The Irish Mountain Marma

We loved the Irish Whiskey-based cocktail that Lily created for us last week so much so we asked her to do another.

To complement the whiskey, Lily used a pantry staple – marmalade. The drink is sweet & tart, with wonderful aromatics from rosemary and a slightly bitter finish thanks to the addition of Montenegro amaro. It’s delightful anytime of the year, not just on St. Patty’s Day.

powers_lemon
The Irish Mountain Marma
makes 1 cocktail

2 oz Powers whiskey
3/4 oz lemon juice
1/2 oz Montenegro
1 tbsp marmalade*
1 small, 1″ sprig of rosemary
1 larger sprig (for garnish)

*For this recipe, orange marmalade was used but lemon grapefruit marmalade is also quite nice.

Place small sprig in shaker, add Montenegro and gently muddle once with a muddler or wooden spoon to release the rosemary flavor.
Add whiskey, lemon, and marmalade.
Fill shaker with ice and shake until frost forms on the outside of the tin.
Double-strain into a tumbler, garnish with remaining sprig of rosemary and ice.

Enjoy!

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9 Great Irish Whiskeys, Part Two

Last week we presented 6 Irish Whiskeys that we think hold their own against the world’s best spirits. Today we share 3 additional very special bottles that are worth their weight in gold. (A good ole’ Irish pot-of-gold, that is.)

middleton_rare
Midleton Very Rare
Created in 1984 and released annually since, this special bottling of hand selected Midleton whiskey has aromas of cane sugar, vanilla, milk chocolate and ripe green apples. It’s very soft and mellow, with a “confectionary” sweetness. The charred oak and barley lend a wonderful complexity on the finish.


Midleton Barry Crockett Legacy
Named for Midleton’s Master Distiller, this bottle expresses his taste and is comprised of his personal selection of Single Pot Still whiskeys aged in bourbon barrels. It’s quite delicate, with notes of lime, pear, and sweet green pepper, and has flavors of vanilla, pepper, and citrus. It finishes with an oaky, mandarin orange sweetness.

greendotGreenspot
Only small quantities of this very special spirit are produced each year. It’s comprised of Pot Still Whiskeys aged between 7-10 years & matured in bourbon and sherry casks. It has aromas of spiced apples and pears and toasted wood; it’s full-flavored with spice, citrus, green apples and oak. It’s harder to find than a leprechaun, so be sure to grab it while you can!

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!

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9 Great Irish Whiskeys, Part One

Last week we gave you the who, what, where, when and hows of Irish Whiskey, and presented our case for why we believe many can stand up to many of the best bourbons and single malts on the market today. Here’s further proof.

powers_gold
Powes Gold Label
A complex blended whiskey matured in American oak, full of spice and honeyed notes. Aromas of cinnamon, apples, pears and charred oak lead to flavors of pepper, nutmeg, orchard fruits and toasted wood.


Powers Single Pot Still “Signature Release”
This “Signature Release” is intense, rich and complex thanks to its aging in American oak and first-fill Oloroso sherry casks. It’s redolent of herbs, nutmeg, figs and black pepper, and is round with flavors of vanilla, black licorice, fresh melon and green apple.

wers_john
Powers John’s Lane
A special whiskey whose distillate is matured for no less than 12 years in American & Iberian oak. It’s earthy, with aromas of leather, tobacco, dark chocolate and toffee and is thick with full-bodied flavors of spice, vanilla, honey and dried apples.


Redbreast 12-year
A favorite of whiskey lovers everywhere, the 12-year is getting harder and harder to come by, unfortunately. It garners its trademark full-bodied fruitcake character and robust flavor from the distillate, which is matured in Oloroso casks.

redbreast_15
Redbreast 15-year
This full-bodied, mellow and succulent whiskey, aged in Oloroso sherry casks & bourbon barrels, has a rich, spiced flavor, with notes of toasted wood.

redbreast_21
Redbreast 21-year
A beautiful example of the signature sherry style of whiskey with aromas of fresh, lush tropical fruits, and notes of vanilla, toasted oak and licorice. Flavors of luscious fruit round out the creamy mouthfeel. One of a kind.

Stay tuned. Next week we’ll reveal the three remaining whiskeys we think are among Ireland’s best.

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The Irish Butter Cup (of Coffee)

This delicious recipe, reminiscent of the classic Irish Coffee drink, is the latest from Bottles’ in-house cocktail guru, Lily. It relies on iced coffee, rather than hot-from-the-pot joe, which means it’s not just for brunch or after dinner. The less conventional choices of butterscotch and sea salt combine to make a delightful iced Irish Coffee with a satisfying creamy texture.

powers_buttercup
The Irish Butter Cup (of Coffee)
makes 1 cocktail

1oz Powers whiskey
1 1/4 oz butterscotch schnapps
3 1/2 oz cold brew medium or dark roast iced coffee
3/4 oz light cream
1 small pinch of sea salt

Add ingredients into shaker, and top with ice.
Shake until frost forms on the outside of the shaker.
Pour over ice into a highball, and spoon the remaining whipped cream froth atop the ice.
Garnish with a straw and add a few additional grains of salt over the top if desired.

