Cocktail Hacker

You listened patiently while I waxed poetic about Roundhouse Gin, which I still claim is one of the most interesting and tasty gins I’ve ever tried.  Well shortly after posting that review I got an email from Roundhouse’s founder and distiller Alex Nelson letting me know that they’d recently released Corretto a new coffee liqueur.  Knowing this I zipped out and picked up a bottle.

Corretto is aptly named after a popular coffee preparation in Italy, the Caffe Corretto.  In a Caffe Corretto your shot of espresso is corrected with the addition of a shot of liquor.  I think I could really change my stance on coffee if I can expect each cup to have a nice shot of alcohol included in each.

Given this week’s cocktail it seemed like a great time for a review.  The White Russian always calls for another prominent coffee liqueur, which for this review will remain nameless. It seemed only logical that I should compare the two.  Corretto has a light maple syrup color while the other is darker, closer to molasses.  The nose on the Corretto is certainly lighter than the leading brand, but has a cleaner coffee aroma.

Let’s face it the flavor is what really counts.  Corretto is less sweet but the coffee flavor is intense and very fresh.  While I do like the leading brand quite a lot for me Corretto is the winner.  Alex summed it up best in his email when he described Corretto as “a coffee liqueur that’s been blowing the pants off of <nameless giant> in our blind taste tests.”  If Corretto is for sale in your area pick up a bottle.  If not, let me know and we can work something out.  Either way happiness will ensue.

You’ll note that on every bottle of cachaça you buy in the US there is a sublabel listing it as Brazilian Rum.  It’s not a coincidence or marketing gimmick.  Rather this is a requirement of the Alcohol & Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB).  The TTB in their own words defines a rum as:

Spirits distilled from the fermented juice of sugar cane, sugar cane syrup, sugar cane molasses or other sugar cane by-products at less than 95% alcohol by volume (190 proof) having the taste, aroma and characteristics generally attributed to rum and bottled at not less than 40% alcohol by volume (80 proof)

In addition the TTB requires that every bottle of alcohol sold in this country be labeled with, among other things, the class and type designation of the spirit.  Which means , to the dismay of the producers, that although cachaça is distinct from rum it must be labeled as such to be sold here.  So, now that you have some background on why it’s labeled as rum, let’s discuss why it’s not rum at all.

Cachaça is a spirit produced from fermented sugar cane juice where as most rum is produced from fermented molasses instead.  Like rum the distillation process for cachaça varies from producer to producer, but there is another interesting wrinkle in the production process that sets cachaça apart.  Legally additional sugar can be added to the final spirit to alter the flavor profile.  Namely, up to six grams of sugar per liter can be added to the product without declaring on the label.  Camper English, in this interesting post about cachaça, goes on to note that if the producer adds between six and fifteen grams of sugar per liter the cachaça is now referred to as sweet cachaça or cachaça adocada.  This is an interesting tidbit to be sure as it explains some of the differing flavor profiles we experienced in our tasting.

There are lots of other interesting facts about cachaça.  For example Brazilians consume the equivalent of eight liters per person yearly and cachaça is the number three most distilled spirit in the world behind vodka and soju.  If you’re interested in reading up on some more fact this page on the American University web site has some good info and goes in to moderate detail about the history of the spirit as well.

Before getting started this week I’d certainly heard of cachaça in the past and read some comments about it.  I even had a bottle in my collection, but always thought of it simply as another kind of rum.  So I went to work educating myself.  I did some reading about cachaça’s history, read up on fellow bloggers comments and took a look at the brands available.  Once I felt slightly more well informed I did what any good cocktail fan does, I invited some friends over for a cachaça tasting.

Nearly everyone at the tasting had never had cachaça before so this was an educational and entertaining experience for us all.  Our process was dead simple.  I gave everyone a small bit of each cachaça one at a time and we sipped and commented.  I frantically wrote down the thoughts and present those results here for your enjoyment.

Pitu

The first thing you’ll note about Pitu is its warm, buttery fruit aroma.  Following that initial sniff you’ll start to pick up the vegetal notes that are common of both cachaça and rhum agricole.  The flavor echoes the vegetal characteristics and buttery notes from the aroma and adds a very subtle wood aged flavor.  Ted wasn’t fond of the wood flavors, but that’s not particularly suprising as he generally doesn’t like wood aged spirits at all.  The rest of us found it quite pleasant though.  In tasting this cachaça you’ll also note it’s drier than some of the others you’ll come across, about the level of a white rum.  Overall a good cachaça and very affordable.  If this is the only cachaça available in your area you won’t be disappointed.

