Archives for May 2014

For my birthday, I’d decided that sitting on my couch starting at the idiot box seemed like a fine idea. My friend’s birthday had been the day before, so we’d gone for dinner and drinks, but somehow overnight, I’d lost interest in my own birthday shenanigans.  Not taking, “Eh, I don’t feel like it,” for an answer, she showed up at my door. She suggested going to the new restaurant nearby (we’d been to its previous incarnation, but weren’t too excited by it). “Just a drink, unwind a little – IT’S YOUR BIRTHDAY! You can’t start the year off like this!”.  So, a quick comb, some shoes, a little lip gloss and we were off.

San Diego’s Bartender of the Year!!

[Read more…]

Ray Digilio, with his shiny new still

If you drive through a small industrial complex, replete with roll-up doors and concrete, you might wonder what’s behind each door.  If you drove through the one Kill Devil Spirits Co. calls home, I can tell you what’s inside: a fun, informative tour and some great spirits – and oh, they make tasty moonshine and vodka, too!  Meet Ray Digilio, the founder of Kill Devil Spirit Co. and his head distiller, Luke Oskam.

The space may be small, but the things that are coming out of Kill Devil’s distillery are big. With the new change in California law in January, distilleries can now do tastings (but still can’t sell directly – booo) and Kill Devil is taking full advantage of that.  They’ve got a small tasting bar (built from the previous tenant’s weird ceiling thing), so you can try out their spirits about 20 feet from where they’re made.

Inquiring minds wanted to know – where did the name and that funky logo come from? Kill Devil is what the English used to call the rum that was smuggled into traded with the young American colonies – and it sounds cool, so there we’ve got the name. Check.  The logo was the product of a long night’s delirium. The ceiling is high and slightly unfinished in their warehouse – maybe there was a bat making squeaky noises, maybe it was seeing the local jack rabbit population, maybe it was the ringing in the ears of a sleep-deprived Ray… Whatever it was, it all was all combined by his subconscious and he rough-sketched it out the next morning, had some folks clean it up and voila! The Kill Devil logo was born. I must confess, I’m a little curious to see what it looks like after a couple glasses of moonshine, but I digress.

Craft distilling is relatively new, on any kind of scale.  There have been a few small-ish guys around for the last 15-20 years, but nothing like the numbers we have now.  Back in 2011, Ray did what successful entrepreneurs do: recognized a need and found a way to fill it. What better place to introduce a handcrafted, individually bottled and signed liquor, made from natural ingredients, than San Diego, home of more than 70 craft breweries and an army of treehuggers?

Kill Devil Spirits is the first distillery inside the San Diego city limits since Prohibition. Even though we seem to have fully embraced the craft beer movement, craft distilling is getting a slightly slower start.  But Ray and Luke are doing what they can to help that, too.  They’re part of the San Diego Distilling Guild and are also offering apprenticeships at Kill Devil. Just because you’ve got the idea to start a distillery, there’s a lot of blood, sweat, tears and waiting that goes into starting a distillery.  Helping others navigate the sometimes treacherous waters of the TTB (the government folk that approve labels, what’s in your hooch, all that kind of stuff) not only helps Kill Devil, but benefits the industry as a whole. Unlike the cutthroat world of big booze, craft distillers still have that friendly, enterprising spirit – and Ray is no exception.

Luke Oskam, getting the shiny new still ready to go!

Right now, Kill Devil makes Rx Vodka and Ugly California Moonshine, though gin (Ray’s favorite) and rum (Luke’s favorite) aren’t too far into the future. They’re also going to grow their own botanicals for the gin, though one of the casualties of last week’s heat wave was their mint.  Oops! I asked where the name “Ugly” and “Rx” came from, if an “ugly prescription” is what you give someone if their date isn’t cute so they can drink til they are – which earned me a laugh.  Ray said, “I’ve never thought of it that way – but it works!” Their standard answer to, “Why Ugly?” is “Why the hell not?” and I think that works, too.

The local mixologist community has been very receptive to Kill Devil’s spirits. Getting craft liquor into the glasses of consumers isn’t as easy as you might think. Distributors need to pick it up, then bar managers need to order it, then the mixologist needs to use it – all dominos that Ray has been able to successfully line up. A local place called the Southpaw Social Club features Ugly Moonshine at the top of their drink menu in a cocktail called the Moonshiner’s Daughter (muddled jalapenos? Yes, please!). If you’re in San Diego, I’d suggest stopping by!  (Check out the full list of Kill Devil’s current retailers here).