Enjoy!

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Black Hog Brewing Co.

blackhog_cansWe’re rolling out the welcome mat for cans of Black Hog Brewing’s terrific beer.

Made just down a ways in Connecticut (Oxford, to be exact), the popular craft brewery with the super hot label art is the creation of three beer-loving pals: Tyler Jones, whose brewing chops were honed at Mercury Brewing, Smuttynose and Portsmouth Brewery (NH), and brothers Jason and Tom Sobocinski (the latter a PC alum!), owners of the fantastic New Haven-based cheese shop & bistro Caseus, the award-winning bar Ordinary, and Smoke Box BBQ.

We love their Granola Brown Ale, which is brewed with a mix of oatmeal, grains, hops and roasted malts. The guys say they were inspired to make this beer on the hikes they take before beginning one of their legendary pig roasts (which they do often, hence the brewery’s name). While hiking and munching on crunchy granola they decided to incorporate the oat flavors into their beer. It’s smooth and malty, and finishes with – you guessed it – notes of chocolate and raisin.

Their Easy Rye’ Da is an “easy drinkin’” low ABV rye India Pale Ale. They cut back the ABV on this session style rye so that, according to their (really awesome) website, “you can cruise on it all day long, take it easy, have a few and remember what it’s all about.” It’s hoppy, with sweet and spicy citrus notes.

And check out the super hot Ginga’ Ninja, a red India Pale Ale brewed with 6 lbs of fresh ginger in every batch, and named after Tyler’s fiery-haired wife. It’s all ginger up front, and finishes with a lasting hop flavor.

In addition to images of their vibrant design-forward cans, the Black Hog Brewing website is chock full of strong pairing suggestions. And, not surprisingly given Tom and Jason’s background, lots of terrific cheese pairings are offered.

Black Hog Brewing Co.’s cans are on sale for the month of March at Bottles. Come give them a try!

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Irish Whiskey 101

Irish Whiskey is surging in popularity across the globe and no wonder, says us: we believe that a well-made Irish Whiskey is delicious, and stands on it’s own against the best Bourbons & Single Malts the world has to offer.
irishwhiskey101_web

 

Irish Whiskey has been around forever. It’s a widely held belief (among all except the Scots), that it was the Irish who were most likely to have started distilling whiskey, as the Bushmill’s Distillery in Northern Ireland is the oldest licensed distillery in the world, dating back to 1608.

And since then, up until only the past few years, all of the Irish Whiskey available, no matter the brand name, came from one of only three distilleries on the island: Bushmill’s, Midleton, & Cooley. Today, to the joy of Irish Whiskey lovers everywhere, that number has expanded to 12, with nine new distilleries that have been built, or will soon be completed: Echlinville, Kilbeggan, Teeling, Glendalough, Tullamore, Alltech, Blackwater, Dingle, & West Cork.

Many today find it hard to believe that Irish Whiskey was once the hottest style of whiskey in the world, with a popularity that dwarfed other styles. In the early 20th century it began its decline, in two main waves:

1) The Easter Rising & the Irish War for Independence. As punishment, England levied trade embargoes on the Irish, which kept their whiskey from entering England, and therefore much of the rest of Europe.

2) Prohibition. (Oops.)

At the start of this century, a resurgence in interest for Irish whiskey came about, presumably as a result of several factors including its price (Irish is usually cheaper that it’s Scottish counterparts), a resurgence in the popularity of Bourbon (which shares many similar flavor profiles), a market of curious consumers eager to try something “new,” and the wider availability of quality-made whiskeys from Ireland.

Here are our favorites:
–Power’s Gold Label
–Power’s John’s Lane (limited importation – get it when & if you can)
–Green Spot (if you can find it – extremely limited importation)
–Glendalough Triple Barrel
–Knappogue Castle 12 Year Single Malt
–Redbreast 15 Year

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day, and Slainte!

 

Mad River Distillers: Spirits With a Sense of Place

mad river barn

photo courtesy of Mad River Distillers

We’re mad about Mad River Distillers.

Maura Connolly, a co-founder of the Warren, Vermont-based craft distillery, visited Bottles on an unusually warm day in January to talk about and taste our team through the line of Mad River small-batch spirits.