Boca Loca

Boca Loca was up next on the docket.  The first thing you’ll notice about the aroma of this cachaça is additional sweetness.  You’ll get some of the same buttery notes in the aroma but less of the vegetal qualities.  The flavor, not surprisingly, echoes both the aroma.  You get a subtle, pleasant sweetness that comes through as well as a nice butterscotch/caramel flavor.  Overall this cachaça has a much more mild flavor and, as one of the tasters put it, “you can tell it’s going to be friendlier to you.”  Of the five cachaças we tasted this was our second favorite.  Because of the milder, less funky flavor this would be a great cachaça to introduce people to the spirit.  This brand is also very affordable and is certainly worth picking up if you’re looking to make some caipirinhas.

Ypioca Crystal

Next up was a bottle of Ypioca Crystal that my cousin brought back from a trip to Mexico.  Since this bottle was purchased at a duty free store you’ll note there is no “Brazilian Rum” category on the bottle.  Just an interesting tid bit.  This cachaça had a very unique fruit aroma, specifically that of a granny smith apple.  The fruitiness isn’t as aparent in the flavor, rather you get a bit of initial harshness that fades in the aftertaste.  Not an unpleasant cachaça, but also not our favorite of the evening.

Cabana

Cabana is a bit of the odd man out in this tasting for a couple of reasons.  First it bills itself as authentically Brasilian which has peeved some natives as, although the spirit is produced in Sao Paulo, the company is owned and managed from NYC by a former employee of JP Morgan.  Second, Cabana bills itself as an ultra premium cachaça and to that end employs a double distillation process.  You’ll immediately pick up the extra distillation in the aroma or lack there-of.  Colton, who had just arrived as we were pouring the Cabana, commented that it “smells like liquor.”  Which, although humorous on the surface, is actually quite true.  You pick up very faint grass notes in the aroma, but that’s about it.  The flavor is similar to that of a vodka.  Overall we didn’t much like this cachaça and at the high end of the cost scale (~$35) I would say it’s not worth it.

Leblon

Leblon was our final cachaça for the night and the crowd favorite.  In the aroma the buttery notes are more subdued and the grass is more forward with this one.  In addition you’ll pick up additional fruit smells peeking through.  Ted described the aroma as reminding him of corn candy which, if you’re not familiar with it, is sweet corn flavored hard candy you can find in asian markets.  There is a subtle golden hue to the spirit which likely comes as a result of the short aging in brandy barrels.  The flavor is more complex than the others hitting on the fruity and grassy notes picked up in the aroma.  Finally, you don’t get the same aftertaste that you do with the Pitu, Ypioca and Cabana.  In summary, this is my cachaça of choice for a caipirinha as it adds a great level of complexity.  It’s a bit pricier than some of the others, but I think the additional cost is well worth it.

So, now you at least have enough information about cachaça to talk intelligently at a dinner party and I certainly hope our tasting has given you some guidance on what brands to keep an eye out for.  If, however, you’re a skimmer and would prefer not to read this whole post, let me give you the two second summary.  Cachaça although labeled rum in the US is most certainly a different beast.  If you’re looking for your first bottle to add to your home bar try Boca Loca or Leblon.  Boca Loca is going to give you a more mellow, slightly sweeter flavor and the Leblon is going to be more complex and slightly more expensive.  You won’t be disappointed with either.

So there you have it.  Go forth and imbibe.

The final gin in our tasting was Cadenhead’s Old Raj Gin.  The first thing you notice about Old Raj is its pale golden color.  This unique color is imparted through the use of saffron added personally by the company chairman to assure consistency.  Next you’ll encounter Old Raj’s notable strength.  Bottled at 55% ABV or 110 proof in the US system Old Raj is one of the market’s highest proof gins (Plymouth Navy Strength is 57%).  This higher than usual proof gives Old Raj a fiercer than normal burn, but interestingly the burn fades very quickly.  The scent of Old Raj is equally powerful but very pleasant.  The first note you pick up is juniper followed by a wonderful mix of the other botanicals.

The flavor…is fantastically bold and the botanicals shine through brilliantly.  One of the tasters summed it up best when he said “Holy…Crap…”  You get the juniper very strongly at the outset then it mellows slightly giving way to the other flavors.  The next note that I picked up most was a nice flavor of cardamom.  The finish on this gin is a warming juniper flavor that stays with you for quite some time.

