Nick, Author at First Pour Cocktails

Giffard Abricot Du Roussillon

Posted on May 15, 2019April 19, 2021 by Nick

Perhaps the first reason someone picks up a book on cocktails is to look at the amazing recipes contained within. When I first picked up a copy of Death & Co’s cocktail book, I turned right to the whiskey section. Then immediately realized that I couldn’t make anything in that section, or most of the other ones. It wasn’t for a lack of skill (although that would come), it was more for lack of ingredients.

Fortunately, a fair number of cocktail books contain sections with recommendations for different brands and liquors that they use in their cocktails. These offer a great starting point if you’re unfamiliar, and a great chance to compare if you happen to own multiple books. Over time, and with the purchase of a number of books, I began to realize that some brands are better than others. Among them is Giffard’s.

While we’ve tried a number of spirits, we generally gravitate toward Giffard as we’ve found everything from the Blue Curacao to the Vigne de Peché to be well-balanced, nuanced, and true to their names.

Giffard describes their Abricot du Roussillon as a premium liqueur, made from Rouges du Roussillon apricots macerated in neutral spirits and then sweetened with fresh apricot juice. True to form in the tasting notes, the flavors are balanced and fresh, and there’s a premium feel here we didn’t see in lower end Apricot Liqueur.

On Its Own

Giffard Abricot Du Roussillon has a delightful fresh apricot start to the nose. The smell is nuanced, picking up notes of dried and baked apricots, orange zest, and candied fruit notes. The palate is sweet, although not cloyingly so. The flavor is predominantly fresh apricot, but still picks up some of the dried and baked elements, along with touches of tangerine, allspice, and certain nuttiness. A mild astringency lingers with the sweetness of the finish.

It’s worth noting this flavor is distinctly apricot – you’d be unlikely to open this and think – wow, that’s peaches [or other miscellaneous stone fruit].

Giffard Abricot Du Roussillon – In Cocktails

I would be remiss to tell you that Apricot Liqueur is widely used in cocktails. In our perusal of several cocktail books in our collection, we yielded possibly a dozen recipes out of several hundred. That number trims down even further if you’re trying to find a cocktail that truly showcases apricot liqueur. That’s a shame too; at its best it adds a delightful fruitiness while giving a cocktail characteristics that surprise and often amazing people. Several of our guests after trying it, have been surprised at how much apricot flavor it imparts.

So what can you do with it?

Thanks to its pungent nature, Giffard Abricot Du Roussillon can be employed easily as a modifier. Adding a hint (read barspoon to quarter oz) to a Gin and Tonic, Manhattan, or Daiquiri can add a different dimension to a favorite drink. If you want to be more tailored, The Bitter Truth (who makes a competing product) offers a list of Apricot cocktails.

Their Apricot Lady really helps to show off the depth of flavor Giffard’s Abricot Du Roussillon has. The apricot comes through against the creaminess of the egg, and the orange amplifies with the rum. Simultaneously rich and refreshing, it’s a great choice to show off the liqueur.

Abricot Du Roussillon also plays well in Tiki Cocktails. One of the recipes we found is the Golden Gun from Smuggler’s Cove by Martin Cate [disclosure – this is an Amazon Affiliate link, First Pour Cocktails may receive a portion of any sale]. The play between the rums, apricot, and the citrus creates a beautifully balanced mix of tiki flavors. The apricot really shines through – playing off the brown sugar and molasses notes of the rums. The result is a simply sippable cocktail that’s perfect for spring or early fall.

The Final Word – Giffard Abricot Du Roussillon

There aren’t a ton of apricot liqueurs on the market, so most of the time your options will be limited. If you do have a choice, Giffard Abricot Du Roussillon is among the top we’ve tasted, being well balanced, nuanced, and true to the flavor of apricots.

Giffard Abricot Du Roussillon

Rating

Coming Soon!

Other’s Share Their Thoughts on Giffard Abricot Du Roussillon:

Tasting Notes:

Ann Marie: On the nose fresh apricot with a touch of fresh fruit tarts, hints of baked apricot, and orange. Taste was similar to fresh apricot – with a hint of nuttiness like the pit. A hint of allspice and orange with a pleasant sweetness.

Nick: The smell is of fresh cut apricots with a subtle bitterness and candy like notes. There are touches of dried apricot as well. On the palate there’s a mild astringent characteristic and a pleasant sweetness. Fresh apricot and a mild nuttiness come together with a hint of tangerine on the finish. The dried /cooked apricot characteristics come through well.

Aviation Gin

Posted on May 1, 2019April 19, 2021 by Nick

Quick – think of your favorite gin. Got one in mind? Good.

Now – think for a second – do you know what style of gin that gin you love is?

For most people, the standard answer to this question has been a London Dry brand. Popular brands like Tanqueray, Beefeater, Gordon’s, and Bombay Sapphire all fall under this category. These gins are grain neutral spirits based, and tend to be heavy on the resinous, piney juniper berry. Other aromatics and flavorings can compliment – but these gins are undoubtedly juniper forward.

And when most people ask for gin, this is what they are requesting.

