Featured Spirits

  • Suavecito Tequila

    Suavecito Blue Agave is grown in the red soil of the mountains of Jalisco, Mexico. Suavecito needs to be distilled only once to produce a smooth and 100% authentic taste. Suavecito is rested in specially selected American Oak barrels to ensure that it’s 100% smooth.
    www.suavecitotequila.com

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Spirit Reviews

  • Polish up your mixologist chops

    The makers of St-Germain elderflower liqueur want you to start mixing. The Can-Can Cocktail Competition, in conjunction with Martha Stewart Living, runs through December 1, 2012, so get busy. You don’t have to be a professional bartender to enter – though bartenders are welcome too – you just have to come up with an original way to enjoy St-Germain and submit your entry, including recipe and photo, by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on December 1. Grand prize is a trip to Paris for two (Ooh-la-la!), and 100 runners-up will receive a custom-made St-Germain bicycle. Enter at www.marthastewart.com/cancanclassic.

  • It’s Gin and Tonic Time Again!

    Our recommendation for the best value in gin goes once again to Broker’s London Dry Gin ($16.95; 94 proof) made from English wheat and 10 botanicals. Floral, herby and a bit piney, it packs a big alcohol punch, so watch out!

     

    Citadelle Gin ($19.95; 88 proof) is made in France using 19 botanicals. It’s a bit different from most gins, with its orange peel aroma and sharp flavor edged with spearmint. Juniper has a much smaller role in this gin than in most.

     

    Death’s Door Gin ($29.95; 94 proof) is made on Washington Island, in Wisconsin’s beautiful Door County, and named for the strait in Lake Michigan that runs between the island and the mainland. Made from the island’s 2010 harvest of organic hard red winter wheat, wild juniper berries and organic botanicals, it’s got a very piney aroma and assertive anise flavor.

     

    Edinburgh Gin ($34.99; 86 proof) is made with Scottish juniper, pine, heather and milk thistle, resulting in an unusual, quite delicious taste. It’s got a smooth, rich, creamy aroma with a hint of cinnamon and clove. Its flavor is strongly reminiscent of pine, with notes of nutmeg and orange.

     

    Dry Fly Washington Dry Gin ($44; 80 proof)

    This is a winner, distinctive and flavorful, made entirely with botanicals from sustainable farms in Washington State. Its unusual aroma wafts orange, cocoa and cherry. The flavor is fruit driven rather than herbal, with very light juniper notes. A smooth, easy-drinking gin that marches to its own drummer.

     

  • What’s New?

    Buckeye Vodka (about $18) is distilled in the Miami Valley near Dayton using grain grown in Ohio and other parts of the Midwest. It tastes like a much more expensive vodka, with a full creamy, citrus aroma and smooth, flavorful taste. Well done!

     

    We admit we were a bit skeptical of NutLiquor Peanut Butter Vodka (about $18), which, according to its website, is “blended to taste like the center of a peanut butter cup.” But we found its toasty nut aroma and flavor very natural tasting and smooth. Sweet, but not too sweet, it reminded us more of a liqueur than a vodka, and while you could probably concoct some kind of elaborate “martini” with it (Reese’s Cup martini comes immediately to mind), we would sip this just by itself, after dinner.

     

    Look for Tequilador Crema de Chocolate Belga soon. We had a sneak taste of this creamy chocolate tequila liqueur and loved its decadent chocolaty taste. The importer is hoping for a June release in Ohio.

  • New Spirits

    OYO Whiskey is single cask, small batch artisanal whiskey made from Ohio soft winter wheat. Here’s what we have to say about this: WOW. It’s apparent from the aroma that this is no ordinary whiskey. It’s whiskey on flavor steroids, incredibly rich and deep, full of buttery dried peaches, raisins, vanilla and candied orange peel – a stellar whiskey for those who like a lot going on in their glass. 92 proof; $$$$

    Read Entire Article…

  • Spirited Buzz

    Parfait for Grown-Ups

    We’ve simplified things when it comes to after-dinner drinks: a little cognac, a touch of Grand Marnier, a snifter of Sambuca.

     

    But 100 years ago, the ideal way among sophisticates to top off a meal was a bit more complicated. The rage then was the pousse-café, or “coffee chaser,” and done right, this layered drink is just as pretty to look at as it is fun to drink.

    Read Entire Article…

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Recipes

  • Holiday Spirits

    Grand Cherry Sidecar

    2 oz Grand Marnier Cherry
    ¾ oz fresh lemon juice
    ¼ oz simple syrup

    Shake with ice and strain into sugar-rimmed martini glass. Garnish with a lemon wedge and cherry.

    French Gimlet

    2 parts gin or vodka
    1 part St-Germain
    ½ part freshly squeezed lime juice

    Shake with ice and strain into a coupe or martini glass. Garnish with a lime twist.

    St-Germain Cocktail

    2 parts brut champagne or sparkling wine
    1 ½ parts St-Germain
    2 parts club soda

    Stir ingredients in an ice-filled Collins glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

    Tuaca Whiskey Punch

    1 oz Tuaca
    1 oz Jack Daniels Tennessee Whiskey
    1 oz orange juice
    1 oz cranberry juice

    Pour ingredients into a lowball glass over ice and stir.

