Hard Cider Cocktails

Last night I made two cocktails with DeMunck’s Hard Cider.

The first was a recipe I found online here through Liquor.com’s DrinkWire.

The article was a list of cider cocktails to make this fall, curated by Chilled Magazine. This first drink is their recipe and also their picture:

Orchard Flowers
Ingredients:
•1/2 oz. Dry Gin (I used Boodles)
•1/2 oz. Elderflower Liqueur
•Splash Lime Juice
•3 oz. Dry Cider (I used DeMunck’s)

Preparation
Shake gin, elderflower liqueur and lime juice over ice and strain into a chilled martini glass. Top with cider. Garnish with a lime wedge.

The drink was good. Sort of like a French 75 in a way, swapping lemon for lime and using hard cider in place of champagne (plus the addition of elderflower liqueur). With that drink in mind, I came up with this next drink using whiskey, dark rum, bitters and ginger liqueur:

Haunted Hayride
Ingredients:
•3/4 oz whiskey
•3/4 oz dark rum
•1/2 oz ginger liqueur
• Dash Angostura Bitters
•Splash lime juice
•3 oz. Dry Hard Cider (I used DeMunck’s)

Preparation
Shake whiskey (I used Knob Creek bourbon), dark rum (I used Meyers), ginger liqueur (Domaine de Canton) and lime juice over ice and strain into a chilled martini glass. Top with cider and add a dash of Angostura bitters. Garnish with a lime wedge.

Gosling’s Dark ‘N’ Stormy

  

Portland’s Rum Club

My wife just recently returned from visiting her sister in Portland.

While she was there she sent me this picture:

Yep, during her trip she and her sister made a stop at Portland’s Rum Club — which was especially exciting for because that’s the one episode of Best Bars In America that she’s watched.

As a souvenir she brought me back this:

Souvenir menu from the Rum Club!

Now to try and recreate one or two for my own consumption here in Western New York!

Visit Rum Club online here!

It’s Jack Daniel’s Birthday

Today is the birthday of Jasper Newton “Jack” Daniel, the founder of the Jack Daniel’s Tennessee whiskey distillery.

That pic is available for purchase as a sign.

Jack Daniel’s was born Sept. 5, 1850 and died Oct. 10, 1911 at the age of 61.

His birthday is actually the matter of some dispute, as there aren’t any records proving the Sept. 5 date. The Jack Daniel’s website has a video with more information about the man.

From Wikipedia:

He was born in January 1849, in or around Lynchburg, Tennessee. A town fire had destroyed the courthouse records, and conflicting dates on his and his mother’s headstones have left his date of birth in question. His mother died shortly after his birth, most likely due to complications from the childbirth.

From the Jack Daniel’s website:

No one knows exactly when Jack Daniel was born because there are no birth records, but it’s customary to celebrate Mr. Jack’s birthday in September.

I bought this book at the start of summer and it’s really become quite handy as I’ve been tasting American-made whiskeys, bourbons and ryes:

Here’s what author Clay Risen has written about Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 Tennessee Whiskey:
•NOSE: Floral with orange peel and salted peanuts.
•PALATE: Spice and some chocolate; quick finish.
•COLOR: Tawny/auburn
•BODY: Light
•AGE: No age statement
•PROOF: 80
•GENERAL: Jack Daniels is ice-rink smooth and consistently hits its classic Tennessee mark. Muted spice and chocolate notes combine with serious sweetness to make this one of the most popular whiskeys in the world.

Do you like the way this Jack Daniel’s info is broken down?mi highly recommend buying the book. There’s a lot of history and information about the way whiskey, bourbon and rye have been made in America — and a good two-thirds of it is just tasting notes and info about specific brands.

First Time Making Shrubs