The Scotch Reviews 1: Ardbeg 10 Year

In a Shot:  Big, smokey and filled with so much peat that the moss grows out of your mouth and evolves into an elaborate aggressive level of smoke that I would say it's for those seeking experience rather than those just enjoying a daily dram.

Ardbeg:  "The Ultimate Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 10 Years Old, Non-Chill Filtered 46% ABV"

I have been very neglectful to my fans and aim to change things around here.  For those of you who have not been up to part with things, Johnny Cocktail has become Johnny Wine Guy and is day and night wandering the streets of Alexandria looking for new people to try famous wines in the pop culture market and still educating folks about the balance and beauty of excellent service, craftsmanship and a genuine appreciation for all things good, small or large.  I have on back order at least ten blogs and would like to begin producing them for my fans.  I'm not only going to be back but I'm bringing that original rawness found in some of the older posts back for a while to get me quickly back into the game.

The Next Rounds on Me in its title states "A DOSSIER of all things drinks & drinking."  I aim to make that a fact.  From now on, if I happen to taste anything whatsoever, whether brief or expansive, I will now begin posting information and opinions about them.  I told you Scotch tastings were coming and boy oh boy have they come and gone.  I will elaborate on those later but for now, lets start with one I had the privilege of trying this past year, courtesy of my recently returned to the states friend Brad, who gave me this as a gift, knowing I was a lover of all things peat moss related, particular whisky!

Located in the Islay region of Scotland, the small (in size but not in popularity) island just south west of the Isle of Jura, was originally a refuge for Celtic monks escaping the raiding Nordsmen was the home of illicit distillers making their whisky a midst a rugged and rocky cove.  The location was abundant in soft water, fertile soil and of course, precious acres of peat moss.  Back in 1815, according to a small family of tenant farmers named MacDougall, this was a location to begin building a distillery.  Close by the site of the long-abandoned Tallant distillery and just a little farther south, lies Ardbeg, a distillery where by 1853 was the biggest producer on Islay and the center of a 200+ community.

This place was described beautifully by Whisky Aficionado Michael Jackson; "Islay does not seduce you like other islands.  Instead, it invades and takes possession of you.  Its constant wind carries a mix of sweet, salt-laden air, the whiff of the sea, the coconut aroma of hot gorse, a hint of peat smoke and bog myrtle, and the smell of just-spent fire on the beach.  All the notes you pick up in its malts are there, floating in the Atlantic Wind." - Just brilliant!

On a small note about this place, it was huge in the 1850's.  It ended up with a horrible reputation for being the peatiest and almost undrinkable beast for a time and was primarily used as fillings for blends. It ended up closing the year I was born (go figure) and by the early 90's it was only running to make unpeated "Kildalton" malt, Ardbeg eventually became dilapidated.   1997 was the year where Glenmorangie (Yes, light, non-peaty, easy drinking Highland Glenmorangie) resurrected the distillery and has become a bustling location.  Yes, it is still famous for being a "Peat Monster"

Ardbeg has been awarded the best distillery in the world, three times in a row.  It is unique in many ways.  For one, it's declared by many, the peatiest and smokiest Scotch in the world.  Typically most whiskies are chill-filtered and reduced to a strength of 40% ABV.  Ardbeg Ten Years Old, however, is non chill-filtered and has a strength of 46% ABV.


And boy is she is deceiving.  Ardbeg 10 Year Old truly looks light in presence, but has an oiliness from her fresh barley grain, slightly mustard yellow complexion that tells me that there is something darker and far more developed than anybody else her age.  It almost appears virgin olive oily without even allowing it to move.  The nose, reveals an intense level of peat moss, brine and smoke. 

It is best described as a beach fire put out by the sea itself and the smoke that arises from it, is the truest form of this dram.  In the mouth it is heavy and sharp, as the relatively moderate finish arrives, multiple layers of smoke and heat follow.  The heat finishes far quicker than the taste of oil and peat does, it truly feels as if this flavor, if you do not drink or eat anything else, will follow you for the rest of the day. 

It is aggressive, assertive, bold and a bruiser of a dram and I highly recommend it for anybody looking for an experience, but not for anybody looking for a casual libation.  It's definitely one of my favorite mass market Scotches.  I must give praise and thanks to Mr. Rainwater for giving me an opportunity to enjoy this specimen, it is a true experience of a spectacular whisky - I hope to explore more like this VERY soon.

