Spirits

How to Make a Hot Buttered Rum (video)

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) — Mar 10th 2011 at 8:31PM

In the video above, partners at the Small Screen Network will show
you how to make a hot buttered rum, which is a great cocktail to have on a cold winter day. Robert Hess, host of "The Cocktail Spirit", will show you an easy to follow way to make one, without much advance prep work.

What you will need: a pre-heated coffee cup or mug, a teaspoon of butter, 2 teaspoons of sugar (preferably brown), 5 ounces of hot water, a cinnamon stick, nutmeg, and rum (Mount Gay Extra Old rum is what Hess uses).

For more innovative cocktail recipes, please see the ones offered to us by The Hurricane Club.

Tags: awards-main, cocktail, cocktail recipe, hot buttered rum, hot buttered rum recipe, luxist-awards, Robert Hess, rum, Small Screen Network, video

The Balevenie Searches For America's Great Artisans

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) — Mar 10th 2011 at 12:02AM

This is pretty intriguing, whisky brand The Balvenie is launching the Balvenie Rare Craft Roadshow, a nationwide search for the craftsmen and artisans across America who maintain a dedication to the practice and preservation of traditional crafts. The Balvenie Ambassadors Andrew Weir and Nicholas Pollacchi will traverse the U.S. in a Morgan car visiting with artisans in a variety of fields and documenting every step in a Web series and eventual documentary film. In addition to being featured on a dedicated website and in a nationwide print campaign, craftspeople will also have a chance to be honored at special celebratory events. The journey is meant to tie in with The Balevenie's own commitment to craftsmanship. The Balvenie Rare Craft Roadshow will kick-off in March 2011. Follow along at The Balvenie Road Show website.

Tags: balevenie, the balevenie, whisky

Highland Park Leif Eriksson

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) — Mar 8th 2011 at 8:02PM

Highland Park is preparing to unveil a new limited-edition single malt scotch whisky later this month. Named after Leif Eriksson, the special scotch is set to debut at the International Association of Airport Duty Free Stores (IAADFS) trade show later this month and will be exclusive to travel retail outlets.

The special bottling honors the first European to reach America. Legend has it that Leif Eriksson set out on his voyage from the Scottish Isle of Orkney, which sits in between Norway and Iceland (where Eriksson was born) and which serves as Highland Park's home.

Bottled at 40% ABV, the 700ml Highland Park Leif Eriksson will retail at $88 in the United States before being rolled out in markets around the world.

Tags: highland park, leif eriksson, scotch, single malt, whisky

How to Pour Beer (video)

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) — Mar 8th 2011 at 10:31AM

Our partners at the Food Network visited an authentic
Irish pub in Dublin to learn how to pour the How to pour beer. "perfect pint". According to the experts, there are six key steps to do so. Watch the video above and find out why a 45 degree angle is so important, what the "perfect dome" looks like and what happens in precisely 119.5 seconds.

Click here to read our related post on the Best Brew Pubs in the U.S.

Tags: awards-main, beer, beer tap, brew pubs, Dublin, how to pour beer, irish pub, luxist-awards, The Food Network, video

How to Make Garnish for a Cocktail (video)

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) — Mar 8th 2011 at 9:31AM

So how do bartenders manage to make perfect, spiral
lemon garnish for a cocktail? If you are How to make garnish for cocktails

planning on hosting a cocktail party anytime soon, be sure to watch this video from Jamie Boudreau, host of "Raising the Bar" at the Small Screen Network, and learn how to do it like the pros. Be sure to have a lemon, a zester and a swivel stick handy and follow his simple steps.

Be sure to check out the Luxist Awards' list of the best wine bars, best brew pubs and best cocktail lounges, according to our readers.

Tags: awards-main, cocktail garnish, cocktail recipes, cocktails, garnish, how to make a cocktil garnish, how to make a garnish, Jamie Boudreau, Luxist-Awards, Snamm Screen Network, spiral zest garnish, video

Captain Morgan Rewards Archaeologists With Rum For Ocean Floor Find

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) — Mar 4th 2011 at 7:02PM

underwater archaeology captain morgan rum

You don't hear about liquor brands getting involved in archaeology too often but the team of archaeologists has recovered six cannons from the site where "infamous privateer" Captain Henry Morgan's ships wrecked in the 1600s is being rewarded with rum. Morgan is the namesake of Captain Morgan spiced rum. The ships crashed into a reef while carrying Morgan and a group of his men to raid Castillo de San Lorenzo el Real de Chagres, a fort that guarded the capital of Panama City. Morgan and his men were sailing up the river when his flagship, the Satisfaction, and multiple other vessels crashed into a reef and sank.

