Three Sweet Ounces

[Scotch Log] The Classic Cask - Tomatin

2011-05-19T20:39:00.000-07:00

Scotch: Classic Cask bottling of Tomatin Distillery
Region: Highland
Malt: Single Malt, 30 years
Price: uh. Lots.
Proof: 86

It's my 30th birthday so we thought that we'd better break out this 30 year old bottle that's been lurking in the cabinet waiting for a special occasion. Here's what we think:

Color: Amber (scotch colored!)

Nose: A very gentle, sweet nose with no alcoholic burning waiting to catch the unwary nose by surprise. Malty vanilla flavours, oak, a touch of the medicinal.

Taste: Chestnutty! It makes Lisa want to chew it, and she says it's the most distinctive flavor she's ever had in a Scotch. Very full oaky flavor with a hint of peat. Water seems to make it a little more astringent. It really sits in the back of your throat and lingers for a good long while without losing much of its character too.

Overall: A damn tasty dram that holds up to its age. The vanilla and oak from the long cask time are prominent, and the delightful light nose balances the unique flavor and slight astringency.

[Equipment Log] Shaker style run-down

2011-04-18T06:22:00.000-07:00

Well, we've been ridiculously lax about updating this blog lately, but I'm back... to let you know... I can really shake it down. That is to say, I'm going to shake it, shake it, shake it like an uh-oh, shake it like a Polaroid. Picture. I'm gonna shake my groove thang, is what I'm saying. Shake and bake. Shake, rattle, and, possibly, roll.

Sorry, what was I talking about? Shakers! Probably you already know, in general, what a shaker is and is good for. In short: it's a container for thoroughly mixing ingredients (usually for a cocktail) together quickly and thoroughly. Usually this is done with ice in the shaker as well, in order to rapidly chill the ingredients while you mix them, the biggest exception that I know of being the ridiculously named "dry shake" which is shaking vigorously without ice to aerate egg whites in a fizz.

That said, there are several different varieties of shaker, and I recently acquired a number of them to experiment and review. So, here we go!

The Cobbler Shaker
aka: "Manhattan Shaker", "Shaker", "Cocktail Shaker", "Come apart you %&*@ thing!"

Description: The Cobbler shaker is the shaker that most people think of when they thing "shaker". It's a three piece unit made up of a shaker tin for the bottom (this is where you pour all your ingredients and the ice), a short, squat lid that tapers to a spout with built-in strainer, and finally a small cap for the spout that doubles as a jigger.

Usage: The cobbler is largely shunned by professional bartenders, with the exception of the Japanese bar scene (and those who learned there) where it is widely used. Or so I am told by the internet. In fact, this scene has (in true Japanese style) invented a particular method of shaking which is used with the Cobbler, called "The Hard Shake". See the video below, apparently the idea is that the liquid hits four points in the shaker each cycle, rather than the typical two:

Pros: Firstly, these things are trivially easy to obtain. You can pick up a decent cobbler shaker at most home goods and even grocery stores. They come in a wide variety of sizes from a tiny 8 oz. to a gigantic 60 oz. (the "normal" size is 24 ounces). No matter what size you have, you can fill almost "to the line" since the top fits over the tin, which allows you to make a lot of drinks in a single shaker-full. There's no need for a seperate strainer, since there is one built in, and you can use the cap to measure portions, so you can avoid a tool for that too if you're the type you doesn't like more stuff. :) You can find a lot of variations on the basic theme too, if you start looking. For instance:

Different styling
Different material: plastic shakers, thicker-walled metal shakers, even glass-bodied shakers.
Ice crushing attachment
Pitcher handle
Shelved overlap between the top and the body to help avoid binding.
Built in drink recipe references

Cons: The first and largest problem with the cobbler is its tendency to bind up. As a rule, you need to put these together pretty firmly to avoid leaks, and that coupled with the dramatic temperature change in the metal as you shake means that the top and the cap can be very hard to separate. Since the cap is small and the top is squat, you don't have much leverage to overcome this binding, leaving you in the unenviable position of having a tasty drink slowly getting waterlogged while you struggle to open your shaker. Second problem: unless you have huge hands, you can't really shake a cobbler one-handed (at least, not the standard 24 oz. variety). Even if you can... I wouldn't. You only need to have a cobbler explode as soon as you start shaking once before you realize the importance of holding it firmly together while you shake. Finally, they can be comparatively expensive. They run from very cheap plastic dealies, to $150+ designer units. Mostly they're about $15-$20 bucks though which, while hardly a huge investment, is actually more than almost any other variety.

Overall: Convenient, often cheap, and serviceable. There's a reason that every home bar in the world has one of these. However, if you're going to do a lot of shaking, I'd either look for a different shaker or find a high quality cobbler that is: A) Metal B) Thick-walled and C) Shelf-style. That'll work a lot better, but it will also cancel out the "cheap" and "convenient".

Boston Shaker
Description: If you've been to a bar and ordered a cocktail, odds are you've seen a Boston Shaker used. This is far and away the most common and popular shaker style used by professional bartenders. A two-part unit, it consists of a shaker tin on the bottom and a standard pint glass on top.

Usage: Put your ingredients in the tin with ice, and cap with the pint glass. Make sure to leave enough room in the tin to fit your glass! First timers will try to put the glass on straight-vertical, but you actually want it canted to one side. This makes a better seal, and because the shaking motion is curved, it actually makes the shaking more natural. When you seal it, you'll need to "pop" the glass by giving it a firm tap, otherwise you probably won't get a drink-proof seal. Shake so that the curve of the motion is matched by the curve in the shaker created by the cant of the glass. I've seen lots of techniques for unsealing the glass. The most common is a sharp percussion to the side of the glass. I've found it effective to push the glass further in the direction it is canted (it seems counter-intuitive, but it's easier than the opposite motion).

Pros: It's a ridiculously simple device. Hell, odds are good that if you have a cobbler shaker, you already have a Boston shaker since you can use the bottom of the cobbler as your tin and you probably own a pint glass or twenty. Even if you're buying a tin for this purpose, a good quality tin is only a few bucks. The combined height means that each stroke of shaking is moves the liquid much more than a cobbler, and once you get the hang of sealing it, you can shake one-handed pretty easily. If your drink happens to be served in a pint glass, you've also pre-chilled your serving glass. Handy!

Cons: You'll either need to get a Hawthorne strainer or spend some time learning to hold the two pieces slightly separated to strain your drink. The pint glass is heavy, which makes the balance of the whole thing feel oddly top-heavy. Getting and breaking the seal takes some practice.

Overall: You can probably start using this shaker today without spending any of your hard earned booze money, and you'll get the added advantage of looking like you know what you're doing! All that AND you'll never have to struggle to pry your cobbler apart again. It's a win-win! A word of advice though: practice for a while before you try to do this in public. A flying pint glass is a messy and potentially painful mistake to make.

Parisian Shaker
aka: "the French Shaker"

Description: A metal, two-piece unit. It looks kinda like a cobbler, but the top is all one piece and it doesn't narrow to a spout. The two parts nest together with the top fitting inside the bottom and overlapping by a good inch and a half or so. It's a damn good looking unit too. This is maybe the rarest of the shaker styles, though I hear that some trendy joints are starting to use them.

