Nick, Author at First Pour Cocktails

1792 Single Barrel

Posted on January 11, 2023January 3, 2023 by Nick

I happened to find that 1792 Small Batch was one of my favorite bourbons last year, and the next progression of this was to try their single barrel. While with some brands, you won’t be able to find anything beyond the basic offering at opening (Weller Special Reserve, Buffalo Trace, etc), other brands are thankfully quite findable well after opening and sometimes for days afterward. Barton’s 1792 Single Barrel falls into this category (at least outside of Ohio) and is frequently a store pick. Our particular bottle is actually a non-store pick, so is it worth your time to pick one up if you see one?

1792 Single Barrel

Sight: Chestnut Oloroso Sherry

Smell: Caramel, butterscotch, and powder sugar combine with cooked cherries. Hints of heat and orange marmalade interject with a bit of dark chocolate. Spices and oak run through the background, but the heat seems pervasive.

Sip: Slight fruit leads off (almost raspberry like), a little bit of caramel starts to creep in, and the mouthfeel is thin comparatively. There’s a bit of heat that kicks up before oak and spice notes jump in. The evolution leads more into the oak and spice side of things toward the back of the palate.

Savor: The finish pulls in more charred oak with a hint of clove and spice. The finish lingers with a slightly tannic nature.

1792 Single Barrel is much more barrel orientated than it’s Small Batch cousin, and brings complex flavors of oak and spice. The mouthfeel belies it though, giving a thin character as it dances across the palate. The oak comes on heavy throughout, and lingers on the ending with considerable strength. While there’s a bit to unpack here, complexity isn’t it’s strong suit.

1792 Single Barrel Compared with 1792 Small Batch

While the nose is indeed fuller, the ethanol is equally punchy to the increase in aroma. This makes it a touch sniff comparatively, where the small batch almost more willing reveals it’s secrets and depth. 1792 Small Batch is a bit more balanced toward fruit and away from oak in the palate as well. A slightly sweet nature of the fresh fruit notes is a bit contrast with the heavy caramel and oak of the single barrel.

In Cocktails

In a Manhattan, 1792 Single Barrel delivers more of the same. The initial punch is actually nicely balanced caramel and red fruit (most likely helped by the vermouth), but moving into charred barrel territory with lots of spice. The ending maintains a similar tannic note with more spice. Overall, it makes a very serviceable Manhattan.

In Review – 1792 Single Barrel

1792 Single Barrel is a nice, solid bourbon. Where it struggles is that it doesn’t quite bring anything revolutionary to the party, and in some ways, doesn’t live up to it’s little brother Small Batch. The result is a bottle that’s not only harder to find, but also more expensive. The hype generated by Full Proof likely has a good deal to do with explaining this. With that said, we can’t recommend you add 1792 Single Barrel to your collection, but it’s worth a try if you find that you like other Barton products.

The Classics: Japanese Cocktail

Posted on January 9, 2023January 8, 2023 by Nick

Sometimes cocktails garner their names from a moment in time. Such is the case of the Japanese Cocktail. There’s nothing in this cocktail that would lead you believe the drink would be inspired by Japan, but rather, the cocktail was made in effort to impress dignitaries from Japan. Legend has it that these dignitaries were staying in New York in the 1860’s and this was the cocktail made to impress them. So is it still impressive to everyone else today?

Japanese Cocktail

2 oz

Cognac

½ oz

Orgeat

2-4 Dashes

Aromatic Bitters

Combine all ingredients in a mixing vessel. Add ice and stir. Double strain into a chilled rocks glass over a large cube. Garnish with a lemon twist.

The Japanese Cocktail is sweet, fruity, lightly caramelized, and subtly aromatic. The flavors are complex, yet integrated, showing off the distilled fruit from the cognac (hints of berries and grape), backed up by this caramelized nuttiness and a great mix of cardamom herbal-aromatics. The integration results in something slightly sweet, but overall well balanced and indulgent sort of cocktail.

Drink Notes & Recommendations

There’s a lot of bitters in this, so your cognac is going to fight for dominance. The orgeat will make a huge impact if you’re not using something natural, like Small Hand Foods. In this particular case, I would suggest using a higher end orgeat and a lower end cognac. If you can’t accomplish that, and have to use a lower end orgeat (read: artifical), think about reducing the quantity to keep the sweetness in line, and switch to brandy.

