Whiskey

Santa Baby, slip this whiskey under my tree?

Just to let you know how far we have come in our selection of Whiskey...

Last night I was at a new music venue to see The Black Crowes.  PS, Amazing show, my first time seeing one of my favorite rock bands...Finally!  They played Twice as Hard and I was 17 again, driving those country roads in Virginia in my pick up truck names Elvis again.

But I am not 17 anymore, and thank goodness because now I can drink at rock shows!  And drink I did.

I started with a really fine Tennessee whiskey cocktail.  No, not Jack...they had George Dickel!  They made a delicious Old Fashioned with honey and Boston bitters.  Well done, Civic.  They teamed up with my dear friend Neal Bodenheimer of Cure and Bellocq to make easy and delicious cocktails using small batch and organic spirits.  The batched cocktails look clean and inviting in lovely glass bottles.  I will go back to try them all, but I decided I was on a whiskey adventure.

So next stop on my whiskey safari was Islay.   I had some Organic Bruichladdich scotch.  A treat but I had to!  I have been to that distillery, so I slurred to the bartender as he called it a Bourbon!  No!  Its a scotch.  And a mighty fine one too.

I slowed down and next just poured some Rye Whiskey from my Punch Brother's flask over some fresh rocks.  I assume its some Bulliet Rye.  Tastes good.

They I ended my whiskey parade with some Micheal Powers Irish whiskey.  I had heard rumors that this Whiskey had been discontinued.  Better drink it up before its gone, I guess.

Tennessee, Scotch, Rye, Irish.  So many whiskeys available on a single night.  Whiskey is back.  We are living in a new golden age.  Golden brown honey spicy smokey age.  Yum.

Bourbon for Breakfast?

Auchentoshan Switch

I have been selected as a finalist in the Auchentoshan Switch contest!  Later this month I will be whisked away to Las Vegas to compete with 19 other finalists for a chance to work at the famed London bar 69 Colebrooke Row for a few weeks.  Masterclasses!  That sounds divine!

I have been looking for inspiration from across the pond since my trip to Scotland back in March.  I hope I have a good showing in Vegas and will find myself in the glorious UK again soon.  Watching The Hour for inspiration now.  And Torchwood has been helping me with my Welsh accent.  Time to break out the Scotch.  Well....its always that time.

Whiskey Primer

Whiskey under a Microscope: Cool, FSU!!!

Since I got back from Ireland and Scotland, a lot of people have been asking me about Whiskey production. I have a much better sense of it now that I have been to the great distilleries of Islay (its still a lot of waiting though and I am not a patient girl). But my dad has sent me a wonderful little primer from the BBC, always a great source of news. So check this out if you are still confused about Whiskey or Whisky or its place in the world.

Thanks Dad!

Travelwise: A guide to the lingo and history of Whiskey
[BBC.com]

Pop Up Art

So if you have been watching Top Chef this season you know that Pop Up restaurants are all the rage. They are a temporary concept for a restaurant that is bare bones and a bit more fun since they are not tied to permanent idea. The boys form Fatty Crab and Fatty 'Cue decided to do just that with their former Cabrito space in the West Village and open Fatty Johnsons. They also have had the brilliant ideas to get the city's talented bartenders in on the fun. Guest bartending is a lot of hard work but it is also a neat opportunity to show off some of your own drinks and just play in someone else's sandbox.

Tonight Ivy Mix and I are popping up behind the stick at Fatty's. Here is a sneak preview of our menu. Hope to see you all in my old neighborhood!

La Dulce Vida
1.5 oz Chairman's Reserve Rum
3/4 oz Vida Mezcal
3/4 oz lime
3/4 oz Spiced Syrup (Abby's Mix)

Shake serve up in coup with grated cinnamon

Morton Street
1 oz Bourbon
1 oz Wild Turkey Rye
2 oz Fresh Grapefruit
3/4 oz rosemary infused Maple Syrup
Club Soda

Shake, serve on the rocks in a collins glass, top with soda and garnish with a sprig of fresh rosemary

7 Steps to Hell
1.5 oz Compass Box Oak Cross
1/2 oz Maraschino liqueur
1/2 oz Cynar
Barspoon of Peat Monster
dash each of Jerry Thomas Own Decanter and Creole Bitters

Stir serve up in a glass spritzed with Peat Monster and lemon twist

Jezebel

1.5 hendricks
1 banks rum
.5 cocchi americano
.5 dolin dry
dash of angostura orange bitters
stir, coupe/martini/up, lemon twist

Collo Rosso

1 appleton VX
3/4 old forester 101
3/4 carpano antica
1/2 campari
stir, dbl rocks, rocks, orange twist

La Sonámula

1.5 jalapeño infused jimador blanco tequila
1 lemon juice
3/4 chamomile syrup
2 dash peychaud
shake, coupe/martini/up, thyme sprig garnish (optional)

7 Steps to Hell

I had some extra Black Bella already batched up from WhiskeyFest last week so I brought it into Fort Defiance as a drink special for Thursday. It was Veteran's Day and I wanted to honor all my Grandparents. The Bella is perfect since it is a twist on a Manhattan (Gramps Charbonneau's favorite drink) with delicious Italian Liqueurs (Grampa Gullo would have loved some Cynar). I also wore my red sailor hat from the 1984 World's Fair in NOLA and my Hell Kitty t-shirt. Yes, I think I looked adorable.

