What non-whisk(e)y spirit are you drinking?

[tanstaafl2]

6 hours ago, PaulO said:

Hey Bruce,

Do you know of any current brand that makes something more similar to the pre 1914 absinthe.  That is: high proof, no added sugar, distilled with wormwood?

Absinthe has been legal again in the US since 2007. St George released the first American made absinthe that year and is still readily available today. Leopold Brothers also make one. A number of US craft distilleries now make absinthe.

 

A number of absinthe's are imported into the US as well including classic French absinthe.

 

Pernod claims to make their absinthe the same as their original pre-ban recipe. 

 

One of my favorites is Vieux Pontarlier from France and it is readily available in the US. Le Fee is another brand that seems to be easily found.

 

The different Jade absinthe brands are also quiet good but generally very expensive. Not sure if they can be easily found in the US.

[flahute]

On 4/29/2020 at 6:41 AM, Marekv8 said:

For a great combo, I would recommend a 50/50 with Amaro Nonino, a beautifully made and aged spirit with subtle bitterness and delicate yet dominant orange/orange peel notes. Basically an Italian Old Fashioned with no prep time.

 

Tried this tonight. Fantastic! I only did a quick 1/2 oz. of each blend. Thinking a higher volume blend with a big cube might in the plans for this weekend.

[Marekv8]

10 hours ago, flahute said:

Tried this tonight. Fantastic! I only did a quick 1/2 oz. of each blend. Thinking a higher volume blend with a big cube might in the plans for this weekend.

Excellent-- glad to hear it.

 

You've got me tinkering with other Digestif/Whisk(e)y 50/50 cocktails. Of course, effectively naming the successful ones is half the fun.

Attached are “No. 1 with a Bulleit” and “Zwack in Black.”

 

 

 

 

 

[Marekv8]

11 hours ago, tanstaafl2 said:

Absinthe has been legal again in the US since 2007. St George released the first American made absinthe that year and is still readily available today. Leopold Brothers also make one. A number of US craft distilleries now make absinthe.

 

A number of absinthe's are imported into the US as well including classic French absinthe.

 

Pernod claims to make their absinthe the same as their original pre-ban recipe. 

 

One of my favorites is Vieux Pontarlier from France and it is readily available in the US. Le Fee is another brand that seems to be easily found.

 

The different Jade absinthe brands are also quiet good but generally very expensive. Not sure if they can be easily found in the US.

 

From my meager set, the Leopold Bros. seems to have the most bite, best louche effect and offers the highest ABV at 65% (plus the label illustration reminds me of Bowie’s Aladdin Sane photo).

 

[flahute]

4 minutes ago, Marekv8 said:

 

From my meager set, the Leopold Bros. seems to have the most bite, best louche effect and offers the highest ABV at 65% (plus the label illustration reminds me of Bowie’s Aladdin Sane photo).

 

Package game on the Vieux Carre is amazing though!

[flahute]

2 hours ago, Marekv8 said:

Excellent-- glad to hear it.

 

You've got me tinkering with other Digestif/Whisk(e)y 50/50 cocktails. Of course, effectively naming the successful ones is half the fun.

Attached are “No. 1 with a Bulleit” and “Zwack in Black.”

 

 

 

 

 

I don't have Zwack or Bulleit 10 but I do have Pimms. Since Bulleit 10 is mostly Four Roses I'll try it with that.

[tanstaafl2]

On 5/1/2020 at 10:56 AM, Marekv8 said:

 

From my meager set, the Leopold Bros. seems to have the most bite, best louche effect and offers the highest ABV at 65% (plus the label illustration reminds me of Bowie’s Aladdin Sane photo).

 

Forgot about Vieux Carre. Another US made absinthe  (From Philadelphia of all places despite the name) produced shortly after the ban was overturned and the first one I bought, even before St. George. Although I like Leopold and St. George better on their own I still use the Vieux Carre when a rinse of absinthe is called for in a cocktail. 
 

I do like the bottle though!

