October 2019

“Market Brand Manager” is not a common title used for employees of a spirit company.

But how else do you describe someone who acts as a hybrid of a brand ambassador and dedicated sales manager? We caught up with Texas-based Justin Daniels and Thomas Murphy of Southwest Spirits to learn more about the intricacies of their jobs. Here, they chat about the best parts of the position, the daily challenges they face and their favorite cocktails to sip right now.

Justin Daniels

What about your role do you like the best?

Justin Daniels: Building and maintaining relationships is by far what I like best about my position. I have a lot of experience with the restaurant/bar industry, so I have a good idea of what the needs and wants are of that side of the business. I also enjoy keeping myself organized and running my own schedule. I was not built to be in an office all day long.

Thomas Murphy: I love the freedom my job offers. Having the ability to set my schedule, be present in the market, and see the effect I am having on my territory is invigorating. Of course, there is also nothing like the thrill of a completed sale.

What are the biggest challenges you face in the on-premise, and how do you overcome them?

Daniels: One of the biggest challenges is the oversaturation of brands in the market. Bars and restaurants have a plethora of options and explaining to a buyer why my products are going to work for them over another brand can be tricky. I overcome this problem by focusing on the facts. We are Texas and we have high quality products at great price points. Above all, the proof is in the bottle. I stand by our Nue Vodka as one of the best tasting vodkas out there. Not just the best Texas vodka, but [one of the] best vodkas period. I challenge your readers to find a smoother vodka at our price point.

Murphy: One of the things that keeps me on my toes is the distribution system in Texas. Having to work hand in hand with a distributor is a privilege, but it can also be a bit clunky—especially when you have a Class A distributor and a Class B distributor to work with. Some people may view this as too many cooks in the kitchen, but I see it as a way of being able to cast a wider net. Communication is always key with texts, phone calls, emails etc. I always try to stay ahead of any situation. Whether it’s an issue or an opportunity for me or the distributors, I always think an open line of contact is key.

Thomas Murphy

What is a unique or interesting way you have showcased the brands?

Daniels: Thinking outside of the box is sometimes paramount to being successful in this business. From utilizing our Henderson Blended Whiskey in a homemade barbecue sauce for one of my Texas BBQ accounts, to supplying our Nue Peach Vodka to a local baker to use in desserts, I am always on the lookout for unorthodox ways to get our products in front of consumers.

Murphy: I like describing our brands in an unconventional way. For Blumenpflucker, I love talking about the story of Princess Charlotte Christine Sophie, the German princess who fled her abusive husband. People’s faces really light up when you talk about the way she traveled across Europe and then to present-day New Orleans. Another fact I love to use is when I talk about Calamity Gin. I love saying “In most gins, juniper is the Beyonce, it’s up front, you definitely know it’s there and there is no question who the star of the show is. However, in our Calamity Gin, the juniper is more like Kelly Rowland in Destiny’s Child. The juniper is present, it’s just singing back up.” This phrasing generally elicits a laugh followed closely by a sale. I always want to make everything I do bring a smile to a person’s face. If I can do that while working, then I am truly blessed.

What is your favorite cocktail to make at home or suggest to accounts and why?

Daniels: I have to give a shout-out to Annex Crafthouse in Vintage Park for this one! They have a Lemon Rosemary Gin Fizz with Calamity Gin that is outstanding. Very fresh, crisp and well-balanced. I also love to make my version of vodka lemonade with equal parts Nue Vodka and lemonade, a splash of cranberry, and fresh mint.

Murphy: My favorite cocktail for accounts changes with the seasons. Obviously, accounts want to constantly update and change their menus so their customers don’t get too bored. But when it comes to at home, I have to say that I absolutely love an Espresso Martini. Anyone who knows me, has worked with me or has had a drink with me (essentially half of the South) knows I love them. I was introduced to them by my friend and colleague Kristen Vesely. I love using Nue Vodka, coffee liqueur, Irish cream and fresh espresso. This libation has the added bonus of giving you a little energy boost. After a long day of selling or maybe gearing up for a night out with friends, an Espresso Martini always does the trick.

***Southwest Spirits’ Market Brand Manager program was implemented in the second half of 2019. Considering their growth, Southwest Spirits has identified the need to double the program and will be adding Market Brand Managers in two other markets in 2020.

The post 2 Market Brand Managers from Southwest Spirits Discuss Their Favorite Parts of the Job appeared first on Chilled Magazine.

Source: Mixology News

Welcome to On Tap, a weekly column that explores the brews and beer trends that are currently being served at restaurants and bars across the country.

This week, were chatting with Mickey Alexander, the beer sommelier at Taproom No. 307 in New York’s Gramercy neighborhood. With 40 beers on tap and 60 seasonal bottled beers available, Taproom No. 307 is in the business of helping people find new beers to try and love. It recently launched its Ultimate Craft Beer Experience, a beer tasting that uses all five senses to learn about the ingredients, brewing process and flavors of different brews. Here, Alexander discusses how he chooses beers for Taproom No. 307’s draft lines and what he’s drinking right now.

Draft and Beers

When choosing beers for your on-tap program, do you always go to the same brands, or are you constantly looking for new breweries to feature?

With more than 400 breweries in New York state alone, we have an enormously diverse selection to choose from. We try to support as many local breweries as possible. There are breweries that are local favorites, but we definitely try to spread the love. Rather than trying to chase fads, we strive to offer a diverse selection of quality brews that we believe are worthy of sharing.

