There’s an easy way to separate the bourbon geeks from the newbies. Just ask this simple question: “So, what do you think about Wild Turkey?” The neophytes might be quick to say, “Ha. That was my go-to shot in college!” But the connoisseurs will perk right up. In fact, many will say it’s their absolute favorite distillery. That’s because the geeks know Wild Turkey offers something few other American whiskey producers can: an incredible history mixed with remarkable products at an undeniable value. Need to know what’s what? Here, seven reasons every true bourbon lover always has a bottle (if not several!) of Wild Turkey on their bar. 1. PedigreeWith so many emerging whiskey brands arriving in the last decade, Wild Turkey loyalists are happy to not only know the legacy of the brand, but that the same guys are still making it. Some 66 years ago, 19-year-old Jimmy Russell started working at the distillery in Lawrenceburg, Ky., eventually ascending to master distiller. Today, at age 86, the lovable “Bourbon Buddha,” along with his son, co-master distiller Eddie Russell, are still making Wild Turkey the way they always have. 2. PriceIn a world where so many brands have taken advantage of the current bourbon boom by “premiumizing” their longtime flagship products — adding fancier corks, more expensive bottles, higher price points — Wild Turkey has always let the liquid inside do the talking. Wild Turkey 101 is extremely affordable, always has been, and always will be. And despite the immense, international love for its bourbon, Wild Turkey hasn’t tried to manufacture hype by allocating the product; it’s always there on the shelf, and always reliable in taste. 3. Flavor profileJust as time costs money, aging does, too. Many less expensive bourbons can feel immature and, thus, a little unfinished, that’s hardly the case with Wild Turkey 101. While it lacks an age statement, most barrels in the blend are in the six-to-eight-year range. In an era of bourbon shortages, that’s nothing to sneeze at. More importantly, it makes for a complex and well-rounded whiskey, with notes of caramel, toffee, vanilla, old leather, coffee, baking spices, and even nuts and berries. 4. VersatilityYou have your “sipping whiskeys” — those too expensive to enjoy any other way — and then your “mixing whiskeys,” those that need to be covered up to be more palatable. Wild Turkey 101 shines because it works any way you want to enjoy it. Because of its price, it’s not sacrilegious to deploy it in a basic bourbon and Coke but it also holds up in cocktails like the Old Fashioned and Manhattan. That said, it’s perfect on the rocks and it offers enough complexity and maturity for neat-sipping, too. 5. ProofSo many bourbon brands today offer their economy shoppers the bare minimum, i.e., an 80-proof spirit, the lowest legal level. Not so in the case of Wild Turkey. Bottled-in-bond bourbon has long been the standard of excellence — at least four years old, exactly 100 proof — but Wild Turkey does one point in proof better and tacks on several years of age. In fact, the “101” is so iconic that no other brand would dare mimic it. That number is now off limits. 6. Rye, tooWhen rye, too, saw extreme demand over the last decade, many bourbon brands weren’t prepared, having scrapped their rye programs in the 1980s and ’90s when no one was drinking it. Luckily, that was not the case at Wild Turkey, which has continuously distilled rye whiskey since the 1970s. It is also available as a “101,” the barrel’s deeper alligator char unlocking intense flavors of rye with bursts of spice like cinnamon, anise, and mint. It is equally stellar in cocktails. 7. The higher-endOf course, Wild Turkey is well aware of the current bourbon zeitgeist and has recently taken to releasing more top-shelf offerings. There’s Rare Breed, a barrel-proof mingling of well-aged whiskeys. There’s also Kentucky Spirit and Russell’s Reserve, both of which represent Wild Turkey in single-barrel form. Since 2015 the brand has had the Master’s Keep line, a yearly series of one-of-a-kind bourbons and ryes in handsome glass decanters and lavish presentation boxes. So far the series has seen a 17-year-old bourbon with a designated bottled-in-bond certification (Master’s Keep Bottled In Bond), a blend of 10- and 20-year-old bourbons (Master’s Keep Decades), an oloroso sherry-finished bourbon (Master’s Keep Revival), and even a rye release (Master’s Keep Cornerstone Rye). Not surprisingly, all are outstanding. This article is sponsored by Wild Turkey Bourbon. The article 7 Reasons Whiskey Geeks Always Have a Bottle Of Wild Turkey on Their Shelf appeared first on VinePair. Via https://vinepair.com/articles/7-reasons-whiskey-geeks-always-have-a-bottle-of-wild-turkey/ Via https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/7-reasons-whiskey-geeks-always-have-a-bottle-of-wild-turkey-on-their-shelf
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If you’ve ever found yourself shopping for a wine-lover, you’ll know that it’s a lot harder than one might think. And with so many gifting options available, the last thing […] The post Wine Gift Ideas appeared first on Wine School of Philadelphia. Via https://www.vinology.com/wine-gift-ideas/ Via https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/wine-gift-ideas Visitors walking into the Four Roses visitor’s center in late August were welcomed by a Kentucky Bourbon Trail sign reading “stave 6 ft apart.” Clever, I think. Immediately upon entering the building, a greeter explains that the retail store is open but they’re not currently offering any tours or tastings. I nod in consent, and begin following the directional arrows on the floor to begin making my way through the shop, getting a first taste of the newly adapted Kentucky bourbon experience. Across the state, distilleries are taking differing approaches to operating during the pandemic: Some are closed to the public entirely; others have resumed most of their tour experiences, though with reduced capacities and mandatory masking; and others have opened but scaled back to a position somewhere in between those two extremes. Of course, for a brand such as Four Roses, which dates to 1888, the pandemic isn’t endangering its existence. But when a good chunk of a craft distillery’s revenue comes via tours and tastings, on-site dining and retail sales, and hosting large events, the current climate offers a harsher and trickier reality. The Many Pandemic Pivots of Bourbon DistilleriesAt Jeptha Creed Distillery in Shelbyville, noted