The Raj is powerful mojo to be sure and it takes a special application to make it shine.  Although it seems a bit counter intuitive due to its price ($60+) simple applications suit this gin well.  I’ve tried it in both a Gin and Tonic and a Gimlet and found that it works extremely well in both.  But these applications seem like a bit of a waste of the Raj.  If you want to enjoy the subtleties of this, or any, gin try it straight up or on the rocks.  You’ll be amazed at the complexity and flavors.

I couldn’t post this review without adding a choice picture.  Jeff arrived at the tasting right as we were sampling the Old Raj and this is the fantastic result.

The penultimate gin in our tasting was Juniper Green, the world’s first Organic London Dry Gin.  Although CapRock is the US’ first organic gin Junpier Green gets the nod for the first worldwide.  Juniper Green is produced in London’s Thames Distillery and is the last gin fully produced and bottled in the city.  The distiller’s website lists the botanicals in use as juniper berries, coriander, angelica root and savory, all organic of course.  These ingredients come through in both the smell and flavor.  The primary element you pick out in both is the juniper, its smell and flavor are very forward and powerful.  There is little burn with this gin and it hits late in the taste leaving a pleasant warming sensation.  Since this gin’s primary note is that of juniper I would recommend it in an application that will play off the flavor.  Tonic I think would compliment this gin nicely as the juniper flavor will be strong enough to cut through the sweet and sour flavors of the tonic.

Next for our tasting panel to enjoy is CapRock Gin, one of Colorado’s first craft distilled spirits and the first certified organic gin produced in the US.  This gin is produced by Peak Spirits in Hotchkiss, CO.  CapRock is made from a blend of “high-desert fruits, blossoms & spices infused in an organic apple distillate.”  Knowing this after the tasting certainly gives a better understand of the scent and flavor profile that this gin presents.

CapRock’s nose presents a very fruity aroma which we were best able to classify as smelling most like watermelon Jolly Ranchers.  The flavor expands on this.  The fruity flavors are still present which I would think are added to by the use of apple distillate as the base.  In addition a unique but light juniper flavor comes through that can nearly be mistaken for rosemary.  Overall the flavor is very complex but not unpleasant.  Since this gin is so complex I think it would be best suited for use in a super (completely) dry gin martini or straight up/on the rocks.  CapRock is distilled in small batches so its likely your bottle will vary slightly from mine.

Plymouth was the next up for our Gin tasting earlier this year.  The nose is crisp with little alcohol burn.  The scents you first pick up are light juniper followed by a nicely intense citrus aroma.  Interestingly enough the flavor reverses that order.  First you get the citrus then the flavor broadens to include the juniper and other botanicals.  Finally, Plymouth’s finish is a very pleasant juniper flavor.  Since the time of the tasting Plymouth has become one of my favorite gins.  I really like the way the flavors are  bold and pleasant but not over powering in anyway.  This gin plays well with both drinks needing a citrus gin and those where a juniper forward gin is prefered. To sum it up Plymouth is my go-to gin when starting cocktail experiments.  The Plymouth distillery also offers a Navy Strength version of their gin that I’m excited to try but haven’t found a bottle as yet.

A key part of a Gin and Tonic (or Vodka Tonic if you must) is the tonic water.  A good tonic water will make the drink and can cover a lot of problems with the gin.  A bad tonic, on the other hand, can bring even a drink made with the most perfect gin down to the level of swill.  We decided to take one for the team and taste as many tonics as we could get our hands on (in the Boulder area) and figure out what we liked and disliked.  The tonics we were able to get were (listed in order of our preconceived notion of their tastiness, low to high): Big K, Golden Crown (Kroger Brand), Shasta, Canada Dry, Schweppes, 365 (Whole Foods Brand), Stirrings and my homemade tonic.  For this tasting there were four of us: Sean, Amanda, Aaron and Myself.

[Big K] This tonic had a nose that was not so great, which didn’t start us off well.  Aaron felt it tasted like “air with bubbles.”  Sean gave it slightly higher praise saying it was “sugar water with bubbles.”  Overall it was not at all sour, had very little quinine bitterness, basically Sprite with a touch of quinine.

[Golden Crown] This tonic too had little to no quinine bitterness which is especially interesting since it was less sweet than the Big K.  Usually when you add sweetness you will mute some of the bitterness.  We also felt this tonic was too lightly carbonated.