How often do you rotate your tap selections and why?

I typically only buy one keg of each beer at a time. Because of that, we have a constant rotation of new beers to share with our guests. It’s a fun way to share the fantastic local selection with tourists and regulars alike. We have 40 draft lines and a large selection of bottles and cans. This means that we constantly have new brews to share with even our most frequent regulars.

Patrons Enjoying Guys

What is your favorite beer that’s being served on tap right now?

I’m really enjoying a collaboration IPA we have on draft right now. It’s a collaboration between three amazing local breweries: Interboro, Equilibrium and Evil Twin. Each one of these breweries makes fantastic beers on their own, and this DIPA, Slang Rap Democracy, showcases their combined skills wonderfully.

Taproom No. 307 serves delicious, elevated pub fare with something for everyone. Alexander chooses a few favorites from the menu and pairs them with the current beers on tap.

Half Acre Beer Co. Bodem with Truffle Burrata Flatbread

The flatbread is so rich and creamy. I find that Bodem has a strong enough hop backbone to hold up to the burrata while being well-balanced enough to not be overpowering.

Fifth Hammer Brewing Co. Lester Leaps In with Bacon Brussels Sprouts

This farmhouse ale is funky enough to hold its own against the Brussels sprouts, and it washes down the richness of the bacon just as easily.

Taproom No. 307

Ayinger Brauweisse with 307 House Salad

This traditional weisse beer is a refreshing and lightly sweet addition to our house salad. The subtle banana-like notes of the beer add a little extra level of flavor to an already complex salad.

Twin Fork Beer Co. Sonata with The Killa Burger

The Killa has so much going on that I feel a cold refreshing Kolsch is just the way to chase it. Kolsch is not a style that everyone is familiar with, but it should be. It’s just as clean and refreshing as a typical lager with a little added body to stand up to the richness of our special Killa sauce.

Ithaca Beer Co. Cascazilla with Pork Quesadilla

This wonderfully hoppy red IPA is great with our pulled pork that we smoke in-house. Both are rich and flavorful with an aftertaste that leaves you wanting more.

Maine Beer Co. Fall Coffee Stout with Chocolate Chip Cookies

I mean, who doesn’t love coffee and cookies? Stouts are pretty much a no-brainer with chocolate desserts, and the addition of coffee to this rich brew is perfectly complementary.

The post On Tap: Taproom No. 307 appeared first on Chilled Magazine.

Source: Mixology News

Anyone who’s taken a boxing class can tell you how much mental and physical discipline it takes to play the sport.

You have to be quick, sharp, nimble and anticipate your opponent’s every move if you want to be successful. Bartenders need to possess a similar skill set if they want to flourish. They have to stay cool under pressure and foresee customers’ needs during busy bouts, all while making precise cocktail measurements and lifting heavy boxes and bottles. A group recognized these similarities back in 2016 and created the Bartender Boxing Organization, which has a mission to promote health and wellness for bartenders through the science of boxing. Potential participants are vetted through an extensive application and interview process and have to complete a rigorous program to ensure safety and success.

Deandra Brunson

For the past few years, the Bartender Boxing Organization has presented Bar Spar, a program where bartenders can train under professionals for a chance to participate in an amateur ring fight across 10 different cities. As bartenders are gearing up for the first two fall fights of 2019 in Chicago and New York, we caught up with participant Deandra Brunson, the head server at Bathtub Gin and bartender at Miss Lily’s in New York City. She opens up to Chilled about how training for Bar Spar has improved her focus behind the bar and gives advice to bartenders who are interested in joining the program.

How did you first hear about the Bar Spar program and get involved?

Bar Spar was introduced to me by a colleague in the industry, Angela Stevens from Miss Lily’s restaurant in Soho, who was intrigued by my desire to complete a minor boxing challenge as a way of relieving stress while attending school and working late nights full time. Emily Hilton, manager of Bathtub Gin, invited me to Tales of the Cocktail 2019 for an eye-opening perspective of what Bar Spar offers. During my experience there, I was able to view a Bar Spar match firsthand, and at that very moment, I told myself I can fight. This is definitely a bucket list item for me!

Deandra Brunson

While training for this program, you’re focused on both physical fitness and nutrition. Has concentrating on these disciplines improved your focus behind the bar?

I’ve become extremely disciplined at work. The outcome of my physicality from boxing has become embedded in my mindset, therefore I have strict limitations with the snacks I allow myself to eat. I am mindful of the time of day that I eat, and specifically what carbs I allow myself to intake. Precision has also become an OCD because I no longer taste-test my drinks for accuracy. I believe in the power of execution so that I do not have to tease my palate and break my sobriety.

What has training for boxing taught you about living outside of the ring? How have you applied that to your bartending career?

The most valuable thing I’ve learned from boxing is how to fight for something that can be obtained! I’ve learned how to allow myself to falter to vulnerability, and with doing so, there comes an ease in adaptation. Situations are less unfamiliar and the body in existence is further less uncomfortable. The key is remaining optimistic! Bartenders are generally resilient, so training reclaims the intensity of focusing on repetition and anticipation.

Any advice for other bartenders who are interested in the Bar Spar?