for the use of bloody butcher corn, several months of public closure was a devastating scenario. “Having to lay off the front house staff was heartbreaking,” says Autumn Nethery, co-owner of the distillery and daughter of master distiller Joyce Nethery. “And it took some brainpower to open back up.” Distilleries in Kentucky were allowed to reopen under new protocols starting July 1. Jeptha Creed opted to keep its still house and production areas closed to visitors, while a tasting counter was nixed in favor of spaced-out pours offered at the larger main bar. The distillery also boasts an expansive outdoor area, ideal for attracting visitors who wished to remain in the open air. “We also tried to come up with something that we could do here that people couldn’t do anywhere else, and the barrel tasting was the answer to that,” Nethery says. Visitors can now book and make reservations in advance for a small group tasting in Jeptha Creed’s barrel barn, with rows of plush leather chairs positioned beside barrel racks, that eye-catching dark red corn in the fields within view from the open barn door. “We’ve been overwhelmed with the response from consumers,” Nethry says. Pandemic or not, people are still clamoring for their bourbon. And when they’re confident that distilleries are open and taking proper safety precautions, they’re coming out in droves. “Reopening was probably the most rewarding experience I’ve gone through in my life,” says Shane Best, who’s worked at Jeptha Creed as a guide for three years. “The first socializing I did [since the pandemic began] was with guests, and they were absolutely overjoyed that we were able to open.” Most distilleries are reporting that their visitors have been well behaved, eager to participate safely and follow protocols. “Nobody has given us any pushback, and we’ve been booked up,” says Trey Zoeller, founder of Jefferson’s Bourbon, now operating from Kentucky Artisan Distillery. They’ve reduced hours and capacity, and restricted certain areas of the tour. Zoeller was concerned about the health of his tour guides, several of whom are retirees, and wasn’t going to reopen until he felt the correct protocols were in place. Zoeller says that Jefferson’s was fortunate to be in a position where 90 percent of its sales are off-premise, though it’s not the way he envisioned the year going. “I had big aspirations to move that needle more towards on-premise this year, but we’ve been in a great position,” he says. At Willett Distillery in Bardstown, visitors are still welcomed, though no tours are being offered. The experience has been replaced with a tasting and Q&A session that’s limited to a small handful of guests at a time. “We have to stick to our safety protocols, and cannot expose our work family and our operations to any unnecessary risk,” explains Britt Chavanne, who manages the distillery’s day-to-day operations. “We are all about commingling our barrels but not our buildings at this time!” Distanced outdoor seating is available at The Bar at Willett, which for many guests is the main attraction to begin with, serving as the best way to taste through the cult-favorite distillery’s expansive range of single barrels. As of mid-September, the ever-changing collection touted 77 individual barrels to choose from. At Kentucky Peerless Distilling, a restarted legacy brand located in Louisville, being closed to the public was a setback. “We operate with a heavier dependence on our tours and retail firing away on all cylinders than other [distilleries] would,” says Hunter Cecil, who serves as a guide and handles direct sales for the distillery. Peerless was able to retain all of its staff throughout the shutdown, though, by keeping them busy with on-site maintenance tasks and other to-dos within the distillery. The shift in focus helped push forward a few long-term projects and bought the distillery time until reopening its facility was possible. “Now it’s great to be able to open again and we’re doing everything we can to be proper and safe,” Cecil says. Tours and tastings now have reduced capacities, and are offered fewer times per day, allowing for sanitization in between sessions. MB Roland Distillery, meanwhile, was thankful that it had a decade of business under its belt, according to Paul Tomaszewski, co-founder and distiller. Being an upstart that was forced to shutter for an extended period would have been untenable, he says, particularly given the distillery’s locale in the southwestern part of the state. “We got lucky in that way, and everything we’ve done up to this point, 10-plus years now, has enabled us in a pandemic to be in a position where we’re not dying,” Tomaszewski says. “Not to say that the visitation traffic isn’t good for us,” he adds. Even in Pembroke, a place known more for tobacco than bourbon, the distillery attracts 50,000 visitors in a typical year. Impressively, only a tiny fraction of that number comes from the hardcore bourbon tourists who blaze trails across central Kentucky. Other distilleries rely on their unique settings as a core component of how they’re able to reach consumers, making a shift to a virtual world all the more challenging. Such is the case with Castle & Key, located in Frankfort, amid the rolling hills and horse farms beyond Lexington. “We’re doing a lot of virtual, the Zoom calls and everything, but it’s really weird because the biggest component to us and our story is the grounds here, being able to see the size and scope of everything, and learn about its history,” explains Brett Connors, Castle & Key’s blender and brand ambassador. “We do it, but it’s hard to see what it really could be.” That’s what happens when you’ve rebuilt the literal castle that served as the Old Taylor Distillery in the late 1800s, spending years recreating a beautiful and historic 113-acre site. After production ceased in 1972, current owners Will Arvin and Wes Murry purchased the property in 2014, and opened it up to the public in 2018. The flip side of that is that now that guests are welcomed back, there’s a spacious outdoor setting available. “How do we [open back up] without limiting guest interaction and experience, if you take the time to drive out here to visit us?” Connors asks, adding, “I think we’ve found a lot of creative solutions.” The distillery’s summer concert series was canceled, along with a planned celebratory bash for the pending release of its first whiskey later this year. However, visitors today can stroll the grounds for free, and can order a drink from a walk-up counter to enjoy an outdoor gin and tonic or two. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution for successfully surviving and pivoting distillery operation during an ongoing pandemic, because there’s no one-size-fits-all distillery. But if anything is true in bourbon country, it’s that people are still thirsty for a drink, and they’re willing to mask up and “stave” six feet apart for the privilege. The article How Kentucky’s Craft Bourbon Distilleries Are Navigating the Pandemic appeared first on VinePair. Via https://vinepair.com/articles/kentucky-craft-bourbon-covid-19/ Via https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/how-kentuckys-craft-bourbon-distilleries-are-navigating-the-pandemic Baltimore’s Pimlico stadium has seen its share of equine greats: Seabiscuit; War Admiral; Secretariat. In 2011 and 2012, another type of four-legged celebrity graced the site of the annual Preakness Stakes race. The barrel-chested, shirtless centaur, with flowing shoulder-length hair and aviator sunglasses, exhorted racing fans in an indeterminate accent to “be legendary.” This was Kegasus, Lord of the InfieldFest. In 2009, after years of alcohol-fueled, out-of-control parties at the Pimlico infield threatened to sully the reputation of the Preakness, the Maryland Jockey Club decided to ban outside beverages from the event. While the decision may have been good for the health and safety of Preakness attendees, it was bad for business — attendance at that year’s race dropped by nearly 25 percent. In need of a way to reinject some youthful appeal to an event held since 1873, the Jockey Club partnered with Washington, D.C.-based marketing agency Elevation Ltd. to correct the course. In 2011, the club debuted Kegasus, a “half-man, half-thoroughbred, party manimal” who starred in a series of advertisements that drew attention to both the upcoming InfieldFest’s all-you-can-drink “Mug Club,” and musical guests Bruno Mars and Train. Baltimore officials didn’t buy it. Maryland State Delegate Pat McDonough was “disgusted” with the campaign, saying, “Kegasus is infantile and creates a negative image.” University of Maryland media professor Jason Loviglio suggested that the mascot would encourage binge drinking. Baltimore Health Commissioner Dr. Oxiris Barbot decried Kegasus a symbol of “alcohol overindulgence that appeals to largely adolescent boys.” And in a press release headlined “Preakness mascot’s gut and nipple ring raise ire,” the Associated Press reported that the character’s catchphrase, “be legendary,” was a plain reference “to the infield’s reputation for hard partying.” Nevertheless, Kegasus persisted. John C. Bailey, the actor who portrayed Kegasus, honed the character in a series of promotional bar crawls that entailed dragging the 50-pound, wheeled horse-like costume around Baltimore for hours on end. It didn’t matter if the events occasionally got rowdy, he says, because “everyone in Baltimore” embraced Kegasus: “He was half-god, half-Baltimorean,” Bailey tells VinePair. “He was a local.” Bailey tells VinePair, “I was very protective of the character,” adding that any criticism that Kegasus was somehow cheapening the Preakness was misplaced. “He wasn’t there to represent the Preakness. He was there to represent the InfieldFest,” which Bailey considered a much more populist event than the dressed-up viewing parties in the grandstand. In the press leading up to the event, he offered such generous perspectives as: “[P]art of being legendary is being responsible,” he told The Paulick Report in 2017. “It is far from legendary to find oneself passed out in the middle of the track so that no one can see who wins the Preakness.” Despite — or perhaps because of — the negative attention, attendance at the Preakness rebounded. In character as Kegasus, Bailey says he was often credited by revelers as their deciding factor to attend. “A lot of people — and not just millennials, but older people, baby boomers, would tell me, ‘I would never have come to InfieldFest before,’ given its hard-partying reputation, ‘but [Kegasus] made it cool.’ ” Kegasus returned for the 2012 race, this time accompanied by a “half-unicorn” sidekick/assistant, Unicarl. The following year, the Maryland Jockey Club decided to put Kegasus out to pasture. (Maryland Jockey Club President Tom Chuckas told Business Journal that the InfieldFest’s extremely 2013 musical guests — Pitbull and Macklemore — would be enough to draw a crowd.) “At the time, I understood that they accomplished what they needed to accomplish,” Bailey says, noting that Kegasus helped “[shift] the demographic [of InfieldFest] from people who brought in trash cans full of beer,” to people who were just looking for some “goofy fun.” Meanwhile, Chuckas said simply that his organization had “never hidden the fact that they want young people to come to the infield and party. ” He later told the Washington Post, “Kegasus brought the spirit of fun and energy tailored towards a younger demographic,” making the 2011 event “one of the most successful InfieldFests in history.” Following his retirement, post-Kegasus Preakness attendance remained in the six-digits. With this year’s race rescheduled to October and attendance remaining in question, one can’t help but wonder whether the time will come for Kegasus to return from Mount Olympus. Summing up the “half-god, half-Baltimorean” centaur’s brief but memorable reign, Bailey was succinct: “If nothing else, he was entertaining.” The article How Kegasus the ‘Party Manimal’ Saved the Preakness appeared first on VinePair. Via https://vinepair.com/articles/kegasus-preakness-mascot/ Via https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/how-kegasus-the-party-manimal-saved-the-preakness The short answer is, yes. Just as cooking with wine or beer can add a depth of flavor and nuance to certain dishes, so, too, can cooking with bourbon. Plus, cooking with it means you can also enjoy a glass on the side as well. You can use bourbon in a variety of ways, and in tons of different recipes. Try bourbon in chili to add spice and complexity; in desserts such as brownies; or even my very own brisket recipe. (Yes, I know the recipe title says that it’s a red wine sauce, but if you read the directions, you’ll see it can easily sub in bourbon.) The options for incorporating bourbon into a dish, whether dinner or dessert, are endless. So, give cooking with bourbon a try, and don’t worry, the alcohol cooks off! The article Ask Adam: Can Cooking With Bourbon Actually Improve