Handcrafted & Seven times Distilled: A Martini Review and other Recipes
By Howard & Matt Goldstein
The Rain Organics Vodka is an organic vodka handcrafted by white corn and distilled seven times. Made by the Sazerac company, one of the largest and most decorated distillers in the United States, known for their Sazerac Rye and Buffalo Trace bourbons. We would tell you more about this vodka but there’s not much we know. Made from white corn, it’s probably left over from the 20 bourbons they distill. Doesn’t sound good? You’re wrong. The Rain Organics is a very solid vodka.
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Rain Organics Vodka Tasting Notes:
Flavors of grain with good bite and warmth. Rain is crisp, clean with slight hints of vanilla and an overall good vodka flavor. A long aftertaste, slightly oily and blends with vermouth very well. Below are some Rain Organics vodka recipes.
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Classic Martini Recipe
Ingredients
5 oz. Rain Organics Vodka 1 oz. Vermouth 1 Olive Ice
Serving Instructions
In a shaker, add Rain Organics Vodka, vermouth and ice. Shake and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with an olive.
Bloody Mary
Ingredients
1 oz. Rain Organics Vodka 3 oz. Tomato Juice Juice of One Lemon 7 drops Worcestershire Sauce 2 drops Tabasco Sauce 1 pinch Freshly Ground Black Pepper 1 pinch Celery Salt Celery Stick and/or Lemon Wedge Ice
Serving Instructions
In a shaker, add Rain Organics Vodka, tomato juice, lemon juice, Worcestershire Sauce, Tabasco Sauce, black pepper and celery salt. Shake and pour in a highball glass filled with ice. Garnish with a celery stick, lemon wedge or both.
Rain Blossom
Ingredients
2 1/2 oz. Rain Organics Vodka 1 oz. Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice 1 oz. Mint-Infused Simple Syrup, recipe follows 2 Mint Leaves Lime Wheel
MINT-INFUSED SIMPLE SYRUP 1 cup Water 1 cup Sugar 1/4 cup Chopped Mint
Serving Instructions
Mint-Infused Simple Syrup: Combine water, sugar and chopped mint into a saucepan and bring to a boil for one minute. Remove from heat and let steep for 20 minutes. Strain out mint using a cheesecloth or an extra-fine strainer.
In a shaker, add Rain Organics Vodka, lime juice and mint-infused simple syrup. Shake and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with mint leaves and a lime wheel.
Here are some new summery Tea cocktail recipes from Cruzan Rum & Canadian Club Whiskey. Made by master mixologist, Bobby Gleason, whether you’re throwing a BBQ or heading to the beach, Canadian Club & Cruzan Rum can help add a classic kick to some great iced teas. With June being National Iced Tea Month and June 10th being National Iced Tea Day, these cocktails are perfect for opening the summer.
Black Cherry Tea Cocktail
1 part Canadian Club Classic 12
1 part Cruzan Black Cherry Rum
3-4 parts prepared ice tea (such as Nestea or Arizona)
Lemon wedge for garnish
Directions: Build cocktail over ice in a highball glass. Garnish with a lemon wedge on the rim.
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Peach Tea Cocktail
1 part Canadian Club Classic 12
1 part DeKuyper Peachtree
3-4 parts prepared ice tea (such as Nestea or Arizona)
Lemon wedge for garnish
Directions: Build cocktail over ice in a highball glass. Garnish with a lemon wedge on the rim.
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Mango Tea Cocktail
1 part Canadian Club Classic 12
1 part Cruzan Mango Rum
3-4 parts prepared ice tea (such as Nestea or Arizona)
Directions: Build cocktail over ice in a highball glass. Garnish with a lemon wedge on the rim.
A Low Calorie Premixed Margarita by Chi Chi’s and the Sazerac Co.
Chi Chi’s, a name synonymous with good taste and good value, introduces Skinny Margarita just in time for summer! At only 95 calories per serving, Chi Chi’s Skinny Margarita offers the same great taste found in the Original Margarita with fewer calories.
Already available at retail, sales for Skinny Margarita have been brisk and consumers love the way it tastes, reports Brand Director Lori Logan. “We saw the trend for reduced calorie margaritas at retail and in bars and restaurants and we set out to develop a low calorie product without compromising the taste. Response has been great. Sales are strong and everyone agrees it tastes as good as the Original Margarita!”
The great taste is due to the agave nectar used as the all-natural sweetener instead of sugar, leaving no bitter aftertaste associated with artificial sweeteners. The agave nectar is sourced from Mexico and has rapidly become the most trusted alternative sweetener. With no artificial colors, flavors or added sugars, Chi Chi’s Skinny Margarita is an all-natural product that consumers can enjoy without regret!