Over the last several years other classifications of gin have begun to emerge, among them what might be called Contemporary Gins. These gins, like Aviation American Gin, fulfill the basic requirement of having juniper – but then tend to strongly rely on other flavors or use a different base spirit.

About Aviation Gin

Aviation American Gin was founded in 2006 and was one of the first craft American gin’s on the market. Hailing from Portland, Oregon – the owner Ryan Magarian was interested in the downplay of juniper in the style of gin. Partnering with Christian Krogstad, the pair began trying to recreate the long-forgotten style of American Gin.

Aviation American gin did well and earned accolades and recommendations from everyone from Death & Co to Wine Enthusiast. The gin certainly developed a fair amount of attention on its own, but truly took off with the added ownership of Ryan Reynolds. With his stature and charisma, the brand has become increasingly mainstream.

Reynold’s bought into Aviation as a result of his love of it in a Negroni he repeatedly had while filming in his home town of Vancouver. Thanks to some great advertising, and the endorsements – we had to give it a try.

On Its Own: Aviation Gin

Aviation Gin is well weighted on the palate and is relatively easy going on the intake. Key flavors of juniper, cardamom, and citrus are all in play on both the nose and palate. Spice and a hint of bitterness are present (possibly a bark or root), and finishes on heavy on the spice side. The finish is long, with a bit of burning.

For full notes – see our tasting notes below.

Aviation Gin - American Gin Negroni — The Wonderful Aviation Negroni

In Cocktails

All that basic knowledge about types of gin mentioned in the intro is absolutely wonderful – right up until the moment you’re trying to make a drink. It’s like realizing that whole milk and almond milk are both technically types of milk, but they make your cup of coffee taste very different – they’re not necessarily interchangeable.

We ultimately tested four cocktails:

Martini
Aviation
Negroni
Pendennis Club Cocktail

The Martini & Aviation

To test out Aviation Gin, we started with the basics – a Martini.

We tested two ways – using Beefeater and Aviation Gin – both with Martini & Rossi Dry Vermouth. The results were somewhat surprising. While the Beefeater made a run of the mill Martini, the Aviation was somewhat overpowering. Flavors of cardamom and sasparilla become aggressive, overwhelm the vermouth, and give it a spicy, unbalanced top note.

We then decided to try a classic Aviation.

The Aviation was good, but the dominant spice flavors added elements to the Aviation that seemed out of place, and not in a way that I’d go out of my way to find. Unlike the martini, it wasn’t unpleasant – but it wasn’t my go to. Personally, I’d prefer the slight sweetness and gentleness of Hayman’s Old Tom Gin or a classic Beefeater before reaching for Aviation.

So after two cocktails, we started to wonder where exactly this was supposed to be good?

We hit the books and came up with two more ideas

Nick’s Choice: The Negroni

Negroni

1 oz

Aviation Gin

1 oz

Campari

1 oz

Sweet Vermouth

Combine all ingredients in a mixing vessel with ice. Stir. Strain over large ice cube in a double rocks glass. Garnish with an orange twist.

From my perspective (and as we later found out – Ryan Reynold’s) Aviation is ideally suited for bolder cocktails, like the Negroni. The balance of herbal notes from the Campari, along with it’s bitter and sweet flavors, spicing in the vermouth, and the natural juniper and cardamom notes of the gin add up to a highly complex, perfectly balanced drink that let’s every element shine. Where in some iterations the gin can lose some of its gusto, Aviation Gin creates a strong foil – showing the strength of its spice mix in the complexity of the Negroni.

Ann Marie’s Choice: The Pendennis Club Cocktail

My direction was a bit different, as I’m not a fan of the Negroni regardless of your choice of gin because of the strong bitterness that Campari has. Instead, I opted for the fruitier Pendennis Club Cocktail. A mix comprised of peach and apricot liqueurs combine with lime and a few dashes of Creole and Peychaud’s bitters. This allows the juniper of the Aviation gin to feel more herbal while the cardamom essence pairs well with the spice of the bitters. Brightness from the lime and tart notes from the liqueurs allow the citrus peel in the Aviation Gin to pop – resulting in a well-balanced, easy-going cocktail.

Guard dog Bella keeping an eye on my Pendennis Club Cocktail

The Final Word: Aviation Gin

Aviation Gin is a solid American Gin that’s worth a shot at the price point. Is it the most delicious gin, that’ll be a subjective opinion – and from some of the comments out there – will depend on your own stylistic gin preference. If you happen to enjoy a spicier gin, where juniper is more co-star than lead, Aviation Gin is worth a try to determine if you want it to have a permanent place in your home.

Aviation American Gin

Rating

Coming Soon!

Other’s Share Their Thoughts on Aviation American Gin:

Tasting Notes:

Nick: Aviation Gin has a strong showing of juniper – and use it as a backbone throughout. There’s cardamom present throughout with hints of lemongrass, cinnamon, and hints of floral. The mouthfeel is smooth with little burning and a hint of bitterness, perhaps some bark or root added. The finish is heavily laden to juniper, cardamom, and a light touch of citrus. It disappears relatively quickly.

