Liquorists

Might be a little bit offtopic, but here are a few youtube links from some great stand up acts about liquor/alcohol:

Jim Breuer - Hilarious, but true.
Dave Attell about jägermeister
Bruce Jingles about jägermeister
Robin Williams
Denis Leary
Steve Trevino
Randall Park
Jack Dee
Woody Allen

If you found other ones, leave me a link in a comment and i'll edit them in here.

Jägermeister..who doesn't know it. This herbal liqueur is made in Germany, contains 35% alcohol ( 70 proof) and comes in the recognizable green bottle.
Unlike some strange urban legends suggest, there is no deerblood in jägermeister. But it does contain 56 different herbs, that has to count for something.

First off, this stuff is dangerous. Not in a negative way, but it's hard to spot the alcohol in it, while it's a rather potent drink, when consumed pure. You really have to try to capture a hint of alcohol when sniffing the drink. It's hardly there.
What you do get, are, no kidding, herbs! To be a bit more precise, it smells a bit like your average coughing syrup. Including a hint (well a bit more then a hint) of liquorice and mint.

The liquid itself is a dark red-brown and clear, and tastes the same way it smells. It will give a little numbling feeling on the tongue from the alcohol, but there is hardly a burn going on. At most a warming sensation going down your throat.
Right after the initial taste you get a aftertaste of mint, which fades away into a subtile bitter.
And yes, as the slogan states, best served ice and ice cold.

Like most liqueurs this can be mixed into many cocktails, you can find a fair few on their website. The herbal taste remains quite strong when mixing it into your drinks, so if you don't like the herbal thing going on, use a little less.

Overall it's one of the drinks im always in for, the flavours aren't as jawdropping strong as in allot of other liqueurs, and a 100cl bottle of jägermeister will only cost around €16,-.
If you have never had jäger, shame on you and run to the liquorstore at once and buy some. Or try a shot at the local bar.

If you want to know more about jägermeister, visit their website here.

And as aways, feel free to comment on my mistakes, or other human errors i might have written down.

The main *buzz* around absinthe has always been the rumours about the psychedelic effects it supposed to have.
Well that's simply not true.
It does seem to have an additional effect besides the alcohol, that's supposed to be caused by thujone, that comes from the wormwood used to make absinthe.
Thujone on itself is toxic in higher doses ( allot of substances are), but in the minor amounts that are in absinthe it does no harm.
In fact, if one would drink absinthe for that reason, the alcohol would kill allot earlier then the thujone.
People did suggest the pre banned absinthe contained allot of thujona, making the *effects* stronger then today's, so that would be the reason of the ban.
After some testing from the still existing bottles that proved not true.

Allot of artists used to drink absinthe, and claimed it did help them artisticly.
While the high alcohol in absinthe might made them think a little different then normal, the thujone made them a bit sharper so they could actually use all impressions they where getting to write/paint them down. But what the thujone actually does isn't that well known, besides convulsions and death resulting from a lethal amount of it.

The reason allot of people earlier got so sick of it, was propably due that allot of homebrews had other very toxic ingredients in them (making the drink green).

Other then that, allot of herbs supposed to have additional effects then just to add flavour, so the absinthe effect could aswel be a mix between other herbs inside the drink.

Personally i'll do my best to get my hands on some absinthes, since it wasn't just popular in the old days because of the so called psychedelic effects. People used tons of now illegal drugs in all kinds of mixes to fix diseases. But the most obvious reason why it was popular was probably just because...it was tasty. And im very eager to find out if thats really the case. The rumours and the way to prepare the drink are at least intriging.

Below a modern marvels segment from youtube about absinthe:



Have anything to add or ask? Feel free to add a comment.

This time i will go a bit into abinthe.
What it is, why it got banned, the drinking method's, etc. Probably not going to fit into one article all at once, so bear with me.

To start off, abinthe is a very old liquor dating from the 17th century, and used to be very popular among all ranks of society around the 19th century. While absinthe was very popular around then, the wine industry had a all time low.
That's what also coased it's main downfall. The rumours about the wormwood's thujone making you go crazy was hyped allot by the recovering wine industry.
One additional problem was that allot of people drank bad quality absinthe, that contained poisonous substances. And due lack of research most countries simply banned the drink almost 100 years ago.

