Accidental Hedonist

I’ve seen advocaat sold in the United States, specifically in the liquor stores in the state of Washington. But it’s look, with the custard like goop that pours from a bottle, made it seem somewhere between a novelty to outright unappetizing. I figured that if I waited, an opportune moment would appear.

Low and behold, on an autumn night in Ghent, in a small little cafe where candlelight was the only means of illumination, the menu offered this drink. I ordered.

The best way I can describe advocaat is an egg custard made with brandy. We took to calling it “liquor pudding”, as it’s presentation was that similar to the Jello brands we all know and love in the States. And now, having sampled this dish, finding it sold in liquor bottles seems even more ludicrous, akin to finding flavored gelatin sold in glass ketchup bottles.

No, I believe the best way to find a decent advocaat in the States is to make it yourself. Something I plan to do soon after I get back.

There was a reason why I asked about State Liquor Stores were an archaic remnant of the early 20th century. It was due to this bottle of Xanath Vanilla Liqueur pictured to the left.

I’m not too fond of a great many of the schnapps and flavored vodkas that typically litter the shelves of these places. They’re either too sweet or they reek of hype . Does the market really support five different versions of cinnamon schnapps?

Because space is limited, when a liquor store maintains space for 50 different types of vodka, it means less space for other products. Because of this, bottles of liquor that are truly unique are often regulated to a “special offer” table, if they’re offered at all. Most of my favorite liquors that I’ve discovered over the past few years have been found in this fashion. I realize that I’m not the typical liquor store patron, but part of me still thinks that there are many liquors out there, both new and old, that are not getting a fair shot in the marketplace.

This Xanath Vanilla Liqueur is a perfect example of this. Both Tara and I were very impressed with the flavor fond within this peculiar-looking bottle. While the flavor of vanilla was omnipresent, it was far more complex than that. It carried very distinct taste of honey underneath the vanilla, and had just a hint of cinnamon beneath that. To Tara’s surprise, it’s not overly sweet. It’s a far more complex flavor than that of those found in the vanilla vodkas out there. It’s more viscous than the vodkas out there as well, having a mouthfeel more akin to schnapps.

It works quite was as an digestif, or even as a mixer. We’ve taken to mixing it with 1 part liqueur to 3-4 parts water, poured over ice and then adding sliced strawberries. It also mixes quite well with cola.

I know that when I go back to the liquor store, the chances are slim for me finding another bottle of this exceptional liqueur. That’s a shame. Because there are several gins and vodkas which could easily give up their space for this bottle.

I now have a greater appreciation for the Italian liquor industry. It’s clear by the products available that there’s not only a fair amount of tradition, but a fair amount of stories to go along with the tradition (which, I suppose, is how traditions are created).

Off the top of my head there’s Amaretto, Nocello, Frangelico, Lemoncello, Campari, Fernet-Branca – that, my friends, is a very decent collection for a bar. As a measure of comparison, the English have gin and…well, you could say they have whiskey, but the Scotch and the Irish would be a little peeved at that.

Liquore Strega is an 80 proof herbal concoction, with a reputed 70 ingredients. Amongst those ingredients include mint, saffron and fennel. Strega is now the second liquor I’ve found with saffron, with Fernet-Branca being the first.

The story behind Strega is interesting as well. In 1860, Giuseppe Alberti found monks from Benevento, Campania who made this liquor. Promising to do nothing but good with the recipe, and coaxed the secret recipe from them. At first he sold it as a medical elixer (as many liquors were). Sales were poor. Smart businessman that he was, he decided to sell it as a liquor instead. He renamed it to Liquore Strega, which roughly translates to liquor of the witch. From there, the sales took off.

Strega is best served alone, either straight up or on the rocks.

Eyes:Strega is a bright yellow, nearly fluorescent yellow. It is saffron that gives it this color. Swirling the liquor in a glass shows it to be a nearly viscous syrup.

Nose: Strong, very medicinal.

Taste: Let it be said that Strega is a very complex drink. It starts sweet from the sugar, but then it becomes very bitter from the herbal components. Not herbal in an Absinthe sense, but more in a robituseen sans-codeine sense. The tail end of drink finishes with a strong liquorice flavor, most likely coming from the fennel.

Overall: Not my favorite drink, being too herbal in it’s nature. With me being an American, my tastes tend towards the sweeter drinks.

Technorati Tags: Spirits, Liquore Strega, Review,

For those who have never tried this drink, this post will mean very little. But Tara and I (as well as several other readers to this site) are quite fond of this liqueur, so I thought it relevant.

From the comments:

I just heard that Whidbey’s Loganberry Liqueur is no longer produced.

Is this true? I now live in Connecticut and Had sent a friend to buy more and send
it to me. I guest my last bottle was just that.

