my drams, that and if Richard Paterson senses that you are tasting your scotch wrong, he will come to your house and slap you. I am digressing, so lets get back on track, onto the tasting.


The first malt of the evening
Dalmore 12, 40% abv
Amber in color, on the nose you are greeted with citrus, dark chocolate and sherry notes. On the palate it is sweet and creamy with malty toffee notes . The finish is long with notes of vanilla and citrus. I would put this one on the sessionability list. It is not so rich that you can only have one glass, but it is complex enough to keep you reaching for another glass. Great way to start the evening

Next up, the return of the
Cigar Malt, 44% abv
A gorgeous deep amber color draws you in and you are greeted by citrus and honey and maybe just a hint of licorice . What gets me on this one is the mouth feel, thick and rich on the verge of luscious. This is matched by a deep spicy flavor with vanilla and some sherry tropical fruit notes. The finish is long and oakey.

Next
King Alexander, 40% abv
As we keep progressing down the line, we progress into deeper and deeper shades of copper and amber. This is one of my favorites of the Dalmore line, it is very subdued up front, but it has a depth of complexity that is fantastic. On the nose there is the ever present chocolate and orange notes, but on the palate there is a subdued spice blended with creme brulee and coffee. The vanilla reappears in the finish as does the spice, almost rye like in nature.

The Mackenzie, 46% abv
In a departure from the previous whisky, this one spends some time in port wood (the rest have spent some of their time in sherry). The result is a dark tawney color and a wonderful port inspired aroma filled with cherry and stone fruit, just wonderful. The body is soft yet full and incredibly smooth with rolling flavors of almond and fruit, just wonderful. The finish on this one is interesting, there is a flavor that I can’t quite name but I have experienced before. Overall, a very complex and intriguing whisky.

Next up was a peek at the Jura line
Jura Prophecy, 46% abv
A reset of the color spectrum, this one is a beguiling pale straw that lures you in to thinking that it is light and gentle. Then as you bring it to your nose and say hello it responds with smoke. Oh, hello there smoke. The juxtaposition of the smoke after the sweet sherry of the Dalmores came as a bit of a surprise and took a minute to acclimate to. The smoke is deep but gentle and more reminiscent of burning wood and leaves. Underneath the smoke the sherry is there in the form of some spice and orange. On the palate the peat is king but it is very clean. The peat continues on through the finish where it finally says goodbye.

At is at this point that I had the rare privilege of being brought up front to be fondled by Richard, but it was worth as I was given a glass of Dalmore EOS to experience, and what an experience. You are first greeted by a gentle but full aroma with honey and pear. On the palate it is rich, creamy and smooth, filled with flavors of dark chocolate, toffee and spice as it rolls around. The finish is deep and smooth and lingers forever with the gentle spice. That was an experience.

The evening ended with a sample of the
Shackleton Recreation, 47.3% abv
As much about the history and the process of creating it as it is about the malt itself. Pale straw in color, you are met by a soft and subtle aroma with honey, grass and apple. On the palate it is awash with a myriad of flavors ranging from citrus and spice to gentle peat smoke. The finish is spicy with notes of ginger and has a crisp finish.

Bulleit Rye

It has been a while since I have posted so I thought I would at least put something up. I was lucky enough to have someone hand me a bottle of the new Bulleit Rye, so after a couple of rounds of tasting, here is what I have.

Bulleit Rye, 90 proof, 95% rye mash
On the nose I get vanilla, orange/cherry and a slight hint of tobacco.
The first sip is really smooth, sweet and suprisingly light. On subsequent tastes it begins to open up and more of the spice begins to come through. The finish has the normal peppery spicy rye finish to it.

This is rye was built for sipping in the shade on a hot day. But I don't want to leave you with just one set of notes so, here is how the Bulleit Rye held up in a couple of cocktails

Old Fashioned
Since the rye itself works well just sipped straight, the old fashioned seemed like an easy choice to try. The added flavors from the bitters blends well as usual with the rye flavors without becoming over powering.

Manhattan
This may be where it shines the best. I used a lighter, sweeter vermouth, Dolin. This balanced well with the delicate nature of the spirit. It also worked well with Carpano Antic and orange bitters, producing a balanced but sophisticated drink.

Sazerac
The Sazerac was not it's shining moment. The pernod rinse overpowered the gentle flavors of the spirit until the ice began to melt a little. The final swallows began to reveal some of the flavors of the rye.

Up next will probably be a Vieux Care, I think the Bulleit Rye will partner well with the cognac and sweet vermouth.

How about a Martini?

Since I went over the Manhattan cocktail the other night, I thought I would go ahead and do the Martini next. I don’t want to delve into the debate as to what exactly constitutes a Martini so I will just state my opinion, it is gin and dry vermouth with a dash of orange bitters. How much vermouth? Well I guess that is up to the individual consumer.

There are those who will put the bottle of vermouth on the counter while they mix and consider that enough vermouth, a lot of people will pour vermouth into their shaker, swirl it around to coat the glass or the ice and dump out the vermouth. Some people will use a mister and spritz the inside of the shaker with the vermouth. I reckon traditionalists will say it is a 50/50 split, for me that is a bit to much, so I like to think of myself as a centrist.