Alternate Recipe Notes

The other major note to this drink is the variation that exists in recipes. While the recipe we present here appears to be the minority, there is another popular recipe that eschews the Boker’s Bitters we used for Angostura, and adds ½ of lime juice. In the event you go this route, remember that you need to shake the cocktail under these circumstances, and will serve it up (no garnish). So why didn’t I choose this recipe? Simply put, this variation creates a rather pedestrian cocktail that muddles the cognac, bitters, and adds acidity for the sake of levity at the cost of everything else.

Cognac – We recommend using Pierre Ferrand 1840 or Ambre for cocktails. The price is reasonable, and contributes great quality to the drink. If you don’t want to pay for cognac, feel free to substitute a brandy, such as Lustau Brandy de Jerez Solera Reserva .
Orgeat – In this application we recommend something natural like Small Hand Foods Orgeat*, as it adds nuttiness, but not unneeded candied flavors. From what we’ve heard from fellow enthusiasts, Liber + Co might also work as a substitute. If you can’t find it, or don’t want to pay the premium, feel free to reach for something more candy almond like Ferrara Orzata Almond Syrup* (which will change the character of this drink). As such, we may recommend you even cut the amount in half to a bar spoon. Monin may also work in this reduced amount.
Bitters – In this case, the record is disputed as to which bitters were original, and work best. We recommend you experiment with aromatics to determine which you find best. In our cocktail, we used Boker’s Bitters, which have a strong citrus and cardamom notes.
- Boker’s Bitters – There are few manufacturers of these bitters, and for a period of time, they stopped existing. The most oft recommended brand, and one we use is Dr. Adam Elmegirab’s Boker’s Bitters. Be aware they’re slightly pricey, but you’re going to be using a small portion of these most of the time.
- Angostura Bitters – These are the classic bitters for most cocktails, and we recommend you keep a bottle on hand. If you’re making the more modern variant that includes lime juice, this is the standard recommendation.
Lime Juice (Optional) – For best results, use fresh squeezed.

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Macchu Pisco

Posted on January 6, 2023January 2, 2023 by Nick

Let’s start with the obvious – buying Pisco in Ohio is hard. There are currently two (2) Pisco available in the state that aren’t on special order or delisted. To put that in perspective, Macchu Pisco’s parent company makes three (3) Pisco’s on their own! So is their entry level offering worth your time, or should you consider a trip out of state or to Peru to find your Pisco?

Macchu Pisco

Sight: Clear

Smell: A bit of burn, but clear fermented grape flavors come through, mixed with hints of tropical fruit and vanilla. There’s a bit of ethanol and cotton candy floating around in the nose as well. There’s almost something a bit oatmeal cookie and sherry going on.

Sip: The body is moderate and somewhat viscous. There are notes of shortbread and fermented grape coming through. Touches of slate and vanilla come out as well, with a hint of pithy citrus and tropical fruit.

Savor: The ending has a bit of burn and ethanol note, but there’s also a decent amount of golden raisin. The ending is quite dry as well.

Macchu Pisco is an interest and wide ranging pisco. As Peruvian brandy goes it seems to be nice, but it’s one of my first. That said, the flavors are dynamic, and the texture is solid. There’s a bit of heat, but it’s clearly meant for mixing, not necessarily sipping.

In Cocktails

In a a Pisco Sour, Macchu Pisco is floral and grape forward without adding a whole lot of complexity. Some of the vanilla like notes carry forward, helped by the sweetness, and a bit of the tropical fruit comes out. The slightly raisined nature is there as well, with a bit of floral note. Overall, it makes a solid, if not overtly complicated cocktail.

In Review – Macchu Pisco

Macchu Pisco is reasonably interesting and priced that you can buy it, use it, and get an idea of what Pisco could be. This means that as an offering to stock on your bar, it works in exactly the capacity it should. Now, if you have a number of Pisco enthusiasts in your life, you should probably ask them for an idea of what you should use. If however, you’re like me, and you live in Ohio, this is one of two available Piscos, and it’s servicable for cocktails.

Larceny Barrel Proof (A122)

Posted on January 4, 2023January 2, 2023 by Nick

Some of the easiest Heaven Hill barrel proof releases to obtain are the three times a year Elijah Craig & Larceny Barrel Proof offerings. While Elijah Craig is their standard bourbon offering, their Larceny Barrel Proof represents their wheated offering. While opinions have suggested in years past that the Elijah Craig release has been the better, higher proof of the two, recent opinions are shifting to show that Larceny might be getting the upper hand. Their release from the first trimester of 2022 was A122, where the discussion of which is better started, so does it live up to the hype, and should you consider making it for cocktails.

