My Wine Education

Jim Beam Red Stag: Black Cherry Infused Bourbon

Back in February we announced the news that Jim Beam was releasing a black cherry-infused bourbon. My thought at the time was that they were shooting for the same crowd that enjoys flavored vodka - sort of young, hip crowd. I'm obviously not young and hip. I prefer my vodka pure and please don't mess with my bourbon.

That said, I was willing to give Jim Beam's new venture a chance. I wasn't going to judge it sight unseen or untasted. (Kevin, on the other hand, is a bourbon purist. He went into this already disliking it.)

Two weeks ago we picked up a bottle of Red Stag at Party Town, who seemed to be the first in the area to carry it. The rep had, of course, told the staff amazing things but the staff hadn't all tried it. We were left on our own.

Again - I went into this with an open mind. I don't mind the Wild Turkey American Honey, but at least Wild Turkey bills that as a liqueur. This is still bourbon.

Kevin instantly hated it. Much to my surprise, so did I. The best comparison I've got is cherry Nyquil. Bleh. It looks like bourbon, but one whiff and you smell can already smell the cough syrup. There's an aftertaste of syrup and plastic that is fairly unpleasant. I know it's supposed to be infused with natural flavors, but it sure doesn't smell/taste that way.

In an effort to be fair, we thought we'd mix it. When I travel and want a mixed drink, I go with either Beam or Jack and Coke. In theory, this would be a cherry Coke, right? While a Coke definitely improves the flavor of the bourbon, there's still the plastic aftertaste. We also tried with Sprite, much to the same effect. There's a chance this might add an interesting flavor to Bourbon Slush. My Slush recipe uses peach tea bags, and this might add a little more oomph to that, but I still worry about the aftertaste. I'm not sure how it would work with a Manhattan, but I think I've given up trying.

I really did want to like this - I love bourbon and I enjoyed the idea of extending my options. I do believe that it should be billed as a liqueur and not a bourbon, which has a strict definition. Either way, we give it a firm .

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La Fée Verte ... Absinthe Comes to Kentucky

Absinthe, the spirit that was banned a century ago, is back, legal, and making its local debut on Thursday night at the Party Source. Made from wormwood, green anise, and fennel, with a green hue, it's often known as The Green Fairy.

Absinthe originated as a "remedy" in the late 1700's in Switzerland. It contains wormwood, green anise, and fennel. It was brought to popularity by Henry-Louis Pernod, who opened the first absinthe distillery in 1797. In 1805, they were producing enough absinthe to open a second distillery in France called Maison Pernod Fils.

In the 1840s, absinthe was given to French troops as a malaria treatment. When the troops returned home, they brought with them a taste for the green spirit. By the 1860s, most French restaurants and clubs had the 5 pm l'heure verte, the green hour. I like to think this is how Happy Hour originated.

All social classes enjoyed absinthe, but the drink became associated with bohemian artists and poets, such as Toulouse-Lautrec, van Gogh, Oscar Wilde, Baudelaire, and more. Remember the scene in the beginning of Moulin Rouge with the floating green fairy? It makes more sense now, yes?

Absinthe was banned shortly before the movement towards prohibition. There were rumors (inaccurate) that it made you crazy, depressed, suicidal, even murderous. Of course, it didn't - at least not any more than other spirits. Bans on absinthe began in 1905 in Sweden and continued internationally until France finally banned it in 1915.

Absinthe preparation is almost a ritual. Called la louche, it involves draining a thin cold line of water over a cube of sugar into the glass of absinthe. The sugar is generally sitting on an absinthe spoon, which is a beautifully decorated slotted spoon.

Absinthe fountains (for the perfect stream of cold water), absinthe spoons, reservoir glasses, and more will all be  available at The Party Source, starting now! Tonite, you can come to an absinthe "party", starting at 5 pm, where you can learn about la louche and try two different types of absinthe.

Absinthe can also be used in cocktails. One of the most famous is Hemingway's Death in the Afternoon, which is a mixture of iced champagne (replacing the water and sugar in la louche) and absinthe. A dash of absinthe can be used effectively in a Manhattan and in the distinctly New Orleans style Sazerac.

The Absinthe Party at The Party Source starts at 5 pm tonight and is free.

