Nick, Author at First Pour Cocktails

Valentine’s Day 2021: Chocolate Covered Strawberry

Posted on February 12, 2021 by Nick

What says Valentine’s Day more than a chocolate covered strawberry? This year we decided to take the classic and make it two ways. Yesterday, we shared the fun for everyone, Chocolate Covered Strawberry Hot Chocolate mocktail. Today we’re going to jazz it up, chill it out, and make our cocktail version of a Chocolate Covered Strawberry!

Chocolate Covered Strawberry

1 oz

360 Double Chocolate Vodka

1 oz

Absolut Vodka

0.5 oz

Strawberry Simple Syrup

2 Dashes

Angostura Cocoa Bitters

3 Drops

Vanilla Extract

1/2

Strawberry

Combine all ingredients (except the 1/2 Strawberry) in a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake. Double strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with a half a strawberry

Our Chocolate Covered Strawberry cocktail starts out with a bright burst of fresh strawberries, before gradually transitioning into a sweet and silky chocolate ending. The bitters and chocolate vodka compliment each other adding a mix of dark and milk chocolates to blend. Pair with Netflix, warm snuggles, and decadent desserts.

Strawberry Simple Syrup:

Shared with our Chocolate Covered Strawberry Hot Chocolate mocktail, this syrup is both deliciously fresh and unadulterated. It’s easy to make and ends up thick, fast, and fragrant. It’s uses aren’t limited to cocktails, feel free to try it on pancakes.

250 g Strawberries, cleaned and hulled
250 g White Sugar

In a blender, combine equal weights cleaned and hulled strawberries with white sugar. Blend until smooth. Pour into a sealed container, refrigerate, and use within 1 – 2 weeks.

Drink Notes & Recommendations

We experimented with a number of different combinations of bitters, vodkas, and accents before settling on a simpler approach with this cocktail. You may notice that it ends up looking a little short compared to the wash line, but bare in mind this is a full sized drink. Rather than adding things to stretch it, we tried to keep it as close to a real chocolate covered strawberry as possible.

Strawberry Simple – Use fresh strawberries here for the best results. Since no heat is applied, the flavor will be extraordinarily natural.
Chocolate Vodka – Our preference is the cheap and sweet 360 Double Chocolate Vodka. As sweetness varies, adjust using more unflavored vodka to temper sweetness or adding more Strawberry Simple / regular Simple Syrup to increase sweetness.
Vodka – We use Absolut here, and find it works fairly well in most drinks. Feel free to substitute your own favorite.
Angostura Cocoa Bitters – We did attempt to use Fee Brother’s Aztec Chocolate Bitters here, but found the complexity was lacking. Angostura is relatively new to the chocolate bitters scene, but their large distribution network should make them easy enough to find. If you’re in a pinch, substitute what you can find.
Vanilla Extract – We use Kirkland, however McCormick or your favorite will work just fine.
Strawberry Garnish – Feel free to make this Strawberry as cute or as simple as you like. We tried to make ours look like Cupid’s arrow.

Valentine’s Day 2021: Chocolate Covered Strawberry Hot Chocolate

Posted on February 11, 2021February 13, 2021 by Nick

Leading off our first of two celebratory drinks is our first posted mocktail. Both cocktails will feature chocolate and strawberries, so you’ll be able to use the Strawberry Simple here for both drinks. Inspired by a chocolate covered strawberry, this hot chocolate is a great way to warm up with the frigid February temps. With no alcohol, it’s also versatile for both those avoiding alcohol and for kids.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Hot Chocolate

8 oz

Milk

1 Packet

Swiss Miss Rich Hot Chocolate

3 Drops

Almond Extract

Strawberry

Whipped Cream

Prepare the Swiss Miss Rich Hot Chocolate in accordance with the stovetop directions on the packet using milk. Once combined, remove from heat, and stir in 3 drops of Almond Extract. Pour into your favorite mug or heat resistant glass. Using a piping bag or a ziploc bag with the corner snipped off, add 1-2 layers of strawberry whipped cream. Feel free to add any other embellishments to the whip cream, including hot fudge, caramel, sprinkles, or candies.