Bar Spar is a challenge, and it has to be desired because the physiological and mental cavity is continuously provoked. In the words of Daryl Gregory, private trainer at Gleason’s Gym, and world champion boxer Heather Heat Hardy, “You have to Expose the Dog in you!”

If you want to see Brunson compete in the NYC competition, you can RSVP to the November 6 event for free. Tickets are limited, so act quickly!

The post Ask a Bartender: How Boxing Has Improved My Bartending Career appeared first on Chilled Magazine.

Source: Mixology News

Anyone who has visited the Alamo or strolled along the Riverwalk understands the history and beauty that can be found in the historic city of San Antonio.

And this, of course, includes the city’s thriving brewing scene. San Antonio offers residents and travelers an opportunity to enjoy a wide variety of beers from brewpubs, restaurants, traditional breweries and even distilleries that are making their own beer. If you’re looking to check out the craft beer scene in San Antonio, these eight breweries should be at the top of your list.

Maverick Whiskey Distillery & Brewery

It may not seem out of the ordinary to walk into a Texas drinking establishment and enjoy a shot and a beer. Still, Maverick Whiskey Distillery & Brewery has taken that premise and turned it into a refined, well-crafted experience. Every Maverick beer and spirit is created in-house, and patrons can pair the drinks with a thoughtful food menu. The establishment opened in the summer of 2019, a mere block from the iconic Alamo. The Maverick name comes from the owner’s ancestor and Texas revolutionary, Samuel Maverick. As such, every beer and spirit served at Maverick is a symbolic toast to the brave souls who gave their lives at the Alamo.

Maverick Whiskey Distillery & Brewery

Roadmap Brewing Co.

Hannah and Dustin Baker turned a wedding gift—a homebrewing kit—into a passion project, which eventually became Roadmap Brewing in September 2018. Roadmap features 11 main beers on tap, including the usual suspects like an IPA, New England IPA and Hefeweizen. But any homebrewer will tell you that the itch to create always needs scratching. So at Roadmap, one can also enjoy beers like a German Dark Lager, an English Pub Ale and a Coffee Stout.

Roadmap Brewing Co.

Southerleigh Fine Food & Brewing

For four years, this brewery and restaurant has demonstrated the sophistication that can be attained with a menu that pairs craft beer with chef-prepared meals. San Antonio’s acclaimed Chef Jeff Balfour has developed the menu for the 10th largest brewpub in the country, which boasts a custom-made brewing system. The establishment’s success has afforded Southerleigh the chance to open a second San Antonio location, which is slated to open by the end of the year. Southerleigh offers its guests 21 different beers on draft, many of which have playful names like “‘Over My Dad Body,” a light-bodied lager brewed with cocoa nibs and red Fresno peppers. Southerleigh is also the first Texas brewery to produce a beer comprised entirely of ingredients sourced in the Lone Star State, its Texas Native Pale Ale.

Southerleigh Fine Food & Brewing

Dorćol Distilling Co.’s High Wheel Beerworks

High Wheel Beerworks is the brewing arm of Dorćol Distilling Company, which was established in 2013 by college friends Chris and Boyan. Instead of toiling away at a desk, the duo created Dorćol, where patrons can enjoy award-winning spirits, cocktails and well-crafted beer. High Wheel brews four different beers that are made without the use of industrially-distilled alcohol or flavoring agents: Betty, a German-style Kölsch; COQ Hardi, a Belgian Farmhouse Ale; an American style Porter; and 56, a bold style IPA.

Dorćol Distilling Cos High Wheel Beerworks

Ranger Creek

Ranger Creek is a combination brewery and whiskey distillery, or a “brewstillery” as they refer to it. Since Ranger Creek opened in 2010, the brewstillery has produced an array of beers that pay homage to the local culture. For instance, Mission Trail Extra Pale Ale draws its name from San Antonio’s UNESCO designated Spanish colonial missions. And !Viva! 300 is a limited-edition pilsner created to celebrate the city’s tricentennial. But the brewery isn’t just about naming conventions and history. Many of the beers found at Ranger Creek take immense skill to brew. Small Batch #13 is a Belgian Dark Strong Ale aged for 24 months with Lactobacillus, Pediococcus and Brettanomyces, as well as a house strain of wild yeast. If wild ales are not your thing, you’ll enjoy a number of their regular beers, including San Antonio Lager, Love Struck Hefe and Skytrooper IPA. Even better, pair them with the brewstillery’s award-winning, grain-to-glass small-batch Texas bourbon, single malt and rye whiskey, all of which rely solely on Texas ingredients.

Ranger Creek

Freetail Brewing Company

Freetail’s passion for beer is exceeded only by its passion for community. As Freetail notes, “San Antonio is more than our hometown. It’s why we brew.” San Antonio native, Scott Metzger, dreamed of opening a brewery in his hometown, and he named Freetail Brewing Company after Texas’ official flying mammal, the Mexican Freetail Bat (it is estimated that upwards of 30 million of them reside in a cave not far from San Antonio). Metzger didn’t just open one brewery, though—he opened two, a taproom location and a brewpub. Many of the beers brewed at Freetail pay homage to the storied cultural history of Texas and San Antonio, and, its Con-Cerveza was brewed to benefit the San Antonio Zoo.