We'll talk again soon y'all, this weekend I'm participating in a serious Rum tasting.  It will make quite the blog entry!

Cheers!

GNV TO THE SEA - Four Roses: A Very Special Single Barrel

In a Shot:  During a private invitation to Gerry and Victoria's house, I am given a very unique Bourbon with a very special sentiment.

It's amazing who you come across in this business, simply by standing still.  It amazes me every time how people like Yoko will suddenly give me a bottle of Tombo Sochu (Delicious Japanese vodka) or when Jen gave me that bottle of Awamori (Lovingly called Snake Juice, spirit aged in a process using poisonous snakes).  Some of the most fascinating treats from them, I thank you for your love and support.  Then there are those who are home bread and homeward bound.  They present me not only with things from this country, but things that are only exclusive to regional aspects of our land.  It doesn't happen all the time, but every once in a while, something ironic/iconic like this happens.

A very exclusive, extremely unique and quite honestly personal dram, presented by a man who invited me into his house for a final sit down and drink before leaving under his guiding wing in his restaurant we all know has, since this post, locked it's doors indefinitely;  I present to you, the Four Roses Single Barrel Tasting Notes:

Drinking from a bottle Gerry Hebert gave me, sold exclusively at Schneider's of Capitol Hill (Fine wines & spirits) hand selected and bottled from Warehouse DS, with a 35% rye Mashbill / delicate fruity yeast:  February 18th 2011 (the month and day my wife Mary and I were married and held a reception in Gerry's restaurant only three years prior).  Aged 8 Years and 9 Months settling in at 100 proof.  A bottle (Number 2-4K) whom I'm sure Four Roses and quite possibly the Heberts had NO idea sang such poetry in our hearts and hearts.  So to you both, this Next Rounds on Me!

First glance the dram appears a burnt copper in color.

Strong ethanol at first reminding me of a hospital.  But allowing it to oxidise, simply nosing it over a span of ten minutes there are evolutionary changes.  With time to breath; Toasty oak and tart raspberry (Definitely found through the small amount of rye present and as affected by the choice of yeast), there are notes of dried dark red fruits and even canned peaches.  The mouth is coated with a warming hard candy flavor.  It takes it's time to finish, allowing it's spine tingling warmth to overwhelm the entire palate, though it sharply stings the sweet area of your taste buds.   A dusting of Hershey's milk chocolate and butter are overlapped by the expected flavors of caramel and an extra creamy vanilla.  Over time, the heat dissipates and the drink becomes remarkably smooth for a dram packing 50% ABV.

I've conducted this tasting under my usual circumstance.  A washed face, washed hands, blown nose with crackers eaten prior to the experience and lots of water  in between each section of the tasting.  This is my very formal way of creating my dossier of each drink I consume, but with Gerry and his wife Victoria, the experience was far more casual.

We enjoyed this dram prior to Gerry getting a knee surgery.  The man ate the most insane dinner and dessert that night, as if he would never be allowed to eat again, ever.  His plan was to polish off this entire bottle of single barrel by the stroke of midnight, after which if he consumed anything, would develop into a cocoon and hatch the next day a terrible Gremlin.  We sat in his living room listening to old tunes on the radio, Gerry was capable of calling out each and every band within the first 4 seconds of each song playing and we spoke about Cape May and the longevity of our relationships.  We spoke about folks in Cameron Station, Alexandria VA, a community that "rose" out off a military base that became it's own township, if you will.  We, the people of Food Matters became it's central hub.  It was experiences such as this and the times my wife and I spent at "GNV's" beach house in Cape May or the catering's to Gerry's office, or that time I went to the Masonic temple and Gerry was attempting to buy a trip (all for charity mind you) to some island or boat trip somewhere and he was up against one of America's homeland security top execs and lost "Hoping she simply just ran out of money!" from all the other bids she won.

It has been great times and Gerry's energy is something in his age, I strive for in the next five years!  He's been a father figure to me and a breath of fresh air.  I hope I've done him proud and I thank him for all that he's ever done for me.  Let this small tasting be my sentiment to him and Victoria, who helped mold me into the community supporter I am today.  I hope to make my mark as strong as I did in your community in the next place, wherever that may be.  Blessings and good times.  I say, thank you.

