Electric Relaxation

ELECTRIC RELAXATION

Two versions as per the interwubs

Evening! Here's a drink suggested by a fellow cocktail-lover, the Electric Relaxation. It's a tight drink altogether and depending on one's source (I had to look it up from the internet), you might have a slight variation available:

• 3 cl cognac (1 fl oz)
• 4.5 cl triple sec (1.5 fl oz)
• pineapple or apple juice (13 cl / 4 - 4.5 fl oz)

Easily made, just build the drink into a high ball glass with ice. I had to use a bit larger glass to fit all in :D Also remember to use premium juices (as well as the alcohols) so you'll have premium results. This means at least for the apple version to use a cloudy non-concentrate juice.

Most recipes call for pineapple juice exclusively. A few internet results might yield the use of apple juice and to be honest, I liked the version better! It was more refreshing if compared to its "original" counterpart. Still heavily triple sec-y with steady cognac - flavors in the aftertaste, the Electric Relaxation takes you to places :D

Momentum

MOMENTUM

Hey everyone and a pleasant Sunday to y'all! It's been a rough weekend at work (Xmas season) so why not spend one's free day enjoying a good cocktail?

Fair enough, I made this a few days back but nonetheless, the Momentum is a surprisingly tasty concoction. This drink is part of the "Let's make a drink from a magazine" - series i.e. the national cocktail-magazine Shaker (in Finnish). Just like the earlier shot I made, this one includes cognac in it. Let's take a look:

• 3 cl cognac (VSOP)
• 1 cl sambuca
• espresso/coffee beans (about 1 tsp or ~10)
• lemon twist garnish

Stir the ingredients except for the lemon garnish in a snifter with ice and garnish. Serve. With a very lemony and pleasant aroma to it, this cocktail has a pleasant balance to it! A liquorice-cognac taste with one drawback; the coffee beans are constantly getting in the way :D

After my glass had sit for a while, you get those coffee-flavors to it (coffee beans). In total, a 3-/5. It's quite a short drink, so use a smaller snifter if able.

Pariisin Varpunen / Nikolaschka / La Môme Piaf

Pariisin Varpunen / Nikolaschka / 

La Môme Piaf

Hi everyone! Today I made a shot called Pariisin Varpunen (La môme Piaf / Little Sparrow) / Nikolaschka. Depending on the main ingredient used. The recipe I got from a Finnish cocktail-magazine in which many different cognac based cocktails/drinks were represented. I shall be doing more of them later in the coming weeks.

If you want to try something really extraordinary, give this one a try. It is definitely different :D

• 4 cl cognac (for a Vodka Nikolaschka use vodka instead)
• a thick slice of orange/lemon
• ~1 tsp instant coffee powder
• ~1 tsp fine caster sugar

Put the alcohol in a snifter/small tumbler. Layer the citrus slice on top with the coffee and sugar side by side. Now at this point you can still make a choice:

1. Drink the liquor and bite on the citrus
2. Bite on the citrus and then drink the liquor

I opted for the 2nd one. Also, I prefered the cognac-based shooter way better. Or then the vodka needs to be properly chilled, which in this case wasn't. Nonetheless, in case you really want to surprise your guests with an after-dinner "cocktail", try this one! :D

Stinger

STINGER

IBA cocktail. Despite the weird combination...this stuff works!

Hi everyone! Here's an IBA cocktail, that I decided to make. Two ingredients, simple enough, right? But when you take a closer look to what they are you might think "aaww hell naow!" Okay, let's see what a Stinger has in it:

• 5 cl cognac
• 2 cl créme de menthe (white)
• (mint sprig garnish)

Stir the alcohols with ice and strain into either a cocktail glass or on ice into a tumbler. If you want to, garnish with a sprig of mint. I suggest garnishing especially if using a tumbler glass.

So how does cognac and peppermint liqueur work together? I must (to my surprise) say, wonderfully! The Stinger is fresh, smooth and balanced. And it is devious, as its name suggests; this stuff goes to your head fast.

PS. If you don't have white créme de menthe and instead use green, the Stinger is called a Green Hornet.

Jallumustikkatini

Jallumustikkatini

As the fourth update of the week, I present you with a good Finnish take with Jaloviina. I give you the Jalomustikkatini. I know, it's a crappy name but that's the best I could come up with in such a short notice!