Larceny Barrel Proof (A122)

Proof: 124.4 (A.B.V. – 62.2%)
Age: No Age Statement (NAS) – reportedly 6-8 years.
Mash Bill: 68% Corn, 20% Wheat, 12% Malted Barley
Secondary Nicknames: LBP A122

Sight: Auburn – Mahogany

Smell: Beautiful notes of vanilla and toasted oak waft out of the nose with a smack of gamey leather. Dark chocolate, roasted peanuts, and a rick house note run though. A ribbon of caramel comes through with a bit of black cherry and blackberry. The nose leans savory and sweet with plenty of oak influence, and less fruit. A moderate amount of heat can be noted, although it’s more of a slow burn than a whack of ethanol.

Sip: There’s a pleasant sort of smooth, sweet caramel / vanilla oak note that settles in for a while as it warms up. It eventually starts to give way toward deeper charred notes, blackberry tea, cigar, hazelnut, and mild spice. The oak is heavy, slightly funky, a touch bitter, and there is heat that gradually creeps in.

Savor: The finish is warm, pulling in cinnamon, clove, and deeply charred oak. As the finish continues, it pulls in some char, caramel, and cigar notes. It leans dry as it goes with a bit of plum skin. Lingering warmth – per their website – is an apt description.

Larceny Barrel Proof A122 is a deliciously oaky and unapologetic barrel proof wheated offering. The caramel and vanilla notes are a real highlight here, and they balance out some of the weight of the oak, while not getting lost. The nutty and fruity elements are present, but they’re pretty subdued, and usually masquerading as a fruit adjacent item (like tea). As a straight sipper, it’s tasty, if slightly leaning into the oak / sweet element side of things.

In Cocktails

In a Manhattan, the oaky nature takes center stage, showing off the oak and its vanilla. The red fruit in the vermouth shows up and the spice comes in with a nice like pop. Despite this, caramel that shows up in the neat poor isn’t as obvious in the cocktail at first blush. Instead, as it heats up, caramel and butterscotch notes come forward. Overall, the oak dominates, and the overall character of the drink is very aggressively toward the aged wood side of the spectrum. Sadly, the Larceny Barrel Proof Manhattan feels unbalanced.

In Review – Larceny Barrel Proof (A122)

Larceny Barrel Proof A122 is good neat, and a bit unhinged in a standard cocktail. This isn’t to say it’s bad, but it isn’t particularly versatile. For those that love heavily oaked offerings, like Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel, this should be a slam dunk (and is coincidentally a Heaven Hill offering). For those that prefer fruitier, floral, or dessert like flavors, you can probably avoid this one.

The Classics: Pisco Sour

Posted on January 2, 2023January 1, 2023 by Nick

Happy New Year! We’re kicking off the year with a cocktail featuring an egg white, that will in no way help your diet, the Pisco Sour. Originating in Lima in 1903, this cocktail is heavily dependent on the pisco you select. Regardless of which varietal based pisco you use, you’ll ultimately need to make sure you properly emulsify the drink for the right texture. To do so, make sure you use the double shake as listed in the recipe.

Pisco Sour

2 oz

Pisco

¾ oz

Lime Juice

¾ oz

Simple Syrup

Egg White

Drops

Angostura Bitters (Garnish)

Combine all ingredients in a shaker vessel. Add 1 – 2 small ice cubes or a spring from a strainer and add to the shaker tin. Seal and shake hard for 15-30 seconds. Unseal, add ice and shake until chilled. Double strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with Angostura Bitters.

The Pisco Sour is creamy, bright, sweet, and floral. The notes of the brandy accentuated by the lime deliver hints of grape and floral notes. The angostura adds a wonderful hint of spices to the mix. Little touches of tropical fruit and vanilla like hints come with the sweetness. The brightness keeps it from becoming too heavy or rich.

Drink Notes & Recommendations

The Pisco Sour is probably the definitive Pisco cocktail in the US, and therefore the place you’re most likely to see it used. The formula is pretty simple, but be aware there are some debates about the choice of citrus. While we’re going with the default lime here, there’s also good footing for an argument that lemon could be used here. We recommend you use lime for the first, but then mix it up to see what you like best. Keep the amount of citrus to no more than 1 oz, with ¾ oz being the target in our opinion.

