"This brewery definitely deserves an A...cheers to Avery Brewing"

Colorado is turning out some fine beers these days...Avery has earned its place at the top of the list.  Since 1993 this Boulder brewery has been producing eccentric ales and lagers that defy styles and categories.  Their goal has always been to blend Old World tradition and expertise with ingenuity, creativity and boldness.

Adam Avery started brewing as a hobby and with the help of his father Larry, a research chemist, they built a force to be reckoned with.  The selection is quite extensive and is always expanding.  Upon our visit we were allowed a look into their extensive barrel ageing facility.

                                              *That is a Maker's Mark barrel on the right

                                         *I was very happy to see this Buffalo Trace barrel

                     *Being a sommelier, you know I would catch a winery name on a barrel

After our extensive tour we were delighted to have such a great tasting.  Our hosts were extremely gracious!  Cheers to Adam Avery and his amazing team...keep doing what you are doing.

          *One of my treasures...Adam Avery personally autographed this bottle of Maharaja 
http://averybrewing.com/

"The Manhattan...man up"

The most famous of the "borough" cocktails...but what is the real story?  The most popular of these stories starts with a banquet in honor of presidential candidate Samuel Tilden being hosted by Jennie Jerome...A.K.A. Lady Randolph Churchill...A.K.A. Sir Winston's mother.  As the story goes it was invented by Dr. Iain Marshall for the Manhattan Club in New York City in the 1880's.

Traditional recipes show the base of this cocktail as rye whiskey.  In recent years bourbon has become acceptable, but for purists (especially since the rebirth of rye whiskeys) rye is the way to go.  During my quest for the perfect mix I discovered Carpano Antica, the original formula for Italian Sweet Vermouth.  The last ingredient is just a given, the only bitters ever mentioned with regards to this cocktail is Angostura.  Lastly, garnish with a cherry....and don't even think about those nasty imitation cherries...try something real like a Luxardo or Amarena!  Four simple ingredients...rye, vermouth, bitters and a cherry, but just in case...

Barragan's Manhattan

In a beaker combine...

2 oz Rye Whiskey (why not Hudson Manhattan Rye)
1 oz Carpano Antica Original Formula Sweet Italian Vermouth
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
Add ice and stir to chill.  Strain into a Champagne Coupe Glass and garnish with a cherry

Cheers!

"The Sazerac...America's oldest known cocktail"

This cocktail has quite a storied past.  It's roots are unquestionably New Orleans based.  It is a blend of 4 simple ingredients and garnished with a lemon twist.  Classic, simple and worthy of such a colorful history.  In June of 2008, the Louisiana Legislature proclaimed the Sazerac as New Orleans' official cocktail.

As the story goes, in the mid 1800's, Sewell T. Taylor sold his New Orleans bar, The Merchants Exchange Coffee House, to become an importer of spirits, where he began to import a brand of cognac named Sazerac-de-Forge et Fils.  Meanwhile, Aaron Bird assumed ownership of the Merchants Exchange and changed the name to Sazerac Coffee House.  With this he began serving the "Sazerac Cocktail", made with Sazerac Cognac imported by Taylor.  Along with this cocktail he added the local apothecary's bitters.  This apothecary was none other than Antoine Amedie Peychaud.  

In the 1860's Europe's grape crops were being decimated by phylloxera which effected the production of wine and cognac.  By 1870, The Sazerac Coffee House was in the hands of a new owner and the cocktail recipe was altered.  Since the Cognac was no longer available, he turned to what was...Rye Whiskey.

In 2011, I was honored to be in a Los Angeles Times article featuring my twist on this classic.  Using the base ingredients of the classic preparation, Sazerac Rye Whiskey, Absinthe, sugar and Peychaud's Bitters and then finishing with an orange zest as compared to the classic lemon.

Barragan's Sazerac Cocktail

Begin by muddling one sugar cube (or 3/4 ounce of simple syrup) in a beaker then add
2 oz Sazerac Rye Whiskey (any quality rye whiskey will work)
1 bar spoon of Mata Hari Absinthe
2 dashes of Peychaud's Aromatic Bitters
If you are using a cube stir all ingredients until the sugar is dissolved completely then add ice and stir to chill.  Strain the ingredients and garnish with an orange zest (or the classic lemon).  Unlike the classic preparation I choose to leave the absinthe in the cocktail instead of just rinsing the glass.  To rinse and throw out seems like alcohol abuse to me...Cheers!

http://articles.latimes.com/2011/apr/29/entertainment/la-et-night-cocktail29-20110429
https://www.buffalotracedistillery.com/
http://www.absinthematahari.com/?q=content/the-magic-of-mata-hari

That's the pioneering spirit...Tuthilltown Distillery

         *EU laws prohibit this from being labeled "Whisky", but they can't take away the "Bourbon"

