Category Archives: Vodka

Going Green with 360 Vodka

I’m not sure where 2015 went, but the past couple months have been a blur. With the onslaught of holiday parties and football gatherings, drinks are something that seem to be ever-present. A generous box of spirit(s) arrived on my doorstep at a pivotal moment in this season’s madness to provide me the essentials of holiday cheer.

I’ve noted in the past that I tend to be wary of vodka, but when distilled just right and mixed with the right ingredients, it becomes my drink of choice. In particular, 360 Vodka (produced by Earth Friendly Distilling Company, a division of McCormick Distilling Company, Inc. … don’t cringe) comes distilled four times from American grain using column distillation process and filtered five times featuring proprietary charcoal coconut filter system. The smooth, earthy finish of this grain vodka along with a mild bite and subtle lavender notes, makes it an easy choice to mix in any cocktail.

This vodka’s clean taste is echoed in the company’s eco-friendly attitude from development, production, to distribution. The bottle (commonly reused by consumers for water and olive oil) is made from 85% recycled glass, giving each bottle a unique green hue. The label on the bottle is made with 100% post-consumer paper with special water based inks that won’t harm the environment; and the swing‐top closure comes with a pre‐paid envelope empowering Americans to return it for reuse and have $1.00 donated to a local environmental organization. Additionally, McCormick, with the assistance of the Missouri Department of Conservation, launched FOREST 360, an effort to plant indigenous trees on 40 acres of the land around the distillery.

Essentially, consumers can grab a super-premium bottle of vodka at a reasonable price and give back to the environment – as if you needed an excuse. And, with the recent trend in all things organic and green, 360 Vodka makes for the perfect holiday bar staple or hostess gift. The range of flavors can seem somewhat overwhelming with options like Georgia Peach, Sorrento Lemon, Buttered Popcorn, and even Glazed Donut.

Personally, I took advantage of the crisp fall season to mix up a vodka-forward version of Susie’s Cool Weather Punch* with the original 360 Vodka.

360 VODKA
www.vodka360.com
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ABV 40% / 80 Proof
Retails for around $35 per 750ml bottle

Shaken … Not Stirred

My favorite lothario spy, Bond, James Bond is known for ordering his iconic “vodka martini … shaken, not stirred” since the days of Dr. No (ahem, 1958). In his last four films, we’ve seen Daniel Craig’s Bond shake it up a bit. In “Casino Royale” he ordered the Vesper (recipe below), and in the recently released “Spectre”, he opts for another new concoction. So what’s your favorite Bond film of all time? It’s pretty clear from some of the reviews such as you can find in the Top 21 Gambling Movies, that Casino Royale was actually a very loved film by many different types of people, for different reasons. This time, his paramour in the (latter part of the) movie, Dr. Swan, orders a dirty martini … and he does, too. (I know … mind blowing.) Check out a recipe for the martini inspired by the movie, the Belvedere Spectre 007 Martini.

Belvedere was kind enough to treat me and some other Bond lovers to a sneak peek of the most recent Bond flick, complete with (dirty) Belvedere Spectre 007 Martinis.

: Want some of my martini, James?

: Aston Martin DB10

BELVEDERE SPECTRE 007 MARTINI
2 oz. Belvedere Vodka
1/3 oz. Dry vermouth
1/6 oz. Sicilian green olive brine
1 Sicilian green olive

Gently muddle olives in base of mixing glass. Add remaining ingredients and shake hard with ice. Double strain into a chilled martini glass.

With Bond’s noticeable departure from his expected vodka martini, I should note that change is still inevitable, December is still 31 days, and the sun still rises in the east and sets in the west.

If you make one of Bond’s cocktails, tag me and make sure to include the hashtag #ShakenNotStirred!

Vesper Cocktail
Three measures of Gordon’s
One measure of vodka
Half a measure of Kina Lillet

“Shake it very well until it’s ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon peel.”

Ironroot Republic Launch Party

I love supporting up-and-coming businesses and brands; especially when they are local, and especially when they have a truly awesome product. Ironroot Republic is a new craft spirits distillery, located right in our back yard, in Denison, TX. I had the opportunity to attend Ironroot Republic’s launch party last month, where I met the Likarish brothers, co-founds and distillers at Ironroot Republic, who were as friendly as they were interesting to chat with. Oh, and they brought us some really tasty booze to try. And plenty of it. (Gotta love that.)