The play between the slight nuttiness and creamy rich hot chocolate accentuates wonderfully against the cold, vibrant strawberry whipped cream. Like all hot chocolate, the flavors slowly meld together as the whipped cream melts, leaving behind an increasingly fresh strawberry flavored hot chocolate.

Strawberry Whipped Cream

8 oz Heavy Cream, chilled
8 oz Strawberry Simple Syrup, chilled

Chill your bowl and whisking attachments in a freezer for at least 15 minutes. Once chilled, add heavy cream, and whip on the highest setting until peaks become visible. Working in at least 2 batches (4 oz and 4 oz), slowly drizzle in the Strawberry Simple Syrup on high. Allow the cream to form peaks again before adding subsequent batches. Once all syrup is combined, continued to beat until light and fluffy. Set aside and reserve.

Strawberry Simple Syrup:

Deliciously fresh and unadulterated, this strawberry syrup is thick, fast, and fragrant. It’s uses aren’t limited to cocktails, feel free to try it on pancakes.

250 g Strawberries, cleaned and hulled
250 g White Sugar

In a blender, combine equal weights cleaned and hulled strawberries with white sugar. Blend until smooth. Pour into a sealed container, refrigerate, and use within 1 – 2 weeks.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Hot Chocolate Drink Notes & Recommendations:

Don’t you hate it when you have to make an ingredient for only one drink? I know that I do, but thankfully the strawberry simple syrup listed above is used in both the hot chocolate and our adult offering – the Chocolate Covered Strawberry cocktail.

While there are a number of steps to making this hot chocolate, you shouldn’t run into too many issues. I’ve tried to highlight some of the most common ones below.

Strawberry Simple – Use fresh strawberries here for the best results. Since no heat is applied, the flavor will be extraordinarily natural.
Strawberry Whipped Cream –
- The most obvious enemy here is warmth. Failure to keep the cream cold will result in the fat structure not setting up sufficiently for the cream to whip. For this reason, make sure both your cream and your syrup are cold.
- When you start, resist the urge to immediately dump your syrup in. This can result in a grainy whipped cream that may not set correctly. Finally, if the syrup accumulates on the side of the bowl, it is ok to stop and scrape down the sides and continue whisking.
- I used my Kitchen Aid* to make this whipped cream, and at the ratios you see, you will end up with a large quantity of whipped cream. If you Kitchen Aid or mixer can accommodate, feel free to use less, but keep the ratio even (example, 4oz cream to 4oz syrup). Extra can also be used on other desserts (like chocolate cake) or wherever you happen to like to apply whipped cream.
Milk – We used Whole Milk here, but feel free to use what you prefer.
Hot Chocolate – The fact is Swiss Miss* is no fuss, but feel free to swap out your favorite brand or recipe – adding in the almond extract at the same point.
Almond Extract – We used McCormick for this recipe and a straw as a dropper. If you happen to have pipettes*, they work wonderfully as well.

Looking for another Valentine’s Day Cocktail? Check out our 2020 featured cocktail, the Love Potions!

* – This post contains affiliate links that my grant us a commission, and help us keep finding new bottles for you try and testing out new cocktails. We appreciate your help!

The Classics: The Fitzgerald

Posted on February 8, 2021 by Nick

A modern classic invented by Dale DeGroff at the Rainbow Room, The Fitzgerald is a beautifully simple riff on a gin sour. Adjusting the template with just a hint of angostura bitters, the drink takes on a slightly pinkish hue, and adds some complexity. Like all drinks, the name is reportedly something of a happy accident, where the “Gin Thing” was renamed by a more literary minded patron into the Fitzgerald. As it turns out in shooting this picture, I have lost my copy of the Great Gatsby somewhere along the line.

The Fitzgerald

2 oz

Gin

0.75 oz

Simple Syrup

0.75 oz

Lemon Juice

2 Dashes

Angostura Bitters

Lemon Wedge Garnish

Combine all ingredients in a shaker. Add ice and shake. Double strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with a lemon wedge or wheel.

The Fitzgerald is without a doubt a sour in template, and features bright lemon notes skillfully layered over foundations of herbaceous gin and spiced bitters. The net effect is a simple yet satisfying cocktail that’s gives you just a bit more than you’re expecting. Be forewarned though, those sensitive to acid will find this drink rather punchy.

