Trinity Absinthe

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trinity absinthe

Trinity Absinthe Superieure is distilled in Loveland, Colorado by Overland Distillery. As a southwesterner, I’ve been pretty proud of the liquors we’re producing in New Mexico and Colorado, and have found many of them to be excellent.

Trinity arrives in a 375 ml bottle for about $40, which is a pretty typical price range for Absinthe as it runs 60% ABV and above. This absinthe surprised me in that it pours a more pale yellow color as opposed to the traditional green. I drank this the usual way: 1 oz of absinthe in a glass topped with very cold water poured slowly over a sugar cube. As you can see in the photo above, Trinity clouded up nicely (called the “louche“).

I think I may have discovered the source of that yellow color. Trinity has a cool lemony citrus flavor that causes it to drink exceptionally easy, which is a good thing as some brands of absinthe can be overwhelming on the tongue. I like the anise-licorice bite of absinthe, but the touch of citrus in Trinity adds a nice flavor balance that I like.

Trinity is an absinthe that’s worthwhile and a really enjoyable addition to a connoisseur’s collection. While it’s a craft absinthe, it’s a bit easier to find than some others, and their distribution is currently in 6 states in a pretty wide spread across the country. If you’re a fan of absinthe, track some down and give it a try.

Licor 43

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licor 43

Licor 43 is a liqueur (sweetened liquor) from Spain that’s celebrating it’s 90th anniversary this year. It has a very good vanilla-and-spice flavor that makes this a very good choice for a liqueur in your home bar, since it goes well with lots of mixers, from vodka to rum, coffee, caramel, or even a rich, dark beer (like a stout).

Here are some cocktails I tried with Licor 43, including their “Mini Beer” shot:

43 & V (by Greg Mays)

  • 1 1/2 oz Licor 43
  • 1 1/2 oz of vodka
  • build in a glass with a stir stick and serve on the rocks

Mini Beer

  • Fill a mini beer mug (or shot glass) with Licor 43 and top with well-shaken heavy cream. Pour the cream slowly so it floats on top. I found that the longer you let the cream sit, the more it will separate to the top.

Loch Lomond

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loch lomond cocktail

Here’s another simple scotch cocktail, which reminds me a bit of the cocktail that Mark Twain loved. It’s matches the 100-year-old cocktail definition perfectly: spirit, bitters, sugar, and water. Enjoy!

Loch Lomond

  • 1 1/2 oz scotch
  • 3 dashes bitters
  • 1 tsp simple syrup
  • shake with ice and strain into a small chilled cocktail glass

Left Turn Distillery

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left turn distillery

Left Turn Distilling is the first distillery in Albuquerque, based on the research I’ve done. They’re making La Luz Vodka and Brothers Old Tom Gin right now, with plans for much more in the future.

The distillery is in an industrial part of Albuquerque and is a decent-sized facility with custom stills made by owner and distiller Brian Langwell. Brain was a welder in his former life, but has been home distilling since he got a chemistry set at 15. In the distillery, there’s a small tasting room where you can taste and buy their vodka or gin, with cocktail options too.

I’ve tried both of their current liquors, and they’re excellent. Yeah, maybe there’s 5% hometown pride in my taste buds (I blog from Albuquerque), but I’ve had a lot of booze, and these have a flavor that can rival top-shelf products.

La Luz Vodka is corn-based and sourced locally. I’m really fond of the syrupy sweetness a corn vodka can have, and La Luz is no exception. It has no harsh alcohol burn and is sweet on the tongue. This can easily take the place on your home bar shelf as a sipper or a mixer.

Brothers Old Tom Gin is one of less than ten Old Toms that are commercially distilled in the world. the Old Tom variety of gin hearkens back to the Gin Craze when folks drank gin out of wooden cats on the sides of bar walls. Gin of those days was sweet and high-citrus, usually to mask sinister ingredients like turpentine or acid. So how do you create a quality gin that’s based on its “bathtub” cousin? Ask Brain Langwell at Left Turn, because he did a great job.

I personally prefer a high-juniper gin and love the piney bite of a London Dry. I was admittedly nervous when Brian described Brothers as higher in citrus, less juniper, and basket vapor infused (like Bombay Sapphire). I was relieved to taste a quality gin with a nice bite, with just a touch of sweet that lingers on your tongue. The balance of flavors is great – this is a botanical-driven gin, and Brothers Old Tom has a flavor that a gin lover would appreciate, but it’s very unique – remember, there’s less than 10 of these in the world. This is an easy gin to drink straight, but the bottle also hails it as a “fine cocktail gin” too.