[Shasta] Amanda felt this one was a touch too sweet commenting “Holy sweetness batman!”  Shasta did have the most quinine of the three we’d tried to this point though which was a good thing.  Sean and I felt this tonic was on par for sweetness with the other two but added some additional bitterness and citrus sourness.  If you were throwing a party and expecting to go through a lot of tonic water this would be our recommendation.  It’s cheaper than Canada Dry and Schweppes and still has a nice flavor.

[Canada Dry] This tonic was Aaron’s favorite coming in to the tasting and remained as such.  Aaron liked that it was definitely carbonated, more so than the others we’d tried.  Sean also commented on the carbonation, liking the larger bubbles.  Amanda was the one voice of dissent for this tonic stating that it was “kind of muted and watered down” and as such she “wouldn’t drink that one.”  The overall consensus is that this one had more of a quinine bite, which is what I like in tonic, but slightly less sweet and sour than the Shasta.  Overall this is the favorite super market tonic of Sean, Aaron and Myself.

[Schweppes] As opposed to Aaron Schweppes was my favorite super market tonic coming in to the tasting.  As you can see from the above comment I change my allegiance.  Amanda thought this was much more like a proper tonic than Canada Dry and as such this is her favorite super market tonic.  Sean really liked the nose but felt the flavor was more muted than the Canada Dry.  Overall it seemed that this tonic had less quinine than Canada Dry but was a bit more sour, they were both on par for sweetness.

[365] In a comment I had given on Chowhound I had put 365 over Schweppes and Canada Dry in taste, I don’t any more however.  Sean liked the 365 more than Schweppes but it didn’t quite over take Canada Dry.  There is less bitterness in this one than either Schweppes or Canada Dry where the sweet and sour remain about the same.  Our feeling is that the cane sugar over powers the quinine.  If you’re morally against high fructose corn syrup I think this is going to be your best bet for super market tonic.

[Stirrings] This is the only store bought premium tonic water I got my hands on for this tasting and I can’t say we were impressed.  There is more quinine than some of the others but the sourness is less prevalent.  Sean liked the nose on this tonic the best of those we had tried.  This tonic, unlike some of the others, contains no salt and its also made with cane sugar rather than high fructose corn syrup.  We all liked this tonic but felt it wasn’t strong enough to stand up to a powerful gin in a G&T.  Were you looking for a good Vodka Tonic mixer I think this would be a good choice because of the nice flavors.  Overall I don’t think this tonic is worth the extra money, stick with Canada Dry or better yet, make your own.

[Homemade] Sean’s first comment I think sums it up very nicely “Yummy!”  We used 3/4 oz tonic syrup to 2 oz soda water to mix this up and felt it needed a bit more soda water.  Although at this ratio we did feel that this tonic would even stand up to the Old Raj, which is really saying something.  Overall we all liked this tonic the best and the best part, at least for me is the customizability.  Sean likes his tonic a bit less sweet where I like mine a little sweeter.  Not a problem with this tonic.  Mix it up a little less sweet and add simple syrup to up the sweetness if you so desire.

A great time was had by all and it was nice to experience all of these tonics at one time.  It really gave us a chance to decide what we liked best.  In summary, if you’re throwing a party and serving a ton of G&Ts pick up the Shasta, it won’t do you wrong.  For the everyday home mixologist we’d recommend Canada Dry, although Schweppes is also very good.  I’d reocommend trying both and deciding which you prefer.  And finally, if you have the time and motivation definitely try making your own tonic.  The results are truly a special cocktail.

There are two other premium tonics, Q and Fever Tree, that I’ve heard very good things about but haven’t gotten my hands on as yet.  If I can score some of these I’ll be sure to update the tasting notes to include them.

Jackelope Gin was the next gin on our tasting list.  This is a small batch gin produced by Peach Street Distillers in Palisade, CO.  Being a sucker for small batch, artisinal spirits I knew this bottle had to come home with me the minute I saw it.  The gents at Peach Street give a superb telling of exactly why gin is the best bait for the Jackelope and sadly I can’t say we had any luck in catching any.  I think this stems more from my location in a small city though than our choice of bait.  As any amateur cryptozoologist knows Jackelopes prefer the sparsely populated high mountain deserts and sand stone mesas.  What we did find is a great gin that is well worth seeking out.