Basically, what I wanted to do was to use jaloviina and make a cocktail that has a true Finnish twist to it. So when you add blueberries, can you go wrong? This cocktail is short, sweet-ish, has that cognac-y taste to it and will definitely appeal to anyone who enjoys jaloviina. I also tried to keep it simple enough so it could be made at home. Let's have a look:

• 4 bar (tea) spoons of blueberries
• 2 cl coldpressed blueberry juice
• 2 cl blueberry liqueur (dekuyper)
• 5 cl Jaloviina (*)

Muddle the blueberries in the glass. Add the rest of the ingredients, add ice and shake it baby! Definitely double strain. No garnish needed.

I loved the dark color of this cocktail. Also the strong blueberry-ish taste adds a nice flavor profile to this cocktail and with the more dominant jaloviina taste in the end...nice. Just nice.

Captain Kidd

CAPTAIN KIDD

Strong, tasty, the Kidd

Hey everyone! Today I present you with a (slightly crooked :D) after dinner - style cocktail called the Captain Kidd. I found out there are numerous different recipes under the same name and this one I picked up from this book shown below:

The more I sipped this drink, the more I started to like it! Here's how to do it:

• 25 ml creme de cacao (dark)
• 25 ml dark rum (I used havana 8 años)
• 37.5 ml cognac (1½ British measure, I used a VSOP one)
• ½ orange slice for garnish (editor's note; a twist + its essential oils would've been even greater)

Instead of shaking this drink (as the recipe calls for), I stirred it (due to only alcoholic ingredients) and poured into a chilled coupe before garnishing.

But even with the original garnish (the ½ orange slice), its aroma combined with the strong cocoa was very nice indeed. The Kidd isn't as sweet as I would've thought, but instead an intense, spicy, cognac-y after flavored sipping cocktail. If I really tried, hints of a full-bodied sherry/port are noticeable!

I give this drink a 3.5/5. It's solid, it's strong, it's a fine cocktail.

The Sazerac

THE SAZERAC

Evening everyone! Today...it finally happened. I made the Sazerac. This has been one of the cocktails on my forever "to-do" list because of one ingredient that is extremely hard to acquire. Oh yes...yes indeed, and I'm talking about the Peychaud's Bitters. Halleluja that one friend-colleague of mine managed to fetch me one bottle so the time had come to make this beauty.

This version is the IBA one. This drink's history is rather intriguing and to make a long story short, you could make this two ways by choosing your main ingredient; cognac or rye (whiskey). I tried it with cognac (it being the "original" one before rye came along):

The recipe is quite straightforward and follows the IBA instructions:

• 5 cl cognac (I used Meukow VSOP)
• 2 ds Peychaud's bitters
• 1 sugar cube (okay I used 1 tsp of simple syrup because I didn't have a single (!) cube at home)
• ~1 cl absinthe (quality-wise not a big difference, read further why)
• a lemon peel (just the oils)
• a frozen (small) OF glass

Start by having your glass extremely cold ie. in the freezer. Give the three first ingredients a good long stir. Before straining it though, rinse the inside of your now cold glass with a small amount of absinthe. Then, discard the liquid (absinthe). Now strain your drink into your OF glass. Press the lemon zest oils over the drink but don't garnish it. Serve.

With a fresh nose to it, the Sazerac is sophisticated, strong, herbal, sweet-ish and just damn delicious! Can't wait to try it with the rye and see which one reigns supreme!

I got to say, this drink doesn't look like much but you know how they say, less is more? My initial opinion of this drink is that it kicks ass, big time.

Kurant Delight

KURANT DELIGHT

Evening everyone! This cocktail was inspired by a fellow comrade acquaintance, who approached me with a challenge! He insisted that I would use two of the ingredients, because those "fire him the most". 

1. Red currants 
2. Absolut Kurant

I gladly accepted his request since what do you know, I happened to have a red currant bush in my back yard! Absolut Kurant (a currant flavored vodka) I didn't, but I got a sample bottle of it for my disposal. Let's get to work, shall we?

One issue arose, though. What makes a great currant - based cocktail? After one failed draft I came up with a recipe that worked out quite nicely!

• 1 dl red currants
• 40 ml Absolut Kurant
• 20 ml cherry liqueur
• 20 ml cognac, VSOP
• a sprig of red currants as garnish

Muddle the currants in your shaker, add the rest and shake hard with ice. Double (!) strain into your chilled coupe and garnish. Serve.

A promise made is a promise kept

A promise made is a promise kept

A 365 days' work between the covers

This year's last season greeting to you all! It is the last day of 2014 and I have something big to discuss.

As this year has come to a wonderful end, you might remember me talk about my New Year's Resolution for the year 2014. A quick recap to those who can't be bothered with the link;

"In the year 2014 I will/have taste/d every alcohol product (most importantly the whiskies) we sell at our bar."