Pisco – The most commonly available Piscos you’re find are going to be perfectly serviceable here, such as the Macchu Pisco we used here. Don’t be afraid to step up market, the Pisco will shine through in a Pisco Sour.
Lime Juice – For best results, use fresh squeezed. The same note if you use lemon juice here.
Simple Syrup – A traditional 1:1 water to sugar simple is classic for this recipe
Egg White – Use the freshest possible eggs. If you’re concerned about salmonella, consider using pasteurized egg whites.
Angostura Bitters – These are the classic bitters for most cocktails, and we recommend you keep a bottle on hand.

Buffalo Trace Kosher Wheat Bourbon

Posted on December 21, 2022January 3, 2023 by Nick

Released after Passover annually, Buffalo Trace Kosher Wheat Bourbon is made with the same high quality grains as W.L. Weller. As it is kosher, it is only run after all other non-kosher spirit has been cleaned from the line, and then barreled in specific kosher barrels. The whiskey is aged for 7 years, and bottled at 94 proof. The result of all this work with the Chicago Rabbinical Counsel (cRc) is a bottle that retails near $40, and is immediately horded in the current bourbon community. So is it worth the hunt?

Buffalo Trace Kosher Wheat Bourbon

Age: 7 Years
Proof: 94 (47% A.B.V.)

Sight: Chestnut Oloroso Sherry

Smell: The nose starts with a well rounded mix of cherries slathered in caramel sauce and dripped with a bit of vanilla whipped cream. It gives way to a mix of baking spice and stone fruit with a touch of toasted croissant. There’s a little twinge of heat, but it’s more of a brightness than a hotness. Subtle touches of marmalade and berries are in the background with a slight musky note.

Sip: The body starts off light and smooth, before building toward a more moderate, slightly warm steady point. A ton of baked cherries and vanilla come out with a nice amount of caramel. There’s some spice that comes in here, more general cinnamon with light clove, and a good amount of toasty oak. Touches of almond get involved with a bit of pastry marzipan thing.

Savor: The ending carries forward the cherries, toasted oak, slight almond, and a good hint of spice. The finish lingers pleasantly without being aggressive.

Buffalo Trace Kosher Wheat is really delightful, with a beautiful emphasis toward the cherries, vanilla, and caramel notes. The touches of almond and toasty oak keep things mellow and still delivers a ton of flavor. The easy going nature means you’re not fighting the proof to enjoy the underlying flavors. While it isn’t overly complex, it feels elegant and well balanced.

In Cocktails

In a Manhattan it provides some really beautiful soaring caramel and vanilla creme notes that open up into preserved cherries and hints of blackberry. Plum skin and spice join in, and give it a bit of a kick. Pastry crème and almond round out the background and finish with a little hint of oak. The flavors are clear, concise, and inviting. The drink ends up being a bit more elegant than many barrel proof fans will enjoy, but will lend itself to more vermouth choices.

Buffalo Trace Kosher Wheat Bourbon Compared to Old Weller Antique

While Buffalo Trace Kosher Wheat Bourbon is obviously proofed down, this gives it a little more room to open up to fruitier notes (more stone fruit / marmalade) and more of the floral vanilla / caramel. It still has spice there, but it’s not the dominating cinnamon that W.L. Weller Antique sometimes gives off. This is a much more gentle, subtle, inviting pour on initial impression.

Looking at the side by side, the W.L. Weller Antique screams caramel, cherries, and cinnamon out loud, and then likes to keep the flavor turned up. It has some more fig and dark fruit notes than the Kosher. The finish takes that cinnamon and just keeps it going, where the Kosher is a little more toward the caramel and vanilla notes with a bit of almond. Overall, both are good, but I’d give the edge to the Kosher Wheat, depending on my mood and activity based.

In Review – Buffalo Trace Kosher Wheat Bourbon

As a seasonal release, Buffalo Trace Kosher Wheat Bourbon really doesn’t have an ordinary spot on your bar. Given it’s slightly unique pedigree, you can probably supplant it with normal Buffalo Trace or Weller Special Reserve / Antique, which you probably have to do unless you’re stockpiling it between seasons. That said, I think it is slightly better than either Weller and Buffalo trace for what it offers, but not enough so to justify the mark ups that connect to these Kosher bottles. At $40, this feels about right. At the $90 it can command in the secondary, it’s just beyond the pail for anyone but the most ardent of Buffalo Trace enthusiasts.

Rocking Around The Christmas Tree

Posted on December 19, 2022December 19, 2022 by Nick

In Home Alone Macaulay Culkin’s character, Kevin McCallister, resorts to turning on all of the lights and moving mannequins around the rooms using ropes to throw off the Wet Bandits. Perhaps no song so wonderfully encapsulates the moment of the “party” that Kevin was throwing as Brenda Lee’s Rocking Around The Christmas Tree. Lively and fun, we wanted to make a drink that would capture this feeling while playfully incorporating some elements in the song title. Enter, Rocking Around The Christmas Tree, a gin based drink, served on a rock.

