The 15th state to join the union (USA) was Kentucky. So, of course, the name is a give away to the fact that this is a Bourbon (indigenous to Kentucky) cocktail. In addition to Bourbon, it has, sweet Vermouth and Maraschino liqueur.
Fairly rich on the palate. Relatively lighter on the nose and length…
I have not been able to find the original root of the name – although it has been featured in Mr. Boston Official Bartender’s Guide for some time.
This is vodka, elderflower liqueur, aperol, lemon juice and sugar syrup. The right way to serve is with a orange peel for garnish but I did not have any oranges handy.
The drink itself is strong with the sweet fragrance of elderflower on the nose and a bit bitter sweet to the palate.
The six of us settled down at Hooked Beaver Creek for lunch. I asked for an Old Fashioned – a little on the sweeter side since the hike was hot and draining. When the drinks came around, I took a sip and really liked the taste. However, something else got my attention… It is the King Ice cube. Note how the ice has the inscription INSIDE it!! In fact, it is the logo of the restaurant.
“That is not very easy to do”, I remarked to Sunil and Anannya as I picked the ice up and showed it to them.
“Josh!”
“Yes, sir”
“This ice cube…”
“Yes, sir”
“Did you make it?”
“Indeed”
“That is crazy good. How do you do it?”
“Oh! it takes me a whole day”… and then our bartender, Josh, went on to show how he makes those ice cube.
He first freezes two dozen of these cubes in a standard tray. But instead of filling up the tray holes to the top, he goes only about 9/10th of it. Then he freezes it.
For the second step, he uses an iron rod that has a logo imprinted on it (like a rubber stamp). He heats up this rod by leaving it in boiling water. He brings the cubes out and then using the iron rod, he basically brands (like you brand cattle) the top of the ice cubes. He lets the melted water drain out and then re-freezes.
The third step would be to bring out the cubes and then put some food colorings in the grooves created by the branding. Re-freeze.
As a final step, he fills up the cubes to the top and does the final re-freezing!
Voila! The ice cube comes out with the beautiful etches inside!!
I need to try this!
If you are in Beaver Creek, CO, try out Josh’s old fashioned at the Hooked restaurant!
I believe the name Tangaroa means the God of Ocean – Polynesian and Maori mythology. The drinks is in line with that visual of ocean beaches and hot summers. It is a mango based cocktail.
1 ounce of white rum and amber rum each, 1/4 ounce of amaretto and lime juice and 2 ounces of mango juice.
Garnish with a mango slice.
At nearly 40% ABV, Sweet Revenge packs a punch alright. I actually was not even sure what it is till I picked it up from a local liquor store. Turns out the base of this liqueur is American whisky with wild strawberries and citrus notes added.
A Sweet Revenge Punch is made by mixing 2 ounces of the liqueur with 3 parts of cranberry juice, 1 part of Triple sec and a dash of lime juice.
