La Paloma

Another beverage perfect for a warm summer day, the Paloma is what I like to think of as a Mexican answer to the gin and tonic - more sweet, sure, but tart with an underlying bitterness.

A Paloma is easy to make from readily available ingredients and combines a few of my favorites: a good blanco tequila some grapefruit soda and lime. If you have any interest in these raw ingredients and have not yet enjoyed a Paloma, you'll be wondering how you could have been missing it for so long.

As far as the tequila goes, what you're looking for is a nice crisp citrusy style. For this, I'm thinking Patron, Partida or Don Eduardo, although since the tequila will be largely overwhelmed by the grapefruit soda, any decent quality stuff should do (e.g. Sauza Hornitos should be ok although it's not my sipping tequila of choice). I do highly encourage the exclusive use of 100% agave tequila.

As for the grapefruit soda, several posts suggest that Squirt is the "authentic" mixer of choice in Mexico. Squirt is a good choice and readily available, Villa Italia (Italian grapefruit soda @ Trader Joes) is excellent with more of the bitter grapefruit peel character that I like. I can also recommend Ting, a Jamaican grapefruit soda, based on a recent tasting.

La Paloma
2 oz. blanco Tequila (100% agave please)
6 oz. grapefruit soda
lime wedges

Squeeze a lime wedge into a highball glass filled with ice cubes. Add the tequila and top with grapefruit soda. Stir and garnish with an additional lime wedge.

Grapefruit Soda

I'm not a daily soda drinker, but I do like the stuff. When I drink it, usually around lunchtime on the weekends, my preference is for brands in small glass bottles and made with cane sugar instead of HFCS when possible. Grapefruit soda has a nice balance of sweetness and bitterness.

In college, I was a big fan of Squirt. These days, my typical go-tos are Ting and Villa Italia from Trader Joe's. Previously I enjoyed the canned "Pompelmo" Italian soda from Trader Joe's but it is no longer sold. Grapefruit soda is an essential ingredient to a Paloma - a refreshing highball made with tequila and lime in addition to the soda.

I assembled 7 sodas and conducted a blind tasting to evaluate my preferences.

1. Villia Italia (Italy, Trader Joe's)
2. Whole Foods Natural Pink Grapefruit Soda (Italy)
3. Ting (Jamaica)
4. Penafiel Toronja (Mexico)
5. Squirt (US)
6. Filbert's (US)
7. Fizzy Lizzy Lone Star Grapefruit (US)

Two of these sodas were pink, the Whole Foods and the Fizzy Lizzy, the rest were a cloudy whitish color. Tasting notes follow:

Villa Italia - Cloudy yellow. Nice grapefruit aromas and flavors. Nice finish.

Whole Foods - Cloudy pink. Nice and bitter. Fairly sweet with a berry/candy element to it.

Ting - Cloudy yellow. Not a lot on the initial nosing, but has a nice flavor with some tang. A nice grapefruity finish.

Penafiel Toronja - Cloudy white. Holy moly is this sweet with no real grapefruit flavors going on. Abysmal.

Squirt - Cloudy white. Light in flavor, not a lot of bitterness, but nice flavors and a decent finish. Some grapefruit character here.

Filberts - Better than the Penafiel, but this tastes sweet with no real grapefruit character.

Fizzy Lizzy - Murky reddish pink. Smells of grapefruit concentrate and tastes the same. I do not like the taste of grapefruit juice from concentrate.

Ratings and Overall Impressions

*** First Overall ***

Villa Italia

This has a lot of grapefruit character and the best overall balance of sweet and tart. 10% juice.

** Second Place **

Ting

This tasted a little more processed, but hadnice grapefruit flavors and good bitterness. 6% juice.

* Third Place *

Whole Foods

Had good grapefruit flavors along with some candied berry notes. 12% juice.

Fourth Place

Squirt

Lighter in flavors, but some good grapefruit bitterness on the finish. 1% juice.

The Rest

Filbert's

I found this acceptable, but not a lot of character

Fizzy Lizzy

I found this too reminiscent of grapefruit juice concentrate which I do not like. Do not recommend. 70% juice.

Penafiel Toronja

Awful, just awful. Super sticky sweet with no grapefruit flavors or bitterness. Totally lacking in any sort of balance. Do not recommend.

Final Notes - I'm not surprised that the Villa Italia was the leader in this tasting. It's my go-to house brand for good reason. One surprise was that the Squirt did as well as it did. I expected with all of the more boutiquey sodas that it would not show well, but although 4th overall, I found it to be quite enjoyable with a nice bitterness and would definitely recommend it as a respectable grapefruit soda. For making a Paloma (one of my favorite uses for grapefruit soda), my recommendations would be Villa Italia, Ting and Squirt (I like my Paloma non-pink).

