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Perfect Manhattan
My first test of a new simple syrup is always an Old Fashioned. For this version, I prefer smoked cinnamon bitters and ginger bitters to bring out the orange and clove flavors in the simple syrup and bourbon, but orange and Angostura would also work.
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Old Pal
Vermouth can amplify flavor and aroma elements already in the whiskey, while adding surprises of its own.
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Lone Star State Bourbon Punch
Punch: The Original Batch Cocktail
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Molly Wellmann’s Cincinnati Punch
Punches, the original batched cocktail, are simple and perfect for entertaining.
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Five Tips for Landing Rare Bourbon
Still, the fact remains that there are many great bourbons you simply can no longer find. Bourbon fans are victims of bourbon’s success.
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Sublime Brandy
But brandy—which essentially means distilled fruit—is sublime. Like whiskey, brandy is a categorical term with subcategories throughout the world. Let’s explore.
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Rye Not?
According to a 1935 Hunter Baltimore Rye Whiskey ad: “In the Gay Nineties, and on through the Spanish-American War when Theodore Roosevelt took his Rough Riders to Cuba, Hunter Rye was in demand nation-wide, and had become well-known in London. ‘First Over The Bars,’ it had won a world reputation for taste among English-speaking peoples—it was in fact the largest-selling rye whiskey in the world.”
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Five Sources of Flavor
But, what if a single stave was more porous than the others? It could leak and suddenly the barrel is losing up to 15 percent of whiskey a year. That will greatly change the flavor.
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Water of Life
So, it’s time to lose the college frat-boy mentality with Irish whiskey. Sip and savor, my friends. This is great whiskey.
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Vodka versus Whiskey
Did you know vodka didn’t have a US federal definition until the late 1950s? It’s true. And when the mostly Russian and Polish spirit started garnering minute amounts of acclaim, the whiskey distillers lobbied the government to create a definition that would surely defeat its popularity.
Amateur Hour
Recs