Usage: You know the drill: fill the bottom, stick the top on, shake vigorously. The trick with the Parisian is that you need to make sure to only add liquid up to the line that the top will overlap. Once you've used it a few times, there will be a faint natural line caused by varying wear to guide you, but the first couple times it'll be hit-or-miss.

Pros: It's so pretty! Seriously though, there are some advantages. First of all, the wide overlap makes a seal trivially easy to get, and simple to separate. Despite the similar look, you'll not have the problem with binding that you get with the Cobbler because the top tapers. It's maybe the easiest one-handed shake of all the shakers, the counter just begs for it.

Cons: The biggest con is capacity. Because the top overlaps the bottom so much, there's a hard limit on volume, and it's fairly small. Plenty of space to make a cocktail, but if you're mixing up a round of drinks, you're out of luck. Secondly, once you've made and poured a drink, you need to be careful because the liquid on the overlapping portion of the bottom can cause the top to "float", resulting in losing your seal. This also seems to happen if you push the top on too fast. It feels like a good seal but the air pressure pushes back and you lose the seal. I've found it works best if you next the two pieces fairly slowly, and make sure you maintain pressure while you shake (a finger is fine, so one-handed operation is unimpaired), especially after it's wet. Oh, and you'll definitely want a Hawthorne strainer, because the separation method of straining is awkward at best with the Parisian. Price may be a con too, since so far as I can tell there are only two: one for $10-$15 and the WMF for $60 (this writeup is based on the cheap one).

Overall: For a single cocktail, I love it. But you need to know what you're getting into. Practice first, and if you need to make more than one, use another style.

New York Shaker
aka: "two tins"
Description: This is essentially a Boston Shaker that replaces the pint glass with a smaller tin. My setup uses (on the advice of a blog that I'd link to if I could find it again) a weighted 28 oz. tin for the bottom and an unweighted 18 oz. for the top. It's... shiny!

Usage: Just like the Boston :)

Pros: If you know how to use a Boston, you know how to use this shaker. The advantages over the Boston are fairly marginal, but I like them: no chance of broken pint glasses, and a better balance in your hand. Because the of the shift in weight, I find this much more natural feeling than the boston shaker, and I'm much more confident one-handing it since it doesn't feel like the top is going to go flying just from the weight of it. It seals a little easier because it doesn't have the rounded glass edge, and it unseals easier because both the bottom and top tins can flex a bit. You can also customize the size and balance completely, just by swapping out the bottom and top tins (just make sure they'll seal okay when you nest them). Note that when you're buying tins, weighted tins have a thicker double-walled bottom that makes them slightly heavier. Finally, it's pretty cheap: my setup cost just $4 - $5 (plus shipping, I suppose).

Cons: You need to special order this setup from one of the various barware suppliers, and you might want to order multiples of each part because even good quality tins start to take a beating. The edges of the top tin will start to get dinged up, and you won't be able to get a seal anymore as a result. Also the usual warning about needing a Hawthorne or some practice filtering by separation (the technique is, predictably, identical to the Boston).

Overall: After trying all of these, this one has been my favorite, and has rapidly become my go-to shaker. I find that it's the best blend of features and doesn't have any glaring weaknesses.

[Scotch Log] Society Bottle 95.13

2011-02-07T16:10:00.000-08:00

As a happy 5 year work-anniversary present to myself, I decided to pick a new society bottle. After much dithering, JD and I settled on 95.13 - Afternoon Tea in a Patisserie. It was a tough decision between that and Gateway to Narnia, but in the end the description won us over:

The panel was quickly transported to a patisserie for afternoon tea: tea-chests, strawberry and sherry trifle, pineapple tart and Battenburg cake were the star attractions, followed by Danish pastries and toasted almonds, served with fresh cream. The neat taste was deliciously sweet; fruit salad and Cranachan with boozy (brandy) whipped cream, scrumpy cider and an apple aftertaste. The reduced nose became even more creamy with condensed milk, Muller Corner yoghurt, vanilla and blueberry muffins. Strawberry tarts and pastry sliced through the cream. The reduced palate had more creamy vanilla, with a spicy and fruity edge – root beer float, ginger and cream soda and bramble wine. Choux pastry cream teas (loose-leaf English tea) lingered into the aftertaste. The distillery, built in 1974, was the first of the Singleton range.

Given how much the character of the society bottles seems to change with a little air, we'll taste it now and then again in a week or so, and see how the profiles vary.

Unwatered
Nose: lots of fruity flowery sweetness with brown sugar. I got healthy doses of sweet tea - the good southern kind, while JD insists upon strawberry-type-sweetness. A bit of vanilla as well, and perhaps the tiniest medicinal scent.

Taste: This one has a lot of sting, especially for a 19 year old. I started to agree with the sweet strawberry notes on tasting, and the aftertaste is almost minty or cinnamonny. Overall it matched the smell, but harsher.

With water
Nose: much warmer - JD says it reminds him of an old wardrobe (I think he's still wishing we had gotten Narnia). It reminds me of my mother's old volkswagon - sunwarmed, and the tiniest bit of dust. There are still the sweet overtones, but they are much less pronounced, and some spicy notes (paprika? cardamon?) sneak in.

Taste: all of the sting is removed with just a little water and the scotch becomes extremely smooth - practically chuggable, but still with a nice warmth. The best description we could come up with is: a marzipan bear-claw. It finishes with a long slow burn that hints of dark cherries.

More details to come after the bottle has had some time to breathe - so far this is my favorite society bottle!

[Cocktail Log] The Jack Rose

2010-11-22T07:45:00.000-08:00

The Jack Rose is a tasty and easy to mix drink. It is excellent for making once you've had a few, because it doesn't require any careful measuring or a thousand bottles. It's three ingredients:

Applejack
Lemon Juice
Grenadine

The simplicity of it is also what makes it fun to experiment with. If you look around you'll find a truly astounding variety of proportions given. Start somewhere and then play with it. I've found that in a well-mixed Jack Rose you can't taste alcohol at all. It's very smooth. In general: more grenadine to sweeten it, more lemon to sour it, and more applejack when you can taste either grenadine or lemon juice. I think I found that 4:2:1 was pretty tasty, but I was eyeballing my mixes, so hard to tell exactly!

[Cocktail Log] The Ramos Gin Fizz

2010-11-22T07:14:00.001-08:00

While in Seattle this past week I got the chance to have an expertly mixed Ramos Gin Fizz at a speakeasy called Needle and Thread. It was amazing, and I vowed to learn to make it come hell or highwater (or, more likely, come very sore arms or high drunkenness). The RGF is very different from a classic Gin Fizz (that being: gin, lemon, powdered sugar, and club soda). It's an elaborate variation created by a mad genius (who apparently employed upwards of 30 street urchins to be "shaker boys" at the height of the drink's popularity). Apparently it's a popular breakfast drink or something, but to hell with that.

Enough parentheticals! Here's the recipe! Or at least, one version of it, and the one I used as a starting point when I started experimenting on my friends and myself.

2 ounces gin
1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
1 egg white
1 ounce heavy cream
2 teaspoons superfine sugar
1/2 teaspoon orange flower water
Cold club soda

Vigorously shake the gin, lemon juice, lime juice, egg white, cream, sugar, and orange flower water with ice; then strain into a 10-ounce highball glass without ice. Pour in club soda to fill.