The great thing about being a boutique distillery is their flexibility to try new things. Guys like Ray and Luke don’t quit day jobs and sell their cars for the sheer love of ordering take-out and spending all their free time in a warehouse.  They do it because they love to try new things – something a distillery 10x their size is a little harder pressed to do. Honestly, when your pay is sometimes your R&D project (gin, anyone?), you’ve gotta love what you do.  And spending even a little time with these guys, it’s very apparent they love what they do.  If you’re in San Diego, go online and schedule a tour and tasting with Kill Devil Spirit Co. and tell them that LikeYourLiquor sent you (and make sure to ask Luke about being an Aries and having an unnatural love of mopping!). Cheers!

Have a taste, a tour and a t-shirt!

So, you’ve taken my advice and decided to tip your toe into the craft liquor end of the pool.  Good for you!  To get started, you’ve Yelped a local establishment that serves cocktails and craft liquor. Don’t forget, a craft cocktail isn’t necessarily made with a craft liquor, so make sure to read the menu and call for a craft liquor instead, if they have it.  The easiest way to is to ask your bartender what they’d suggest that’s craft. If you nor your bartender are familiar with what’s craft behind the bar, shoot me a tweet or a pic on Instagram – I might be able to help! And really – the guy or girl behind the bar is an expert – trust their judgment, and I’m sure you’ll end up with a tasty libation!

In a cocktail, the variance in flavor across the bourbon or rye spectrum could change the the taste of the cocktail a bit. I’d say more so for rum. The craft rums I’ve had are quite a bit different than the ones with pirates and legendary sea monsters.  And vodka – a craft vodka is likely to improve your drink, not detract.  So what strange cocktail ingredients might be in your glass with your liquor?  Let’s find out!

1. Malört – If you’re in the Windy City, check out Malört.  What is it, you say? It’s originally a Swedish concoction, its main ingredient is wormwood (yes, the same stuff as absinthe). Supposedly a good folk remedy for indigestion: but you first need to be able to drink it. Jeppson’s Malört can be found in Chicago bars, where the bartenders think of it as a mascot. And since it’s Chicago, their mascot isn’t going to be something sweet like St. Germain – oh no, it’s going to be punch-you-in-the-face bitter.  Give it a try – who knows, maybe you’re the 1 in 49 that Jeppson’s says will like it.  Or maybe not.

Photo by Longshots Photography

2. Bitters – Let’s stick with the bitter theme for a second and go to bitters.  Originally another “cure-all” or digestive, bitters are herbs and other plants in a high-proof alcohol base.  There are a ton of flavors, with new ones popping up every day. Angostura is the one that is probably the most commonly known, that imparts a bit of a red color to your drink and, to me, has a bit of a cinnamon flavor. Think of bitters as seasoning for your drink, like a dash of Worchestershire (what the hell is in that, anyway?!). There are fruit based bitters (orange, grapefruit), veggies, flowers and coffee, to name a few.  It’s just a matter of what cocktail you’re mixing up, but I’ve found that most of them are better with a dash of bitters. Say you buy a bottle of whiskey that’s just so-so, and you want a drink – but not necessarily a cocktail. I’ve found a dash of orange bitters (and a squeeze of a fresh orange, if you have one) makes any whiskey much more palatable. No shaker, no fancy equipment – a glass, an ice cube or 2 and you’re off!

3. Cynar – Another one on the bitter side of things, let me introduce you to Cynar, an Italian digestive made from artichokes. I can say I’ve seen it at my local store, but haven’t been brave enough to buy a whole  bottle yet.  I love artichokes, in a variety of ways, but bitter isn’t my strong suit when it comes to cocktails. It’s often paired with lemon, just like fresh artichokes. Because of the chemical compound cynarin, that is believed to make things taste sweet (try drinking a glass of plain water after eating fresh artichokes, it works!), it’s supposedly an interesting addition to cocktails. Some mixologists suggest substituting it for Campari, another super bitter liqueur, in a Negroni or Boulevardier.

4. Fernet Branca – who knew the Italians were so bitter? Say hello to my little friend, Fernet Branca. Fernet is a type of amaro, a bitter aromatic spirit. It’s another digestive, but honestly, it’s tough to drink straight, no matter what powers it supposedly provides.  I’ve tried the mint-flavored version (since that’s what my friendly mixologist at Craft & Commerce was about to put in my drink, I asked to try it).  I’ll say it tasted like a high octane version of Scope, a bit herbal at first, but mostly just minty after. Fernet Branca is named for the lady that originally invented it, Maria Scala – who married a Branca and the rest is (bitter) history.

5. Bénédictine -Leaving the bitter Italians behind, let’s check out the French. Another liqueur that comes to us from the annals of time, Bénédictine was invented by a guy named Alexandre Le Grand in 19th century France. While the story goes that monks in Normandy made it, apparently Le Grand made that story up, to increase his sales. Regardless of its slightly shady start , the recipe for Bénédictine is closely guarded to this day: it’s purported that only 3 people know the recipe at any given time (is  one of them Duke from Bush’s baked beans? Ok, now I’m amusing myself).The liqueur has a distinctive herbal taste, and is also mixed with brandy (sold as B&B) to cut some of the sweet of Bénédictine. It’s an interesting taste, though not something I’d go out of my way to buy again. The bottle is easily recognizable – it has an elaborate red seal on the front, along with “DOM” (Deo Optimo Maximo – “To god, most good, most great”) on the label.

