December 2018

If you’re throwing a holiday party this season, you need to make some delicious libations for your guests to enjoy.

Instead of mixing up simple, ho-hum classics, try your hand at these four festive Christmas cocktails instead. Not only are they delicious, but your guests will be wowed at how beautiful they are, too.

Holiday Sip

Holiday Sip

Thanksgiving is probably the first holiday that comes to mind when you think about cranberry sauce, but this sweet-tart Turkey Day staple is perfect for holiday entertaining, too. In this festive sipper from Belvedere Vodka, the cranberry sauce gives the drink an eye-catching color, and the rolled orange peel garnish adds a sophisticated touch.

Ingredients:

• 1 oz. Belvedere Vodka
• .5 oz. simple syrup
• .5 oz. lemon juice
• 2 tsp. cranberry sauce
• 2 dashes Angostura Bitters
• 3 oz. Chandon Brut
• Rolled Orange Peel (for Garnish)

Preparation: In a mixing glass, combine Belvedere Vodka, simple syrup, lemon juice, and cranberry sauce. Top with Angostura bitters and Chandon Brut. Roll up a swath of orange peel and place it on a cocktail pick for a festive garnish.

Mint Chocolate Fizz

Mint Chocolate Fizz

This cocktail is bound to make you feel like a kid again. Made with a delicious mix of vodka, Godiva Chocolate Liqueur, cooling crème de menthe, and chocolate milk, the Mint Chocolate Fizz from Whiteface Lodge in Lake Placid, New York, gets some grown-up cocktail cred from lemon juice and egg white. Leave this one out for Santa if you want him to leave you extra loot this year.

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. vodka
• 1 oz. Godiva Chocolate Liqueur
• .5 oz. white crème de menthe
• 1 oz. chocolate milk
• 1 oz. simple syrup
• .5 oz. lemon juice
• 1 egg white
• Club soda (to top)
• Mint sprig (for garnish)

Preparation: Add all ingredients (except for the club soda and mint) to a cocktail tin and shake without ice for 60 seconds. Add ice and shake for another 60 seconds. Double-strain into a highball glass. Top with club soda and garnish with a mint sprig.

Grinch Don’t Kill My Vibe

Grinch Don’t Kill My Vibe

Matcha has the power to create eye-catching cocktails, especially when red and green hues are the stars of the holiday show. This drink from Brian Evans, head bartender at Sunday in Brooklyn, combines the Japanese green tea with genever, silky amaretto liqueur, and an egg white for a beautiful, bittersweet drink that’ll have your guests talking for months to come.

Ingredients:

• 1 oz. Bols Genever
• 1 oz. Caffo Amaretto
• .75 oz. lemon juice
• .5 oz. vanilla bean simple syrup*
• .75 oz. egg white
• Half barspoon strained matcha powder
• Carved lime wedge (for garnish)
• Brandied cherry (for garnish)

Preparation: Dry shake without ice for eight seconds to emulsify, then shake with ice and strain into a rocks glass. Garnish with a carved lime wedge skewered with a brandied cherry eye.

*Vanilla Bean Simple Syrup

Ingredients:

• 500 grams hot water
• 1 vanilla bean
• 500 grams white granulated sugar

Preparation: Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the beans into the hot water. Drop in the vanilla bean pod and let the whole thing infuse for 15 minutes. Combine with granulated sugar and stir to dissolve. Strain and refrigerate until ready to use.

White Christmas

White Christmas

Even if you’re stuck braving cold weather this holiday, you can transport yourself to a beachside oasis with this creamy cocktail. The bar team at Casa Calavera in Cabo, Mexico, uses two types of baking spice-infused mezcal for a smoky, satisfying drink. Muddled almonds and cookie crumbs give it a sweet, nutty flavor that perfect for toasting the season.

Ingredients:

• Brown sugar (for rim)
• Cinnamon stick
• .75 oz. cinnamon-infused mezcal*
• .75 oz star anise-infused mezcal*
• 2 oz. milk
• .5 oz. vanilla syrup
• 2 to 3 almonds
• 1 cookie, crumbled
• Orange segment (for garnish)

Preparation: Rim the glass in brown sugar and caramelize with heat. Light the cinnamon stick, place it in the glass, and turn it upside down, covering the cinnamon stick to create smoke in the glass. Leave the glass upside down until ready to pour. Add the rest of the ingredients to a shaker, muddling the almonds and cookie crumbs. Add ice and shake enough to make the milk creamy. Double strain into the sugar-rimmed glass. Garnish with orange segment.

