Month: November 2018

Arrow Banana Liqueur

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And here is an example from my ABC state rant. Do I think the perfect banana liqueur is just out of reach? Is there a banana liqueur produced by unicorns that delights the palate? Of course not. As soon as it goes into whatever fruity cocktail, I’ll forget all this nonsense and simply enjoy my artificial banana flavored cocktail.

Look, it tastes like sweet banana candy with alcohol. Who could want anything more.

Proof: 30 (15% ABV)

Paid: $11 for 750ml

Buy again: Yes, since I don’t have a choice in North Carolina.

Chateau Monet

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Raspberry liqueur has the distinct flavor of sweetened raspberry syrup with alcohol, which leaves it tasting slight medicinal. Once mixed in a cocktail, the medicinal aspect somewhat disappears.

Chateau Monet is listed as “black raspberry” with herbs and spices. It was half of the price of the top shelf Chambord.

Proof: 33 (16.5 ABV)

Paid: $14 (on sale) for 750ml

Buy again: Probably

 

Southern Comfort

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Southern Comfort, as a brand, is over 100 years old. It was originally a “whiskey-based liqueur flavored with fruit and spice”. The modern description leans a little more towards “neutral spirits with fruit, spice and whiskey flavorings”. I’m not sure that makes a whiskey flavoring, when you have real whiskey to work with, but I don’t bottle the stuff.

This is a sweet liqueur with a mild whiskey flavor, and several equally mild flavors of cinnamon, and fruits, and a few more things I can’t put my finger on.

Tasty, and works well in cocktails that call for it.

Proof: 70 (35% ABV)

Price: $15

Buy again: Yes

Melone

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Midori? No Melone.

This is what you buy when you aren’t sure if you will like a $23 bottle of Midori, that very sweet, melon flavored liqueur that makes drinks turn nuclear waste green.

The Midori bottle is very decorative, but that doesn’t justify the price tag. Like so many liqueurs, there is usually a knock off. In this case, that knock off is Melone. Good luck finding ANY information about the brand online.

As soon as the bottle was opened, a sweet, melon candy aroma wafted out. A sip gives a very sweet taste indeed. The melon is an artificial honeydew like flavor. Having never tasted Midori, I can only tell you that the Midori Sour recipe yields a very tasty cocktail.

Proof: 42 (21% ABV)

Paid: $7

Buy again: Yes

Derby Daiquiri

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This is a very nice mildly sweet and mildly tart, rum-based cocktail.

1.0 oz Orange Juice
0.5 oz Lime Juice
0.5 oz Simple Syrup
1.5 oz Light Rum

The original recipe calls for blending a handful of ice with the ingredients for 15 seconds, and then pouring, unstrained into a cocktail glass. I chose to shake crushed ice with the ingredients and avoided cleaning a blender.

Grenadine

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Grenadine, or a sugar syrup made from sugar and pomegranate (in a 1:1 ratio) is a common ingredient in cocktails. You can buy it, or you can make it. If you buy it, you are usually getting high fructose corn syrup, coloring, and artificial flavors. Making the real deal is easy:

Ingredients
1 cup white sugar
1 cup pomegranate juice

Place both ingredients in a saucepan or small pot. Place the pot on a stove element and turn the heat to high. Carefully start stirring. It won’t take long until the sugar starts to dissolve. As soon as it begins to do so, move the pot off of the heat and keep stirring. The sugar should completely dissolve within a couple of minutes. If it takes too long, you can place the pot back onto the still warm stove and continue stirring. If you leave it on the heat too long, the syrup will begin to discolor and will become bitter.

Once the liquid is clear, allow it to come to room temperature on a cool surface. When cool, add 0.5-1.0 ounces of vodka to help preserve it. Pour it into a squeeze bottle and refrigerate.

Simple Syrup

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Simple Syrup, or sugar syrup (in a 1:1 ratio) is a common ingredient in cocktails. You can buy it, or you can make it.

Ingredients
1 cup white sugar
1 cup water

Place both ingredients in a saucepan or small pot. Place the pot on a stove element and turn the heat to high. Carefully start stirring. It won’t take long until the sugar starts to dissolve. As soon as it begins to do so, move the pot off of the heat and keep stirring. The sugar should completely dissolve within a couple of minutes. If it takes too long, you can place the pot back onto the still warm stove and continue stirring. If you leave it on the heat too long, the syrup will begin to discolor.

Once the liquid is clear, allow it to come to room temperature on a cool surface. When cool, add 0.5-1.0 ounces of vodka to help preserve it. Pour it into a squeeze bottle and refrigerate.

To make Rich Simple Syrup (in a 2:1 ratio), use the same procedure as above, but use

Ingredients
2 cups of white sugar
1 cup of water