Category Archives: reviews

Cocktail Cherries Compared

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cocktail cherries

I’m pretty staunch about using quality, natural ingredients, and as a result, it seems I’m always in search of the “perfect cocktail cherry.” I’ve even made my own brandy cherries here on the blog. A group of us tasted 7 different types of cocktail cherries and compared them in price, flavor, and cocktail usefulness. Here’s what we thought (cherries are pictured above from left to right):

Rainier Reserve.

  • Visual: yellow cherries with stems.
  • Ingredients: cherries, water, sugar, citric acid, natural flavors, beta carotene.
  • Cost per cherry: 13¢
  • The first of 4 cherries from Tillen Farms, Rainier Reserve are particularly interesting because of their color. A bright yellow cherry looks really cool in tiki drinks, and these have an tropical-like flavor to match. The cherry flavor in these is pretty subdued, and they’re not overly sweet.

Bada Bing.

  • Visual: rich crimson cherries with stems.
  • Ingredients: cherries, water, sugar, vegetable/fruit concentrate (color), malic acid, citric acid, natural flavor.
  • Cost per cherry: 13¢
  • Also a Tillen Farm cherry, Bada Bing were the largest of the bunch. Tasters said they taste the most like cherries off the tree, and have just the right balance of sweetness and good looks to make them great cocktail cherries.

Pink Blush.

  • Visual: pink cherries with stems.
  • Ingredients: cherries, water, sugar, citric acid, vegetable/fruit concentrate (color), natural flavor.
  • Cost per cherry: 13¢
  • Tasters were surprised that these cherries actually taste pink, almost like cotton candy. These are the sweetest in the Tillen Farms line, and like the Rainier Reserve cherries, they’re best use is for their visual impact as your cocktail garnish. An added bonus is that Oregon Cherry Growers donate 5% from the sale of Pink Blush towards breast cancer.

Merry Maraschino.

  • Visual: red cherries with stems.
  • Ingredients: cherries, water, sugar, vegetable/fruit concentrate (color), natural flavor.
  • Cost per cherry: 13¢
  • Tasters found Tillen’s Maraschino cherries really juicy and thought they tasted almost like apples or candy…or apple candy. Of the list, these cherries are the most natural, most red cherries with stems, so they’d be a good choice in a home bar.

Luxardo Maraschino.

  • Visual: dark red cherries, almost black, without stems.
  • Ingredients: cherries, sugar, marasca cherry juice, glucose, citric acid, natural color, maraschino flavor.
  • Cost per cherry: 29¢
  • Luxardo is the true craft cocktail cherry. These are actually marasca cherries, grown around the Luxardo distillery in Italy. These are uniquely packaged in syrup that, instead of sugar and water, is actually sugar and cherry juice. These have tons of flavor and are dark and rich. Tasters felt like these worked best in cocktails like Old Fashioneds, as they were a little intense as a snack.

Ole Smoky Moonshine.

  • Visual: bright red cherries without stems.
  • Ingredients: cherries, 100-proof moonshine.
  • Cost per cherry: 22¢
  • This one is unique because you’re really buying a mason jar full of cherries and getting some cherry moonshine, too. These cherries are not sweetened, so tasters found them comparatively abrasive. These were the most crisp and red of the bunch, so they work well in cocktails, but most often people did not eat them when they were finished with their drink.

Grocery Store Maraschino.

  • Visual: bright red cherries with stems.
  • Ingredients: cherries, water, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, natural and artificial flavors, potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate, red 40, sulfur dioxide
  • Cost per cherry: 9¢
  • I included these simply for comparison purposes, though these are the most easy-to-find of the lot. Visually, these are very appealing, but there’s not many natural ingredients. Since I avoid HFCS, I don’t use these cherries. They’re crisp, sticky and sweet like candy, but the flavor ends up being very un-cherry-like.

cocktail cherries

Click here to get the Simple Cocktails Guide to Cherries as a downloadable PDF.

Speyburn Scotch

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speyburn scotch

Speyburn is a very affordable single malt scotch that I’ve found to be an great choice at its $20 price point.