*Infused Mezcals

Ingredients:

• 2 750-ml bottles of mezcal
• Cinnamon sticks
• Whole cloves
• Star anise pods
• Vanilla beans

Preparation: Add 3 standard-sized cinnamon sticks and 7 cloves to a bottle of mezcal. Add 10 star anise pods and 1 vanilla bean to the second bottle of mezcal. Leave ingredients in the bottles for one day. Change out the ingredients for fresh ones (using the same amount of each) every 12 hours, for up to 2 additional days (leaving the ingredients in the mezcal for too long could produce bitter results). Strain the ingredients, and the mezcal is ready to use.

The post 4 Extra Festive Cocktails for Your Holiday Party appeared first on Chilled Magazine.

Source: Mixology News

Give this Christmas Punch a mix using CAMUS VS Elegance Cognac, created by mixologist Sullivan Doh. Serves up to 10 people.

CAMUS Christmas Punch

CAMUS Christmas Punch

By Sullivan Doh

Ingredients:

• 10 Pieces of Crushed Pineapple
• 5 oz. Lemon Juice
• 10 oz. Vanilla Syrup
• 20 oz. Cold Earl Grey Tea
• 15 oz. CAMUS VS Elegance Cognac
• 10 oz. Champagne

Preparation: Muddle pineapple, lemon juice, vanilla syrup. Add to punch bowl with tea and CAMUS. Stir, top with Champagne for a fizzy, finishing touch. Garnish with pineapple wedges, lime wheels and fresh vanilla beans.

The post Chilled Drink of the Week: Camus Christmas Punch appeared first on Chilled Magazine.

Source: Mixology News

A day in the company of fine friends visiting the many gorgeous wineries and vineyards on the North Fork of Long Island is a day well spent.

Planning out which wineries to visit ahead of time is recommended. Should you or someone in your party be vegan, it’s necessary.

Shinn Estate Vineyard Bottle and Glass

Not every winery is accommodating to those living a vegan lifestyle. Winemakers often use albumen (egg whites), isinglass (fish bladder proteins), or other animal-derived agents in their fining process for clarity or to soften and round out a wine’s finish. This could result in a lack of varietals to taste at a given location, or tasting room attendants being unfamiliar with what is or isn’t vegan and possibly giving visitors incorrect information.

Established in 2000 and located in Mattituck, New York, Shinn Estate Vineyards was the first on Long Island to be certified sustainable 2012 by Long Island Sustainable Winegrowing; a third-party nonprofit that the original vineyard owner, Barbara Shinn, co-founded. The vineyard is noted as a pioneer in bringing sustainable and biodynamic farming practices to Long Island.

Shinn Estate Vineyard Winery

Varying from light and crisp to deep and full-bodied, Shinn Estate’s wines are crafted with care and excellence courtesy of winemaker Patrick Caserta, and embody the best of what the region has to offer. Though not exclusively a vegan establishment, the winery’s now sold-out 2015 Wild Boar Doe, a blend of all five of its red varietals (Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Malbec), was the only non-vegan wine out of its current releases.

Each of the winery’s red varietals is fermented only with the yeast naturally occurring on the grapes’ skin and in the soil. The Diaphanous, first released in 2013, is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc, and produced without the addition of sulfites at any stage during the process—the only ingredient literally being the grapes themselves. The 2014 vintage is available for $18 a glass and $55 a bottle.

Shinn Estate Tasting Patio

The 2016 “First Fruit” Sauvignon Blanc ($10 a glass; $22 a bottle), aptly named because its grapes are the first picked at the beginning of each harvest, is stainless steel fermented and clean, citrusy, and bright. A yet-to-be released Sauvignon Blanc is currently fermenting in an exciting, recent addition to the vineyard’s winemaking arsenal: An egg-shaped concrete tank made from French clay, designed by Marc Nomblot. Look for the vintage release sometime this spring.

Last June, Shinn Estate introduced its 2016 Rose Hill Rosé, a blend of Merlot, Chardonnay, and Gewürtraminer ($10 a glass; $24 a bottle), and a lighter, crisper option to the 2016 Rosé, which is made from 100% Merlot.

