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).
With its black label and silver cap, Absolut 100 is an ominous spirit to face down, which probably explains why it’s been sitting on my kitchen counter for three weeks: It scares me. Absolut 100 Vodka Review 100 proof of pure vodka, this is a higher-test version of the Absolut that everyone knows so well.…
I was lucky to get my hands on a bottle of Ardmore’s new single malt, Highland Scotch release, Traditional Cask, which has arrived on our shores with just 3,000 cases available. Non-chill filtered and produced in the Speyside region, it marks Ardmore’s first single malt to be made generally available in the U.S. (The company…
Did you know: Skyy is the #4 vodka brand in the U.S.? I always thought Skyy was a west coast thing (they’re based here in S.F.), but I guess they’re really a powerhouse in the biz. With products like this one, it’s easy to see why. Passion fruit, as flavors go, is invariably a big…
Even old New York was once New Amsterdam. However, New Amsterdam gin is made in good old Modesto, California (not Constantinople). It’s also a surprising twist on gin as you might know it now. Why they changed it, I can’t say. Maybe they like it better that way. OK, enough tomfoolery. New Amsterdam has the…
I find that tequila creates the strongest difference of opinion of any straight spirit. While people tend to agree on what makes a good gin, a good vodka, or even a good bourbon, when it comes to tequila, opinions on a given bottle tend to fall all over the map. One case in point is…
Rum is just about the only spirit I don’t regularly drink straight (some superpremium dark rums excepted), but it’s also the one that makes for some of the most delicious cocktails. Funny, eh? Sergeant Classick is one of the only rums that claims to come from the state of Hawaii, as it’s made from molasses…
In the pantheon of fruit, blackberry’s a pretty uncommon flavor, relegated to the wasteland somewhere between blueberry and plum. Is it a little odd then that Stoli’s latest infused creation used blackberry for its sweetness? Not at all, as it adds a unique spin to summer cocktails that you’re unlikely to get anywhere else. As…
Good lord, has anyone needed more of a kick out of their tequila? If good old 80 proof doesn’t cut it for you, run, don’t walk, to grab a flask of 1800 Select Silver. At 100 proof, it’s got a bonus kick to it, while still being true to the spirit of blanco tequilas. 1800…
Club drinks are a mixed bag, but in a canon that includes some awfully weak entries, X-Rated is possibly the best thing going. At 34 proof, it’s light enough to go down easy on its own. Almost too easy, really. It’s sweet, light, full of fruit, and so hot pink you’ll think you were drinking…
On paper, Mascarade sounds pretty interesting, as fruity mixers go, I mean: Peaches and apricots from France, Armagnac, and vodka. Not sure about mixing Armagnac and vodka but, sure, maybe this is just the upscale alternative to Southern Comfort that the market needed. I wish it was so. Mascarade just didn’t work for me. On…