posted on 1 July 2009 by maggie
After the sold out whiskey tasting in May, downTown and Redbones are bringing Tastings with Tony back! This time, it’s tequila - North America’s first distilled spirit and one of its most popular. Tony will return to lead the tasting at Redbones, right here in Davis Square. The tasting and talk are $15.00 and begin at 5:30. Space is limited, and its first come, first serve, so arrive early to get a spot and enjoy complementary appetizers while you wait.
Asked why tequila, Tony replies, “because tequila gets a bad rap!” He continues, adding “tequila has the reputation of being only a mixing spirit when, at the high end it is complex, nuanced and delicate. A tasting like the one at Redbones will give people a new appreciation for this centuries old spirit.”
Tony describes tequilas as siblings. The youngest, blanco, is the least mature and has the most intense flavor of the blue Agave - tequila’s dominant ingredient; it is typically used in mixed drinks like the ever popular Margarita. Reposado is the middle child, aged in wood barrels for a minimum of 2 months and perfect for sipping. The oldest and most mature, anejo, rests in barrels for at least a year becoming dark, smooth and complex. All three types will be served on July 20 and tasters can discover their favorites. In addition to commenting on taste and flavor, Tony will discuss Mexican regulations covering tequila production including ingredients and manufacturing regions.
Tastings with Tony - Tequila
Date & Time: Monday, July 20, 5 - 7 pm. Tasting starts at 5:30 pm.
Blanco: Herraduro, Milagro
Reposado: Cazadores, Chamucos, Lunazul, Milagro
Anejo: Cazadores, Milagro
At Redbones, spirits tastings complement the bar offerings. In the case of tequila, there are nine margaritas on the drinks list, including a special dubbed Celt’s Go Green, and six shot selections. “Our Tastings with Tony allow patrons to broaden their beverage knowledge by focusing on one spirit,” says GM, Nick Gregory, “and, based on attendance at the bourbon tasting, this is a supremely popular idea!”
Information at www.redbones.com and 617.628.2200.
Tags: cazadores, chamucos, herraduro, lunazul, milagro, Redbones, tequila
Category: The Liquor Blog | Comments (1)
posted on 23 June 2009 by tony
For all of those who pay attention to such things, it is officially summer. This means balmy days, trips to the beach and sunset slowly but surely getting a little earlier every day. It also means even more drinking, especially if you’re among the lucky group of people who doesn’t have to work over the season. While many people favor an ice cold brewdog or a chilled glass of white\rosè, there is also a large group of drinkers who prefer a perfectly poured (alliteration!) cocktail on a hot summer night. If you’ve been following this column for any length of time, you have surmised I fall into the latter group. You’ve probably also noticed I’ve been trying to throw some summer drinking at you lately, and this is no exception. The Negroni is a quintessential summer cocktail, as Jeff so eloquently stated “a summer cocktail with hair on it’s chest”. I’m not entirely sure if this is to say that it’s a cocktail for a more “manly” demeanor, or if he’s just mocking Italians, but one way or the other, he is in fact correct.
The Negroni is a rare event: a sequel that is greater than the original. The Negroni was derived from the Americano in the early 1900s in Florence, Italy. As the story is told, Count Camillo Negroni, a member of the Florentine aristocracy, was a fan of the Americano, but needed something with a little more kick. His wise bartender tossed out the one non-alcoholic ingredient of the Americano and added gin. In that moment, the Count had a new favorite cocktail, and a modern classic was born. The Negroni, obviously named for the Count, has endured from that moment on, and it can live on in your home with very little effort. Here’s what you’ll need:
1 oz. Campari
1 oz. gin
1 oz. sweet vermouth
Traditionally, this cocktail is shaken with ice, poured into an ice filled old fashioned glass and garnished with an orange twist. The more modern and American style has it poured into a chilled cocktail glass, but retains the orange garnish. Either way, this is the sort of drink you can while away any number of warm afternoons with. I myself am going to acquire a hammock and see if Lupec wants to spend some quality time relaxing in the sun and sipping this icy classic.
-Out.
Tags: campari, drink recipes, gin, vermouth
Category: Cocktail Recipes | Comments (0)
posted on 19 June 2009 by tony
I would say it’s likely most folk don’t know about St. George Spirits, even if they’ve sampled their wares. This stems from the fact that St. George doesn’t put their name on a lot of their spirits, instead having various lines of product under different handles. You’ve most likely heard of Hangar One Vodka, arguably the most successful brand they’ve launched. The brand they use to market the liqueurs and eaux de vie, Aqua Perfecta, is much less known. I am going to attempt to fix that. First though, I must give you the requisite background information.
Somewhere in the realm on two decades ago, a youth named Jörg Rupf, hailing from a long line of Black Forest distillers, arrived in the Bay Area of California. Loving the area, he quickly began distilling eaux de vie and showing Americans exactly how it could be done. Sourcing his fruit from up and down the West Coast, Mr. Rupf is able to ensure he is always getting the highest quality ingredients year after year. With a line of products that include vodka, whiskey and a few liqueurs in addition to the eaux de vies, St. George Spirits is one of the best American distilleries out there. Their framboise liqueur is no exception to their standard of excellence.