"The commandments with twists and turns"

A great way to combine work and pleasure:

1. Work: I want to learn how different whiskies taste like so I know what I am selling our customers
2. Pleasure. I want to learn to taste different whiskies to become better at it. 

Now 365 days to sample what, ~100 products in total? (I counted them, 133 is the correct amount) What looked like an easy job actually ended up being one of the closest thing to be unfinished!

Okay, let's break this "task" down. What did really happen during this year?

1. The whiskies

This included each and every whisky our bar holds. Naturally, in the course of one full year, some whiskies were drunk before I got to them and subsequently some new products were available for me to assess. As long as I had each currently available sampled at the end of this year, I considered it a success. Every time I sample a product, write down the date as well.

Example page. Name, "type" and date when tasted.

2. The liquors

This meant the rest. From the mild ABVs (e.g. port/sherry) to the hard stuff (gins, rums, vodkas and other).

3. No (tap) beers, wines or mixer liqueurs!

I deliberately wanted to limit this section not to be included in the resolution. The reason is quite simple. Sampling low ABV mixer liqueurs doesn't make much sense (no-one ever orders them separately) and with the bottled products we had so many seasonal changes (cidre weeks, summer beers, winter ales and so forth). The same goes for the wines. Although we have a more or less "steady" list, our wines changed throughout the year quite a few times.

4. What if a product was drunk before I got to it?!

Well that sucked! For instance, I was really sad that the Nikka 10yo was drunk before I was able to taste it. Okay, I got to taste its older 20yo brother but still, evaluating them together would have been so much better. Later on I will let you know about the ones "missing in action" and "new incomers".

5. Which one did you like the best? Which one was not good?

Each product, be it a whisky or a liquor, I rated with a 1-5 star system. When evaluating an article, I tried to write down a few notes regarding said product and finally putting a "rating" to it. Coarsely, the rating as follows and keep in mind, this is according to my opinion. What I say only reflects my personal preferences:

* : Did not taste good at all!
** : Meh. Lacked potential and taste.
*** : Palatable. Missed that little "oompf" to receive another star.
**** : Very good! Wouldn't mind having another one!
***** : Exceptional in taste, texture and finish. A diamond.

Strictly speaking, only the greatest whiskies got in my personal Hall of Fame. They needn't be a five-star whisky to achieve this but if they managed to knock my socks right off my feet, they made it to the list. In addition, the ones (whiskies) I liked the least had the "honor" of becoming products in my Hall of Shame. As for the rest liquors, I did rate them as well but did not include them in the HoF, for obvious reasons.

Finally, every time I had a sample at our bar, I kept the receipt. I wanted to know how much I spent over the year to accomplish this task.

MISSING IN ACTION(never got to sample these)

• Benriach 12yo non-chill filtered
• Benriach 16yo
• Nikka 10yo
• Highland Park Loki 15yo
• Laphroaig 10yo cask strength
• Laphroaig 18yo
• Ardbeg non-chill filtered
• Minttu (black mint)
• Koskenkorva Nordic Berries
• Koskenkorva Blueberry
• Koskenkorva Lingonberry
• Ardbeg Auriverdes

NEW PRODUCTS(available to sample)

• Nikka 20yo
• Ardbeg Corryveckan
• Plantation XO Rum
• Nikka from the Barrel
• Macallan Ruby

THE FINAL WHISKY
MISSION COMPLETED :D

Laphroaig Quarter Cask

So up to this day, I had finished everything else except for three whiskies! The Laphroaig series; Triple Wood, Cairdeas 2011 and Quarter Cask. After my work I sample the two former and as I got home I popped open the QC. Thus my New Year's Resolution was completed! And not a day too early :D

So what ended up being totally awesomesauce in flavor and which did not quite make it to the top (or even past the start line)?

The Hall of Fame and Shame, respectively

Eventually, according to my taste and preferences, some whiskies proved their right to become awesome, great and fabulous. "Sadly", for two whiskies this was not the case but quite the opposite. Glenlivet 18yo, Macallan 12yo sherry oak and Nikka 20yo were exceptional in taste and I had no problem adding this trio to the list! On the other hand, Bowmore 10yo (Devil's cask) and Johnny Walker Red Label were something quite horrid. Okay, for Red Label's defence, it is not a single malt but a blend. But even mixed with cola it didn't taste good! For ratings' sake I had to give it a "parenthesis" one star.

So what did this all cost me? Of course I didn't pay for the stuff I could drink at home. I counted the sums in the receipts and ended up in a sum of 343.8€! I actually had to recount twice because I got a bigger sum before! :D So this cost me less than 1€/day!

