Cocktail of the week: Black Cherry Mule

• This is the latest entry in an every-Saturday feature. To provide it, I comb through all sorts of sources -- my own archives, bar books, readers' suggestions, distillers' ideas -- even press releases from breathless PR people seeking to get their clients' products mentioned. If you have a favorite recipe to share, don't hesitate to send it along.

Looking for something a little out of the ordinary? Something refreshing, but with a bit of a kick? Then you'll probably enjoy the Black Cherry Mule.

Ingredients:

2 ounces Belvedere vodka 

6 fresh cherries 

Dash of simple syrup 

Dash of fresh lime juice 

Dash of Peychaud bitters

Muddle all ingredients thoroughly. Then, shake and strain into a highball glass filled with fresh ice. Top with a float of ginger beer and garnish with a while fresh cherry. 

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Spirited art for the people

The Russian artist Yuri Gorbachev has been honored by having his work displayed in the Louvre in Paris and the White House in Washington, DC. However, his latest project is a bit more plebian.

Stolichnaya recently released a series of limited edition bottles of its vodka at Gatwick and Heathrow airports in London. The artwork was designed by Gorbachev.

He said of the design “It incorporates the four elements -- earth, air, water and fire -- that join together to make Stoli one of the world’s most distinctive vodkas. Earth and water feed the grain, which gains strength from the clean air, while fire represents the passionate spirit of Stoli.”

Vicki Gilmour of Blackjack Promotions, the agency handling the product rollout, said, said: "Our staff commented on receiving great feedback from the many passengers who sampled the cocktails, and if this wasn’t proof enough the ... bottles sold above target for the first month."

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Buffalo Trace Antique Collection due out

Buffalo Trace Distillery has announced the release this month of its 2011 Antique Collection, featuring five limited-release whiskeys of various ages, recipes and proofs.

The collection:

• Sazerac Rye 18 Year Old
• Eagle Rare 17 Year Old
• George T. Stagg
• William Larue Weller
• Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye

The Antique Collection, introduced more than a decade ago, will be available in limited quantities starting in late September. Suggested retail price is $70 eachBuffalo Trace Distillery is a family-owned company in Frankfort, KY.

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Cornwall's first single malt in 300 years

• From Harpers Wine and Spirits Trade Reviews

CORNWALL, England -- Two Cornish drinks producers have teamed up to create what they claim is the first whiskey to be produced in Cornwall in over 300 years and the oldest whiskey to be launched in England for more than a century.

The limited edition Hicks & Healey Cornish Single Malt 7 Year Old Whiskey is the brainchild of St. Austell Brewery and Healey's Cyder Farm.

Made with Maris Otter barley grown in Trerulefoot, southeast Cornwall, and spring water, the wash was mixed at St. Austell Brewery's traditional Victorian brewhouse, before being transferred to Healey's Farm and passed through a double distillation in a traditional copper pot still. The best cut was then collected and filled into American bourbon charred casks.

"It's taken 300 years to craft Cornwall's first premium whiskey and seven years to age it," said David Healey from Healey's Cyder Farm. "In Cornwall we like to take our time in order to get things right -- and it's well worth the wait."

"We are all delighted with the results which help consolidate Cornwall's position as a leader in the UK drinks sector," added James Staughton, St. Austell Brewery's managing director and great-great grandson of the brewery's founder Walter Hicks.

The whiskey has been bottled unfiltered at a cask strength of 61.3% abv. It is available in 50cl bottles in a wooden presentation box with two glasses, priced at £150 (US$243).

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Final days for whiskey book discount

My new book, "Barrels & Drams: The History of Whisk(e)y In Jiggers and Shots," will officially be released on September 6.

The retail price then will be $18.95, but you can get a hefty 33% pre-release discount from Amazon.com by going here.

It is a collection I co-wrote and edited with essays from numerous writers famous in the field, from F. Paul Pacult to David Wondrich to Tom Wolfe.

You'll discover the spread of whiskey throughout the world and how it helped build countries. Read profiles of some of the most famous giants of the industry as Jack Daniel, George Smith and the Beam family.

Plus, go behind the scenes of Prohibition to check out the legendary gangsters, small-time rumrunners, a famous NASCAR champion who made his mark as a moonshine runner. And, you'll get insiders' looks at legitimate whiskey-making in such diverse spots as Scotland, Ireland, the U.S., South Africa, India and Japan.

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Perfect weekend for a Hurricane Cocktail

One of the most enduring fruity, summertime adult drink is the Hurricane Cocktail, also a favorite during Mardi Gras in New Orleans.