The Captain Morgan Rum Company has offered each adult member of the expedition team a barrel of their very own blend of rum, and plans to immortalize the team by renaming a section of the Captain Morgan distillery in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands in their honor.

"We cannot thank these brave archaeologists enough for recovering Captain Morgan's lost cannons and returning them to us, as we all feared they were lost to the seven seas forever," said a spokesperson for the Captain Morgan Society for the Preservation of Life, Love & Loot.

The company believes that there may be bottles of Morgan's spiced rum that were aboard the Satisfaction and his other ships off the coast of Panama remain on the ocean's floor waiting to be recovered. It has offered a reward as well as a role in a future advertising campaign to whoever who recovers them with the proviso that they do so responsibly and without damaging anything natural to environment.

Tags: captain morgan rum, captain morgan spiced rum, rum, underwater archaeology

Bushmills Single Cask 19 Year Old Rum Cask Finish

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) — Mar 4th 2011 at 4:01PM

Looking for an extra special spirit to help celebrate St. Patrick's Day? New York's Park Avenue Liquor Shop is the first and only retailer in the country to obtain a unique Bushmills Single Cask Single Malt Irish Whiskey bottling finished in a rum cask and aged 19 years.

The cask in question produced only 420 bottles which have been bottled exclusively for Park Avenue Liquor; they're priced at $125 apiece. "We are happy to have this bottling, the second rum cask finished Bushmills for the shop," notes Park Avenue Liquor Shop owner Jonathan Goldstein. "An Irish whiskey finished in rum casks is pretty unusual."

Bushmills offers the following tasting notes on the precious spirit:

Nose - A clean crisp saltiness at first, and then notes of mellow rum, vanilla, toasted wood, faintly almondy. Some deeper tones too - dark chocolate, a touch of leather and black pepper.

Palate - A pleasantly dry maltiness in counterpoint to a rummy honeyed sweetness; then various wood, spice, some almond and dark fudge. Overall, a complex and rather unique taste that is achievable only by very long aging in a rum barrel.

Finish - A fading sweetness, and the gentle rum, wood and dry malty noted lingering pleasantly on the palate.

Tags: Bushmills, event, Ireland, Irish whiskey, New York, Park Avenue Liquor Shop, single malt, spirits, St. Patricks Day, whiskey, whisky

One-Of-A-Kind Remy Martin Louis XIII Decanter for Sale at $70,000

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) — Mar 2nd 2011 at 7:01PM

On March 12 in Singapore the renowned House of Rémy Martin will offer a unique decanter of its famed Louis XIII cognac (above) from the 1930s for sale at about $70,000. The precious elixir will be on offer at the Master of Spirits event organized by DFS, one of the world's leading travel retailers, in partnership with Changi Airport. The Baccarat crystal decanter contains Louis XIII Grande Champagne Très Vieille Age Inconnu cognac dating back to the mid-19th Century, a crown jewel of the House of Rémy Martin.

The decanter, certified by the Rémy Martin's cellar master Pierrette Trichet, was created from a series of carafes that were served as part of a royal banquet in 1938 at the château de Versailles in the presence of His Majesty King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. It comes presented in a unique seamless full-grain leather and rare wood box set. In addition, Rémy Martin will offer for sale two of the last remaining carafes of Louis XIII Rare Cask and one magnum decanter of Louis XIII Black Pearl at the prestigious event.

Tags: Asia, Baccarat, brandy, cognac, decanter, France, Louis XIII, Louis XIII Black Pearl, Louis XIII cognac, Queen Elizabeth, rare spirits, Rémy Martin, Remy Martin Black Pearl, Remy Martin Louis XIII, royalty, Singapore, spirits, Versailles

The Classicist: Seeing Out the Season in Style with the Mercedes-Benz G550

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) — Feb 28th 2011 at 9:01AM

While in some parts of the country spring may already have sprung, here on the Eastern Seaboard we're still months away from cherry blossoms and G&Ts. In some ways this is the toughest time of the year – we're worn down from a long winter, yet the snow keeps falling – and it requires some tough gear to get through it in style. A key comfort of course is a vehicle that can not only handle the elements but keep them firmly in their place, while keeping you warm, dry and wrapped in luxurious refinement. We've yet to experience anything that can turn the worst ice storm of the year into a minor inconvenience with as much impressive panache as the Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen. Not everyone loves its spartan exterior and sheer tonnage – just shutting the doors requires serious effort – but they're usually the same people who "swear by" their tin can minivans; we saw them stranded on the side of the road as we cruised by in the G550 on our most recent Geländewagen excursion.