Here's what I learned during my first night of experimentation:
1) This is an exhausting drink to make. It requires a LOT of vigorous shaking
2) When making egg-white drinks, it pays to spend some time "dry shaking" the drink. That is, shake it thoroughly without any ice to work some air into the egg mixture. Then add ice and shake again to foam it up and chill it.
3) I still can't quite get the foam the way I want it. Mine ends up kinda "latte foam", it's thick but very wet. The one I had at N&T managed to get foam that was very light, stable and relatively dry. More like meringue than latte. I'm not sure if I need more shaking, or if I need to investigate other methods (shaking the egg without mixers maybe?)
4) I tried the nearest couple of good liquor stores looking for Orange Flower Water but was predictably disappointed. I subbed in triple sec which worked fine, but I'll definitely be keeping my eyes open for OFW to improve this.
5) 1 oz is way too much cream IMO. I dropped this to about a half-ounce and the drink became much less heavy and creamy, and more ginny and fizzy.
6) Some recipes call for 2 drops of vanilla extract. This is, apparently, quite controversial. I don't care about the drama, but I do like the taste with some vanilla. It really makes the foam interesting! However: go VERY easy. The flavors in the drink are very subtly balanced and it's easy to overpower them with vanilla. I'll be dropping this to 1 drop in the future.
7) Gin experiments need to be done too. I made these with Plymouth. They were tasty!

So, still lots of room for improvement. But hey! That's what makes this such a great project drink. :D

[Gin log] On gin

2010-08-13T13:40:00.000-07:00

Gin! Turns out I like it. Turns out that once they've had it as real adult drinkers, everyone I know likes it! This is both good and bad. More delicious drinks... but man we go through it quickly. I wanted to provide a quick look at the gins I've had since getting into it, before I totally forget!

1) Hendrick's Gin
Country of Origin: Scotland
Thoughts: It got me drinking gin, it's that damn good. Low on the juniper, and high on cucumbers. Doesn't make very good Aviations because it doesn't taste "ginny" enough. In fact, I wouldn't bother using it in most cocktails... it's not typically what the cocktail wants and it's pricey. Served chilled with a slice of cucumber, or in a martini though? Oh yes.

2) New Amsterdam
Country of Origin: US
Thoughts: I don't remember much about this bottle. I drank it all making various classic cocktails though, and they tasted pretty good. :) They claim it's "smooth" and "crisp", for what that's worth.

3) Citadelle
Country of Origin: France
Thoughts: I really enjoyed this bottle. Very citrusy, not overpoweringly ginny. We drank basically the whole bottle straight, with only a touch of vermouth or olive juice to make it seem like a proper drink. Definitely a tasty sipping gin.

5) Plymouth
Country: England
Thoughts: I haven't gotten a bottle of this, but it makes for amazing Aviations. According to wikipedia, Plymouth counts as a style of gin all by its lonesome and it's been kicking around since the stone ages. As soon as I find a bottle, I'll be getting one.

4) Boodle's
Country: UK
Thoughts: My first real "london dry" bottle. It's... very dry. The flavor is too much for me to really enjoy sipping it, but it makes excellent cocktails. We ran it through the paces with some classic cocktails, and killed the bottle in under 24 hours. Certainly not my favorite style straight, but for most classic cocktails: this is what they want.

[Mixed Log] Homemade Irish Cream

2010-08-06T16:05:00.000-07:00

Lisa pointed me to a recipe for homemade Irish cream awhile back, probably in the hopes that I would make some for her. Her gambit paid off, as I've made it for several parties since then, to much acclaim and inebriation.

I made a few tweaks to the original recipe. Instant coffee is anathema to my religion.

Sean's Homemade Irish Cream

Ingredients

1.25 cup heavy whipping cream
14 oz sweetened condensed milk
2 cups Irish whiskey (Bushmills)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
2 tsp cocoa powder
(Optional) 1.5 oz fresh brewed coffee/espresso
1 pinch salt

Preparation

Blend cream, sweetened condensed milk, extracts, cocoa, and salt until mixed.
Add whiskey in small batches, mixing between.
Chill and enjoy! Lasts for a month or so refrigerated.

Notes

Yields about 1L.
You can use light instead of heavy whipping cream.
Vanilla/almond can be adjusted to taste.
A pinch of salt helps cut down the sweetness.
Around 18% alcohol by volume (36 proof).

[Wine Log] Marshal's 2006 Barbera

2010-05-31T17:27:00.000-07:00

Wine: Marshal's Winery - Tunnel Vision Red Barbera
Year: 2006
Region: Washington State
Alcohol: 13%

Recently married RJ and Hoppers drove on a cross-country climbing extravaganza, and were kind enough to return from their trip with piles of west-coast beer and wine. Among their generously-shared spoils was a bottle of 2006 Barbera, a varietal that I have tried once or twice, but rarely been impressed with.

The Tunnel Vision Red Barbera proved this grape to be quite delightful. The nose is rich and a lot like a (good) Malbec, with warm molasses notes, dark chocolate and spices. The color is extremely, extremely dark and opaque; very deep burgundy not at all leggy, and with a bit of sediment. To taste the wine is sweeter and more citrus than the nose would suggest, but still rich and filling with a long, spicy finish.

Absolutely excellent - I know I will regret not being able to get this wine in Atlanta.

[Scotch Log] Tormore 12

2010-02-20T17:47:00.000-08:00

Scotch: Tormore 12
Region: Speyside
Malt: Single Malt, 12 years
Price: uh. $40?
Proof: 80

I picked this scotch up because I was having a bad day, and happened to be near a liquor store. Which, as intros go, isn't the possible lead-in. However, the speed at which we went through this bottle is a testament to its numminess. After breaking into it that evening, Pyrona managed to sneak about half of this bottle before I even noticed and caught up.

Color: Light yellowy-orange.

Nose: caramel and spun sugar, cinnamon, with oak highlights. This nose is quite robust, and despite the sweet sounding adjectives it's still unmistakably scotchy.

Taste: Powdered sugar, apples or apple blossoms. This is a low-peat, very wet, almost slurpable easy drinking scotch. Like many of our favorite Speysides, it's unchallenging for daily drinking but complex enough to stay interesting. The bottle tells us "toasted almonds, citrus, and barley sugar". We're calling bullshit on the citrus, but the toasted almond rings true. Pyrona says it's... marzipanny. No lie.

Overall: I'll happily grab another bottle of this. Although it might not quench my thirst for a strong, throat-burning scotch, it's a great sip for a quick quaff on a weekday.

[Scotch Log] Aberlour 16

2010-01-26T17:13:00.000-08:00

Scotch: Aberlour 16
Region: Speyside
Malt: Single Malt, 16 years
Price: Gifted
Proof: 86

The double cask matured Aberlour 16 is probably the most beautiful, richly colored scotch that has ever graced our cabinet. In some lights it has a rosy mahogany tint, and maintains rich red tones once poured.

The nose matches the color with hints of wild rose (probably due to its stint in a sherry cask), nuts, and oak - no hint at all of peat or smoke. In the taste the nutty suggestions are fully realized with a strong walnut flavor and a mouth-feel like dry wine. There's an ever-so-slight hint of smoke in the after taste, and just enough peppery kick to make it feel nice.

Thanks to my wonderful and sweet uncle for such a tasty Christmas present!

