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Walk the Line: Tanqueray

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tanqueray flavors all bottles

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.

Tanqueray. The flagship Tanqueray in the green barrel-shaped bottle. Tanqeray is a classic, iconic London Dry gin with juniper as the primary flavor and traces of spice, coriander, and licorice. Tasters felt like the flavor was “classic gin” and those who prefer the stronger juniper really loved it. A bottle will run you $20.

Tanqueray No. 10. In 2000, Tanqueray 10 was created in the tenth still at the Tanqueray distillery. Meant as a premium and modern martini gin, 10 retails for $30. Tanqueray 10 is made in smaller batches than the flagship, and there is more citrus in the overall flavor. Tasters found Tanqueray 10 to be very balanced, with lots of flavors but none of them standing out as particularly  dominant. 10 finishes in your mouth very dry and martini fans thought this may just be the best martini gin they’d tried, saying it would taste great stirred on ice and served straight up.

Tanqueray Rangpur. Tanqueray Rangpur is named for the citrusy hybrid fruit that it’s made with. Lemon-lime-citrus is the substantially predominant flavor in Rangpur, with a hint of ginger and almost no trace of juniper. As a straight pour into tonic water, Rangpur wouldn’t require the typical lime wedge garnish for a gin and tonic. Tasters felt like Rangpur would be a great accompaniment to Indian or Asian food. Bottled at a lower proof than the two Tanquerays above (82 proof instead of 94), Rangpur will run you $22 a bottle.

Tanqueray Malacca. Originally hitting the market about 15 years ago, Malacca was discontinued a short time later and has subsequently become the unicorn of the spirits world, selling for hundreds of dollars a bottle. Re-introduced in February 2013 in limited quantity (100,000 numbered bottles), Malacca is based on an 1839 Charles Tanqueray recipe and some say it’s one of the truest gins you can find to the recipes from centuries ago.  Malacca is a very mild, soft gin that finishes with a hint of sweetness. It’s lower proof than those above (80) and is a friendly sip of gin with virtually none of the sharpness you find in London Drys like the flagship Tanqueray. Adorned in a unique gold-stamped and emerald/gold labeling, it comes in a crystal-clear bottle which signifies its uniqueness in the Tanqueray line. If you can find it before it’s gone again, Malacca run you about $30 a bottle.

Thank you for following the first several posts of the Walk the Line series these past 2 weeks. Expect to see other occasional explorations of large brands in the future as we walk their product lines here at Simple Cocktails!

Walk the Line: Jim Beam

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jim beam bourbons and whiskies

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.

Jim Beam. The flagship bourbon and one of the top-sellers in the world, aged 4 years. The fire from the toasted barrels comes out in Beam White and it has a “hot” finish as a result, the tasters said it felt higher proof than it actually is. Ms. Ubon told me her favorite southern cocktail is to mix Beam with Coke, which they fondly call Brown Wine. Jim Beam is $15 per bottle.

Jim Beam Black. Using the same recipe as the white label bourbon, Black is aged 8 years and bottled at a higher proof. An affordable bourbon with a long age, Black is smoother and cooler than Beam white, and it marks an affordable ($20) upgrade from the flagship bourbon.

Red Stag. A black cherry flavored bourbon, and while it’s not marketed as a liqueur, Red Stag is quite sweet, with almost a snow-cone quality to the flavor. It seems that it’s meant to be mixed into an Adult Cherry Coke. Red Stag is a very popular line for Beam and very affordable at $15 per bottle.

Devil’s Cut. A newer member of the Beam clan, Devil’s Cut is Jim Beam bourbon that includes whiskey that’s steam-extracted from the barrel wood. Whiskey that evaporates from the barrel is traditionally called the Angel’s Share, so what’s left inside is the Devil’s Cut, right? This Beam variation is certainly woody and spicier on the tongue. For our tasting panel, was a favorite of the Beam line. Devil’s Cut is $25.