Meticulously handcrafted inside and out at a special manufacturing facility in Graz, Austria, the military-derived G-Wagen is the progenitor of every Mercedes-Benz SUV on the road today. Essentially unchanged aside from certain key upgrades since it was first introduced over 30 years ago, it's done everything from winning the famous Paris-Dakar Rally to making sure the Pope gets to his appointments on time. With a starting sticker of $105,000 it's definitely something of an indulgence, but that helps maintain a certain exclusivity which is not without an appeal of its own. Only a few thousand models are sold here every year so you don't often see another one en route; while that means a certain amount of stares directed your way, unless you get one custom-painted bright red – it's only offered in an understated palette of black, grey, silver, white and dark green – those tend to be minimal as it's about as subtle as an SUV this size can get.

To help see out the season in style we have assembled a number of items which complement the G-Wagen's rugged good looks and provide essential assistance before, during and after the journey. For starters we selected a lightweight, trim-fitting down bomber jacket by Ralph Lauren Black Label (above left), made of supple goat suede with a leather throat latch and gunmetal hardware. The most stylish weather defender we've seen all season, it's the G-Wagen of outerwear. On the wrist we sported the new limited edition Breitling Transocean Chronograph (above right), a high-performance, shock-resistant, and damned good-looking watch on a mesh steel strap, while waxed canvas hunting boots from L.L. Bean Signature kept our feet warm and dry.

Gallery: G550 Style

Tags: Balvenie, Breitling, Dunhill, EvolutionMAN, G-Class, G-Wagen, grooming, Ledbury, luxury cars, Mercedes, Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-Benz G-Class, Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen, Mercedes-Benz G550, Private Stock, Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren Black Label, SUV, The Classicist, Thomas Pink

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Malt Advocate Shocks Scotland: Names Indian Amrut "World Whisky of the Year"

by David Kiley (RSS feed) — Feb 24th 2011 at 6:01PM

The influential Malt Advocate Magazine has named Indian whisky Amrut Fusion "World Whisky of the Year."

It is the second major honor bestowed upon Amrut's Fusion, having been named third best whiskey of the year in the 2010 edition of "The Whisky Bible." This time, it scored top of the heap worldwide, besting and shocking Scotland, American and Canadian whiskey producers.

World Whisky of the Year is a new award category for the magazine. Editor John Hansell says: "We created this category to recognize that there are some wonderful whiskies being produced in countries like Japan, India, Sweden, England, and many more, but there aren't enough whiskies made in any of these countries (and imported to the United States) to warrant their own category."

Amrut Fusion, about $60.00, sold in the U.S. bears no age statement, but contains no whisky aged more than six years old. Much of the whisky in Fusion is less than four years in the barrel. Aging in second-fill casks in India speeds maturation because of India's warm climate. The whisky is made from combining Indian malted barley with peated Scottish malt.

For the benefit of the uninitiated, Amrut Distilleries Ltd. belongs to the N.R. Jagdale Group, which is an old line Indian industrial company based in Bangalore. The company also produces vodka, gin, brandy and rum.

Malt Advocate awards honors for several other categories. Of the six major product awards, it is worth noting that only one is currently priced above $100.00.

Click links below for detailed Luxist reviews and inormation about the products and distillieries.

Scotch Whisky Single Malt of the Year
Glenfarclas 40-Year old: At $460.00 Malt Advocate calls this single-malt a "steal."

Scotch Whisky Blend of the Year
Compass Box "Flaming Heart": A blend of malt whiskies from seven distilleries in three regions of Scotland, Compass Box proves again that you don't have to make your own whisky to produce great blends. Price: About $85.00.

Tags: Amrut Fusion, Buffalo Trace, Compass Box, Forty Creek Confederation Oak, Glenfarclas, Kilchoman, Malt Advocate, Rebreast 12 Year Old, Whisky Bible, World Whisky of the World

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Academy Awards-Inspired Cocktails from Grey Goose

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) — Feb 24th 2011 at 2:01PM

Grey Goose, the super-premium vodka blended and bottled in the celebrated Cognac region of Western France, has come up with some entertaining cocktails inspired by this year's Best Picture nominees at the Academy Awards (aka the Oscars). The drinks have been cleverly concocted to reflect the films for which they're named and the stars themselves – don't orchids remind you of Natalie Portman? Bottoms up and may the best man win....:

Tags: Academy Awards, Academy Awards 2011, Black Swan, cocktails, entertainment, Grey Goose, movies, Natalie Portman, Oscars, Oscars 2011, Social Network, The Kings Speech, vodka

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Willem Dafoe Stars in Ad For Jim Beam

by David Kiley (RSS feed) — Feb 22nd 2011 at 11:01AM

Premium Bourbon Jim Beam has tapped actor Willem Dafoe for an unusual TV ad campaign.

