In Boston, I have found many people's very first introduction to amaro is a fernet branca. I know mine was. The first sip really throws you off. It's bitter and herbaceous yet has some other flavors to it that you can't really seem to identify and you may not be sure if you like….until the second sip.
My first fernet experience was in the North End, when I was journeying to my car parked on Salem Street to grab a college textbook on a Sunday. Lo and behold, a crew of 5 friends coming back from brunch whisked me into Eclano (now Vito's Tavern) and say they can cure my hangover with this magical elixir. It was fernet on the rocks *clarification in a highball full of this stuff which I couldn't decipher. It was so bitter and kind of possessed an anisette flavor but still bitter yet fruity yet so different from anything I had drank before.
The term Amaro signifies a couple of immediate thoughts:
1. It's an Italian digestif
2. made from macerating dozens herbs, roots, flowers, bark, fruit peels with many other ingredients and finished by aging in wooden casks
3. They are complex as a fine wine, with multiple bouquets, body styles and long finishes
I feel most people might have had this experience for the first time with Averna Amaro. This is a sweeter version of the digestif that is probably the most commonly asked for. I am not Italian, so I was never really properly introduced to this as to have the thought to naturally ask for an amaro after dinner.
After tasting through multiple types and blending them into cocktails for more featured aromatics, I understand it's value now. Not only as a sure fire way to fight the itis you may experience after ingesting a large meal, but as an enjoyable concoction to fully satiate your senses.
Now let me tell you about some of the ones I have had the pleasure to indulge in:
Averna Amaro:
This is the Amaro I intend to compare all of the others to. It is most available in Italian restaurants and I believe it to be the most easy drinking of the bunch….that is until you develop a taste for it. This Sicialian spirit uses caramel to sweeten its mash of citrus peels, roots and herbs.
Montenegro Amaro:
This one is from and Bologna is lighter in body and color than Averna. This coveted recipe entails saffron and 40 other secret botanicals that have made it the most popular (and advertised) in Italy.
Amaro Sibilla:
This ventures into the earthy notes an amaro can possess. They macerate herbs and roots from Sibilla with honey and grain alcohol over a wood fire to develop their flavors.
Meletti Amaro:
This again has a lighter body and flavor style. I really got many cherry notes right off the bat. Definitely a higher sugar content, than it's predecessors with slightly more depth than the light body might make you presume.
Cynar: or Carciofo:
Is an artichoke based spirit typically a bit heavier than some of the others listed. It has a dark bittersweet flavor, can be mixed well into a negroni instead of Compari for a richer more intense flavor.
Amaro Nonino:
This is a lighter almost spicy version of an amaro. It is less syrupy than others can be, with a little bit of an orange aftertaste.
Luxardo Amaro:
Has a medium body with apricot and citrusy flavors and a pretty even balance of sweetness and bitterness.
All of the above are really worth checking out, if only mixed into a Manhattan or other specialty cocktail. Some can be overwhelming on their own. I remember tasting one with a distributor that was so thick and earthy I only wish I could have seen my face after tasting it. I will have to look it up and tell you which one that was so you may dare to try it. None of them are over the top strong or have a really strong liquor taste. They are more complex combinations of secret family recipes that are all around for your tasting and comparing enjoyment.
Friday, March 21, 2014
Sunday, March 9, 2014
Compass Box - Top Notch in the realm of blended scotch
I have always loved me a good bourbon. On the bar I have created a nice collection of blended bourbons, unique rye whiskeys and of course scotch! However, I have not felt the scotch 'creative juices' flowing in awhile and now I am most compelled to write about a company I have just discovered.
I was first introduced to Compass Box through it's US Brand ambassador who gave me a great bit of an education -on top of a desire to drink more scotch in general. He clued me in that this premium set of spirits only blend four different high end scotches, while a slew of their competitors use 40+ ultimately leading to their flavors getting more and more muddled. Compass Box shows the quality of their products in the few ingredients they use while creating the urge to have another sip.
Great King St. is their signature product which is named after the street that their office is located in Edinburgh, Scotland. A distinctive characteristic of this "Artist's Blend' is the prevalent taste of the toasted oak barrel. While some scotch companies may reuse the same barrel over and over CB is adamant about only using that barrel once to ensure the most quality flavor is produced in the aging process. Great King St. produces a toasty vanilla flare with a touch of maltiness and a very clean finish. The spices that dance on your tongue are the first fill barrel flavors that only intrigue you to what the next sip will bring.
While this scotch is great on it's own, the addition of a couple ice cubes or drops of water changes the flavor profile, opening up more of the fruity grain whisky that occupies 51% of the product. Cutting this with a dash of angostura bitters brings out more of a malty quality while the aromatics sit front and center. Add a little lemon zest and the flavors of the Sherry wood read through.