The main ingredients for the flavours are wormwood (where the thujone comes from), anise and sweet fennel.
Allot of the *better* absinthes are distilled, and the main reason people often use some sugar when preparing absinthe, is to mark the really bitter taste from the brands that don't distill their spirit. Since undistilled, it will remain a very bitter substance.
After the distillation other herbs are added to give it the green yellow colour. Altho there are brands that use artificial coloring to get a really bright green.

That brings us to the way absinthe is prepared.
The standard procedure is to add a bottom of absinthe to a glass, then drip (slowly) icecold water into the glass.
What will happen is, some of the herbal extracts that are *hidden* in the alcohol separate when you add the ice cold water. Thats why the drink becomes less transparent and more white.
Often it tends to be a 1/4 part of absinthe and 3/4 parts of water, but basicly when the whole drink is evenly cloudy, it's done.
That may sound watery, but since the spirit contains around 60% or 70% (120/140 proof) alcohol, and the water breaks allot of the aroma's loose, thats not the case.

As said before, due to horrible quaility absinthes people where adding sugar into the mix, dripping the ice cold water on top of a sugarcube, on a special absinthe spoon.
This would hide the very bitter taste of non distillated absinthe.
Then there are also people who light the icecube on fire, but just like 101 proof rumcocktails, thats usually just for the showfactor.

I will get into a more detailled article about thujone, and the myths it has created around absinthe later on.

And as usual, feel free to comment or correct me.

Time for some whiskey, Famous Grouse whiskey to be precise.
I have 4 types here to review now, but i'll start off with these 2 and will make a new one for the remaining two.

To start off, it's a scotch whiskey, containing the usual 40% alcohol (80 proof).
The Finest beeing around €24,- a liter, and the blended around €28,-.

Both liquids are yellow gold ish in collor as you can see on the pictures, but the blended whiskey is a bit darker.
The Finest will ofcourse have your typical whiskey smell, but it's a bit on the sweet and mild side. Maybe some hints of honey.
While the Blended has a heavy oaky smell to it.

The Finest has a bit of a malty sweet taste to it, and the alcohol will imidiatly numb the tongue a bit. On the aftertaste you will notice a stronger wood taste then when you first sip it. The Blended whiskey will have a more smoother taste with less of an alcohol attack, and allot more wood and smokey flavours to it.

Both rather typical whiskey's to me personally, and besides the differences i just mentioned, not too different.
The Blended one does seem to be smoother and easier to drink, but you will have to deal with a far more heavy smoke flavour aswel then.
Since i'm not a huge whiskey fan, these haven't been able to convince me personally. But i will probably edit a few more details in when comparing them with the other two, both 12 year old, so i can give a more proper explanation between the quality of the four. And in general

If you can't wait and want more information about this Scotch whiskey brand, visit their site here!.

To fit in with the post below, i thought i'd give this particular brand of vodka a closer look.
First off, Grey Goose is a french brand, the vodka is 40% (80 proof) and it has a fancy looking bottle (i like the frozen look to it).

On to the liquid itself. It's obviously a clear blank liquid, like all vodka's seem to be. It has a tiny bit of a alcohol smell going on, but it's surprisingly little. Other then that, no smell at all.
When drinking it, that changes very rapidly though. Not that you will get a insane alcohol taste, but you do feel the tongue numbing right away, and the famous vodka burn down the throat.

On to mixing it into drinks, since that is probably what everyone is doing with vodka anyway. When mixing it with regular coke, the alcohol smell vanished, no where to be seen. Unless you really dig into it nose deep.
No harsh alcohol taste going on either, it really seems to vanish into the drink, like a good vodka should do. No nasty burn, no harsh alcohol flavour ( admitted, you do keep a little bit of alcohol taste to the drink ofcourse, but compaired with my personal other vodka experiences, it's very tolerable). One of the finest vodka's i've had so far, but also one of the most expensive ones. (looking at €33,- ish for a 100cl bottle). Personally, i think its worth it.
If you're into vodka, this is your thing.