Directed by Dante Ariola and created by New York ad agency StrawberryFrog, the ad uses Dafoe to talk about the choices we make in life and how they define who we are. "Life boils down to a series of choices," says Dafoe in the voiceover. "All choices lead you somewhere; bold choices lead you where you are supposed to be."

In between the statements, the commercial surprises and amuses the viewer with images of Dafoe as chess player, circus clean-up man, fashion designer, plant manager, sumo wrestler and trapeze artist. The commercial's last image is of a bottle of Jim Beam, suggesting this is the bold choice bourbon drinkers must make.

Tags: alcohol, bourbon, Jack Daniels, Jim Beam, spirits, StrawberryFrog, whisky, willem dafoe

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Bacardi Launches Eristoff Vodka

by David Kiley (RSS feed) — Feb 20th 2011 at 2:01PM

Bacardi Global Brands certainly has the rum and super-premium vodka categories covered with Bacardi and Grey Goose. Now, it is extending its Eristoff premium vodka brand to the U.S.

Eristoff hails from the former Soviet state of Georgia, which Eristoff's marketing has long capitalized on as "The Land of the Wolf" (the grey wolf actually). A very popular ad for Eristoff shows a man walking through the streets and into the woods beyond. He comes to be chased by a pack of wolves. The payoff of the ad is that the man is running inside a snowglobe, eventually running into the outer glass wall of the globe. Eristoff's logo is a wolf howling at a crescent moon.

Eristoff is made from 100% grain, tripled distilled and charcoal filtered. The recipe is said to be the original from 1806 created by Prince Eristoff of present day Georgia. It comes in three varieties: Original (80-proof); Red (40-proof), which comes in a red color and is flavored with sloe berries; Black (40-proof), which comes in a dark color and is flavored with wild berries. There are two other flavors abroad that are not part of the U.S. launch--Limskaya (lime flavor) and Gold (caramel flavor).

Tags: bacardi, eristoff black, eristoff red, eristoff vodka, grey goose, land of the wolf, premium vodka, Volvo

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First Taste: Highland Park 50 Year Old Single Malt

by Michael B. Dougherty (RSS feed) — Feb 18th 2011 at 11:01AM

With gale-force winds that would make Mount Washington shiver, and scant winter sunlight, the northern Scottish islands of Orkney provide little reason to spend much time outside, unless it's for the annual game/riot of Ba'. But while not ideal for sunbathing, those conditions do lend themselves to other pursuits, namely, distilling whisky-which is what Highland Park has been doing since 1798. As we told you last October, Highland Park announced the release of the oldest island region single-malt yet, a 50 years old bottling housed in five kilos of hand-made silver designed by fellow Scot, Maeve Gillies.

Gillies, along with Highland Park's Martin Daraz and Gerry Tosh, were in town recently to share a dram of the precious release, which the US will only see five of this year, currently priced at $17,500.

Having spent a half-century in Sherry oak casks, the nose and palate evidenced the pleasantly expected notes of almond, clove, and candied orange. And while mellowed by age, I nonetheless picked up a healthy amount of vanilla and wood, which Daraz pointed out was most likely due to the fact that after 50 years in cask, the liquid moves beyond the portion seasoned by the Sherry and deeper into the wood staves. At just 2% peat concentration-which Highland Park still cuts by hand-the smokiness hovered at the periphery of the tongue, never feeling intrusive.

While obviously meant for the collector, both in terms of aesthetics and content, Gillies pointed out that her bottle design holds a reward for increasing the ullage: When viewed from behind, a rose window design becomes visible on the reverse of the Highland Park sandstone emblem as the level drops. "So you can pray to God for more," quipped Tosh.

Tags: Highland Park, scotch, scotland, single malt, tasting, whisky

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Michael Collins Irish Whiskey Debuts 10 Year Old Single Malt

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) — Feb 16th 2011 at 10:01AM

Just in time for St. Patrick's Day, the last independent, Irish-owned distillery in Ireland has unveiled a Michael Collins 10 Year Old Single Malt and an attractive new bottle for its classic blended whiskey. The 10 Year Old Single Malt is double distilled in small, long-necked copper pot stills from both malted barley and peated malted barley and then matured in bourbon casks for a minimum of ten years. The result is rich and complex with hints of ripe fruit, meadow flowers and peat, a medium dry finish and lingering light smokiness. A refined blend of malt Irish whiskey and grain Irish whiskey, Michael Collins Blended Irish Whiskey is double distilled for proper balance of purity and character and then matured in bourbon casks from four to twelve years. Aromas of honey, citrus and malt give way to a delicate balance of these flavors with a fresh oak finish.

Tags: Cooley Distillery, distillery, Ireland, Irish, Irish whiskey, Michael Collins, Michael Collins Irish Whiskey, single malt, spirits, St. Patricks Day, whiskey, whisky

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