Friday, December 03, 2004
Hennessy Cognac has created a fitting tribute to the founder of the company by developing an ultra-premium cognac
named Richard Hennessy. Back in 1765, Richard Hennessy began a collection of eaux de vie. Eight generations
later, Hennessy has created Richard Hennessy, a cognac that is made up of more than 100 eaux de vie, some of which are
over 200 years old. The result is a complex taste with aromas of vanilla and spices and a multi-faceted flavor
that reflects ripe fruit, spices and a hint of the oak that the cognac was aged in.
Thursday, December 02, 2004
I’ve always believed that the quickest way to ward off a cold is with a hot toddy. New York magazine lists the
seasonal drinks available at popular New York bars. Along with the traditional wassails, mulled wines, spiced ciders
and liqueur-spiked coffees is the Hot Port Sangaree at Bemelsman’s Bar in the Carlyle Hotel. It is made with ruby port,
Cointreau, pomegranate molasses, lemon juice, lemon rind, and angostura and orange bitters. Definitely good for what
ails you.
Wednesday, December 01, 2004
The famed Algonquin hotel, where the Round Table once gathered is now offering a $10,000 martini. The martini comes
with a loose diamond at the bottom. No spontaneous drunken ordering allowed—the martini requires 72 hours’ notice
including a meeting with a jeweler to choose the stone. The martini has been on the menu for a week and no one has
ordered one yet. This leads to a very interesting etiquette question: when ordering a martini with a diamond at the
bottom, does one let it rest there until the drink is finished, or fish it out first to prevent overenthusiastic
swallowing?
[Thanks, Adam]
Today’s LA Times article on whiskies being made in California made me skeptical at first. Then I read that Domaine
Charbay is behind one of the new whiskeys. The Karakasevic family who run Domaine Charbay, have been distillers for 13
generations and they already make a line of exotic flavored vodkas. I discovered their blood orange vodka last fall and
was instantly hooked. Their new whiskey uses hops and was aged in Bourbon-type charred barrels. The first batch,
released at 5 years and sold in an eye-catching etched bottle, is 129.4 proof and sells for $325. The reviewer
describes it as “a majestic whiskey, tasting of butterscotch and vanilla with apple fruit.”
Tuesday, October 26, 2004
 Allied Domecq Spirits North America will be expanding its luxury vodka brand, Stolichnaya
Elit, to additional markets. The premium vodka (which is priced at $60 a bottle) has done well in California and
will now be available in bars and restaurants in New York, Boston, Chicago and other large cities. Stoli Elit is
filtered at sub-zero temperatures which helps release impurities and like other premium vodkas is smoother than
traditional vodkas. Vodka used to be used primarily in mixing but now premium vodkas such as Belvedere and Grey
Goose, as well as the proliferation of flavored vodkas, have reawakened this segment of the liquor market.
“Consumers are not drinking more, they are drinking better, said Jim Clerkin, president of Allied Domecq Spirits North
America. Nice of him to say so, but I’m pretty certain we are still drinking more as well as drinking better.
Friday, October 22, 2004
 Rapper Jay-Z will be launching a new line of
cognac with Grey Goose. Last year, Jay-Z said that he was retiring from the music business and this summer he announced
that he was leaving the popular Rocawear clothing line he helped found. Now, Jay-Z is getting into the liquor
business. People are speculating that this is a move to compete with former partner Damon Dash’s Armandale
vodka. Jay-Z’s isn’t the only rapper to be entering the cognac business, Cam’ron is also launching a
cognac called, Sizzurp. Grey Goose is distilled and bottled in Cognac, France, making cognac a natural step for
them to go in. Rappers have helped make brands like Cristal and Hennessey more well-known by using the brand names in
songs. No word yet on what Jay-Z’s cognac will be called but it shouldn’t be hard to outdo a name like
Sizzurp.
Thursday, October 21, 2004
 The Chocolate Bock is the newest beer in the
Samuel Adams Brewery’s Extreme Beers line. These aren’t the beers you chug while watching the World Series, they
are heavy thick drinks for savoring. The four beers in this series represent a brewing experiment to see how deep
and rich a beer can be. The Utopia, the brewery’s $100 per bottle beer line has an astounding 25 percent alcohol
content and is more of a sipper like brandy or port. The limited edition Chocolate Bock is more moderate both in price
and alcohol content so you can drink with impunity. It is made by aging the beer on dried cocoa beans from
the Scharffen Berger chocolate makers. The result is a chocolate aroma but the taste of a thick malty
triple bock. It makes for a sweet way to end an Octoberfest meal.
Wednesday, October 20, 2004
 The luxury brands group LVMH has snapped up Scottish whisky maker
Glenmorangie. Moet Hennessy Investissements, a subsidiary of the French luxury group LVMH, will pay approximately
$541 million for the company. The brand represents LVMH’s first foray into the whisky market. Glenmorangie, the
sixth largest whisky producer in the world, was put on the block by its controlling family in August. The brand seems
like a natural fit for the rest of LVMH’s prestige brands. LVMH has bought controlling interests in a variety of
smaller brands to become the world’s biggest luxury goods maker by revenue. The Moet Hennessey division represents the
second biggest profit generator in the company behind the flagship Louis Vuitton line. As prestige brands continue to
seep into mainstream consciousness, the drinks division will undoubtedly thrive because premium spirits often represent
a relatively affordable luxury.
Tuesday, October 19, 2004
 Shaken not stirred of course, but shaken in what? Most
of the cocktail shakers these days are stainless steel or sterling silver but it wasn’t always that way, glass
shakers have a long history. My favorite cocktail shaker is a cobalt glass Art Deco piece I inherited.
While stainless or silver do a better job of keeping in the cold, only a glass shaker will let you see what’s
going on inside which can be handy when trying to pour evenly. There are not as many options for glass
shakers these days but this lead crystal one from Baccarat has a retro look that is reminiscent of the
1950s.
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