Cheers and with Love,

Johnny Cocktail

Reflection. My Time at Food Matters

Funny, one of the very first cocktails I ever put together, The Reflection, an after dinner drink that consisted of clear Sambuca and Stolichnaya Vanil served in a small port glass, has a bit of irony by today's standards.  I'm still using Stoli to make great cocktails (Such as the current Seasoned Strawberry Sangria).  It's funny how full circle things can be and it's in this reflective mode I remember my roots.

But I've come a long way from the simple blendings of store bought mixers, liquors and juices.  Food Matters showed me an entire culinary world in the art of cocktail making utilising whatever is in season, at it's peak of freshness to concoct some of the best drinks I've ever had any where in the DMV area.  Almost "Chef-Tending", I factored in layers and balance to making cocktails much like Chef's Tom & Christy Przystawik look at creating a great dish.  There needed to be salt, acid, sweetness, bitterness and the perfect level of heat from the alcohol and it was important to be able to taste every ingredient that went into the drink or else it did not serve a purpose.   Food Matters taught me that cocktails didn't have to be constricted to the confines of commercial ideals.  Because of them, I've made drinks with strawberry infused balsamic vinegar, fresh dill muddled kosher salt, black peppercorn simple syrup, sweet sorghum, roasted cardamom, orange blossom water, wine, beer and sherry.  I've made amazing drinks using fresh eggs and from vegetables like beets, cucumbers, carrots, celery and peppers.  I've used just about every fruit, spice and herb under the sun and took on speciality tasks such as creating my own barrel aged whiskies, salts, sugars, syrups, home made lemoncello's, infused whiskies, home made sparkling waters, ginger beers and other mixes.  They've given me the greatest method to producing the best Sangria's and Eggnog's money can buy.  They really took a chance on someone like me but gave me one of the greatest opportunities in my life, for this I am forever grateful.

Reflection.  I remember the first time Christy made a mint iced tea for me just because or when Chef Tom asked me to try a sauce or other project he'd be working on.  To better ourselves, I remember doing boot camp every morning before sunrise with Chef or that time we put a bottle of Tennessee whiskey up in a contest to see who could lose more weight in one month.  The day when he turned forty and I gave him a Miller High Life big boy and a card wishing him "to have a good 40".  I'll forever remember their daughter Amelie, because she was the very first child I ever picked up and held.  Food Matters is the reason I can say things like "Ayrshire, Wegmeyer and Hollin are some of my favorite local farms!"  I'll take with me the countless (Free, mind you) wine classes Christy gave me and other staff members.  Because of her, AOC's like Châteauneuf-du-Pape, regions like Chile, Uruguay, Oregon and grapes like Gavi, Torrontes, Tempranillo and Tanat create wines that I can truly say I love over your traditional Chardonnay or Cab (These two are very good grapes, just massive commercial success drives me to find the next thing).  I was taught that real men eat quiche and you can still be bad ass but enjoy a South African Rose.  I love sparkling Mascato, raspberry Merlots, Tanat and Monastrell dessert wines, things I would never consider to drink until  I learned how to appreciate them for what they are.

Names like David Powell, Rachel Martin, Doug Fabbioli, Bill Butcher, Rick Wasmund, Joe Dangler and Scott/Becky Harris are not only in my Rolodex because of what transpired here at Food Matters, but I can even consider them as friends.  I am fans of their wine, their beer and their whisky from here on out and are among my favorites of each respected category.  Thank you for the chance to meet, eat, drink and work with these people.

And thanks for getting Mary and I through the Great Urban Race.  Calling Chef on reconnasaince and getting tip offs from Dad made that race all the more exciting!

Reflection.