6. Grenadine – Basically the French word for pomegranate (grenade), grenadine is a syrup made from pomegranates. A little sweet, a little tart, grenadine is usually the bright red color you see floating on top of a drink like a Tequila Sunrise or more commonly, a Shirley Temple.

7. Egg whites – On craft cocktail menus, I’m seeing more and more drinks made with egg white.  The cocktails are shaken, which makes the egg white foam a bit and thickens the feel of the drink on your tongue.  Personally, I’m not super fond of eggs anyway, but it does make for an interesting texture.

See, those weren’t so strange after all. Ok, maybe they were.  I know when I first came across them, I certainly thought they were odd, so I wanted to share with you!  What are the strangest things you’ve come across in your favorite bars or stores? Leave a comment and let’s chat!  For more interesting craft cocktail hacks, check out Craft Cocktails at Home: Offbeat Techniques, Contemporary Crowd-Pleasers, and Classics Hacked with Science. Cheers!

When Steve Gubb and his wife went to St. Martin on a vacation, who knew the (eventual) end result would be making his own rum?  Fortunately for the American drinking public, that’s exactly what happened.

Yvonne Davis, owner of Antoine’s in NOLA, with Steve Gubb

When Steve came home from his tropical trip, his first thought was to import some of the rum he’d found in St. Martin.  It was
unlike anything he’d tasted in the States, which seemed to present a great opportunity.  But, not only were the taxes prohibitive, Steve found that the rum wasn’t exactly as organic as it may have seemed.  Since importing the rum wasn’t an option – creating his own, from completely organic ingredients, turned out to be an even better way to go.  And Gubba Rum was born!

“We’re not writing the Bible, it’s booze! We’re here to have fun!” Steve described himself as a frustrated comedian – a great skill for the face of Gubba Rum.  Without the millions of dollars in marketing that the big labels spend, tasting events are the bread and butter of craft distillers. The ability to walk into a room full of strangers  and walk out with friends (or at least new customers) is definitely enhanced with a bit of humor. Steve said that his favorite part is the people that he meets and their reaction when they taste his rum.

Gubba Silver and Gold rums are made from pure cane sugar, and infused with natural ingredients.  And a Bottle of Rum: A History of the New World in Ten Cocktails, by Wayne Curtis, explains that for many years, molasses was thrown into the ocean, as a by-product of making pure cane sugar.  While we use molasses on waffles and other ways, it makes sense that a silky smooth rum like Gubba would come directly from the pure sugar cane juice, and not a by-product. Gubba Silver is infused with coconut, while Gold is infused with vanilla.  Neither is an additive nor extract, just the real thing. You can taste it – and once you do, you won’t call this rum “flavored”.  Six months spent infusing in stainless tanks imparts the perfect flavor of these ingredients (check out my review  here).

Gubba Rum won bronze medals in 2014 at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, a mere 6 months after opening their doors.  In blind taste tests against multi-year-aged rums and rums from big labels, he often comes out on top.  “It’s about making a spirit with a better taste,” Gubb explained.  It’s not about having a fancy bottle or a big marketing campaign – it’s the taste of the juice in the bottle. I would definitely agree – I’ve had some spirits that have come in pretty hand-painted bottles and skull-shaped bottles (ok, I kept that one and filled it with something better). But guess what? None of that made what was inside taste any better.  You’ve got to start with a good product, which Steve Gubb has successfully managed to do!

Currently, Gubba Rum is available in Massachusetts, at a variety of restaurants and retail stores. They are currently planning to be available this summer in Southern Florida, Rhode Island and Ogunquit,Maine He’ll also be at Tales of the Cocktail again this year with the Gubba Snack Stand at the Hotel Monteleone.  If you’re in NOLA, stop by and try a taste of Gubba Rum- and tell Steve LikeYourLiquor sent you!

It’s quite possible that I’m writing this from a place of recently acquired wisdom.  OK, so it’s more than just quite possible.  A very long week with short sleep, a killer Pilates class in a room much hotter than normal, a minimal dinner of salad and my newest friend, gin.  Now, gin and I have been introduced before, and I’ve found I rather like it in certain circumstances.  Whiskey will always be my go-to drink, but gin has its place.  After doing an hour of Pilates in a room that felt like it was on the surface of the sun, I thought a cool, refreshing gin cocktail was just the ticket.  I’d done some experiments with various flavors before, and since I couldn’t decide, I busted out all the variations to see what struck my fancy.  I also didn’t realize that Distillery No. 209’s gin is 92 proof.   Not that that really has much to do with anything I’d guess, since the whiskies I drink typically start at 92. But, considering all the factors involved, I’m sure that didn’t help.