Rocking Around The Christmas Tree

¾ oz

Tanqueray London Dry Gin

¾ oz

Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur

¾ oz

Drambuie

¾ oz

Lemon Juice

Combine all ingredients in a shaker. Add ice and shake. Double strain into double rocks glass over a large ice cube. Garnish with a rosemary sprig.

Rocking Around The Christmas Tree is sweet, herbal, and bright. The lemon notes provide an underpinning for the sweetness from the Drambuie and maraschino. The cherry notes, almond elements, and floral elements all come together to add complexity over the top of the herbal notes from the gin. The rosemary brightens up the nose, and keeps it welcoming you back.

Drink Notes & Recommendations

Molded after a Last Word, this drink contains a large portion of two modifiers, maraschino liqueur and Drambuie. As a result, you should be aware that this drink is sweet, especially at the start. If you find it too sweet, swap out the large cube for crushed ice or pellet ice. A tweak of orange bitters also fits quite well here, while giving an extra citrus note (and cardamom if you used Regan’s).

Tanqueray London Dry Gin – We went Tanqueray here for the heavier juniper notes. In reflection of the Christmas tree, we’re trying to emphasize that flavor while also giving some herbal notes to play against the sweetness of the maraschino and Drambuie. While we recommend a London dry gin (Beefeater, Bombay Sapphire), you can also use any gin you like.
Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur – Adding cherry notes, almond, and a hint of spice, this modify is critical in classics like the Last Word, Aviation, and Martinez. We recommend Luxardo, but feel free to use what you can find.
Drambuie – We chose this scotch based liqueur for it’s honeyed and floral characteristics. If you have to pick another, consider Benedictine.
Lemon Juice – For best results, use fresh squeezed.
Garnish (Rosemary) – This must be fresh. For the best results, smack the rosemary around the lip of the glass before inserting to release the oils against the glass for extra fragrance.

Pinhook 2022 High Proof Bourbon – “Bourbondini”

Posted on December 14, 2022December 12, 2022 by Nick

There are a lot of brands of whiskey out there. The run the gamut from trying to get started with their own distillate to those are only interested in sourcing barrels to create blends. In order to sell these whiskeys that don’t share the hype with the products of Sazerac, Beam, or the other major established players, many brands turn to colorful marketing or fancy bottles to pull in the interest of buyers. Among the multiple color bottles that sit on shelfs, few scream, ‘Look at me!’ like Pinhook. Among their highest proof offerings is the annual high proof bourbons named after a horse. Enter Pinhook 2022 High Proof Bourbon – “Bourbondini”.

Pinhook 2022 High Proof Bourbon – “Bourbondini”

Mash Bill: 75% Corn, 15% Rye, 10% Corn
Proof: 116 (A.B.V. 58%)
Age: Aged more than 3 years (NAS on front)
Vintage: 2022
Filtration: Unfiltered
Distilled at Castle & Key

Sight: Chestnut Sherry Oloroso

Smell: The nose has a layer of heat if you’re not wary about sticking your nose straight in, and it makes no attempt to disguise this fact. Pulling back slightly, notes of cantaloupe, melon, caramel, blackberry, and other dark fruits come out. Spicy oak and toasted sugar get in on the mix as well – giving some space for cherries and other pastry like notes. The blasts of spice accentuate the heat, making the nose feel prickly.

Sip: The mouthfeel starts off light, with more melon and honeydew notes. The body quickly picks up, but keeps that highly evaporative light characteristic (almost like extremely high proof rum). Notes of cinnamon spice, caramel, fresh fig, and pome (apple / pear) fruit come in. Some grain notes are present as it a bit of rye herbal notes and burnt oak.

Savor: The finish is apple skins, fresh figs, and caramel with spices. The finish lingers dryly with a bit of herbal, burnt oak.

Pinhook 2022 High Proof Bourbon – “Bourbondini” is light, fruity, and full of fire. Given the mashbill and the age statement, it’s not surprising that there are some wild and unrefined notes. Despite being slightly unrefined, it is coherent and brings a lot of flavors you can’t find in most of the common large distiller offerings. As a sip goes, you’ll definitely want to sip slowly and have some water nearby.