Drink Notes & Recommendations

If you read about this drink, you’ll find a wealth of divergent viewpoints on how to best construct it. While some will suggest that you need an ounce and a half of gin, other will recommend two. In testing, I found a higher value worked better. This helped give some space to the lemon, which even at three-quarters of an ounce, is something nearing bracing. Other recipes have suggested counterbalancing this with more sugar. Beyond three-quarters of an ounce, I found this drink was veering into cloying.

In addition, at least one recipe calls for a rocks glass – with no rocks. I could see drinking this over ice, but why you would place it in a rocks glass without ice is beyond me.

As always, feel free to disregard this advice, and make to your taste from the guideline.

Finally, disregard the comically large lemon in the photo. This works out as badly as it seems. It floats where you don’t want, and generally intrudes. If you must, use a wedge.

Gin – Beefeater is our choice, but any London Dry Gin will do.
Lemon Juice – Use fresh squeezed as always.
Simple Syrup – A traditional 1:1 water to sugar simple is most often used here.
Garnish – Avoid the giant lemon wheel. A wedge is sufficient – do not float.
Glassware – I recommend a chilled coupe here.
Random Fun Thought – This reminds me of the lemon ice I’d eat as a kid on the playground.

Pusser’s Rum

Posted on February 1, 2021 by Nick

Pusser’s Rum is best known for it’s legacy as the rum of the British Navy. Long ago, the British Navy used to give their soliders rations of rum or ‘tots’. Do to concerns about alcohol consumption among sailors, the British Navy ended this practice in 1970. Leaving service, many of these soldiers desired their favorite tots, and with some entrepreneurial spirit Pusser’s makes a blue label Navy Style rum to help fit the bill.

Pusser’s Rum

Sight: A bright caramelly brown.

Smell: A touch of heat wafts off the top, giving way to a burst of molasses like brown sugars and spices. A certain funk hangs around and a then this beautiful salted caramel seems to wrap around it. A touch of ripe tropical fruit exists, boarding into roasted pineapple.

Sip: The body is lighter than you might expect, but gradually builds in flavor and intensity. This interesting start of rum esters starts things out before getting increasingly spiced and oaky. This amazing things starts to happen as it sits on the palate, releasing notes of molasses, roasted coconut, and fresh caramel with touches of nuts. I never really gets sweet, yet gives off those sweet flavor elements. There is some heat that grows with the flavor.

Savor: The ending leaves the woodsy spice and a healthy dosage of ester notes and tannin. The fruitiness, molasses notes, and caramel character is very in line with the expectation of a darker rum.

Pusser’s Rum is an iconic blend and really does strike all the right notes for a a light to moderately aged rum. It has a little to moderate rum funk, but it also gets a little sweet and a little fruit. It’s definitely not something you’d want to sit and sip on, but as it lingers, it does give off an inviting personality. For all these reasons, it’s a great mixing rum – that’s is sometimes difficult for those new to the spirit.

In Cocktails

In cocktails Pusser’s is one of our favorite rums to split. While the flavor profile can get a little aggressive on it’s own, it adds so much depth to other rums when used as a compliment. Those molasses notes build on the spice and fruit of the other rum, making both more expressive. For these reasons, it’s frequently seen around Tiki cocktails, but deserves considerations for Cuba Libre’s and other rum drinks.

However, in our standard daiquiri test Pusser’s becomes somewhat problematic. While dark rums can get a little aggressive in a daiquiri, Pusser’s actually pulls it into the world of funk, wood, and molasses. Daiquiris though, are not where Pusser’s truly shines.

Perhaps the most well known drink, one that some say exclusively requires Pusser’s, is the Painkiller. A delightful concoction of coconut cream, pineapple, orange, and Pusser’s, the Painkiller ends up being soothingly creamy and tropical with just enough spice to belie the fact that you’re slipping away into relaxation land. On it’s own, the Painkiller deserves your consideration (and a possible bottle of Pusser’s).

Pusser’s Overall

Pusser’s Rum is a bully of flavor, but one that’s deliciously put together. While it’s not as versatile or restrained as some of the other rums, it delivers an in your face, unapologetic character to the drinks it’s used in. For this reason, it’s a recommended bottle for lovers of rum drinks and those looking to bolster their bar’s rum selection – without breaking the bank.