Just returned from New York and a trip to Tuthilltown, a two hour jaunt north of Manhattan.  Ralph Erenzo, Co-owner of the distillery was gracious enough to show us around and taste through their line-up of small craft spirits.  His story is one of a true pioneering American spirit.  Ralph was a professional rock climber and had intentions of building a training camp on the current sight...he had no intentions of making distilled spirits.  His neighbors were less than thrilled about the idea and began to stall him out.  They blocked him at every turn.  He was running out of resources and needed to do something to keep a revenue coming in.  An expert was brought in to help come up with ideas of things to do to achieve this.  He suggested doing something that was actually permitted based on current laws...agriculture was at the top of the list.  Maybe make wine?  Why not distill?  He found some loop holes, did some fermenting and distilling experiments at his home and in the garage and decided that he could make this work.  He brought in a partner, Brian Lee and between the two they created Tuthilltown Spirits.

We arrived just days after they had completed renovation of their gift shop-tasting room.  The entire staff was very welcoming!  Ralph took us room by room and detailed the growth of their distillery since he purchased the property in 2001.  He is the first distillery in New York since prohibition.  He has legislated at the state level to allow the sell and tasting of spirits at a distillery.  Now there are 60 distilleries operating in the state of New York.

After he walked us through the distilling and barreling process, he took us down to the bottle filling and labeling area.  All of their spirits are done by hand in small batches from start to finish.  It does not get more craft than this.

Ralph then suggested we take a stroll around the property, especially up a small dirt path that takes us to the dam that feeds the distillery and grist mill.  On the day we were there, Ralph was taking back possession of the historic grist mill that he was forced to sell as a result of the neighbors stalling him out.

I want to send a big thank you to Ralph for taking time out his day to spend a few hours with us and create a truly memorable experience!  Cheers to you Ralph and your amazing team!  Keep doing what you are doing!

http://hudsonwhiskey.com/

"Hello tall dark and sexy...Lock Stock and Barrel Rye Whiskey"

Looking for something to expand your whiskey taste buds?  Try a rye...better yet try this handsomely crafted 13 year straight rye whiskey.  I eyed this beauty on the shelf about a month ago and asked the guy behind the counter what the price was...I almost fell over.  I figured I would do a little more research and find out why the hefty price tag for such a new product line before I threw down that kind of coin.  So here are the facts...aged 13 years in new charred American Oak barrels, 100% rye whiskey from doubled pot stills, standing at 101.3 proof.

What is the difference between a rye and a bourbon?  As previously discussed a bourbon must be 51% or more corn in the mash.  A rye follows the same rule respectively.  Most whiskey coming from Canada are rye based and there seems to be a big push for American distillers to produce rye whiskeys especially with the resurgence of pre-prohibition cocktails.  Classic cocktails such as the 
Manhattan and *Sazerac were crafted with rye whiskeys.  

The Lock Stock and Barrel comes from the Cooper Spirits Co., which launched in 2006 with the introduction of St. Germain, a popular elderflower liqueur.  Robert Cooper is a third generation distiller and has clearly studied and crafted what is one of the best rye whiskeys I have tasted.

The packaging alone is alluring, but how does it taste?  The nose is nutty, toasty vanilla with hints of caramel and a slight salty brine.  The mouthfeel is lush with vanilla cream, nutmeg and a slight cinnamon kiss with a gentle hug of warmth all the way down...I did mention 101.3 proof?!  Delicious!

*The Sazerac was originally crafted with cognac...more to come in a later blog!

http://www.lockstockandbarrelspirits.com/

"A retrospect on Yuengling, America's Oldest Brewery"

During my study of beers and pursuit of my Cicerone Certification, I have read many beer books.  Each of which has pointed to Yuengling as making the prototype for American pre-prohibition lagers.  Unfortunately, there is no Yuengling to be found in California.  This happens quite a bit when it comes to tracking down beers that are brewed almost exclusively for Eastern U.S. markets.  Luckily for me, during last years road trip across the U.S. with my son we stumbled upon Downtown Nashville's, Printer's Alley.

In truth it was the bottom sign that caught my eye...just being real...we followed the noise to a crowded karaoke bar and much to my surprise they had my much sought after Yuengling Lager.  It was dry, crisp and clean with a fair amount of hoppiness...it was every bit as good as I had expected!

The roots of this brewery were seeded in 1829 as David G. Yuengling established the Eagle Brewery on Centre Street in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. The brewery passed from father to son several times and thrived until 1919 when the Eighteenth Amendment was ratified.  In order to survive, Yuengling switches gears to producing near beers and even constructs a dairy.  Then in 1933, the dark days of Prohibition ended a Yuengling celebrates by producing "Winner Beer" and ships a truckload to President Franklin D. Roosevelt.  As time marched on Yuengling continued to thrive and in 1976 was recognized on the national and state registers as America's Oldest Brewery.  This year marks 185 years of brewing an American Classic.  Let's hear it for the good ole' USA!  Cheers!
http://www.yuengling.com/

                              *My all American Red, White and Blue Dog with Yuengling Lager