January 6, 2007
Remember Ted Breaux, the mad genius who's been
reverse engineering absinthe - the very same stuff that turned the Liquor Snob editors into
bantha fodder last March? He told us a while back that he was developing a tobacco liqueur, and he's finally released it under the name Perique. It's made from a high quality tobacco, and no, it doesn't taste like an ashtray. If you're anything like us you like the smell of unlit tobacco, and while we haven't tried this stuff ourselves we're hearing good things about his ability to convey that smell and taste into a 62 proof liqueur.
Louisiana Perique is the rarest and more precious tobacco in the entire world. Early French settlers learned the secrets of Perique cultivation from the native peoples, and while their descendents have continued the tradition for centuries, very little Perique exists today. The unique terroir of the Mississippi River gives Perique the intense spices and aromas that contribute to the delicate balance of this fine liqueur.
Perique is entirely artisanal in its construction, and captures the nuances of this ancient tobacco. Perique is best enjoyed in the same manner as one would a fine liqueur or brandy. Due to the difficulty in procuring this rare tobacco, Perique liqueur is available only in limited quantity.
Read up and buy a bottle of this limited release liqueur at
Absinthe Online [Note: We put the wrong link in here at first; we've updated it since. Sorry about that].
January 2, 2007
We have to say, we've got a good feeling about 2007. Things are looking up around the old Liquor Snob offices, and that's not just because the interns were happy with their Christmas bonuses (they wanted booze - who would've guessed?). We've had a happy and relaxing holiday season, and we're really looking forward into digging into the hooch in the coming year.
And boy, do we have some liquor to drink. We got a bunch of booze in during the holiday craziness, from Twistee Shots to Cachaca to scotch to lemon liqueur, plus we just got our copy of The Art of the Bar in the mail. Let's just say we'll be paying extra-close attention to our bedtime reading. Expect to see us get caught up on our reviews in the next couple weeks, and let us know if there's anything in particular you'd like to see.
Have a happy and un-sober 2007, and hopefully we can buy each other a drink someday.
December 15, 2006
We've got every reason to believe this holiday season will be full of extra cheer for the Liquor Snob staff, because we just got in a whole gang of booze that needs reviewin'. From self-contained shots to lemon liqueur to two kinds of Cachaca, we've gotten our hands on liquor to suit every taste bud this week. Maybe this will finally convince the interns to lay off their grumbling about the lumps of coal they got for their Christmas bonuses...at least during the holiday party anyway.
Here's what's been added to the review docket:
- Frisco Fisch Cachaca - Silver and gold, silver and gold, we got two bottles of Cachaca in silver and gold!
- Paula's Texas Lemon - All of the interns were tucked in their beds, while visions of lemon liqueur danced through their heads.
- Twistee Shots - We're dreaming of a Twistee Christmas, just like the ones we used to know, with butterscotch schnapps and vanilla vodka, all in a prepackaged and portable glass!
OK, maybe we lost it with the last one there, but keep your eyes open for reviews and don't forget there's not much time left until Christmas...don't forget to fill in your last-minute holiday shopping cracks using the
Liquor Snob Gift Guide '06.
December 13, 2006
Cognac Davidoff Classic
High Falutin' Brandy Imported from France
80 Proof (40% ABV)
Typical Price: Around $50
Davidoff at Le-Cognac.com
We're the first ones to admit we don't drink a lot of cognac. After all, we're not Uncle Pennybags or The Ladies Man
right? Even so, we had a good time taste testing Davidoff Cognac...not to get too low-brow, don't be afraid of the 'gnac. The interns had a grand old time putting their pinkies up and giving it a swish, and everyone had positive things to say, which wasn't a big surprise.
Of course, that could be due to the fact that Davidoff is blended and bottled by another little name in Cognac - Hennessy. That's right, Zino Davidoff, already a big name in cigars and tobacco, put his head together with the folks at Hennessy to develop his product. Not a bad place to start, from everything we've heard. Read on for our notes about the fruits of their labor.
Continue reading: "Cognac Davidoff Classic Review"
December 12, 2006
Right about this time of year is when you start thinking about trips to the liquor store with dreams of sugarplums in your head. It's the season for holiday parties, and holiday parties mean picking out the right booze. With all the other headaches of the holiday season, you don't need something else to add stress, especially considering the end result is a holiday drunk.
Luckily, Epicurious has put together a guide to help you know what to get to make your spirits bright. Check out their recommendations for Bourbon, Scotch, Rum and Brandy - and most of them are brands you can find in just about any liquor store, which is a nice touch.