In Cocktails

In a Manhattan, the emphasis moves into cloves and black tea mixed with caramelized apples and touches of herbs. Notes of toasted oak, tobacco, and cigar box come in with a bit of burnt sugar. The body is relatively robust despite the lighter flavor profile. The flavors are actually quite well rounded with the slight vanilla background of the Carpano Antica. Overall, it’s a nice, if slightly lighter character Manhattan.

In Review – Pinhook 2022 High Proof Bourbon – “Bourbondini”

Pinhook 2022 High Proof Bourbon – “Bourbondini” retails between $50-$60. The marketing is undoubtedly on point in that price range, but the juice is a bit on the inconsistent side. Flavors a good, and on the lighter end of the spectrum which is something unusual amongst the bruising barrel strengths that are more common. Which is where the rub begins, as it ends up competing against other high end offerings like Wild Turkey Rare Breed, Larceny Barrel Proof, and 1792 Full Proof. Where this has an edge is availability and supporting a new brand. Like the horse, that’s quite a tall order to get on with. We can’t recommend this as a must have in your bar, but it’s certainly worth a try if you get an opportunity.

Our His Cocktail: Something Borrowed

Posted on December 12, 2022December 12, 2022 by Nick

Our counterpart cocktail to our Something Blue is our Something Borrowed. Where as my wife’s cocktail emphasized her love of Tiki drinks, my cocktail reflects my love of whiskey, and making layered, complexly flavored cocktails. We wanted to do this in a way that would help ensure our guest wouldn’t over indulge, and thus the drink is made in the template of a tuned up highball, but all about the Wild Turkey and the Amaro.

Something Borrowed

1 oz

Pecan Infused Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon

1 oz

Vanilla Bean Infused Amaro Nonino

¼ oz

Orange Oleo-Saccharum Syrup

4 oz

Club Soda

Combine all ingredients except club soda in a mixing vessel. Add ice and stir. Add club soda and strain over a large fresh cube.

Our Something Borrowed is nutty, spicy, creamy, and complex. The floralness of the vanilla bean balances delicately against the nutty notes of the pecans. The underlying spice of the bourbon and herbal notes add a beautiful weight to the drink that’s counterbalanced by the lifting influence of the club. The pop of the orange opens up the flavors of all the elements with just the right hint of sweetness.

Drink Notes & Recommendations

This drink was designed for batch and prep, and therefore all the elements require prep beforehand. One one of the key elements to make this drink sing was getting the orange oils in without needing the bartenders to express all of the orange oils for every drink at wedding reception. Unlike our normal bullet points, we’ve broken everything down into sections below. For the club soda (which won’t have a section), use your favorite brand.

As a warning, this recipe is built to be made using a sous vide. Results outside of the methods listed below may result in significant variation.

Pecan Infused Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon

30g Pecans (Whole)
200g Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon

Preheat sous vide water to 145℉. Combine Pecans and Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon in a small mason jar or sous vide bag. Seal (and remove air from the bag if using). Place into a water bath and heat for 2 hours. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Bottle and store in a cool dark place.

Vanilla Bean Infused Amaro Nonino

1/3 Vanilla Bean Split and Scrapped
240g Amaro Nonino

Preheat sous vide water to 175℉. Place vanilla bean and scraped vanilla bean seeds into a mason jar or sous vide bag. Add Amaro Nonino. Seal (and remove air from the bag if using). Place into a water bath and heat for 2 hours. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Bottle and store in a cool dark place.

Orange Oleo Saccharum Syrup

8 oz White Sugar
4 oz Water
2 Medium Oranges

Place the white sugar in a bottle with a lid. Zest both oranges into the bowl. Muddle the zest with the sugar until evenly distributed. Cover with an airtight lid and allow to stand for 3 hours. Remove lid, you should see some coloration from the orange zest (and potentially oils). Stir to combine, and dump into a sauce pan. Add 4 oz water and heat until sugar is no longer visible. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Strain with a chinois and bottle. Refrigerate. Dispose of if any clouding or mold develops. Due to the high sugar content, this should resist growth longer.

A Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 9

Posted on November 30, 2022December 17, 2022 by Nick

Perhaps few Rye whiskeys capture the annual attention that A Midwinter Night’s Dram receives. Bottled by High West Distillery, this is their Rendezvous Rye finished in French oak port barrels. The combination leads to flavors most enjoyers compare to various notes of the holidays in a glass, which explains why it’s released toward the late fall. Each year is labeled with an Act, indicating the year, and a scene, which tells you the day of bottling. In the case of a Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 9 Scene 1, this means our bottle was bottled in 2021, on day 1 of bottling.