Robin also taught me the a bit about single grain whisky opposed to single malt. Typically grain whisky only will occupy a very small percentage in blended scotches, Great King St. uses 51% so the flavor remains neutral as it opens up on your palette revealing the malts of the Northern Highland and Speyside.
So not only are quality spirits highlighted but different first fill woods in the barrel aging process. Blending American and French Oak with a Sherry butt (or bottom side of the barrel) create a vanilla and spice essence that must be tried.
The next product that really got me excited is their Hedonism limited release blended grain whisky. This is a very atypical flavor where there is no malted barley present. It is very reminiscent of an American Bourbon with a lush and almost creamy flavor with a hint of orange notes. This uses only two to three different Scottish distilleries which creates a completely unique taste that has me dreaming about it right at this moment. Although I'm sure this would marry nice with other flavors it must be tried straight up to really experience it the way I have.
Peat Monster is final product I want to talk a little bit about. Being a huge of fan of mezcal, it is rare that I can find any other product that I can compare it to. This particular blend of malt scotch whiskies give this one drink more character than a Louis C.K. show. Three malt scotch whiskies are used from Islay, (which produces your typical peaty Lagavulin and Laphroaig) Speyside (where some of my favorites hail from like Balvenie and Macallan) and finally Mull (which personally I have never tasted a scotch from as there is only one distillery on the isle.) This produces a slight campfire smoke essence with a some caramel notes when a couple drops of water are added to it. Not only does the peatiness read through, but a smokey and sweet playfulness that has a long lasting finish.
I will most definitely be enhancing cocktails this week with these great new products. They hit Nebo's shelves this week; March 10th to be exact. I'm already thinking of what a spray of Peat Monster will do to the Smoke Over Bourbon cocktail or Great King St. served extra cold with a little ginger beer in one of our copper mugs.
Ron Burgundy is not the only scotch lover out there and this whole new world of Compass Box products are sure to please them all.
I was first introduced to Compass Box through it's US Brand ambassador who gave me a great bit of an education -on top of a desire to drink more scotch in general. He clued me in that this premium set of spirits only blend four different high end scotches, while a slew of their competitors use 40+ ultimately leading to their flavors getting more and more muddled. Compass Box shows the quality of their products in the few ingredients they use while creating the urge to have another sip.
Great King St. is their signature product which is named after the street that their office is located in Edinburgh, Scotland. A distinctive characteristic of this "Artist's Blend' is the prevalent taste of the toasted oak barrel. While some scotch companies may reuse the same barrel over and over CB is adamant about only using that barrel once to ensure the most quality flavor is produced in the aging process. Great King St. produces a toasty vanilla flare with a touch of maltiness and a very clean finish. The spices that dance on your tongue are the first fill barrel flavors that only intrigue you to what the next sip will bring.
While this scotch is great on it's own, the addition of a couple ice cubes or drops of water changes the flavor profile, opening up more of the fruity grain whisky that occupies 51% of the product. Cutting this with a dash of angostura bitters brings out more of a malty quality while the aromatics sit front and center. Add a little lemon zest and the flavors of the Sherry wood read through.
Robin also taught me the a bit about single grain whisky opposed to single malt. Typically grain whisky only will occupy a very small percentage in blended scotches, Great King St. uses 51% so the flavor remains neutral as it opens up on your palette revealing the malts of the Northern Highland and Speyside.
So not only are quality spirits highlighted but different first fill woods in the barrel aging process. Blending American and French Oak with a Sherry butt (or bottom side of the barrel) create a vanilla and spice essence that must be tried.
The next product that really got me excited is their Hedonism limited release blended grain whisky. This is a very atypical flavor where there is no malted barley present. It is very reminiscent of an American Bourbon with a lush and almost creamy flavor with a hint of orange notes. This uses only two to three different Scottish distilleries which creates a completely unique taste that has me dreaming about it right at this moment. Although I'm sure this would marry nice with other flavors it must be tried straight up to really experience it the way I have.
Peat Monster is final product I want to talk a little bit about. Being a huge of fan of mezcal, it is rare that I can find any other product that I can compare it to. This particular blend of malt scotch whiskies give this one drink more character than a Louis C.K. show. Three malt scotch whiskies are used from Islay, (which produces your typical peaty Lagavulin and Laphroaig) Speyside (where some of my favorites hail from like Balvenie and Macallan) and finally Mull (which personally I have never tasted a scotch from as there is only one distillery on the isle.) This produces a slight campfire smoke essence with a some caramel notes when a couple drops of water are added to it. Not only does the peatiness read through, but a smokey and sweet playfulness that has a long lasting finish.
I will most definitely be enhancing cocktails this week with these great new products. They hit Nebo's shelves this week; March 10th to be exact. I'm already thinking of what a spray of Peat Monster will do to the Smoke Over Bourbon cocktail or Great King St. served extra cold with a little ginger beer in one of our copper mugs.
Ron Burgundy is not the only scotch lover out there and this whole new world of Compass Box products are sure to please them all.
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