Appleton Estate Reserve Blend

Posted on January 26, 2021 by Nick

As we mentioned back in our review of Appleton Estate Signature Blend, Appleton Estate Reserve Blend is our preference. The cost differential in Ohio was minimal as of last year, with only a two dollar split between these two rums. There’s very little reason at that price to say no to swapping up. So what makes the reserve blend so much better?

Appleton Estate Reserve Blend

Sight: An orange and caramel hue

Smell: The nose starts off with a waft of warm wood, vanilla, and touches of caramelized sugar. As it persists, some of the spices of the wood begin too emerge against an increasingly ripe menagerie of fruits, ranging from bananas to dates to hints of tropical citrus. The back notes of caramel underlay these like an overripening, and there’s little funk.

Sip: It starts off slightly sweet, but quickly dries with the influence of the spices and oak notes. The aging is apparent here, with a spiced brown sugar sugar that laces with touches of orange, toasted coconut, and banana. A hint of funky ester hides around the edges, and light burn occurs throughout.

Savor: The finish is smooth, yet presently tannic as it finishes. There’s a dryness to the ending, evaporating the sweetness, but leaving a hint of caramelized fruit behind that lingers lightly with that trademark Jamaican funk.

Appleton Estate Reserve Blend is a more oaked, and spicy version of it’s younger sibling. The result is a more funky and complex rum, although not so much so that you’d break the bank. Interestingly, both of them have some sharp edges, but the overall flavors they bring to the party (especially for mixing) over come any harsh notes. It’s worth noting that it brings a little more funk to the party, and that may also dissuade you one way or the other. While you could enjoy this on it’s own, it’s also not exactly entertaining, even though it is palatable.

In Cocktails

Appleton Estate Reserve Blend is beautiful in cocktails, contributing the character of sweetness without actually adding sweetness. The result is notes of caramel, tropical fruits, and warm spices. It becomes especially apparent in a daiquiri, where the lime sets off the sweeter elements, and then the simple accentuates them. For these reason, we find the reserve blend works fantastic in rum cocktails and crafting new Tiki ideas.

Appleton Estate Reserve Blend Overall

There’s really very little to complain about from a cocktail making standpoint for either the Appleton Estate Reserve Blend or the Appleton Estate Signature Blend. If the price difference is less than $5, it’s really a matter of preference. Stretching beyond $5, you’re probably seeing quickly diminishing returns for the added complexity.

As you may also notice, there has been a packaging flow through change. As a result, we’ve squirrelled away a couple extra bottles, and will be comparing to the new 8 soon!

Marie Brizard Cassis de Dijon

Posted on January 19, 2021January 19, 2021 by Nick

There are a lot of liqueurs that have very few uses. For better or worse, Creme de Cassis is amongst these bottles. Being primarily used in a Kir Royale, you might question if you should spend more for a better bottle of something with so few uses. If you happen to like the Kir Royale, than one sip Marie Brizard Cassis de Dijon will answer your question instantly.

Marie Brizard Cassis de Dijon

Claimed to be made from the finest blackcurrant, Marie Brizard will set you back somewhere around $20 for a 750ml.

Sight: An inky, purplish black at it’s core. The edges give way like an old wine through shades of garnet and brick with a watery orange edge.

Smell: The smell of blackcurrents and ripe berries is abundant with hints of earthiness, almost like grape stems or stony soil.

Sip: The palate starts sweet and quickly works into a more lively territory as notes of bright, fresh berries well up. There’s a subtle bitterness like berry skin, that gives way to a mix of both fresh and jammed blackcurrants. That subtle bitterness gives it bit of extra snap texturally, helping with a syrup like consistency.

Savor: The ending a long affair of blackcurrants brambling slowly away leaving a saccharine sweetness and touch of stem.

Marie Brizard Cassis de Dijon highlights blackcurrants naturally, giving them their space to show off. The slightly jammy notes that run throughout make for a lovely bookend to the fresh fruit like bite the liqueur displays. It is definitively more complex and well rounded than a bottom shelf bottle. A comparison of Marie Brizard to DeKuyper Creme de Cassis left no doubt as to the reason for the price difference, with the later being artificially powdery in it’s sweetness and muddled with flavors approaching chocolate and concord grapes.