Jonathan and Robert Likarish practice their art by employing a “grain to glass” philosophy. Ninety percent of the ingredients used in Ironroot Republic products are grown within 60 miles of the distillery. Take, for example, the lemongrass grown by Head Distiller Jonathan Likarish himself, or the coriander grown by the distillers’ MOM (I’m sorry, but how adorable is that?). Additionally, Ironroot mashes, ferments, distills, barrel ages, and bottles all of their product on-site.

Currently, the brothers are offering three diverse and exciting labels:

Blue Norther Vodka: created using a non-chill filtration process, and made from the finest hand-selected Texas grains; crisp citrus and caramel essence, followed by honey sweetness, and a rich, silky mouth-feel. Full-bodied with a long, vanilla finish.
80 proof; ABV 40%; suggested retail price $25

Carpenter’s Bluff Moonshine: Texas corn whiskey at its finest, made from rare heirloom red corn; hints of fresh honeydew, white peach, and dragon fruit, followed by lychee nut, dark berries, and a lingering sweetness.
90 proof; ABV 45%; suggested retail price $25

Texas Drought Gin: grain to glass, made from local juniper, European juniper, lemongrass, and coriander. The finish is long and sweet due to the caramel wheat malt base.
80 proof; ABV 40%; suggested retail price $25

I was treated to a number of delicious cocktails featuring the full lineup of Ironroot Republic spirits, and each and every one was delicious. The brothers were kind enough to share recipes with us, and I can assure you, they ALL bear recreating. Standouts in my opinion included the Martinez, which was delightfully complex, and the Mexican Martini, which was the crowd favorite of the evening.

Martinez

Martinez
1.5 oz. Texas Drought Gin
1.5 oz. Sweet Vermouth
0.5 oz. Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur (Seriously, just hunt down the Luxardo. Don’t even bother with cheap imitations.)
2 dashes Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with an orange peel.

Mexican Martini (pictured as featured image)
2 oz. Carpenter’s Bluff Moonshine
1 1/2 oz. Orange Liqueur (i.e. Cointreau or Grand Marnier)
2 oz. Margarita Mix
1 oz. Fresh Lime Juice
1 Splash of Sprite
Jalapeno Stuffed Olives, for Garnish

Pour the Moonshine, orange liqueur, margarita mix, lime juice, and sprite in shaker. Fill will ice and shake. Pour into martini glass, and garnish with jalapeño stuffed olive.

The Iron Word

The Iron Word
0.75 oz. Carpenter’s Bluff Moonshine
0.75 oz. Green Chartreuse
0.75 oz. Luxardo Maraschino Cherry Liqueur
0.75 oz. Lime Juice

Shake with ice and strain into chilled coupe glass.

Denison Donkey
1.5 oz. Blue Norther Vodka
4 oz. Ginger Beer
1/6 oz. Lime Juice

Combine vodka and ginger beer in a copper mug or highball glass filled with ice. Add lime juice, stir gently, and garnish with a lime slice.

Denison Donkey

One final thing you should know: the Likarish brothers have some really awesome stuff going on at the distillery, above and beyond what you would expect from your requisite Saturday afternoon tour. Yeah, they’ve got that, too, but here is a full lineup of all of the awesome goings on at the Denison distillery:

Friday evenings: the distillery bar is open from 5-9 PM; a tour is available at 6 PM.
Saturdays: the distillery bar is open from 2-9 PM; tours are available at 2, 4, and 6.
First weekend of every month: Bloody Mary bar with 20+ ways to dress it up. (personally, I am very excited to check this one out!)

Distillery tours cost $5; tours have a 20 person max. Your $5 ticket goes toward your purchase of Iroonroot Distillery swag!

A huge shout-out to the bartenders at Alamo Drafthouse Richardson for expertly preparing these tasty libations; I always forget how awesome the patio is here. I would go here just to drink, no movie attached. Seriously.