Like the other members of the Chi Chi’s family, Skinny Margarita already contains the alcohol, so fans can just grab it and go. Available in convenient sizes such as 1.75 L and 4 packs of 200 mL, Skinny Margarita is the perfect ready-to-drink cocktail ready for consumers to bring to their next pool party. Suggested retail pricing for the Skinny Margarita is $9.99 for the 1.75 L and $4.99 for the 4 pack of 200 mL.
About Chi Chi’s
The Chi Chi’s family includes Original, Gold, Mango, Strawberry and Skinny Margarita; Strawberry Daiquiri; Long Island Ice Tea; Raspberry Long Island Ice Tea; Pomegranate Martini; Cosmopolitan; Appletini; White Russian; Mojito; Mexican Mudslide; Mai Tai and Pina Colada. Chi Chi’s is produced and bottled by the Sazerac Company. Sazerac is one of New Orleans’ oldest family owned, privately held companies and has operations in New Orleans, Louisiana; Frankfort, Bardstown, Louisville and Owensboro, Kentucky; Fredericksburg, Virginia; Carson, California; and Baltimore, Maryland.
How the Sazerac Cocktail Came to Be In 1838, Antoine Amedie Peychaud, owner of a New Orleans apothecary, treated his friends to brandy toddies of his own recipe, including his “Peychaud’s Bitters,” made from a secret family recipe. The toddies were made using a double-ended egg cup as a measuring cup or jigger, then known as a “coquetier” (pronounced “ko-k-tay”), from which the word “cocktail” was derived.
Thus, the world’s first cocktail was born! By 1850, the Sazerac Cocktail, made with Sazerac French brandy and Peychaud’s Bitters, was immensely popular, and became the first “branded” cocktail. In 1873, the recipe for the Sazerac Cocktail was altered to replace the French brandy with American Rye whiskey, and a dash of absinthe was added. In 1933, the Sazerac Cocktail was bottled and marketed by the Sazerac Company of New Orleans.
That same year, “Herbsaint,” a pastis, was made according to a French recipe; “Herbsaint” was so named for the New Orleans term for wormwood – “Herb Sainte.” In 1940, the Official Sazerac Cocktail recipe was modified to use Herbsaint as the absinthe. Finally, in 2000, the Official Sazerac Cocktail recipe was modified to use Sazerac Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey.
In my mid twenties, I traveled throughout the east Mediterranean coast of Spain and spent a lot of time in the coastal towns of Valencia. There were many things about the cuisine and wines that were amazing, but one thing that stood was being introduced to Sangria for the first time.
Sangria, which is derived from the Latin word meaning the “color of blood,” has been around for centuries. You can make it with red or white wine if you please, and the beauty of Sangria is that you can fiddle around with it to make it to your particular taste. I was very impressed that almost every joint I went to in Spain had some variation of it, and in many cases on tap!
As you can imagine, my wife and I stumbled throughout the streets and alleys of Valencia with a slight dusting of inebriation. We came across a small Bodega in an alley off the beaten path that was clear that only locals frequented. “Jackpot!” I thought to myself. The shop owners were an old Spanish couple that were very proud of their wine that they had stored in Cedar barrels stacked high to the ceiling. My wife who happens to be part Spanish only speaks “American”, so my German-Irish pale face had to do all the talking. (Thanks high school Spanish!)
Fifteen minutes and 6 samples later, I had purchased 2 liters of some fine Spanish Tinto Rioja wine. But more importantly, I was able to get some tips on how to make some old world Sangria from the old Bodega owners. I took the wine and knowledge back to New York where I was living at the time and put it to work.
I give you, “Goldmine Sangria”
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1 bottle of a Spanish red wine
1/2 cup of Orange Juice
1 cup of sugar
1 “Golden” delicious apple cut into thin slices
2 lemons cut into thin slices
1 pear cut into thin slices
3 ounces of “Crystal Skull” Vodka
2 ounces of Tanqueray Gin
1 ounce of B&B (Brandy & Benedictine)
1/2 ounce of triple sec
“Splash” of Tonic Water
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Simply combine all of the ingredients except for the Tonic Water into a pitcher and allow to sit overnight. When you are ready to serve, top off your mixture with a healthy amount of the Tonic water to give it a little fizzzzz….. and serve.
