From the category archives:

At the liquor store

Smooth and sloe

by Michael Dietsch on August 28, 2007 · 4 comments

in At the liquor store,On the web

Food & Wine’s Mouthing Off reports today that Plymouth plans to introduce its sloe gin to US shores next year.

4 comments

LeNell’s

by Michael Dietsch on August 17, 2007 · 1 comment

in At the liquor store

Just a quick note about this: since many of you met LeNell Smothers at Tales of the Cocktail this year, I wanted to put it out there that she’s lost the lease for her store in Brooklyn and is looking for a new storefront. She has to vacate by next summer. It might seem that 10-12 months is a long time, but when you have to find and possibly renovate a new location, that’s a crunch.

The Times has the full story. I meant to link out to this earlier, but the week got away from me.

She runs one of the best liquor stores in the whole damn country, and she’s a great person to boot, so keep her in your thoughts.

1 comment

Manhattan goes to Tuthilltown

by Michael Dietsch on May 3, 2007 · 3 comments

in At the liquor store,Mixology,Rye

In this week’s “Shaken and Stirred” column in the Times, Jonathan Miles looks at the Manhattan cocktail, its origins, and its ingredients. Now, I’ve often heard that rye is the traditional backbone for the Manhattan, and that’s certainly the way I prefer them, but I never knew why rye is the tradition.

Miles doesn’t exactly answer that question, but he does, I think, point us in the right direction. He talks to Ralph Erenzo, co-proprietor of Tuthilltown Spirits, in Gardiner, New York. Miles writes, “In all likelihood, that rye whiskey came from upstate New York, because, as Ralph Erenzo points out, ‘There were 1,200 distilleries operating in New York before Prohibition.’”

Prior to Prohibition, rye was the prevailing whiskey in the Northeast but because so many distilleries shuttered during the dry years, rye fell out of favor. It seems logical, therefore, that rye was the go-to spirit in such cocktails as the Manhattan.

Erenzo and his partner, Brian Lee, have just released a new spirit, Hudson Manhattan Rye, a 92-proof bottling made solely of rye. Because Erenzo and Lee developed this bottling to work well in a Manhattan, Miles also provides LeNell’s recipe for a Perfect Manhattan, with a couple of ounces of rye, a half ounce each of sweet and dry vermouth, and some orange bitters. She used this formulation to best bring out the character of the Hudson Manhattan Rye.

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I was lucky enough to acquire a bottle this weekend, although I initially balked at its price tag–$40 for a 375-ml bottle. But on a per-ounce basis, I’ve paid more for spirits and not been as satisfied. I’m still developing my palate enough to provide tasting notes, and I’m not always confident about describing a spirit’s aromas and flavors to other people, but I will say, this stuff is peppery and spicy. It might be the most rye-tasting rye I’ve had. It’s so delicious, in fact, that I was initially saving it to be a special-occasion sipper, but after reading this article, I had to try the Manhattan recipe.

I had Carpano Antica sweet vermouth (which I love), Noilly Prat dry, and some orange bitters I picked up at Marlow & Sons. Delicious. Maybe the best Manhattan I’ve had yet.

3 comments

Charbay Vodka

May 29, 2006

Who cares about vodka? If it’s not the most boring spirit on earth, it’s damn close anyway. Since most of them are designed to be clean and flavorless, I’ve never honestly seen much point to drinking it, except maybe in a bloody mary, or straight from the freezer, in a shot glass and downed quickly. [...]

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Gary Regan at LeNell’s

April 23, 2006

Jen’s got a photoset up of Gary Regan’s visit this weekend to LeNell’s. Imagine seeing Dale DeGroff, David Wondrich, and Gary Regan in the same week! Wow… Anyway, Gary Regan is so charming and fun in person. He discussed mixing techniques, cocktail ingredients, and bar equipment, all while mixing drinks and passing them out to [...]

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