Shinn Estate Vineyard

Shinn Estate is also known for its small production wines. The winery’s 2015 Seven Barrels ($14 a glass; $38 a bottle), a blend of seven barrels’ worth of Estate Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petit Verdot, is oak fermented and gloriously earthy, with blackberry notes and a long finish. The 2012 Grace ($23 a glass; $75 a bottle), is a blend of only three barrels’ worth of Estate Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon and appropriately named, as it’s graceful with a nice bite, full-bodied, and deeply concentrated.

The vineyard’s tasting room offers an intimate experience. Traditional tastings are available seven days a week. Barrel tours and private tastings are also available by reservation and a fee. Vegan or not, it’s definitely a place worth visiting. For more information, call Shinn Estate Vineyards at 631-804-0367 or email at Info@ShinnEstateVineyards.com.

The post For Vegan Wine on Long Island, Visit Shinn Estate Vineyard appeared first on Chilled Magazine.

Source: Mixology News

Give this delicious spiced banana cocktail featuring Lambay Single Malt Irish Whiskey a mix.

Banana New Fashioned

Banana New Fashioned

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz. Lambay Single Malt Irish Whiskey
• 1/4 oz. Caramelized Spiced Banana Syrup*
• 1/4 oz. Crème De Banana
• Long Dehydrated Banana Chips (for Garnish)

*Spiced Banana Syrup

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup Melted Butter
• 1/2 cup Packed Light Brown Sugar
• 1/4 cup Water
• 1/2 tsp. Vanilla
• 1/4 tsp. Rum Extract
• 2 Bananas, Thinly Sliced

Preparation: Combine melted butter, brown sugar, and water in a large skillet. Bring to a boil and continue to boil until mixture thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add sliced banana, vanilla extract, and rum extract.

The post Chilled Drink of the Week: Banana New Fashioned appeared first on Chilled Magazine.

Source: Mixology News

25-Year-Old Bourbon Completes Family of Progressively Aged Whiskeys.

Rhetoric 25-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey has hit the shelves as the latest offering from the Orphan Barrel Whiskey Distilling Co. The rare bourbon is being released with extremely limited distribution nationwide.

The Rhetoric series has been re-released annually at a year older each time, starting with Rhetoric 20-Year-Old. Each Rhetoric whiskey has the same mash bill, but with a slight increase in proof each year. Rhetoric 25-Year-Old is the latest release from the Orphan Barrel Whiskey Distilling Company—a beautiful Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey aged for 25 years. Aged five years longer than the first release, Rhetoric 20-Year-Old, it is slightly more mature and carries a higher proof. The Rhetoric series has been progressively aged and re-released annually at a year older, allowing whiskey aficionados to collect the series and compare the whiskeys side-by-side.

An intricate gold label features a hummingbird rising above chaos and confusion to find clarity and reason. The background, reminiscent of the oak barrels in which the whiskey aged, has grown deeper in color as Rhetoric is released each year.

Rhetoric stocks were found in the old Stitzel-Weller Warehouses in Louisville, Ky. The whiskey was distilled (between 1990-1993) at the Bernheim Distillery historically located at 17th and Breckenridge in Louisville, Ky., while owned and operated by United Distillers. The whiskey is hand-bottled in Tullahoma, Tennessee.

Rhetoric 25 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Tasting Notes

• Aroma: Oak and vanilla with hints of dried fruit, cherries, allspice
• Palette: Oak-forward, notes of nutmeg, caramel, cocoa
• Finish: Warming and slightly spicy

Product Info

• Mash bill: 86% corn, 8% barley and 6% rye
• ABV: 45.5%, 91 Proof
• SRP: $140 (750ml)

Rhetoric Series

• Rhetoric 20-Year-Old: 90 Proof (45% ABV)
• Rhetoric 21-Year-Old: 90.2 Proof (45.1% ABV)
• Rhetoric 22-Year-Old: 90.4 Proof (45.2% ABV)
• Rhetoric 23-Year-Old: 90.6 Proof (45.3% ABV)
• Rhetoric 24-Year-Old: 90.8 Proof (45.4% ABV)
• Rhetoric 25-Year-Old: 91 Proof (45.5% ABV)

For more information, visit OrphanBarrel.com.