[Gin Log] Bluecoat

2009-09-13T22:42:00.000-07:00

Gin: Bluecoat American Dry Gin
Price: ~$27
Proof: 94

Trolling through my local libation liquidators, I saw a rather eye-catching display of Bluecoat, a dry gin that claimed to be of the American [0] variety. The display boasted of various liquor competition honors [1] while the bottle trumpeted its craft distillation. For $27 a 750, I was willing to give it a whirl.

Opening the bottle with my more seasoned gin drinking friend, the smell was strongly herbal, a much bolder tone than we were expecting. Taking our first few glasses neat, however, the liquor was no evergreen monster. Definitely a subtle gin and rather smooth.

Bluecoat proved to be more than adequate for gin and tonic, providing a muted but excellent partner to our diet brand-X tonic water. I was definitely surprised when I mixed it with some lemon-lime soda we had on hand: even at one-to-one, the drink was downright refreshing. From here to inebriation mixed with only a little bit of our home-grown, 100% genuine all-natural artificial corn syrup, lime flavoring, fizzy watter and a downright patriotic gin? Sign me up, Uncle Sam!

[0] As opposed to the London or British variety. The marketeers are quite subtle in their machinations.
[1] Liquor competition judge: best job ever or most delicious job ever? Why am I even posing this as a question?

[Mixed Log] Bartini

2009-08-17T19:32:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time JD and Lisa went to a magical land known as Portland, Oregon. Unlike Atlanta, Georgia, Portland has an incredible tradition known as "happy hour." During this wondrous time, many many restaurants and bars have drink specials. It was at the beginning of the aforementioned witching hour that Lisa and JD stumbled across a little place called Bartini. Kind of a dumb name, but boy does it get the point across: a place where one can find many many varieties of martinis. During happy hour all of those martinis are half priced. Lisa and JD learned the true meaning of "plastered at 4 o'clock" in this fashion. On their journey, they experienced the following:

Blackberry Lemon Drop - What's it sound like? Lemon drop with muddled blackberry, yo.
HMB - muddled cucumber and basil shaken with fresh lemon and citrus vodka.
Jasmintini - jasmine essence with tuacca and vanilla bean vodka.
Spicy Affair - chili pepper vodka, Alize passion fruit, muddled lime and pear puree with "a tryst of lime." Yes, the description really said "a tryst."
Peaches and Herbs - muddled basil and mint, vodka, peach puree, lime.
Strawberry Shortcake - baily's, vanilla vodka, strawberry puree, cream. (The bartender failed his roll on this one - it came out curdled, so they gave me another).
Chocolate Kiss - baily's, vanilla vodka, creme de cacao, cream.

*Swoon* Goodbye folks, I'm hopping on a plane now - I can't recount that much deliciousness without a return trip!

[Scotch Log] Oban 14

2009-08-17T19:05:00.000-07:00

Scotch: Oban 14
Region: West Highlands
Malt: Single Malt, 14 years
Price: ~$75
Proof: 86

I know that I've claimed before that a scotch is "golden" but I think the Oban 14 really epitomizes the statement. Tawny golden. Your mom's wedding ring golden. Sun shining down and lighting up your whole glass golden. It's really damn golden.

The nose of the Oban is pretty complex. There's an initial hint of peaty-ness that would usually turn me off, but it leans towards the oaky side of the spectrum, so that's ok. Past that initial peaty whiff there's a much sweeter nose: something slightly vanilla and slightly floral without being at all cloying.

The Oban 14 really stands alone in its flavor. It has just enough warmth and kick to keep you paying attention, but overall is very wet and more mellow that some of its brothers. Flavors of green wood with just a hint of pine mingle with a velvety caramel undertone, combining into a lovely, complex, intelligent taste. It finishes with a hint of sea salt, but leaves the palate moist and quenched. Though the initial taste wasn't harsh, I found my mouth tingling with warmth for minutes afterwards.

Anyway, if you couldn't tell: I'm a pretty big fan of the Oban 14. It's very different from any of my other sweet, standard scotches and provides a nice change. I'll definitely be adding it to my staples, next to the Glenmorangie!

[Wine Log] Mapreco Dão

2009-06-29T18:32:00.000-07:00

Wine: Mapreco Dão
Year: 2003
Region: Portugal
Alcohol: 12.5%

Let it be known that wine is very pricey in New York City. In the little shop I found a few blocks from my hotel, this Dão was the only red wine under $10 I could find. It's a 2003, surely it can't be so horrible as that, right?

Anyway, the wine is one of the darkest I've seen - a deep dusky plum, edging more to the purple-brown end of the spectrum than the red. It is also very opaque and dark; I can't see through even a small amount.

The scent of the Dão is pleasant and rich - very much a "port" smell more than a standard red wine scent. Heavy brown sugar and caramel overtones at first, mellowing eventually into dark berries and currant.

The taste of the wine diverges hugely from the scent. The flavors in the wine are both sharp and dry, not at all heavy and sugary like the nose suggested. The most prominent flavor is a tart, lemony berry. At first I thought it was too sharp for me, but after breathing a bit it was quite drinkable.

I wouldn't seek this wine out again, but it will certainly do for an evening in the city - and being the cheapest bottle in the store.

[Wine Log] State Lane Orange Muscat

2009-06-01T17:45:00.000-07:00

Wine: State Lane Orange Muscat
Vinyard: Goosecross Cellars
Year: 2007
Region: Mendocino
Alcohol: 8.7%

A recent Wine.Woot purchase rewarded us with four bottles of two different off-whites, one of which is the State Lane Orange Muscat. I admit that I bought this particular set just because I had no idea what an orange muscat would be like, and I was dying of curiosity.

Once this white is in a glass, I nearly think I wouldn't be able to distinguish it from a glass of water. If you stare at it really hard you can detect the slightest golden hue, but it's quite clear overall.

I had trouble categorizing the scents in the orange muscat at first, but once it was less chilled I had more luck. There are definite flowery notes, along with light fruit (citrus, banana, apple). There is also a vaguely spicy smell, like ground pepper - so subtle that I almost missed it, but it tickled my nose just enough for me to notice.

The flavor of this muscat is absolutely divine - I can already tell I'm going to be looking for a case. It is characterized by the muscat sweetness, but where so many wines edge towards "saccharine," the State Lane is just right. The spicy scent is definitely identifiable in the taste as well, and goes a long way towards balancing the sweetness and keeping it from becoming cloying. That spicy note takes on a sweeter note in the taste - more cinnamon spice than pepper spice. There are quite a few other bright flavors: a light honey flavor (honey suckle?), sweet lemon, and a very prevalent orange blossom and other flowers. It is wonderfully quenching to drink, and I can see it being great company on a hot summer afternoon.

Sorry, I thought I was done with this review, but I checked what the web site had to say about this wine... and I just had to gloat about how well my tasting notes lined up:

Vibrantly fruity and aromatic, it’s bursting with sweet orange blossom, honeysuckle, exotic lychee and fresh melon. An enticing sweetness accentuates the lush floral and tropical flavors, finishing with a mouthwatering kiss of citrus.

Thank you, thank you, I'll be here all decade.