Try signature Domaine de Canton Maragrita. Domaine de Canton is a small batch liqueur made with the finest eaux de vie in France; XO and VSOP Grand Champagne Cognacs only. With ginger root from Indo China, the Canton is then hand made with all natural ingredients; Tahitian vanilla beans, Provencal honey, and Tunisian ginseng. According to their web site, “Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur was inspired by the French tradition in which sweet and fresh elixirs were fortified by fine eaux de vie and Cognac. Domaine de Canton is simply one of the best liquors in the world, no question about it.
1 1/2 PARTS DOMAINE DE CANTON
1 PART SILVER TEQUILA
1/2 PART FRESH LIME JUICE
Shake and strain over ice. Garnish with a lime wheel.
*Optional: Muddle 2 slices of seranno chili into cocktail for an extra
Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey Perfect Mixtures: Premade Jack and Coke
Mr. Jack once said “Every day we make it we make it the best we can.” We kept that in mind when we created our convenient, ready-to-drink, single serving drinks! These Jack Daniel’s mixed drinks are available in three exciting flavors: Jack and Ginger, Jack and Cola, and soon-to-be-released Jack and Diet Cola!
Like our Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey, our new cold ready-to-drink offerings are crafted with care. We take Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey mellowed, drop by drop, through 10 feet of sugar maple charcoal to add smoothness. The whiskey is then added to ginger ale or cola of our own making resulting in a refreshing mix that’s sure to please! Simply chill or pour into a glass with ice and enjoy responsibly.
Look for four packs of our 12-ounce recyclable aluminum bottles at stores where premium liquors are sold. And if you have any questions, we hope you’ll drop us a line or post a comment on our Facebook page. We’re always glad to hear from our friends.
The Jack Daniels Pina Colada recipe is for those dreaming of the beach, surf, sun and chilling on your deck in the spring and summer time. It may not be officially Spring yet, but we’re ready for a vacation! Even if we can’t set sail the next few weekends, we can still kick back with a Jack Colada and a few friends and make plans for our tropical getaway.
The Jack Colada
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Ingredients:
1 1/2 oz. Jack Daniel’s® Tennessee Whiskey
1/2 oz. Tuaca®
1 oz. cream of coconut
2 oz. pineapple juice
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How to Mix the Jack Daniels Pina Colada:
Mix ingredients with 1/2 cup of ice in a blender until slushy. Pour into a hurricane glass. Garnish with a pineapple wedge and enjoy responsibly. For a twist on the Jack Colada, add a splash of Chambord® and garnish with raspberries.
Rye Whiskey has come roaring back as one of the best whiskeys if not the best drinks available. An American classic, Rye Whiskey, was the whiskey that America was built on. Check out some of these classic cocktail recipes courtesy of Templeton Rye, kick back and enjoy a cocktail or mixed drink like a Highball, Manhattan, Sazerac or an Old Fashioned. .
The Highball
2 oz. Templeton Rye Club Soda
MIXING INSTRUCTIONS Fill a tall highball glass with ice. Add Templeton Rye and fill your choice of club soda, lemon lime soda, ginger ale or cola. .
The Sazerac
2 oz. Templeton Rye 1/4 oz. Absinthe 3-4 drops Peychaud bitters 1 oz. Simple syrup Splash of distilled water
MIXING INSTRUCTIONS Fill Old Fashioned glass with ice. Add Absinthe. Drop one sugar cube in a mixing glass along with bitters and a dash of distilled water. Muddle until sugar is dissolved. Add Templeton Rye and ice to the mixing glass. Stir mixture in mixing glass 25 to 30 seconds. Discard ice and Absinthe from Old Fashioned glass. Strain contents from mixing glass into Absinthe coated glass. Add a lemon twist expressing the oils over the glass.
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Manhattan
2 oz. Templeton Rye 3/4 oz. Sweet Vermouth 2 dashes Angostura aromatic bitters
MIXING INSTRUCTIONS Serve stirred, never shaken. Kiss with cherry
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Old Fashioned
2 oz. Templeton Rye 2 dashes Angostura bitters 1 tsp. Demerara suger Simple syrup Orange and cherry mash MIXING INSTRUCTIONS
Dissolve 1 teaspoon Demerara sugar in hot water. Add Templeton Rye, bitters and ice. Stir until properly chilled and strain into an Old Fashioned glass with a couple of ice cubes. Garnish with a large orange disc or twist. . . .
For this Valentine’s Day, the Whiskey Goldmine brings you delicious cocktails and mixed drinks for you and your valentine to share on this romantic day. Mix up some drinks, kick back and enjoy mixer, martini and a refreshing concoction such as the Cupid’s Kiss, Tickled Pink and the Be Mine Martini.
Handcrafted & Seven times Distilled: A Martini Review and other Recipes
Rain Organics Vodka Tasting Notes:
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