I have to admit that this New Year's Resolution was worth every cent. Not only did I experience a wide range of flavors but also (hopefully! :D) became more proficient in spirits of different styles. Now, could I explain you thoroughly about a whisky I tasted in February? Probably not. Sampling half a measure of whisky does not make me a pro, no sir! This is not just one year's job. It's a life-long process that follows one to their grave. It's a passion. If nothing else, at least I had quite a few different whiskies and other liquors to drink!


Sláinte!

The Great Cognac Tasting

The Great Cognac Tasting

Show me how you drink and I will tell you who you are. 

~Emile Peynaud

This is it! The moment I've (we've) been waiting for such a long time now! You might remember me discussing this matter in the middle of December when I explained how I would have a known brand tasting with cognacs. So yesterday I had people come over to discuss, taste and assess four different products.

I did do some proper settings before the event. I reserved plain crackers and water (to cleanse the palate between different cognacs), a small cup of coffee beans to neutralize the nose buds and some tasting note papers for people to write their experiences on.

I believed this was going to be a rather difficult tasting I've ever conducted. I don't possess the experience and wisdom of analyzing different subtleties, especially regarding cognac. I won't vouch for my friends' previous knowledge of the matter in hand, but I believe it wasn't an easy tasting for them either.

In addition, I gathered the official tasting notes from the different producers so we could later discuss and compare our observations. Because Courvoisier didn't have a website that actually worked (for me) failed to help me via Facebook, of all the VSOP cognacs I had I dropped it out for the final tasting. A special thanks to Rémy Martin for sharing the notes via Facebook!

The cognacs we reviewed were as followed:

1. Rémy Martin VSOP
2. Meukow VSOP
3. Baron Otard VSOP
4. Hennessy VSOP

Before we could start though, I carefully poured 1.5 cl of each cognac into proper nosing glasses I received from work.

The master of Ceremonies at work

THE COGNACS

(the tasting notes I will just straightforward copy+paste and I'll discuss the results afterwards but do enjoy the picture gallery of this event before the actual reviews)

_________________________________________________________________________________

RÉMY MARTIN

Blend: Cognac Fine Champagne, 55% Grande Champagne, 45% Petite Champagne

Color: Vibrant gold

Aromas and Flavors:

Fruity notes - the roundness of summer fruits, especially ripe apricots and peaches

Floral notes - the impertinence of wild flowers, particularly violets

Oaky notes - predominantly vanilla, with a hint of liquorice

Texture: Silky

Finish: A perfectly balanced blend of ripeness

MEUKOW VSOP

Nose: Fruity with raisins, candied orange and white peach.

Palate: Walnut and hazelnut aromas with vanilla.

Finish: Harmonious and mellow tannins with spicy nuances.

BARON OTARD VSOP

This elegant cognac comes with full-bodied flavor, great finesse and a good finish. The nose is rich in floral notes, backed by touches of linden tree leaves, pear, tobacco and a hint of vanilla. On the palate, it is round and mellow, with subtle, fruity sweet flavors enhanced by a hint of spices. It has an opulent deep golden colour.

HENNESSY VSOP

Nose: On the nose, the first fragrances perceived are soft spices such as vanilla, clove and cinnamon. Then delicate toasted notes follow

Palate: On the palate, the natural balance of strength and smoothness creates a harmonious blend in which maturity combines with vigor. The structure is softened by a suggestion of fresh grape character.

Finish: The highlight of tasting Hennessy V.S.O.P is the long-lasting finish, revealing the natural balance of the blend – testament to a superior cognac.

THE RESULTS

As mentioned before, I wasn't expecting any short stories with the reviews. I was mostly interested with the five-star-rating at the end of each cognac and perhaps some similarities regarding the products. With Rémy Martin, people did pick off fruity notes. It was also considered warm with a strong, stingy aroma. The Meukow had a strong aroma but in the palate regarded very soft. Baron Otard had the longest finish/after taste of them all and Hennessy was told to be soft and lingering. Also, Hennessy was considerably darker than the others. Whereas the first three were rather (deep) gold in color, Hennessy had a more of a copper-ish tone.

Finally, the five guests (and me) gave each cognac a rating from 1-5 stars, so one cognac could achieve the maximum score of 30. (The products were not compared with each other but rated as individuals). The ratings as follows:

• Rémy Martin 20 points
• Meukow 19 points
• Baron Otard 17.5 points
• Hennessy 20 points

So it's a tie between Rémy Martin and Hennessy, 3rd place goes to Meukow!

AFTERMATH

This was a great event, hands down! At this point I must say how promptly on time with no-one having to wait for Johnnies-come-lately we started! I mean, people were even early at this event! In addition, I wanted to implement a set of cognac cocktails for all of my guests with their favorite cognac used.

