I grew up not far from the legendary Saratoga Race Course. One of the oldest operating sports venues in the country, Saratoga has an annual thoroughbred horseracing meet in July. The course itself has been in operation since 1863, and features a 40 day meet. In addition to the horse racing, the town itself […]
Plantation has made some of our favorite rums for making tiki drinks. While their three star is great for Daiquiri’s and other drinks requiring lightly aged rums, you might find yourself wanting something a little more caramelized and complex. Their original dark could be a good option for something aged, but if you want something […]
The Fog Cutter is actually from a family of tiki drinks that involve lemon, orange, orgeat, and rum. Over time, this style evolved and changed adjusting rum and brandy in various ratios. The real party piece of this drink is the sherry though. The bright, oxidized nature provides a rich counterpoint to the various liquors […]
A new limited release, Maker’s Mark 101 sits almost perfectly between their Cask Strength and standard offerings. In theory, this means it should be the perfect amount of additional flavor and weight over their entry point, without the extra flavor of their finishes, and without hitting the highest proof point. Why they chose this specific […]
The history of the Planter’s Punch goes back to the spice trade in the Caribbean. Plantation owners, or “Planters” were the folks enjoying punches, typically made from sour, sweet, strong, and weak. The made up a nice little rhyme that helped to remember the drink, and sometimes folks would take on “And a touch of […]
There are plenty of vermouths on the market, and while Carpano Antica has captured a large amount of the market’s imagination, it also isn’t without it’s detractors. Among the complaints are that the vanilla in Carpano is overwhelming to drinks. Enter Cocchi Vermouth di Torino, which prides its self on not using vanilla in it’s […]
Wrapping up our three part series focused on passionfruit syrup in classic tiki cocktails is the Hurricane. You probably think of Hurricanes around Mardi Gras and New Orleans, or some other tropical destination, and as some bright red, fruity thing with a bit of rum. The fact of the matter is, it is from New […]
Originally commissioned by Death & Co, The Scarlet Ibis is rum from Trinidad that is aged 3 to 5 year in American white oak casks. The rum is not chill filtered to help preserve the full character. Haus Alpenz has been distributing this out to the market as it’s become available. While the reputation would […]
Tiki has a reputation for having complex garnishes. Perhaps no drink so epitomizes this as the Sidewinder’s Fang. Originally made at the Lanai restaurant in San Mateo, California, this drink features a long orange peel wrapped around the inside of an oversized brandy snifter that’s designed to look like a snake. The net result is […]
I may have mentioned in the past that I am not particularly fast at going through the back log of bottles we’ve collect. As a result, there are occasional packaging flow throughs and changes that make identifying what a particular bottle is a challenge. This is part of what happened with this particular bottle of […]
Tiki drinks evoke the idea of rum, but that’s far from the only spirit that Tiki utilizes. As we’ve shown with other cocktails, like the Singapore Sling and the Halekulani, Tiki includes everything from gin to bourbon to even lesser known spirits like pisco as a base. Among drinks that maintain this pattern is the […]
W. L. Weller Antique, more commonly referred to as Old Weller Antique (OWA), Weller Antique 107, or just red Weller, is a wheated bourbon from Buffalo Trace Distillery. Thanks to the bourbon craze originally unleashed for Pappy Van Winkle, all things even possibly made of a similar mashbill ended up being chased by bourbon enthusiasts. […]