Find more info about Grey Goose, here!

Just a bit of general information about vodka, such as:

What is vodka?
Where does it come from?
What's it made from?


What is vodka.

First off, vodka is a very clear spirit, with very little smell or taste, and between 38% and 40% alcohol in general. There are different laws and rules on how much alcohol a vodka should have to carry the label vodka. In the EU it's 37.5%, while the classic Russian standard was rounded at 40% (80 proof). Due to beeing filtered allot to remove inpurities, it's a very popular liquor to use in cocktails. Since besides adding alcohol it will not change the flavour of the drink dramaticly.


Where does vodka originate from.

This is an ongoing discussion, but it would be in the region of Russia or Poland where the vodka was invented. Currently allot of countries have vodka producing distilleries.


Ingredients.

Like all spirits, there isn't a single ingredient that makes a vodka. Most vodka's seem to be distilled out of grain (often wheat), but some are also distilled out of potatoes.
Since after the distillation finishes, the vodka will contain almost completely out of alcohol, it will be deluted with water.
That's the reason some vodka's may taste watery.
The main difference between vodka and the other spirits is that after the distillation process, it doesn't go in barrels to age, but it gets filtered a few times. The more, the better, to remove all possible impurities.
This also means most of the original smell and taste goes lost in this phase, but since most spirits get a great part of their taste due aging in specific types of wooden barrels, this isn't an issue.

Since the vodka will end up as a very neutral spirit, it will prefectly blend into allot of cocktails, and thats why allot of distilleries made allot of different flavoured verions that will go well in all sorts of drinks.
From all the stronger liquors, vodka is the best selling one.

A few of the bigger vodka brands:

Absolut
Smirnoff
Grey Goose

While wanting to write out a few things about vodka first, i came across a serie of youtube videos about the history of whiskey, interesting enough to link here.

To save room on the page i only embedded the first of 6. Just click the links below to watch the rest of the videos on youtube.




Part2
Part3
Part4
Part5
Part6

For how distillation itself works, and the history of that, check out the following links:

Part1
Part2
Part3
Part4
Part5

Today i've had the privilage to have not one, but 2 bottles of havana club to review.
The Añejo Blanco and Añejo especial.
According to their website, the añejo blanco is the most aged of all white rums, and the most white of all aged rums. Best suited for your mixed drinks The especial beeing a more aged darker rum. Also perfectly suited for the more classic cocktails, but also suited for drinking on the rocks.

First off, the añejo blanco. It's indeed a colorless, clear drink. While the añejo especial kicks in a nice clear golden color.
When doing the smell test, i came to the conclusion the description on their website is somehow correct. The blanco has a light odor to it.
It has a little bit of a fruity thing going on, but due it having a light smell, the alcohol does kick through. But not in a offensive way. It's a bit of a complex smell, and not as sweat as, a bacardi superior for example.

The añejo especial has the same odor, but smells somehow more aged. Probably due a hint of oak comming through. When compairing it to a captain morgan's spiced rum, the smells are way off. The smells in the havana club are much more subtile and harder to pick, while the captain's bombards you with a really sweet caramel/vanilla mix.

On to the taste. The blanco has a little bit of fruit going on at the very start. After the initial taste you get a bit more bitter, somewhat oaky aftertaste. Due it beeing not as sweat as the bacardi mentioned earlier the burn is a bit more intense. Mixed it keeps the complex flavor and smell but the oaky aftertaste fades away first.
The especial has far less burn going on, but more oaky flavors. It does keep the destinctive havana club taste, and the difference with the blanco isn't a huge gap. When mixing you also get a hint of vanilla in the especial, that tends to be hidden a bit when drinking it pure. Would be suited on ice ofcourse.

When compairing it to the other rums in the same price range, the bacardi superior and captain morgan's i mentioned above ( just because i happend to have them im picking those) it comes out the havana club has it's own distinctive smell and taste. It's a bit more complex and less sweat then the other brands but does have some extra, almost spicey kick to it.
For the occasional rumdrinker that might be bad, since the first impression is less sweat, but once you get to look beyond that it's a fine tuned rum for it's pricerange ( around 17 euro's for a 100cl blanco, and the same for a 70cl especial ). The añejo blanco has a 37.5% alcohol content, the añajo especial kicks in at 40%.

