Endless Spirits -

by snebbu

Endless Spirits: The New York Sour

I over-did it this year. Pumpkin beer is beginning to get old. Sad, I know – it’s not even Halloween yet. I’ve been seeking out other booze drinks to help satisfy my thirst and I think I found an alternative that I can still call a holiday drink: The New York Sour. I first tried this drink last Christmas season and it was AWESOME. Gives you that warm feeling you want in the cold months, sweetness of the whiskey and wine, along with the tart touch of sour mix. Plus, it looks pretty….well pretty I guess. Your friends will be impressed.

The New York Sour is a whiskey sour with a splash of red wine on top. No worries, if you are not a whiskey drinker, this cocktail will still impress even you. The wine adds a surprisingly refreshingly sweet flavor to the drink that balances everything out quite well. That being said, it also doesn’t take away from the classic tastes of the whiskey sour. The best way to explain the first sip is a feeling of jubilation. Yes…I believe that accurately describes a drink that provides the satisfying sweetness of whiskey, the tartness of the sour mix, and the sweet refreshing crispness of red wine. Here’s how to make your own:

New York Sour

2 ounce Whiskey (of your choice)
1 ounce lemon juice
1 ounce simple syrup
1/2 – 1 ounce dry red wine

Pour whiskey and lemon juice into a cocktail shaker. Fill the shaker with ice. Shake, shake, shake the shaker until frosty on the outside. Pour the mixture into a fancy glass (include some of the bits of ice). Pour wine over a spoon, impress friends, and drink up!

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by snebbu

Endless Whiskey: Pumpkin Spice Whiskey!

Yes! The moment I’ve been waiting for. Hop-flavored whiskey was good, but I’ve been waiting for this kind of seasonal for a long time. Last year, Sons of Liberty used 4,000 lbs of pumpkin in their fall whiskey seasonal. This year, they worked with a local Rhode Island farmer to use 32,000 lbs of pumpkins to create two batches of pumpkin spice whiskey. This year’s seasonal offering took one of ten World Whiskies Awards given by Whisky magazine; Sons of Liberty was the only craft distillery to win (with a PUMPKIN whiskey!).

Sons of Liberty paired with facebook volunteers to wash, cut, core, roast, and press all of the pumpkins. From there, the pumpkin juice is blended with a single malt whiskey. Finally, spices including cinnamon, clove, sweet orange peel, vanilla and allspice are added to the blend. Last year, owner Mike Reppucci used his mom’s oven to roast 4,000 lbs of pumpkins. I guess this year he realized his mom’s house may not be plausible, so he rented conventional ovens. Don’t fret though – he still kept it in the family by using his dad’s vintage wine press to press the pumpkins. I have to admit…I kind of wish I lived in Rhode Island just to take part in this crazy event. Here’s the tasting profile:

Endless Spirits: Dogfish Head to Expand with Distillery!

Big news from the Dogfish Head campus in Milton: they are adding a small batch distillery to that large complex I’ve spoken of. If you’ve been to the brew pub and went upstairs, you noticed the tiny distillery they have on the second floor. The distillery produced spirits that were pretty much exclusive to the brew pub and a few select places in Delaware. Well, once Dogfish Head opens up the bigger distillery, many of us will benefit from a larger distribution plan.

It only makes sense that Sam Calagione and his crazy “off-centered” partners take some of those off-centered brews and turn them into interesting spirits. We can still expect the highly touted Brown Honey Rum and hop-infused gin, but also hipe to see some new and crazy spirits to be released next spring. The distillery will be headed by Graham Hamblett, who is apparently a horticulturalist with experience running a winery and distillery. Of course, he has won various awards and I’m assuming he’s a grizzly man with an awesome beard.

Endless Spirits: Manatawny Still Works

Craft spirits are becoming increasingly popular. Yes — “craft spirits” is a thing.

The Manatawny Still Works is a craft distillery in Pottstown, PA across the street from Sly Fox Brewery. The still works creates whiskey and rum from beginning to end and re-distills vodka. Surprisingly, Pennsylvania is one of the most welcoming states to distilleries; it is just hard to distribute the product once made. But why, the small town of Pottstown, PA? Possibly because the still works creates their wash in the brew house at Sly Fox.

Manatawny Still Works is located in an industrial park building with an open setup where you can sit at the bar, look to your left, and see the stills in action. You may even be able to catch a Manatawny bottling party. Whenever the still works is going to bottle a spirit, they make an announcement on facebook for volunteers to come in and help bottle. In return, the volunteers earn an employee discount for the day, free food, and an exclusive t-shirt that says “will work for whiskey.”