a Dish? appeared first on VinePair. Via https://vinepair.com/articles/cooking-with-bourbon/ Via https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/ask-adam-can-cooking-with-bourbon-actually-improve-a-dish Will wine go with couscous, baklava, or hummus? This guide will help you navigate some classic Middle Eastern food and wine that complements them. Wine Folly - Learn about wine. Via https://winefolly.com/wine-pairing/wine-and-hummus-9-delicious-wine-and-middle-eastern-pairings/ Via https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/wine-and-hummus-9-delicious-wine-and-middle-eastern-pairings At this point, everyone is looking to up the ante on their at-home bartending. There are plenty of small tweaks that can be borrowed from bartenders that will make a big impression, like replacing simple syrup with a more flavorful sweetener like Demerara sugar, honey, agave, or even one infused with herbs. Another great low-fuss move is to sw ap standard Angostura bitters for small batch ones. (Spiced cherry? Molé? Chicory Pecan?) But the savviest home cocktail hack is to just substitute your standard spirits with ones that are, as they say, “high proof.” Whiskey distillers, connoisseurs, and bartenders have long favored overproof bourbon for its complexity in flavor and its robust, almost oily mouthfeel. If so many cocktails seem designed to cover up the base spirit, when you use overproof bourbon in drinks like the Old Fashioned, Gold Rush, and Manhattan, you will never forget that you are having a “bourbon cocktail”. Bourbon comes off the still at around 125 proof (62.5 percent alcohol) — and, legally, never higher than 160 — before being proofed down, in other words, diluted with water and then put into barrels. In the summer, Kentucky rickhouses get extremely hot, evaporating the water from the casks. As the amount of liquid in the barrel decreases over time, the proof increases, with some bourbons eventually soaring past 140 proof. By the time most bourbon hits the market, it will have been proof-downed yet again after aging, often close to the legally lowest minimum of 80 proof. And then there’s “high proof,” or “overproof.” While it’s not a legally recognized term, most companies will consider these bold spirits to be anything over 100 proof. *Enter Wild Turkey 101 — yes, it’s 101 proof, an icon in the industry made the same way by the same man, master distiller Jimmy Russell, for over 65 years. Aged in deeply charred American oak barrels, it offers an intense spiciness that’s hard to find in lower-proof bourbons, with intense notes of cinnamon, pepper, and allspice, leading to a long finish. This flavor profile is perfect in an Old Fashioned, the quintessential bourbon cocktail that allows the spirit to shine like no other. Because a high proof bourbon, like Wild Turkey 101, has very little water added, it will contribute a richer, even chewier mouthfeel. Combining that with the sugar cube (or simple syrup, as the case may be) in an Old Fashioned will amplify the bourbon’s viscosity even more, making for a luscious sipping cocktail you can truly take your time with. Same goes for the Gold Rush, a modern classic invented around the turn of the 21st century that is basically a whiskey sour made with honey syrup. It’s bright on the nose and a little bit sweet on the palate, flexing its notes of vanilla and toffee. Here, overproof bourbon gives the drink a full-bodied, luxurious texture. Whereas citrus can sometimes overwhelm lighter bourbons, that’s not the case when you employ one like Wild Turkey Rare Breed, which clocks in at 116.8 proof. With the spiciness coming from both the oak barrel and the rye in the mashbill, you never have to worry that you’ve made a cocktail too sweet and cloying. Another great reason to use high proof bourbon is its ability to stand alongside other strong liqueurs and modifiers without being covered up. When it comes to a straightforward, three-ingredient drink like a Manhattan, everything has to be in balance. All too often, the sweet vermouth in a Manhattan tends to completely dilute what should be the star of the show. That won’t be the case if you employ something like Wild Turkey 101 bourbon, or even Wild Turkey 101 rye. As sweet vermouth can be a bit of a bully—aggressively fruity, very sugary, and even a little bitter—it needs something that can go toe-to-toe. Wild Turkey 101 is the perfect foil, elevating the vermouth’s baking spice and citrus notes, while cutting through the sweetness. The sweet vermouth in turn adds an extra depth to the high proof bourbon, bringing its rich vanilla and barrel character to the forefront. This symphony of flavors makes for a splendid postprandial drink or even nightcap. And that’s the key thing—opting for high proof bourbon will open a whole new world of cocktails by allowing you to use more intense liqueurs and modifiers in your drink-making, and swap in more flavorful sweeteners and bitters. Mostly, it will enable you to truly taste that bourbon in your cocktails–which is kinda the point. This article is sponsored by Wild Turkey Bourbon. The article High Proof Bourbon Is the Savviest Home Cocktail Hack appeared first on VinePair. Via https://vinepair.com/articles/high-proof-bourbon-is-the-savviest-home-cocktail-hack/ Via https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/high-proof-bourbon-is-the-savviest-home-cocktail-hack Binge-watching a favorite television show is a universal hobby, and that was true even before the pandemic. While we wouldn’t recommend binge drinking while doing so, pairing a can’t-miss series with a must-have drink is a natural combination. With moderation in mind, of course. As it happens, many of the best television shows of all time are also the booziest. We’ve seen everything cross our screens at this point, from iconic television bars to cartoon characters who would handily drink anyone under the table — and even entire drink revolutions spawned by popular shows. The Cosmo, anybody? Pull up your streaming service, find your favorite show below, and get ready to pop open a bottle or mix up some cocktails with these perfect TV-drink pairings. 