And, what better weekend for it than this one, what with Hurricane Irene creating concern and damage all along the Eastern Seaboard.

As with so many drinks, the precise recipe is argued, with regional preferences abounding In that spirit, I'm offering several variations.

NEW ORLEANS CLASSIC

Yields 10 drinks

10 ounces white rum
10 ounces Jamaican Dark rum
10 ounces Bacardi 151 rum
30 ounces orange juice
30 ounces pineapple juice
5 ounces grenadine syrup

Combine all ingredients and mix well in a chilled pitcher.Serve in large glasses over crushed ice with an orange slice as garnish.

O'BRIEN'S BAR VERSION

Yields 2 drinks

2 ounces light rum
2 ounces dark rum
2 ounces passion fruit juice
1 ounce orange juice
juice of a half a lime
1 tablespoon simple syrup
1 tablespoon grenadine
Orange slice and cherry for garnish

Squeeze juice from half a lime into shaker over ice. Pour the remaining ingredients into the cocktail shaker. Shake well. Strain into a hurricane glass (see shape above). Garnish with a cherry and an orange juice.

THE HURRICANE!

Yields 2 drinks

1 ounce vodka
¼ ounce grenadine syrup
1 ounce gin
1 ounce light rum
½ ounce 151 brand rum (dark añejo rum makes a good substitute)
1 ounce amaretto almond liqueur
1 ounce Triple Sec
grapefruit juice
pineapple juice

Pour all but the juices, in order listed, into a "hurricane" glass three-quarters filled with ice. Fill with equal parts of grapefruit and pineapple juice, and serve.

Note: Rum drinks are famous for a rum "float" on the top. A dark añejo rum such as Brugal makes a nice finishing touch.

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Absolut Orient Apple has 'secret' ingredient

Just when you think the variety of infused vodkas must have topped out, along comes another.

This one is Absolut Orient Apple, now available in some U.S. markets. Most tasting results say the fruit is evident more in the aroma than in the taste. That may be because rather than an apple, the "Orient Apple" on this infusion is more commonly known as the gently flavored Asian pear.

Absolut Orient Apple is available at a suggested retail price of $20.95 for the 750ml bottle.

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Cocktail of the Week: French 75

• This is the latest entry in an every-Saturday feature. To compile it, I'll be combing through all sorts of sources -- my own archives, old bar books, readers' suggestions, distillers' ideas -- even press releases from breathless PR people seeking to get their clients' products mentioned. If you have a favorite recipe to share, don't hesitate to send it along.

Mixologist Chris McMillian of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel's Library Lounge in New Orleans is known as a master of the classics.

This is one of his favorites, named after the famous French World War I artillery piece, the 75mm howitzer, also called a "French 75" ("Soixante Quinze" in French) and is a favorite New Orleans brunch drink.

Ingredients:

1½ ounces gin (preferably Bombay White Label)
1 ounce simple syrup
¾ ounce fresh lemon juice
Champagne

In a pint glass, pour gin, simple syrup and lemon juice. Mix with a shaker. Use a strainer to pour the mixture into a Champagne flute and slowly top off the glass with champagne. Give the drink a brief stir and garnish with a lemon spiral.

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Deep discount for new BARRELS & DRAMS whiskey anthology
by: williamdowd



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Drambuie issues limited Jacobite Collection

If you have $5,725 and are one of the first 150 people to get in line, you may be in luck.

The Scottish liqueur maker has launched the extremely-limited Jacobite Collction priced at £3,500 (US$5,725) per set. It features a hand-blown crystal decanter containing a blend of 45-year-old whiskies.

Each of the 150 sets in the Jacobite Collection -- named for a series of anti-English uprisings that took place between 1688 and 1746 -- is in a solid wood presentation box containing a hand-etched crystal replica of the Spottiswoode Amen glass and a large crystal decanter stopper.

It also comes with a letter-pressed, hand-bound 32-page leather booklet written by whisky author Ian Buxton. It details the history of both Drambuie and the Jacobite Rebellion.

Incidentally, if you're interested in how the Jacobite uprising is treated in Scotland, go here to read my report about the updated battlefield at Culodden that effectively ended the action.

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An interstate earthquake chat

From the National Hurricane Center.

I'm among the apparently very few here in Upstate New York who felt nothing during Tuesday's earthquake. Perhaps that is a result of my famously brilliant balance, or my equally famous unawareness of what goes on around me.