In Cocktails

To say Creme de Cassis is limited is a bit of an understatement. There is exactly one classic cocktail I’m aware of that class for Creme de Cassis, the Kir Royale. A built drink, the Kir Royale is merely a half ounce of Creme de Cassis, and around 5 oz of champagne. In essence, you’re building a highball with champagne. For this application, Marie Brizard Creme de Cassis has enough complexity and acidity to complement the wine, and elevate the experience, while adding its fruity twist.

Marie Brizard Cassis de Dijon Overall

Marie Brizard is a gorgeous example of blackcurrant liqueur. The complexity and natural character make this a shoe in for lovers of Kir Royale. Others might think twices if they really need a bottle of blackcurrent liqueur on their bar. However, if you do, then Marie Brizard Cassis de Dijon is our recommended bottle.

The Classics: Vesper

Posted on January 18, 2021March 3, 2021 by Nick

When asked if he drinks Vespers for the bitterness, James Bond states that once you taste a Vesper, you’ll never drink anything else. While there’s no debate that you can no longer make Vesper in the original way (Kina Lillet is lost to history), there’s still a misconception about shaking Martinis and, by associations, Vespers. Let’s settle the debate before talking about the absolutely stunning drink that is the Vesper. You stir.

The Vesper

1.5 oz

London Dry Gin

.75 oz

Vodka

.75 oz

Cocchi Americano or Kina Lillet

Lemon Twist

Combine all ingredients except the lemon twist in a mixing vessel. Add ice and stir. Double strain into a chilled martini glass or Nick & Nora. Express the lemon over the drink and place on the rim.

Clean, crispy, citrusy, and gently herbal, the Vesper is a beautifully balanced cousin to the Martini. The subtle sweet and bitter notes of the Cocchi Americano flow beautifully with the crisp notes of angelica and juniper coming the gin. The body is silky smooth, yet also somewhat light. The progression from bright citrus to juniper to quinine like bitterness is both classic and elegant in all the right ways.

Drink Notes & Recommendations

The Vesper is built on a fairly straightforward template, and there’s not a lot of elements to get in the way. With that simplicity comes the need that the ingredients chosen quality ingredients.

Gin – I prefer a smoother, less aggressive gin in this application. Our preference is Plymouth Gin, but most London dry gins will do just fine.
Vodka – The fact this drink can so closely resemble silk on the palate is part of the reason I prefer a higher end, smoother vodka in this application. Absolut Elyx is our go to, but feel free to play around with other wheat and rice based vodkas. Anything will work, but things you would like to sip work better.
Cocchi Americano – As of writing this, I’m not aware of a substitute for Cocchi Americano. If needed, you could use Lillet Blanc, however, it will lack the bitterness.
Glassware – This drink is appropriate in a Nick & Nora or a Martini glass.
Random Fun Pairing – I happen to love a Vesper with a nice plate of sushi finding the clean, citrusy flavor compliments the fish.

Aperitivo Cocchi Americano

Posted on January 11, 2021 by Nick

James Bond is known for a Martini, but he started out with a different drink all together. As many aficionados of the globe trotting spy will tell you, James Bond was actually originally known for the Vesper. Unlike it’s gin based cousin, the Vesper dropped vermouth and added vodka and Kina Lillet. Kina Lillet, a fortified wine with a bitter edge from the addition of Kina, later was reformulated to remove the bitter Kina element. As a result, Vespers were lack a key ingredient, until the arrival of Aperitivo Cocchi Americano.

Aperitivo Cocchi Americano

Sight: A pale yellow hue, bordering on gold, tinged with a hint of green.

Smell: There’s a burst of citrus notes that a slowly infringed upon by numerous herbal notes creeping in. A subtle but persistent sweetness, like that of fresh pressed white grapes lingers in the background, playing host to touches of wet stone and a touch of woodsy herb.

Sip: There’s an instant pop of brightness followed by a sweet white grape and viscous body. Citrus oil comes through, particularly hints of oranges, kumquats, and lemons with a hint of bitter pith. The herbal notes linger gently, make their presence known, but not felt.