Freetail Brewing Company

Alamo Beer Company

Alamo Beer dates back to the late 1870s, and it eventually became part of Anheuser-Busch’s Lone Star Brewing Company, a brand that once produced “The National Beer of Texas.” Prohibition, however, put an end to the production of Alamo beer, or so it was thought. Eugene Simor, a California transplant with a love of Texas beers, researched the Alamo name and discovered that he could legally brand beer with it again. He bought the rights to Alamo beer and began reproducing the beloved brew in 2003. Alamo Beer Company operates out of a new, gorgeous facility, while Lone Star’s brewery transitioned into the San Antonio Museum of Art.

Alamo Beer Company

Blue Star Brewing Company

Blue Star Brewing Company has been a part of the San Antonio beer community since 1996. The brewery is in a gorgeous Riverwalk location at the start of the Mission Reach, a scenic bike and pedestrian thoroughfare along the San Antonio River. The lively brewpub is a neighborhood hangout that’s suitable for watching any game and enjoying plenty of live music, including its jazz nites. Meanwhile, the beer is 100 percent organic and relies entirely on all-natural ingredients. The dedication to organic brewing doesn’t stop the brewery from offering a tremendous variety of beer, such as cask ales, barleywines, spontaneous and two-year-aged sours, and a Texican Lager.

Blue Star Brewing Company

The post Every San Antonio Brewery You Need to Visit appeared first on Chilled Magazine.

Source: Mixology News

Ali Stover has had a diverse career thus far. From playing “Emilia” in Othello, “Rosencrantz” in Hamlet, a Playboy Bunny on “Law and Order Criminal Intent” opposite Peter Bogdonavich, to the beloved character of “Emma Frost” on a Deadpool web series, there isn’t anything she can’t accomplish.

Her work has garnered her with “Best Leading Actress” awards at small indie film festivals, and she has worked with truly amazing actors who have encouraged her along the way, including Peter Bogdanovich, Vincent D’Onofrio, Louis C.K. and Kathryn Erbe.

Chillin’ With Ali Stover

Ali found acting by way of journalism at Rutgers University, with an internship at WNBC in New York. She realized she was less a television journalist and more of an actor wanting to be a part of reflecting life through art, disappearing into characters and telling inspiring stories through fictional storytelling.

Film credits include the independent film, My Little Demon, written and directed by S.J. Creazzo, which won her the award of “Best Actress” at the Buffalo Niagara Film Festival. Stover played the leading role of “Rebecca,” a woman portraying a psychiatrist who turns out to be the devil. She also appeared in the short film Overnight Shift about a former war veteran turned taxi driver working Halloween night and encountering a past acquaintance from the war as one of his customers.

Ali also appeared in the award-winning film The Lair about an overweight woman who makes a deal with the devil to become thin and beautiful. This film won the “Award of Excellence” in the 2011 Accolade Competition in Short Film. Other credits include the films And See all the People (2011) and Infiltrate (2014).

Ali’s love of storytelling extends to charitable endeavors and volunteering whenever she can to give a voice to those who need it. She has been actively involved in the World Wildlife Fund, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (she lost a family member to cancer), the ASPCA, Shelter Our Sisters: a charity for domestic violence victims that provides shelter to women in times of suffering, and the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Here, Ali chats about her current projects and the drinks she likes to serve when entertaining at home.

Chillin’ With Ali Stover

Tell us about some of the projects you are currently working on?

I have a number of projects in the works. I’m playing the lead in the film Identity Crisis based on the NY Times bestseller by Debbi Mack. I love this character, as she’s a sassy, tenacious, hard-boiled lawyer turned investigator in this fast-paced crime drama. I’m also playing the lead FBI agent in the mob-based film Infiltrated and an agent in the TV series Hollywoodland of Hope and Lies.

When you go out to eat, where do you like to dine?

I’ll eat anywhere from a dive bar to a fine dining restaurant. I really enjoy all kinds of food and can usually find something good on any menu.

What types of dishes do you usually order?

If a restaurant is known for a specific dish, I’ll order that or ask the waiter what he or she recommends. At times I’ll get something I haven’t seen elsewhere that seems unique or creative, and other times I’ll go with something I’ve had before that I love. I just tried the duck at a restaurant I go to often and it was amazing, so I’ll definitely order it again!

Do you cook?  

I cook sometimes but not as often as I’d like to.

What types of drinks do you order when out? 

I order a variety of drinks. Usually a glass of Sauvignon Blanc, a blood orange Martini or tequila with lime juice.

Chillin’ With Ali Stover

Do you prepare drinks at home? 

When home, I’ll sometimes have a glass of wine with dinner or vodka soda if I’m having friends over.

Do you own a home bar?

I don’t have a home bar, but I do have a martini set/cocktail set.

If you did own a home bar, what would it be like?

I do have a small collection of spirits from my travels and various places around the world, and while it’s not a proper bar, I’m always happy to travel more and add to it! I think having unique liquors that speak to different regions is interesting. I’d also love something with plenty of seating, as I love to entertain and gather friends together.

What is your favorite cocktail?

My favorite drink is a blood orange Martini.

Have you ever been a bartender?

I’ve never been a bartender, but I watch mixologists and there’s such an art to it. I’d love to learn more and know how to make a few unique drinks at some point.

The post Chillin’ With Ali Stover appeared first on Chilled Magazine.

Source: Mixology News

A 5,000-square-foot public space is hard to find in Manhattan, and we’re not referring to a pier, park or parking lot.