Single Malt Port Wood Showdown

During a visit to my parent's house today, my Dad, Rachel, Jeremy and I conducted a Port Wood finished single malt scotch tasting. My Dad has been a longtime proponent of the Glenmorangie Port Wood finish bottling (recently changed) and received a bottle of the Cragganmore Distiller's Edition from me last Christmas. I brought my bottle of Balvenie 21y and we sat down and ranked the whiskies, which were tasted blind.

The contenders:

1. Balvenie 21 year old PortWood
2. Glenmorangie 12 year old Port Wood finish
3. Cragganmore Distiller's Edition (d 1992, b 2005)

Tasting notes:
Balvenie - My detailed notes and info here. Described by Jeremy as more peaty than the others
Glenmorangie - My detailed notes and info here. Described by Jeremy as "flavory"

Cragganmore - My detailed notes and info here. Rachel noted some banana flavors.

It was interesting that we pretty much agreed on the rankings. Overall rankings:

***First Place***
Glenmorangie 12 year old Port Wood Finish
#1 on all of our lists

**Second Place**
Balvenie 21 year old PortWood
Matt, Rich, Jeremy had this #2, Rachel had it #3

*Third Place*
Cragganmore Distiller's Edition
Matt, Rich, Jeremy had this #3, Rachel had it #2

Final notes: It's nice to see that the most outwardly port-influenced malt was the clear winner in this tasting. I was personally a bit disappointed that my bottle of 21 year old Balvenie did not fare better, but such is the honesty of a blind tasting. The other disappointment is that Glenmorangie has discontinued this particular port wood bottling in favor of a much higher priced "Quinta Ruban" bottling. I have not yet tried it.

Ginger ale

Ginger ale is a refreshing and enjoyable beverage. I find the so-called "dry" styles listed below generally best on their own, but they can also make a nice mixer if paired up with a lighter whiskey (think Maker's Mark bourbon or Jack Daniels). The ginger ales listed below are all fairly lightly-ginger-flavored as compared with their ginger brew/beer counterparts (separate post). I took the opportunity to taste test a flight of fairly common ginger ales and record notes below. While I don't typically drink ginger ale very often (or even ginger beer, which I prefer to ginger ale), it is nice to have a go-to product when the occasion is right.

The contenders:

1. Canadry Dry Ginger Ale
2. Schweppes Ginger Ale
3. Vernor's Ginger Ale
4. Fever Tree Ginger Ale
5. Whole Foods 365 Ginger Ale
6. Hansens Ginger Ale

Ginger ales were tasted blind in freshly cleaned tumblers.

1. Canada Dry Ginger Ale
Meduim color compared to the group. Smells like lemon-lime soda (7-up) No discernible ginger component. Tastes fairly sweet with more lemon-lime. Pleasant, but ginger ale?

2. Schweppes Ginger Ale
Medium color compared to the group. Not much on the nose. Tastes like ginger ale cut with club soda. Drier and crisper than the Canada Dry. Maybe(?) some hint of ginger, but not a lot of flavor.

3. Vernor's Ginger Ale
Darkest color of the group. Cream soda-ish sort of nose, flowery, almost a bubble gum quality. Fairly full flavored and sweet, more of the cream-soda elements. No ginger to speak of.

4. Fever Tree Ginger Ale
Second lightest color of the group. Getting a rooty/leafy/woodsy smell. Earthy flavors, slightly medicinal with a lot of ginger character. Compared to the other drinks, this one stood out, but the earthiness was a bit much.

5. Whole Foods 365 Ginger Ale
Lightest color of the group. Ginger and some complex spices. Sweet and crisp with delicate flavors of ginger. Comes off as drier than most of the others except maybe the Fever Tree.

6. Hansen's Ginger Ale
Second darkest color of the group. Lots of ginger on the nose. Dark aromas of spice and ginger. Fairly well rounded and full of flavor.

Observations and conclusions: As with any comparative tasting, this was an interesting experience. Vernor's, Canada Dry and Schweppes, while enjoyable enough as a beverage, just simply did not taste of ginger and were therefore effectively disqualified. Of the remaining, I offer the following:

***Best Overall***

Whole Foods 365

This one had a nice ginger character in a crisp, dry style.

**Runner-Up**

Fever-Tree

This had a lot of ginger character, but I was a little put off by the earthy woodsiness. The driest of the group.

*Second Runner-Up*

Hansen's

A different style than the rest, with its dark color and spicy aromas, but this tastes of ginger and is an interesting soda.

Final note on sugar content - it turns out that the 365 actually has slightly more sugar than the Canada Dry and the Schweppes, but uses cane sugar vs. HFCS. Fever Tree was the only other product to use cane suger. In terms of sugar content (per 12 oz.), driest to sweetest: Fever-Tree (30g), Schweppes (33g), Canada Dry (35g), Hansen's (36g), Whole Foods 365 (37g), Vernor's (39g).