Overall it got me interrested in the more expensive higher end rums they have, to see if they are a bit smoother then these two. Since that's the only thing i'm missing a bit. If i can manage to find one that is, the local stores around here don't have the biggest assortiment. Since it's a Cuban brand, this won't be sold in the US.

For more info about these and other flavors visit the havana club website.

Today i gave the Bombay Sapphire dry gin a test. I haven't had much different brands of gin but, can't judge what you don't know right?

Starting off, its a clear substance, no big surprise there.
While sniffing it, i get a clear, but subtile pine smell. A rather fress pine smell, like if you just cut of a branche of a juniper bush. (while it's made by flavouring with juniper berries it would be strange if it would smell like something else)
Because of the last gin reminded me like i had a complete pineforrest for dinner, i'd start of by warning for this. Strange enough i don't smell the alcohol in this particular one, while with a whopping 47% alcohol content, it's not a light drink.
For the same reason, i did not get a pine bombartment while tasting this pure, all the alcohol just melted my tongue right away. Overall not as attacking as i thought it would be, and besides the alcohol burn not too bad.
Other then that, there are a few subtile hints from the other herbs. But too subtile to be really able to call them out. They do add something to the complexity off the drink. Also i would mention, the label does mention it is a dry gin. And well, it is. No moisture draining thing, but it does add a little dry-ness.
But if you do not like the taste of gin in general, this would still be a bit harsh on you i would reccon.

While mixing it into another drink, the pine taste becomes less bitter and overwhelming, but it does remain prominent in the drink. But it's not totally going to overpower the drink.
When using it in a normal dose it will just add a pine taste and smell, and tons of alcohol to the drink. While former experiences with gin where far less smooth it would class this particular one above them, but since i have no clue what brand those where, thats a bit of a irrelavant comment. So in terms of a gin in general, i'm glad i found this particular one. But before buying a bottle, i would really advise giving gin in general a test. It's probably a yes or no thing with hardly a middle road in between.
I would say this is a not a bad gin at all. Give it a try if you are into gin and are able to find it.

If you want more information about this london distilled dry gin, click here!

Yes, i've got my hands on some Bailey's original. It may sound strange but for some reason i've never had it before, maybe due my family and friends consisting of beerdrinkers rather then something else.

Now i'd guess everyone knows how this stuff looks like. It is a non clear mokka-ish color. On the taste department, it smells like a chocolate/coffee mix. Just a little hint of alcohol.
And about the taste, if you like chocolate milk and coffee, you're going to like this. It goes down really smooth, no harsh alcohol effects ( not so surprising, it's 17% alcohol). I could mention the fact that it's a little bit creamy, but with the *irish cream* on the bottle, that would be obvious.
In a mix you would notice a bit more of the coffee aftertaste, and it will be turning the drink into a more creamy smooth substance. Silly thing i get more of a chocolate aftertaste when drinking it pure, and more of a coffee aftertaste when mixing this.

Bailey's isn't a big brand for no reason. They are well know for this irish cream and it's not just because of marketing. It's just a good drink, also easily comsumed pure, altho i would think you don't want to drink a bottle at a time. Best off in turning your cocktails into a more creamy chocolate/coffee -ish mix, since it will be really good at smoothening the drink out, even when adding stronger alcoholic content. Also really good for shot type drinks, and it does layer quitte good for the pousse-café style shots.
All in all a drink you should have in your house when into this stuff. It does contain milk so it would be less suitable for the person who would store it for a few months, and take a drink once in a while. It will go bad that way eventually.
If you haven't had it before, but are into cocktails, or smooth liquours that aren't mind numbing sweet, go buy a bottle at once!

For more info check the website: here

It has been a busy week, but im doing my best to get my hands on some more stuff.
I just have to travel a bit further then normal to get them, so updates comming soon!

And for all the cocktaillovers out there, everyday drinkers has tons of recipes and video's, so take a peek on there if you can.

Also, if anyone really wants to see a drink covered, feel free to comment or mail me and i'll do my best to find it, try it, and write about it.