Remember that I’m still trying (really hard) to learn to love scotch, and Speyburn helps. In general, I’ve gravitated towards the spicier or sweeter scotches that I’ve tried. So far, Dewar’s White Label and Johnnie Walker Black have been my favorites, and I’ve tasted some pricey ones. Speyburn now joins those two as a scotch I’m glad to have in the home bar.

While $20 can be a real hit-or-miss price point for scotch, I found Speyburn to be smooth when I drank it neat (no ice). There’s a spicy and flavorful mix there as well, like a bourbon that’s both zesty and maybe minty, with the familiar scotch/barley taste on the finish.

At this point, I haven’t tried another $20 scotch that I’d recommend any more highly than Speyburn. It’s a solid buy.

Phraya Rum

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phraya rum

Phraya is an aged rum from Thailand that’s packaged in a eye-catching golden bottle. Pronounced with a silent h, Phraya Deep Matured Gold Rum is a blend of Thai rums that are aged from 7 to 12 years.

At $40, Phraya falls at an inbetween price point, not cheap and not so expensive that I’d call it “luxury.” This rum is certainly smooth, though, because at 80% ABV, it’s on the lower spectrum of alcohol strength. When you smell it in a glass, you don’t smell any alcohol at all, just almond and brown sugar. Phraya finishes in a really pleasing way that I’d describe as sweet, though not sticky, syrupy, or overwhelming.

Two things hit me as I drank my first glass of Phraya:

  1. The ice I that I initially added (see photo) was a mistake. This rum is smooth and flavorful, and it’s really best served neat (no ice).
  2. I wanted a cigar to smoke as I drank it…badly.

I called up Thompson Cigar and they graciously sent me a Flor de las Antillas, which Cigar Aficionado gave 2012’s cigar of the year. This rich and earthy cigar was a great fit with Phraya, which is flaky-pastry-sweet. Since I got this bottle of Phraya, I’ve taken it out in the backyard with me every time I smoke – I’ve found it the perfect cigar companion and very easy to drink on a hot summer evening.

 

Dewar’s Scotch

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dewars scotch milk punch

Dewar’s is a very popular brand of blended scotches worldwide, and White Label is the entry-level Dewar’s, running about $22 a bottle retail. I find it to be a good scotch choice for  someone who prefers the more tame blended scotches (like me), it’s good for someone who’s new to scotch, and it’s also a great option for making scotch-based cocktails.

This year, I’ve tasted more scotch brands than I have in my whole life previously. I’ll admit I initially didn’t like scotch very much at all. As I’ve had the opportunity to taste the wide varieties available, there are some elements that I’ve found that I prefer. I like when scotch is sweeter on the palate, and White Label has some nice toasty caramel in the flavor. I prefer scotches that are less peaty and smoky, and there is very little of that in White Label.

So then, Dewar’s White Label is a very accessible scotch that’s got decent quality for the price and a nice, smooth flavor. Here’s a cocktail to try with it:

dewars scotch milk punch

Scotch Milk Punch

  • 2 oz scotch
  • 4 oz milk (the fattier this is, the better the drink tastes)
  • 1 tsp powdered sugar
  • shake with ice until extremely cold, then strain into a glass
  • top with whipped cream and nutmeg

Pow Wow Botanical Rye

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pow wow botanica rye cocktail

The more I began to think about the liquid in my bottle of Pow Wow Botanical Rye, the more I was intrigued. Pow Wow is distilled from rye (as you’d expect from whiskey), it’s infused with botanicals during distillation (as you’d expect from gin). Then it’s aged in charred barrels (as you’d expect from whiskey). Did you catch that glitch-out in the middle? This is a rye that has some gin-like characteristics, and if you know anything about me, you know that this bottle of booze has the potential to be the most exciting thing I’ve ever tasted.