So many things in Cameron Station consolidate it as such a remarkable neighborhood.  They've impacted me so hard, that I had to ask for some of them to come be apart of my wedding and reception.  A reception where Mary and I shared a beautiful evening at Food Matters amongst friends and family.  I thank all of those who participated in that event and the contributors to our three honey moon getaways.  Gerry & Victoria for making Cape May New Jersey a go to location for Mary for the rest of our lives.  You are more generous and lucky to have had that space and to have shared it with so many people.  Truly, you are some of the most spectacular people I will ever know.  Anyone who bought a framed picture during the Art in The Parks.  How the staff blasted me with silly pet names like Johnny Bravo/Bannana, Tween Hands or the now Canadian residing guest Tim gave me DQ (short for Dancing Queen; long story, ask me about it sometime).  Nance and Adan, thank you for making the signs supporting my cocktails, you both always made a coolest picture displays, it made this place homely and personal.  It made people want to drink my cocktails.  I appreciate the books given to me from Peter, Ellen, Christy, Nance and Sam.  I thank Wolf for the first few years bartending always being there on those nights where it would be just the two of us shooting the mess for hours on end.  Good times!  Sheryl for helping me win just about every "sell the most of this product" contests by buying out more than your share and getting everyone involved, that and your over the top generosity.  I will always remember you.  Everyone who brought me a clip from a magazine, website or news paper regarding drinks and drinking, knowing it would inspire me one way or another.  Sheryl, Yoko, Brad, Michael / Michelle, Jen, Wolf, Harry, Cliff / Kitty, Addie, Lenore, Niel, Clara & John, Mary, Carla, Cassandra, Jim, big Mark, Brett & Mark, Eva, Nance, Giovanni, Daniel, David, Stevie, Luca, Tom, Christy, Gerry, Victoria and everybody else who ever contributed a bottle or sample towards The Next Rounds on Me.  And to Barbie and Jeff for hiring Mary and I to do all your promotional and retirement parties.

Reflection.  Mary, I love you so much and I thank you for showing me this place, your time here was invaluable and truly made Food Matters the well oiled machine it became and you simply always threw the greatest events.  You made things like Oscar night and the Derby real parties that people just HAD to come to, things that most people would simply over look in my opinion.  You are the best.  To this day you make every day feel special no matter what's going on in the world.  I love you.  To all the families who hired me to do private events and tastings, thank you.  Christy and Tom for all their pot lucks, bowling and house parties, you have always been so gracious.  The amazing Joe, for giving me a magic gig when that was hot on my to do list, that and for teaching me how to make it snow, a great Christmas gift to Mary and one for the books.  Carla for all your continuous support for Mary and Wish Craft, you are such an awesome person and forever giving, I wish there was more than a sash from Middleburg to give you.  Michael and Michelle for the computer, the IPhone and the Nano Adapter.  Remy and Jackie for that video and photo shoot during my Catoctin Creek Cocktail Event.  Cliff and Kitty for hanging out on Rolling Thunder that afternoon and for reintroducing me to Travis, a past life friend of whom neither of us could remember until I saw him. 

Patrick and David, during the blizzard when you shovelled my car out of the streets so I could get home.  Thank you Gwen for teaching me how to handle flowers, it's really come in handy!  Nance for fixing my house, mainly installing that toilet and the slip cover (That and Bourbon Pie).  Chocolate Smoovies prior to being on the menu were exclusive to my house parties right?  To her and Atena as well for making yard sales one of the funnest activities in the summers of Cameron Station.  Phil for all the hot CD's he would always bring me.  Rob & Shara for the Riedel glasses we simply were never supposed to have as we continued to break each piece of that set one by one!  Tom and Gerry both for all the great cigars.  Brandon and Bryce for the video games.  Bill for all of those Market Watches, it's like my favorite magazine now!  I think Ann from the Grooming Lounge in Tysons thanks us too as half her clients live in that neighborhood and were either introduced by me or people with good taste ironically request her exclusively.  Such a riot!

To the crew that was the direct cause and affect of every day there, I don't have enough words.  The days when Alicia, Atena, Nance, Mary, Giovanni, Acacia, Bryce, Mauricio and myself were the ONLY people there making a miracle out of a means, I enjoyed those times at Food Matters most of all.  I went to the hospital when both of Gio's kids were born, Nance ventured off with Mary and I countless times and Atena's house parties were some of the most famous, until Bryce had a going away party or a game night.  Phil helped to remind me that there were only 18 seats at the bar and sometimes I had to do "Less talkie talkie, more workie workie", though no matter how much we needed it, if Eggnog was needed, he wasn't the one to ask upon as he would scream to the kitchen "I DON'T MAKE NO EGGNOG!".  Our latest bartender, Paul, I can't help but say, because of you, I will never look at Grand Marnier or Vanilla Vodka the same.  Thanks for sharing the same passion as me, I hope you keep that with you.  Kaitlyn for always being a bubbly person and someone legitimately fun to be around.  Keep playing around with the drinks, learn as much as you can and don't stop creating.  To think girls like Kate and Christy's sister Brooke used to bartend here!  Those were awesome times!  That first kitchen click; Oscar, Vicki and Russ set the tone for the place and created the atmosphere for what Food Matters became.  Folks like Ana, Marilu, Liz, Kat, Stevie, Bill, David and Daniel who just stuck around that made the place what it is.  Particularly, Bill for his self humbling nature (he walked outside in a carrot suit for Earth Day and was the butt of so many jokes, but he gave himself to that role and we love him for it).  Stevie was a work horse, but the countless Top Golf nights brought clarity in working friendships.  The spontaneous sessions between Daniel, David and myself brought sanity and reason to some of the most hectic nights and working out with the newest and last crew, Adan, Karina, Eva, Scott and Claire, has rejuvinated me into believeing that I can do absolutely anything if I simply put my mind to it.  Thank you for being here, you are all the best.  All of you made it what it was though, don't think for a second becomes names like Alex, Hannah, Blake, Abby, Luca, Sean, Tamer, Davey, Sammy, Aubrey, Eugene, Paul (BOH), Phil 2, Carlos, (understand that this list would seriously go ON and ON and ON) weren't mentioned due to being forgotten or level of importance, but the fact that this list is so long to stay individual, though let's say, I gave it my all to do my best and you have all, at some point, touched my life.