But as usual, it was my drink that got all the attention. The batch I had sold out so fast I had to make some more on the fly. Naturally when you use different ingredients, you get different flavor. Our bitters selection is limited to just three; orange, Ango and Peychaud's. I think I tried a dash of each. I tried making one with Dewars, but there was some heft and smoke missing so I tried a bar spoon of Laphroaig. The drink was different, a more red in color and still quite good.

I had to give it a Fort Defiance-like name and so the name of my Grandfather's group during World War ll seemed appropriate on this special day.

7 Steps to Hell

1 1/2 oz Dewars Scotch
1/4 oz Laphroaig Scotch
1/2 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Maraschino Liqueur
Dash of Peychaud's Bitters
Dash of Orange Bitters
Lemon twist

Stir all ingredients in a mixing glass, strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Black Bella

I was asked to contribute a cocktail for WhiskeyFest this year at the USBGNY table. Quite an honor since this was my first WhiskeyFest...finally! I was assigned Black Grouse, a new high end blend from the makers of Famous Grouse. Its got a touch of smoke but is smooth as silk. This Whiskey is actually quite close to my heart since it reminds me of a pure dead brilliant trip to Glasgow I took a few years back.

The Famous Grouse

The Famous Haggis

So I took a bottle over to my Cocktail Daddy's house and started playing around. It worked fine with the usual; lemon, ginger, rhubarb bitters, soda. But I was looking for something simple and easy....something Fort Defiance worthy and less than 4 ingredients. So I decided to try a twist on a Rob Roy or a Brooklyn. The sweet smoke of the whiskey was enhanced by the Maraschino liqueur and then balanced by the bitter Cynar; an Italian aperitif flavored with artichokes. The two bitters brought out a warm spicy quality making this drink a clear winner to the Cocktail Daddy. And it was a big hit at Whiskeyfest too!

Black Bella

2oz Black Grouse Scotch
1/2 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Maraschino Liquor
Dash of Bitter Truth Aromatic Bitters
Dash of Bitter Truth Jerry Thomas Own Decanter Bitters
Orange twist

Stir all ingredients in a mixing glass and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Women & Whisky

A Charbonneu Gal in Quebec? Oui oui!

The NY Times today listed the latest LUPEC event going on next Monday at the Astor Wine Center. Its a tweetup so make sure all you twits and bloggers come! The Twitvite is here.
Tickets are $30, with $5 of the price to benefit Dress for Success Worldwide and they include two cocktails. Go to Astor Wines for tickets here.

I will be shaking it with the Ladies and you are gonna want to try my own creation, The McGill Law Review!

I am French Canadian (A Charbonneau) and have dear friends and family just north in Montreal. I am always struck by the great scotch you can find in Montreal and reall is makes a lot of sense historically.

Ever since the defeat of Bonnie Prince Charlie and his Jacobite forces at the battle of Culloden, the Scots poured into the French Provence of Canada to start a new life. In Quebec and Montreal the influence of the Scots was strong as they quickly rose up through the ranks of government and public service. Many schools, museums and institutions were founded by the new Scottish mercantile class. One school where I have friends and relatives is McGill University.

This drink is in honor of my friends Benjamin and Jordi, scotch lovers and law students at McGill.

The McGill Law Review
2 oz Of Oak Cross Compass Box Whisky
3/4 oz Yellow Chartreuse
3/4 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Lavender Maple Syrup*
Dash of Rhubarb Bitters
Spritz of Peat Monster

Garnish: Lemon Peel

Spritz a chilled old fashioned glass with Peat Monster. In a shaker prepare Oak Cross, lemon, yellow chartreuse, dash of Rhubarb bitters and Lavender Maple syrup. Shake. Fill spritzed fashioned glass with rock ice and strain mixture in. Garnish with a lemon peel.

*to make the Lavender Maple Syrup, Steep 1/2 a cup of hot water in 1 tablespoon dried or fresh Lavender for 5 min. Mix with 1/2 cup of water. Yields 1 cup of syrup. Good refrigerated for one week.

For Peat's Sake!

Come on baby light my fire! Photo: Lush Life Productions.

What can be up to 10,000 years old and 9 meters deep. Ireland, Scotland and even some parts Florida is covered with it? Why Peat of course!

But what is peat? Its is compressed organic matter..think a very young (in geological terms) coal
What is being compressed? Lichens, bog, trees, bushes, seaweed. Plant matter. A dried block used a fuel, and in fact, it is used for fuel all over the world, including in my Irish Granny's stove.

It is this unique fuel source that creates tasty, aromatic amazing Scotch Whisky. Ben at Beekman Bar & Books organized an amazing round table of Scotch Whisky Illuminati to discuss the merits of peat.