Ann Marie: A nose of juniper, cardamom, and a hint of citrus – with the pithiness of a lemon peel. There isn’t much sweetness, but the juniper and cardamom make a strong showing. The citrus is more bitter. Lemon peel. The bitterness is similar to a cocoa bean.

Welcome To First Pour Cocktails

Posted on May 1, 2019May 1, 2019 by Nick

Hi, I’m Nick, and welcome to First Pour Cocktails! What’s First Pour Cocktails? First Pour Cocktails is a blog dedicated to exploring Ann Marie and I’s passion for crafting new cocktails with our own geeky spin. It’s also a living, breathing testament to our continued exploration of cocktails, the amazing bars and people who make them, and a resource to try to help enthusiasts (like us) develop their skills.

So how did we get here?

Back in 2011 – I was unemployed – almost living in my parent’s basement – and long on time to do nothing. Pumped full of excitement from 2008 Gary Vaynerchuk, with the wreckage of a failed attempt to create a video game studio behind me, I decided to do what any 20 something year old would do. I started a blog.

First Pour Wine was a goofy sort of thing. The kind of idea that you can only found when you have no actual idea what you’re doing – but have a great love of a product. It inspired me to conscript my best friend Greg into hanging sheets in my basement – so that we’d have a white background to record me teaching Greg about wine for under $10. It was a lot of fun – and we still joke that somewhere out in Berkeley there were a bunch of kids drinking every time Greg said wood.

While the settings improved (I’m being really generous here), they were nothing compared to the change in my palate. I developed a deep appreciation for wine that would take me all the way the Wine Blogger’s Conference in 2016. The WBC was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had in my life and I was extremely fired up to continue to grow in the wine world.

Not too long after I returned, I got a bit short on time thanks to my day job. The pressures of writing an article a day on First Pour Wine got a bit heavy – especially while juggling an entire factory and an international team to boot. It wasn’t so much that wine and I divorced – we just sort of drifted apart.

Reflecting back – even when I was writing about wine, and attending the wine blogger’s conference – I referred to wine as my lover and whiskey as my mistress. Perhaps this was a bit of stretch – but the first drink I ever had was Johnnie Walker Black (perhaps a bit ahead of schedule). At RIT I’d had a phenomenal wine teacher and mentor, Lorraine, how helped guide me. She even helped me to complete my independent study – where I designed a Whiskey’s of the World class as an independent study. I was motivated to move beyond mere fermentation.

Something bigger was distilling.

First Pour Wine – Cocktails

Some time ago, the first seeds of First Pour Cocktails were planted when I began exploring the idea of wine as a base for cocktails. My girlfriend Ann Marie began helping with the filming and editing, and became something of a sounding board during the process. While the idea hasn’t totally panned out, it did lead to some early videos and posts around cocktails on First Pour Wine – as well as an original drink or two. Both the Vinopolitan and Sixth City stand out to me as something that I should revisit.

These drinks paved the way for more experimentation. In an attempt to make a cocktail to Ann Marie’s liking, the Peachoid was born (and renamed to Peach’s Parasol). It made a brief appearance on our short-lived Toasts and Towers craft site, before just showing up on the deck on warm summer days.

By the way – if anyone wants to buy a coaster – I still have plenty.

By the end of 2017 – I was out of gas at work – and it showed in the writing. To make it harder, I changed jobs into a 100% travel role – and then completely lost the plot on First Pour Wine. With the business still failing to turn a profit despite trying to sell the crafts we made – and me out of time – it was time to close up shop in 2018.

Shake It Off

Sure it was disappointing to have to close up shop. I had put a lot of time into First Pour Wine and had a great time doing it. Things were looking up though. The new role was considerably less stress, the pay was better, and I was getting to scratch my travel itch. Only problem was, I wasn’t getting to spend as much time with Ann Marie.

In one of those funny little accidents, we found ourselves talking about cocktails before our Saturday night steaks. We talked about how it was interesting to get inspired by characters (like Peach) and how it might be fun to test ourselves by making some cocktails. It started out simple enough, just something to look forward to on the weekends. An opportunity to try to make something with some guard rails. But before we knew it, we had started to fill notepads with cocktails.

Somewhere around here – we started to play with the idea of writing a book. As some of our friends are aware, this led to a few cocktail parties to try to make sure that we:

Weren’t in our own echo chamber crazy, and that a drink tasted good.
Had made something that someone else might enjoy as well.

While we didn’t have the recipes to round out a book – we began to get closer and to learn more techniques. Some through great books – like Smuggler’s Cove, others through tasting at amazing bars like the Aviary, and still others through speaking with bartenders.

By the time we’d amassed over 180 bottles of different liquor – it became obvious that our little hobby was no longer just a little hobby. We wanted to share.

Crafting The Future

This long road has led us to the launch today of First Pour Cocktails. We’re excited to share what we learn with you the reader. In the coming weeks, you can look forward to:

Liquor and Equipment Reviews
Original Cocktails
Cocktail Bar Visits
… and much, much more.