The Intoxicologist

With Christmas coming down to the wire last minute gift ideas for those who love the more spirited side of life come into play.  By spirited I don’t mean in the energetic sense of the word such as those scuba diving or mountain climbing sports lovers who require expensive high end gear for safety sake.  I’m talking casual brown liquor lovers who waft scotch in a glass either neat or over a couple of cubes of pristine ice.  Searching for holiday gifts that touch the recipient with heartwarming appeal should be simple and stress free.  With all the choices on the market, sometimes that search becomes daunting. 

Recently I was asked to compare Chivas Regal 18 against the largely holiday gifted scotch, Johnnie Walker Blue.  To be fair, this is an apples to oranges head to head taste comparison.  Side by side Chivas Regal 18 comes across a little darker in color than Johnnie Walker Blue.  Color does not always signify deeper or richer with regard to taste.  Chivas contains nice aroma with hints of fig and nut.  There is little smoke in the flavor if any at all.  It is slightly thin in mouth feel.  There are subtle notes of chocolate and the faintest hints of spice.  This Chivas expression blends 18 year aged whiskies together and offers the bottling at approximately one third the price of Johnnie Walker Blue.  Packaging is straight forward – Bottle, label, box.  Gift wrap at your own expense with nice wrapping, ribbon and gift tag. 

Johnnie Walker Blue contains little comprehensive aroma as compared to many scotches.  The flavor is honeyed with virtually no burn at all.  It is velvety, a little floral with some perfume.  In my opinion sipping Johnnie Walker Blue is almost like consuming highly refined water in that it is so smooth there is not enough definition of character within the scotch.  This is definitely an achievement in refining the process and blending scotches to supreme smoothness.  It is an impressive example of a master blender perfecting his craft, but it does little to impress me with the scotch.  In my opinion Johnnie Walker Blue is nowhere near worth the price unless the goal is undefined character.  That being said, millions truly love Johnnie Walker Blue and their opinion of its worth is sincerely valuable.  Johnnie Walker Blue also presents in a distinctive, individually numbered Baccarat crystal bottle that can also be engraved for the holidays.  This unique characteristic comes packaged in silk lined box with certificate of authenticity.   All of this no doubt contributes to the higher price. 

If one is going for the complete perfection of smooth that Johnnie Walker Blue achieves, Chivas Regal 18 does not quite reach this scale of flawlessness.  Nor does Chivas Regal 18 offer the luxurious pampering and sophistication that goes along with the purchase of Johnnie Walker Blue.  However, is an almost two third bump in price worth the subtleties these spirits provide the casual scotch consumer?  In my opinion no. 

As I struggle to post this evaluation of Chivas Regal 18 and Johnnie Walker Blue I realize there might be a few who read and take my opinion into consideration when making choices for personal purchases and those of ones they care about this season.  Being truly honest as a frequent scotch consumer, I think it only fair to include my choices for scotch gifting in the approximate price ranges covered above.  There are a fair amount of scotches on hand in my liquor cabinet at any given time either by way of liquor company representatives or by my own choice through purchases made at liquor stores.  My favorites are listed below in no particular order.  The reason for no particular order is I consume a variety of spirits and choose according to my mood or a specific flavor I am craving at the time.  The ones listed are those that I truly love at any price and it in no way reflects poorly on any which might not make their way to the listing since there are many more in my cabinet at the moment.

·         Dewar’s 18 – Rich chocolate flavor with smoke and honey.  This is a little less intense version of the Dewar’s Signature.  Much more affordable and easier to find.

·         Dewar’s Signature – An extreme pleasure. DEWAR’S Introduces High-End Discovery Gift Set

·         Laphroaig Quarter Cask – Never thought I would love Laphroaig, but this one is divine without the severe iodine Laphroaig is so well known for. Laphroaig Single Malt Scotch: Own It, Sip It, Network It

·        Macallan Sherry Oak 12 – The everyday scotch to learn and get one’s feet wet in the world of brown liquor. The standard. A little caramel, possibly fig in the taste. Rich color.

·         Macallan Fine Oak 17 – Smoke, chocolate, mocha. Richness in the glass. Smoky, rich, full of flavor. Robust. Lots of body. Slight vanilla tone. Twitter Tasting The Macallan

·         Ardmore Traditional Cask – Hearty bouquet, delicate sweetness fleeting beneath significant smoke flavor.  Investing in Dad: Ardmore 30 & the Traditional Cask

·         Glenmorangie Original – Straw color, light in flavor, no smokiness.  Delicate without being overstated.  An easy sipper.  Perfect for someone starting out.  Glenmorangie Original – “Like Dew on Heather”

·         The Balvenie Doublewood & Glenfiddich 12 – I’ll be honest again and say I don’t personally consume these two as frequently myself, but love them just the same and occasionally do have a glass.  They are purchased with frequency in my home for another scotch drinker and they also make great cocktails when I get the chance to sneak a few ounces.   ‘Made in Scotland’ Makes Mixing at Home a Cinch

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Copyright 2009 Cheri Loughlin – The Intoxicologist – All Rights Reserved

Bartender’s Breakfast in New Orleans at Tales of the Cocktail ’09 – Tales was winding down and while some were still catching their second, third and fourth wind, truth be told I don’t party ‘til dawn night after night.  Bartender’s Breakfast was more of a pit stop to take photos, taste a few sips of the offerings from renowned bars and mixologists and head back to the hotel to catch up on postings.  As I stood a few feet from the exit door deciding whether to duck out for the evening a huge crowd made their way in with smiles, laughter, back patting and hand shaking.  And there he stood all smiles, greeting all who offered a hello all the while with one hand on again off again on the back of a dark haired woman.  They made their way to a small table close to the buffet and he seated her. 

