Just recently, I started an article about a bottle of gin with some thoughts about bottle designs. And actually this seemed quite natural considering the really nice outward appearance of the Lind & Lime Gin. However, also today I could start my article with very similar words, because once again I have a gin bottle in front of me that stands out without any doubt. In view of the really large and competitive gin market, which is entered by new bottlings on an almost daily basis, the design, which has always been not insignificant from a salesman’s point of view, seems to gain even more importance. Read More →

So, once again it is time for Mezcal! Well, and that makes me especially happy in the case of today’s bottle, because we are dealing with a special one about which I have already heard lots of good things. To what extent this premature praise is actually true and whether I can join in the hymn after the tasting remains to be seen, of course. However, on paper, at least some things are already really cool. Read More →

Today it is once again about a Rhum Agricole. In the past I have already written about Rhums from J.M. here in the blog. In the course of these articles, I have reviewed the Rhum JM 50° and used it in a sour with white asparagus, which sometimes causes some irritation. Furthermore, the Shrubb J.M Liqueur d’Orange was also put to the test here. Today, however, it is about a matured representative of the series: The J.M Rhum XO. Read More →

Today, the main focus will be on a special drink that was the result of some thought experiments around the pears. I really wanted to make a drink with bourbon or rye whiskey and a pear distillate and here I also had some ginger in mind. How exactly I would create this drink was not quite clear to me at first. My initial thoughts have been about a kind of sour cocktail, whereas I find sours in principle rather simple and personally prefer drinks that consist exclusively of alcoholic ingredients (granted, a source of sweetness like in an Old Fashioned may also be part of it). So I thought a little bit further. Read More →

It’s been quite a while since I wrote about a rum from Fiji here. I really liked the Plantation Vintage Edition Fiji 2009 very much and since then I have been absolutely positive about rums from the Pacific island state. Later I also reviewed the Plantation Black Cask Barbados & Fiji, which is at least partly based on Fiji rum from the South Pacific Distillery. Here, too, I was very positively impressed. And today I have a new Fiji-Rum from the Plantation series in front of me. Read More →

When people talk about the German tradition of distilling spirits, the first thing you will hear about is the art of distilling fruit, which is the historically grown foundation of that craft throughout the country. Although countless fruit distillers have long since expanded their traditional profession and now also produce gin, whisky and co. on their own or as commissioned work, in the end it is of course the fruit brandy respectively eau-de-vie production that forms the heart of the German distillery landscape. And the Brennerei Hubertus Vallendar is one of those distilleries. Read More →

Cognac sometimes is seen as an old man’s drink, which is probably mainly a consequence of the shadow that the growing enthusiasm for whisky has cast over the French spirit genus since many years. Although we are familiar with the adventurously expensive prestige bottles that are often displayed in duty-free shops at airports, outside of France, apart from a small clientele, at times perhaps it have been older people indeed who were interested in cognac. Although this has changed somewhat in the meantime, cognac has always been a classic ingredient behind the bar – albeit one that only regained its reputation during the cocktail renaissance. Read More →

Today I would like to once again review two bottles from the range of the Freimeisterkollektiv here. The Freimeisterkollektiv Wodka Sangaste by Sven Ivanov and the Freimeisterkollektiv Zitronenverbene (Geist) by Georg Hiebl (Zitronenverbene means lemon verbena in German). And, of course, there is still an exciting cocktail waiting for you, which today is made using the cold drip method. Read More →

Today I’d like to once again dedicate myself to a Mezcal. I have written about the production method and the classifications of this spirit so often that I want to keep this part as short as possible today. Nevertheless, you will get an overview in this article. So let’s go straight to today’s bottle! Read More →

When I first started to devote myself to rum, today’s common awareness of the different styles, the addition of sugar, glycerine or vanillin, which is unfortunately practiced by many manufacturers, was not raised at all. My first orientation in the rum world at that time was still a division into the so-called Spanish, French and British rum style, as you can still find it in some rum literature today. Although this classification is not necessarily completely absurd, it is now also considered outdated and not very meaningful. A distillery with which I connect a real aha- respectively awakening experience is the Foursquare Distillery from the island state of Barbados. Read More →

What do Vikings, gin and passion fruit have in common? Nothing? Well, at least they have managed to come together in a very daring marketing story around a gin that I want to review here today. In fact, I have involuntarily wrinkled my forehead a few times while reading the background story, because I find the narrative around this bottle really odd – and I have already read a few marketing stories about spirits and have also briefly reviewed them here. However, things are the way they are. In the end, what counts for me anyway is what is contained in the bottle and how it performs in the tasting. But one thing at a time. Read More →

For those familiar with the bar world, Salvatore Calabrese probably doesn’t need to be introduced. But if the name doesn’t mean anything to you, I will offer you a few lines about Mr. Calabrese: The man originally comes from the Italian Amalfi Coast and is meanwhile usually referred to as “The Maestro”. He gained particular fame as the bartender of London’s Duke’s Hotel, where he mainly dealt with old cognacs. He was president of the United Kingdom Bartender’s Guild, is frequently appointed to the jury of cocktail competitions and works as a consultant for numerous spirits companies. In short: the man is a heavyweight in the cocktail world. Read More →

I recently wrote a few lines about Calvados from Maison Coquerel and in the course of this article I also reviewed the Calvados Coquerel VSOP and the Calvados Coquerel XO. Of course I also described two cocktails, the Princess Pride and a slightly upgraded Calvados Sour, which really are an excellent way to enjoy Calvados in a cocktail. Today I will once again talk about Calvados from Maison Coquerel, about three special bottlings to be precise, each with very interesting profiles. Read More →

Once again I would like to take a closer look at a bottle from the Freimeisterkollektiv (which I have already written about here) – the RYE Straight Rye Whiskey to be precise. I was particularly curious about this one, as it was ultimately designed and produced by none other than Rüdiger Sasse, with whose products I, as a Westphalian, have often come into contact. Last but not least, I recently published an article about the really fantastic Lagerkorn 12 here. Read More →

Shōchū – unfortunately the genuine Japanese spirit is still quite underrepresented outside of the land of the rising sun, yet it is such a traditional, multi-layered and exciting spirit! In this respect, I am really happy to be able to write about a Shōchū again after some time. Moreover, today it is about a very special and recently awarded representative of its kind! Read More →

There is one particular fruit dividing dividing the bar world when it comes to spirits: and that is the banana. Because of its consistency, it is less suitable as an ingredient for many people, as it is difficult to use without a blender, makes a drink quickly sort of creamy and also shifts the consistency towards a milkshake. This may not sound like a big problem for some occasional drinkers, but if you have a more demanding habit of drinking classic and sophisticated cocktails, you will probably politely refrain from such drinks. A chance to break out of this situation is offered by the colorful world of the Tiki drinks. But here, too, the banana is a special thing because even tiki drinks rarely come across milkshake-like. Read More →