The Party Source Absinthe site

The artwork used in this article is in the public domain. The Absinthe House photo from New Orleans we took on a 2005 trip to the Crescent City.

WBW #43, or Breathe, Michelle, Just Breathe

So here's the thing. I'm at the height of stressed right now. Between trying to get things out for clients (you know, my REAL job), all the last minute craziness of organizing the Benefit, dealing with taxes as a freelancer, and well, just life in general right now, I'm stressed. Even, I might say, angry and at the end of my rope. So I truly welcome this Wine Blogging Wednesday (although I stressed out at the idea of having to even write a post in the midst of everything else).
The theme for this 43rd outing of our monthly adventure is Comfort Wines.

Yep. Comfort Wines. Sort of like comfort food. For me, a comfort food is homemade macaroni and cheese or chicken and dumplings. So what wine do I turn to when I'm falling apart (like right now)?  None.
When I'm stressed, or upset, or anything requiring comfort, I don't turn to wine. So you could say I'm bending the rules a bit on this WBW, but hear me out.

I turn to Armagnac. More specifically, when I need comfort "wine," I turn to Chateau du Tariquet Bas-Armagnac 8-Year. (It also comes in 12, but I seem to prefer the 8.) I pay around $50 for this at Party Source.

What is Armagnac? Like Cognac, Armagnac is a type of brandy. However, Armagnac tends to be less expensive, and often just as good if not better, than many Cognacs available. Like wine, these types of spirits are made from grapes. My Bas-Armagnac is made exclusively from the Folle Blanche grape from a single harvest. It is then aged in French Oak for 8 years. See - I'm not that far off from wine am I?  For my particular Bas-Armagnac, the grapes are distilled separately in a traditional continuous still, a wood-burning Armagnac alembic, on the location at Chateau de Tariquet. (I learned this from the back of the bottle.) My bottle was distilled in 1998, bottled in November, 2006.

Armagnac is smooth and wonderful. It has the ability to relax me and it almost forces me to chill out a little. I tend to add 1 or 2 ice cubes to any pour, which helps release more flavors.

There's a bit of oak in my Armagnac, although less than in the 12 year. I don't mind it, however, as I might in a chardonnay. It's accented by vanilla, cinnamon, and all sorts of things that make me think of curling up by a crackling fire, in a fuzzy blanket, and just sipping. Those are the sorts of flavors that force me to just STOP and BREATHE.

I think I'll go have some right now.

Many thanks to Joel for hosting this. I suspect he'll be needing comfort wines with WBW and a new little baby at home. Congrats on the little one Joel!

Mulling Over Cider

Admittedly, I've been slacking on my blog posting duties. I'm sorry. With all the deaths and memorial services, about every two weeks since September, I have to admit I haven't been in the mood. I also haven't actually gone anywhere exciting or drank anything more than bourbon in the last few weeks.

But it's autumn, and I usually love autumn. I love the crispness of the air and the crackle of the leaves under my feet. And I love the chance to make mulled cider.

Today, I'm sharing with you my incredibly easy mulled cider recipe. You need a crock pot, and let's go from there.

Shel's Mulled Cider

2 quarts apple cider
½ cup brown sugar
1 tsp whole cloves
1tsp whole allspice
2 cinnamon sticks
¼ tsp salt
1 dash ground nutmeg
1 ½ oz rum (per mug)

1. With cloves and allspice in a large teaball, cook all ingredients in a crockpot on low for 2-8 hours.

2. Stir occasionally/rarely to dissolve sugar.

Alternatively, you can cook in a pan on the stovetop on low heat 20-30 minutes until simmering.

3. Pour your favorite golden rum into each mug, but do not cook with the rum. A cinnamon stick in each mug is also a nice festive touch.

Enjoy!

Jack Quinn's Reborn - as Molly Malone's

I've mentioned before the resurgence of classiness that seems to be happening in downtown/Over-The-Rhine. But I've neglected Covington.

We've always had Mainstrasse, with wonderful places like Zola's, Dee Felice, and my favorite, Chez Nora. Down in the courthouse area, at the foot of the Roebling Suspension Bridge, we used to have Scalea's and several other bars and restaurants, including Jack Quinn's. When Newport on the Levee opened, it seemed to be the death knell for the Covington courthouse area though. Scalea's closed, other places opened and folded, and after a long fight, Jack Quinn's finally closed.