Her distillery, a red-roofed, renovated horse barn, is cradled in the heart of the Green Mountains. In that quintessential New England structure, their craft Mueller still (designed specifically to make brandies, rums and whiskies) produces spirits that are distinctly of their place. That is, they are all made by hand and from scratch using raw materials from Vermont and neighboring regions. Nearly all ingredients — from the water drawn from a nearby mountain spring, to the corn in their bourbon and the apples in their brandy — are from local land, farms and orchards. And for those ingredients that aren’t indigenous, such as cane sugar, Mad River purchases from fair-trade certified, sustainable sources.
madriver_group
We started with their First Run Rum, which is distilled from fair-trade demerara sugar, and like their bourbon and rye, is aged in charred barrels. We all agreed that with its rich bourbon-like texture, and smooth, caramel finish, it was indeed how Maura described it: a rum for whiskey drinkers.

Next was the Mad River Maple Rum which is as good as it sounds. Like the First Run it has whiskey-like qualities. Its unmistakable maple flavor comes from a secondary aging in oak barrels that once held pure Vermont maple syrup. Maura suggested that it makes a terrific Old Fashioned on the rocks, and that it’s also great just out of the freezer, on ice.

The Mad River Bourbon is a four-grain wheated bourbon, made from a special strain of a non-GMO corn grown in VT just for the distillery, as well as wheat, oats and malted barley. We were all impressed with the strong though not overbearing corn flavor, and could imagine how great it would be served in front of a roaring fire with a bowl of popcorn.

The Mad River Rye made from 100% organic rye grown in nearby New York was a hit with the team as well. We all agreed it would make a great sipping rye, with classic pepper and winter baking spice flavors, all complemented by a surprising, subtle mocha note that we were told was from a dark chocolate roasted rye in the mash bill.

We ended our tasting with Malvados, Mad River’s flagship apple brandy. A wink and a nod to the classic French apple brandy Calvados, Mad River’s tart, sour and sweet version is made from eight varieties of Vermont-grown heirloom apples and cider. It recently won a highly coveted Good Food Award – we can see why.

Because Maura and her team are so focused on quality and small-batch production, their spirits are only available in three states. We’re so glad Rhode Island is one of them and are honored to currently be the state’s exclusive purveyor of the entire line of Mad River spirits.

Here are a few Mad River cocktail recipes that we love. Visit their website for others, and enjoy!

madriver_maple
Russell Warren Old Fashioned Created by Ashish at the Russell House Tavern, Boston
3 oz Mad River Maple Rum
.5 oz Honey Syrup
1 dash Fee Brothers Black Walnut Bitters
Optional: Club Soda
Stir all ingredients with a pinch of mint. Serve over ice. Garnish with Mint.

madriver_campari
1794
1.5 oz. Mad River Rye
1.5 oz. Campari
1.5 oz. Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth
Stir Rye, Campari and vermouth over ice. Strain into a coupe glass and garnish with an orange swath.

madriver_lux
Fancy Pants
2 oz. Mad River Bourbon
1/2 oz. Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
2 dash orange bitters
dash Angostura Bitters
orange twist
Combine all ingredients except orange twist in a pitcher and stir. Pour over ice into a rocks glass and garnish with the twist.

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The Comeback of Creme Yvette

creme
Don’t let this ornate, bell-shaped bottle filled with deep purple liqueur perplex you. It’s actually quite versatile, easy to serve and enjoy.

It’s a classic liqueur that’s making a comeback. Creme Yvette, first produced in the late 19th century, was a popular digestif and cocktail mixer until the late 1960s, when production stopped. Enter the booming cocktail craze of the 2000s, when it was rereleased to the applause of mixologists around the world who prize the dark purple liqueur for its versatility behind the bar. And its continuing popularity shows no sign of waning.

Creme Yvette is made from wild strawberries, black currant and blackberries that are grown in the Aquitaine region of France. Its subtle sweetness and distinctive flavors come from the addition of dried Provencal violet petals, honey and orange peel. It’s fruity and floral with a touch of a vanilla — all flavors that make it an adaptable cocktail ingredient with many uses for a home bar.

For an incredibly simple cocktail that packs a flavor punch, add 1 part Creme Yvette and a squeeze or two of lemon juice to 2 parts of any base spirit, be it vodka, gin, tequila, mezcal, bourbon or the like. Shake over ice, strain and serve.

Have a bottle of sparkling wine in the back of your fridge? Add it to a touch of Creme Yvette for the sophisticated “Stratosphere” cocktail (photo and recipe below).

Got Guinness? Make the “Black Velvet” by combining stout with Creme Yvette (photos and how tos below).

The possibilities are endless. Play around with a bottle and let us know your favorite way to serve.

cremechamp
The Stratosphere
Pour ½ oz of Creme Yvette into a flute. Top with chilled sparkling wine and garnish with a lemon twist.

creme_guiness
The Black Velvet
Pour 2 oz of Creme Yvette into a pub glass and top with Guinness.

Sante!