Savor: On the finish, the delicate bitterness finally pulls to the forefront, leaving a slightly citrusy bitter finish that lingers pleasingly with a mild coating nature.

I would be lying if I told you that I thought Aperitivo Cocchi Americano was anything less than lovely. The delicate flavors of citrus and herb layer pleasantly over the white wine background. Nothing is imposing, least of all the bitterness. There is a wonderful balance between bitter and sweet that helps to make it so beautifully balanced. As a result, it checks a lot of the boxes to fit well in cocktails.

In Cocktails

With the end of Kina Lillet, Aperitivo Cocchi Americano is your best bet for classics like the Corpse Reviver #2 and Vesper. Thanks to a decent acidity and the bitter-sweet nature of this fortified wine, you’ll find it plays particularly well in applications where you might consider vermouth. The Vesper being a close relation to the Martini demonstrates this particularly well, allowing the citrus notes to come through while giving complimentary sweet and bitter notes to the gin. It also makes a great highball to just enjoy on it’s own.

Aperitivo Cocchi Americano in Review

Overall, Aperitivo Cocchi Americano is beautifully constructed and just the right mix of bitter and sweet to make it a lovely partner for cocktails. Bottles will expire as this is fortified wine, but at around $20 you won’t find it more preventative than vermouth. If you happen to like aromatic wines, then Cocchi Americano is worth the search.

Toro Bravo’s Rising Sun Cocktail

Posted on January 7, 2021January 7, 2021 by Nick

One of the challenges with certain spirits, like Aquavit, Shochu, and Mezcal, is that there are no obvious classic preparation to evaluate a spirit in. To remedy this, I’m using Toro Bravo’s Rising Sun Cocktail as detailed on Saveur. While the recipe originally details a pinch of salt, I wanted standardize this for consistency. Below is up clarification this recipe to ensure that we regularly produce the same drink for testing.

Toro Bravo’s Rising Sun Cocktail

Rising Sun

1.5 oz

Mezcal

.75 oz

Grapefruit Juice

.5 oz

Maraschino Liqueur

.5 oz

Lime

2 Drops

5% Saline Solution

Combine all ingredients in a shaker. Add ice and shake. Double strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with a lime wheel.

As we alluded in our review of Bozal Ensamble, the flavors in the Rising Sun are complimentary and clean to Mezcal. Due to the proportions and strong character of Mezcal, the Mezcal can shine it’s herbaceous and smokey notes without being overpowered. As from being mezcal forward, the drink also manages nice notes of fresh citrus, a touch of nuttiness, and a little bit of fruitiness from the maraschino. The model is somewhere near the both the Daiquiri and the Margarita, our go to tester for Rum and Tequila respectively.

Drink Notes:

The Rising Sun is a relatively straightforward cocktail, with the exception of the Saline Solution, which is detailed below:

Mezcal – Mezcal is the focus of the drink, so use something you’re going to enjoy.
Maraschino Liquor – Luxardo is our go to brand, although others exist. In most applications, this is a bully, but Mezcal has some backbone.
Grapefruit & Lime Juice – As always, use fresh squeezed juices for the most enjoyable cocktail experience.
Saline Solution – Combine 5g of salt to 100g water. Shake to combine, use 2 drops. It will essentially keep forever, we like to keep ours in these pipette bottles*.
Glassware – Coupe
Garnish – Lime Wedge

* – This is an affiliate link that we might get a commission from – it helps us to buy more bottles and experiment with more fun combinations. If you feel like supporting us, please click through and buy this or whatever you fancy.

Bozal Ensamble

Posted on January 4, 2021January 11, 2021 by Nick

In general, there’s a diminishing return with liquor ingredients in cocktails. This isn’t to say that a Weller Antique 107 or Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Manhattan isn’t going to be significantly better than it’s lower tier counterpart, but the $25 – 50 a bottle difference in price may not reflect as clearly with other ingredients involved. The joke would be something like taking Johnny Walker Blue Label and mixing it with diet coke. You can obviously do you (if you have the means), but perhaps for the rest of us, the question of scalability comes into play. Bozal Ensamble illustrates this difference in a smaller band, showing off the bottom of a higher grade of Mezcal

Bozal Ensamble

While Bozal Ensamble can be found in the mid $40 to low $50 price band, it still could be considered a little high compared to something like Del Maguey Vida which can go as low as mid $30s. If you are particularly into agave spirits, like Tequila or Mezcal, you’ll recognize the step here for artisanal quality most likely justifies price. Especially considering Mezcal can easily range up in the hundreds of dollars. But what’s the juice inside that intriguing ceramic bottle really taste like?

