Cocktail Hacker

Ever heard of a vesica piscis? Neither had I until I received a sample of Vesica vodka. A vesica piscis is the shape formed by the intersection of two circles of the same radius when the edge of each circle lies on the center of the other. You’ll find this shape all over the world in both art and nature. Though, the place you’ve most likely seen it is in the form of a solar eclipse. As the moon begins/ends its transit in front of the sun.

The folks at Vesica vodka embraced this shape for their bottle design, which I find really interesting. The 750ml bottle is shaped like a crescent and combines with the circular 1l bottle to form, both in shape and volume, the 1.75l bottling. Now, granted, I’m easily entertained by geeky math stuff, but I think that’s a pretty cool idea on their part.

As for the vodka, I liked it as well. It’s bordering on that mythical perfect vodka, colorless, odorless and flavorless. Vesica has the first two down pat, but thankfully a bit of flavor remains, albeit very subtle. The flavor is very crisp and clean, offering a only very slight sweetness in the finish. The spirit was very smooth with little burn. At only $13 for a 750ml bottle this is a great vodka to sample if you’re in the market. Oh, and another plus, Vesica is potato based and completely gluten free. *See comment below from fellow cocktail blogger DrinkSnob about gluten in distilled beverages.

† The product reviewed here was provided to me as a free sample. If you’re wondering what that means check out my sample policy.

I am, no doubt, a fan of America’s most well known spirit, bourbon. You’ve seen me rave about it here before and I’ve mixed more cocktails than I can remember with it. So, naturally, when I was sent a review copy of Sam K. Cecil’s Bourbon: The Evolution of Kentucky Whiskey I was immediately interested. Having just come to a lull in my reading, last week was a perfect time to tackle this tome of American whiskey history.

Cecil starts the book with a high level overview of many topics that others have written entire books about. For example moon shining, rum running and moon shine running, prohibition and speakeasy culture are only given a passing glance as Cecil moves toward his main focus of the book, bourbon history. He covers the history of the bourbon makers starting with where they came from (largely Ireland and Scotland), when they came, and why they started distilling in the first place. While, Cecil devotes more pages to these topics it’s still just an intro to the meat of the book, the history of Kentucky’s bourbon distilleries from inception to present.

Over half of the book is comprised solely of Cecil’s carefully documented history of the distilleries of the area. This section is broken down by county and district and further broken down by individual registered distillery. The histories range from a scant paragraph for some to multiple pages for others. It’s truly an amazing glimpse at the history of this classic American industry.

One thing that made a deep impression on me was what Prohibition did to the distilleries of the area. I had always known that almost all distilleries closed during the period and most didn’t ever reopen, but it never really sunk in with me how many distilleries this really was until I read Cecil’s accounts. In the accounts you often run across stories that read something akin to “closed for prohibition, buildings now used for steel mill”. Further still, some distilleries were lost to Prohibition and knowledge of their whereabouts no longer exists. The distilleries were truly lost to the sands of time.

If you’re a bourbon aficionado, or even an enthusiastic consumer there of, take a look at this book. The history presented within is exceedingly well researched by a man who has over 40 years experience in the industry. The stories that come from his personal experience and research are engaging and give you a real feeling for the depth of history in the bourbon industry.

† The product reviewed here was provided to me as a free sample. If you’re wondering what that means check out my sample policy.

While I still rarely choose a beer over a cocktail, there is another fermented beverage that calls to me. Cider, my friends, is my fermented beverage of choice. For a cider fiend like myself there is a siren song above all others; uncharted ciders draw me to wherever they may be. My buddy Conrey sent me a message in December to rub in the fact that he was enjoying a delicious cider that I’d never heard of. Not wanting to be left out, I emailed Crispin Cider (the cider maker) to find out where I could procure the same tasty beverage. Sadly, Crispin isn’t available in Colorado yet (it’s coming this year!). But, they were kind enough to send me a sampler of their products to try. It was like Christmas! I’m going to break up the reviews to give me time to sample and write, so keep your eyes peeled if you too are a cider fiend.