Jackelope has a nice fruity nose and the taste of sweet fruits comes through in the flavor as well.  We all concurred that this gin is much smoother than our control (Bombay Sapphire) and has little burn which is also nice.  Peach Street uses a blend of local junipers which I think adds to the uniqueness and great taste of this gin.  Beyond that the “secret” ingredients are the standard gin fare: Coriander, Angelica, Oris root, Licorice, Lemon peel/zest, Lime peel/zest, Cassia bark.  In this gin they are very nicely balanced and make for a complex but tasty gin.  None of the botanicals are screaming at you but they are all there.  I think this gin would be excellent in a Martini, but maybe go a little light on the vermouth, say 5:1, so as not to overwhelm the subtle flavors.

Overall Jackelope is a great gin and well worth seeking out if you’re in the Colorado area.  I’m starting to see it at a number of local liquor stores and with luck it will be going nationwide soon.

For our gin tasting Bombay Sapphire served as our yard stick, so to speak.  More so, I think this holds true for a large portion of the population.  Sapphire is the most common top-shelf gin that you’ll find when ordering drinks at most restaurants and bars.  And so it follows that this gin be the one people are most familiar with.  It was certainly the case for me up until a couple years ago when I really started to enjoy gin over vodka and started expanding my horizons.  I started buying various gins to get an idea of what flavors they bring to the party.  My typical sampling drink was always the Gin and Tonic, which I assure you we will cover later on.  Sapphire works fairly well with a G&T although not currently my favorite.  Because of this fact it was hard to top Sapphire and it reigned king for me for quite some time.  It wasn’t until I branched out to other gin cocktails that it came clearer to me that Sapphire need not be king for life.

Without question Sapphire is a very good gin, but I think Sean summed it up nicely during out tasting.  The spirit is “too complex [and has a] muddled [flavor]“.  Sapphire uses ten botanicals in creating its spirit which seems to lead to a somewhat muddled flavor.  I think the key reason behind this is because no flavor is prime.  The result of this is a gin that can easily compete with vodka, which I think is no mistake on the part of Bacardi, Sapphire’s producer.  Vodka became the dominant spirit in the market in the mid-70’s.  In order to compete I think some gins have toned down their flavors.

But back to our comments from the tasting.  We felt that Sapphire had a nice creamy beggining but ended with quite a bit of burn.  Someone, who will remain nameless (ok, I forgot to include a name in my notes) felt there was a smell of bark.  The only realy complaint was that there was no forward flavor.  That said, Sapphire remains my gin of choice when ordering drinks out, at least at less well stocked bars.  If you haven’t tried many gin drinks, Sapphire is certainly a good place to start.  Its mellow flavor will ease you in to enjoying gin.

Shortly after the launch of Cocktail Hacker Aaron and I hosted a Gin tasting and I’ve been much too lazy in getting the details posted.  So, here’s the start of the correction to that problem.

Both Aaron and I are huge Gin fans and my collection of the same has grown quite large, 19 bottles at current count.  That in mind we wanted to get our thoughts on each documented so we invited some friends over and chose six bottles to taste.  In attendance were Sean, Eric, Jeff, Aaron and I.  Now let me start this tale by saying that we all enjoy Gin, but none of us had ever done any sort of formal tasting.

The Gins we chose from left to right are: Jackelope, Plymouth, CapRock, Old Raj, Bafferts and Juniper Green.  My plan behind choosing these six was to select Gins that I guessed most of the tasters had never tasted before.  However, being a spirit tasting neophyte I had no idea in what order we should taste.  Sean had had some experience tasting wine and so I gave him the job of putting the Gins in tasting order.

After having sniffed each thoroughly Sean chose a “roller coaster” style of tasting in that the flavors (based on the scents alone) should go up and down throughout the course of the tasting.  This was the wrong plan we found out, but more on that later.  Once the order was decided Eric decided he first needed to sample some Bombay Sapphire.  The thinking being Sapphire is a Gin we’re all familiar with so it would serve as a good baseline for the rest of the tasting.  So there it began.  We ended up sampling all six (well seven, technically) Gins then retired for some sushi on Pearl Street.

I’ll be writing up our thoughts on each of the Gins over the next few weeks and I’m sure that the Cocktail Hacker tasting parties will continue so we’ll be sure to document those as well.  Hopefully in a more timely manner.

[NOTE] There are a lot more pictures from the tasting in the Cocktail Hacker Flickr Pool.  Which, now that I think about it, I’ve not mentioned here before.  Check it out, there are some nice images in there. [/NOTE]