The list included:

• French Connection
• B&B
• Sidecar
• Brandy Alexander
• Horse's Neck

Brandy Alexander

Sidecar

French Connection

Horse's Neck

The evening continued with other guests arriving and the "official" part ending. I didn't end the cognac-theme at this point though, but instead made a cognac drink for us all; French Coffee! (4 cl cognac, coffee and top it off with loosely whipped cream; I added some grated nutmeg on top)

French Coffee

As a cherry on top of the cake, what is an evening with friends without some proper champagne?

A classic champagne cocktail, ¡Aquí tienes! 

To sum this all up. It was a perfect evening. A big thanks to Marjukka for letting me use her camera and my work place Teerenpeli for the tasting platters used!

The cognac brand tasting, part I

THE COGNAC BRAND TASTING

PART I

random picture from the interwubs

Greetings again. This post I consider an "intro" to something that will happen perhaps (hopefully) during February, 2014. It's the continuum to my previous tastings (I've grown so fond of these!), namely the vodka blind tasting and the herbal liqueur blind tasting. It's the cognac (known brand) tasting.

What this means is that instead of doing the usual blind tasting like I did before (no bottles shown, one person at a time and so forth), I'll invite a small group friends over to my place, we'll taste four different cognacs and people actually see what they're tasting. Moreover, I'll find out some known facts/information from the brands being tasted so we can later discuss them. I will act as the master of ceremonies and also make something small to nibble on (I've been thinking of chocolate truffles among others since we're dealing with cognacs here) and finally I'll make one cognac based cocktail to each guest. We'll take notes (like before) and of course I'll compile them to everyone to see later on.

As the cherry on top of the cake I have ~20 cognac glasses I got from my work place (they are not in use there anymore) so after the tasting each guest can have a set of four of these glasses to take home with them! It's a total win-win situation!

So in our first tasting we had herbal liqueurs (albeit just a tiny sample). In the second tasting we had vodkas. Now we're dealing with cognacs. Taking a sneak&peek at my bar cabinet I noticed the my VSOP collection consists of:

• Baron Otard
• Courvoisier
• Hennessy
• Meukow
• Rémy Martin

Out of these five I can only choose four...which end up in the tasting (to be honest, which one will be left out would be more correctly said), that is still left to see.

Personally, I don't have too many expectations how this'll turn out think this'll turn out amazing and astonishing and marvelous in every aspect known to man! Really, it might be a challenging tasting since different cognacs might taste all the same to us (?). Then again, maybe they don't. But what I do know that it'll be an awesome evening with friends, food&drinks and a jolly good time; that's what matters.

KC Tea

KC TEA

2013 version

2016 version

Hello again boys and girls!

It's been quite a while since my last update but have no fear, another cocktail is here! Easy to make, this cocktail has an interesting combo that'll work! Before we go to the specifics, I have to say that this recipe was "given" to me by a customer at my work. To be honest, I first didn't quite catch the name of the drink but after he told me what comes in it, I quickly google'd down the ingredients and bam!

Introducing the KC Tea.

• 5-6 cl (2 fl oz. or a double shot) of Hennessy VS (many recipes specifically call of VS, albeit I used VSOP since I didn't have the VS brand)
• Sprite
• a lemon wedge

In a tumbler build the drink; add the ice, the cognac and top it off with sprite. Squeeze the lemon wedge onto the drink and drop it in as well.

If I had used a highball - glass, this drink would've been much more "diluted". With the tumbler...wow. A strong, yet pleasant drink to have! The cognac gives its kick + the citrus aromas from the sprite are well noted. But next time I would probably make this in a bigger glass. Probably.

2016 Edit*

So yes, I made this one, pretty much (!) three years later in a bigger glass! A G&T - goblet! Using the same amount of liquor I was now able to add more soda which made this drink deviously pleasant! I can hardly taste the alcohol in this one! :D

Between the Sheets

BETWEEN THE SHEETS

Nothing tells the story more vividly than this cocktail. But alas, the action even Between the Sheets can not out-win its cousin, the Sidecar. For me, the B.t.S is a altered version of the Sidecar. Also easily modified to create layers of flavors, the B.t.S has potential but this time it didn't quite cut it.

• 2.5 cl white rum
• 2.5 cl brandy (or cognac)
• 2.5 cl lemon juice
• 2.5 cl triple sec

Shake everything with ice and (double)strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon/lime twist. Like a sidecar, but more complex in flavor. Personally, this cocktail was OK, but with some fine tuning I could probably make a better version of it later on...