[Wine Log] Mandolina Malvasia Bianca

2009-03-29T14:24:00.000-07:00

Wine: Mandolina Malvasia Bianca
Year: 2007
Region: Santa Barbara
Alcohol: 12.8%

A few weeks ago wine.woot ran a little special on a case of Mandolina wines. The price was too good to pass up, so we took the plunge and ordered one. All of the wines included are fairly simgular - lots of interesting, rare grapes grown only on very small plots. The Malvasia Bianca is from a plot of 4 square acres, and only 437 cases were released.

This white wine is so light that it's almost clear with just the tiniest hint of pale gold. The nose is perfumey and flowery with peach, but not cloying. There's a hint of something sharp in the nose that keeps it from being overwhelming.

To taste, the Malvasia Bianca is very sweet, but with a spicy kick. Lots of very fruity flavors including apricot, lemon, and something flowery - maybe jasmine or lavender. The flavor is easily as sweet as a moscato, but the sharp, spicy kick saves it from being overwhelmingly saccharine - the bottle describes the style as "off-dry."

We raced through the bottle - it goes down like sweet, refreshing water. Delicious!

[Wine Log] Girardet 2006 Gewürztraminer

2009-02-23T17:26:00.000-08:00

Wine: Giradet Gewürztraminer
Year: 2006
Region: Southern Oregon - Umpqua Valley
Alcohol: 11.5%

Have we ever reviewed an ice wine in this blog? I don't think we have! A momentous occasion! For that reason I'll overlook the fact that the stamp on top of this particular bottle of wine looks a lot like a UGA endorsement and give it a fair shot.

This ice wine is syrupy to pour and is a pale translucent corn-silk color. The nose is very rich and warm, with heavy floral tones, especially honeysuckle. There's just a little bit of a tang to the end of the scent.

The taste is as thick as it appears when poured, with very fruity flavors including pineapple and apricot, with the latter lingering for a long finish. There's a very little bit of the floral smell also in the taste, and when you lick your lips afterwards (as you will inevitably have to do, because the liquid is so thick) it has a honeyed vanilla flavor.

[Scotch Log]Glenmorangie 12

2009-02-19T17:13:00.000-08:00

Quinta Ruban Port Cask
Lasanta Sherry Cask
Necar D'or Sauternes Cask

I've tried each of the Glemorangie 12 year varieties separately, but haven't yet had a chance to taste them together so I could get a good idea of how the flavors varied. The 12 year batch of this scotch comes in 3 varieties: the Quinta Ruban, aged in a port cask, the Lasanta, aged in a sherry cask, and the Nectar D'or, aged in a Sauternes cask. A bit of googling tells me that Sauternes (so-TERN) is a region of France known for it's rich dessert wine.

All three of these scotches have a lovely, rich amber color. Darkest to lightest, we have the Quinta Ruben, the Lasanta, and the Nectar D'or. The first has a slightly rosier, woodier color than the other two, while the Nectar's hue is more golden. The differences in the three are very subtle, though, and we could only really discern a difference with good lighting and background.

Each of the three scotches had a fairly sharp bite, both in scent and flavor - more so than I remembered from tasting them out at restaurants, which makes me wonder how they'll mellow with a little exposure to air. The nose of the Nectar D'or was very sweet and honey like with a sharp, spicy undercurrent - maybe cloves, though subtle. The smell of the Lasanta was much richer and spicer by comparison, with a scent more mapley than the honeyed Nectar. The Quinta was the lease overwhelming of the three with a sugary, floral nose.

To taste, the Quinta was smooth and thick on my tongue with a lovely lingering finish. It was neither smoky nor peaty, but it was also not particularly sweet. Unable to place a finger on the distinct flavors of the Quinta, I referred to the bottle and found it described to be chocolatey and minty - though I can't speak to the latter, the former is certainly true, and where so much of the richness in flavor comes from. After letting my tongue rest for a minute I noticed a slightly smoky after taste.

The Lasanta has slightly more of a peaty flavor, but again very subtle. The much more dominant flavor was something close to caramel and a bit like hazelnut. On the tongue the Lasanta was much sharper, though both it and the Quinta made my lips nice and warm.

The Nectar D'or is the sweetest of the three and also goes down the most smoothly and with the least sting. The after taste reminded me a bit of cherry, though the initial taste had something closer to sugary lemons and a very prominant honey vein.

Really I could happily drink any of these, though I don't think they're likely to displace The Balvenie from the title of "staple scotch." Still, I'm glad to have the chance to taste them all back to back so I could more fully appreciate the subtle differences between them.

[Scotch Log] Penderyn Whiskey

2009-02-17T15:56:00.000-08:00

Scotch: Penderyn Single Malt Welsh Whisky
Region: Wales
Malt: Single Malt, unknown age
Price: ~$60

Proof: 92

While exploring the fine Scotch list at The Vortex last night, I saw that they had an entry for "Welsh Whisky". Being a general fan of all things Welsh, and being curious what this was all about, I decided to give it a shot.

The color was fairly light, a diluted tea or honey color. The smell was sweet, especially up front. A lot of brown sugar and not astringent in the least. It was quite pleasant to smell; I found it difficult to move on to tasting! There's also a lingering honeysuckle or other floral flavor once the sweetness fades a bit.

The flavor had more in common with maple syrup than the aforementioned brown sugar, but the mouthfeel was very thin. It has a pleasant burn in the mouth, but at first I didn't notice any warmth once I swallowed. However, as I continued drinking I found that a very pleasant warmth was building slowly behind my ribs.

The taste isn't quite Scotch and it isn't quite Irish, but it's quite tasty. I've since learned that the Penderyn distillery is the only whisky still in Wales, and it only began production in 2000. The current age of the single malts it is producing are between 4.5 and 5.5 years old. This definitely surprised me, it could easily pass as a 10 year or even 12 year old Scotch. However, by the end of the glass the drink was tasting rougher, more harsh. I suspect this is a symptom of the youth of the bottle.

Overall, I consider this a very promising distillery, I'd be more than happy to continue drinking Penderyn Whisky in the future, although until the bottles start getting a little bit older, I think I'll stop at one glass a night, rather than sticking with it all night like some of the smoother whiskies. I can't wait to see what else they produce, especially since there is rumour of them producing a Sherry cask bottling and a Peated bottling[0], both of which would be very interesting!

Their website implies that they do not produce very many bottles... with luck I'll be able to track down a bottle of this locally[1]...

[0] It appears that these have already been released as limited editions, but some commentors appear to imply they will be making seperate full-release versions.

[1] Oooh! The Penderyn site has a "find a retailer" section! Nice! It looks like they carry this at Beverage Superstore in Suwanee, Green's on Ponce, and Tower in Buford, amongst many others. Bonus :D

[Rum Log]Gosling's Family Reserve Old Rum

2009-01-02T18:01:00.000-08:00

Rum: Gosling's Family Reserve Old Rum
Bottle Number: A23/07
Price: $70
Region: Bermuda
Proof: 80

A certain someone at my New Year's party heard me espousing the amazingness of Zaya, and as he had been putting off buying my Christmas present until inspiration struck, he seized upon my apparent new Rumly Passion to pick up another bottle of fancy sipping rum for me.

Thus I came into posession of the Gosling Family Reserve, which loudly and proudly broadcasts that it is, indeed, an Old Rum. The bottle comes in a large wooden box with Old Rum stamped clearly on the side, and a metal ring aroung the bottle espouses the old-i-tude yet again. The bottle itself is hefty and matte black, with a gorgeous shiny (albeit polymer) wax poured over the top to steal the deal. The understated label is finished with a hand written bottle number - something I'd surely consider a good sign if the Pyrat hadn't just scammed me with a a similar setup.