We like Scotch..scotchy scotchy scotch..down it goes in my belly! Lush Life Productions

This round table discussion also included a few wee drams of great and rare whisky.
The panel of peat professors were led by John Henry from Pipeline.
The "Peat Professors" were listed as:

Peter "malt maniac" Silver
Robin "peat monster" Robinson
Simon "Ardmore & Lahroaig" Brooking
Sam "Dr Whisky" Simmons
David "Supernova" Blackmore
Jeffery "Whisky life Magazine" Karlovich

Here is just a sampling of what I learned:

Peat is amazing at smoldering. Kilning maintains the enzymes for a good strong fermentation. Soak the barley. Let it grow and then drying and peating. You have to stop the germination of the grain and this is a smokey tasty way to do it.

We lit some peat on fire. I cannot tell you what special sense memory this brought back for me! I remember sipping some Paddy's Irish Whiskey from yellow tea cups with my Cousin Bridget while she stoked her peat stove that we huddled around for warmth. Or biking home from work through the streets of Dublin and smelling the peat cooking as I crossed over the Liffey.

But this is Scottish Peat! Very special, and it is this unique peat that makes Scotch, well...Scotch!

Islay Peat smells different that Irish peat. Not as sweet, but softer. Like warm saltwater breezes.

Moss imparts flavor in the peat, a lot of the air, sea water. Grass can make it harder.

If a scotch changes flavor over time, there is a strong feeling that that is due to distillation changes, not due to peat changes.

The great bounty of the magical peat! Lush Life Productions

Oh..the tastings!
Balvenie 17 - barley sucks up the flavor in peat. Heaven Hill, Lahroaig, Balvenie. 17 years old speyside whiskey on islay cask. Rare and unusual.

Fully peated highland. Spey river valley. Ardmore 25 year. Fruity floral. Nice sweet smokey burn. Delish! Tangerine peel nose. I really enjoyed this Scotch.

Ballechin sherry cask - like sucking a tire or an old band aid. Where is the bacon? Very interesting, but not for me.

Celp - Belgium seaweed whiskey - pre-peat. Its Green! Its weird!

Peat Monster reserve. Single malt blended, not blended whiskey. This is class stuff..very tasty.

Have we jumped the Shark with Peat? Hopped up to the point of just hopping it up? How smokey is too smokey?

I didn't always like the smoke! And thought I didn't like the peated scotch. Does that make me a girl? No, indeed, I have learned I just have more sophisticated palate and I appreciate the complex taste of peat and smokey scotch.

They say it is the most complex spirit in earth.

I say anything that can tasting like heather or smoked bacon is OK in my book.

We did get some kudos for coming to enjoy the peaty scotch, but alas, its still a lot of lads here:

Peat Boys Lush Life Productions

Where are the ladies?!

Oh here they are!

Peat Girls Lush Life Productions

Whisk(e)y Master and Mistress!

Skyy Spirits World Class Whiskies held a beautiful event Sunday night at The Back Room. It was called Meet the Masters and included legendary Skyy Spirits Whisk(e)y Distillers. The speakeasy feel of the bar was a perfect place to honor Whiskey, a key spirit that was kept alive and actually became more popular during Prohibition. There were featured cocktails, and tasting tables in the cozy room. At each table a Mast Distiller himself held court. It was a lovely way to sip, savor and learn about the productions on these fine Whiskeys.

A personal highlight for me was meeting Jimmy Russell, the distiller behind my own personal favorite Wild Turkey brand. I learned from Jimmy that down in Kentucky, they don't call it Turkey, they call it 101. That brand is far more popular than the 80 proof in his home state. Though he was mum on the secret recipe, he did confirm that Wild Turkey is heavy on the Rye, always has been. It may be more expensive to produce it this way, but Mr. Russell wants it done right and is happy to be working with a group that allows him too. It was such an honor to sip Russell's Reserve Bourbon and Rye with Mr. Jimmy Russell himself.

Besides these wonderful pockets of whiskey wonderland, there was a bar set up for playtime. You know I love to play, so I got behind the bar and with some consulting help from a Mr. Jason Codd, created the Spring Training. A tasty fresh mix of maple syrup, rosemary, Bourbon and fresh grapefruit. This drink was given to the Master's to taste and my cocktail ended up winning the night! I received this glorious trophy signed by the Master's themselves!

The Winners!

Too much fun, too many Scotsmen, and too much whiskey!

We retired next door at Nurse Bettie to continue the celebration with gifted bartender Moses. A few cocktails and picklebacks later my last tweet of the night was "Help me! Moses!"

Featured Whiskies from the Skyy Spirits Portfolio included:
Cutty Sark
The Glenrothes
Glen Grant
Bowmore
Auchentoshan
Yamazaki
Hibiki
Wild Turkey/Russell's Reserve
Tullamore Dew

Try them all..I did! And lived to tell the tale.

The (award winning) Spring Training
2 oz Russell Reserve 6 year old Bourbon
1 1/2 oz fresh squeezed Grapefruit Juice
1 barspoon Maple syrup
Fresh rosemary

Pull the leaves off of one branch of rosemary and muddle with the maple syrup in the bottom of the shaker. Ad juice and bourbon and shake well with ice. Twist a grapefruit peel over the drink and garnish with fresh rosemary.

Pure Whiskey Joy