We’re talking an all-day hangout suited for a morning coffee, maybe a business call or meeting, and definitely cocktails after office hours. Enter Recreation, a communal co-working space by day and cool cocktail lounge by night, backed by Jon Neidich of Golden Age Hospitality. Situated on the third floor of the 30-story Moxy NYC Downtown in the Financial District, the atypical hotel lobby bar shares the same look as your well-to-do friend’s hip pad, the one who throws the stylin’ Friday night parties. Rock vinyl records wrap the walls, a corner crochetdermy bear poses for playful photo opps, and several seating areas are scattered throughout, perfect for posting (and boasting about the night) over social media. Keg-tapped cocktails await behind the built-in bar.

Risky Business

Conceived by Beverage Director Jim Kearns (The Happiest Hour, Slowly Shirley), the cocktail selection reflects the retro theme that adorns the king-size space. Highlights include Risky Business, a buzzier riff on a Dark ‘n’ Stormy, and Rock N’ Rye All Night, a youthful Old Fashioned binding both sugar and spice. These on-tap cocktails are also available in large formats, some served in big, unique vessels and others featuring house-made tonics and sodas. The rare draft cocktail system ensures quality and consistency drink-to-drink and cuts back on wait time for thirsty guests. It also allows imbibers to easily sample different cocktails before deciding on one.

Recreation Gaming Area

Recreation offers an old-school arcade machine with games like Ms. Pacman, Centipede and Donkey Kong, which are all free to play. There’s jumbo Jenga, Twister (which is permanently painted on the floor) and a half-court-size basketball court, which is equipped for all types of events like weekly movie nights, corporate meetings or just to shoot around like a pro-baller while taking a break from your MacBook Pro.

Crispy Chicken and Waffle Bites

Open all day, every day, you can find fun takes on traditional American fare like avocado toast and croissant French toast during breakfast hours and a four-cheese flatbread with white truffle oil and bite-size crispy chicken and waffles until the late-night hours. There’s happy hour on Monday through Saturday from 5:00 to 8:00 pm and includes discounted draft beers, bubbles and select specialty cocktails. If you can’t make it to Recreation ASAP, channel the bar’s cool vibes with their take on the classic Old Fashioned.

Rock N’ Rye All Night

Rock N’ Rye All Night

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz. Wild Turkey 101º Rye
• .25 oz. Mister Katz’s Rock & Rye
• .25 oz. Demerara Syrup
• 3 dashes Angostura Bitters
• 2 dashes Bitter Truth Aromatic Bitters
• Orange Wheel (to Garnish)
• Cherry (to Garnish)

Preparation: Over ice, combine all liquid ingredients into a mixing glass and stir for 20 seconds. Strain over ice in a rocks glass and garnish.

The post Inside Recreation, the Sprawling Lobby Bar at the Moxy NYC Downtown Hotel appeared first on Chilled Magazine.

Source: Mixology News

In the past few years, sherry has stepped into the spotlight.

What was once widely considered a dusty bottle on the backbar is now becoming a star libation as bartenders across the country use it in cocktails and offer sherry flights to curious customers. But to really appreciate sherry, it helps to know how the expression is made and what to expect when sampling the category’s different styles.

So we sat down with Diana Novak, the National Director of Spirits Education for Palm Bay International. Palm Bay has a wide variety of spirit brands in their portfolio, including Williams & Humbert, which has been making sherry since 1877. Here, Novak gives us a crash course on Sherry 101 so we can better understand and learn how to properly drink this amazing fortified wine.

Sherry Being Sampled

A lot of people still associate sherry with a cooking wine or old-school drink that their grandparents imbibed. Could you explain to us what sherry actually is? How is it made?

It’s long been associated with the sweet wine that our nanas drank, nip by nip, and some know it only as a cooking wine. While those are both aspects of sherry as a category, there is so much more to this wine. Sherry is a fortified wine that comes from the southern region of Spain and may only be aged in three towns that make up the Sherry Triangle—Jerez de la Frontera, Sanlucar and El Puerto.

Though sherry has a variety of expressions within the wine category, there are only three white grapes that are allowed for the production—Palomino, the most widely used and planted grape in the region; Pedro Ximenez, known for its dark coloring and sweet, raisin-like flavor profile; and Moscatel, a lighter sweet grape that has soft notes of honey. Sherry can range from zero grams of residual sugar per liter to upwards of 400 grams based on the grapes used during the course of aging.

Sherry is aged by a criadera and solera system. This is a method based on the principle that the youngest wine may be enriched when it’s added to the eldest, which is essentially fractional blending. The criaderas are known as the nursery, while the solera (meaning earth) is the oldest of all the sherry within the aging system and is the only level in which sherry may be extracted for bottling. Aging is done in Botas, which are large American oak casks with a 500-600 liter capacity. They must be well-seasoned with young wines and musts for many years before they are used in the criadera system.

After harvesting and pressing the grapes, you begin to create your base wine. Sherry goes through two presses. The first is for biological aging, done under Flor. Flor is a yeast that develops as a thin veil atop the wine as it ages that prevents it from oxidizing, as long as it stays at 15 percent abv and has air to breathe. The second press is generally for Oloroso and oxidative aging. Oxidative aging means it is fortified right away and placed in a barrel filled to the top, as it will never see flor aging.