When poured into a glass, the Gosling is a rich, dark amber - an intense color that looks as though a lighter colored rum has been super-saturated with brown sugar or infused with syrup.

The nose is primarily brown sugar, with a hint of something softer - my first impression was of flowers, but I think powdered sugar is a better descriptor after a second smell. The scent was very sharp with a final hint of citrus - lemony.

Neat, the flavor of the rum was smooth with a strong powdered sugar theme that matured into something like sweet cream. A little tangy around the edges. The finish was dry and lingering with a subtle caramel aftertaste - very delayed. There was just enough sting to keep you paying attention - more of a kick than the Zaya, but less than a strong scotch.

With ice, the tangy lemony flavor I mentioned above came out more clearly, and the rum mellowed quite a lot. The aftertaste shifted away from caramel and more to straight cream - very soft on the tongue. Once the ice melted I'd defnitely classify the flavor as "malty."

All in all, I'm very impressed with the Gosling - the whole experience was a bit like drinking a sweet scotch, much more enjoyable than the saccharine experience of the Pyrat Rum I reviewed last time. Definitely a must try - and yet another inevitable step down the path of giving me more expensive liquors to obsess over.

[Rum Log] Pyrat Rum XO Reserve

2008-12-18T18:55:00.000-08:00

Rum: Pyrat Rum XO Reserve
Age: 15 year blend
Price: $30
Region: Caribbean rums, bottled in British West Indies
Proof: 80

Apparently making good (LOT) tequila wasn't good enough for Patrón - they decided they needed to make high-end rum as well! As it turns out they also felt the need to put said rum in really cool boxes that look like books, and thus we couldn't resist picking up some to try out - if only for the cool box and the novelty of being able to hide our alcohol in the library.

The Pyrat (yes, pronounced pirate) rum is a blend of Caribbean rums, up to 15 years in age. Getting into the bottle was both fun and challenging - first we had to untie a festive orange ribbon, then remove a plastic seal, then pull off the paper seal (while noticing the official hand-written bottling number). After that we had to examine the lovely medallion of Hoti (the Zen patron saint and protector of fortune tellers and bar tenders), and resolve that our next addition to the home network will now have a name. Finally we had to break out the pliers to get the gods-damned cork out. The previous steps were fun though!

The color is a light butterscotch (described as toasted apricot on the bottle). It swirls nicely with an ice cube without getting cloudy. My first impression of the smell was the lovely nose of rubbing alcohol; luckily this faded with a bit of air, so I was less turned off. Once the unpleasant scent faded, a more flowery scent was revealed. And I do mean flowery - we're not talking red wine "flowers" we're talking, like gardenia flowery. There are also hints of brown sugar, vanilla, and cloves.

The taste of the rum is a lot like the smell. Predominantly it tastes of vanilla-coated candy flowers with quite a big kick of lemon. There's also a hint of smooth, cool honey. The flavour improves vastly with some ice to mellow it out, and it has a very soft, wet feeling in the mouth with absolutely no sting or burn. It's very easy drinking, and has little aftertaste other than "cool and refreshed."

Tasting Pyrat provided a lot of review fodder, but I don't think we'll be buying another bottle. We have the cool box now, and plenty of other more subtle liquors to drink.

[Scotch Log] Glenlivet Nadurra Single Malt

2008-12-17T17:47:00.000-08:00

Scotch: Glenlivet 16 Year - Nadurra
Region: Speyside
Malt: Single Malt [Cask Strength]
Price: ~$60
Proof: 112.4

This is my first cask strength, and it's been a very interesting experiencing tasting it. The flavors are much deeper and more complex, I can definitely see why proper scotch drinkers are so fond of cask strength malts. I first tasted it neat, which was good and delicious. I then tried it with a touch of bottled water, which totally ruined the glass. I would highly recommend avoiding ice or water with this scotch. It becomes cloudy, which is to be expected since it is unfiltered, but the taste drastically changed and not for the better. The notes below are for a neat.

Color: Very pale straw coloring, clear and brilliant
Nose: Oaken, and fruity. A bit of pine.
Flavor: Very oaky, with a bit of other woods. Not much peat or smoke, but not terribly sweet either. It's very smooth after the first couple sips, once your body gets used to drinking a fairly high proof liquor.

*looks up a professional's opinion*
Well, I don't know that I've ever been so far off the mark in my tastings! I tasted mostly wood, and hated it with water. This guy and I weren't even tasting on the same planet I don't think!

Without water: Intense, tickling. Fresh and clean. Resolutely fruity. A full basket of ripe fruit, mostly exotic. William pears, baby bananas, pineapple, coconut, a touch of passion fruit. Lemon pulp. Green apple. Gives a feeling of appetizing freshness enhanced by an aniseed fringe. Lingers on that fruity mood for ever. Creamy note of praline. In the back, some herbal and spicy notes. Green tea, coriander seeds.

With water: The nose becomes softer and more biscuity. Cereal notes come through with buttery aromas. Lemon curd. Freshly squeezed tangerine. A floral touch of gorse.

Palate:

Without water: Crisp, appetizing. So mouth-coating, with an oily feel immediately followed by a fizzy sensation on the tongue. Lavishly challenging for the taste buds but alcohol is perfectly tamed and never burning. Custardy. Poached peaches in vanilla syrup. White chocolate. Aniseed lollipop. Candied ginger.

With water: Gets more chewy. And even more refreshing on sweet malty and minty flavors. Thirst-quenting.

[Rum Log] Zaya Gran Reserva

2008-12-10T16:53:00.001-08:00

Rum: Zaya Gran Reserva, 12 year
Price: $35
Region: Trinidad
Proof: 80

I by no means consider myself a Rum Connoisseur, even less so than I can call myself a scotch or wine snob - which is saying a lot, considering as how I'm barely a dabbler in either of those. My usual experience with rum involves something cheap and coconutty meeting equal proportions of coke.

And then I met Zaya.

Now, I'm assured that the latest batch of Zaya (from Trinidad, rather than its original Guatemala) is inferior, but I find that hard to fathom. Honestly, if it were any more delicious, I'd be in a bit of trouble.

The rum itself is a really gorgeous dark honey amber color, much darker than even the spiced rums I've seen. Certainly darker than any of my scotches. The scent is overwhelmingly of brown sugar and vanilla - it seems like there's something else hiding underneath, but these two scents are overpowering enough that I can't quite put my finger on it.

The flavor is much like the scent, if more heavily weighted towards the vanilla. It goes down with no sting whatsoever - very warm and smooth. The aftertaste is a little woody with some nice hints of cinnamon.

I tried the Zaya both neat and with a little ice, and I decided the ice is a bit of an insult to it. It waters down the flavors and really detracts from the overall taste. With no ice included there's a bit more sharpness and sting going down, but that's made up for in richness of flavor.

So that's my glowing review... because I really needed to get into expensive rums, in addition to exepensive scotch.