Left Turn is off to a great start, and Brian told me to expect whiskey and rum soon. With Left Turn Distilling’s products only available locally right now, the only bad news is that you have to come visit Albuquerque to try them.

Crystal Head Vodka

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crystal head vodka

Crystal Head is an vodka bottle that I’m sure you’ve seen in stores: a crystal-clear, shotput sized skull filled with Canadian vodka. You’ve probably also heard how Dan Akroyd is a 1/2 owner of the brand – he appears on some of their advertising.

Crystal head is a top-shelf vodka brand, competing with Grey Goose, Belvedere, and others. There’s 2 things that classify this as top shelf: first, it’s about $50 a bottle, and second, the artist-designed glass decanter that it arrives in is awesomely cool. There’s other selling points here, like that it’s quadruple distilled through diamonds from Canadian sweet corn, it’s made with Newfoundland glacial water…. all of these are what we have become used to hearing when a brand establishes why their vodka is superior.

So let’s get to taste. Crystal Head is mild with little alcohol burn. Tasted straight, it’s a touch earthy, and I’d just call it clean. I sipped a glass on the rocks and it was pleasant and smooth.

Time for some obvious questions here: is Crystal Head as good as other $50 vodkas I’ve tried? No. Is it better than bottom shelf $10 vodkas? Absolutely! In my book, Crystal Head is really a package deal: decent quality vodka and the coolest decanter I can think of makes Crystal Head a fair buy at $50. This is the only liquor bottle that I will keep when it’s empty so that I can continue using it as a decanter for my spirits.

Alexander

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rum alexander

In March 1974, John Lennon was out with friends and had a few too many of his favorite cocktail, the Brandy Alexander. Lennon ended up heckling the Smothers Brothers and was thrown out with his friends for fighting, The following day, Lennon sent several bunches of flowers out to those involved with apology notes. The note he sent to actress Pam Grier said:

Dear Pam,

I apologize for being so rude and thank you for not hitting me.

John Lennon

An Alexander is a cocktail that can be easily adapted to your favorite booze, though the Brandy Alexander is the most popular variety. Simply add 1 oz of dark creme de cacao (chocolate liqueur) and 1 oz of cream, finish with an ounce of your favorite booze, shake, and enjoy!

Alexander

  • 1 oz of your choice: brandy, rum, gin, whiskey, vodka, or tequila
  • 1 oz dark creme de cacao
  • 1 oz cream
  • shake with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass
  • optional garnish of nutmeg on top

Dry Fly Gin

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dry fly gins

Dry Fly is one of the Pacific Nothwest’s awesome distilleries, and I have enjoyed some great gins from their neighbors at Captive Spirits and 206 Distillery. I tried two Dry Fly gins: Washington Dry and Barrel Reserve, (a special-edition aged gin).

I would compare the flavor of Dry Fly Gin to both Aviation and Bilberry Black Hearts. Right off the bat, there’s a surprising sweetness, something like a combination of blueberries and wildflowers. I imagine the wheat they use to distill their gin gives it some sweetness too. Based on that flavor profile, maybe serve Dry Fly with tea, or in a Martini that’s a more soft, floral sip (with a lemon twist instead of an olive). If there was such a thing as the opposite of London Dry gin, Dry Fly might be it. It’ll run you $30 a bottle.

Now take that gin and put it in a barrel, and Dry Fly Barrel Reserve Gin emerges. There’s no reason to hold back here: I loved the taste of this gin. Barrel Reserve starts as cinnamon-spice thing that’s not at all harsh, then moves to an almond, then butter finish. It was more like experiencing a complex, flavorful rye whiskey than and gin I’ve had. Maybe it’s the softness of the original gin, or maybe they aged it in an awesome barrel….but this is a successful flavor experiment for sure. You’ll pay about $30 for Barrel Reserve too, in the 1/2 bottle size you see above,. It surely won’t not last longer than a week at my house.

Tequila Sunrise

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tequila sunrise

Let me just begin by saying it was almost irresistible to NOT make an Eagles reference here. A lyric, a joke, anything. Be strong, Greg, be strong……

A Sunrise is a classic tequila drink, and a good one to practice layering with. The Tequila Sunrise takes progressively heavier liquids and serves them together, unstirred, for a cool “sunrise” effect in your glass. Add the ingredients in the order I show below:

Tequila Sunrise

  • in a glass filled with ice, slowly pour:
  • 1/2 oz granadine
  • 2 1/2 oz orange juice
  • 1 1/2 oz tequila
  • garnish with a lime wedge

When you serve a Sunrise, give the drinker a stir stick or sipper straw so that they can stir their cocktail before drinking.