15. ‘Succession’Viewers of “Succession” were likely introduced to the idea of “hyper-decanting” (read: blending, as in, with a blender) your wine prior to serving. But beyond that questionable idea, the show has plenty to offer. “We think ‘Succession’ is the best show television has seen in a long time — from the acting, script, and the epic music, it’s a winning combination,” says Joseph Mintz, co-founder with Amanda Victoria of Siponey canned cocktails. “Amanda is a huge fan of Scottish actor Brian Cox, who plays Logan Roy, and I would love to share a dram with Mr. Cox,” Mintz says. Not a bad idea, considering that Cox enjoys enduring internet fame for the video pronunciation guides for Scotch brands he made with Esquire. Pair with a hard-to-pronounce single-malt Scotch — only the best for the Roys! 14. ‘Dead to Me’The Liz Feldman-produced dark comedy has gone through two seasons thus far, with a third en route. And while many shows have unofficial drinking games, “Dead to Me” and Netflix posted an official one before Season 2 dropped this spring. Highlights include drinking twice if someone drinks on screen, or finishing your drink if “Karen almost ruins everything” (trust us, it happens). Wine is very much what’s being glugged on screen, though you’ll find a cast of characters willing to open a bottle of just about anything on this show. But for a pairing, go with a gluggable red or an orange wine, which gets name-dropped in the first episode of Season 2 by way of a sub-Reddit about menopause. 13. ‘BoJack Horseman’Everything you need to know about “BoJack Horseman” the show, and BoJack Horseman the, uh, horse man, can be summed up with a scene where he’s looking for a drink to forget his problems, gets served vodka, and taunts the bartender in response, “What is this, breakfast?” For Ben Rojo, brand ambassador for Don Papa Rum, such a scene encapsulates the show’s ethos. “’BoJack Horseman’ is my favorite show of all time! It’s such an honest and human depiction of depression, through the lens of a giant cartoon horse-person,” he says. For Rojo, the ongoing theme that setbacks are not the opposite of progress is a highlight, and one of the best reasons to watch. “The characters’ sublimation of trauma through substances is a little on the nose,” he says, “but there’s something oddly gratifying about watching Princess Carolyn down a bottle of ‘Catbernet’ after a rough day while sitting on your couch and doing the same.” “Catbernet” it is, though Cabernet will do in a pinch. Just don’t try to go drink-for-drink with BoJack. 12. ‘Entourage’“Entourage” was either the show you loved or the show you loved to hate. But either way, you probably watched. And the freewheeling, big-spending lifestyle certainly lends itself to some fun drink pairings. “So, with ‘Entourage,’ there’s one guy making all the money and a bunch of other people orbiting him and starting shenanigans; it’s like Seinfeld only everyone is super hot, and like all my favorite trash TV, it’s easy to get hooked whether you want to or not,” says Erica Long of Sourced Craft Cocktails. She suggests going just as big as the characters might. “Watching ‘Entourage’ screams an occasion to be a little over the top to me and that means bubbles,” Long says. “A bottle of Moët and a bottle of Dom because Vinnie Chase would never pick just one.” 11. ‘The Simpsons’“The Simpsons” doesn’t pull many punches with its social commentary, and the world of drinking is taken head on, too. Barney Gumble is the poster boy for a love of drink gone wrong, as is Duff for the ubiquitous big-brand beer that will sacrifice all for more profits. We’ve heard there are one or two scenes where Homer indulges in a few of the beers himself. Then there’s Moe Szyslak and his eponymous Moe’s, a neighborhood dive if there ever was one. Until, that is, the smash success of the Flaming Moe, a drink Moe stole from Homer. Duh duh duh. If you’re feeling fancy (and have a fire extinguisher handy, just in case) make a flaming cocktail and you’ll feel like you’re right there at Flaming Moe’s, too. Otherwise, channel your inner Duff with Schlitz or Natty Boh. 10. ‘Archer’If James Bond drank even more than he already does, followed even fewer rules, and generally caused even more mayhem, the result would be Archer, Sterling Archer. The title character of the show by the same name is famous for his one-liners, and none more so than, “All I’ve had today is, like, six gummy bears and some Scotch.” The man enjoys himself a drink or 12. In the show’s world, Glengoolie is Archer’s Scotch of choice, a drink known as being “for the best of times.” At other times, though, Archer lambastes the use of sour mix in a Margarita, and praises the virtues of the Bloody Mary, saying: “Forget the glass, Woodhouse, just give me the pitcher. For I am a sinner in the hands of an angry god. Bloody Mary, full of vodka, blessed are you among cocktails. Pray for me now, at the hour of my death, which I hope is soon.” You have plenty of options, clearly, for your drink of choice while watching. Of course, if you want the evening to be the best of times, Scotch is the way to go. 9. ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’Pull me a pint at Paddy’s Pub and I’ll be a happy man. Just don’t make me do any Charlie work for the privilege. “’It’s Always Sunny’ is the greatest show in general but drinking might help you get on the gang’s level a little easier,” says Nick Sadowski, distiller at Philadelphia Distilling. “The show comments on every hot topic in society, usually with some part of the gang taking one side and the other taking the other side.” The show is edgy, delving into controversial conversations that others might steer away from. What makes it work is that the characters have these un-P.C. conversations in a way that showcases their ignorance and obliviousness to the rest of society. “All the jokes are ultimately on them — with them or without them realizing it — and it’s the reason they’re still making the show 15 years later.” Sadowski says he doesn’t want you to overthink your pairings here. “Rip some shots and drink a Coors or Hamm’s, or whatever you can find, bud,” he suggests. “Eat some rum ham and a hard-boiled egg while you’re at it.” 8. ‘Game of Thrones’Raise your hand if you own an “I drink and I know things” T-shirt. There’s a few of you, at least. Meanwhile, in Westeros, the only thing more common than a dead royal is a dead royal who liked to drink too much. Siblings Tyrion and Cersei Lannister enjoyed more than their fair share, as did, of course, Robert Baratheon. But few characters didn’t imbibe heavily in the show, and who could blame them? Living in a world rife with betrayal and back stabbings, murders and coups, dragons and White Walkers and … yeah, that Dornish red looks pretty appetizing. With the popularity of the show and its penchant for booze, some official options for your pairing pleasure were