Armed with lavender (both bitters and an infusion), grenadine, simple syrup, Chambord and fresh limes, I set off down the path to my current state.  I was hanging out with my neighbor, so we were chatting and watching TV, so I likely drank a bit more quickly (and with less water breaks) than normal.  Cocktail #1 was lavender – which was pretty good. #2 was Chambord and lime – which was OK. #3 was grenadine and lime (hey, they’re expensive these days, so I wanted to make sure I used it once I cut it!) – that was interesting, but not anything I’d make again.  Off I went home, to watch a bit of TV and oh look! Tonic water.  Staring at the already-cut lime, I opted for a gin & tonic.  That was probably the final straw. I will spare you the gory details, (I had to send a text this morning that said it was the gin that texted, not me – HA!), but that’s how we arrived at this current state of hangover/less-than -fresh-as-a-daisy.  Which sucks, since it’s finally not 100 degrees outside, but I have little desire to go into the blinding light. But lucky for you, it does help me write this post and so hopefully you’ll learn a bit for your next night out.

Before you start drinking:

Hydration is key.  If you start out behind, you’re totally screwed later.  The tiny creatures with big hammers inside your skull? That’s dehydration talking, plain and simple.  A handful of aspirin isn’t going to help, unless it’s chased with a ton of water.  Coconut water is also a great choice.  I happen to like the taste no matter what the temperature, but if you plan ahead and put it in the fridge, a cold, refreshing, hydrating beverage will await you.  Just what your brain ordered and will thank you for by no longer attempting to leave your head via your ears.

Food! Eat a good meal before you start.  (ie, not just salad).  One thing to note though – give yourself a little time to digest.  The alcohol pretty much stops digestion and that can come back to bite you later. (that’s a literal statement, not a figurative one). The 2am tacos (or cheeseburgers or whatever) – not a completely horrible idea, but sometimes not the best.  The stuff you’re drinking has calories – and stuffing another 500-1000 into your mouth and stumbling to bed isn’t exactly helpful.

While you’re sucking down drinks:

Water. Yep, you’re sensing a theme, aren’t you.  Most recommendations I’ve seen are 1 glass of water per drink.  That’s a nice thought, but honestly, I’ve never seen anyone do it, including yours truly. But if you’re not having water in between drinks, at least try to pace yourself.  It takes a minute for the alcohol to hit your bloodstream, but once it does, it’s hanging around for awhile.  So if you drink too quickly, it may be a short night.

Bedtime!

You’ve made it home. And please, don’t imbibe and drive – while Uber has come up short on background checks recently, it seems, there are cabs, public transportation, a friend that needs some cash so will drive your drunk ass around all night – whatever that is, do it.  No driving.

Before you fall into bed (or onto the couch), do yourself a favor and finally have some water. You can try a couple aspirin now – I’ve found that can be helpful. Keep that water by your side, you’re going to want it.

Anyone get the license plate of that truck!?

And before you know it, it’s morning (or perhaps early afternoon, who’s to say). If you did your prep, hopefully you’re a reasonably fresh daisy.  For those of you (and me) that didn’t, it’s time to assess and repair the damage.  Hydration is your BFF right now. Remember earlier when I said that alcohol was working its way around your body and it took time to really hit?  Well, it also takes time to be flushed completely out. I’ve read suggestions on saunas or hot showers, to help that process along.  If you can handle it, go for it.  Personally the heat is a little too much for me, so I tend to skip that.

Greasy food!  For me, that’s a go-to meal. Burgers, huevos rancheros, whatever I can get near.  Now, if your stomach is unhappy with you or you don’t normally eat that way, now is likely not the time to start. Though eggs have amino acids in them that will help, if you can’t tolerate them on a good day – this isn’t even a so-so day, so let’s not tempt fate.

“Hair of the dog” – leave it to the Norwegians to come up with a catchy phrase that translates to “push your hangover off til later and make it 10x worse”.  Yes, in the short term you’ll feel a bit better.  And if you don’t drink 15 Bloody Marys or mimosas, you might even survive it.  But as a rule – leave the hair on the dog and leave drinking more, as a “cure” for already drinking too much, to frat boys.

Coffee might seem like a good idea (there’s caffeine in Excedrin, so that must fix headaches, right?). But it’s another dehydrator.  Leave the latte til later. You might also skip your morning OJ – the acid might be hard on your stomach right about now.

Time is the only thing you can’t change or hurry along. Drinking water, eating something that works for you: you need to do those things, and also give your body a minute to regroup.  Grab a book (if you need a recommendation, check out my friends at For the Love of Books and Alcohol  but maybe skip the suggested drinks for now!) or grab the remote.  Your body will thank you for it!