[Mixed Log] Lychee Vodka Martini

2008-11-18T15:45:00.000-08:00

After having one of these at a local Indian restaurant, I investigated how to make one myself. Unfortunately, I was daunted by the total lack of lychees or their syrup at ordinary grocery stores. My compatriot, however, proved my stupidity in the matter by locating canned lychees at our World-Famous (tm) Dekalb Farmer's Market. Maybe they'll get proper fresh ones when they're in season.

Anyway, my mad science mixological experiment turned out to be rousing, sousing success, so I present my recipe to you, Dear Internet Reader. Though not strictly speaking a "traditional" gin martini, I figure I can get away with calling it such since I actually use vermouth.

Remember, enjoy responsibly: always drink while wearing a condom.

Lychee Vodka Martini

3 parts vodka
1 part dry vermouth
1 part peach schnapps [0]
3 parts lychee syrup (recipe follows)
1-2 lychee fruit

Mix over ice in martini shaker. Shake until mixed and cooled. Serve in a martini glass with lychee fruit as garnish.

[0] Many other kinds of schnapps probably work, too. Triple sec could also work well. Go forth and experiment!

Lychee Syrup

0.5 cups water
0.5 cups sugar
8 canned lychee fruit
0.5 cup syrup, reserved from canned lychees
1 teaspoon lemon or lime juice

Combine sugar, lemon/lime juice, and water in a small saucepan and heat until boiling. Continue boiling for approximately 2 minutes. Set in refrigerator to cool.

Once the simple syrup is cool, mix in blender with reserved canned lychee syrup and the lychee fruit. Blend until smooth.

To remove most of the lychee pulp, use a fine strainer. Refrigerate before use. May be stored for up to two weeks in the fridge.

[Wine Log] Terra Barossa Cuvée

2008-10-13T16:07:00.000-07:00

Wine: Terra Barossa Cuvée
Price: $12.79
Vintage: 2006
Region: Australia

This wine is bright red, somewhere between ruby and magenta. It has a slightly toasty nose, with a strong blackberry note and maybe a bit of citrus - all in all a very subtle scent, rather than anything too glaring.

On tasting, we were caught off guard by how sweet the flavor was - without any sharp edges, tartness, or dryness. Lots of red fruity taste, and something that brings to mind sugared cranberries.

I'd like to point out that the web site for this Cuvée describes the taste as "medium to full bodied palate showing mouthfilling rich Satsuma plums, blackberry and liquorice," while the back of the bottle claims "full, rich, blackberry fruit characters and creamy oak." Apparently they couldn't make up their minds, either.

Overall: quite tasty and drinkable, but a little too dull. In the end it goes down nonchalantly, and isn't particularly remarkable to drink. We probably won't seek out another bottle - while good enough, we could buy any number of more interesting or less expensive wines.

[Wine Log] Medieval Rioja 2005

2008-07-08T17:46:00.000-07:00

Wine: Medieval Rioja
Price: $11
Vintage: 2005
Region: Spain

This Rioja is a very dark burgundy, leaning more towards the brown-burgundy end of the spectrum than the plum or purple end. The Vintage Wine's website tells me that it's made from 80% Tempranillo, 15% Mazuelo, 5% Graciano grapes. It has a very sweet and fruity bouquet, with hints of cherry and apricot - it smells very wet and juicy.

The flavour of the wine itself is quite subtle, starting out almost too bland (the nice scent of the wine saves it from being boring, luckily), but finishing both sweet and tart - almost lemony.

[Wine Log] Tin Roof Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon

2008-06-30T16:25:00.000-07:00

Wine: Tin Roof Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon
Price: $12
Vintage: 2005
Region: California

I'm in DC for work this week, so what better way to spend this gorgeous evening than curled up in a patch of sunlight with a trashy book and a glass of wine? And, while I'm waiting for it to breathe, why not write a quick review in this poor, neglected blog?

First and foremost, I want to give props to the Tin Roof website - any wine site that gives me recipes for meals that pair well with each of their wines wins in my book. Now, on to business!

This Tin Roof Cab has a very nice dark burgundy color. The nose is one of cinnamon and spices, with a heavy dose of flowery plumb. It has a very hearty flavour and is very wet and rich - very little dryness or acidity for a Cab... though it does seem to be gaining a bit more of both of those as I let it sit. I'm getting a lot of blackberry and cherry, with something a little woody on the end. Overall it's very tasty and quite drinkable - I think it will do well to keep me company this evening.

[Scotch Log] Dalmore 12 Year

2008-04-28T18:33:00.000-07:00

Scotch: Dalmore 12 Year
Region: Highlands
Malt: Single Malt
Price: ~$30
Proof: 86

It scored a 92 from wine enthusiast, and they'd know right? Erm, except it isn't wine. Ah well! I like it pretty well. And not just because I'm drunk. It's quite tasty, not too harsh, and overall I'd call it a very acceptable every day drinking scotch. Which is to say, I'd be happy to drink it every day, and it is priced such that such a thing is an achievable goal.

Color: Blonde, with hints of dirty.
Nose: I can't smell nothing! I'm drunk! Durnk even!
Flava: Sweet and reasonably smooth for a 12 year. Smooth that is. Never mind. Fuck you! It's tasty!

Edit: Says the internet: "The malt tones are accompanied by notes of orange zest, cherry and oak. It also strikes me as slightly sweeter than other single malts." It also calls the whisky "delightful", which is both hard to spell when drunk and means "yummy".

Note to self: highland = sweet?

[Wine Log] Bodegas Montebuena Rioja

2008-03-26T17:57:00.000-07:00

Wine: Bodegas Montebuena Rioja
Price: $12
Vintage: 2004
Region: Spain

My artistic eye serves me well on this wine! I still haven't really mastered the skill of picking out more than one or so flavor from smelling or tasting wines, but I nailed the color of this one on the head, looking at it and saying "wow, this is a really rich, almost crystalline ruby color!" JD looks at the bottle's description, and sure enough, the exact words the used were "rich ruby color." Damn I'm good.

As for the nose, I was getting something peppery and something flowery, maybe roses? When tasted the flavors detected were spicy and sweet, though very sharp. Looking at a couple of professional reviews, the "pepper" I smelled is more widely described as "herbs" and the "roses" were "red fruits." I suppose that's fairly close. Oh, actually, I just found this review:

"Dark red. Spicy red berries and cherry on the nose, with hints of cracked pepper and dried rose. Crisp and dry on the palate, with spicy redcurrant and cherry flavors, light tannins and a fresh, energetic finish. An excellent value, and surprisingly elegant for this price point."
- International Wine Cellar (July/Aug 2007), 88 pts

So maybe we were more dead on in our descriptions than I expected! How pleasing!

The other common thread in all of the reviews I'm reading is that this Rioja is excellent for the price, which I can definitely get behind. I very much want to purchase this wine again, it was excellent!

[Wine Log] Bogle - Pinot Noir

2008-03-17T07:40:00.000-07:00

Wine: Bogle (Russian River Valley) - Pinot Noir
Price: $12
Vintage: 2006
Alcohol Content: 14.2%

I picked up a Bogle Petite Sirah on the recommendation form a very friendly and adorable shop keeper a few months ago (the night of Psiu's last initiation, actually). I liked it rather a lot, so when I saw the Bogle Pinot Noir at Total Wine I decided to grab a bottle.