Glenmorangie 12 year old Port Wood Finish

Glenmorangie 12 year old Port Wood Finish
Bottled by: Distillery
ABV: 43%
Region: Highlands
Price: $35
Availability: No longer bottled in this version. Newer version labeled Quinta Ruban and sold at around $60.

Glenmorangie is a somewhat ubiquitous malt and was sold in all three wood finishes (port wood, madeira wood and sherry wood) at Trader Joe's until the last few years. All were pretty good, but the port wood was always my favorite of the bunch.

Tasting Notes
Color
Distinct rosy hue
Nose
Winey, with dark fruits (plums, berries) and American oak (bourbon, vanilla)
Flavor
sweet floral notes, more dark fruits (plum, raspberry). Medium bodied. Lots going on here.
Finish
Smooth, long, complex
Rating
90+

Overall impression and notes: Tasted as part of the "Port Wood Showdown" this malt was tops on everyone's list. Very interesting and complex. The most overtly port-like in color, aroma and flavors. A shame that it's being sold at such a higher price these days.

Cragganmore Distiller's Edition

Cragganmore Distiller's Edition

Bottled by: Distillery

ABV: 40%

Other: port wood cask CgggD-6557, distilled 1992, bottled 2005

Region: Highlands (Speyside)

Price: $50

Availability: available at specialty stores

I first tried the distiller's editions of all of the 6 malts in the classic malts line as part of a mini bottle set that Jennifer and Don brought back from their first trip to Scotland. All of the malts are finished for a period in a special cask which ideally complements the base malt. The Cragganmore is finished in port wood casks.

Tasting Notes
Color
light gold
Nose
appetizing, barley graininess, malt, subtle oak
Flavor
Delicate malt, an underlying sweetness that never really comes forth. Restrained.
Finish

Dry, a bit short

Rating

84

Overall impression and notes: This malt was tasted as part of the "Port Wood Showdown" and was restrained and light in flavor relative to its counterparts. A pleasant enough dram which is likely more enjoyable on its own, rather than next to more flavorful bottlings. The strength is fairly unusually low - most specialty bottlings are 43-46%.

Balvenie 21 year old Port Wood

Balvenie 21 year old PortWood

Bottled by: Distillery

ABV: 43%

Other: Aged in American oak and finished in port pipes.

Region: Highlands (Speyside)

Price: $150 (now, was about $80 when purchased)

Availability: Readily available

I am a fan of Balvenie's malts. Their DoubleWood is an excellent value and the single barrel 15y is complex and interesting. The port wood is aged 21 years, mostly in "whisky oak" which is Scottish for American oak and finished in port pipes (barrels)

Tasting Notes
Color
medium-dark gold
Nose
sweet, syrupy, some oak influence
Flavor
medium-full bodied, Nice complexity on the front end, some syrupy notes followed by a fairly warm, oaky finale.

Finish

long, but a bit hot

Rating

88

Overall impression and notes: Tasted as part of the "Port Wood Showdown". This malt has a lot going for it - the nose was very interesting and the palate entry is rich and sweet, but utlimately the mid-palate and finish failed to propel this malt to the next level. Quite enjoyable, but there are better values out there. Also, the port-wood influence on this malt is certainly less distinguishable than the Glenmorangie.

Talisker 10 year old

Talisker 10 Year Old

Bottled by: Distillery

ABV: 45.8%

Region: Islands (Skye)

Price: $45

Availability: Readily available

I first tried Talisker 10 year old in a "Classic Malts" tasting set which included it, Lagavulin 16y, Dalwhinnie 15y, Glenkinchie 10y, Cragganmore 12y and Oban 14y. Not a bad set. This was my first real foray into scotch and although I was not necessarily ready for the intensity of the Lagavulin and Talisker malts at that time, they left a strong impression on me.

Tasting Notes
Color
full gold

Nose
winey, very delicate peat
Flavor
from a fruity, winey start, builds into a big and powerful smoky finale. Notions of English Latakia-blend pipe tobacco.

Finish

Spicy, peppery, powerful, long

Rating

91+

Overall impression and notes: I do not remember this malt being so winey - it may be due to tasting it next to the Bowmore and Port Ellen. I went back and forth on whether or not the wineyness in the nose was to my liking, but the flavor and finish on this malt are excellent. The spicy, powerful finish is legendary.

Bowmore 17 year old

Bowmore 17 Year Old

Bottled by: Distillery

ABV: 43%

Region: Islay

Price: $60

Availability: No longer bottled at this age. Now replaced by an 18 year old. Becoming scarce.

My first Bowmore discovery was through a small bottle collection that was available at Costco. If memory serves, it included the legend, 12y, 17y and 21y. My recollection is that Bowmore ages very well, with my favorite being the 21y. The purchase of this bottle of the 17y old was prompted by Jim Murray's (Whisky Bible) proclamation that the 17y is his favorite expression from this distillery.

