by Jay Erisman, EQ Wine and Spirits Manager

It’s not very often that a classic comes along, particularly in the liqueur category. Most of the truly classic liqueurs have been around a long time, came from Europe, and often as not were created by monks–see Chartreuse, Bénédictine, Frangelico, and others. And sadly, too many new entrants in aisle 9B are poseurs, with some or another frou-frou ingredient backed with frenzied marketing. But every once in a while, an artisan with some vision and passion comes along that you just know will still be here in a century or two. The latest, and greatest, of these is Domaine de Canton Ginger Liqueur. Between its understated Asian lantern-style bottle, harmony of ingredients, and its effortless mixability, Canton is a future liqueur hall of famer.

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by Jay Erisman, EQ Wine and Spirits Manager

The introduction of vermouth to America in the 1870s was a seminal moment in the development of the cocktail. Bartenders had a new toy to play with, and in short order had invented a host of classic cocktails that are still drunk today. As I’ve noted here before, vermouth is back, baby, with a vengeance. Mixologists amateur and professional alike are rediscovering the supple, mouthwatering glory of dry and sweet vermouth. And happily, we have some new firepower, with new vermouths landing from France, including the new/old Noilly Prat and Dolin, perhaps the best of them all. What to do with this herbaceous wine?

Vermouth de Chambéry is the aristocrat of French Vermouth.

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When I tell people I work at EQ, the cooking school @ The Party Source most ask, “What does
EQ stand for?” I reply, “EQ stands for Entertainment Quotient, and we are here to raise
yours!” Today I received an e-mail and photos from EQ customer Sue Poling. All I can say
is “WOW!” Sue and her friends ended 2008 with a dinner party chock full of EQ recipes from
the classes they attended. This group of women embraced all EQ stands for and we are
touched by their enthusiasm for great food, wine and spirits. Below you will find the e-mail, recipes and photos from the dinner party.

Connie Volker, EQ Event and Marketing Director

Julie Henderson and I started taking Party Source Cooking Classes (demos only as we think it is more fun to have someone else do the work) in January 2008 when Julie’s husband gave her a gift certificate for a free cooking class for two. Our experience was so wonderful that we signed up for more and encouraged our friends Susan Schroeder and Loy Jonson to join us.
Thus it went. We attended at least one demo class per month and a few E-Quickies in
between. Towards the end of the year they started offering A Toast to Tuesday (Cocktail
Class) which quickly became a new favorite for us. Also to expand our horizons (more…)

By Jay Erisman, EQ Wine and Spirits Manager

One of the essentials in any well-stocked liquor cabinet is Italian maraschino liqueur. Not to be confused with the bright red American mara-SHEENO cherries, the liqueur is called mara-SKEENO and is nothing like the American product. Hailing originally from Dalmatia, it’s made with the marasca cherry, the real Italian cherry. Best of all, this classic spirit not only enlivens your cocktails but your dinner table as well. I am never without a bottle in my liquor closet.

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LEMONDROP LEMONADE

12 ounces vodka

3 ounces Cointreau orange flavored liqueur

1 – 25.4 ounce bottle Lorina sparkling lemonade
Mix ingredients in a pitcher filled with ice.  Rim glasses with lemon wedge and dip in sugar.  Garnish with a lemon wedge.

“I feel sorry for people who don’t drink. When they wake up in the morning, that’s as good as they’re going to feel all day.”  -Frank Sinatra

-Jay Dickerson, EQ at The Party Source

By Jay Erisman, EQ Wine and Spirits Manager

Perhaps after this early heat wave, dear reader, you are ready for a summer cocktail. Last week we talked about Italian bitter liqueurs, and how refreshing they are in this Cincinnati heat. And Tequila margaritas and gin and tonics will surely hit the sun deck any day now. But don’t forget the other white spirit: rum. No other spirit—except our native Bourbon whiskey—is so closely connected with American history as rum. And nothing mixes up a summertime sip like great white rum. We have some terrific rums that stand out from the pack, imported for us by Mr. Ed Hamilton, the “Minister of Rum�?. La Favorite and Neisson distilleries are rhums agricoles from the French island of Martinique. Protected by the same laws that govern French wine, these ultra-pure, small-batch rums are some of the best we’ve ever tasted.

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CHERRY LIMEADE MARTINI

This is my ode to Sonic.  I love their tator tots and cherry limeades, simple yet satisfying.  To make my drink, I used Tangueray Rangpur gin.  But if you’re not a gin drinker, try Hangar One Kaffir lime.  Both taste great, but be careful, they go down way too easy!

2 ounces citrus gin or vodka

¼ ounce fresh lime juice

Dash grapefruit bitters

Splash cherry syrup

Splash Fresca

Fill cocktail shaker with ice.  Add gin, bitters, lime juice, and cherry syrup.  Shake well and strain into chilled martini glass.  Top with Fresca.

Drink up!

-Jay Dickerson

By Jay Erisman, EQ Wine and Spirits Manager

Well, our Manhattan seminar has come and gone. Our EQ students had a terrific time tasting not only five varieties of Manhattan, but all the different components in this classic cocktail. We had (small thimbleful) tastes of three whiskeys, three vermouths, a bunch of bitters—basically, we did the Manhattan to death. We finished with an all-new Manhattan recipe—plus I shared with the students the secret of making excellent cocktails in bulk quantities. Party Read on…

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by Jay Erisman, EQ Wine and Spirits Manager

Lots of great libations from Europe never make it across the pond to our shelves here in Greater Cincinnati. Some of these are never exported to America. (And I wish I had a nickel for every time someone asked me for “that tiny liqueur made by the Italian monks on top of the mountain in the middle of nowhere.”) Other drinks are, sadly, extinct. One such disappeared classic is Crème de Violette. That’s right: violet liqueur, made from the little purple flowers. Incredibly, no sooner had I started searching for this terrific sip than I found it, available now for sale in America.

A few phone calls later, and we had it here on our shelf. Our Crème de Violette comes from Austria, selected by Rothman and Winter and made for them by an artisanal distillery called Purkhart. The attractive, art deco label is just the beginning…

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