The post Rhetoric 25-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Launches appeared first on Chilled Magazine.

Source: Mixology News

With the holiday season upon us, it’s our mission to mix up the perfect holiday drink.

A well-crafted Gin & Tonic is the ultimate way to get into the holiday spirit … and pairing the right gin with the right tonic is essential. After all, if three-fourths of your drink is the mixer, you need to be sure you’re mixing with the best!

“A Gin & Tonic is no longer just a Gin & Tonic. As specialty tonics grow, your tonic choice can turn your Gin & Tonic into a skillfully pitched cocktail with considerably less fuss. Our tonics were made to enhance the finest of spirits with carefully selected, naturally sourced botanicals and perfect carbonation, where only a simple garnish is needed to bring a holiday Gin & Tonic to full potential.”
– Amanda Stackman, Marketing Director, North America at Fever-Tree

Fever-Tree has a range of tonics created to perfectly pair with your favorite gin. Check out this Ultimate Gin & Tonic Pairing Guide and be sure to find the perfect tonic, because gin is only as good as the tonic it’s paired with.

Ultimate Gin & Tonic Pairing Guide

1. CLASSIC, LONDON DRY-STYLE GINS:FEVER-TREE INDIAN TONIC WATER

A cinchona legeriana (Fever-Tree) plantation was discovered by Fever-Tree founders Charles Rolls and Tim Warrillow, offering the purest quinine source in the world. This quinine source for Fever-Tree is blended with eight key botanicals, including coriander and Mexican bitter orange, offering the perfect balance as a tonic for gin.

2. CITRUS AND HERBACEOUS GINS: FEVER-TREE MEDITERRANEAN TONIC WATER

Created with fine vodkas in mind, less quinine and the addition of Provencal herbs sourced on ingredient hunting trips to the Mediterranean have created a tonic that adds the aroma and flavor of rosemary, lemon-thyme, and geranium.

3. FRESH AND FLORAL GINS: FEVER-TREE ELDERFLOWER TONIC WATER

Made using elderflowers sourced in the UK, handpicked in June after dusk with flavor extraction happening that very evening to capture the best of the flower. Softer bitterness and perfect carbonation create a floral sip.

4. JUNIPER-RICH AND ROBUST GINS: FEVER-TREE AROMATIC TONIC WATER

Earthy Madagascan vanilla and sweet cinnamon scented cassia harmonize with pimento berry, subtle citrus, angostura bark extract, and cardamom. Pink-like spring blossoms, complex, and intriguing flavors mellow gins of a higher ABV.

5. SLOE AND SWEETER GINS: FEVER-TREE LEMON TONIC WATER

Made using the finest Sicilian Lemons sourced from the sides of Mount Etna, and the ‘sfumatrice’ essential oil extraction method, Fever-Tree’s Sicilian Lemon Tonic is a sophisticated take on a classic Bitter Lemon. Perfectly balances with sweeter gins or liqueurs.

Berry-rich and bright with lemon, Sloe Gin & Fever-Tree Lemon Tonic is a creative alternative to the G&T.

Sloe Gin & Fever-Tree Lemon Tonic

Sloe Gin & Fever-Tree Lemon Tonic

Ingredients:

• 50 ml Sipsmith Sloe Gin
• 150 ml Fever-Tree Lemon Tonic
• Lemon (for Garnish)

Preparation: Fill a highball glass with ice. Add the hearty serving of Sipsmith Sloe Gin. Top with Fever-Tree Lemon Tonic. Garnish with a slice of freshly chopped lemon peel.

The post Let the Festivities Be-Gin! appeared first on Chilled Magazine.

Source: Mixology News

Signs Long-Term Distribution Agreement with Young’s Market Company.

Fratelli Branca has announced it will launch its own import company in the United States in early 2019. The new venture, Branca USA, will be based in New York City and will transition from current importing and marketing partner, Infinium Spirits. Branca USA expects current distribution partnerships across the United States to continue without disruption and is also excited to announce a long-term distribution agreement with California-headquartered Young’s Market Company in the company’s 10-state footprint on the West Coast.

