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 sun-and-cloud logo and baby blue color scheme, what would you expect from the 80-proof Cirrus Vodka? Something light, summery, perhaps partly cloudy even. Well you can’t judge a book by its cover nor a vodka by its bottle: Cirrus is serious stuff, heavy duty vodka that, if I didn’t know it was from…
Another entry into the organic spirits universe, Rain (a product of Kentucky’s Buffalo Trace Distillery) is a widely available vodka that few will have trouble finding on store shelves. Pull that eye-catching blue stopper from the raindrop-shaped bottle and a sweet, perfumy aroma fills the air. Rain’s odor gave me much promise, but the taste…
Cinco de Mayo is holiday time… oh, wait, we’ve covered that already. Let’s get right to the review, then. Don Julio’s Añejo tequila is top shelf stuff. This aged spirit has an immediate kick of vanilla, butterscotch, and Christmas spices, with a good, mellowed agave flavor that seeps into all of it. The wood is…
Today is Derby day, and while I’m leaning towards bets on Big Brown, Pyro, and Court Vision in Kentucky’s Run for the Roses, I’m more preoccupied with preparations for Mint Juleps, which are one of the few hard liquor beverages (aside from breakfast junk like Bloody Marys and Mimosas) that are acceptable to drink before…
Ginger is one of the hottest flavors in cocktails right now, and it’s only fitting that someone has put the essence of ginger into a liqueur. Domaine de Canton is the real deal: Baby ginger steeped in cognac, bottled at 56 proof, and coming together as a spicy and flavorful monster of a liqueur that…
Mexico’s answer to Amaretto (and no, I didn’t know there was a challenge that needed answering either) is Almendrado, a tequila-based liqueur flavored strongly with almonds and bottled at 60 proof. Reserva del Señor Almendrado Review If you’re the type of person who can handle Amaretto on the rocks after dinner, you’ll have no trouble…
More proof to my theory that grapes make the best base for vodka arrives in the form of Swan’s Neck Vodka, an artisan spirit from French grapes distilled in copper pots and named for part of the alembic still used to make it. Swan’s Neck is a very sedate vodka, smooth and silky, offering flavors…
It’s easy to see why Grey Goose has become one of the most successful new liquor brands in recent years. This is a fantastic vodka, smooth and lightly sweet, with a nutty nose and aftertaste that works well in cocktails and adds an interesting complexity when served straight. Grey Goose is very mild, quite neutral…
Once again, it’s dessert drink time at Drinkhacker. This one’s inspired by the eponymous cookie. Nilla Wafer 1 1/2 oz. vodka 1/2 oz. white chocolate liqueur (I use Godiva White) 1/2 oz. Navan vanilla liqueur 1/4 oz. Damiana liqueur (a Mexican herbal liqueur) Shake with ice in a cocktail shaker and strain into a cocktail…
Yeah, you read that right: Vodka, sparkling. The idea of carbonated vodka is either genius or stupid. I mean, you can pour your vodka into a little soda and it’s got plenty of carbonation right there, doesn’t it? Well, maybe you don’t want soda… maybe you just want sparkling vodka. Great idea! I think. Those…