Tasting Notes
Color
medium amber-gold
Nose
Delicate peat

Flavor
quickly passing notions of sweet fruit, some sherry influence, then some medium-strength peat smoke.
Finish

Tangy, dry, peat smoke

Rating

90

Overall impression and notes: Bowmore is one of the most lightly peated of the Islay whiskies and the delicate peat in this bottling is a pleasure. This is not a big-bruiser, rather more restrained with an interesting fruit, sherry and peat balance.

Port Ellen 21 year old

Port Ellen 21 Year Old
Bottled by: Provenance, Douglas McGibbon (independent bottler)
ABV: 46%
Other: Non-chill filtered, no color added, sherry cask, single cask DMG REF 479, distilled November 1982, bottled August 2004
Region: Islay
Price: $200
Availability: Closed distillery. Rare

After reading about the now closed Port Ellen distillery, I decided that I needed to try a bottling before they became even more scarce. I came across this version at Hi-Time on sale. According to the bottle:

The most sought after lost distillery in Scotland; it's a crime that Port Ellen is closed! Built in 1824 and moved to DCL in 1925 then unceremoniously mothballed in the early 80s recession. Port Ellen never reopened but the large maltings next door continue to produce malt today. Port Ellen holds a special place in the history books as shortly after it opened it was used to test the newly invented spirit safe(invented by Septimus Fox) which is now an industry standard. Keep your Port Ellen safe, drink sparingly as it is fast disappearing.

Tasting Notes

Color

deep mohogany, Spanish brandy (Cardenal Mendoza)

Nose

Oak, sherry, furniture polish, raisins

Flavor

starts off with a dark rich sherry, then lots of peat smoke development followed by oak and mulling spices (clove, allspice)

Finish
Big, huge peat
Rating
89

Overall impression and notes: Tasting this single malt is tasting history. Nothing is as significant as drinking malt from a great distillery which is now closed forever. This particular bottling has seen a heavy influence over its 21 years of age from the sherry cask. Perhaps some of the distillery character is lost in the process, but this is a characterful and interesting dram nonetheless.

Ardmore Traditional Cask

Ardmore Traditional Cask
Bottled by: Distillery
ABV: 46%
Other: Non-chill filtered
Region: Highlands (Speyside)
Price: $35
Availability: Specialty stores with a large scotch selection

After reading about Ardmore's charms in Jim Murray's Whisky Bible I was determined to find a bottle. This and the Whisky Galore 15y (separate post) are the most widely available expressions from this distillery. Ardmore's malt is a component of the blended scotch Teacher's Highland Cream and is notable for it's high level of peating for a Highland malt. This bottling is aged first in American oak (ex-bourbon) and then matured for a final period in small 1/4 casks. No age statement.

Tasting Notes
Color
medium amber
Nose
some bread-dough aromas with a sprinkling of peat and oak
Flavor
starts slightly sweet, then a slightly bitter middle followed by peat

Finish

Spicy, a tad warm and lots of peat smoke

Rating

88

Overall impression and notes: Perhaps a bit young - very full flavored, but the finish is evidence that more time is needed for the flavors to achieve more integration and balance. A malt with a lot of character and a unique level of peat for a Speysider. Also a nice job on the packaging.

Ardmore 15 year old

Ardmore 15 year old
Bottled by: Whisky Galore (independent bottler)
ABV: 46%
Other: Non-chill filtered. No coloring added.
Region: Highlands (Speyside)

Price: $46
Availability: Specialty stores with a large scotch selection. As a vintage dated bottling it will not be around for long.

After reading about Ardmore's charms in Jim Murray's Whisky Bible I was determined to find a bottle. This and the traditional (separate post) are the most widely available expressions from this distillery. Ardmore's malt is a component of the blended scotch Teacher's Highland Cream and is notable for it's high level of peating for a Highland malt.

Tasting Notes

Color

white wine (sauvignon blanc)

Nose

strong aromas of peat smoke

Flavor

creamy, smooth and sweet entry followed by a strong attack of peat. Complex and delicious
Finish
Extremely long, smoky
Rating
90

Overall impression and notes: It's easy to see where Teacher's gets its trademark creaminess. Surprisingly flavorful for such a light-colored malt. Obviously fairly neutral oak to be 15 years of age and be this light without a strong oak flavor presence. If you like a smoky malt, this is uniquely satisfying.

Glen Scotia 14 year old

Glen Scotia 14 Year Old
Bottled by: Distillery
ABV: 43%
Region: Cambeltown
Price: $60
Availability: No longer bottled/scarce

I originally came across this bottling at Hi-Time in Costa Mesa many years back where they offered this single malt scotch in 50 mL bottles for a very reasonalble $3.99. I liked it immediately but did not come around to buying a large bottle until about two years ago when they had already stopped production of this age. Luckily I found 2 bottles at 20-20 in LA and cleaned them out. One of only two Campbeltown distilleries (the other is Springbank) Glen Scotia is far less known.