Infinium Spirits has been an outstanding partner over the years. The growth of the Fratelli Branca portfolio in the United States is a credit to Infinium Spirits and their expertise in building brands. We join the Underwood Family in toasting the extended partnership with Young’s Market Company in the Western United States. We have so much to look forward to in the coming years as we take the important step of opening the Branca USA operation. Here’s to celebrating that future success with all of our respected distributor and retail partners.”
– Patrick Piana, CEO, Fratelli Branca

Fratelli Branca

Fratelli Branca and Infinium Spirits have enjoyed a 15-year mutually beneficial partnership, and this move allows both parties to begin a new chapter. Branca USA will continue to drive superior growth of its current portfolio, led by category leaders Fernet-Branca and Antica Formula, as well as bring innovation to the United States. Infinium Spirits will continue to build leading brands with focus on strengthening its current portfolio, forming new partnerships, and launching innovation.

The Infinium Spirits and Fratelli Branca partnership has been remarkable, with our family businesses combining efforts to develop this unique portfolio over many years. We wish the Branca family the best in starting up their import operations in the United States. We look forward to a continued partnership between the Underwood and Branca families.”
– Vern Underwood, Chairman, Young’s Holdings

For more information, visit BrancaDistillerie.com/En.

The post Fratelli Branca to Launch U.S. Import Company in Early 2019 appeared first on Chilled Magazine.

Source: Mixology News

For many, asking for a cocktail that was “brown, bitter, and stirred” meant that you were ordering a Manhattan.

The brown referring to the rye in the drink, the bitter to the aromatic bitters added, and always stirred because a spirit-forward drink is stirred to maintain its clear placid surface.

These days, the well-travelled imbiber has many options when it comes to cocktails that are brown, bitter and stirred. “If you had asked [me] a year or two ago, it would most certainly mean a Manhattan,” notes Las Vegas bartender Bobby “G” Gleason.

Gleason concedes however that the category has grown in plenty of creative ways. “Today ‘brown’ means aged spirits, ‘bitter’ is the hot category of amaros and ‘stirred’ would mean that the cocktail is all spirit.” When it comes to amaros, craft cocktail back bars are stocked to the gills with a host of the bitter herbal liqueurs and bartenders are eager to use them.

While traditionally reserved as after-dinner digestifs, they sub beautifully for the standard aromatic bitters used in these cocktails. Likewise, vintage recipes that are brown, bitter, and stirred – like the Old Pal or the Boulevardier – continue to resurface on cocktail menus across the country, ensuring that this category continues to grow.

Toronto bartender Josh Lindley finds that fans of classic cocktails are often the first patrons ordering this style of drink. “This kind of drink is appealing because there is austerity to ordering something made with spirits you see people drinking in old movies or read about drinking in old books,” he observes.

“The kind of people that order this drink know what they want. They are usually seasoned drinkers, which sometimes means the stronger in flavor, the better.”

Gleason agrees that ordering this style of drink indicates that you’re looking for “bigger, bolder flavors” but he also recognizes that this style is not all bombast and bluster. “It is more of a conversational type cocktail,” he explains.

“This style of drink is meant to be sipped, and when you are sipping something you tend to take more time, contemplate the flavors and you naturally want to talk to someone about all that.”

So when is the best time for a brown, bitter, and stirred cocktail? “I enjoy this style of drink any time, especially in winter,” remarks Lindley, “on cold winter nights in Toronto. Something rich and spirit forward will warm you to your toes if it’s made well.”

San Diego bartender Jake Bliven of Ironside Fish & Oyster has a different take, “I don’t particularly buy into that mode of thought. Being back in my hometown of San Diego, our winters are still comprised of seventy degree weather which most of the country would argue is a far cry from actual ‘seasonal’ weather. I guess my opinion would be that it’s probably not best to be throwing these down during the brunch hour.” Another vote for sipping. Wise advice.

Perhaps the best time to enjoy this style of cocktail is not in fact a time of year, but rather a time of day. “While most people enjoy these types of cocktails before dinner, adding an amaro to a Manhattan-style cocktail makes for a great after dinner drink or a nightcap especially when paired with an assortment of chocolates,” advises Gleason. “While I may not want a Manhattan for lunch in the summer, I sure wouldn’t say no to one with dinner, any time of the year.“

When the time is right and the company is warm, something brown, bitter and stirred is sure to slake your thirst.