After the initial fermentation (generally up to 12 weeks), the wine will enter the sobratabla for each sherry expression. For example, if you wanted to create a Fino, it would have its own “wine of the year” that would consistently feed the criadera levels as the extractions are made. So if you are bottling Fino, you would take a percent from of all of your solera level casks and backfill with first criadera. You would then backfill the first criadera with a percent of the second criadera. And finally you would backfill the second criadera with the sobratabla.

Soleras Dry Stack

Sherry styles differ greatly in flavor. Could you talk about some of the different types of sherries produced by Williams & Humbert and what makes them unique?

Williams & Humbert started in 1877 and produces a wide array of sherries across all categories, as well as some unique small production offerings. Here in the United States, we have a full portfolio of sherries that range from a Pando Fino with zero grams of residual sugar to a 20 Year VOS (Very Old Sherry) Don Guido Pedro Ximenez that has 380 grams of residual sugar. Williams & Humbert is also the home of Drysack, which has been one of the most widely-known sherries for decades.

Drysack is a medium sherry, which means it is has a grape base of more than 93 percent Palomino with a small percentage of PX that increases the sugar content slightly. The Drysack expression is more than 110 years old, having first been produced in 1906, and is aged under flor for approximately six years. This is a unique expression because you have dryness with a slight touch of acidity that marries beautifully with the natural hazelnut and almond notes from the biologic aging of the Palomino grape. It finishes with a rounded touch of raisin and fig without being overly sweet, making it very versatile in both the beverage and culinary industries.

Canasta is a cream sherry, a category that starts with 115 grams of residual sugar. Canasta is aged approximately six years and has 132 grams of residual sugar. While there is a great deal of sweetness, there’s also acidity from the Palomino along with almond, fig, chocolate and raisin notes. You can find this sherry in nearly all the restaurants in Jerez.

Drysack 15 Year Oloroso is a vintage expression, which is very rare in sherry and also known as Añada. Since 1920, Williams & Humbert has put aside a bota of every vintage from the Alamo in Balbaina vineyard. These barrels have never been refreshed, and because of evaporation, these wines have gradually become concentrated and racked into successively smaller casks.  You lose three to four percent of the cask to angel’s share during each year of aging, so the casks have to get smaller to maintain the integrity of sherry.

Williams & Hubert Exterior Bodegas

For people getting into sherry for the first time, how to do suggest serving the beverage?

I recommend to first think about your palate and what you might be eating. The general rule of thumb is to drink drier-style sherries—such as Fino, Manzanilla, Amontillado and Palo Cortado—as an aperitif. Usually styles like Olorosos, PX and cream sherries are reserved for a digestif. But sherries are not limited to the befores and afters of a meal. I was once told, “You should never drink sherry without a little food, but no meal is ever complete without the proper sherry.”

To serve sherry, a white wine glass is the perfect vessel for all expressions. For dry styles like Fino and Manzanilla, serve it very chilled. Wines such as Amontillado, Palo Cortado and often Oloroso should be served slightly below room temperature or slightly chilled. For sweeter wines like PX or Moscatel, you can serve at room temperature or with a slight chill, if you prefer.

What about in cocktails—how do different sherries pair well with other ingredients and flavors?

Sherry has long been incorporated into cocktails, most notably in the Sherry Cobbler. And as people are learning and discovering more about sherry, we are starting to see many more sherry incorporations in cocktails.

With the wide variety of flavor profiles within the category, there may truly be a sherry partner for every spirit. To understand how different sherry expressions may enhance and work with spirits, I find it’s easiest to begin working with the sherry as a modifier in traditional builds for classic cocktails. You can start by substituting sherry for a traditional modifier, such as vermouth. Identify the flavor profile of the spirit you’re replacing and familiarize yourself with the flavor profiles of the sherries you have on hand.

Manzanilla and Fino can be used in place of dry vermouth, Olorosos can be used as a substitute for sweet vermouth, and Pedro Ximenez and Muscatel can be used in place of sweet liqueurs or even simple syrups. Drier sherry categories can easily be used as the base of a cocktail, which also makes the drink lower abv.

No matter if a sherry is used as a modifier or as the primary base, it will add a great deal of complexity and can balance bitter, citric and even sweet bold flavors. Finos generally work very well with bold spirits to add acidity, which is the case when it’s used in Martinis. Amontillado is a round, full-bodied expression with a bit of acidity and nuttiness, which works well in stirred, boozy cocktails. Palo Cortados can enhance a wide range of flavors, but its dryness, light acidity and well-rounded marzipan notes pair nicely with aged rums. Olorosos can be very versatile when working with stirred, bold cocktails, in shaken, sherry-forward cocktails, and as modifiers for a vast array of spirits. Creams, Moscatel and PX are complex sweetening agents that work with spirits that range from agave to whiskey and much of everything in between.

Start your sherry journey by visiting Williams & Humbert to learn more about their versatile expressions.

The post Everything You Need to Know About Sherry appeared first on Chilled Magazine.

Source: Mixology News

America’s Dairyland is known for more than phenomenal cheese—beer is also a huge part of the culture in Wisconsin.

After all, residents of the state have been crafting brews since the 1830’s, and its largest city, Milwaukee, is nicknamed Brew City. But it’s easy to miss some of the small yet amazing brewing companies sprinkled across the Badger State. So we’ve rounded up some longtime favorites, plus a couple new faces, to check out on your next trip up north.

