Spirits
Spirits are beverages made by the process of distillation. The “Spirits” category is not commonly used at Drinkhacker because the vast majority of reviews we publish fall into this category. It is used only occasionally to help organize our category list (and mainly gets clicked by accident).
Today is the annual running of the Kentucky Derby, and that means julep cocktail recipes flooding in from all corners. Here’s a look at some of the more interesting spins on the classic mint julep which I’ve seen in recent weeks. Rose Julep Courtesy Four Roses 1 1/2 oz. Four Roses Single Barrel Bourbon 2…
Can an $8 bottle of Hiram Walker Triple Sec really go toe to toe with the gold standard of curacao, Cointreau? Hiram thinks it can, and sent a bottle of its budget orange liqueur to taste side by side with Cointreau, which at $35 is more than four times the price. In a nutshell: Yeah,…
Available only in duty-free shops (if that any more), this, like the aforereviewed Glenfarclas 105 is “100” only in the old 175-proof-is-max scale: By modern standards it’s 114.2 proof, so take appropriate precautions should you find yourself face to face with a bottle. It’s certainly worth the hunt. This surprisingly dark whisky packs lots of…
Virgin America will be offering Le Tourment Vert absinthe for sale and consumption at 30,000 feet, starting in May. Via Boing Boing: Incidentally, Virgin America (which today started service to/from Orange County) is also expanding the number of craft in its fleet that offer in-flight WiFi. Absinthe + internet + idle time? Can’t wait to…
This new California vodka is distilled from (unspecified) American grains and distilled four times, and distiller (and inventor — he also created a battery-powered sticky note dispenser) Maurice Kanbar says he goes to great lengths to filter out hangover-causing congeners. Blue Angel, he says, contains less than 0.01 grams of congeners or fusel oils per…
I really enjoyed Glenfarclas‘s 21- and 25-year Scotches at last year’s WhiskyFest, and had the opportunity to sample Glenfarclas 105 Cask Strength — a somewhat more commonly found whisky — last night. First, understand that the 105 actually refers to the old British proof system: Glenfarclas 105 is actually 60 percent alcohol by volume, or…
Not exactly a Johnny-come-lately in the rum world, Gosling’s is a brand that’s been around for over 150 years. 151 to be exact (hmmmmm)…. Here’s a long-overdue look at two of Gosling’s most popular and commonly-available blends. Both are sourced in Bermuda and bottled at 80 proof. Gosling’s Black Seal Black Rum Review This is…
Marti is best known for a flavored, green-tinted “Mojito” rum that’s available reasonably widely across the country. (The company also has a coconut-flavored rum too, which I’ve never seen for sale.) This is Marti’s first non-flavored product, a traditional aged rum (sans official age statement), which the company labels as “Cuban-style, ultra premium rum.” It…
When last I covered the high-test world of pineapple-flavored vodkas, I declared Skyy my new favorite, and a clear winner over the old bottle of Van Gogh Pineapple I had on hand. Van Gogh cried foul, suggesting that I try a fresh bottle of Van Gogh Pineapple so I could put the two head for…
A Double Gold winner at this year’s San Francisco International Spirits Competition, Bache-Gabrielsen’s XO is a relative newcomer to the Cognac world, launched officially only in 1996, a wee babe in this rarefied industry. Blended from 72 percent Grande Champagne grapes and 28 percent Petite Champagne, then aged for about 20 years, this is a…