Chiquita Bonita

Chiquita Bonita

Courtesy of Jake Bliven of Ironside Fish & Oyster in San Diego

According to Bliven:

“The recipe I chose to feature utilizes little aging with the base spirit and light bitter notes coming from the style of vermouth and a Southern California bitter company. Winter is hard to come by in San Diego and sometimes lighter expressions of this style resonate more in our geographical region.”

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz. Toasted Pepitas-Infused Reposado Tequila* (Such as Pura Vida)
• 1/2 oz. Verdelho Madeira, such as Blandy’s 5 year
• 1/2 oz. Cocchi Vermouth di Torino
• 1/4 oz. Giffard Banane du Bresil
• 2 dashes Miracle Mile Chocolate Chili Bitters
• Canela-Dusted Dehydrated Banana Chip

Preparation: Stir all ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a canela-dusted dehydrated banana chip.

*Pepitas Infused Tequila

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Pepitas Seeds
• (1) 750 ml Bottle of Reposado Tequila

Preparation: Toast 1 cup of pepita seeds in a skillet for five minutes and add to a jar filled with 750 ml bottle of reposado tequila. Let sit at room temp over night or until desired and strain into clean bottle for permanent storage.

Old Boy

Old Boy

Courtesy of Evelyn Chick from The Harbord Room, Toronto

According to Josh Lindley:

“Bars in Toronto excel at making fantastic drinks in this style. Evelyn Chick from The Harbord Room has a spin on an Old Pal that is out of this world, called an Old Boy.”

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz. Pike Creek Canadian Whisky
• 3/4 oz. Martini Bianco
• 1/4 oz. Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
• 1 barspoon House Picon
• (See Link for Jamie Boudreau’s Amer Picon Recipe)
• 4 dashes Celery Bitters

Preparation: Stir all ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail coupe with an orange twist.

Toungue Tied & Cautious

Tongue-Tied & Cautious

Courtesy of Gioconda St. George, Beverage Director at Estrella in Los Angeles

According to St. George:

“I love this cocktail. It’s herbaceous, the citrus aroma gives a nice lift, it’s soft, with a kiss of smoke from the mezcal. Not too heavy of a cocktail, so it’s perfect anytime of the year.”

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz. Mezcal (Such as Scorpion)
• 1 oz. Thai Basil Infused Dolin Blanc*
• 1 oz. Cynar
• Grapefruit Peel

Preparation: Stir with ice. Strain into a coupe. Garnish with a grapefruit peel.

*Thai Basil infused Dolin Blanc

Ingredients:

• 20 Thai Basil Leaves
• (1) 750 ml bottle of Dolin Blanc

Preparation: Combine 20 Thai basil leaves per 750 ml bottle of Dolin Blanc. Place in a container and allow to infuse over night or up to 24 hours. Strain and put back into a clean bottle. Keep refrigerated for longer use.

The post Brown, Bitter, and Stirred Ain’t What It Used to Be appeared first on Chilled Magazine.

Source: Mixology News

Tomorrow is Repeal Day!

Join in the celebration with Title No 21 Whiskey and Chilled Magazine as we count down to the 85th anniversary of the Repeal of Prohibition. We will be sharing recipe ideas on Chilledmagazine.com and encourage you to share your own Repeal Day cocktail pics and recipes on Instagram @TitleNo21.

Share in a toast of freedom with this Bourbon Sour cocktail.

Bourbon Sour

Title No 21 Bourbon Sour

Created by Dallas-based bartender Chris Gill

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. Title No 21 Bourbon
• 1 fresh Egg White
• 3 dashes Herb-Infused Angostura Bitters
• 1/2 oz. Lemongrass Simple Syrup
• 1/4 oz. Demerara Syrup (2:1 Ratio)
• 4 drops of Herb-Infused Angostura Bitters (for Garnish)
• torched sprig of Rosemary (for Garnish)

Preparation: Combine ingredients and shake with ice. Strain and reshake without ice. Fine strain into a rocks glass up. Garnish with 4 drops of herb-infused Angostura bitters and torched sprig of rosemary.

For more information, visit TitleNo21.com.

Title 21 Barrel Aged Lineup

The post 85 Years of Drinking Freedom: Toast with Title 21 Whiskey appeared first on Chilled Magazine.