Ironroot Republic
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3111 Loy Lake Road, Denison, TX
(903) 337-0495

Available at all DFW and Denison-area spirits retailers, Alamo Drafthouse, and Brix in Plano

Product Review: Equality Vodka

written by Kevin Craft

Fall is coming, which means Dallas Pride is just around the corner! For those of us that that it means our favorite event of the year is coming, you’ll need an impressive cocktail to serve at your pre-pride festivities. I got you covered with Equality Vodka.

I wasn’t sure about taking on a new Texas Vodka (I’ve been a Tito’s fan for a while now), but Equality was very smooth, and pairs with almost any mixer you’ve got in your fridge. Equality Vodka for sure found staying power in my liquor nook.

The best part? Finally you can drink as much as you want and know you’re supporting a good cause. (Because that was what was holding us back, right?) For every bottle purchased, Equality Vodka will make a donation to a nonprofit organization recognized for advancing the equality movement for LGBTQI communities.

I created this cool refreshing cocktail recipe that’s perfect to celebrate before hitting the parade and as simple as it can get.

Equality Vodka® Rainbow Sour
2 parts Equality Vodka
3/4 parts Lemon Juice
Water or Club Soda
1 slice of lemon
Water
Food coloring, three colors max

First step: (PROCRASTINATOR ALERT! You’ll need to do this the night before.) Make at least three colored ice cubes in an ice cube tray. You won’t need yellow … it comes into play later.

Second step: When life gives you lemons … slice them and use them as the perfect pop of color in your drink! Lemons not only add flavor to the cocktail, but they’re totally photogenic. (Perfect for any Instagram addicts out there.) Put the ice cubes in a clear glass, add Equality Vodka, the lemon juice, and the water/or club soda in that order.

New Amsterdam Pineapple Vodka

It’s August and I’m clinging to summer with everything that I’ve got. I’m still living in flip flops and shorts on the weekend, our cornhole boards remain resolute in my back yard, and most importantly, I am far from prepared to part with refreshing summer cocktails. And why should I? It was approximately 146º out there tonight with about 114% humidity. #texas

Enter: New Amsterdam Pineapple Vodka. I happily received a bottle in the mail, and let me tell ya, this stuff is basically sunshine in a bottle. New Amsterdam Pineapple is delightfully fruity … enough to be sippable on its own, but it really begs to be highlighted in a cocktail. This vodka is sweet enough to eliminate a real need to add much in the way of additional sugary mixers. In fact, New Amsterdam Pineapple’s sweet flavor profile really begs for a punch of spice to balance it out. Here are two sweet ‘n’ spicy recipes to try (I whipped up the Midsummer Mule, and it was quite delicious.)

Midsummer Mule
2 oz. New Amsterdam Pineapple Vodka
0.5 oz. Lime Juice
0.5 oz. Simple Syrup*
2 oz. Ginger Beer
6 slices, diced chili peppers

Muddle 3 chili slices in a tall glass and then pour in all liquids. Add ice and garnish with the remaining 3 chili slices!

*While I did include the simple syrup in my cocktail, I might try leaving it out next time. I’m not convinced it’s necessary since the vodka is really quite sweet on its own!

Highball’s Paradise
2 oz. New Amsterdam Pineapple Vodka
2 oz. Pineapple Juice
0.5 oz. Lime Juice
1 tbsp. Jalapeno Jelly

Shake and strain into tall glass over ice. Then, add 2 oz. of soda water. Garnish with sliced chili peppers (optional) for an extra kick!

NEW AMSTERDAM PINEAPPLE VODKA
www.newamsterdamspirits.com
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NAPV is available at most liquor stores. Check out their availability maps on their website.

A huge “Thank You,” to New Amsterdam for the complimentary bottle of Pineapple Vodka, and for helping me to hold tight to summer for just a little bit longer.

Caledonia Spirits

I recently attended an event highlighting Caledonia Spirits and have been intrigued by the brand since. Each of their spirits is crafted in small batches with Vermont honey. (And this honey is le-git! I was given a jar of raw honey to take home and taste and I don’t think I will be able to go back to honey as I knew it. This raw, unfiltered honey has never been heated so it has traces of pollen, propolis, and beeswax.

