Give the Gift of Whiskey

During the holiday season, we are all worried about buying gifts, giving gifts, and crossing our fingers that the person on the receiving end actually enjoys what we have so carefully picked out!  Through the years I have seen some entertaining and flat-out hysterical gifts.  There was the time my mother gave my grandfather a rock.  Yes, a rock…to carve his own sculpture out of!  Or the time my thirteen year-old brother received a Winnie the Pooh sweatshirt… I am sure that would have been a big hit in the eighth grade!  My cousin carefully opened a large package on her tenth birthday in front of a crowd of 50 people only to pull out a fish.  This wasn’t just any fish though, when prompted it would burst out “Down By The River” from its tiny wooden fish mouth.  Just what every ten year old girl wants, right? 

The best part of receiving a gift is having the opportunity to share it with the giver.  So before you settle on a talking fish or a lump of clay think carefully “would I want this?”  For all of the over-twenty-one year olds on your list, why not treat them to a delicious bottle of amber liquid.    

The Family Sage

Glenfiddich 30 Year Old, a velvety single malt that balances sherry, fig and dark chocolate is the perfect choice.  Pair with a personal favorite the famous Teuscher Champagne Truffles (www.teuscher.com).  These little drops of heaven have a champagne cream center, surrounded by dark chocolate ganache, covered with milk chocolate and dusted with confectioner’s sugar.

 

The Devoted Colleague

Hudson Manhattan Rye – This feisty spirit was the basis for the legendary Manhattan cocktail.  Made from whole grain rye, one batch at a time, it is not the blended rye whiskey your parents used to mix with soda.  It is fruity, floral and smooth, with a recognizable edge that leaves no doubt the origin of the spirit.  Pair with a bottle of Angostura bitters, homemade maraschino cherries from Employees Only (www.employeesonlynyc.com), a bottle of Vermouth, and attach a recipe for a create your own Manhattan experience!

The Power Woman

The Balvenie 21 Year Old Portwood – A marriage of rare Balvenie is transferred to port casks, or pipes, which have held fine port wines.  Refined with remarkable character, it is creamy and silky with fruit, honey and spice notes.  To compliment this Scotch, pair with firm, supple cheese like Pecorino Foglie De Noce; a light and crumbly cheese that melts in your mouth and ushers in the milky, nutty, and herbaceous flavor of the cheese.

The Compassionate Spouse

Glenfiddich Vintage Reserve 1978 – The very first of its kind, this groundbreaking virtual selection was Glenfiddich alt aster, Brian Kinsman’s inaugural Vintage Reserve Selection.  Velvety smooth with rich vanilla oak flavors intriguingly punctuated with a vibrant fruitiness.  Pair with a beautiful set of single malt glasses from Riedel (www.riedel.com).  The glass is specially designed based on a panel of Scotch whisky experts to emphasize the elegant creaminess of top quality single malt whisky.   

Cheers to a happy holiday!

Last Friday Night

Last week New Yorkers were all on edge with the news of the various natural disasters occurring in the tri-state area.  The thought of our precious island washing away by big bad Irene sent us into panic mode.  With every television set stuck on NY1 we drained our local grocery stores and Duane Reeds of bottled water and beer and made sure the bathtub was filled with water.  After clearing everything off my balcony and covering the windows with masking tape X’s I decided I better enjoy my Friday night considering I would be locked in my tiny apartment for the next three to seven days. 

I joined my friend at the super trendy but always satisfying l’Express for some pre hurricane fun.  After several glasses of wine, a spicy steak tartare and a giant pot of steaming mussels we decided it was time for a real drink.  I ordered a scotch…neat and to my surprise the waitress knew exactly how to serve this.  1 glass of scotch, 1 glass of ice, 1 glass of water.  There really is no right or wrong way to enjoy a whiskey but here are some options:

Single Malts – Should be ordered neat or with a few drops of water.  While water is not a must, a dash of it will help enhance the ability to taste the individual flavors that can often be masked by the well-known “burn”.  It has become fashionable to add a huge rock of ice, but beware as this could dull the flavors and aroma.

Blended – It is popular to order blended whiskies with ginger ale or coke (ie. The infamous Jack and Coke).  I usually take mine in an Old Fashioned or straight shot!

My “last supper” was magnificent, complete with a great pour of Glenfiddich 15 year old and fabulous company.  I was ready to be locked in my tiny apartment with my candles and whiskey to help ride out the storm, too bad in NYC there really wasn’t much of anything!

Cheers!

Tales of the Cocktail

Two weeks ago, I had the amazing opportunity to vacate my New York City apartment and travel down south to New Orleans for the annual Tales of the Cocktail convention.  To give you a perspective on how incredibly huge this conference is, most people call it the “Fashion Week of The Spirits Industry” or “Sundance for Bartenders”.  It is the one time of the year that spirit brand ambassadors, bar entrepreneurs’, and cocktail connoisseurs all gather in the French Quarter to see what’s hot in the liquor industry.  Being an enthusiast of whiskey and let’s face it, all things liquor related, I escaped the concrete jungle and arrived in NOLA at 9:30AM – just in time for my first tasting room!

Entering the Hotel Monteleone in the early morning felt like a Vegas casino on a Saturday night.  There were people scattered everywhere; some fabulously decked out and others donning their favorite shorts and properly branded t-shirts.  As I made my way into the first tasting room, I was pleasantly surprised by the variety of brands.  A self described whiskey geek, I was instantly drawn to a crowded table that had tulip glasses lined across the entire length.  I soon learned that the brand was called Monkey Shoulder, which is a blend of three of Speyside’s finest malts matured in Bourbon casks.  On the table was a selection of homemade jams, everything from strawberry to marmalade, which were shaken with the Monkey Shoulder and garnished with a dash of egg white to create an original taste of choice.  While sipping my Monkey and marmalade I learned this fun story behind the name:

“At one time, Monkey Shoulder referred to a temporary injury suffered by the malt men when turning the barley by hand.  Whilst our malt men are among the few who still turn the barley manually, working conditions are now such that fortunately the injury has been consigned to the past.  Today, the name Monkey Shoulder lives on as an affectionate tribute to the malt-men of yore in recognition of the times they suffered for their art.” (monkeyshoulder.com)

You may ask what can get better then tasting some fine spirits first thing in the morning, but for this whiskey dame it did later that evening.  I ventured outside my air conditioned hotel room to the William Grant & Sons Swinging 40’s Shore Leave Ball hosted at the National WWII Museum.  To say this party was incredible is an understatement.  The party covered a total of three floors and continued to spill out on to the street and patio in front of the museum, where party mavens crowded around a vintage Roadster for a picture and a treat of The Balvenie.  Inside the party each spirit was featured in a 1940’s theme creating a spectacular moment unique to the brand.  I made my way up three flights of stairs in 4 inch heels to hang out with the inspiring woman whiskey ambassador Heather Greene in the Glenfiddich Stag Lounge.  (To give Heather a short blurb here would not do her justice so stay tuned for more on her!)  On my way up I stopped at the Manhattan Bar and grabbed my favorite, a Rob Roy, filled with the delicious Glenfiddich 15 year old.

After a long rest and a couple of whiskey free nights I am ready for a dram of scotch with two rocks.  Cheers!