Category Archives: recipes

ROOT and SNAP

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Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction is likely the most unique name for a distillery I’ve ever encountered. Art in the Age for short, they believe in “empowering artists producing high quality work marked by fine craft and intellectual rigor.” On a practial level, this means they design and manufacture everything from belts to booze. This is not a belt blog, however, so I’ll focus on the booze.

There are currently 4 Art in the Age spirits: ROOT, SNAP, RHUBARB, and SAGE. I believe the first three (not SAGE) are considered liqueurs as they contain sugar, but they are not sticky-sweet, are totally organic, and are 40% AVB (most liqueurs are around 20%). I tried ROOT and SAGE.

root liqueur

Art in the Age says they made ROOT because they “thought it would be interesting and fun to turn back the clock and recreate a true pre-temperance alcoholic Root Tea.” The initial scent is root-beer-like, but the finish is surprisingly not sweet. In fact, it’s very much like an unsweetened black tea, quite herbal, and a flavor almost like a lit cigar. I mixed a “ROOT and Tonic“: 1 part ROOT to 2 parts tonic with a splash of maple syrup. I’ve yet to find a way to drink ROOT that I enjoyed.

Then I opened a bottle of SNAP, a ginger snap liqueur. I liked the ginger flavor right away and found it sweeter than ROOT. I then mixed SNAP with bourbon, equal parts of each, and fell in love. It’s Fall in a glass. Whether at room temperature or stirred to freezing cold, it’s an outstanding flavor combination that finishes very clean and tasty. For the lack of decent Fall cocktails out there, this one has already made it to the top of my list. I loved it and you’ll find that pairing this with bourbon makes an outstanding simple cocktail. I only hope my bottle of SNAP stays around until the Fall.

snap happy knob creek bourbon and snap liqueur

SNAP Happy

  • 1 1/2 oz SNAP liqueur
  • 1 1/2 oz Knob Creek Bourbon
  • serve room temperature, on the rocks, or stirred and strained into a cocktail glass

Captain’s Blood Cocktail

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old port deluxe matured rum

India’s larget distillery Amrut makes Old Port Deluxe Matured Rum ($25) along with their large line of single malt whiskies. The scent of the rum is creamy butterscotch and it’s got a bit of spice in the finish. It also makes a fine ingredient for this simple cocktail:

Captain’s Blood

  • 1 1/2 oz Amrut Old Port Rum (or other dark rum)
  • 1/4 oz simple syrup
  • 1/4 oz lime juice
  • 3 dashes of bitters

Hacienda Gin

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Hacienda Gin

KGB Spirits in Alcalde, New Mexico has a gin that everyone should try because it’s great. Winning a bronze medal at the San Francisco Spirits Competition this year, Los Luceros Hacienda Gin is unique in that it has a potato base (instead of neutral grains), and according to KGB owner John Bernasconi, it’s the only potato-based gin in the world. Hacienda is a London Dry Gin, so you’ll notice the juniper immediately on tasting it, but there are elements that are unique to Hacienda that I found familiar as well, from its earthy finish to Hacienda to it’s pleasant freshness. Bernasconi said that he wanted to make a world-class product with his gin, so he’s sought out rare botanicals to use in Hacienda from around the world.

After a sip of straight Hacienda, I made my favorite cocktail, the Gin Old Fashioned. I tasted the difference in the flavor profile and it was great. A minty, herbal freshness told me I was dealing with something southwestern, but the flavor was still very comfortable for a London Dry gin lover. Even the bottle will draw you in, with a small, classy label, a handmarked distillery tag, and a crystal-clear glass stopper to match the gin. If you’re in or near New Mexico, buy yourself some Hacienda gin – it’s an excellent buy at $35. The rest of you? Start praying now for distribution to your part of the world.

Hacienda Martini:

  • 2 1/2 oz Hacienda Gin
  • 1/2 oz dry vermouth
  • olive garnish

JLP Tequila

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jlp anejo tequila

A new brand of tequila has made an appearance in Albuquerque liquor stores: JLP Tequila. Named for the former governor of the Villa of Tequila, Jesus Lopez Portillo Y Galindo, JLP is a mid-range tequila will run you about $20-30, and it’s made from 100% agave. I tried all 3 of the varieties: Blanco (unaged), Reposado (aged 6 months), and Añejo (aged 12 months), and I’m pretty impressed.  While it has been widely available in California, JLP is new to New Mexico.

First, an explanation about the two types of tequila manufacture. Tequila is distilled from agave, just like some whiskey is distilled from corn, but there are 2 different ways of processing it from there: 100% agave or mixto.  100% agave is the most pure type, with no added ingredients. A mixto uses at least 51% agave, then sugars are used to make up the remainder of the mixture. This would expain why 100% agave tequilas start at $20, but a bottle of Jose Cuervo is $13.  It’s a mixto.

The older a tequila is, the less appropriate it is for cocktails, so I made a margarita with the JLP Blanco  and found that it made an outstanding margarita, one of the best I’ve ever had. It’s a very smooth tequila and the muggyness that tequila is famous for is a bit more subtle.

Tasting it in a glass by itself, the JLP Añejo is very smooth, highlighted by an outstanding peppery/chili finish. The middle child, JLP Reposado, is a fine tequila for a Tequila Old Fashioned:

Tequila Old Fashioned

  • in an old fashioned glass, add:
    • 1 tsp of raw sugar
    • 3 dashes of orange bitters
    • 2 oz of JLP Reposado Tequila
  • fill with ice and stir well
  • garnish with a lime wedge

 

Cucumber Martini

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Cucumber Martini

This recipe comes courtesy of Sami Capshaw, bartender at Apothecary and my fellow Albuquerque the Magazine publishee.  This recipe will be one of many featured in my upcoming ebook “Simple Cocktails from the Experts.”  This is a tasty beverage (recipe below)!

