The Race Day Martini is perfect for Independence Day
This summertime cocktail we usually sip on while watching the races is the ultimate refreshing addition to your 4th of July entertaining. The Woodford Reserve is a handcrafted 90.4 proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon. With a great bourbon flavor, its subtlety is its genius. It has great balance for a bourbon whiskey with a little complexity and rather smooth.
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1 1/2 oz. Woodford Reserve
1 oz. pomegranate juice
2 oz. lemonade
In a shaker filled with ice add ingredients. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.
Maker’s Mark is owned by Fortune Brands, who also own Jim Beam. The one most unique thing about Maker’s Mark is that it is not made with rye. The creator, Bill Samuels Sr., was a sixth generation distiller, and in 1953, he abandoned his family’s 170 yr old recipe. He did not want to waste years fermenting different experimental grain formulas, so instead he decided to bake different breads with different grain proportions. The best tasting bread recipe would be his new bourbon. The winning combination was that of barley and red winter wheat. So by 1958, we had our first bottle of Maker’s Mark.
Admittedly, we were not expecting much from this bourbon but it performed very well. For its price, about $22, it’s a very solid buy. The Tasting Notes are as follows: A light scent of grain, sweet apple spice scent and caramel. With flavors of grain, malt and corn, sometimes sweet flavor, smooth, complex and crisp with a good long aftertaste. This is a very solid bourbon and one we would drink again and again. We actually like the regular Makers Mark brand more than the pricier Makers 46, which retails for about $35.
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How Makers Mark is made:
Maker’s Mark is one of the few brands to credit Mother Nature for such a unique bourbon taste. That’s because we use pure, iron-free limestone spring water exclusively. Not city, well or river water. Our source is a 10-acre limestone spring-fed lake at the distillery.
First, we use yellow corn and red winter wheat from specially selected small farm cooperatives, all of which are located within the limestone geology near the distillery. This wheat gives our whisky its soft, mellow taste. And we only use naturally malted barley, because it has no enzyme-enhancing gibberellic acid, of course. Whatever that means.
Our dated rollermill is the key to preparing our grain for cooking. While some distillers think this method is too slow and produces a lower yield, it’s just fine for us. The slow process does not scorch the grain like a hammermill can. What can we say? That’s just how we roll.
Any good distiller/baker can tell you that pressure cookers and high-quality soft winter wheat do not mix.
By using an open cooker and a slower process that involves a lot of hands-on attention, we extend the subtle grain flavors into our whisky.
We are among the few remaining bourbon distillers that propagate their own yeast for fermentation with cultures that we can trace back to the pre-Prohibition era. We also use the traditional sour mash method, similar to making sourdough bread, where we always leave over some culture from one batch to start another. Guess you could say our yeast roots run deep.
Our rare cypress fermentation tanks are historically irreplaceable. Some of the planks are more than 100 years old.
Cypress was chosen for fermentation before modern stainless steel was available because it didn’t contribute iron or taste to the final product. While we don’t believe that cypress affects the process in any way, we continue to use some of these fermenters to give our visitors a sense of how the process used to look. That, and we’ve never believed in a sweet metal aftertaste.
Maker’s Mark double-distills its whisky — once in an all copper column still to produce what we call low wine and again in a copper pot still to produce high wine. This added step removes impurities and produces a more refined sipping whisky. Our low wine is distilled off at 120 proof, while our high wine is 130 proof.
We believe that this is the lowest distillation proof in the industry. We continue this more expensive practice because it preserves our mellow grain characteristics.
Most distillers choose not to rotate their barrels. Not us. We like ours to get out and move around. And by move around, we mean rotate. It ensures every barrel experiences the same aging process. And you know what they say: a moving barrel gathers no moss.
By Pat Smith, Matt Goldstein & Sommelier Tom Pittakas
For Philly Beer Week, our staff hit eight events and about 30 different bars overall in celebration of craft beer in one of the best beer cities in the world, Philadelphia. From IPA’s to imperial Stouts, dopplebocks and fruit beers, Philly Beer Week had a profusion of many styles by the best breweries in the world. Below is our top 10 beers of the 2011 Philly Beer Week. Pick up a few these beautiful brews and let us know your thoughts.
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1. Ballast Point Victory at Sea Barrel Aged Espresso Vanilla Imperial Porter:
An American Porter with 10.0% ABV, the Ballast Point Victory at Sea is a deep dark beer with notes of mocha, chocolate, vanilla and complex full bodied smooth porter. This is simply one of the best porters in the world and Ballast Point continues to prove it’s one of the best breweries in the world. This is an absolute must for dark beer lovers. Served at the Khyber Pass Pub.
