by Jay Erisman, EQ Wine and Spirits Manager

Considering the wealth of American microdistilleries we carry at The Party Source, I suppose I should not have been surprised when a couple of amazing little bottles showed up on our doorstep from Bowling Green, Kentucky. But I was surprised–probably you heard my jaw when it hit the floor–not only to find an artisan distiller in Kentucky, but the first commercial red abisnthe in America. G0 Kentucky!

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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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by Jay Erisman, EQ Wine and Spirits Manager

The Party Source is not only one of America’s biggest and best liquor stores. We’re also one of the most patient. French Alpine elder trees only make so many flowers, and collecting the little buggers by bicycle is understandably time-consuming. So to those hordes of Greater Cincinnatians who requested St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur over the past 14 months, we shall attest your serenity in the face of a distinct lack of elderflower flavor. Now, the wait is over, and this shockingly good liqueur is available for your cocktails, your parties, your peace of mind. Someday, we will all remember where we were when we first tasted St-Germain.

From the heavy, cut glass Art Deco-inspired bottle to the carefully balanced drink within, St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur is a future classic among the world’s liqueurs. The elderflower notes are fresh as a bouquet on your wedding day, the aroma lifting effortlessly from the glass. In the mouth the liqueur is light yet intensely flavored; the sweetness is never cloying. And what St-Germain does in cocktails is unbelievable. It makes a superb match with everything from rye whiskey to Tequila to smoky Scotch. Gin and sparkling wine is a natural with St-Germain; our bartender here in the EQ jay Dickerson likes it with cachaça . It’s hard to make a bad cocktail with this stuff.

St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur  $35.99

By Jay Erisman, EQ Wine and Spirits Manager

In this inaugural season, we’re pleased to welcome a patriotic new gin, one that beats the English at their own game as Philadelphians have been doing since 1776. Bluecoat Gin–proudly labeled “American Dry Gin”–comes from Philadelphia Distilling, a crafty little distiller that is spreading its own spirit of brotherly love.  I love the Bluecoat package nearly as much as the flavor, using organic juniper as well as other organic botanicals, including all-American citrus. It is carefully distilled five times to arrive at a properly potent 94 proof. Philadelphia offers as well a 100% rye vodka called Penn 1681, mashed and distilled from scratch at the distillery, and an artisanal absinthe Vieux Carré. Look for reviews of the other spirits in the weeks to come.

Bluecoat Gin 750 ml $25.99

Bluecoat Gin 50 ml $2.99

By Jay Erisman, EQ Wine and Spirits Manager

By now the craft beer revolution in America is complete, as microbreweries and brewpubs have changed the way we think of beer. Now a similar movement is trickling along in distilled spirits. American craft distillers are producing a huge range of spirits, from maple syrup vodkas to tea liqueurs to wild whiskeys and brandies of every stripe. These small stills are truly “micro,” little start-up operations working out of barns and sheds, basements and old airplane hangars.

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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

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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