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).
For lack of a better name… The Lemblu 8 blueberries 1 oz. vodka 1 oz. Passion Fruit vodka 1/2 oz. Maraschino liqueur 1/2 oz. Chambord 1/4 oz. Damiana lemonade Muddle blueberries in a tall glass. Add next five ingredients and stir. Add ice, then top up with lemonade and stir again. Very refreshing little drink,…
Honey- and whiskey-based liqueuers are nothing new. Drambuie, of course, is the classic by which others are measured. There’s also another honey+Scotch spirit called Lochan Ora, and one from Macallan called Amber (which is actually flavored with maple syrup instead of honey). American Honey is the first American version of this spirit that I’ve seen:…
Like you, when I think “vodka,” I immediately think “Minnesota.” Wait, what? Shocking, but it’s true: One of the best vodkas going right now is from the Land of 10,000 Lakes, right here in the U. S. of A. Strange, sure, but like Tito and Boomerang have proven, good vodka need not come from frozen,…
Proof that you can turn just about any ingredient into a cocktail: The folks at Grey Poupon (yes, that Grey Poupon) have come up with a quintet of mustard-based cocktails. While Monday morning may be a little too early for a concoction of honey mustard, pomegranate juice, and gin, maybe when I get really adventurous…
The four Cognacs reviewed below represent $1,150 worth of booze (in 750ml bottle formats)… and compared to the latest entry in Delamain’s collection, that’s pretty much nothing. Delamain’s latest — Le Voyage — costs $7,000 a bottle, which includes a Baccarat decanter and leather “traveling box.” We tasted it after this review was finalized.…
Any vodka named after a lovable TV butler can’t be bad. Alas, Belvedere, a Polish vodka distilled from rye and one of the older guards of the super-premium vodka space, isn’t entirely the hit that its namesake (OK, not really) was. There’s strong vanilla on the nose of the 80-proof spirit, but the taste is…
Finishing up my last day of a long trip to the California wine country (full report to follow later this week), but this came across the wire today and it was too good not to post: “ABSOLUT Vodka Puts a Spotlight on Los Angeles with New Limited-Edition, City-Inspired Flavor” Absolut New Orleans debuted last year,…
This new kid on the U.S. market arrived on our shores only a month ago: La Fée Absinthe Parisienne was the first absinthe to be commercially produced (starting in 1998) since the country’s ban of the spirit in 1915. Absinthe purists will appreciate its grand wormwood base, but the bright green color (yep, that’s the…
The crazy paper-and-metal-holding-ring label system doesn’t make Basil Hayden’s taste any better, but it does at lease make for a nice conversation piece. The thing looks like it belongs in an Old West saloon, but Basil Hayden is a far cry from rotgut firewater. This is classy, easygoing bourbon, pure and simple. Basil Hayden’s is…
With its squat bottle reminiscent of those they sell iced tea in and an almost gaudy black-and-gold label (yeah, that’s a golden potato instead of an O), Karlsson’s Gold Vodka won’t be easily missed in a sea of etched-label, oversized bottles of the stuff. But Karlsson’s isn’t bottom-shelf swill. Created by Börje Karlsson, the “Father…