Any comments about how to buy more would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Mike xxxxxx
mxxxxxxx0627@yahoo.com

I have called Chateau Ste. Michelle to verify if this is true, and they have confirmed that they are ceasing production of this Liqueur. The only way to get more is to stock up on any remaining bottles currently available at your state liquor store. No more orders are being filled, and back stock is probably limited if there is any at all.

If you live in the Seattle area, Chateau Ste. Michelle’s gift shop still has a few bottles remaining, but you have to pick up the bottles in person.

Double Drat. This liqueur mixed quite well with dark teas.

Technorati Tags: Loganberry Liqueur, Chateau Ste. Michelle Liqueur,

Fernet-Branca is one of those liqueurs that will surprise you at least once. For some people, it surprises them twice.

The first surprise is the initial taste. As mentioned in this San Francisco Weekly article, “If you can imagine getting punched squarely in the nose while sucking on a mentholated cough drop, you’ll have an idea of Fernet-Branca’s indelicate first impression”.

Or, as Tara said, “change ‘nose’ to ‘throat’, and they’ve got it right”.

It’s a unique spirit, to be sure. An Italian liqueur, made in Milano since 1845. The Italians, when they immigrated across the world, they took this drink with them. It’s why the drink is popular in San Francisco, Argentina and many other places throughout the world.

Much like many cult drinks, it has a vaunted secret recipe. It is reputed to have myrrh, rhubarb, chamomile, cardamom, aloe, and saffron, and a base of grape must. It is rumored to have codeine, mushrooms, fermented beets, coca leaf, gentian, rhubarb, wormwood, zedoary, cinchona, bay leaves, absinthe, orange peel, calumba, echinacea, quinine, ginseng, St. John’s wort, sage, and peppermint oil. Most of these are likely urban legend, there may be some truth in one or two of the aforementioned.

With the legends surrounding the liqueur, it’s common for some folks to use Fernet-Branca as both a spirit and a medicine.

My own opinion is that Fernet-Branca is that it’s a very complex and yet also a harsh drink. It has a very strong menthol aroma and taste. There is also a very distinct licorice flavor. Beyond that, it’s hard to pick out any other distinct ingredient.

It’s also a difficult drink to mix if you don’t know what you’re doing. Fernet-Branca is a bitter drink, which means that sweet beverages are probably the first place you should look for mixers. The best way I’ve found to drink this alcohol is to mix it with a cola. This also happens to be the most popular way to enjoy this spirit in Argentina. I’ve also had success with mixing it with ginger ale and a bit of grenadine.

All in all, it’s a good drink if you know how to handle it. It’s what I consider to be the antithesis of vodka.

Technorati Tags: Liquor, Fernet Branca, Tasting Notes

There’s really no build up, no introductory paragraph that I can give to this post that will explain the following:

Artichoke Liqueur, known under the brand of Cynar.

When walking through the liquor store, I had to have it, even if only for a conversation piece.

The liquid itself looks almost like a cola-color, with a slight tint of red. I mixed it in some club soda and tasted.

It wasn’t that bad at all. In fact, I thought it to be rather pleasant. The best way I can describe it is that it tastes like a milder Campari. There’s a bit of sweetness along with bitterness. At 16% alcohol, it’s not a strong drink.

I would drink this again, although I’ll have to wait until I have a desire for a Campari-like drink. It is a drink that takes some getting used to.

But still…artichoke liqueur. I would have never thought that such a drink existed, let alone taste pretty good.

Technorati Tags: Drinks, Liqueurs, Cynan, Artichokes

I mentioned previously that I was going to find a bottle, and lo and behold, look what appears upon my doorstep: A bottle of Jade Verte Suisse 65 Absinthe.

Ain’t life grand at times?

I’ll refrain from talking about the legalities and such until a later date. For now, I simply want to explore.

For the tasting, I prepared the absinthe in the traditional Fin de siècle fashion best described here in this .pdf file created by the wormwood society. My descriptions of the Absinthe will be post louche.

Eyes: Opaque and yellowish in look with a slight hint of green. If one didn’t know better one might say that it looks like a glass of over made lemonade.

Nose: This Absinthe makes itself quite known to all around, but not offensively so. The Anise aroma dominates.

Taste: Remember that this has been sweetened by sugar, so the taste to me comes off like the licorice in the old Good n’ Plenty Candies, but not as strong. In fact, there’s a nice citrusy undercurrent to the absinthe that compliments it quite well. Ir finishes quite nicely and it balances the alcohol very well.

However, Tara tasted it and said it tasted like a sweetened version of NyQuil, sans codeine and watered down a tad. So your mileage may vary.

Overall: Overall I enjoyed it quite a bit. I had one glass, as I prefer not to overindulge in my drinks. I was a little tipsy (as it is 130 proof alcohol, watered down), but not out of control. It is a very nice drink and one I would be pleased to partake of again.

Technorati Tags: Drink, Absinthe, Tasting Notes