Reflection.
 

I want to single out Addie too, she's like a mother to me and has always brightened each day with her always promised high energy, wit and sharpness.  I love her so much and she's always been so great to me and my family, I will miss her possibly  most of all.  Thanks for your lucky number, when Mary and I went to Las Vegas, you paid us out big at a roulette table!  She always kept my bar stools straight and perfectly spaced for service and I always enjoyed betting a dollar on games with her, she was always going to go for New England, I can tell you that!  She LOVES creamy clam chowder and is able to eat it at the heat of liquid fire and it still could possibly be cold. 

I'll never forget her one liners.  Her car doesn't know how to make left turns and it doesn't ever travel very far.  The fact that the only Mexican food she likes is Margaritas and that her favorite wine is "red and wet".  Some nights, Addie has dessert.  The only dessert she's ever had at Food Matters came in a flute shaped glass with bubbles.  "I only have one beer once a year on Oktoberfest!"  The fact that regardless of what she's been drinking, whatever glass she is holding is the "first one today" and sometimes my Bloody Mary's would be "I don't know....PICKY!" - She always told me not to spend my money, "I can't afford it", to live in my means and one day she's going to own the apartment I live in because of all the rent she pays through her nightly tips.  "AHH JEEZ!" - She always likes to tease and speak her mind.  Every night she'd ask me "What are you going to eat tonight John?"  Whatever my answer, she would puff her cheeks up with air to make a fat face.  Unless I told her I was having salad, then she'd stare at my stomach and say "I don't know John, sounds like a pretty good idea to me!" - Such a brat!  I love her to death and aim to remain forever in touch, she is absolutely the greatest and Cameron Station/Food Matters was very lucky to have her around, she made the place a restaurant on the corner of a neighborhood all more real.  It felt like home because of her.

Reflection.  To everyone else who graced my life while working at Food Matters, thank you.  Thank you for your generosity, your patience, your love and your support.  In almost five years, there is really too much to cover in one post this size already, but you've all touched my life, help mold me into the character I am today and really took me in to your hearts and homes.  Thank you, thank you and thank you again.  This has been life changing and a huge blessing for me.  Continue to look for me on The Next Rounds on Me, Twitter and Facebook.  I'm sure I'll be somewhere shaking things up.

Passion, Laughter & Love

cheers!

Midleton Very Rare 2007

In a Shot:  In connection with an anonymous spirits provider, I have been given an opportunity to taste the soft, smooth, preserved fruit predominant 2007 vintage of Midleton Very Rare Irish Whiskey.

It's late here folks, so let's get right down to business.  Beautifully light in color.  Honey comb or pale copper at best.  The smell is what gets me more than anything.  The whole thing smells of preserves.  A combination of peach, apricot and strawberry  surround the nostrils before even letting ethanol come into play.

A seductress, beautiful to the eye and sweet to the senses.  I'd have her for breakfast at sunrise!  Light notes of nutty caramel, honey and cereal is there with a machine oil undertone with the faintest hint of oak.  You know you are dealing with something special here once it enters your mouth.  Dense and heavy  it feels like it sinks to the bottom of your vocal cords before entering your warming stomach only to leave with the utmost of docile finishes.  Truly soft and almost short but commanding in it's own way.  Yet going back to it, it feels light on the taste buds, regardless of its gravity.  After almost an hour of breathing there are spikes of acid, hints of chocolate, mushroom and also Graham cracker notes that were not previously present.