Anyway, I was in the midst of an e-chat with Paul McCann, owner/distiller of Parched Group in Richmond, VA, where he makes the exquisite craft vodka named Cirrus.

It was Paul who alerted me to what was going on. Here's a bit of the back-and-forth. Obviously, there were time gaps between the messages.

PAUL: Cirrus just launched in GA and will be launching in MD Oct 1.

BILL: That's good news. Best wishes.

PAUL: We just had an earthquake. No damage.

BILL (obviously oblivious): Seriously?

PAUL: Yep, 6.0.

BILL: Any damage to your facility? (Apparently the shock waves radiated all the way up here, but I never felt it. Living atop a mountain helps, I guess.)

PAUL: No damage here fortunately. This building was constructed in '46. They don't build 'em like this anymore. I was a little worried about the old smoke stack that is 200 ft tall but I don't see any problems. If there are maybe the hurricane will blow it over; hopefully sway from my building...

As noted, the next East Coast worry is the progress of Hurricane Irene, now gathering strength in the Caribbean.

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Glenmorangie names new president

Paul Skipworth

EDINBURGH, Scotland -- After a 14-year run as president and marketing director of the Glenmorangie Company, Paul Neep is moving to the non-executive chairman slot. He is being succeeded by Paul Skipworth.

The distiller, owned by French luxury goods giant Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy, produces Glenmorangie Single Highland malt whisky and Ardbeg Single Islay malt. It left the blended whisky field in 2009.

Skipworth will be charged with charting the company's further efforts to increase market share. Last year, Glenmorangie opened a new bottling facility at the Alba Campus in Livingston, Scotland

The plant was built to allow for an increase in production to meet future demand for premium single malt whisky in such markets such as Asia, Europe and the U.S.

"Going forward, we are planning further investment in advertising and promotions to build our brands in key markets," Skipworth said. "We will continue to benefit from the strong global distribution network of Moet Hennessy."

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Cocktail of the Week: Triple Orange Margarita

• This is the latest entry in an every-Saturday feature. To compile it, I'll be combing through all sorts of sources -- my own archives, old bar books, readers' suggestions, distillers' ideas -- even press releases from breathless PR people seeking to get their clients' products mentioned. If you have a favorite recipe to share, don't hesitate to send it along.

Ronaldo P. Colli, mixologist at the Americano restaurant in San Francisco, was asked by the makers of Gran Gala Triple Orange Liqueur to come up with a seasonal margarita showcasing their product. He came up with an excellent one, and here it is.

INGREDIENTS:

1½ ounces ultra premium tequila
¾ ounce Gran Gala Triple Orange
1 ounce orange juice, freshly squeezed
½ ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed
¼ ounce agave nectar
1 lime wheel
1 orange peel

Pour Gran Gala, tequila, orange juice, lime juice, agave nectar and orange peel into a shaker with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a chilled glass filled with ice. Strain into a chilled margarita glass if you prefer your margarita up. Garnish with a lime wheel and the same orange peel on top of the cocktail. Salted rim is traditional, but optional.

(Agave nectar is a natural sweetener. Adjust according to desired sweetness. Available at gourmet stores or from online retailers.)

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Isle of Skye 12 coming to U.S.

ISLE OF SKYE, Scotland -- In just a few weeks, Isle of Skye 12 Blended Scotch Whisky will be available in the U.S. for the first time.

Ian Macleod Distillers, owner of the brand, announced today it is attempting to follow up on satisfactory sales of its 8-year-old expression that was introduced to the U.S. market in 2009.

The noted whisky expert and judge Jim Murray describes Isle of Skye as "an absolute must for any Islay-philes out there -- in fact, a must for everybody. Your taste buds are beaten up and caressed simultaneously. One of the most enormous yet brilliantly balanced whiskies in the world."

Isle of Skye 12 Year Old will carry a suggested retail price of $38.99 for the 750ml bottle from mid-September.

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2nd release in Taylor collection unveiled

FRANKFORT, KY -- Buffalo Trace Distillery today announced the second release in its Colonel Edmund Haynes Taylor Jr. collection.

The E.H. Taylor Jr. Single Barrel Bourbon was aged for 11 years, 7 months in the warehouse Taylor built in 1881. It bottled at 100 proof (50% alcohol by volume).

It joins the Old Fashioned Sour Mash Bourbon Buffalo Trace released earlier this year that began a line to be released one-by-one over the next few years. The vintage label and canister are reminiscent of Taylor’s bottles nearly one hundred years ago.