Sight: Clear

Smell: An amazingly complex nose leads with a sweet, caramelized, roasted agave smell wafts forward. Mixtures of smokiness with touches of flowers and tropical fruit come together creating a pungent mix with just a hint of heat. Touches of lime, green pepper, honeyed pineapple, and agave funk come forward with pink peppercorn and herbs.

Sip: The start has an amazing degree of sweetness that gives way to a savory flavors. As the sweetness fades, touches of pepper, agave, green herbs and peppers mingle with almost tropical notes. There’s a linger smoke to the background that builds, and there’s little to no burn all the way through.

Savor: The finish lingers beautifully mixing hints of tropical fruit with a strong agave and smoke background. The complexity gives touches of citrus, herbal, and spice.

The words to describe Bozal Ensamble are lacking, not for lack of flavor, but for the complexity of this mezcal. While you can buy cheaper Mezcal, the beauty of Ensamble shows what good Mezcal can be, without costing an arm and a leg. The flavor profile is so dynamic, and the flavor so complex, that just sitting and sipping you can keep finding new elements. Make no mistake, this Mezcal is certainly good enough to sip on, on it’s own.

In Cocktails – Developing a Testing Process for Mezcal

Unlike Tequila, there aren’t a host of ready made applications to pull from for tasting Mezcal in. There’s a plethora of reasons for this, ranging from that Mezcal can be more artisanal (and therefore expensive) or that Mezcal is just plain more aggressive in some of it’s flavor profiles. As a result, it took some experimenting to find a drink that’s more or less clean enough to evaluate the Mezcal. What I settled on is a drink called The Rising Sun from Toro Bravo that’s detailed by Saveur through the link.

The reason I chose this particular cocktails is because the flavors (lime, grapefruit, some salt, and maraschino liqueur) are good complimentary flavors that allow the Mezcal to demonstrate itself without disappearing. The similar to a daiquiri, there’s not a whole lot of additional conflict here to process. The resulting drink is bright, a little nutty, and mezcal driven. Bozal Ensamble shined nicely in this application, showing off a nice strong agave and smoke backbone, while adding to the touches of citrus, herbal notes, and touches of tropical fruit. The maraschino liquor balanced well, showing off it’s character without being overpowered or overpowering the mezcal.

To fully understand the comparison, we used Del Maguey Vida and Olmeca Altos Plata in the main role. Blanco tequila is insufficient here to provide the depth delivered by Mezcal. Del Maguey Vida serves as a great parallel to the Bozal Ensamble, but it gives off additional smoke that lingers and a hint of rubber. By no means is it bad, but rather it lacks the refinement of Bozal Ensamble.

Based on this, we’re going to keep using The Rising Sun from Toro Bravo as originally detailed on Saveur’s site to continue to test mezcal drinks.

Bozal Ensamble Overall

Bozal Ensamble is an eye opening Mezcal if you’ve been used to having lower quality Mezcal or are unfamiliar with Mezcal. The price point hovers in the mid $40s to low $50s, meaning this isn’t the cheapest option available. The step in quality is substantial though, and while Del Maguey Vida can certainly work and serve as a modifier, it won’t be as pleasing on it’s own or as refined in more delicate applications. For these reasons, we advise the extra splurge to pick up Bozal Ensamble, and expand your knowledge of agave spirits.

The Classics: The Aviation

Posted on November 10, 2020November 10, 2020 by Nick

The Aviation is a classic cocktail dating back to pre-prohibition times. Due to the difficulty of finding Creme Yvette and Creme De Violette, the Aviation fell out of favor, and only began to regain it’s popularity with the resurgence of prohibition style cocktails. Now it’s pretty easy to at least come across creme de violette either at the liquor store or the bar, and if you do, an Aviation is worth a try.