Jacob’s Ghost. The newest Beam-family whiskey, just hitting stores now. It’s named for Jim’s great grandfather Jacob Beam (the first Beam to sell whiskey). This is a unique white whiskey because it’s actually aged for a year and the color is filtered back out of the liquor, leaving a ghostly pale colored whiskey. It is certainly more mellow than other unaged whiskeys I’ve tasted, which often have the pungent quality of tequila. Tasters thought this one was almost like sake with a fruity finish. Ghost retails for $23.

Walk the Line: Bombay

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bombay gin 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.

Bombay distills premium, modern gins using “vapor infusing,” which leads to a softer tasting gin overall.

Bombay London Dry. Bombay Dry was first introduced in 1959 and it has 8 botanicals that lead to a classic London Dry flavor with a touch of spice in the finish. Tasters who prefer classic London Drys liked the flavor of Bombay Dry, saying that it’s a good gin overall. Though not as widespread as the iconic Bombay Sapphire, Bombay London Dry can be found for $21 a bottle.

Bombay Sapphire. Bombay Sapphire arrived in 1987 in a distinctive square blue bottle with the botanicals etched into the sides. Sapphire takes the recipe of 8 from the original Bombay Dry and adds cubeb berries and grains of paradise for a total of 10 botanicals. Tasters found Sapphire to be an extremely balanced gin, with flavors of lemon and berries, a touch of spice, and a long, lingering taste on the tongue. Sapphire is a bit sweeter than other London Drys and gin’s typical piney flavor is more subdued. At about $23 a bottle, Bombay Sapphire is extremely popular, and has a mild, fruity, soft profile overall.

Bombay Sapphire East. In 2012, Sapphire East was introduced with 12 botanicals, adding lemongrass and black peppercorns to the existing Sapphire infusion. At $30 a bottle, Sapphire East is mostly peppery, and the flavor is less balanced than Sapphire as the two new ingredients are the primary flavors. Initially tasting like Bombay Sapphire, followed by a peppery licorice bite, Bombay Sapphire East finishes fast and cool with a faint trace of sweetness.

Walk the Line: Jack Daniel’s

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jack daniel's whiskies

Welcome to a series at Simple Cocktails called Walk the Line, where I explore the entire product lines of the most popular liquor brands together with a panel of friends and tasters. I realized in a recent visit to the liquor store that there are some huge brands with different versions of their liquors, and I wasn’t really sure which was the best, or why, or how they differ from the flagship brand. I’m sure that there are others who feel the same, so let’s Walk the Lines of these brands together. Click here to view the entire Walk the Line series.

While it almost seems silly to begin with something as familiar and iconic as Jack Daniel’s whiskey, some people take this brand for granted in spite of its rich and fascinating history. We tasted the 3 primary expressions of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey. Here’s the breakdown:

Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7. The flagship black-label Jack Daniel’s has been distilled for over 100 years. Jack differentiates itself in the market by being a Tennessee Whiskey, filtered through 10 feet of sugar maple charcoal before it’s aged in barrels. It had been a while since most of our tasters had Jack on it’s own, and we admittedly expected to be tasting “cheap whiskey.” Old No. 7 pleasantly surprised the panel with it’s quality, though, especially for $20 a bottle. This flagship Jack has a familiar sweet corn flavor and a smooth, lingering finish.

Gentleman Jack. Introduced in 1988, Gentleman is the mid-range Jack. The recipe is the same as with Old No. 7, but this version is charcoal mellowed twice: once before and once after barrel aging. Gentleman Jack is sweeter and smoother than Old No. 7 because of the double mellowing, and the tasters really liked the flavor and price (about $30) of this one in particular.

Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select. This is the premium Jack Daniel’s product. While it’s life begins the same as the other Jacks, Single Barrel Select is chosen from the top barrels in the aging house at the distillery.  Those barrels experience the biggest temperature fluctuations, and as a result Single Barrel Select has a complexity that warrants the  higher-priced bottle (about $45). This whiskey has a rich color, and the tasters all smelled traces of maple syrup, though the flavor is not as sweet as it’s little brothers. Bottled at a higher alcohol content than the others, tasters felt Single Barrel Select is much more of a serious sip and should share the shelf with other high-quality American whiskeys.