I always liked Jack Quinn's. If I ordered a Bloody Cider, they generally knew what I meant. (It's hard cider with a shot of black currant - I learned about in in London.) I've had birthdays there, business holiday parties, and even attended wedding receptions on their upper floor.  So I was sad to see Jack Quinn's go. Admittedly, I always blamed chain restaurant Claddagh at Newport for Jack Quinn's demise.

I was thrilled to read that Louisville's Molly Malone's has purchased the location, which is, of course, ready-made to be an Irish pub. Molly Malone's has survived in downtown Louisville for 10 years, and the empty Jack Quinn's location seemed like the perfect opportunity to expand. The bar will re-open on August 14 with its new identity.

Molly Malone’s of Covington will be operated by Donal Ryan, Tadgh O’Callaghan and long-time Molly’s bartender, Paul Shanley. All originally from Ireland, Shannon will serve as the general manager of the new location at 112 E. Fourth St.

From the Louisville web site, it seems that Molly Malone's is pretty involved in community events, as well as hosting World Cup and St Patty's day events.

With the addition of Molly Malone's, the courthouse area has really come full circle. In case you didn't know, that's where you can find Jean-Robert de Cavel's two restaurants Pho Paris and the Greenup Cafe. It sounds like the owners of Mt Adams Pavilion are also opening a restaurant - casual American fare - in the corner location that used to be Donna's.

There's another restaurant down there too, and I can't remember the name. We wandered out of a several hour wine tasting at Pho Paris one afternoon, really wanting beer and cheeseburger. We hooked a left and there was a bit of a dive that had decent beer on tap and incredible cheeseburgers. I recommend the place - I just can't remember the name.

All in all, the courthouse area in Covington is catching up with Over the Rhine and Mainstrasse.

Slainte!

*bridge photo courtesy of our favorite CincyImages.com

Bourbon Country

I can't tell you much about our recent trip to the distilleries here in Kentucky, as it's going into print. But I can direct you to the photos. My favorites are of the Bed & Breakfast and their dog Gabe. We were also able to attend the Opening Night Gala of the Stephen Foster Story, a musical on the grounds of My Old Kentucky Home that is heading into its 49th season.
Enjoy!

A Few Days In France: Part 1

Our friend Jay Erisman, whom you'll often find instructing wine and spirits classes at The Party Source, recently took a trip to French Wine Country. This is the first of a multi-part (I'm not sure how many parts) series he's put together for us on his trip. Today, enjoy his adventures in Cognac!
- Michelle

I departed for France on Sunday, March 18. Direct flights like the one I had from Cincinnati to Paris are overnight, so I arrived in Paris at 8:30 am. The plan was to go straight to Cognac — no rainy Parisian afternoons spent adjusting to jet lag, oh no, it was straight for the stills on this trip. I took a TGV (train grande vitesse, one of which recently set the world record for fastest train on rails) to Angoulème, and then a smaller and slower train to Cognac. These trains run like fine clockwork, with no waiting on the tarmac or departing the gate just to say we did whatsoever.

It was at the Cognac train station—not Charles de Gaulle airport, or the pigeon-ridden Montparnasse station—that I had the first of many pinch-yourself-I-am-in-France moments. It was a rather lonely and completely quiet reception as yet another stranger rolled into town. I thought I saw a tumbleweed roll by.

... Three Tequila, Floor

With the increase in advertising, even my Tivo-filtered brain has seen a few TV ads. So I decided to see if there was good reason for the additional cost with the premium level of Tequilas. With the help of Michelle, I went for a blind tasting of 5 premium silver tequilas with 1 well-level tossed in to see if it would be noticeable.

Silver is the entry level in Premium tequilas. Silver usually has a slightly more alcohol taste and a lot of roughness around the edges. The trade-off is the increased level of fruit in the flavor. The second level is gold, and the top tier is Reposado. The flavor is smoother, but the fruit becomes lighter and more integrated into the overall flavor.

Here is what I tried, in order of preference after the blind tasting:

• Patrón
• 1800
• Corazón
• Milagro
• Don Julio
• Montezuma

Full notes after the jump.

- Kevin