If you’re new here, I love gin and I love rye whiskey. Other liquor is good too, but those two are my faves. Pow Wow, which’ll run you about $40 a bottle, is one of the premium whiskeys managed by Georgetown Trading Co., whose catalog includes other whiskey brands too. Pow Wow really does have some gin characteristics, particularly in the scent of it, and if you’re a whiskey or gin lover, it’s totally worth trying.

pow wow botanica rye cocktail

Here’s a classic cocktail to try with Pow Wow:

Gall Bracer

  • 1 1/2 oz rye
  • 2 dashes of bitters
  • 1 dash of grenadine
  • pour ingredients slowly over ice in an old fashioned glass
  • garnish with a cherry

Dewar’s Highlander Honey

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dewar's highlander honey

I have to confess this right out of the gate: I don’t particularly love Scotch and I hate the taste of honey. That should make Dewar’s pretty nervous as I prepare to review Dewar’s Highlander Honey, a brand new Scotch-based honey-flavored liquor, right?

Let me follow up and say that much of the reason that I am not a huge Scotch fan is that I haven’t tried a whole lot of it. In fact, I joined the Albuquerque Whiskey Club just to get some more exposure to it.

There is only one other Scotch-based liqueur that I’ve tried, and that’s Drambuie, which is also sweetened with honey, plus an assortment of herbs. Outside of the Scotch and honey connection, these two products might as well be opposites. Drambuie is sticky and most people find it too sweet to drink by itself. Dewar’s Highlander Honey, however, is nowhere near as sweet. In fact, I’d say it’s mostly a Scotch with a very slight trace of sweetness to it, and I detected little-to-no distinct honey flavor.

Funny enough, for a guy who’s a Scotch newbie and a honey hater, Dewar’s Highlander Honey (which retails for $24) is actually just right for me. It takes the distinct characteristics of Scotch that I’m still learning to love and makes them more accessible with a very subtle touch of natural sweetness.

dewar's highlander honey

Photos by Jasmine Nicole.

 

Don Julio Tequila

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don julio tequilas

Don Julio proudly proclaims itself the “original premium tequila.” Sold in unique but similar bottle shapes each with a wooden stopper, the standard line on Don Julios will run you between $45-60, depending on the age. The Blanco is fruity and beachy. The Reposado (which they claim is the bestselling tequila in Mexico) is mellower, a touch spicy, and very smooth. The Añejo is a little more bold from the extended time in the barrel. You could use the Blanco in a cocktail, but all of these are very tasty and smooth drunk straight.

These are excellent tequilas without a doubt – surely the best tequilas I’ve yet tasted. There’s a world of difference between these and a bargain-basement $20 tequila, even one that’s 100% agave.

don julio high end tequilas

Don Julio also has a premium line of tequilas – as if their standard line isn’t premium enough. 70 is an añejo tequila that’s clear and has characteristics of a blanco. It’s crisp and herbal, a bit less like a tequila and more like a premium vodka in some ways. 70 will run you $68 a bottle. 1942 is an older tequila, with a lot of tropical and whiskey-like characteristics. It smells like vanilla and coconut and is ultimately the spiciest of the bunch. 1942 is $125. Lastly, Don Julio Real is a knockout. It’s smooth and quite savory (is that cheese and nuts I smell?). Real is drinkable, wonderfully flavorful, full, and complex. You may have heard: Real is $360 a bottle. The question to ask is are these worth their costs? If I was in the market for a $360 tequila, I’d totally buy this one. I also liked the 70 a lot, too. While 1942 is good, but I didn’t find it to be quite as amazing as the others in this range.

 

Casa Noble Tequila

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With spring just starting to warm up and Cinco de Mayo on the horizon, that means it’s tequila season! I’m working hard to dig up more classic recipes with tequila because I’m pretty limited in what I can make, which is usually Margaritas with the blancos, Old Fashioneds with the reposados or añejos, or drinking the good añejos neat in a snifter.

Casa Noble is a 100% agave tequila (the only kind you should buy) that’s $40 in a sexy, thick hand-blown glass bottle with an shiny pewter stopper. Backed by Carlos Santana, Casa Noble is available in the usual varieties: unaged silver (which Casa Noble calls Crystal), “rested” resposado, and “old” añejo, as well as some high end premium single-barrel varieties.

