Review: Depaz Blue Cane Rhum Agricole
That extra H can only mean one thing: Martinique rum, or rhum, as the locals like to call it. Depaz is arguably the biggest name in rhum agricole, with Depaz Blue Cane a staple even on supermarket shelves. The aroma is quite pungent, unmistakably sugar cane with a bit of cachaca-like funk to it. The…
Original Recipe: The Hope and Glory
The folks at Yahoo! Shine asked me to come up with an “Obamatini” in honor of Barack Obama’s inauguration next Tuesday. Rather than slop some liquor into a cocktail glass and color it blue, here’s an honest cocktail that will let you celebrate the occasion in style! For an authentic Hope and Glory, all the…
Review: Jim Beam Distillers Series Bourbon (2008 Edition)
I’m on record as being a fan of Jim Beam as a totally solid, affordable bourbon, so I had to snag a bottle of Jim Beam Distillers Series — a reserve bottling, if you will — when I heard it was being produced. This new, limited-edition bottle features a line-art representation of each of the…
Original Recipe: The Lemony Snicket
Something off the beaten path… I was inspired by lemon meringue pie. I like it quite a bit! The Lemony Snicket 3/4 oz. vodka 3/4 oz. lemon-infused vodka 1/2 oz. Navan vanilla liqueur 1/2 oz. Damiana herbal liqueur 1 oz. milk or cream Build in a rocks glass over ice. Stir and serve. Related posts:…
Review: Pure Kentucky XO Bourbon
With its big, fat bottle and giant picture of Kentucky on the label, Pure Kentucky doesn’t look from a distance like anything you’d slap an “XO” label on, even as a joke. But this is real, serious bourbon, a whiskey that sweet tooths will love and other bourbon fans can also enjoy. Aged 10 years…
Recipe: The Chichigalpo Old Fashioned
We’ve been cooking up a lot of these lately. Recipe courtesy Flor de Cana rum. Chichigalpo Old Fashioned 2 oz. Flor de Cana 18 year old rum 1 teaspoon maple syrup 2 dashes orange bitters 1 dash Fee’s Barrel Aged bitters (don’t have ’em, subbed Fee’s Old Fashion or Angostura) Stir and strain into a…
Review: Glenmorangie “The Original” 10 Years Old (2009)
Easy to find and almost as easy to drink, Glenmorangie’s entry-level whisky is a solid and affordable entree into the world of Scotch. Glenmorangie is often noted for its floral character, but here you’ll find a surprising saltiness that interplays in an intriguing way with the caramel and honey notes of from the wood in…
Review: Scapa 16 Years Old
Scapa is a relatively small outfit on Orkney Island, which is why Scapa gets to put the awesome word “Orcadian” on its label. Inside the bottle is a 16-year-old Scotch, which replaces the distillery’s 14-year single malt (which, in turn, replaced the distillery’s 12-year-old). Scapa’s just a one-whisky outfit, it seems. This is a racy…