SwitchGear Brewing Co Flight

Elkhart Lake, a scenic resort town roughly an hour from Milwaukee, is home to our first recommended spot. Housed in a historic feed mill in the cute and walkable downtown lies SwitchGear Brewing Co, a relatively new establishment that was founded in the spring of 2017. Noteworthy menu offerings include the owner’s favorite Resorter Red Ale, the best-selling Pontoon Pounder IPA and seasonal ApriHop Apricot IPA. SwitchGear also produces its own beer cheese dip, which can be enjoyed inside the brewery with some pretzels.

A Midwestern legend, New Glarus Brewing Company, is an absolute must-see when visiting Wisconsin. This well-loved spot is known for using natural ingredients to craft high-quality brews. The most popular is their Spotted Cow ale, but New Glarus offers five other beers all year long, as well as special seasonal varieties. Note that New Glarus is purposely only available in Wisconsin, despite tons of requests to distribute across the country.

The McMahon family, owners of Door County Brewing Company

Door County Brewing Company is another spot making excellent Wisconsin beer. This establishment is located on the quiet side of the popular Door County peninsula, which is sometimes called “The Cape Cod of the Midwest.” DCBD is known for using local Wisconsin ingredients, like the area’s famed cherries, and the family-owned and operated microbrewery has been serving up sudsy goodness since 2012. Try their Polka King Porter or Little Sister Witbier on your next visit.

Sprecher Brewery Flight

Another delightful haunt can be found in Lake Geneva, the long-beloved resort destination in southeastern Wisconsin. Sprecher Brewery is most famous for its root beer, which is some of the best you’ll find anywhere. They also offer brews of the boozy kind, like the Bavarian ale Hefe Weiss and a German-inspired lager called Special Amber. Additionally, Sprecher’s boasts other old-fashioned craft sodas like cream soda and cherry soda and a line of hard ciders and hard sodas.

While these are only some of the great Wisconsin breweries in the Badger State, we recommend putting them at the top of your list during a visit.

The post 4 Must-Visit Wisconsin Breweries appeared first on Chilled Magazine.

Source: Mixology News

Brockmans Gin has appointed former Diageo Chief Executive Paul Walsh to its Advisory Board as it finalises a new five-year growth plan designed to double sales.

The drinks industry veteran will help shape the strategy for the next phase of the company’s development. This strategy will see Brockmans, which is already sold in 45 countries, extend its international footprint, particularly in the United States.

“I am delighted that Paul has agreed to join us on the exciting next leg of our journey,” Neil Everitt, Brockmans’ co-founder and chief executive, said in a press release. “His industry knowledge, experience and contacts will help us achieve our ambition of doubling sales and becoming the best super-premium gin business in the world. Paul’s success in developing a multi-national business will be particularly relevant as we grow Brockmans’ international presence. We still see huge potential in Europe but also in the United States, where ultra-premium gin sales grew 25 percent in 2018. The U.S. market is still in its infancy, several years behind established gin drinking countries in Europe such as Spain and the UK. This represents a great opportunity that Paul will help us capitalise on.”

Paul Walsh

Brockmans entered the U.S. market in 2014, extending its presence from New York, New Jersey and New England to states including Florida, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Colorado, Michigan and Illinois this year. The additional states, coupled with the appointment of Blue Ridge Spirits and Wine Marketing as a nationwide distributor in September last year, helped boost 2018 sales by 50 percent in North America, which also includes a small but rapidly growing presence in Canada.

Paul Walsh was chief executive of Diageo—which owns brands such as Johnnie Walker whisky and Guinness—for 13 years before stepping down in 2013. He is credited with building the company into a global leader, and the share price more than tripled under his tenure.

“I have watched Brockmans’ progress with admiration, over the past few years, and I look forward to playing a part in the next exciting phase of its growth,” Walsh said in a press release.

Brockmans announced record results at the start of July, showing revenue grew 26 percent to £10.3 million in 2018 driven by a surge in sales in the UK, which overtook Spain as the company’s biggest market. Total sales volumes increased 37 percent to almost 85,000 nine-litre cases (enough for 30 million Gin and Tonics), helped by new listings with supermarket giants Morrisons and Asda and the Co-op. The business also entered seven new overseas markets, with Bahrain, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Japan, Lebanon, Slovakia and South Africa all coming onstream in 2018.

“I started Brockmans a little more than 10 years ago, with some friends. We wanted to create something exciting and a little bit daring and different to the traditional gins on the market. The first few years, like many start-ups, we were flying by the seat of our pants, working things out as we went along.”
– Neil Everitt, Brockmans’ co-founder and chief executive

“The second five-year plan was a lot more strategic and saw us grow rapidly into the sixth-largest brand in the category worldwide and the second-biggest not owned by a multinational,” Everitt added. “The willingness of someone of Paul Walsh’s stature in the industry to join the next phase of our growth is a testimony to just how far we have come.”

The post Brockmans Gin Appoints Former Diageo Executive Paul Walsh to Advisory Board appeared first on Chilled Magazine.

Source: Mixology News

The 2019 Edgewater Spirits Shaken & Stirred Cocktail Competition—which featured the spirits Wódka Vodka and Harleston Green Scotch—has come to a close, and we are humbled by the incredible roster of recipes that were submitted this year.

Bartenders had a chance to create an original cocktail with either Wódka Vodka or Harleston Green Scotch using about five ingredients. Two bartenders will receive a third-place prize of $500, two will be presented $1,000 for second place, and the creators of the two winning recipes will each get $2,000.