The big show stopper is that fruity nose though, it really smells like a Virginia summer happening in an Irish barley field!  I can only imagine what each vintage presents and can only get excited about the next one.

Some people will ask if the price tag is worth it.  Here's what I say:  In this bottle you will get at least four of your daily fruits plus one of your drams along the way without a burn to give any notice.  Decide for yourself if there is a price on that and avoid giving a single malt with a permanent age marker based on bias, this only starts at five years but they keep putting older stuff into this mix each year, so it only gets more complex and it will only get better.

Cheers!

Irish Whiskey Tasting

In a Shot:  Hosted my first Irish Whiskey tasting and tended a shut out bar with special guest, Atena Moore.

Let me begin this one by stating, I have found a huge new appreciation for Irish Whiskey.  Our country has trained us to be one of three things.  A huge and bias brand loyalist, a cultural or geographical pride zealot or a media/class elitist.  In other words, if you are proud to be an American, drink your Bourbon and bourbon alone otherwise you'll drink only your Johnny Walker Blue Label because your TV and the price tag says it's the best of the best or turn your nose at anything that isn't Single Malt Scotch because, well, it isn't Single Malt Scotch.  At one point or another, everybody is one of these people, including myself.  I've had roughly four bottles of Johnny Walker Blue Label come and go in my household and have been to tastings such as the Johnny Walker Experience.  I will admit that I favor Bourbon because I'm American raised and I even intentionally look for Virginia based products because that's where I was born.  I have a preference with Single Malts because they consistently showcase fantastic regionally embracing products.

But it's the narrow minded and the extreme who blindly tell you that Scotch blends are inferior and unfit in a bar.  These same people from a different state of mind say that bourbons are too sweet to be enjoyed neat and have no say when compared to a beautiful malt.  Yet there are many who claim that single malts are over priced, gaudy and are good for removing tar or starting engines.  Another misconception in the world is that Irish Whiskey is one of the harshest in the industry, famous for being used in Irish Coffee and because of that one catalyst drink, is ONLY good for mixing with coffee.  By law Irish whiskey is distilled three times, one further distillation than Scotch.  This process of separating harsher and more volatile alcohols actually make the drink not only softer in style but lighter in body and finish.  Irish whiskey is  also a product that comes from barley that hasn't been peated like it's Scottish counterparts which translates to a far less aggressive spirit.  What this means is that legally and traditionally, Irish whiskey is the exact opposite of it's perception.  It also turns out, surprisingly, like all other spirits there are versions produced for the cocktail industry, the casual dram you mix with sodas or lemonades and then there are higher end, small batched, artisinally crafted, classically produced whiskies.

So I chose to make an attempt at obtaining a variety of Irish whiskies that not only represented the spirit as a standard, but represented it in a mainstream, historical, modern, off-beat and high end way.

That's why I chose Tullamore DEW, the first product in Ireland to be marketed as a "Blended Irish Whiskey" and often recognized as the very lightest of it's industry.  The modern and off beat is represented with Michael Collins, a double distilled Irish whiskey, from independently owned Cooley  Distillery, that was only released to the American market January 2011.  Of the two biggest names in the game, I chose Bushmill's "Black Bush" one because it comes from the oldest distillery in the world and two because it's heavily malted, creating a very different and full bodied dram.  My fourth selection comes from the Midleton distillery and is considered by many to be the above all and end all of Irish whiskey.  Produced in a very old style, a pure pot still (Meaning, made from 100% malted/un-malted barley and being distilled in one copper still at one distillery) an Irish whiskey drinker's answer to single malts as far as quality is concerned.  For the mainstream I went for one of the big dogs, Jameson 18 year, to showcase what an old Irish Whiskey can taste like when aged in the fashion of many popular single malts.

Special guest Atena Moore presents the famous Victoria Martini

To wrap up the tasting we headed to the bar where me and guest bartender Atena Moore paired up and created cocktails, shots and served more Irish whiskey than the bar could handle.  By the end of this particular night, we had everyone so wound up that we sold out of all whiskey in the house!    Even all the vodka, gin and rum had been wiped clean.  In the end there was only cordials and drops of some Rye and Scotch left!