Tasting Notes

Color

medium-light amber

Nose

complex aromas of delicate peat, oak

Flavor

full, with a sweet, malty entry building to a tangy middle

Finish

long, rich, satisfying

Rating

92

Overall impression and notes: One of my top 5 single malts of all time. It is the full-bodied sweet, malty and complex palate that really puts it over the top for me. A special dram whose loss I mourn, but which I feel fortunate to have been able to enjoy. Now the question is when will I open my last bottle?

The Manhattan Cocktail

The Manhattan cocktail is a classic. A marriage of whiskey, sweet vermouth and bitters, a Manhattan, made properly with quality ingredients and served in a chilled cocktail glass, is at the pinnacle of cocktaildom.

I recently reflected on my preferences for a great Manhattan. I ran across an interesting article from reknowned Bartender's Bible author Gary Regan here. Great article with a lot of interesting variations discussed. I think a lot of what he says holds true, with a few exceptions.

First of all sweet vermouth should come from Italy. Dry vermouth should come from France. Of the "standard vermouths", I prefer Martini & Rossi to Cinzano (and the French Noilly Prat) based on a recent tasting. Carpano Antica Formula is an excellent and complex vermouth that makes an absolutely outstanding Manhattan, but one on the drier side. Likewise, Carpano Punt e Mes is more rich and bitter than the standard vermouths and makes an excellent Manhattan if, and this is a big IF, your whiskey can stand up to it. You will need a full-flavored whiskey to balance the richness of Punt e Mes.

Second, a Manhattan was originally made with Rye. Some rye recipes are required. Wild Turkey ryes are my favorite. The regular bottling was tops in a recent tasting. The Russell's Reserve is also good as as is the Sazerac 6y old which scored similar ratings. For mixing, I'd recommend the Sazerac over the Russell's Reserve, as I've found when tasting them together that the Saz has a slightly more assertive character, but is a little "hotter" and perhaps less balanced, which matches to a cocktail better. Both are fine choices, though.

Finally I do like a fair amount of Angostura bitters, 3-4 dashes is my optimum. And I gotta have a maraschino cherry (but do not encourage using the syrup in the cocktail). You can also use Italian brandy-soaked cherries or Luxardo brand gourmet maraschino cherries, if you want to go the extra mile.

What follows are two recipes each for a Bourbon-based and Rye-based Manhattan. I have paired a lighter whisky with the Martini & Rossi Vermouth and more full-flavored whiskies with the Carpano Punt e Mes or Antica Formula. A #4 made with Antica Formula is my current favorite and just may be my favorite cocktail, period.

#1 Bourbon (lighter)
3 oz. Maker's Mark, Jim Beam Black or Basil Hayden's bourbon
1.5 oz. Martini & Rossi sweet vermouth
3-4 dashes Angostura bitters
Stir in a mixing glass with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a maraschino cherry.

#2 Bourbon (richer)
3 oz. Knob Creek bourbon
1-1.5 oz. Carpano Punt e Mes or Antica Formula
3-4 dashes Angostura bitters
Stir in a mixing glass with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a maraschino cherry.

#3 Rye (lighter)
3 oz. Sazerac 6y Rye
1.5 oz. Martini & Rossi sweet vermouth
3-4 dashes Angostura bitters
Stir in a mixing glass with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a maraschino cherry.

#4 Rye (richer)
3 oz. Wild Turkey Rye
1-1.5 oz. Carpano Punt e Mes or Antica Formula
3-4 dashes Angostura bitters
Stir in a mixing glass with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a maraschino cherry.

Campari

After enjoying a Campari and OJ tonight I started to reflect on my affinity for this complex aperitif. I was originally introduced to Campari by my Dad who always drank it uncut on the rocks with or without a lemon zest; this was the way that I drank it for years until discovering some other quite delicious uses for this versatile product.

According to the Wikipedia entry, the history of Campari began in Novara, Italy, in 1860, with the invention by Gaspare Campari of the recipe that is still in use today... Among the ingredients are quinine and other bitter herbs, rhubarb, spices, ginseng, bergamot oil, and orange peel. It is known that the colour came from natural Carmine Cochineal E20. Cochineal is actually an insect(!) from which carmine, a purified dye, is made.

When Julie and I were in Italy visiting our friends Trisha and Davide, it was common practice for friends to order an Americano (or two) as an aperitif. This is one of several of my favorite Campari cocktails.

Campari is somewhat of an acquired taste in that it is quite bitter. It is also fairly sweet with an orange zest element to it. It is very complex in flavor and therefore works well on its own, but also marries well in the drinks mentioned below.