 

A Hot (and Spicy!) Chocolate Bread Pudding Pairing

We dare you to read through this post and not want to indulge in this pairing this weekend. No, in face we double dare you.

The recipe for this entirely satisfying bread pudding is from the winter issue of Edible Rhody, and Jennifer Borden, Owner of Provender Fine Foods, Tiverton Four Corners.

Wrote Jennifer: “This recipe is a wink to my beloved mother. I grew up on a small farm in north central Massachusetts, where it seemed we always had lots of extra milk and leftover bread. My mother was a master at trying to use everything, hence we ate a lot of bread pudding. My favorite was her chocolate bread pudding. This is my take, with just a little more spice.”

And the pairing is from our own Eric Taylor, who chose the Lustau ‘Los Arcos’ Amontillado Sherry. It’s quite an intriguing (read: intellectual) match: The Los Arcos has just a hint of honeyed sweetness and is a wee bit briny with flavors of roasted walnuts, golden raisins, and orange peel. It’s a little sweet, a little savory, a little umami and great with the spicy chocolate flavor.  Enjoy!

Hot Chocolate Bread Pudding

4 disks (5.4 ounces) Taza Chipotle Chili Chocolate, chopped fine
3 cups half & half
Unsalted butter for greasing soufflé dish
6 cups cubed good-quality country white bread (1-inch cubes)
4 ounces Valhrona (or other good-quality) 70% chocolate, chopped, 1 tablespoon reserved
4 large eggs, plus 1 yolk (room temperature)
¼ cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon reserved
¼ cup light brown sugar, 1 tablespoon reserved
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon sea salt
Hot water for water bath
Vanilla ice cream (optional for serving)

Place Taza Chocolate and half & half in a medium saucepan and heat on medium-low heat, stirring constantly until the chocolate is melted. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 350°.Generously butter a 2-quart soufflé dish and set aside.

In a large bowl toss bread cubes with chopped 70% chocolate and then spoon into the soufflé dish.

In a medium size bowl whisk together eggs, yolk, both sugars, vanilla and salt.

Gently whisk hot chocolate into egg mixture a little at a time, until all the liquid is incorporated. Ladle custard over bread cubes. Let stand 15 minutes, pressing down on the bread with a spatula every 5 minutes or so.

Chop reserved tablespoon chocolate as finely as possible and mix with reserved tablespoon of white sugar and brown sugars. Sprinkle evenly over the top of the pudding.

Place soufflé dish in a roasting pan and place in the oven. Fill pan with enough hot water to reach halfway up the side of the roasting pan.

Bake pudding in the water bath for 60 minutes or until a clean knife inserted in the center of the dish comes out clean.

Serve pudding warm with your favorite vanilla ice cream and a glass of the Los Arcos. Enjoy!

 

A Valentine’s Love Potion

honey cocktail
JWessel Photography for Gracie’s and cocktail by Kristi Dukoff

post by guest blogger Jessyloo Rodrigues of www.herbaloo.com

This cocktail does not contain chocolate or roses.

Nope.

Instead I’m getting you sultry in your pantry with plants that have long been considered aphrodisiacs.  The Goddess of Love, Aphrodite, is associated with many exotic herbs & spices that stimulate and excite. If you’re looking to “spice” things up on Valentine’s Day, you needn’t travel much further than your kitchen spice rack.  Ginger’s aromatic roots are warming and stimulating: your olfactory system gets turned on, your temperature heats up, and your blood gets pumping. Honey is a collection of the sensual dance between bee and flower and represents the sweetness of life. The Peach is revered in China as representing vitality and longevity.

Thanks to Kristi Dukoff, Bar Manager at Gracie’s in Providence, we have a delightfully invigorating cocktail to share with you, which features honey, ginger, and peach.

Honey for My Honey
1.5 oz Barr Hill raw honey-distilled Vodka
0.5 oz Barenjager honey liqueur
1 oz Peach Ginger tea (available in most grocery stores. Or DIY it by muddling peaches & ginger into black tea.)
1 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 dash Angostura bitters

Prepare by steeping the tea for 4 minutes in 6oz of hot water. (Or, steep black tea for 4 minutes in 6oz hot water and muddle a few peach and ginger slices once cooled.)

Pour through a fine mesh strainer to remove debris. Mix equal parts tea to honey to make a syrup.

Add 1oz of the finished syrup and the remaining ingredients into a cocktail shaker, and shake with your most seductive dance moves.  

Pour into a 12oz collins glass over ice and top with soda water. You can also double the recipe into a 24 oz cocktail shaker and pour for two.

Come by the store to pick up the spirits needed for this romantic drink, or, give it a try at Gracie’s, where it’s a featured cocktail for the month of February. For more information on locally grown herbs and their uses, check out guest-blogger Jessyloo’s fantastic website: www.herbaloo.com.

Happy Valentine’s Day!