In the beginning I thought Irish whiskey was rot gut that you drink to get drunk.  it was harsh and great with my coffee and pretty much nothing else.  That was roughly 7 years ago and believe it or not, though many things stay the same, so much has changed on the market.  None of them are the same any more.  If you have a bias opinion on certain spirits, try them again, at least in a tasting format such as this one or another one like it.  You'll be informed of rich history that you'll appreciate, you'll be amazed at what you'll enjoy when tasting many drams side by side and you'll be surprised by what you discover about yourself.

As always, thank you so much for the support of my Next Rounds on Me fans.  I know this one was late, but I'm sure it was worth the wait.  The only question left, is what to do next.....

Cheers!

Catoctin Creek Tasting & Cocktails

In a Shot: Loudon County famed Catoctin Creek comes to Food Matters and showcases their spirits and my cocktails for each expression, all while wearing a kilt!

This past month has been insane. With so many changes in my home and work life alongside so many great opportunities, it's been a common thread for me to lose site of The Next Rounds on Me and all the different things relating to it. As we stand, there is a blog up for a scotch tasting along side others for Awamori, aged rums, and rye's. There's the A. Smith Bowman distillery tour, Port City Brewing Company and a few others I can't even remember.

I want to find the time to be able to release these images, memories and thoughts into electronic paper. There was one such instance recently that should've been posted a while ago and that's the Catoctin Creek Distillery cocktail tasting I participated in at Food Matters.

Scott and Becky Harris showed up wearing kilts, also bringing an additional one for me! We introduced the Harris' to Food Matters and the guests in the private dining room. As Scott and Becky took turns explaining who they were, what they were pouring and answer any questions, I returned to the bar with the help of other staff and manually prepared twenty drinks based on the spirit being poured. Cocktail shaker, kilt and the whole nine yards!

The 1st drink based on Mosby's Spirit, was christened by Scott Harris himself as "The Cool Hand Cuke" - The fruity aspect of Mosby's really blends well with raw vegetables, herbs and spices. With very little time, I, Johnny Cocktail, blended cucumbers and lemon/lime juice with house made rosemary salt and a peeled cucumber syrup. this drink, is clean, refreshing, flavorful & a favorite of Scott & Becky Harris themselves.

The second drink, Sweet Cherry Rye is a variation of a cocktail I've been developing for a George Washington Cherry contest taking place February 6th - 12th - Wish me luck and stop by the restaurant during that time period and cast your vote for my drink as your favorite! You combine Roundstone Rye whisky with freshly muddled cherries and allow them to infuse over night. Then it's a combination of ice, preserved cherries, peychaud's bitters and a squirt of lemon. Topped with house made maraschino cherries & a two years aged cherry bourbon, the cocktail has been described a rye Manhattan/Old Fashioned with complex levels of cherry and spice while others described it as a really strong and flavorful cherry coke.

The final cocktail has been described by the Food Matters owners as a liquid sweet tart, I've always considered it a G&T with character. Traditionally, a G&T is gin and tonic mixed to taste and usually garnished with a lime. Most people who buy G&T's squirt the lime in the drink or ask for more limes. It was a no brainer to start squeezing fresh lime into the gin before mixing it with tonic. Then, a few years ago I was introduced to orange blossom water and began mixing that into my gin and tonics and love it. With time, I started adding different bitters into my tonic and it made sense to blend citrus bitters into the drink. I'm on my way to making a cocktail. I try not to use one spirit in a cocktail unless it's a showcase and now that this gin and tonic is no longer a simple showcase of two ingredients I wanted to big up the floral perfumey blossom water and citrusy fruits while accenting the botanical/medicinal qualities of gin and tonic. A splash of Cointreau orange liqueur and St. Germaine Elderflower liqueur rounds off this drink. I recommend using a light and higher quality tonic for this drink, such as Fever-Tree or Q-Tonic.

By the end of the evening, Scott and Becky answered more questions, told more stories and plugged in their low stock hard to find quality product, the Pearousia, a pear brandy made from pears harvested at Fabioli Vineyards of Leesburg fame. They gave out T-Shirts, shot glasses and brochures and we all enjoyed the company of distillers, restaurant owners, chefs, mixologists, Catoctin Creek enthusiasts old and new. It was truly a night worth writing about and I hope to write about many more just like it.

Thanks Scott & Becky Harris,

THE NEXT ROUNDS ON ME

(P.S. --->  Thank you to Remy (And her Aunt Jackie) for all your support and the really cool videos/photos.  To you, I give the next round on me as well!)

To all those who continue to support me, for me and for the drinks I passionately create I give to you, my glass held high.  I salute you.

Cheers!