Barr Hill Gin (90 proof) is handcrafted in small batches. Raw honey is added just before bottling with a finishing taste of juniper berries. Barr Hill Gin has a gold medal and “Gin of the Year” at the 2013 Hong Kong International Wine and Spirits Competition and it won the a double gold meal at the 2012 New York International Spirits Competition.

Tom Cat Barrel-Aged Gin (86 proof) is aged for four to six months in new, charred American White Oak barrels. It has whiskey-like notes of oak and spice with a finish of juniper and honey.

Barr Hill Vodka (80 proof) is handcrafted in small batches completely from raw honey. It has notes of honey, flowers, and vanilla and has a very smooth finish and was (way too) easy to drink.

Oh, and all three of these products are gluten-free and kosher … so that’s neat.

CALEDONIA SPIRITS
www.caledoniaspirits.com
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If you are ever in Vermont and want to check out the distillery:
46 Log Yard Drive
P.O. Box 1249
Hardwick, Vermont 05843

Monday-Saturday 10am-5pm
Sunday 11am-3pm (July-December)

JEM Beverage Company’s New Facility

JEM Beverage Company (makers of Western Son Vodka, Red River Whiskey, South House Moonshine, and more) has shed its Carrollton roots and moved to Pilot Point, Texas to expand its distillery!

They offer distillery tours Fridays (4pm) and Saturdays (1pm, 3pm & 5pm). Oh … and you get half off your tour if you arrive on horseback. I kid you not.

Some of the #SDDContributor team and I stopped by their grand opening party this past Saturday, May 23 to celebrate. Check out the trouble we got into!

A Night with Ballast Point Brewing & Distilling Co.

A bit ago I attended a happy hour with Ballast Point Brewing and Distilling at Bird Cafe. To be honest, I didn’t know much about Ballast Point before going to the happy hour, and I learned that Ballast Point began as a small group of home brewers in San Diego, California. Most of the beers are named after fishing terms. The labels have illustrations of fish to pay homage to the brewery’s origin’s. After they made a name for themselves through their beer, Ballast Point began distilling. The company now has seven spirits they call their own.

Ballast Point happy hour beer menu

I began the night tasting some of Ballast Point’s beer on tap. For those of you who like hoppy beers, go for the Grunion Pale Ale (5.5%). It has a nutty flavor as well as a summer fruit aroma. This beer won the 2015 Best of Craft Beer silver award. Next, I went for the Scotch ale. Piper Down (5.8%) is now in the running as one of my favorite craft beers … it’s not super heavy and it has a smooth taste. I tasted a chocolate, sweet after taste with this brew. This beer won the 2015 Best of Craft Beer gold award. The name came from Scottish bag pipers that drank too much … the piper became top heavy and people would yell, “piper down” when they began to fall. (I have to admit, I went back two days later for more.) My last tasting was the Victory at Sea Coffee/Vanilla Porter (10%). As expected, it was a dark, smooth brew. I am not a coffee drinker, but that didn’t not stop me drinking this beer. It had more of a vanilla taste than coffee.

San Diego Street Car

Moving on to the spirits, I was curious about the first cocktail on the list–the San Diego Street Car (Devil’s Share Moonshine, Ancho Chili liqueur, corn water, lime, Burlesque bitters, egg white). I was puzzled by this concoction, so I had to ask the bartender how he came up with this interesting drink. He said it was his version of elotes in cocktail form. He wanted to bring out the corn flavor of the moonshine rather than mask it. After understanding the background of the drink, it made me enjoy it all the more.

I would urge you to go to your local liquor store and try out some of Ballast Point’s spirits. Here’s your shopping list:

–3 Sheet’s Rum: made from pure cane sugar rather than molasses (80 proof)
–Fugu Vodka: Filtered 15 times (80 proof)
–Devil’s Share Moonshine (whiskey): hints of tropical fruit (98.6 proof)
–Devil’s Share Burbon: American oak barrels, hints of caramel and vanilla cream (92 proof)
–Old Grove Gin: made from juniper berries, rose, and coriander (88 proof)

Ballast Point Brewery
www.Ballastpoint.com
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