Taylor was a great-nephew of President Zachary Taylor. He was mayor of Frankfort, and a member of both the Kentucky General Assembly and State Senate. He is recognized as one of the pioneers of the bourbon industry.

The E.H. Taylor, Jr. Single Barrel will be available at a suggested retail price of $59.99 per 750ml bottle.

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Washington gets state's first potato vodka

SNOHOMISH, WA -- Many craft disillers are making their own vodkas, but most use a grain mixture. The ​Skip Rock Distillery is taking a different path, producing the state's first potato vodka.

Skip Rock, founded 13 months ago, is owned and run by Ryan and Julie Hembree, who are not reluctant to let people know their undertaking is "a homebrewing hobby gone wild."

Ryan, a former agriculture coordinator for Snohomish County, has a formal education in winemaking. The couple pair spent a week in Louisville, KY, several years ago to study distillation techniques at Woodford Reserve.

The majority of Skip Rock's potatoes are grown in the state's Skagit Valley. The distillers use a 75%-25% mix of Yukon Gold and red potatoes.

In addition to running his own facility, Ryan does much of the distilling for Mac Donald Distillery. The two distilleries share a tasting room at 104 Avenue C in Snohomish. Phone: (360) 862-0272.

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Acid spill shuts Scottish distillery

X marks site of affected distillery.

LEVENMOUTH, Fife, Scotland -- A Diageo distillery that makes whiskey for some major brands was hit by a major chemical spill today.

Workers were safely evacuated by firefighters called to the Cameronbridge Distillery after thousands of liters of nitric acid spilled from a container. Some of it mixed with water, releasing dangerous gases into an outer safety tank called a bund.

There has been no word on how much of an effect the problem will have on the production flow of spirits.

The plant creates the base grain spirit used in such brands as Johnnie Walker, J&B, Bell’s, Black and White, Haig and White Horse. It also makes the grain-neutral spirit for Archers, Pimm’s, Smirnoff, Tanqueray and Gordon’s Gin.

Officials said thousands of liters of 60% nitric acid solution leaked from a 28,000-liter container. Nitric acid is a colorless, corrosive liquid which can cause severe burns. It is a common element used in plant disinfecting.

Site manager Jim McCowen said from the scene, "One of the process tanks has sprung a leak and it’s collected in the bund. Because the bund had a small amount of water in it, the acid has reacted and released a gas. It’s been contained in that tank, but until the specialist contractor gets here, the fire service is here to monitor the situation."

A Diageo spokesman later said, "No one has been injured and the spillage is being contained safely, with no environmental impact."

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Bols introduces alcoholic foams

By now, the idea of a foam component on dishes served at avant garde restaurants is commonplace. But, the Dutch liqueur maker Bols has come up with the first alcoholic foam.

The molecular mixology product is designed to be used with cocktails, sparkling wine, sodas, coffees and desserts.

Foam Bols is created using a special pump and a patented ingredient. The foam, which holds up for about 15 minutes. is available in six flavors: banana, blue, crème de cassis, amaretto, peppermint and white cacao.

Rob Rademaker of the Bols Bartending Academy, says, "Bols is the first company in the world to introduce instant foam from the bottle. We’re excited to see how it will be received in the bartending community and among consumers."

Foam Bols was launched in London, and is expected to be made available internationally within the next year.

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Celebri-quote: Daniel Craig

• Daniel Craig may be a star in his own right. but when he met the legendary Harrison Ford before they began filming "Cowboys & Aliens," he felt intimidated, as he revealed in an interview with Esquire magazine.

"You rarely get these opportunities to actually speak to people you admire. I think it's human nature to get a bit nervous around people like that, but certainly a coupe of large malt whiskies helped loosen my tongue.

"I was very open about how much he's influenced me. He's Harrison Ford, you know? He knows how to ride a horse, shoot a gun, build a house, fly a helicopter. But he's also very funny, very dry. Thank God. Could have gone either way, I suppose."

[Go here for more Celebri-quotes.]

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Heaven on a stick for $1,000

• This is an installment of "Gotta Have ...", my ongoing series of occasional postings on unusual spirits products.

In this time of global fiscal uncertainty some people might think it decadent, perhaps indecent, to spend $1,000 on a popsicle.

I agree. It is ridiculous, wasteful, condescending, unfeeling .. and I want one.

This tidbit, available only at the swanky Marquis Los Cabos Resort in Mexico, is made from Tequilas Premium Clas Azul Ultra ($1,500 a bottle) laced with 24-carat gold flakes. Mmmmm. Chilly and shiny.

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