If you’re looking for the most current Act, Act 10, I’ve yet to get to try it, so we’re visiting last years offering which I was lucky enough to receive as a present!

A Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 9

Age: No Age Statement (NAS)
Base: Rendezvous Rye
Mash Bill: A blend of MGP sourced Rye (95% Rye, 5% Malted Barley) and High West Distilled Rye (80% Rye, 20% Malted Rye)
Finish: French Oak port barrels.
Proof: 98.6 (A.B.V. 49.3%)
Secondary Abbreviations: MWND

Sight: A lovely tawny-auburn.

Smell: The nose starts off with deep, jammy plums and fresh figs mixed into rye spices and light Christmas tree essence. Warm toasty vanilla comes through followed by a luxurious caramel, bursting ripe blackberry, and a raspberry sauce. Toasty pecans and baking spices join in with a little bit of an undercurrent of star anise and an underlying green peppercorn or herbaceous notes.

Sip: The vanilla leads off like a bomb with a nice caramel note and then a rush of raspberry and blackberry notes running from fresh to preserved. A light sweetness runs though, and notes of star anise, clove, and other baking spices join excitedly. The body is nicely balanced, and feels rich, and there’s a bit of chocolate and cigar going on here too to balance some of the sweeter dessert elements.

Savor: The finish carries forward a pleasant vanilla that underpins the entire mix. It’s full of subtle pressed plum and berry notes, complete with a bit of the port like tannins that you might associate with the skins. The rye spice grows with some of the oak influence as it lingers, complete with a little touch of that evergreen flavor.

A Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 9 is a beautiful mix of well balanced rye spice and delicious vanilla laden port. The influence of both elements stands taught, and they play a balanced and beautiful game of tug of war across the palate. The flavors are clear, clean, and deliciously demonstrate what one would expect from the holiday. With the profile, it’s not hard to understand how just sipping this by the tree, you favorite people, holiday decor, or a fire is worth the price of admission.

In Cocktails

In a Manhattan the fig and berry notes of the port explode out with the sweet herbal, fruitiness of the sweet vermouth. The amazing vanilla notes grab some caramelization, and sweet baking spices run through adding complexity. Other notes pop out, like chocolate covered cherries and raspberry jam. The dessert like vanilla icing elements give way to hints of espresso and cigar. Overall, the Manhattan that A Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 9 makes is special, unique, and deep.

A Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 9 vs Act 8

Over time, the make up of a Midwinter Night’s Dram has shifted. Originally, the mash bill was made up of not only MGP, but also some very old Barton distillate (some as old as purportedly 15 years+). While you’re unlikely to find any of the original acts, you still can come across acts that are primarily MGP and really leveraged French oak port barrels. A friend of mine was kind enough to provide a sample with one of these previous versions, Act 8.

Color wise, they’re quite similar, but the nose reveals some critical differences. Where Act 9 shows of it’s fruit from the port as the primary influence, Act 8 shows off this creamy vanilla and ice cream like sweetness. There are beautifully jammy notes that join in, with some rye spice, but the focus is more on the vanilla and dessert notes. This carries forward to the palate where the vanilla is more dominate, showing off the pastry cream like elements, including the texture. The spicing is great, and the fruit is more like a drizzled syrup and chopped preserved fruit add-in. The ending carries this linger forward, showing an amazing amount of vanilla. While they’re clearly very much related, the flavor profiles are significantly different.

In Review – A Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 9

A Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 9 is nothing sort of amazing, and a wonderful bottle at the original MSRP. Original MSRP is the operative piece of this statement though, which was only $99.99. This year the MSRP went up to $129 (and $150 in the state of Ohio). The secondary has shifted as well, going from $200ish to over $250 in some cases on the most recent batch. The problem is that while this is a delightful finished rye, it doesn’t overwhelm something like Isaac Bowman (admittedly a bourbon), which retails for around $40. So is it good? Sure, but it no longer justifies it’s price for either MSRP or secondary.

Be aware, the shifts in Acts also create potentially large shifts in the taste. So their Act 10 may be better or worse than the Act 9.

The Classics: Stinger

Posted on November 28, 2022 by Nick

The Stinger is not the kind of drink most enthusiasts take seriously. Made with brandy and creme de menthe, most avoid this sweet and minty concoction due to it being made with rotgut ingredients. If, however, you happen to have access to good ingredients, you might just find there something delicious about this 2 ingredient cocktail.