It was a tough decision, but these six cocktails beat out the rest for the gold, silver and bronze prizes in the Wódka Vodka and Harleston Green Scotch categories. Check out the winning recipes and mix them up at home the next time you need some happy hour inspiration.

Wódka Winners

Tea-Ki Polski

1st Place Gold—Tea-Ki Polski

Created by Lance Bowman from Chicago, Illinois

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. Wódka Vodka
• .5 oz. Taylor’s Velvet Falernum
• .75 oz. Lime Juice
• .5 oz. Chamomile Syrup*
• 2 dashes Bittermens Elemakule Tiki Bitters
• Thinly Sliced Lime Wheel (to Garnish)

Preparation: Add all liquid ingredients to a shaker tin with ice. Shake and double strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with a lime wheel.

*Chamomile Syrup

In 36 ounces of hot water, steep .75 ounces (approximately 12 standard tea bags) of chamomile tea. Remove tea and add 32 ounces by volume of sugar. Stir to dissolve, strain, bottle, label and date.

Mother of Dragons

2nd Place Silver—Mother of Dragons

Created by Mariah Stuchlik from Vancouver, Washington

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz. Wódka Vodka
• 1 oz. Lemon Juice
• .75 oz. Dragon Fruit and Pink Peppercorn Syrup*
• .75. oz. Greenbar Grand Poppy Amaro
• 1 Egg White
• 2 dashes Fee Brothers Plum Bitters
• Black Sprinkles (to Garnish)

Preparation: Add all ingredients, save for the garnish, to a shaker tin. Dry shake. Add ice and shake again to chill. Double strain into a coupe glass and garnish with sprinkles.

*Dragon Fruit and Pink Peppercorn Syrup

Ingredients:

• .25 cup Pink Peppercorns
• 1 Whole Dragon Fruit, Blended
• .5 quart Sugar
• .5 quart Water

Preparation: Add all ingredients to a saucepan and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until incorporated. Strain and use.

Beet, Don’t Kill My Vibe

3rd Place Bronze—Beet, Don’t Kill My Vibe

Created by Gavin Nguyen from Dallas, Texas

Ingredients:

• .5 oz. Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
• .75 oz. Chaokoh Coconut Milk
• .75 oz. Velvet Falernum
• 2 oz. Beet-Infused Wódka Vodka*
• Beet Cookie (to Garnish)
• Lemon Peel (to Garnish)

Preparation: Add all liquid ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously and double strain into a Nick & Nora glass. Garnish and enjoy!

*Beet-Infused Wódka Vodka

Peel the skin from red beets and slice them into small chunks. For this cocktail, a whole beet was used to infuse a 750 ml bottle of Wódka. Add beet chunks into vodka, seal it and keep refrigerated for at least 48 hours. Because beets have a high sugar content and are very flavorful, strain beets out after 48 to 72 hours to prevent further fermentation and an overpowering beet flavor.

Harleston Green Winners

Tally Me Banana

1st Place Gold—Tally Me Banana

Created by Greg Williamson from Charleston, South Carolina

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. Harleston Green Scotch
• 1 Whole Egg
• .5 oz. Spiced Banana Syrup*
• .5 oz. Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao
• 2 dashes Angostura Bitters
• 1 dash Bittermens Xocolatl Mole Bitters
• Mint Sprig (to Garnish)
• Orange Peel (to Garnish)
• Cayenne Pepper (to Garnish)

Preparation: Add all liquid ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake until chilled. Strain out the ice and shake again. Strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with a mint sprig, orange peel and sprinkling of cayenne pepper.

*Spiced Banana Syrup

Ingredients: 

• 2 cups White Granulated Sugar
• 1 cup Water
• 4 Sliced Bananas
• 4 Cinnamon Sticks
• 1 tbsp. Raw Honey
• .5 tsp. Fennel Seed
• 1 Star Anise Pod

Preparation: Bring ingredients to a slight boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Strain out solid ingredients and let cook for another 30 minutes.

Newburgh Sour

2nd Place Silver—Newburgh Sour

Created by Danilo Bozovic from Miami, Florida

Ingredients:

• 1.75 oz. Harleston Green Scotch
• .75 oz. Black Tea-Infused Amaro Montenegro
• .75 oz. Demerara Syrup
• .75. Oz. Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
• 1 Egg White
• Old Fashioned Bitters (to Garnish)
• Freshly Grated Nutmeg (to Garnish)

Preparation: Add all ingredients, save for the garnishes, to a cocktail tin. Dry shake. Add ice and shake again to chill. Strain into a coupe glass and garnish.

The Gilded Lion

3rd Place Bronze—The Gilded Lion

Created by Robin Wolfe from San Luis Obispo, California

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz. Harleston Scotch
• .5 oz. Benedictine
• .5 oz Lillet
• .5 oz. Marigold Syrup*
• Marigold Flower (to Garnish)

Preparation: Stir all liquid ingredients with ice in a mixing glass for 20 seconds. Strain into a Nick & Nora glass. Garnish with a Marigold flower. 

*Marigold Syrup

Brew a strong tea of dried Marigold flowers. Mix with equal parts cane sugar while hot, and stir until dissolved. Cool before using.

The post Meet the Winning Cocktails from Edgewater Spirits’ Shaken & Stirred Competition appeared first on Chilled Magazine.

Source: Mixology News