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2. Hitachino Espresso Imperial Stout
From the Kiuchi Brewery in Japan, the Hitachino Espresso Stout stands at 7.50% ABV with great malts and crisp finish. It’s rare finding a stout this flavorful and crisp at the same time. Dark black in color with dark head, the Hitachino is a classic imperial stout and proves that the Japanese can brew a hell of a beer. Served at the Side Car Bar.
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3. Dogfish Head Festina PecheBerlinerWeisse
The Festina Peche is fermented with peaches that hints of a sour beer. Not made like traditional sour beers, this fruit beer is crafted with very ripe peaches to get it’s sour flavor. Very crisp and refreshing, the Dogfish Head Festina Peche is the perfect summer beer. Not too sour without many hops at all, the Festina Peche is about 4.5% ABV. Purchased at Whole Foods in Plymouth Meeting.
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4. Fegley’s Hopsulutely Triple IPA
The Fegley’s Brewery is getting a lot of buzz in the Philadelphia area and proving to be one of the best brewers in the city area. Considering this is one of the best craft beer cities in the U.S., Fegley’s is of course creating some great crafts. The Hopsolutely Triple IPA is made with Cascade, CTZ, Summit, Amarillo and Chinook hops, then dry hopped with Chinook and Amarillo. At 100 IBU’s, this triple IPA is still balanced enough to challenge the best IPA’s in the country. We challenge you to try it out. Allentown and Bethlehem are making a real name for themselves and deservedly so. 11.0% ABV. Purchased at Whole Foods in Plymouth meeting.
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5. Nebraska Samarican Brown Ale
At 5.3% ABV, this American Brown Ale is slightly sweet, slightly malty, crisp and well balanced. Overall one of the best brown ales you will find. The Nebraska Brewing “cornhusker juice” was in major demand throughout Philly Beer week, especially the oak aged Black Betty Imperial Stout. Colorado isn’t the only Midwest state making excellent craft beer. Served at the Sidecar Bar.
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6. Russian River’s Pliney the Elder
8.0% ABV. American Double IPA. Purchased in a growler from the Hulmeville Inn.
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7. Port Ole Viscosity Whiskey Barrel Aged
12% ABV by Port Brewing. Served at the Resurrection Ale House.
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8. Ayinger Altbairisch Dunkel
5.0% ABV Ayinger Brewing from Germany. Served at Eulogy Belgian Tavern.
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9. Ballast Point Navigator Dopplebock
8.9% ABV barrel aged by Ballast Point. Served at the Khyber Pass Pub.
The Royal Canadian Small Batch Canadian Whiskey is one of five Canadian Whiskeys made by the Sazerac Company. Made in very small batches under the eye of the Master Blender, each barrel is hand bottled and described as “Sweet and smoky like a Memphis BBQ. The initial sip is velvety smooth with huge flavors. The Royal Canadian Small Batch tasting notes: The whiskey is thin, grainy, slightly tart and smooth. A mellow mouth feel and malty grainy long aftertaste with a light hint of malt. This is a solid Canadian whiskey.
Seven generations after Jack Daniels first started mellowing whiskey; his recipes have been kept to standard. The Gentleman Jack is a twice mellowed Jack Daniels recipe, drop by drop through charcoaled sugar maple. “Charcoal mellowing is what makes Jack Daniel’s what it is – a Tennessee Whiskey and not a bourbon. Doing it twice is what makes Gentleman Jack what it is –unlike any whiskey in the world.” Each new barrel selected to age Gentleman Jack is charred and caramelized and the whiskey is aged to the sip, not the year. Although technically not a Bourbon because it’s from Tennessee, Gentleman Jack is made with a heavy corn mash like any Bourbon from Kentucky.
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Gentleman Jack Tasting Notes:
The scent is of rich grain, corn and slightly sweet. Brownish gold in color, the flavor is full bodied, sweet and slightly tart and thin on the finish. Smooth and flavorful with good warmth, this is an all around great whiskey. Very drinkable but with complex flavors of oak and honey and slightly dry, Gentleman Jack is a must for any serious whiskey drinker. Although it’s not a Bourbon, this whiskey can stand next to any Bourbon.
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.
“Let the Lighter Fluid Burn off the Charcoal for about 20 Minutes”… Or Just Suck On An Exhaust Pipe
By Larry Kay
Excuse the sarcasm but if you’re going to use charcoal there is no need to ever use lighter fluid. Simply take a page of newspaper (yes, you may have to buy a newspaper to do this, but you’ll be set for the whole summer that way), drizzle a tablespoon of plain vegetable oil over it and crumple the paper up to smear the oil all over. Take the wadded up paper and put it on your lower grill grate, mound up your coal over it in a “pyramid” shape (or, as we call it, a pile) leaving a small area of the paper accessible. Light the newspaper and the oiled paper will act as a wick; your coals will be ready in about 20 minutes and there’s no chemical residue or nasty taste involved.
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.
The Race Day Martini is perfect for Independence Day
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