When I was told I was to attend an Absinthe tasting, I must be honest I was very weary. I had a two hour train journey back home and the last thing I wanted was little green fairy’s following me. This is this ever growing myth or urban legend if you like, of Absinthe right? That the hallucinogenic properties far out way any taste or history that comes from this mysterious spirit. My experience was far from that and here, I would like to set the record straight. …
De-flowering an Absinthe Virgin
November 17th, 2010 Posted in Behind the Bottle
Nov, 17 2010
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Tanqueray Rangpur – What is it?
November 15th, 2010 Posted in Bottle Review
Nov, 15 2010
Tanqueray gin has, and always will be a firm favourite of mine. Many years ago (too many for my liking!) it was one of the first premium gins that I tried, and I duly fell in love. The bottle has often drifted to the back of my bar as new gins arrive and are tried, but it’s always there. Tanqueray was also responsible for introducing me to his younger brother-Tanqueray Ten, another favourite of mine.…
ABSOLUT Limited Edition- the challenging bottle?
November 3rd, 2010 Posted in Behind the Bottle, Bottle Review
Nov, 03 2010
Just over a month ago, there were murmurings of the new Absolut vodka limited editions. Now this was always going to be a good one, as Absolut have always produced new and interesting flavours that you wouldn’t expect, but somehow work. Then when it came to it, this new limited edition wasn’t a different flavour, instead they had done the unthinkable. The form of the bottle had been altered! …
Ardbeg’s shining star – the Supernova 2010
October 25th, 2010 Posted in Bottle Review
Oct, 25 2010
I try to keep up to date with the latest news going on in this wonderful industry, and always on the look out for big stories on gin, whisky, rum, etc, and this year the whisky category keeps throwing up one name time and time again, therefore I decided to do a little bit of research and get hold of some Ardbeg Supernova 2010. …
Four Roses Dinner
October 20th, 2010 Posted in Behind the Bottle, Visits
Oct, 20 2010
Hopefully by now everyone that was lucky enough to visit London Cocktail Week has recovered, but it wouldn’t surprise me if not! This was a week full of fun and games, master classes, and competitions, all in all a hell of a lot of fun. Now, I got the chance to go check out a couple of things, but without doubt the highlight of my LCW experience was an evening spent with some fellow bloggers in the company of Jim Rutledge, master distiller at Four Roses Bourbon. …
Rum, the new winter warmer?
October 19th, 2010 Posted in Bottle Review, Ideas
Oct, 19 2010
Well even though we managed a couple of decent weekends in October, it is definitely time to dig out the winter comforts. While some are going for whisky or brandy, maybe it’s time you gave something new a try? We are all familiar with the light style rums that are commonly drunk with a mixer or more elaborately in cocktails, but where did all this come from, and was this always how we have drink it? …
Oct, 06 2010
‘The rise and fall of the green fairy.’ Those were the words that grabbed my attention at the bottom of an email I received some time ago, and this was one not to be missed. Absinthe is one of thos products that people don’t generally know a great deal about, myself included. I think in a lot of ways people are almost scared by it, it has this huge cloud hanging over it, and if I take nothing else from my day at the Boutique Bar Show, I will no longer be scared of Absinthe.…
Boutique Bar Show 2010
September 30th, 2010 Posted in Visits
Sep, 30 2010
Just last week I was lucky enough to attend the Boutique Bar Show 2010 in London. This was a chance to see some of the new boys on the block, the guys who were young and fresh, and represent the new generation of boutique producers concentrating on quality and not quantity. Being boutique, there were none of the ‘big boys’ around, leaving more time to get to meet and chat to these new producers. Now I’ll be honest, I did speak to a lot of people, and gpt acquainted with some new brands, some great, others not, but I’m going to outline a few firm favourites of mine. …
Time to Sloe down
September 28th, 2010 Posted in Bottle Review, Ideas
Sep, 28 2010
We’ve unfortunately reached that time of the year where Autumn is starting to set in, and all of our habits are starting to change. The big jackets come out of the wardrobe, the flip flops go away, and we say a fond farewell to the bar-be-que for one more year. …
Williams gin, as good as Chase vodka?
September 13th, 2010 Posted in Bottle Review
Sep, 13 2010
As we’ve previously mentioned, the guys at chase make an award winning vodka, but before this ever came around, their dream was to distil a gin. The start to vodka and gin are pretty similar, as you require a neutral base spirit that has been distilled to above 96%ABV. To make vodka, this is then reduced to bottling strength and bottled, whereas a gin you would then flavour with botanicals, where juniper is the predominant flavour, before being reduced to bottling strength. So if they wanted gin, they needed vodka, and that is where their quest started.…
Chase, from farmers to distillers
September 12th, 2010 Posted in Behind the Bottle, Visits
Sep, 12 2010
Herefordshire is generally made up of a network of small villages and towns, with not a great deal in between except for vast rolling hills, and plenty of prime agricultural land. With the Brecon beacons to the West and the Malvern hills to the right, it has a beautiful landscape. Nestled somewhere in amongst this landscape and agricultural land is a certain Rosemaund farm, better known as the home to the Chase Distillery. …
Sipsmith, the independant spirit
September 6th, 2010 Posted in Behind the Bottle
Sep, 06 2010
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