What’s an Amaro?

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aperol cynar campari

Amaros are already very popular in the craft bartending scene, so it’s a good idea to get you home bartenders on board as well. An “amaro” is an Italian bitter liqueur, usually meant as a aperitif (before-dinner drink) or digestif (after-dinner drink). I realize that I talk about bitters all the time, but remember there are 2 types of bitters: drinkable and non-drinkable. Angostura bitters are meant as a cocktail flavoring, you’d never pour a bunch on ice and drink it straight. Amaros are drinkable bitters, though.

There are a long list of Amaros, but 3 of the most popular are Campari, Aperol, and Cynar (pronounced CHEE-nar). The bitterness of these helps to offset the sweetness that liqueurs have, and all three of these are good served over ice, mixed with club soda, or in a cocktail.

Campari you’ll recognize as an essential ingredient for the Negroni. It’s electric red, slightly bitter (think orange rind bitter), but also quite sweet and low in alcohol (about 20%).

Aperol is similar to Campari, though it’s lower in alcohol (11%) and more orangey, both in color and flavor. It’s very refreshing and easy to drink, and I use it as a substitute for Campari in a Negroni, or just serve it over ice after dinner.

Cynar is a dark, herbal liqueur that’s 13% alcohol. It’s primary flavor is artichoke – note the glorious artichoke logo on the bottle above. The flavor of Cynar reminded me a little bit of Fernet Branca, minus the mintiness, or maybe like a less sweet Jagermeister. It’s an herbal, slightly syrupy, drink with a dry, clean finish. Drink Spirits recommends it as a top 10 liquor to carry in a flask.

Here’s a Cynar recipe, a take on a Manhattan, originally published in Imbibe Magazine:

Little Italy

  • 2 oz rye whiskey
  • 1/2 oz Cynar
  • 3/4 oz sweet vermouth
  • stir on ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass
  • garnish with 2 cherries

Journeyman Whiskies and Gin

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journeyman whiskies and gin

Journeyman is an organic distillery in Three Oaks, Michigan, who opened their doors in 2011. I was initially attracted to them for several reasons, all of which centered around the care and beauty that they impart on their packaging. Their bottle design is uniquely stunning: they’re wax-sealed in various colors, and the labels are extremely well designed with a rough-printed tactile feel to them. Their distillery and tasting room are beautiful, too, with parts dating back to the 1800’s. Before I’d even tasted their booze, I was pretty damn enamored with the beautiful bottles I was holding in my hands.

Journeyman distills vodka, gin, and a range of whiskies, and I got to try a few of them.

Ravenswood Rye Whiskey. I am consistently running low on my rye supply because it is my favorite whiskey variety. Ravenswood is a quality and terribly smooth-drinking whiskey. As I drank, I tasted the familiar cinnamon-spice grains, but was immediately surprised by a cool, sweet finish. “Is that wheat?” I thought, and after looking it up on Journeyman’s site, I found it contains a “heavily wheated organic rye from Kansas.” The play between the wheat and rye base makes for a spicy-sweet rye that I didn’t dare mix with anything. This one’s going to be drunk neat until the bottom of the bottle. Ravenswood will run you $45.

Bilberry Black Hearts Gin contains bilberries, also called “black hearts” because of the richness of their color. This gin has an interesting flavor profile, beginning with juniper but finishing with a mild, earthy, fruity bite. Not a citrus flavor, like many gins have, but more like a London Dry-style with a faint, berry finish. It tasted very good in a Screwdriver. Bilberry Black Hearts is $35.

Buggy Whip Wheat Whiskey. Like I noticed in Ravenswood, wheat adds some natural, pleasant sweetness to a whiskey, and Buggy Whip very easy to drink. It may remind you of other high-wheat whiskeys like Maker’s Mark. Buggy Whip is a limited release from Journeyman, but when you find it, a bottle will run you about $40.