It was a good call, as it turns out. The Pinot Noir is very, very drinkable... in fact, almost chugable - which isn't necessarily a word that wine-snobs should use, but it's still true. I fear I didn't do a very complete analysis of the wine's color, nose, and flavor, but I did have a couple of observations. Through blue glass the Pinot Noir is a very rich burgundy, which leads me to believe it would have a nice magenta color through a real wine glass (yes, we've been drinking so much wine lately that we didn't have any clean wine glasses, so we drank out of high-ball glasses. Again with the Bad Wine Snobbery). As for flavor, it was very very wet and fruity, with no sting or bite at all. However, it still managed to have a very "winey" flavor - which is to say that it didn't drink like Arbor Mist or a cheap Beaujolais.

My one complaint is that JD and I both woke up with headaches the morning after drinking only 2/3 of the bottle. I'd blame this on high levels of tannins, but wikipedia informs me that Pinot Noirs, Beaujolais and Tempranillos usually have much lower levels of tannins than some other varieties, so maybe this one can be blamed on the Lambic that was consumed later in the night.

I'll definitely be wanting to buy the Bogle Pinot Noir again, for a nice, easily drinkable, sweet wine.

[Mixed Log] Marlow's Winter Spice Martini

2008-03-12T09:14:00.000-07:00

Not to be outdone, I also sampled one of Marlow's seasonal martinis. Sadly, mine was not nearly so tasty as Lisa's. Here is their description of it:

Aromas of cinnamon and nutmeg mix with the flavors of chai tea to create a martini that captures all the spice of the season

Like hers, I believe they threw some Goldschlagger into this one, but sadly it did not increase the net tasty of the drink. Although there were some tasty notes in there (primarily the Chai, which I imagine they used the ever-delicious Voyant for) they were almost drowned out by a strong and largely unpleasant alchohol flavor and far too much cinnamon (cinnamon booze mind you, I'm sure real cinnamon would have been quite good).

The plus? The drink was pretty strong. The minus? I expect my girlie mixed drinks to go down smooth, not give me whiskey shudders. I'd pass on this one. If you want tasty, there are better choices and if you want strong you can drink straight liquor cheaper than a $9 martini. :)

[Mixed Log] Marlow's Apple Cider Martini

2008-03-12T08:27:00.000-07:00

In addition to having fantastic food, Marlow's Tavern also has some fantastic mixed drinks. Last night, I tried the Apple Cider Martini, which is described thusly on their website:

All the goodness of a warm rum cider in a hot coffee mug but its actually cold and in a martini glass. Did we mention the cinnamon sugar rim?

Really when it comes down to it, the rim makes the drink. I haven't quite figured out what was in the drink... I'm guessing apple cider or apple cider concentrate (based upon the color), some spiced rum, and judging from the golden flakes left at the bottom, Goldschlagger. Yeah - I know, right? I never would have guessed the last if not for the tale-tell evidence of my increasing bodily worth.

Regardless, it was delicious. You should get over there and try it before they change up their menu for spring.

[Mixed Log] Spanish Coffee?

2008-03-12T08:15:00.000-07:00

Look at me creating a new log group for mixed drinks. I'm such a rebel!

One of my favorite restaurants in Seattle is Bleu, up on Broadway. I'd link you to their site, but it appears to have expired and gotten renewed by a little ad-bot. Oops. Anyway, there are many things about Bleu that I could gush over endlessly, but in light of the topic of this blog, I'll just post some information about the Best Coffee Drink Ever.

1) Procure a large glass mug
2) Dip the rim in 151
3) Dip the rim in cinnamon and sugar
4) Caramelize. With Fire.
5) Fill this Delicious Glass with coffee, strongly brewed
6) Add Kahlua
7) Add Grand Marnier
8) Add Brandy
9) Dollop whipped cream on top

Viola! You have the most amazing alcoholic coffee drink ever brewed. I wish I could remember the name of this monster... I want to say it was some variety of Spanish coffee, but I can't quite remember. Maybe Kai can check for me next time he goes. I'll need to experiment some on the portions, but I suspect about an ounce of each of the liqueurs will do the trick - with perhaps a bit more kahlua and a bit less brandy.

Enjoy!

[Scotch Log] The Balvanie 12 Year Old

2008-03-11T09:15:00.000-07:00

Scotch: The Balvanie 12 Year
Region: Speyside
Malt: Single Malt
Price: ~$40
Proof: 86

I picked up this bottle primarily because it had a high rating from Wine Spectator posted on the price tag at Total Wine. I am easy like that. I found it quite delicious, and the bottle disappeared much quicker than I think is strictly proper. It was fairly sweet and smooth, and drinking it was a pleasurable and easy experience. This variety is matured in two casks, the first being an oak whiskey (bourbon) cask, the second being a sherry cask. Apparently, this is part of the reason it is so smooth. From my experience with other whiskeys, I tend to agree that sherry casks are all for the good.

Color: As you can see from the picture, the color is a light amber.
Nose: I am not gonna lie to you, I honestly do not remember. The Balvenie website tells me that it is sweet with honey and vanilla flavors.
Taste: Fairly sweet and nutty.... pretty mellow. The finish was not the longest I have had, but it stuck around long enough to give me a nice warm feeling.

Overall Impressions: A very tasty Scotch for the money, this is one I will definitely purchase again, and it is mellow enough that it will be my recommendation to my friends who are interested in trying out Scotch.

[Wine Log]Terra Andina - Cabernet Sauvignon

2008-03-11T08:30:00.001-07:00

Wine: Terra Andina (Reserva) - Cabernet Sauvignon
Price: $7
Region: Chile
Alcohol Content: 13.8%

Last night we hit up Total Wine and did our best to refill our wine rack by stocking up on 14 or 15 bottles. Sadly, they didn't have any of our usual favorite - the Terra Andina Carmenère - but they did have a Terra Andina Cab that we'd never seen before. Naturally, we grabbed a couple of bottles.

It definitely didn't disappoint. It was immensely drinkable and quite tasty. My first impression was that it had a bit of a bite to it, which JD didn't at all agree with... until about half an hour later. Hah. I noticed that it had a sweet aftertaste, and I was tasting a lot of plum and currant.

For this wine, I'll cheat and copy over what the Terra Andina site tells us:
Color: Deep ruby red
Aroma: Shows ripe red fruit mingled with a fine core of blackcurrant and blackberry, graphite, hint of eucalyptus, dry plums and black pepper.
Palate: Great balance with good structure and firm fine- grained tannins. Solid with a good depth on the finish.

Well. At least I called the plum. Also, I have no idea what "depth of finish" means - I'll have to look that one up.

Overall impressions: great price, quite delicious. Not as tasty as the Carmenere, but definitely worth buying.

Post the First - In which I introduce the delightfully alcoholic theme of this blog.

2008-03-11T08:20:00.000-07:00

Whereby JD and I have proven ourselves only so-so at keeping up a physical book describing our wine- and liquor-related exploits, we've resolved to play to my sense of blog-compartmentality and keep a slightly more electronic history.

So, in keeping with my other three blogs, welcome to Three Sweet Ounces, our online drinking log.

I should make sure in this first post to include a disclaimer: neither of us claims to be a connoisseur of any sort, so do bear with us while we inevitably mangle many, many terms while we get a handle on them. I promise that eventually we'll live up to the true expectation of good Snobs.

Disclaimer the second: We'll certainly endeavor to keep drunken posting to a minimum, but not promises.