Edited May 3, 2020 by tanstaafl2

[tanstaafl2]

On 5/1/2020 at 10:24 AM, Marekv8 said:

Excellent-- glad to hear it.

 

You've got me tinkering with other Digestif/Whisk(e)y 50/50 cocktails. Of course, effectively naming the successful ones is half the fun.

Attached are “No. 1 with a Bulleit” and “Zwack in Black.”

 

 

 

 

 

As it happens I have all of the above on hand. But not sure about the Zwack in Black! Will definitely have to try that first. 

The No 1 with a Bulleit sounds interesting. Gin and Bourbon isn’t a combo I think of on a regular basis!

[lcpfratn]

On 4/28/2020 at 12:27 PM, Marekv8 said:

 

Yes, but just a warm-up for this wild one; another candy-based liqueur-- this time from Denmark. Intense salty and briny (fishy?) licorice on the front end transitioning to a weirdly sweet finish. Good thing that the bottle is sprayed with what appears to be opaque automotive paint-- as the liquid is literally gray with black particulate (picture used differential oil from a 1972 Cutlass).

 

Dave, This is one of my wife’s favorites! She is a salt licorice fanatic...not the same as most of the crap licorice made in the USA. Hot n’Sweet is basically Tyrkisk Peber dissolved in vodka. We always have a good supply of the candy and the liqueur in our house. I’m a fan of the candy, but not such a fan of the liqueur. The middle liqueur in my second picture is fantastic according to my wife. Her sister introduced it to her last fall when she was home visiting family in Denmark, and of course a bottle was in her luggage when she came home.  
 

 

[Widebody]

having some amaro while watching The Last Dance Michael Jordan document tonight, cheers!

[Marekv8]

13 hours ago, lcpfratn said:

Dave, This is one of my wife’s favorites! She is a salt licorice fanatic...not the same as most of the crap licorice made in the USA. Hot n’Sweet is basically Tyrkisk Peber dissolved in vodka. We always have a good supply of the candy and the liqueur in our house. I’m a fan of the candy, but not such a fan of the liqueur. The middle liqueur in my second picture is fantastic according to my wife. Her sister introduced it to her last fall when she was home visiting family in Denmark, and of course a bottle was in her luggage when she came home.  
 

 

 

Interesting connection Jeff, I love liqueur stories-- thanks! I'll try to reel in a bottle of the RASTOFF given her high praise for it. I've only got a couple of licorice liqueurs from Italy, and not blown away by either. I had high hopes for the Strega version-- as I'm a big fan of their core expression. Regards, Dave

 

 

 

[Marekv8]

Al this licorice banter triggered a memory of this Scandinavian beauty— combines the salted licorice vibe with the stale gasoline/bitter grapefruit rind of Jeppson's Malört— plus the general austerity of Amaro di Santa Maria al Monte. Interesting.

 

[lcpfratn]

4 hours ago, Marekv8 said:

Al this licorice banter triggered a memory of this Scandinavian beauty— combines the salted licorice vibe with the stale gasoline/bitter grapefruit rind of Jeppson's Malört— plus the general austerity of Amaro di Santa Maria al Monte. Interesting.

 

That one does look interesting. Salmiak is one of the stronger forms of salt licorice. It’s one of those things that grows on you, but the first time folks try it many will want to spit it out. The Tyrkisk Peber in the Hot n’Sweet isn’t as strong of a salt licorice as Salmiak, but it has different spices that give it a hot and spicy flavor especially in the powder that is found in the center of the hard candy. It’s sorta like a licorice version of cinnamon red hots. 

[Marekv8]

1 hour ago, lcpfratn said:

That one does look interesting. Salmiak is one of the stronger forms of salt licorice. It’s one of those things that grows on you, but the first time folks try it many will want to spit it out. The Tyrkisk Peber in the Hot n’Sweet isn’t as strong of a salt licorice as Salmiak, but it has different spices that give it a hot and spicy flavor especially in the powder that is found in the center of the hard candy. It’s sorta like a licorice version of cinnamon red hots. 