Crispin’s primary line of ciders is their Classic Blue Line. The Blue Line is composed of three ciders each of which presents a different aroma and flavor profile. From their site, some background:

Crispin Super Premium Hard Apple Cider, designed to be enjoyed over ice. Inspired by the classical, refined flavor styles of continental European cider making, Crispin “Blue Line” ciders are clean on the palate, with a crisp, not sweet, taste profile. They are deliciously untraditional with a strong “apple bomb” bouquet, fresh appley mouth-feel and pure & clean lingering aftertaste. Our ciders are not styled as traditional “sweet beers”, they are not old-fashioned sweeter alternatives to beer, but sophisticated and crisp not sweet, dry and not “sticky” on the palate. And totally delicious over ice.

Now, there’s an interesting point before I dive into the reviews. The label on each of these three ciders suggests that it be enjoyed over ice. That was something I’d never seen suggested for cider, so I asked the Crispin folks why they suggest it for theirs.

To answer your question regarding pouring Crispin over ice, it’s something that’s done quite often in Europe and a lot of American’s haven’t caught on to it. I think it’s the preferred way and it tastes exceptional when enjoyed over ice (even in the frigid Minnesota Winter!).

– Paul Gillis, Marketing Manager for Crispin Cider Company

Sounds great to me! I’ll definitely be giving it a try. Especially once the weather warms up. On to the consumption!

Original – Crisp Over Ice [Blue]

Nice clean aroma of apples. This is the sweetest of the three Blue Line ciders, but still what I would consider a dry cider. I found the Original to be the fruitiest of the three ciders with a full apple flavor. The crisp moniker is definitely deserved. This cider is light, fruity and natural tasting. Crispin also offers this cider as a draught, so keep your eyes open next time you’re at your favorite watering hole.

Light – Bright Over Ice [Light Blue]

Ever heard of a light cider? Neither had I. But, don’t think light beer; this cider is nothing like that. Crispin’s light cider has a subtler aroma and the flavor isn’t as full as the Original, but it’s a great cider. The flavor is lightly sweet with bright apple flavors coming to the fore. And, get this, despite its full flavor and sweetness this cider only packs 110 calories. I’ll take one of these over a light beer any day.

Brut – Extra-Dry Over Ice [Dark Blue]

English Dry ciders have long been my favorites. There may be a new winner though. This cider is dry and clean with a super bright apple in the aroma. The driest of the three Blue Line ciders the Brut packs a huge apple flavor and body. The Brut is the least sweet of the three and very reminiscent of some of the European ciders I’ve tried. Fantastic cider.

These three literally can’t get to Colorado soon enough for me. Thankfully, I’m heading to Arizona at the beginning of March where I’ll be able to indulge my new-found need for Crispin Blue Line ciders.

† The product reviewed here was provided to me as a free sample. If you’re wondering what that means check out my sample policy.

A bit back, I was offered a sample of Å»u bison grass flavored vodka. Having seen it on the shelves a few times I couldn’t resist the chance to try it out. Before I get to reviewing the actual product, let’s take a quick look at what exactly bison grass and bison grass vodka are.

Bison grass is a wild grass native to both North America and Europe. It has a couple other names that may be more familiar to some of you: sweet grass, buffalo grass, manna grass and vanilla grass. The grass has a distinctive sweetness which plays into the flavor of the vodka. Now, how about that bison grass vodka. Å»ubrówka, or simply Å»u as it’s sold in the US, is a Polish vodka distilled from rye. After distillation the vodka is infused with bison grass extract and finally a blade of bison grass is added to each bottle.