This liqueur pours a bit viscous, and a particularly dark red. The nose is crazy with raspberries and maybe just a hint of grape. All it takes is one sip to see what’s going on here. It’s essentially an explosion of raspberry juice in your mouth. Sweet, but not sticky, and dry, but not bone dry. The finish is long and smooth, with no alcohol burn to speak of, even though this particular bottle is a respectable 40 proof.
It goes without saying that if you’re eating chocolate and want to pair a liqueur, this is the way to go. I would also advise pouring it over ice cream, waffles or anything else that generally has a syrup added to it. You may also wish to add this spirit to your list of seduction materials, because pouring this on any date is going to increase your chance of closing the deal significantly. Aqua Perfecta is a playful drink for serious drinkers my friends. Don’t miss out on it.
-Out.
Tags: eaux de vie, framboise, ice cream, liqueur, reviews
Category: Spirit Reviews | Comments (0)
posted on 10 June 2009 by tony
Normally, I wouldn’t go for a drink so well known. You may or may not have noticed I like to revive antiquated recipes, no longer common in the eye of the public. However, very recently, the Zombie was involved in a night out that a few of my downTown peeps happened to be at. Consequently, I am inspired to write about it. Also, it’s the sort of drink that gets you drunk. Not ha-ha drunk. Fall down trying to fight the ground drunk. And, well, that’s how I like it.
The Zombie, according to legend, was created in the late 1930’s, by one Ernest Raymond Beaumont-Gannt, known in popular culture as “Donn Beach”. The story goes that he put one of these together for a friend of his before he took of for San Francisco. The friend proceeded to pound three of them, and, upon his return, stated he felt like a zombie his entire trip. And a star is born.
The zombie really hit it’s stride during the days of the American Tiki craze. Several variants of the original cocktail appeared, as Donn Beach was terribly secretive about his cocktail creations. After the death of Tiki in popular culture, one of the only ways to find this drink was to guzzle as many as you could get your hands on during Mardi Gras. These days it’s a little easier, especially if you live in our neck of the woods. Eastern Standard is known to have the Zombie on it’s menu, with a strict limit of two per customer. Take a look at the ingredient list and you’ll see why.
2 oz dark rum
2 oz light rum
1 oz 151 (or any over-proof rum)
1 oz triple sec
1 teaspoon Pernod
1 oz lime juice
1 oz orange juice
1 oz pineapple juice
1 oz guava nectar
1 tablespoon Grenadine
1 tablespoon Orgeat (almond) syrup
You can serve this one of two ways, depending on how you like your drinks. The first method involves tossing all the ingredients into a blender with a bunch of cracked ice and blending until smooth. Pour your slurry into a Collins glass and garnish with a pineapple spear and a cherry and you’re ready to get rocked.
If you’re not into blender drinks, simply substitute a shaker for the blender and leave out the 151. Give the concoction a good shake and pour that into a glass. Float the 151 on top and garnish. The cool part is that if you’re up to it, you can always light the 151 on fire and serve it that way. I’m more of a blender guy, but Lupec loves it when I mix up some flaming drinks, and with the ladies I aim to please.
You can find any number of alternate ways to mix this up online, so go nuts. Seriously though, this is going to get you smashed, so be careful. If you’re not careful though, send me an email with your horror story. I would love to hear them.
-Out.
Tags: drink recipes, grenadine, pernod, rum, triple sec
Category: Cocktail Recipes | Comments (1)
posted on 4 June 2009 by tony
Gin and I had a rocky relationship for a very long time. The first time I drank it, at the tender age of (information deleted), we kicked it plastic jug style. Now, as anyone who drinks gin knows, good gin is great, but bad gin is like drinking death. Sadly, when I was a novice, I thought bad gin was representative of all gin. This led me to avoid the spirit for years. However, in the last two years I’ve learned to appreciate and in fact love gin for all that it can be. I like to think that notion is captured in Whitley Neill.
Whitley Neill is a relatively young gin, having only first hit the scene in 2 double aught 4. Inspired by the botanicals of South Africa (you may have read my review of Amarula Cream, also South African in origin), it is a traditional London Dry. London Drys, instead of being what are essentially juniper flavored vodkas, are distilled using various botanicals for aroma and flavor. Whitley Neill adds the essential oils from nine separate botanicals to their copper pot still during the distillation process to give the product it’s unique flavor. I had thought the list would be difficult to unearth, but a little searching led me to the following list: baobab fruit, cape gooseberries, juniper berries, coriander seeds, lemon peel, orange peel, angelica root, cassia bark and orris root powder. These various ingredients are drawn from the world over to produce what we’re drinking today.
Whitley Neill presents a lot of juniper and citrus in the nose, not presenting a lot of alcohol. The flavor profile follows suit, with an even more pronounced citrus taste with a generous taste of juniper in the back end. The finish is smooth, with no real alcohol burn to speak of. Speaking from experience, I will tell you that Whitley Neill makes a serious gin and tonic. I personally believe that this could be the next big gin, following in the foot steps of Hendricks’s. You know what, I’m calling it now. You heard it here first. Whitley Neill is going to be huge. Buy it and try it. You’ll see.
-Out.
Tags: botanical, gin, reviews, south africa
Category: Spirit Reviews | Comments (1)