 

Thanks for the excellent information Jeff-- that's why I find historical and/or “sense of place” liqueurs so fascinating. Regards, Dave

[tanstaafl2]

11 hours ago, Marekv8 said:

 

Interesting connection Jeff, I love liqueur stories-- thanks! I'll try to reel in a bottle of the RASTOFF given her high praise for it. I've only got a couple of licorice liqueurs from Italy, and not blown away by either. I had high hopes for the Strega version-- as I'm a big fan of their core expression. Regards, Dave

 

 

 

This suggests that your high hopes for the Strega Amarelli were not matched by the contents in the bottle?

[Marekv8]

10 hours ago, tanstaafl2 said:

This suggests that your high hopes for the Strega Amarelli were not matched by the contents in the bottle?

 

To be fair, I've never tried any Amarelli licorice, so I've remedied the situation by ordering a few tins to try. I'll report back once they've arrived and I've made a comparative sampling.

 

 

 

[Marekv8]

Somewhat of a gentian-based austere herbal bitter gin from Croatia-- if there's sugar involved, it's not readily apparent. Somewhat in the vein of Jeppson's without the overt wormwoodiness.

 

 

 

[Marekv8]

A Russian-style “Breadwine” infused with Caraway made in Poland using a pot still. Comes across as an Aquavit variant-- only more rye-bread-like in a Kümmel liqueur sense, without the inherent sweetness.

 

[tanstaafl2]

2 minutes ago, Marekv8 said:

A Russian-style “Breadwine” infused with Caraway made in Poland using a pot still. Comes across as an Aquavit variant-- only more rye-bread-like in a Kümmel liqueur sense, without the inherent sweetness.

 

This has recently hit the Atlanta market but i haven't gotten any yet. The low proof bothers me and the fact that is mostly vodka/NG spirit doesn't really excite me either. Is there enough taste to make it worth bothering with?

[tanstaafl2]

Also, I want to know what happened to Polugar No. 1 and Polugar No. 2?  And the others!

 

And no fecal jokes please... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 6, 2020 by tanstaafl2

[Marekv8]

57 minutes ago, tanstaafl2 said:

Also, I want to know what happened to Polugar No. 1 and Polugar No. 2?  And the others!

 

And no fecal jokes please... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I just have the four-- interesting yes, but you're better off passing as they're not life-changers…

 

 

 

[Marekv8]

The coolest pack ever-- the floating Disaronno Riserva as a Mothers Day gift for my wife (if it makes it home).

 

[Marekv8]

So, I got her some flowers instead. She would have never let me open the case, much less the bottle.

 

 

 

[tanstaafl2]

On 5/9/2020 at 12:26 PM, Marekv8 said:

So, I got her some flowers instead. She would have never let me open the case, much less the bottle.

 

 

 

So is this just a fancy bottling of their amaretto? Or some other liqueur? And is it any good?

[Marekv8]

2 hours ago, tanstaafl2 said:

So is this just a fancy bottling of their amaretto? Or some other liqueur? And is it any good?

 

It's very different. Here's the poop from a 2014 press release:

 

Disaronno Riserva is described as marrying the base Disaronno product with a young blended Scotch whisky base from the Highlands and Speyside to create a new unique liqueur. It is then matured in ex-Florio marsala wine casks in Sicily, Italy for six months and it is said, according to The Moodie Report, that the aging location’s “proximity to the sea, combined with the temperature and the humidity, creates optimum conditions for the ageing process.” What’s resulted from this interesting whisky liqueur experiment is a 40% ABV bottling that offers “notes of vanilla, almonds and fruit with a peppery, dried fruit and madeira finish.”

 

-----------

 

I found it to be quite wonderful, not overly sweet like the core liqueur-- with a powerful warming delivery. Neat stuff. I'm sure they'll never make anything like it again. Must have been somebody's pet project. I brought a sample to the owner of the liquor store I got it from-- who couldn't get over how unique it was.