Å»u has a lovely light yellow/green color from the grass extracts. As you bring it to your nose you get a mild herbal note, a touch of grassiness and a subtle sweetness. The flavor is truly interesting. Subtle sweetness and mild herbal notes, just like the aroma. The herbal notes are similar to a very light herbal tea rather than the flavors you find in herbal liqueurs. I would certainly drink this on it’s own or over ice. The flavors are complex and interesting without being overwhelming.

Å»u’s herbal notes are sure to play well in lots of cocktail applications. But I wanted to try something simple that would accentuate the vodka. One recommendation is to mix it simply with apple juice. I first tried with an equal part apple juice and found this mix to be quite good, but a little unbalanced. Next I upped the apple juice to two parts and found a real winner for me. The herbal flavors play off the fruitiness of the apple juice extremely well with neither stealing the show.

I’m excited to try this in some other vodka classics like the Apple Martini and even a simple Vodka Tonic. If you’re looking for a new vodka for your shelves, give this one a go. I think you’ll find it intriguing.

† The product reviewed here was provided to me as a free sample. If you’re wondering what that means check out my sample policy.

One thing that never ceases to impress me about distillers is their passion for what they do. A few weeks back I took a trip north to Dancing Pines Distillery in Loveland, CO. Walking through the front door I met with another display of that passion. The still is right up front, Kimberly Naslund (one of the co-founders and distillers) was eager to answer any questions I had and, most notably, their products were highlighted everywhere you went. This isn’t an operation built for the sole purpose of making money. This is the result of great passion being unleashed on a dream.

The folks at Dancing Pines, despite having only been producing for a few months, have lofty ambitions. Already on the market are their white and aged rums. In process and on the shelves soon are a spiced rum, espresso liqueur and chai liqueur. And, not to rest on their laurels, they also have a gin and bourbon in the works. Very impressive from a small craft distiller. Though, like many craft distillers their immediate goal isn’t world (or even country-wide) domination. Rather they’re focused on making a really good product and keeping their loyal, local customers happy. So, what of those products? I got to taste a bunch, here’s the low down.

White Rum – 80 proof – A combination of black strap and grade A molasses give this rum a complex flavor. Exactly what they were looking for. Having sampled rums from Cuba and other less common locales the distillers were looking for a flavor that wasn’t as deeply distilled and more reminiscent of the starting sugar. The goal of this endeavor was to create a rum that was complex and bold enough to stand up to mixers. They met that goal while creating a rum that wasn’t too rough. I think this could be really interesting in a Mojito.

Aged Rum – 94 proof – Aged with charred oak spirals, a technique used in wine making, the Dancing Pines aged rum has solid vanilla notes that come through in the nose and in the flavor. The sweetness and flavor of the molasses are still present, but more muted than what I found in the white rum. Another tasty choice, this one plays nicely in a Daiquiri.

Spiced Rum – A spiced rum where you can really taste the real spices that were used in the mix. Quite refreshing. Interestingly, they also add some teas to the spice mix for added depth and complexity. In addition, Dancing Pines adds a touch of additional molasses for sweetness and flavor. Overall, the spice flavors are well balanced and tasty.

Chai Liqueur – This definitely smells like a good chai. Really nice sweetness level and a good blend of tea and spice flavors. In the aroma you get nice hits of cardamom and tea, just as you would in a chai tea. I really like this liqueur, it’s complex and not overly sweet.

Espresso Liqueur – Like the chai this smells just like a good cup of espresso. Again, not overly sweet with a nice coffee flavor that’s bright, clean and not overly processed.

I had a great time at Dancing Pines and really enjoyed sampling their spirits. I’ll be very interested to taste how their bourbon comes out when it’s bottled some time next year. And, a pot stilled gin you say? Now I’m really interested.

If you’d like to check out their products and operation for yourself, they offer tours, samples and cocktails every Friday from 4-7pm. The cocktails change and if you buy one you get the cost reimbursed when you buy a bottle. They’ve also got some events and contests that they run through their Facebook page.

† The product reviewed here was provided to me as a free sample. If you’re wondering what that means check out my sample policy.