Here are five of my favorite things to do with Campari in no particular order:

#1 Campari on the rocks
2 oz Campari
1 lemon slice, zest or orange slice
pour Campari into a double old fashioned glass half filled with ice cubes. Garnish with citrus of choice.

#2 Campari and Soda
2 oz. Campari
3-4 oz. Soda to taste
Pour Campari into a double old fashioned glass half filled with ice cubes. Top with soda and stir. Citrus garnish optional.

#3 Campari and OJ
2 oz. Campari
2-4 oz. Orange Juice, Tangerine Juice or Blood Orange/Orange/Grapefruit Juice (fresh squeezed is best)
Pour Campari into a double old fashioned glass half filled with ice cubes. Top with OJ and stir.

#4 Americano
1 oz. Campari
1 oz. Martini & Rossi (lighter) or Carpano Punt e Mes (stronger) sweet vermouth
2-3 oz. Soda (in Italy, Schweppes club soda in little glass bottles)
Pour Campari into a double old fashioned glass half filled with ice cubes. Add sweet vermouth. Top with soda and stir. Garnish with orange slice.

#5 Negroni
1 oz. Campari
1 oz. Martini & Rossi (lighter) or Carpano Punt e Mes (stronger) sweet vermouth
1 oz. Gin (Beefeater)
Pour Campari, vermouth and gin into a cocktail shaker filled with ice cubes. Shake and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon zest.

These are all great aperitifs with the possible exception being the Campari & OJ which may be a little heavy before a meal. It's more of a mid-late afternoon refresher.

Passion Fruit Nectar

Passion fruit nectar figures prominently in many tropical drinks created by the inimitable Trader Vic. In his Trader Vic's Bartenders Guide, Revised, he states:

If you have occasion to buy some passion fruit nectar (we distribute it), you can pretty well be assured that any drink made with it will be good...

Trader Vic does indeed sell a product called Passion Fruit Syrup, which up until about a year ago was a reasonably quality product made with real fruit juice. Ingredients are HFCS, water, passion fruit concentrate, citric acid, natural flavors, xanthan gum, red #40 (11% fruit juice).

Unfortunately, the Trader Vic brand has decided to replace this product with a new recipe made from artificial ingredients. I have not tried this newer version based on some of the comments here in the Tiki Central forums. I tried a bottle of Finest Call passion fruit syrup, but this turned out to be a sub-par, if not, just-plain-bad call.

Instead, as with grenadine, I was left to devise my own recipe for passion fruit nectar.

The starting point for this effort is a bottle of Looza brand passion fruit Nectar. It is readily available at many specialty stores such as Whole Foods. It is a Belgian brand and contains only water, concentrated passion fruit juice and sugar (25% juice). Many of the recipes for passion fruit syrup that I ran across on the forum required some amount of cooking. As with the grenadine, I tried to avoid any heating, lest it strip the acidity and give the resulting syrup a more "cooked" flabby flavor. Using the "cold process" involves simply shaking the mixture until the sugar is dissolved.

Comparing sugar levels, the Trader Vic's contains 21g/oz. Looza contains 4g/oz. Cutting the Looza with 50% water (12.5% juice) results in 2g/oz. Therefore each oz. of Looza syrup requires an extra 18g or so of sugar or 1.5 tablespoons of cane sugar.

The resulting product is clean and fruity with a definite passion fruit flavor that is more focused than the Trader Vic's version, but not overpowering. It is notably less viscous, owing to the lack of xanthan gum, but I have not found this to have a negative impact on any tropical drinks made with it.

Passion Fruit Nectar
2c Looza Passion Fruit Nectar (approx. 1/2 bottle)
2c Bottled or otherwise neutral pure Water
3c White granulated sugar
2 drops red dye (totally optional, only if you're going for the original look)

Combine ingredients in a glass bottle or pour-top plastic juice bottle (closable top recommended) and shake vigorously until sugar dissolves. Refrigerate. Substitute 1:1 per Trader Vic recipes.

Trader Vic's Best Tropical Cocktails

During the summer there are few drinks that hit the spot like a nice tropical beverage. Although commonly high in alcohol, the tropical drinks that follow in this post also contain a fair bit of juice and water, in the form of ice, which helps with maintaining hydration.

Trader Vic, the self-proclaimed creator of the Mai Tai, has a number of famous tropical drinks which were served in his restaurants and came with specifically designed glassware for the purpose. The Trader Vic's Bartender Guide, revised is a great repository for vintage tropical drink recipes. I have tried many of these recipes and what follows is a personal "top ten" of the drinks in the book. For this post, I am specifically focusing on tropical drinks. The book contains many cocktails including such non-tropical classics as the Manhattan and the Martini, but the Trader Vic signature cocktails are what really set it apart.

