Review: Cheribundi Cherry Juice Mixers
Forget acai and yumberries. Cheribundi is doubling down on good old fashioned cherries as a juice and a cocktail mixer. We sampled a flotilla of cherry juice-based concoctions. Thoughts follow. Cheribundi Cherry Juice – 100% juice (mostly cherry, with a bit of apple juice added for sweetness), so you better prepare your palate for the…
Review: Harvest Spirits Core Vodkas, Liqueurs, and Brandies
Harvest Spirits Farm Distillery, in Valatie, New York, focuses like so many other operations in this region on using local fruits to produce artisinal, farm-to-bottle spirits. The lineup below represents a full farmers’ market of goodies. Thoughts on the bulk of Harvest Spirits’ production follow. Harvest Spirits Core Vodka – Another vodka distilled from New…
Review: Absolut Hibiskus Vodka
Hibiscus flowers are the improbable Next Big Thing in spirits flavoring, and now Absolut is getting into the business with this new vodka, continuing the succession of equally improbably-spelled liquors. Absolut Hibiskus is infused not just with hibiscus flower but also with pomegranate, a wise choice that gives this vodka some much-needed sweetness. Absolut’s flavored…
Review: Angel’s Envy Rye Whiskey
Angel’s Envy is one of the best affordable Bourbons on the market, and now its mad master distiller, Lincoln Henderson, is raising expectations again with Angel’s Envy Rye, one of the best rye whiskeys on the market. The mashbill will likely sound familiar to regular readers — 95% rye and 5% malted barley — the…
Review: Three Olives “Loopy” Vodka
Not getting enough froot in your diet? Now you can up your intake with one of the nuttiest vodka flavors to hit the market yet: Three Olives’ “Loopy” Vodka. Designed specifically to taste (and look) like a certain breakfast cereal, Loopy is unmistakable when you crack open the bottle. The aroma of sugared, berry-flavored cereal…
Review: Sammy’s Beach Bar Rum
Sammy Hagar conquered rock music. Then he conquered tequila. Then Mexican food. Now: Rum. The liquor mogul is expanding into the rum business courtesy of this tropics-friendly bottling, a white rum made from first-press Hawaiian sugar cane that is pot-distilled in small batches. It’s aged for two years, then filtered to remove color. Since it’s…
Review: Four Roses 2013 Limited Edition Single Barrel Bourbon
This year’s Single Barrel release from Four Roses trots out the OBSK (high-rye) recipe at 13 big years of age. Slightly older than the usual Single Barrel bottlings (typically 11 or 12 years old), this release is a monster whiskey. If you’ve been waiting for something incredibly bold from Four Roses, wait no longer. Four…
Review: Belaya Rus Vodka
This Belarusian vodka dates back to 1993, and hails from a 100-year-old distillery in Minsk. Distilled six times “for your pleasure” from a blend of 75% rye and 25% winter wheat, this budget brand offers lots of quality plus Eastern European street cred. Belaya Rus (literally “White Russian”) is surprisingly easy, especially considering its birth…
