Product Review- Wilks & Wilson - Purveyors of Fine Elixers

Today I am happy to talk about a product that I truly enjoy working with. Alot of time, I make my own syrups, cordials, etc, But a couple good friends of mine have a product line that I really enjoy using in my cocktails.

Wilks & Wilson( Greg Wilson and Zachary Wilks) produce hand crafted, organic, and mostly natural elixirs that were intended for use in Non alcoholic beverages, but they are delicious in some of the classic cocktails of yesteryear. Now the interesting story about how I came to meet these guys is interesting. 2 years ago while I was in New Orleans for Tales of The Cocktail, Some friends and I were throwing around the idea of creating a product. Bitters, Syrups, and even a carbonated cocktail came into play. So someone close to me said, "hey you should meet this guy down here named Greg, who has a line of syrups. Its looks pretty cool." So thru the magical power of twitter( its great when used correctly) we tracked each other down and when I found Greg Wilson, I planned on  just talking but he handed me a 6 pack of his product and his card and said please stay in touch. So after getting home and unpacking a whole suitcase full of booze(don't ask, just come to TOTC and you'll find out) I took a look at this product.. What struck me 1st was the pictures on the labels and the wide variety of flavors and distinctions between them. Needless to say I was intrigued. So fast forward to this past Tales of the Cocktail and not only did I run back into Greg, but I got to meet Zachary Wilks as well. Great guys with a Great product that I can stand behind and use when taking care of my events.


Now that you got some background, lets get to the meat of the story, the product!!!

The product list is as follows:

• Adelaide's Orgeat
• Genevieve's Grenadine
• Gertrude's Gomme
• Giovanna's Ginger Simple
• Millicent's Lime Mint Simple( My personal favorite)
• Rosabelles Raspberry Gomme
• Sir Teddy's Tonic

Every cocktail has some type of background and story to it and these elixirs also have one as well. All of them have a distinct character and a story behind them all. For a full breakdown of the characters and the stories behind them visit http://wilksandwilson.com/

Now some of the best cocktails in the country are being made with Wilks and Wilson as it is available in Chicago, Indiana, St. Louis, Michigan, Massachusetts, and Kansas City most notably.

As stated earlier my favorite cocktail to make with their product is the "DrinkxXx On Me Mojito" using the Lime Mint Simple.. So why not share it with all of you..  I debuted  it last year at a guest bartending shift I had. It has since become a staple.  A different take on the Mojito recipe..

DOMojito
Muddled mint
Muddled Pineapple
2oz Flor De Cana Rum
1oz Wilks and Wilson Lime Mint Simple
1oz Orange Juice
2 dashes Fee brothers Orange Bitters

Garnish with a mint sprig and pineapple wedge














Hope you all get an opportunity to try Wilks and Wilson soon and if you get a moment, try out the DOMojito and let me know what you think. As always any DrinkxXx that you want to try or make at home please tweet me at @MrMixologist or @DomBarService and use the hashtag #DrinkOneTeachOne

Until Next Time
Mr.Mixologist

Big Start to 2014

Hello everyone!!

Took some time off from working and writing, but I would like to say Happy New Year from DrinkxXx On Me!!!

So I have some goals for myself in thus new year and one is to bring you all a blog post every day, starting today. Whether its Lifestyle, drink reviews, spirit reviews, some of my adventures in this crazy hospitality that I work in, or just if I want to shoot the Sh*t with all of my readers, you will all get something alcohol related from me. So GET READY!!

But with that being said, its been a hectic couple weeks in 2014 so far ni the liquor world. 2 BIG acquisitions happened in the first 14 days of 2014.

For one Sean "Diddy"Combs, the man behind the emergence of Ciroc, has partnered 50/50 with Diaego to acquire Deleon Tequila. Diddy is a master at marketing and getting the most out of his products. He puts his name on it and its golden. And Diageo, well, no words need be spoken about them. The strong Distribution, and access to influencers (like Combs) and marketing makes them a formidable team to push Deleon to the top of the tequila charts in 2014. Deleon is a 100% Blue agave tequila. Deleon was created in 2008, and hit the US market on Cinco De Mayo 2009. Its expressions are as follows, Blanco, Reposado, Anejo, Extra Anejo, and Leona. I'm looking forward to trying it, creating some cocktails and giving all of you a nice
review.

And just when the news of Diddy, started to quiet down, then a HUGE announcement came across all of our social media platforms...
Japan's Suntory ( which boasted the likes of Bowmore scotch and Yamazaki Japanese Whiskey) now has acquired Beam, Inc for a whopping price of $13.6 Billion dollars. Now nothing says America more than some good ol bourbon but now, 2 of the most recognizable names in whiskey, Jim Beam and Makers Mark will belong to a Japanese owner. Along with those brands, in this deal,  Suntory will have, most notably Courvoisier, Laphroaig,  and Knob Creek.

So its been some big moves made in the spirits biz to start the year off.. Cant wait to see what the rest of 2014 brings!! See you tomorrow with a product review of Wilks and Wilson, LLC..

Until Next Time
Mr.Mixologist