Cucumber Martini

  • In a shaker, add a 1/2″ cucumber slice and 1/2 oz simple syrup.
  • Muddle that cucumber to bits.
  • Add 2 oz of Hendrick’s Gin and shake with lots of ice.
  • Double strain into a cocktail glass (pour through the shaker and a tight mesh strainer too).
  • Garnish with a cucumber wheel.

Midnight Moon Apple Pie Moonshine

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mountaineer punch

Moonshine has it’s roots in the backwoods of the South during prohibition. Nowadays, it usually means unaged whiskey that’s usually clear (aging in barrels turns the booze brown). Junior Johnson distills a line of moonshines out of North Carolina, and while they have their flagship clear moonshine product, they also have a line of naturally flavored moonshines as well, including Apple Pie, Cherry, Strawberry, Blueberry, and Cranberry, all smartly packaged in 750 ml mason jars.

While the plain Midnight Moon is likely great for cocktails, much like Silver Coyote is, the apple pie flavor I tried is pretty great on its own, over ice.  It’s got apple juice mixed with it and a little piece of  cinnamon stick in the jar.  Midnight Moon Apple Pie is 35% ABV and has some sweetness from the apple juice, but wasn’t unbearably sweet for a guy who normally drinks pretty dry drinks.  It has a great, natural, apple and cinnamon flavor.

Midnight Moon’s flavors are a good choice at the liquor store because they’re an all-in-one drink – a jar of this and some ice, and you have some pretty decent drinks that most people will enjoy.  It’s less liquor-forward and is pretty accessible.  Here’s a recipe for a warm and toasty winter punch:

Mountaineer Punch (by Greg Mays)

  • combine:
  • 1 mason jar of Midnight Moon Apple Pie
  • 2 mason jars of apple cider
  • warm on the stovetop and serve at parties!

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Vodka Flavors Gone Wild

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I will admit that I can have a snobby attitude about some vodkas, particularly the strange new flavored ones that have appeared in the stores recently, going way beyond fruit flavors to marshmallow or whipped cream vodkas! These flavored vodkas have begun to outsell nearly everything in the liquor stores, so it seems appropriate to at least give them a try.

van gogh pbj, three olives smores, three olives loopy vodkas

I tried three flavors of vodkas: Van Gogh PB&J (peanut butter and jelly), Three Olives S’mores, and Three Olives Loopy (Fruit Loops). Three Olives brand is about $20 a bottle retail, and Van Gogh is priced slightly higher. At first whiff, every single one of these smells exactly as the labels suggest they would. I made some simple cocktails with them, some recommended by the manufacturers. From left to right, these are pictured below:

S’mores Cocktail

  • 2 oz Three Olives S’mores Vodka
  • 1 oz half and half
  • 3 drops Fee Bros. Aztec Chocolate Bitters

PB&J Cocktail

  • 1 oz Van Gogh PB&J Vodka
  • 1 oz grape juice
  • grape garnish

BOC (“Breakfast or Champions” or “Bowl of Cereal”?)

  • 1 oz Three Olives Loopy Vodka
  • 2 oz milk

van gogh pbj, three olives smores, three olives loopy vodkas cocktails

This was an interesting experience, and the flavors were surprisingly accurate. Loopy in particular tasted so much like a boozy version of  it’s cereal brother, it was scary. I think that S’mores would be the most flexible permanent addition to a home bar as it could be used in White Russians and other cocktails featuring coffee or chocolate. The flavor of S’mores was also the most subtle of the three.

This is certainly one of those “you’ve got to try this” experiences, and the fact that these exist and sell well is a commentary on the state of modern alcohol consumption, though I’m not sure what to make of it or what to conclude.

All three of these vodkas had very interesting flavors and there’s room for creativity in how to use these flavors in cocktails, but I imagine these will mostly be consumed with a very simple mixer, like “PB&J and Soda,” or “S’mores and Coke,” or something like that.

Pink Pigeon Rum

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pink pigeon rum

Let your mind wander toward Africa…..then go east a little bit to the island of Madagascar (home of the famous animated zoo animals), then think east again a few hundred miles to Mauritius. That’s where Pink Pigeon Rum comes from, named for the rare bird from that same island.

Local sugar cane and Madagascar vanilla beans are used to distill it, so the rum has a very pronounced vanilla scent and flavor. It’s somewhere between a white rum and a spiced rum as it’s not too mild or too spiced.

The bottle is pitch black with white and pink trim, so I was curious if the rum itself would be pink when I poured it. It’s not – it’s a light amber color, and when sipped straight, it’s got a good vanilla scent but doesn’t have the lingering sweetness I usually associate with rum. It has a strong, good bite at the finish.

I started working on ideas for a cocktail that would work with this special rum. The distiller says Pink Pigeon will work great in traditional rum drinks like daiquiris or mojitos, but I ended up creating an orange-and-cream cocktail instead:

pink pigeon rum creamsicle cocktail

Pink Pigeon Creamsicle (by Greg Mays)

  • 1 1/2 oz Pink Pigeon rum
  • 1 oz orange juice
  • 1 oz triple sec (orange liqueur)
  • 1/2 oz half-and-half
  • Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass.
  • Garnish with a 1/4 orange wheel.

Pink Pigeon is a great rum and makes some outstanding drinks. It’s about $35 a bottle and it has the flavor and smoothness of other spirits in that price range. It’s very tasty, not too sweet, and is a really unique.