Source: Mixology News

The creators of Montelobos Espadín, recipient of the multiple Double Gold medals at the acclaimed San Francisco World Spirits Competition, announce the launch of Montelobos Tobalá.

This highly anticipated spirit, made from the exceptional Tobalá varietal of agave and sustainably produced in Puebla, Mexico, has made its debut with an SRP of $99.99. Both Montelobos Espadín and Tobalá will feature updated packaging, elegantly designed to reflect the liquid within.

Montelobos Mezcal Espadín was created by the world’s foremost agave expert, Dr. Iván Saldaña. By crafting a mezcal with supreme complexity and a perfect balance, Saldaña created a spirit unique from any other within the category. With Tobalá, Saldaña has once again melded his deep understanding of agave spirits with traditional mezcal production techniques to create an extraordinary new expression. The agave utilized (Agave potatorum, commonly known as Tobalá), is carefully transformed to obtain what Iván considers to be an “ultra-pure expression of Tobalá flavors,” offering a deep insight into this highly coveted agave variety. While nearly all commercially available Tobalás are made using wild agave, Montelobos Tobalá is unique in its utilization of only sustainably produced Tobalá, cultivated from seed in Puebla, Mexico.

Montelobos Tobalá similar to Montelobos Espadín, uses sustainable agave, however several factors in production, location and the agave plant itself create a very unique, yet equally complex and delicious product. Montelobos Espadín is balanced with notes of wood, smoke, green agave and cooked agave. Montelobos Tobalá, on the other hand, has a more prominent green agave profile, which then gives way to a milder smoke, wood and cooked agave flavors.

“Montelobos Tobalá was born of wild agave seeds, germinated against all odds, and sustainably nurtured for more than a decade. Every sip provides intense herbal notes full of constructive provocation, inviting consumers and producers to move from wild agave exploitation to sustainable agave cultivation.”
– Dr. Iván Saldaña, World’s Foremost Agave Expert

Agave Espadín accounts for about 90% of mezcal production, while Tobalá is a rarer variety of agave that generally grows in the wild in rocky terrain and shady soil at high altitudes. For Montelobos, Puebla, Mexico was the ideal location to cultivate and produce their Tobalá, whereas their Espadín comes from Oaxaca, Mexico. Montelobos collaborates with two Master Mescalero families, the López Family in Oaxaca and the Alva Family in Puebla, to produce their mezcal. Through these families, Montelobos has complete control of their supply of agave, both Tobalá and Espadín. As a result, the brand can continue to produce consistently award-winning mezcal for years to come, replenishing agave as needed.

Tobalá agave takes up to 15 years to mature. It is harvested and then roasted in an in-ground earth oven lined with brick. After roasting for five to seven days, the Tobalá is hand cut and put through a milling machine to further breakdown the agave. The mashed agave is then transferred into pine vats to ferment for approximately ten days before it is distilled twice in copper stills powered by wood fueled fires. The process used to create Montelobos Espadín is slightly different as it is first cooked in an in-ground earth oven lined in volcanic stone. The agave is then mashed using the tahona process, in which a large stone pulled by a mule crushes the cooked agave, before being placed into pine vats for fermentation and distilled twice in copper stills powered by wood fueled fires.

“Since its launch in 2012, Montelobos Espadín has become one of the most sought after mezcals in the U.S. market. With all of the excitement surrounding the Tobalá category, Dr. Iván Saldaña and his team are thrilled to bring this new expression, sustainably produced and steeped in Mexican tradition, to the U.S. spirits market.”
– Shem Blum, Brand Manager, Montelobos Mezcal

Montelobos is owned by Casa Lumbre, a company dedicated to “farm-to-bottle” Mexican premium spirits with sensorial uniqueness. With a strong focus on place of origin, sustainability and original production methods, Casa Lumbre works directly with farmers and local producers establishing fair, long term supply agreements. Casa Lumbre builds virtuous and dignifying relationships by helping their production and farming partners, including their families and their communities, by providing technical support, long term and no interest rate loans, investing in infrastructure on their behalf, and fixing fair purchasing prices independently from market speculation. Casa Lumbre stands for recognizing and improving the position of the farmers and other associates, to create a freer, fairer, honest and enriching reality for all.

The post Montelobos Tobalá Launches appeared first on Chilled Magazine.

Source: Mixology News