The Aviation

2 oz

London Dry Gin

.75 oz

Lemon Juice

.5 oz

Maraschino Liqueur

.25 oz

Creme de Violette

Cherry

Combine all ingredients except the cherry in a shaker. Add ice and shake. Double strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with a cherry.

The Aviation is one of my favorite prohibition cocktails. The striking balance between the herbal character of the gin and the spicy character of the maraschino is complimented by the brightness of the lemon. The final pop of the violet comes through – giving a pretty floral ending to this blue hued classic.

Drink Notes & Recommendations

When I first encountered this drink, there would be common variation where the Creme de Violette was poured with a layering spoon into the bottom of the glass. For the love of all that is good in cocktails, please spare yourself this unbalanced mess of a cocktail. I will readily admit I’ve done it, but it doesn’t add anything other than aesthetics, and instead makes the drink less balanced. Ultimately, it becomes a shot of floral syrup hiding at the bottom of your drink.

The original calls for Creme de Yvette. This previously defunct liqueur is still not widely available, but if you can find it, I’ve heard it’s worth the hunt. There is more complexity and berry notes than straight violette.

Gin – Sacrilege though it maybe, I wouldn’t be opposed to some Old Tom Gin in mine. That said, your favorite London Dry Gin will do just fine. We use Beefeater here.
Maraschino Liqueur – Although I am certain other brands exist, Luxardo is our go to. Becareful, over pour and this cherry spiced liqueur becomes a bully.
Violet Liqueur / Yvette – Just like Maraschino, the odds of this becoming a bully from overpouring are significant, so be gentle. From a brands perspective my favorite is the Bitter Truth, but Rothman & Winter is great as well.
Lemon Juice – As always, squeeze your own.

Rothman & Winter Creme De Violette

Posted on November 5, 2020 by Nick

When I first got into craft cocktails, there was something amazing about the Aviation. Truthfully, it was probably related to the wonderful Sinatra song Blue Moon, which fit right in with classic prohibition era cocktails. Either way, when I final managed to find a bottle of cvreme de iolette, it was off to the races to make an Aviation. I was in love, which lead me to buy 3 different brands, one of which was Rothman & Winter Creme De Violette.

Rothman & Winter Creme De Violette

There are two main problems with any bottle of creme de violette:

Creme de violette tastes like violet candies
There are small handful of cocktails that use tiny amounts of this floral liqueur.

As a result a bottle of creme de violette lasts for what seems like ever. As a result, one should be choose when picking a Creme De Violette. So is Rothman & Winter Creme De Violette the one for your bar?

Sight: A deep royal purple with light blue edges.

Smell: The smell of violets is unmistakable, but so are the smells of preserved dark fruit jam and violet candies. It’s a little bright as well – like its slightly acidic.

Sip: The sip starts unmistakably syrupy, but is delightfully floral and definitively violet. It’s not completely overpowering though. There are still all those touches of super dark ripe fruits that hide around the edges. Just a hint of floral bitterness hides.

Savor: The finish keeps rolling through the violet, like a sugar candy. The violet is definitely floral, but lingers pleasantly.

Rothman & Winter Creme De Violette is powerfully floral, but also elegant in it’s grace. In addition to the violet, the other flavors it hints at are helpful in adding another layer. While you would presumably never drink it on its own, for the classic Aviation it demonstrates enough body to be part of the cocktail without being overwhelmed by it.

In Cocktails

Rothman & Winter Creme De Violette balances well in an aviation, providing a perfumed hint of violets against the herbal and spicy notes of the gin and maraschino. The lemon brings it all out keeping the drink bright with just the hint of sweetness. Beyond the aviation, a blue moon is probably the next most common (an Aviation with no Maraschino Liqueur) and perhaps a Violette Royale next (sparkling wine and creme de violette). Neither are particularly common, but are both options for what to do with a nice bottle of creme de violette.

Final Thoughts

On it’s own this is a hard bottle to justify, and even for someone that loves craft cocktails, creme de violette is a challenging ingredient to craft new drinks with. With a limited number of classic cocktails that call for it, it can also take a while to go through a bottle. For these reasons, this creme de violette remains an enthusiast’s ingredient. That said, if you need to pick a creme de violette, Rothman & Winter is a great choice.

Looking for more information – check out Haus Alpenz description of their creme de violette.