made available, including partnerships with Ommegang beer and Johnnie Walker Scotch. When you don’t want to go corporate, though, just fill up a beer stein with the strongest suds you can find — all the better if you opt for an old-school barleywine or mead. 7. ‘Futurama’In the “Futurama” universe, robots must heartily consume alcohol as fuel, and the underpinnings of that metaphor are fairly clear. “Looking at Bender as a character representing the ‘working class everyman’ it’s easy to see why he’s literally fueled by alcohol,” says Sother Teague, beverage director of New York’s Amor y Amargo. “For him, it’s an absolute necessity to perform optimally. For us, it’s often a crutch to help cope with the things we either can’t change, disagree with, or don’t understand. Obviously this is an exaggerated characterization but one worthy of a little navel gazing.” Even so, there’s room for bartenders in the show. “It’s also comforting to think that the role of bartender is still a valuable member of future society as portrayed by iZac, a parody of the beloved ’70s era barman of TV’s ‘Love Boat,’” Teague says. He’s going everyman with his suggestions, too, calling for you to find your favorite lawnmower beer, or what he prefers to call hammock beer, more properly fitting how he’d partake. “And on the side, Jägermeister! Plus, there’s a scene where iZac pours Jäger.” 6. ‘Absolutely Fabulous’For Aubrey Slater, a bartender who’s worked at many New York bars over a 25-year career, British sitcom “Ab Fab” is the perfect call back to the neon-tinged ’90s, when “the economy was great, everyone had money to spend,” she says. “I was also a go-go dancer at Limelight and Palladium, and had a lot of friends in the vogue-ball houses. One of them introduced me to “Absolutely Fabulous”! Slater describes the characters as icons who epitomized the decade as independent businesswomen, who were also fashionistas and party girls. “They had a frosted glass double-door refrigerator constantly stocked with Veuve and Bollinger, and they drank Stoli Martinis like water,” she says. As a perfect pairing, Slater recommends the Stoli-Bolli, a tall glass of Stolichnaya on the rocks topped with the Bollinger Champagne, which was created on the show. 5. ‘Billions’In “Billions,” the only thing more important than having entirely way too much money is ensuring that the world knows it. Then there are a few subplots, like achieving those perfect moments of comeuppance, and planning new ways to screw over your rivals. Both Bobby Axelrod and his cohorts, as well as Chuck Rhoades, know their way around a bar. Most typically, a whiskey bar, stocked with absurdly expensive bottles like Michter’s Celebration, or highly touted imports such as Kavalan. By all means, feel free to join in with a bottle of either. Or, just grab your favorite special-occasion whiskey from the shelf and pour yourself a dram of that. 4. ‘Sex and The City’“Sex and the City” launched the Cosmopolitan to stratospheric heights, of course leading to its inevitable crash back to Earth. The Toby Cecchini-created drink is now often wrongly derided as a symbol of the darker years of cocktailing (when Appletinis and Long Island Iced Teas were the most interesting cocktails you could find). Of course, there’s more to it than that. “’Sex and the City’ is the ultimate grab-your-girlfriends, veg-out-on-the-couch, and finish- off-your-favorite-bottle-of-booze show,” says Effie Panagopoulos, founder of KLEOS Mastiha. “That show was directly responsible for a huge increase in Cointreau sales in the ’90s, since it was a love letter to the Cosmopolitan and the city it was created in, New York.” For a classic combo, pair a “SATC” viewing session with a Cosmopolitan. 3. ‘Mad Men’Ah, the good ol’ days of corporate life, when the two-Martini lunch wasn’t merely acceptable, but expected. From costume to set design, “what I loved most about ‘Mad Men’ was how incredibly detailed and on point every aspect of the show was,” says Alex Jump, head bartender at Death & Co Denver. “Of course, as a bartender, too, I appreciate how much attention they paid to the drinking trends and fads of the time, from how vodka was perceived, to Heineken’s role as a newer beer in the U.S. market.” The bottle of whiskey at the desk channels Don Draper better than anything, and points us to the best show drink pairing. “Of course, I mostly drank whiskey while watching the show, particularly American whiskey for me,” Jump says. “I wasn’t trying to keep up with the guys on ‘Mad Men’ though, so sometimes I’d even enjoy mine as a Highball rather than slammed back in one quick gulp.” A modern solution! 2. ‘Scandal’“Scandal’s” Olivia Pope, played by Kerry Washington, lives a very stressful life, putting out one political fire after another. And in times of need, wine is her friend indeed. Crystal Sykes, a cocktail and culture writer based in the San Francisco Bay Area, says she thinks about “Scandal” every time she writes a story with a personal element. “There’s no Black woman alive who hasn’t felt gutted by being a superwoman placed in the shadows,” she says. “So, whenever Olivia Pope, at the brink of mental and emotional collapse, took solace in a glass — or bottle — of Bordeaux, I could almost swear it was cascading down my own throat as she gulped it down. And so did my homegirls.” Sykes says that “Scandal” gave her friend group a reason to meet up on Thursday nights. “[We’d] drink wine and talk about how no matter how hard it may be to be a Black woman in today’s world, we’ll always be standing in the sun together,” Sykes says. A bottle of Bordeaux it is, then. 1. ‘Cheers’“Cheers” depicts the platonic ideal of the neighborhood bar, the local, the “third place.” Sometimes — and we cannot stress this enough — you really do want to go where everybody knows your name. “’Cheers’ is the ultimate drinking show because, well, it’s entirely set in a bar!” says Paul Hletko, founder of FEW Spirits. “It’s a caricature of bar tropes, sure, but the characters are all lovable but flawed, and, to a large extent, ‘Cheers’ was my first view into ‘bar life’ as a youngster unable to go to bars.” Surely, this is no time nor place for a craft cocktail. No sir. “I would drink old-school for ‘Cheers,’ with a shot of FEW Spirits Straight Bourbon Whiskey and a High Life,” Hletko says. Beer and a shot sounds about right. The article The 15 Best Drinks-Focused TV Shows — and What to Sip While Watching appeared first on VinePair. Via https://vinepair.com/articles/best-drinking-tv-shows/ Via