It took a few minutes to make my legs move for feeling like I was imposing.  A thank you for writing the wonderful cocktail books and interesting stories to go with the recipes is all I wanted to say and let Dale DeGroff and his lovely companion visit privately at their table.  It didn’t happen that way.  He invited me to sit with them and introduced me to his wife, Jill DeGroff.  Immediately Dale DeGroff told me his wife was an artist.  Someone came to the table taking his attention, but Jill DeGroff fascinated me with her love of art.  We chatted back and forth about her artistry and drawings and she asked about my interest in photography.  She told me of a few places that were a must see before leaving New Orleans.  We only chatted for a few minutes before I excused myself, leaving them to their evening.  The five minutes spent at the table of Dale and Jill DeGroff was perhaps the most memorable of the five days spent in New Orleans. 

Lush Life, Portraits from the Bar by Jill DeGroff contains a collection of portraits and stories from those people who Jill has met through her travels around the world.  A captivating sample of Lush Life, Portraits from the Bar may be found on the King Cocktail website by following the link and clicking on ‘View Sample.’  You will find interesting stories that shape people’s personalities for various reasons and the attraction to work behind a wooden bar.  Each summation comes complete with detailed sketch and personalized cocktail.  Lush Life, Portraits from the Bar makes an extraordinary holiday gift for the art lover, cocktail enthusiast and anyone who loves snippets of real life experiences weaved in such a manner one feels like they are part of the actual conversation.  This book retails for $25.

Jill DeGroff on Twitter – Bio describes her as ‘Saloon Artist, author of Lush Life; Portraits from the Bar’. 

Holiday Cheer: Christmas to New Year Martini & Cocktail Recipe Guide

Reviews – Classic Cocktails – Holiday Cocktails - Holiday Recipes @ National Cocktails Examiner

Top 10 Classic Cocktails - 21 Must Try Classic Cocktail Recipes

Drink Recipes & Photos - Gin Temptation Recipes for Any Occasion

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Copyright 2009 Cheri Loughlin – The Intoxicologist – All Rights Reserved

Not to be confused with the French 75 consisting of gin topped with champagne; this vintage cocktail recipe with Armagnac and Pernod Absinthe is taken from a page in Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails Deluxe Edition written by Ted Haigh, aka Dr. Cocktail.  Dr. Cocktail’s rendition calls for Calvados inclusion, but Armagnac has been used as a rather nice substitution. 

The 75

2 parts Armagnac

1 part Gin

1/4 part Homemade Grenadine

Wash glass with Pernod

Place ice in cocktail glass with approximately 1 teaspoon of Pernod.  Set aside.  Combine remaining ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice.  Shake to blend and chill.  Swirl Pernod with ice to coat cocktail glass and discard Pernod soaked ice.  Strain contents of shaker into cocktail glass. 

The original recipe calls for 1/4 part Pernod rather than washing the glass with Pernod.  However, including the full measure called for overwhelms the cocktail leaving little more than the taste of absinthe with the remaining ingredients becoming less noticeable.  In this adaptation the hint of Pernod washed in the glass gives the aura of Pernod with slightest taste which lingers in a lovely way.  The cocktail recipe still hovers upon the sweet side, but contains a nice nutty blend with the Armagnac inclusion. 

Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails Deluxe Edition by Ted Haigh would make a wonderful holiday gift for the classic cocktail lover on your gift giving list this season.  Depending upon where you purchase, this book retails for approximately $20. 

Reviews – Classic Cocktails – Holiday Cocktails - Holiday Recipes @ National Cocktails Examiner

Top 10 Classic Cocktails - 21 Must Try Classic Cocktail Recipes

Drink Recipes & Photos - Gin Temptation Recipes for Any Occasion

The Intoxicologist on Twitter, Facebook, StumbleUpon

www.discus.org – Distilled Spirits Council of the United States

Copyright 2009 Cheri Loughlin – The Intoxicologist – All Rights Reserved

Corzo Tequila has come out with a cool program for the holidays; the Complimentary Metal Label program.  Pure metal labels for their beautiful Corzo tequila bottles may be ordered exclusively online at www.corzo.com/labels.  Each label accommodates a message of 18 characters each with three lines maximum.  Once ordered the labels should arrive in approximately four to six business days.  These custom labels may be used on any of the Corzo Silver, Corzo Reposado or Corzo Anejo bottles.  Each would make a magnificent gift for the holidays or stunning component for your own back bar.  This makes such a unique, personalized gift idea for the holidays ahead that I took a few moments to navigate the website.  It takes only a few moments to place an order. 

Corzo Tequilas are double aged and triple distilled, with twice the Agave of other tequilas:

Corzo Silver - flavors of tropical fruit and peppery spice harmoniously blended to create an ultra smooth and delicate finish. 

Corzo Reposado - double aged in small white oak barrels for additional smoothness and flavor.  It combines the elegance of Corzo Silver with hints of oak and honey resulting in a full flavor that is best enjoyed in cocktails or neat. 

Corzo Anejo - the perfect tequila for full-bodied sipping.  The flavors of warm caramel and golden raisin lead to a pleasingly long yet clean finish with gentle hints of oak.  Best enjoyed neat. 

Classic Cocktails  - Drink Recipes & Photos Tequila category

Corzo Tequila Margaritas

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www.discus.org – Distilled Spirits Council of the United States

Copyright 2009 Cheri Loughlin – The Intoxicologist – All Rights Reserved