How about garnish? When asked for a martini where nothing is specified, I go with my orange bitters and garnish with some lemon zest. If an onion(gibson) or olive are requested, I will leave out the bitters and garnish as requested.

I almost left out the how to mix part. Mr Bond likes his shaken no stirred, so if you want to be super cool I guess you can order one that way. However, to maximize the clarity of the drink and keep the bubbles to a minimum, it is a stirred drink.

With that, here is what I drink.

2 ½ oz Gin (London dry)
½ oz dry vermouth
2 dashes orange bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass, garnish with lemon zest.

The Manhattan

Not the city, but the cocktail. Since it has been so long since I have posted I thought I would start back up with a cocktail, one of my favorites. A nicely made Manhattan is a wonderful drink, especially as an apertivo. I also use it as a safety drink at bars or as a litmus to see how a bar makes. The key is the bitters, you want to have those nice healthy dashes, I tend to stick with the traditional Angostura, but you can use others.

A note on the spirit. This is not a fruity little drink, it is whiskey and vermouth,mostly whiskey. So your choice of whiskey will impact your end result. If you want a Manhattan that is a little softer, use something like Maker's Mark. If you want something with a little more bite, go with a rye, I like Rittenhouse.

Manhattan

2 oz whiskey
3/4 oz sweet vermouth
2 dashes bitters

Combine the ingredients in a mixing glass with ice and stir to chill. Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with a cherry or orange twist.

Another fine tasting - Glenmorangie

Well, it is really quite sad how long it has been since I posted on the blog, so I apologize to all of my adoring fans. Since I am desperate for a post, I am just going to cross post some notes from a Glenmorangie tasting. This was a unique tasting as it was the debut day for the new Glenmorangie Finealta. So here are the notes.

Glenmorangie 10yr Original, 43%
A lot of honey and grain on the nose. The flavors are light, filled with citrus and cooking spices. Slightly woody on the finish.

Glenmorangie Lasanta, 46%
I get some cherry on the nose along with a little chocolate. Sweet with lots of the traditional golden raisin flavors that come along with a sherry finish.

Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban, 46%
Rich cholocate and plum notes. Another of those Christmas in a bottle scotches.lots of those spices you associate with Christmas mixed with rich fruit flavors.

Glenmorangie Signet, 46%
This was an amazing malt. Made with a chocolate barley, roasted like a coffee. The chocolate is present but not overly assertive. It is balanced with a nice nuttiness mixed with the chocolate and a little toffee . Caramel flavors come forward in the mouth. A really nice finish let's all the flavors mingle in your mouth one last time.

Next up was the debut of the Finealta. The Finealta was based on an old recipe from 1908 for a bottling that was served at the Savoy bar. What makes this bottling all the more interesting is that it is partially peated. If you can get a taste of this, I would recommend it.

Glenmorangie Finealta , 46%, non chill-filtered
A gentle peat is present on the nose mixed in with fruit and nuts. On the palate, the traditional Glenmorangie citrus notes become apparent, mixed with cherry and floral notes and the gentle smoke. What strikes me the most is the mouth feel as the Finealta is non chill-filtered, luscious and silky smooth with a full coating, really nice. The finish was rich and almost elegant.

A change of spirit: The Old Fashioned

Wow, I have been pretty bad with the blog lately, sorry. I thought I would pick up with a cocktail. I had originally thought about continuing the rum, lime juice and a sweetener series with The Bacardi, which swaps out grenadine for the simple syrup, but I decided to change it up. Instead, let's go with a different spirit, whiskey.

It really doesn't get much simpler then a classic Old Fashioned, (or Old Old Fashioned). This one is a little dependent upon the bourbon, you want something with good strong flavors that isn't to over powering. I like to use something like Elmer T. Lee or Eagle Rare. This might be easier if I start with the recipe.

Old Fashioned
2 ounces bourbon or rye whiskey
3 dashes Angostura Bitters
1 tsp. bar sugar or 1 sugar cube or 1/4 oz simple syrup
splash water or soda (if not using simple syrup)

Muddle the sugar and the bitters in the splash of soda (about a teaspoon—no more) until the sugar is dissolved, forming a syrup in the bottom of the glass, if you are starting with simple syrup you can just stir them together. Add the whiskey and the ice, and stir. Garnish with a fresh twist of lemon or orange peel.

I probably managed to confuse things in there with the sugar/sugar cube/simple syrup options. The overall objective is to make a syrup, the advantage to using sugar and water is that you can control how sweet the drink is. The advantage to using simple syrup is that you don't run the risk of having any granules of sugar left in the bottom.

There is one other topic here, bitters. You will see them all over the place in many different flavors, from Angostura to orange to Mole. The are a concentrated flavor, usually made with a high proof alcohol to extract flavors. Think of them as the seasonings for a cocktail, they can add depth and complexity to a drink, but generally should be used in small amounts (there are exceptions to this, but that is for a different post).