  • What to do with gin

    There are plenty of refreshing ways to knock back a little gin in the summer months. Here are a few favorites. You choose the proportions.

    • Gin and grapefruit juice over ice, garnished with mint leaves.
    • Gin with a bit of cassis, over ice, topped off with seltzer and a lime wedge
    • Equal parts gin and Aperol (an Italian orange bitter) over ice with an orange slice, topped with seltzer
    • Gin and orange juice with a splash of grenadine (the real stuff, not high fructose corn syrup with red food coloring)
    • Gin with fresh-squeezed lemon juice, a bit of simple syrup and lots of seltzer
    • Gin muddled with fresh mint, simple syrup and lime then topped off with seltzer
    • Gin and limoncello with plenty of ice.

    Songbird

    Developed at Bar DeVille in Chicago, this cocktail may be new, but it’s got retro class. Goes well with diamonds.

    1 1/2 oz gin
    1 oz St-Germain
    3/4 oz Green Chartreuse
    3/4 oz fresh-squeezed lemon juice

    Shake with ice and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a maraschino cherry – a real one. From Italy. Yes, they’re expensive. But they are soooo worth it.

     

  • Tequila Cocktails

    Pomelo Refrescante
    The Not-Margarita

    Looking for a way to make a refreshing tequila drink that’s not as high octane as a margarita (well, it is, but there’s more liquid to dilute the alcohol), we came up with this summer sipper.

    2 oz tequila
    1 oz triple sec
    Juice of 1/2 lime
    Freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
    Splash of club soda
    Lime wedge for garnish

    Shake tequila, triple sec and lime juice in a shaker with ice. Strain and pour over ice into a rocks glass. Fill with grapefruit juice and top with a splash of club soda. Stir gently and garnish with lime. (Note: This is not a sweet drink. If you want it sweet, add simple syrup to taste.)

    El Jimador Habañero Lime Margarita
    1 1/2 oz El Jimador Reposado
    1/2 oz lime juice
    3 oz sour mix
    3 dashes Tabasco®
    In a shaker filled with ice, add ingredients and shake to mix. Pour into margarita glass rimmed with salt (optional). Garnish with a lime wedge.

    Don Julio Blanco Jalisco Express
    An elegant, coffee-flavored cocktail that’s perfect for after dinner or anytime of the evening.

    1 oz Don Julio Blanco
    1/2 oz coffee liquor
    1/4 oz agave syrup
    1 espresso coffee bean

    Shake all ingredients together and strain into a martini glass. Float coffee bean as a garnish.

  • Corzo Silver Infusion

    4 seedless watermelon spears
    4 cucumber spears

    Slice fruit and vegetables into spears. Infuse with 750ml Corzo Silver Tequila. Refrigerate for 12-24 hours. Serve chilled.

    (Fruit will stay good up to three weeks. Makes approximately 17 servings.)

  • Corzo Modern Margarita

    1 part Corzo Silver of Reposado Tequila
    1 part agave nectar
    2 slices fresh lemon
    2 slices fresh Lime
    1 slice fresh orange
    Read Entire Article…

  • Traditional Margarita Recipe

    2 oz tequila (We prefer reposado)
    1 oz triple sec or other orange liqueur
    1/2 oz freshly squeezed lime juice
    Coarse salt
    Lime wedge
    Read Entire Article…

  • I’ll have the last word, please

    Everyone might like to have the last word, but for Prohibition-era patrons of the Detroit Athletic Club, it had a very special meaning. The Last Word cocktail has resurfaced recently, and it sure is worth digging out of the mothballs.
    Read Entire Article…

  • Captain Morgan Pink Lemonade

    1.25 oz Captain Morgan original spiced rum
    3 oz cranberry juice
    1 oz orange juice
    2 oz club soda
    Lemon wedge

    Pour Captain Morgan and cranberry juice over ice in a cocktail glass. Top with orange juice and soda. Garnish with the lemon wedge.

  • Captain’s Nest

    1 oz Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum
    2 oz pineapple juice
    2 oz orange juice
    1/4 oz amaretto
    Lime slice

    Combine all but lime in a shaker. Shake with ice and strain into an ice-filled cocktail glass. Garnish with lime slice.

  • Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum Mud Cake

    9 TBS butter cut into small pieces
    8 oz high quality dark chocolate
    1 cup brewed espresso
    2 cups sugar
    1 tsp vanilla extract
    1/4 cup Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum
    2 eggs
    2 cups all purpose flour
    2 tsp baking powder

    Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Put the butter, chocolate and coffee in a sauce pan over medium heat and warm until chocolate melts, Stir occasionally. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes.

    Pour chocolate into a bowl and add the next three ingredients. Whisk well until mixed then sift the flour and baking powder over and continue to whisk until all is evenly combined.

    Pour into 8” by 8” baking dish that has been greased and lined with parchment paper

    Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle pulls out clean.

    Let cool for an hour before removing from pan.

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