The following are my favorite ten recipes for tropical drinks from the book. Regarding mixers, see posts for passion fruit nectar and grenadine separately. Specific brand recommendations can be found in the recipes and are not necessarily repeated if mentioned once.

#1 Babalu (p. 144)
3/4 oz. frozen concentrated pineapple/ grapefruit juice (I use separate cans of concentrate)

1/2 oz. lemon juice

2 oz. golden Puerto Rican rum (e.g. Bacardi)

1/4 oz. rock candy syrup (Trader Vic lingo for saturated simple syrup. 1:1 simple syrup is fine)

1 c shaved ice or crushed ice

Blend in a mixer and serve in a highball glass (or vintage Trader Vic Voodoo glass) with cracked ice. Garnish with mint and fruit stick.

#2 Fog Cutter (p 153)

2 oz. light Puerto Rican rum

1 oz. brandy

1/2 oz. gin
2 oz. lemon juice

1 oz. orange juice

1/2 oz. orgeat syrup (Torani is good, with no HFCS)

sweet sherry (such as Harvey's Bristol Cream)

Shake everything but the sherry in a shaker with ice cubes. Pour into a highball glass (or vintage Trader Vic Fog Cutter mug) Float the sherry. Serve with straws.

#3 Mai Tai (p 164)

1 lime

1/2 oz. orange Curacao (not triple sec, I use Bols)

1/4 oz. rock candy syrup

1/2 oz. orgeat syrup

2 oz. rum* (1 oz. dark Jamaican such as Meyers or Coruba, 1 oz. Appleton Estate V/X)

Cut the lime in half and squeeze, reserving one shell. Combine ingredients in a shaker half filled with cracked ice. Shake and pour into a double old fashioned glass (or vintage Trader Vic Mai Tai glass) Serve with mint and a fruit stick.

*Note on the rums: According to Trader Vic, the original Mai Tai was made with J. Wray 17y old Jamaican Rum (no longer available). While I believe that using a 17y old rum is unnecessary for this drink, I do think that using Jamaican rums helps with the authenticity. In his book, he recommends 1 oz. Dark Jamaican rum and 1 oz. Martinique rum. I've heard that if you order a Mai Tai "made the old way" in a Trader Vic's today, it is made with Coruba and Lemon Hart Demerara (Guyana) rum.

#4 Rum Keg (p. 176)

1 oz. rock candy syrup

1 oz. passion fruit nectar

2 oz. pineapple juice (Dole)

4 oz. lemon juice

1 oz. apricot liqueur (Bols apricot brandy)

5 oz. light Puerto Rican rum

1 oz. dark Jamaican rum (Meyers or Coruba)

Blend in electric drink mixer with 2 cups shaved ice. Pour into 2 highball glasses over ice cubes (or vintage Trader Vic rum keg)

#5 Rum Pot (p. 176)

3 oz. lemon juice

3 oz. orange juice

3 dashes vanilla extract (1 dash = 1/4 oz)

3/4 oz. passion fruit nectar

1 oz. rock candy syrup

3 oz. golden rum or 1.5 oz. white Puerto Rican rum and 1.5 oz. dark Jamaican rum.
Blend in electric drink mixer with 2 cups shaved ice. Pour into 2 highball glasses over cracked ice (or vintage Trader Vic sugar pots)

#6 Scorpion (p. 179)

1.5 oz. lemon juice

2 oz. orange juice

1/2 oz. orgeat syrup

1 oz. brandy

2 oz. light Puerto Rican rum

Blend in electric drink mixer with 1 scoop shaved ice. Pour into highball glass with ice cubes. (or triple recipe and pour into vintage Trader Vic scorpion bowl)

#7 Bamboo Punch (p. 337)

juice of 1 lime

2 dashes Peychaud's bitters
1/2 oz. passion fruit nectar

1 dash rock candy syrup

1 oz. light Puerto Rican rum

1.25 oz. dark Jamaican rum

1/2 c shaved ice

Blend in electric mixer. Serve in highball glass with ice cubes (or vintage Trader Vic bamboo cup). Decorate with fresh mint and fruit stick.

#8 Kava Bowl (p. 360)
2 oz. unsweetened pineapple juice (Dole)

4 oz. lemon juice

1 oz. grenadine

1 oz. orgeat syrup

1 oz. Siegert's Bouquet rum*

6 oz. light Puerto Rican rum

3 c shaved ice

Blend all ingredients in an electric mixer . Pour into 2 highball glasses (or vintage Trader Vic scorpion bowl). Decorate with gardenia. Serve with long straws.

*See here for Siegert's Bouquet rum info. Siegert's Bouquet rum was available on the export market in the sixties, and seventies and was very similar to the OLD OAK GOLD Blend but a slightly darker color and mellower. A similar rum today will be ROYAL OAK, according to Angostora. . Substitute a gold rum in lieu of any of the Angostura rums mentioned above.

