Monthly Archives: January 2014

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.

Bittersweet Cocktail

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bittersweet cocktail

This is a pretty classic drink that prescribes pretty well to the definition of cocktail from over a hundred years ago. It uses Peychauds bitters, which are a New Orleans staple and the essential cocktail bitter in a Sazerac. Combined with the orange juice and whiskey, Peychauds makes this a cool-looking golden  drink that’s pretty old school in it’s flavor profile.

Bittersweet Cocktail

  • 2 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters
  • 1 1/2 oz whiskey of your choice (I recommend bourbon or scotch)
  • 1 tsp simple syrup
  • fresh-squeezed juice of 1 orange (about 2 oz)
  • shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass
  • garnish with an orange slice

Christmas Day on The Morning Brew (Video)

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Here’s the video clip from Christmas special of The Morning Brew with Larry Ahrens in Albuquerque. I give the hosts gift baskets and my New Year’s cocktail is given Santa Claus’ stamp of approval! You can find the recipes that I made on the show (Silent Night and Orange You Glad it’s New Years?) here.

Red Lion Cocktail

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red lion cocktail

Recently I stumbled onto a cocktail which I associated with a hair metal band that I loved in middle school (the White Lion), and I was pretty surprised to find another variant on the lion theme in a totally different cocktail book: What, When, Where, and How to Drink.

Compared to the White Lion (which is sort of red), the Red Lion is a pale yellow color (confusing, I know), but I suppose drinks can be named whatever people wanna name them. Regardless of color confusion, you should definitely try this refreshing lion out:

Red Lion Cocktail

  • 1 oz gin
  • 1 oz triple sec
  • 1/2 oz lemon juice
  • 1/2 oz orange juice
  • shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass
  • garnish with a lemon peel

Remember, you can download our free Simple Cocktails recipe booklet now and make better cocktails at home!