https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/the-15-best-drinks-focused-tv-shows-and-what-to-sip-while-watching Who hasn’t dreamed of having a secret hideaway at work to escape from the usual monotony of Monday through Friday? Well, New York City officials discovered just that under Grand Central Terminal. According to Gothamist, the secret “man cave” was decked out with a flat screen TV and streaming device, workout equipment, a futon, air conditioner, and a fridge to store beer. The lair even contained specially designed cabinets to conceal the evidence. The makeshift lounge was first reported through an anonymous email tip-off in February 2019, alleging the room was being used for parties. An official report of the investigation uncovering the locked room was released Tuesday. The space was used to “hang out, get drunk and party,” MTA Inspector General Carolyn Pokorny says in the report. The secret room, located below Track 114, was hidden behind a locked door inside a larger storage room. Three MTA workers — a wireman, a carpenter foreman, and an electrical foreman — have been suspended without pay following the investigation, all of which denied their involvement. Fire officials and terminal managers claim they were unaware the space where the room was built existed. “Many a New Yorker has fantasized about kicking back with a cold beer in a prime piece of Manhattan real estate,” Pokorny says. “But few would have the chutzpah to commandeer a secret room beneath Grand Central Terminal and make it their very own man-cave, sustained with MTA resources, and maintained at our riders’ expense.” The article Secret ‘Man Cave’ Discovered Under Grand Central Terminal appeared first on VinePair. Via https://vinepair.com/booze-news/secret-man-cave-grand-central/ Via https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/secret-man-cave-discovered-under-grand-central-terminal Perhaps it’s time we rethink the term “bourbon barrels.” After all, the charred oak vessels that fill rickhouses in Kentucky and across the country can house bourbon only once by law. And aging bourbon is typically only the first, sometimes briefest, stop on an otherwise epic journey. Traditionally, that voyage has been one of international travel. Bourbon barrels have sailed the Atlantic to cradle some of the world’s other finest whiskeys in Scotland and Ireland. And they’ve headed south to warmer climes, where they guide the final flavor profile of añejo tequilas and Caribbean rums. And in recent years, we’ve seen an increasing trend of bourbon barrels ending up closer to home, in California wine country and at craft breweries nationwide. Nowadays, alcohol is only part of the equation. Bourbon-barrel aging has widened its influence across the gastronomic landscape, with products that run the gamut from savory seasonings to decadent dessert toppings. A glance at the category could draw skepticism — bourbon barrel-aged fish sauce? But speaking with producers reveals a commitment to craft that’s every bit as dedicated as that of the distillers who first filled the oak vessels with whiskey. Welcome to the new era of bourbon barrel-aged products. Adding Complexity to Savory SaucesKentucky-based Bourbon Barrel Foods offers nearly 100 different bourbon barrel-aged products, ranging from smoked salt, pepper, and spice blends to barrel-aged Worcestershire and soy sauces, maple syrup, and sorghum. It’s an impressive lineup, to say the least, but staggering when considering that the founder, former chef Matt Jamie, wrote his business plan in the early aughts with just one product in mind: Soy sauce. Looking for a way out of the kitchen, Jamie drew inspiration for the unlikely product from parallels between the soy sauce and bourbon industries — their shared processes (fermentation and aging) and rich heritages. If ever there was a moment to combine the two, it seemed like the perfect time. “I felt like I could ride the coattails of the success the bourbon industry was beginning to experience in 2006,” Jamie says. Since then, bourbon barrel-aged foods have evolved into their own diverse category. Demand for the once-free barrels has skyrocketed. There have been periods when prices hit $200 for used barrels, Jamie recalls, and even points when none could be sourced. Bourbon Barrel Foods also uses damaged staves from reconditioned barrels to smoke products such as its spice blends. Even those have seen modest price increases, Jamie says, jumping from 3 cents per pound to a quarter. Among its roster of sauces and seasonings, it’s the Bluegrass Soy Sauce that remains the brand’s most popular product. Microbrewed with non-GMO soybeans, each batch ages for one year in barrel before the contents are pressed and bottled. As a subtle nod to the bourbon industry, labels are hand-numbered by batch and bottle. Michigan-based BLiS Gourmet offers a similarly expansive line of barrel-aged food products. Founded by chef Steven Stallard in 2004, he started by experimenting with barrel-aged maple syrup. When Stallard realized that process only added to each barrel’s potential, he expanded his operation, filling the barrels with other liquids after they’d been tapped of the rich, unctuous syrup. He started a sherry vinegar solera, which is now in its 17th year. Like Bourbon Barrel Foods, BLiS also now ages soy sauce. But rather than brewing it from scratch, the company imports one-year-old sauce from Japan’s Yamato Soy, then rests it for a further 14 months in former maple barrels. Other used maple barrels are sent to breweries to age stouts. Their journey isn’t over there, though. When they return, the bourbon-turned-maple-turned-beer barrels house BLiS’s “Blast” hot sauce. After that, they’re filled with the company’s steak sauce. But the standout among BLiS’ lineup is surely its barrel-aged fish sauce, created in partnership with Vietnam’s Red Boat. “When we first did the barrel-aged fish sauce, it really floored a lot of people,” says Sarah Sherman, BLiS’s vice president of business development. “Friends took it to the Aspen Food and Wine Classic the year we brought it out and people were doing shots of it like whiskey. It’s so smooth.” The soy and fish sauces leave similarly lasting impressions on their barrels. If their potent flavor profiles weren’t enough to consign the vessels to history, then the corrosive salt content, which proves too much for the barrels’ metal rings, declares “last stop, end of the line.” Like BLiS and Bourbon Barrel Foods, Vermont’s Runamok Maple also offers bourbon