#9 Trader Vic's Grog (p. 381)

1 dash Angostura bitters

1 oz. lemon juice

1 oz. passion fruit nectar

1 oz. unsweetened pineapple juice

2 oz. dark Jamaican rum

Pour into mixing glass half filled with shaved ice. Shake an pour into a double old fashioned glass (or vintage Trader Vic ten-pin pilsener glass). Decorate with fresh mint, cherry and a stirrer.

#10 Zamboanga Punch (p. 384)

juice of 1 lime

3 dashes Angostura bitters

1 dash grenadine

1/2 oz. passion fruit nectar

1/2 oz. light Puerto Rican rum

1.5 oz. dark Jamaican rum

Blend in electric mixer with 1/2 c shaved ice. Pour into a highball glass (or vintage Trader Vic bamboo cup). Add ice cubes. Decorate with fresh mint and a fruit stick.

Final Notes and acknowledgements:

These are very enjoyable beverages, great for getting together with friends and relaxing. They take a bit of work and a lot of counter space to prepare as well as some shopping to obtain the wide list of ingredients, but all are well worth the effort.

There are a number of recipes in the book which call out Trader Vic's Navy Grog mix. There is a general concensus among Tikiphiles that the navy grog mix used in the restaurants is quite different (and superior) than that currently marketed by the company. I have not been able to secure an authentic sample, nor have I settled on an authentic recipe, so there are no drinks on this list which use this ingredient.

The color pictures of vintage Trader Vic's barware are from Ooga Mooga. The b&w photos are from the Bartender's Guide pictured above. The Menehune swizzle stick is mine (vintage unknown).

Some Favorite California Chardonnays

I like California Chardonnay. It gets a good deal of bad press owing to its full-bodied, creamy character, often buttery flavors, and heavy use of new toasted oak. Some argue that they are difficult to pair with food. Maybe, but give me some fresh grilled salmon and a California Chardonnay and I'm happy.

The key to an excellent California Chardonnay is balance. There should be a lot of fruit, think white peach, pineapple, mango, pear, apple, some acidity, some well integrated oak (vanilla, toasty smoky aromas) and some have a yeasty, doughy character from their yeast contact. I tend to like Chardonnays with a more crisp, lean style; not too ripe. Ripe Chardonnays develop more of a caramelly, overrripe pineapple element.

Following is a list of six Chardonnays at various price points that are my go-to Chardonnays year-in and year-out. These Chardonnays have an excellent track record of quality over many years and despite their obvious quality relationship to vintage quality, are amazingly consistent.

1. Beringer Private Reserve ($25)

I have been drinking this wine for at least 10 years now. It is an amazing wine of very high quality. This might be the Chardonnay I would recommend as the "quintessential" chardonnay. The 1996 was stuff of legend, and I am really enjoying the 2006 right now, which is a leaner style than the 2005. Very easy to find.

2. Chateau St. Jean Reserve ($28)

Another wine that I have enjoyed since visiting Napa while in college. St. Jean's Chardonnays are exellent across the board. They have a Belle Terre, Durrell and Robert Young vineyard bottling, all of which are great. The reserve is a blend of wine from these vineyards and sees partial malolactic fermentation. This chardonnay has an incredibly complex nose - I can swirl this in the glass forever. I have had the last 4 years and all are excellent. Specialty wine stores only - not common.

3. Newton Unfiltered ($45)

Probably one of the finest, most complex chardonnays I have had. Newton is well known and admired by Robert Parker and he notes that this Chardonnay is particularly know for its ageability. I have not tried holding onto a bottle for more than 2 years or so. They used to carry this at Costco. Fairly common

4. Cambria Bench Break ($30)

Along with Melville, Cambria makes one of my favorite Chardonnays from the Santa Barbara/ Santa Maria area. The Katherine's vineyard bottling is ubiquitous, and good quality, but their specialty bottlings are much more interesting. I have enjoyed the Bench Break vineyard bottling over the Rae's and Single Clone bottlings for the past few vintages. In a more tropical fruit style typical of Santa Barbara Chardonnay, it still has nice acidity and fine balance. Not easy to find.

5. Melville ($20-30)

Melville has a Verna's ($20) bottling as well as a Santa Rita Hills estate bottling ($30) that are both great. Made by the highly talented Greg Brewer (of Brewer-Clifton and the unoaked, non-malolactic Chardonnay Diatom fame) these wines are crisp and full of flavor. Not necessarily as complex as Beringer or St. Jean, but exhuberantly fruity and enjoyable. Fairly easy to find.

6. Kendall Jackson Grand Reserve ($12)

Arguably the best $12 Chardonnay out there. I remember this being one of the first "higher end" Chardonnays that I ever tried. At that time, higher-end meant higher than the $7 Columbia Crest Chardonnay available at Trader Joes. Not as complex as those above, but a high quality, consistent wine and a tremendous value.