Navan is a new product from Grand Marnier that infuses fine cognac with pure vanilla and a touch of sweetness from added sugar. This product is ’designed’ for the hip and trendy crowd that revels in expensive products. Aside from the ’reason’ Navan was created, it is still a great tasting product and if you like the Grand Marnier orange […]
Author: Darcy O'Neil
Being a Bartender: Product Knowledge
There are lots of bartending styles, but some styles are different than others. The most basic bartenders pop tops off beer bottles, and mixes up a mean rum and coke, but beyond that they are just very hard working “;droids.” This is mostly because of the establishment they work in. On the other hand, there are establishments that do quality […]
Bartending School
“He’s beyond bartending, beyond being a poor journeyman bartender, and has obviously morphed into a misinformed, opinionated, elitist snob.” At first, I thought I had a misdirected email for Jamie Boudreau. Then I realized it was for me. That is the opinion of one David Rattner, president of National Bartender’s School, regarding me. There were a few more shots fired […]
Rum and the Distillation Process
A concise guide to the fermentation and distillation of sugar cane into rum.
Alberta Premium Rye Whisky Review
Alberta Premium Canadian whisky is an enigma. It’s an affordable, run of the mill, 5-year-old whisky made from 100% rye grain. But it is also highly regarded and even considered to be the best Canadian whiskies, according to Jim Murray. What we do know is that Alberta Premium is a 100% rye whisky made in Canada that is readily available. […]
Painkiller Cocktail
With all the rum reviewing going on, I decided it was time to stop and take a cocktail break. I’m still on this rum kick so a cocktail made with a good rum might hit the spot. Since my last rum review was on Pusser’s Navy Rum, the obvious cocktail choice was a Painkiller. The Painkiller is one of those […]
Mint Devine
Mint is one of those flavours that has two parts, one being a slightly sweet flavour, the other being a “;cooling sensation” when you drink a cocktail made with mint. For me, the flavour is good, but the cooling effect is what makes mint based drinks special, like the Mint Julep and the Mojito. On a hot summer day this […]
Frozen Blueberry Daiquiri
by Caroline O’Neil While Darcy was away at Tales of the Cocktail, I usurped his website and posted a couple of articles. Well, I am back by popular demand since many people suggested that I continue to do a guest blog posting. I figured that some people wanted a bit of a girly flare to Darcy’s fine cocktails. Now before […]
Bourbon
Here is an interesting article from the New Haven Register (August 18, 1880) about how bourbon was made. It discusses both sweet mash and sour mash methods of making bourbon. It also lists a couple of laws I had never heard of before including the maximum amount of time for bourbon mash fermenting. I’ve transcribed the article, and back in […]
Woodford Reserve 1838 Sweet Mash
Bourbon is a whiskey with a long history of tradition and craftsmanship. Very few spirits, let alone other whiskies, have bourbons well-defined production specifications. The laws, on bourbon production, create a very flavourful spirit, but with such well-defined specifications, some companies lose interest in creativity. Not Woodford Reserve, and their Master Distiller Chris Morris. For the past few years they […]
Maker’s Mark Bourbon
One of my favourite bourbons is Maker’s Mark, plain and simple. This whisky is big, bold and surprisingly smooth. The main thing I like about it is the moderation of the corn aromas in the nose. Being a bourbon it is obviously going to have some corn characteristics, but unlike some cheaper bourbons, Makers Mark has created a wonderful balance. […]
Forty Creek Barrel Select Whisky
There are very few independent Canadian whisky distillers left, but Forty Creek is one of them, and a good one at that. The Forty Creek Distillery is located between Toronto and Niagara Falls, Ontario. It is operated by John Hall who has been a wine producer for over 20 years, and to scratch an itch, he began making whisky in […]