Stinger

2 oz

Cognac or Brandy

1 oz

Creme de Menthe (White)

Combine all ingredients in a shaking tin. Add ice and short shake (5 seconds). Strain into a double rocks glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with a mint spring if desired.

In a Stinger, you need to like mint. The fruitiness of the brandy plays off the herbalness of the mint, and the whole thing is tied together with sweetness. Bear in mind, this drink is more traditionally an after dinner drink, so this isn’t that unusual. So if you like mint, and the fruit and raisined fruit notes in cognac with a hit of mint, this one is for you.

Drink Notes & Recommendations

The biggest component here that matters is the mint. If you use a rotgut bottom shelf creme de menthe, you’re going to end up with a rotgut cocktail. Use something nice though, like a Tempus Fugit’s creme de menthe, and you’ll find you have something special. Also, be aware that the template here is very much customizable to taste. While the original appears to be a 2:1 ratio, modern variants suggest creme de menthe ranging from a full 2 oz (1:1 ratio) to a mere ¼ oz (8:1 ratio). Depending on how dry or sweet you like your Stinger, will decide how you enjoy it made, but this will be important to remember if you order it out.

Cognac/ Brandy – This is one of those cocktails where quality matters, and we recommend you choose a cognac or brandy that you like. We used Lustau Brandy de Jerez here, but would recommend Pierre Ferrand 1840. Christian Brothers also works in a pinch.
Creme de Menthe – This is the most important ingredient in the Stinger. We recommend Tempus Fugit or Get’s offerings. If you must make it with Dekuyper, we’ll understand as there are a lot of places that don’t get those specialty ingredients.

Wild Turkey Rare Breed Rye

Posted on November 23, 2022November 21, 2022 by Nick

If you didn’t know, Wild Turkey also makes a rye. Similar to their bourbon, their rye comes in 86 proof and 101 proof offerings, as well as the barrel proof, Wild Turkey Rare Breed Rye. This product is bottled at the slightly lower 112.2 proof, and is distilled by Wild Turkey (unlike some other producers who use MGP sourced ryes). Given how good the bourbon is, should you also look at enjoying the rye?

Wild Turkey Rare Breed Rye

Proof: 112.2
Age: No Age Statement (Reportedly a blend 4, 6, and 8 year old Kentucky straight ryes)
Filtration: Non-Chill Filtered

Sight: Burnished

Smell: The nose really shows a maturity here that’s rounded off some of the more obvious grain and cereal notes that can appear in younger rye. Pops of chocolate, coffee, oak, spice, and a bit of preserved cherry come out. More of the mint and herb rye notes being to emerge toward the edges, but the nose gives a dessert like caramel brown sugar character with a lot of fruitiness and chestnut.

Sip: The sip starts out a touch sweet and then opens up with preserved dark fruits, like cherries, plums, and prune. The rye spice picks up here bringing in brown sugar and massive chestnuts before pepper, spice, cigar box, tobacco, oak, and buckwheat. There’s a honey and resin flavor that sort of flits around and gives a little bit of a floral – herbal complexity. The body is quite big and smooth to start, but gets warm as it goes

Savor: The brown sugar and herbal notes carry over with touches of preserved dark fruit and plenty of rye spice. There’s a decent amount of tannin.

Wild Turkey Rare Breed Rye is complex and refined in all the right ways. The balance of spice, fruit, oak, and delicate floral / herbal notes is well defined, and loaded with powerful flavors. The more important thing is it flows from floral to spicy to nutty to fruity to oaky. There’s no particular are it falls short in. It works neat and shows the restraint of maturity.

In Cocktails

In a Manhattan it delivers on the sweetness of the dark preserved fruits with notes like blackberries and prune. These flavors are the amazingly powerful and defined. The rye spice joins with some chestnut notes and pulls out amazing flavors of buckwheat honey and complex tobacco notes. The oak builds on the finish, but almost becomes cabernet or port like. This flavor profile is distinct compared to what most individuals expect of a manhattan. Overall, the flavor profile that Wild Turkey Rare Breed Rye brings is a bit unusual, but nothing short of spectacular.

In Review – Wild Turkey Rare Breed Rye

At $45 – $60 Wild Turkey Rare Breed Rye represents a fantastic combination of flavors that work both straight and in cocktails. The cost is high, but at the lower end this is a serious contender to be one of the best possible values you can buy. The flavors are balanced across a variety of different elements, ranging from delicate floral and fruit to robust oak and spice. This is highly recommended as a bottle to add as your primary rye, or to splurge on if you don’t have the means to regularly stock it.