Hudson Manhattan Rye

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hudson manhattan rye

Hudson Manhattan Rye whiskey from New York is one of a very healthy catalog of spirits from Tuthilltown Spirits. Their whiskeys are packaged in uniquely short, stout, wax-coated bottles, most of them half-sized at 375 ml. These are hand-bottled, hand-numbered, small batch whiskies.

I found Hudson Manhattan Rye to have a pretty complex set of flavors. Rye is the spicy grain in the whiskey world, and this is certainly spicy, but I also discovered a tobacco flavor to Manhattan Rye that is rare in a whiskey of any variety. Imagine the sweet woodiness of a vanilla or cherry pipe tobacco, imagine that in a rye, and you’ll realize this whiskey is one of the more unique flavors in the liquor cabinet.

Whiskey lovers should add this to their wish list. Rye lovers will should enjoy it, too, because the variety of flavors you experience in one sip is significant. Hudson Manhattan Rye will run you about $45 for a bottle.

 

Burnside Bourbon

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burnside bourbon and j.r.'s revenge

Burside is a 4-year-old bourbon from Eastside Distilling. Though Eastside touts it a “bold and spicy,” I found Burnside to be smooth to drink straight and it’s got more corn-sweetness than I expected from their description. My favorite bourbons tend to be the most balanced: sweet from the corn, spicy from rye and barrel aging, strong and smooth. Burnside fits this bill as a strong (48% ABV) and well-balanced booze.

I used Burnside in this cocktail from the Bartender’s Bible:

J.R.’s Revenge

  • 1 1/2 oz bourbon
  • 1/4 oz Southern Comfort (I used Bold Black Cherry)
  • 2 dashes of bitters
  • stir on ice and strain in a chilled cocktail glass

UBONs Bloody Mary [+ Giveaway]

ubons bloody mary

The Bloody Mary is THE drink for Sunday brunch. Up until now, I’ve avoided posting a Bloody Mary recipe for one primary reason: they’re not simple. The simplest recipe I’ve found was from The Cocktail Spirit, and it has 9 ingredients: vodka, tomato juice, lemon juice, celery salt, worchestershire sauce, black pepper, horseradish sauce, ancho chili powder, and a celery stalk garnish.

When I want a Bloody Mary, I buy a mix and put vodka in it. I’m generally very cautious about using mixes, though, because many commercial mixes contain nasty goblins like high fructose corn syrup or MSG. Usually, Trader Joe’s mix is the one I go with.

I do think that if care is used in the mixture and it remains natural, a mix can make for the simplest cocktails of all. Which brings us to Ubon’s BBQ Bloody Mary Mix: an all-natural mix that’s made by award-winning Ubon’s (pronounced YOU-bons) of Yazoo, Mississippi. The mix itself is incredibly tasty and it makes a great Bloody Mary, the best one I’ve ever had. The recipe is simple (of course), but make sure to add the vodka first because Ubon’s is thick and it’s easier to mix this way:

Ubon’s Bloody Mary

  • 1 oz of vodka (I used Cathead, also from Mississippi)
  • 4 oz Ubon’s BBQ Bloody Mary Mix
  • garnish with a celery stick, pickle, asparagus, olives, onion, lemon wedge, crab claw, etc.

I’m giving 3 lucky readers 2 bottles each of Ubon’s BBQ Bloody Mary Mix. Just leave a comment below telling me what you drank during the Super Bowl last night and you’ll be entered to win. Drawing will be held on or about February 18, 2013.

Brenne

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brenne bottle and glasses

Brenne is a single malt whisky distilled in France, aged for 7 years, and finished in Cognac barrels. Launched in October 2012 in New York City, Brenne is available at several locations, in New York and online, for about $50.

Because this is a high quality single malt whisky, the only fitting way to drink it is neat – straight from the glass, no ice, at room temperature. Brenne smells of cognac and dried fruit as you raise the glass, and the whisky flavor comes in as you sip it.  Brenne has a quality scotch-like taste with traces of apricot and spice. It’s got a great flavor and I’m interested to see how its unique qualities make an impact on the whisky market.