Who would knew, that I am reviewing a budget vodka here - on the opinionatedalchemist.com. But this isn't a normal review. I skip the marketing perception and use this product to cut directly to the case: Vodka is a "rather" neutral, colorless, "rather" flavorless and odorless distilled beverage from any agricultural source - and depending on the country, it has a minimum of 37.5% and 40% abv. As I said time and time again before: at times it is absolutely nonsense to talk about premium and luxury, when the original product doesn't really "hold this promise". Luxury water can have luxurious marketing, luxurious packaging, can be even rare and slightly more expensive "to produce". However really it is just water. Maybe it has some nuances to normal water - however those nuances (in a blind-test) are pretty small. Vodka is extremely similar - and the chain of evidence (despite a lot of people trying to proof otherwise) makes it re...
Posts
Sorren Krebs over at OCDwhisky.com has written this post , which criticizes the whisky snobbery of many distilleries. And I can understand this cri de coeur without completely supporting it. Look - I do find value for money brands great. I find it alluring, that some brands care about the fact, that their products to be consumed, instead of being traded - or being showpieces in rich men liquor cabinets. However - we are living in a capitalistic world, where the market just determines decisions of brands and companies. But is it sustainable to hype your product and "premiumize" it? There are many factors which determine, if a business survives on the long run. At this point (if in question) I would rather put my money onto The Macallan than on Glen Moray, when it comes to survival. It is important, that we look at it not solely from the perspective of a seasoned and knowledgeable consumer (on-trade / off-trade) - it is important that we are looking at it fr...
Tarragon gin infusion before sous-vide infusion at 65ºC. Not a lot of posts these days - I know. I am trying to keep a bit more busy on Instagram - I have heard, that people are far more active on this platform... And I have been quite busy anyway (yeah, I know: as always). Now - I have to admit something: while my tarragon infusion worked perfectly at home (color-wise) - it has been not really successful on work. The aromas of tarragon were all there - but you have had (again) this faint light yellowish green. Not good enough. It seems though, that I found the culprit: too low alcohol! Even at 47% abc Bombay Sapphire isn't strong enough. When I used alcohol which has been around 70% it worked like a charm. In the first hour (room temp) the alcohol slowly turned in a light green (but a more "unnatural" green with less yellowish hints). Heating it up to 65ºC It turned within another hour darker - but afterwards adding it into an ice bath, made it v...
There are people out there, which always want to simplify matters. I have read this post on liquor.com: " 3 THINGS YOU SHOULD NEVER DO WHEN IT COMES TO BOURBOn " and I found it totally idiotic - let us directly go to it: Don't spend more than $50 on a bottle What kind of stupid rule is that? I can understand the drift: you can really great bourbons under $50 (mostly in the US). However what is about gin? And vodka? Or cars? Or houses? Or wine? Or or or... Obviously I don't mean $50 - but you don't need to spend a fortune to get a great experience without spending a fortune. The deal is: you always can find relative bargains, and you can find transcendent experiences, which might be marginal or largely superior (and some are even not as good as the less than $50 dollar bottle. But there is no point of making this moronic rule! Don't only drink bourbon neat Besides of the next rule, which suggest exactly the opposite (not telling people how they dr...
Some vintage Old Tom Gins These days I have thought a lot about gin. There are a lot of gins coming on the market and some people are already calling it the “new vodka”. While I do understand this notion, it is (out of my humble perspective) not at all comparable. Yes - gin has been really exploited in marketing (like vodka) - but it is really like any mainstream trend. Vodka has been always a bit different: while a lot of gins have significant differences (especially due to their different botanicals) - quality vodkas lack the big differences and their subtle differences are subdued within the different moods people are in - or what they have eaten for breakfast or lunch, or if they had one drink before or simply with the mixers, the vodka is consumed with. Anyway - one big topic I have contemplated about is Old Tom Gin. In my eyes, this style has been largely misrepresented and misunderstood. The otherwise informative article in Imbibe shows exactly the issue ...
I have found some new products, which let me thought over the whole concept of terroir of spirits. Belvedere released two unique vodkas which are made with rye out of two specific micro-regions. Please check the link , because I won’t run with the typical marketing b.s. The issue here is: does it make sense or is it total nonsense? We probably have first to make some important distinction, what means and what influences terroir. terroir | terˈwär | noun the complete natural environment in which a particular wine is produced, including factors such as the soil, topography, and climate . • ( also goût de terroir | ɡo͞o də | ) the characteristic taste and flavor imparted to a wine by the environment in which it is produced . ORIGIN French , ‘ land ’ , from medieval Latin terratorium . Terroir (as well as unique sub-varieties) in directly consumed items is a non-b...
I am often really annoyed when I see people, making cocktails (blogging about cocktails, etc.). Look, I love cocktail culture - I believe, that it is worth to be preserved. And I believe, that there has to be respect - because otherwise there won’t be anything to be preserved. The Mojito is one drink, which gets molested all the time. And people don’t get it: there are drinks, which were consumed in a civilized environment (bars) - by more or less civilized people (at least they are civilized in the setting). And there are peasant drinks. A peasant drink can be great - I don’t judge, which drink is better - but latter is far more adaptable to changes. Comparing the Mojito versus the Caipirinha is pretty obvious: the Mojito is a bar drink. Very soon after its creation, it has been consumed in Cuba’s most recognized bars - probably by the most famous people at its time. Against that, the Caipirinha has been a drink of farmers and workers in Brazil. The difference is a pretty big...