If you taste it neat, Casa Noble Crystal begins with the initial, familiar blanco tequila smell – a little punchy, a little sour – but as you sip it, it’s very smooth with a fresh, grassy, roasted taste. It goes well in this classic tequila recipe:

Tequardo

  • 1 oz tequila
  • 1 oz rum
  • 1 oz orange juice
  • 1/4 oz triple sec
  • shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass
  • garnish with an orange twist

 

Tallarico Vodka

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Tallarico Vodka is a new entry into the premium vodka market.  It’s sold in a tall, black bottle that fades to clear at the bottom to give you a peek at the vodka inside. Tallarico is distilled from rye and wheat, and for the whiskey lovers out there, that often translates to spice and sweet. Sounds good so far, right?

Tallarico is a flavorful vodka, sold for $45 a bottle and distilled in the U.S. Spice is the primary taste, and because of this, a rye-like but un-woody vodka is a fun alternative to use in your cocktails instead of rye whiskey. Tallarico tastes good on the rocks, and while alcohol burn is almost non-existent, the rye spice gives it a good bite.

I took a recipe that I normally use rye whiskey in and replaced it with Tallarico. I ended up with a very good cocktail, a crystal-clear Old Fashioned is incredibly cool looking, and this drink really works with the “premium” branding of Tallarico.

Vodka Old Fashioned

  • in an old fashioned glass, add:
  • 1 1/2 tsp simple syrup
  • 3 dashes of orange bitters (this helps to keep the drink crystal-clear)
  • 2 oz Tallarico vodka
  • stir briefly
  • add a single, large ice chunk (2″ or larger)
  • stir again until well-chilled
  • garnish with an orange peel and a cherry

 

Walk the Line: Bacardi

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bacardi bottles product line

This is Walk the Line: a series where I explore the entire product lines of the most popular liquor brands together with a panel of friends and tasters. Click here to view the entire Walk the Line series.

Bacardi is the world’s top-selling rum and one of the top liquor brands in the world. Originally made over 100 years ago in Cuba, Bacardi is now distilled in Puerto Rico and it’s used in drinks like the Bacardi Cocktail or the Cuba Libre – a rum and Coke with lime that was originally mixed in 1900.

Bacardi Superior. Aged 1-2 years in oak and charcoal filtered twice, Superior is really the the standard for mixable white rums and the one to buy for Mojitos, Daiquiris, or Rum and Cokes. Maybe it’s the aging process, maybe it’s how it’s distilled, but Bacardi always tastes like Bacardi, it’s one of the most iconic flavors I’ve ever experienced. Tasters found it pleasant tasting with a strong burn and a smell that almost reminded them of nail polish remover. Superior will run you $13 a bottle, and this is the one to buy for Caribbean and South American Cocktails.

Bacardi Gold. Gold is an alternative to Superior that’s a bit more complex in flavor, a little richer, but is still simple enough that it makes great cocktails. Tasters said it has a little more buttery, there was a little less of the familiar Bacardi taste, and that it was heavier overall. Gold is a better choice for Tiki drinks and will also run you $13 a bottle.

Bacardi Oakheart. This is Bacardi’s entry into the spiced rum market, it’s name playing off the oak aging that all Bacardi rums enjoy. In its cool looking knobby bottle, Oakheat is sweet and smoother than it’s brethren, and I’d guess there is a touch of sugar within to smooth it out (it’s also slightly lower in alcohol). Tasters thought this one had a great flavor and discovered lots of vanilla and cinnamon, most said it’d be great in Coke. Oakheart will run you $14 a bottle.

Bacardi 8. Aged 8 years in oak, this brand of Bacardi is meant for sipping. Priced modestly at $25, this definitely tastes like a more mature Gold. A lot of Gold’s familiar flavors are there, though Bacardi 8 is mellower, cooler, and has a bitter raisin or maybe banana bread taste that’s not present in the younger Bacardis. There’s less alcohol burn, too, and it finishes clean and dry. I’ll probably use Bacardi 8 to make Daiquiris as I’ve started to love the was they taste with aged rum, and for the price, it’s a good aged rum for mixing in cocktails.