Chicago Independent Spirits Expo

Happy Thursday folks! I'm just climbing out of bed after a WONDERFUL night at the Independent Spirits Expo at the Chicago Hilton last night. All I can say is wow. A fun night filled with tasting some excellent spirits, and chatting it up with some of the industries finest. 

Last years event had 80 suppliers and over 400 independent and artisan spirits from all over the world. This years was no different  I tasted thru the entire event and was pleased with everything I was able to sample. From some of my favorite spirits, Like Few Whiskey, ANYTHING from the St. George portfolio, Diplomatico, and Del Maguey, to some newer brands that I haven't had the opportunity to try. 

One standout to me was the Barrel Aged Gin from Smooth Ambler Spirits. WOW is all I can say.  Their Barrel aged gin uses their award winning Greenbrier Gin as the base distillate and is aged 3 months in Oak barrels. This is a complete sipper. To me, it still tastes like a London Dry Gin but I get some peppery notes on the finish so it feels like a Rye whiskey. So my palate was very happy with this spirit!  Check out the video of the distillery here: 

Also at this years indie spirits expo was the authors round table  and my good friend Mr. Warren Bobrow was one of the speakers. Warren has been featured on this blog in the past and now my main man is releasing his 1st cocktail book, "Apothecary Cocktails: Restorative Drinks from Yesterday and Today." Had the opportunity to have some conversations with my friend this week and even got to thumb thru the book as well. Needless to say this is not just a cocktail book. Back at the turn of the century, most would go to their local apothecary and would get prescribed something herbal that includes some sort of spirit for all your ailments. Without giving to much of the book away, there are some great recipes in there that were used for Medicinal purposes. It will be a must own for anyone in our industry and for cocktail enthusiasts as well.  You can pre-order this book by following this link...  http://www.qbookshop.com/products/212140/9781592335848/Apothecary-Cocktails.html


So to all that was able to experience the Indie Spirits Expo, I'm glad to have ran into you and we all had a good time. To any who missed it, DO NOT MISS NEXT YEAR!! 

Cheers,

Until Next Time
Mr.Mixologist

Cocktail Thought for the Day 8-8-2013

In this last year I had the opportunity to head up a new program with Courvoisier USA as one of 8 Courvoisier "Courvoisiologists" from across the nation. We we in charge of executing events, new cocktails for the brand, and education. It was a great opportunity for me to expand my knowledge of the iconic brand and share it with many others. It all culminated with the Courvoisier lab event here in Chicago on June 5th. Cocktails, cocktails, and more cocktails. I was the featured mixologist and had 6 of my own created cocktails being featured at the event. But with that came the responsibility to really dig deep into the brand and learn about who I was representing. So with that the cocktail thought of the day today is all about Courvoisier Cognac. Anyone who knows me knows, I enjoy a finely distilled grape spirit, namely Cognac. Its a beautiful spirit and very very unique in its taste. So here is a little history about this iconic brand...

Cocktail Thought of the Day

Background and Present day Facts about Courvoisier

The origin of Courvoisier goes all the way back to the 19th with Emmanuel Courvoisier and his associate Louis Gallois running a wine and spirit company. In 1811 Napoleon Bonaparte visited their warehouse in Bercy. The rumor is that Napoleon took several barrels of Cognac with him to St. Helena, which in turn, the ships officers began naming it, "The Cognac Of Napoleon." Courvoisier was also served at the 1889 opening of the Eiffel Tower. As far as the aging process of this fine cognac, the Vs is aged up to 8 years with the majority of it being Fins Bois grapes, the VSOP is aged up to 10 years with a little of 50% of it being Grande Champagne Grapes, and the XO Imperial being a blend of up to 40 different Cognacs. 

So now to present day. Not only does Courvoisier have just Cognac but they introduced a New Blend of Cognac and 2 liqueurs to add to the portfolio. C by Courvoisier, Courvoiser Rose', and Courvosier Gold. 

C by Courvoisier is a small batch Cognac blend selected from 50 different Wine Growers and is double barreled for a completely different type of experience. Rose' is a blend of Courvoisier and Premium red wine grapes, and Gold is truly a one of a kind blend of Courvoisier and Moscato grapes. So for the 1st time in a long time I'll leave this blog post with some of my own recipes with each expression for all of you. Feel free to try these at home, as I took a BYOB( Be your own Bartender) approach to make quality cocktails but also ones easy enough for the at home bartender.. 

The Spoken Word

C By Courvoisier

Tripe Sec

Maraschino Liqueur

Lemon juice

Angostura Bitters

Top with Club Soda

Lemon Peel Garnish

A Rose Grew from Concrete

Courvoisier Rose

Lemon Juice

Lime Juice

Blackberry Liqueur

Angostura Bitters

Top with Ginger Beer

The Golden Sangria

Couvoisier Gold

Courvoisier VS

Moscato Wine

Blood Orange Juice

Lemons

Limes

Apples

Strawberries

White Peaches

Hopefully you enjoy the cocktails, and let me know if you try them by tweeting me at @MrMixologist with the hash tag #DrinkOneTeachOne

Until Next Time

MrMixologist

Encanto Pisco Opportunity

Hey everyone.. Short post today!! The good people over at Encanto Pisco are giving bartenders a chance to go to Peru and work with the Master Distiller as an apprentice. Check out the Video Featuring Duggan McDonnell who owns Encanto Pisco, and Dave Nepove our National USBG President.. Sounds like a great idea, a great opportunity for a lucky bartender! GET ON IT!!!