barrel-aged maple syrups. Co-owner Laura Sorkin says aging syrup isn’t without its own sticky complications. The liquid’s 66 percent sugar concentration causes staves to contract, she explains. In five years of barrel aging, the company has yet to find a watertight solution. “We’ve tried wet towels on the barrels and soaking the barrel on the outside,” Sorkin says. “The best we’ve come up with so far is to put them in a humidified room where at least the outside of the barrel can stay moist.” Still, the 12-month aging period and slight leakage are worth it for the amber nectar within. “It’s just phenomenal — one of the best things you’ve ever tasted,” Sorkin says. Bourbon Barrel Flavors in CoffeeBourbon-barrel aging extends beyond kitchen pantry products. For North Carolina’s Brian and Lauren McCulloch, launching a barrel-aged coffee brand, Oak & Barrel, was the perfect way to turn their hobbies into a business. Brian was already a bourbon collector, and the couple’s passion for coffee had taken them to the point of roasting their own beans. They finally committed to launching their brand after looking at the drinks space, and seeing craft brewers age stouts in former whiskey barrels. “My thoughts was, ‘If they’re able to combine the flavor profiles of a really good beer and a really good whiskey, why can’t we do that with coffee?'” McCulloch says. Oak & Bond ages coffee in various types of former booze barrels, including Scotch, rye, and Cabernet Sauvignon. But the bourbon barrel-aged blend is far and away the most popular, McCulloch says, adding, “The heightened excitement just for bourbon in general right now is at an all-time high.” Oak & Bond’s process rests green, unroasted coffee beans in barrels for anywhere between a few weeks and a couple of months. The time period depends on the type of coffee, its moisture content, and the strength of the spirit’s flavor left in the barrel, McCulloch explains. Colorado’s Whiskey Barrel Coffee goes further, aging its blend for six, seven, eight months — sometimes even longer. The goal, founder Tal Fishman says, is to create a balanced coffee with a notable bourbon finish. Each finished batch is packaged in wax-sealed glass bottles, and, like Bourbon Barrel Foods’ soy sauce, labels receive a hand-printed batch number. The company’s tagline, “It’s Not Your Morning Coffee,” reflects Fishman’s philosophy on how drinkers should enjoy the caffeinated beverage. The idea of drinking a cup of Joe from a paper cup or during a morning drive to work is just as absurd as shooting fine whiskey, he says. Instead, it should be an “experience” — an act sitting down, enjoying a carefully crafted beverage, and being present in the moment. He’s talking about coffee when he says this, but could easily be describing sipping a dram of small-batch bourbon. For those who turn to tea for their caffeine kick, there’s Chicago’s Rare Tea Company. Owner and master blender Rodrick J. Markus has spent the last 25 years as a tea importer, 10 of which have seen him hone the craft of barrel aging. Tea is the perfect candidate for the barrel-aging process because of its porous, absorbent nature, he explains. Scenting teas — the practice of infusing leaves with flavors from jasmine flowers, roses, and magnolia — is also steeped in tradition. In the case of barrel aging, the process also softens the tea’s tannins, while brightening its natural aromas and infusing it with typical bourbon notes like banana and vanilla. Special teas call for unicorn barrels. For its Aged Keemun, one of the rarest black teas in the world (”two grades higher than what the Queen of England drinks,” according to Markus), he hand picked a barrel that previously held 18-year-old Elijah Craig. “It’s such a wonderful crossover to bring drinkers into the world of tea and bring tea people to bourbon,” he says. Confectionary DelightsMuch like tea and coffee, the cacao nibs used for chocolate production readily absorb the scents and flavors of their surroundings. On the face of it, this would make them seem ideal for bourbon-barrel aging. But while a number of producers have adopted the practice, the influence of bourbon is more subtle in their final chocolate bars than other barrel-aged foods. Robbie Stout, co-owner of Utah’s Ritual Chocolate, says rather than imparting a whiskey flavor, aging cacao nibs in bourbon barrels rounds out the edges of chocolate’s profile and adds vanilla notes — much like wine or whiskey aging. To dial up the bourbon influence, he adds a couple of bottles of local whiskey High West, while the cacao nibs age in barrels sourced from the distillery. The aging runs for around three months and once complete, the nibs must be dehydrated before they can be ground and processed. Adding bottles of premium whiskey adds to his costs, and the bars eventually retail for $16 each. But that’s not putting people off. “When we look at our sales numbers, it’s often one of our highest-revenue products,” Stout says. “People aren’t complaining about the price, because how often do you get to taste something unique and different and special for 16 bucks?” At Washington D.C.’s Harper Macaw, co-owner and chocolate maker Matt Dixon instead increases the influence of aging by leaving the nibs in barrels for periods of up to six months. The potential for taking on any further flavor “maxes out” at around eight or nine months, he says. Even then, it’s the charred oak and vanilla notes that define his barrel-aged chocolate’s flavor, with bourbon lingering in the background. Dixon also sources barrels from a local distillery, One Eight Distilling. In the past, he’s sent barrels back to the distillery after they’ve held cacao nibs. One Eight Distilling then used them to age a different whiskey. It’s a familiar tale across all bourbon barrel-aged foods and one that seems to define the category — more so, perhaps, than the liquid it first held. ”The journey of the barrel becomes its own story,” Dixon says. The article How Bourbon Barrel-Aged Products Became Irresistible to Americans appeared first on VinePair. Via https://vinepair.com/articles/bourbon-barrel-aged-food-products/ Via https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/how-bourbon-barrel-aged-products-became-irresistible-to-americans |
John BoothHi I am John Booth,36 years old from California,CA,USA,working in Whole Seller market,we supply different types of Beverages to the market.Here I am sharing some special tips about it. Archives
August 2021
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