Can it be? Once again, the holidays are almost upon us. It's peak season for entertaining at home, whether it's a festive cocktail party, a tree-trimming, a traditional family gathering, a bowl game, or the granddaddy of them all, New Year's Eve. It's also the time of year when our willingness to indulge in spirits reaches a zenith.
Given our seasonal proclivity — not to mention the return of the cocktail and the current craze for single malt Scotch and other fine spirits — it's time to take stock of the liquor cabinet or wet bar.
To help keep your guests merry and bright, here is a short list of five great, nay, essential, spirits to have on hand for the celebratory onslaught.
From
Epicurious
December 8, 2006
We're putting on a happy face today because over the course of this week a whole bunch of great new booze has arrived. We've gotten our hands on a new cachaca we haven't tried before, a bottle of Compass Box whisky, and something we haven't reviewed before and are very excited about - cognac. Plus, don't think we've forgotten we owe you a review of the bottles of o2 Vodka that arrived a couple weeks ago...they're coming and should be up by next week. As for the new stuff, here's the layout:
- Compass Box Oak Cross - We're really looking forward to this one; check out Kevin's thoughts on The Scotch Blog and head over to the Compass Box site to find more info.
- Cognac Davidoff - Don't know much about this one but we're really looking forward to trying it; learn more at the Davidoff site.
- Cuca Fresca Cachaca - As you know we really developed a taste for cachaca over the summer; looking forward to giving this one a try. Learn more about it.
December 7, 2006
We don't drink a lot of liqueurs in these parts, mostly because we find them to be too sweet. Well, that and the fact that we like our liquor to make us grimace - you have to pay for the buzz, y'know. One exception to this rule was Paula's Texas Orange, an orange liqueur that tasted just like oranges without hitting our sugar button. We've just found out about a new liqueur from our friend Paula, a lemon concoction similar to Italy's limoncellos.
We've got a bottle on the way, and we're looking forward to trying it out, especially to try out some of the cocktail recipes we found on their site. Until we can get our review up, learn more about it at Paula's Texas Lemon.
October 12, 2006
For a while there, we were starting to think we got our wires crossed on the whole Cachaca thing. We'd been reading and hearing all sorts good things about Leblon, but when we finally got a chance to review their Cachaca, it kind of left us cold. Don't get us wrong, it wasn't horrible, but after the glowing reviews we wanted more.
Maybe the reason we were so unfazed by the whole Leblon thing was the fact that we'd tried Fazenda Mae de Ouro cachaca before we had our first sip of Leblon. When we compared them we thought it had a cleaner taste, less bitterness, and an overall better Caipirinha experience. So we wondered why weren't they getting similar props to Leblon? Then we remembered that one brand has a multi-million dollar budget behind it, and the other doesn't have much more than the passion and dedication of its importer.
Dave Catania, aka Cachaca Dave, from Fazenda Mae de Ouro is the hardest working man in show business (OK, cachaca business), and it's nice to see him get some recognition like the blurb from Food and Wine magazine that names him a "Tastemaker" of 2006. Check out the snippet - Dave's the third one down - and learn more about the drink that's going to make him the Sydney Frank of Cachaca at Caipirinha.us.
October 10, 2006
We don't pay a lot of attention to cognac here, but don't think that's a snub against the noble drink...until now there just hasn't been one that's caught our interest the way Duke Ellington Cognac does. Named for the legendary music man, the cognac is a 20 year old XO blend (that's cognac for top of the line and while it doesn't exactly mean "extra old," it could). It might sound a bit steep at $150 per 750ml bottle, but it's not out of line when you consider how high end the liquor is rumored to be. No word yet on tasting notes yet but we'll let you know as soon as we try it - we hope it tastes jazzy.
Until it gets a wide release, you can use the following contact information to find out more/try to get your hands on a bottle:
Steve Shaw Jr
Harbrew Imports, Ltd
917 716 3611
fonz1020@hotmail.com
From Bottle Watch, via Martini Lounge
October 6, 2006
Drinking is one of our favorite hobbies. Who're we kidding...it's our only hobby. One thing about booze, though - once you drink it, it turns into urine pretty quickly. It's a fact of nature.
We've thought of a lot of games to pass the time while we're passing the fluid from our favorite pastime, which isn't surprising considering how often we're staring forward reading bar bathroom graffiti. That's when we came up with Beat the Flush - nature's greatest bar bathroom sport (other than the spontaneous hookup). The rules are simple, you can play by yourself and you'll have plenty of time to practice, you lush.
All you have to do is flush just as you start, and then try to finish before the last bit of water sloshes away. Sounds simple, doesn't it? It's not as easy as you might think with six pints in you. Let's just say this...prepare to push.
Perique Tobacco Liqueur
Mailing List
Subscribe - RSS
