109º and TOASTED

Not that it’s been 2 months and moot by now or anything, but I won.

So now, as I sit here in Tucson, Arizona, where the sweltering heat has finally subsided to a mellow 93º, I find myself reflecting on the numerous new libations I’ve had a chance to taste over the past 2 months. Reminiscing over these - and weeding out those not conjured up by heat-stroke - I realized that I had yet to report on a very exciting find I had made at this years Whiskey’s of the World Expo.  And this find is from a familiar face…

:cD

 

After the release of their 2nd batch of Pilsner Whiskey that all but completely won my heart (I hold it in the same rung of excellency as A.H. Hirsh 16 year), I feel obligated to announce another (completely?) unrelated release from the epicurean wonderland that is Charbay Distillery.

Late last year, their head distiller - Marko Karakasevic - finished bottling what will be the first batch of his “dissertation” work to end his 26 year apprenticeship towards becoming a master distiller: a white IPA whiskey.  Rested in steel drums for 4 years and aged for just one day in oak barrels, “Doubled and Twisted,” (an old term attributed to the distillates from copper pot stills which tend to ‘double and twist’ on themselves as they reach ~126 proof) was born of bottle-ready double IPA (which just so happens to be my favorite style of beer.  …be still, my beating heart). I was lucky to try some before it was released and poured by Marko himself during the World of Whiskey Expo in San Francisco this past March, and was so taken with it (not to mention won over by the man behind the making; so fun!) that I had to find a bottle for myself the second it hit the shelves…even if that meant making a side-trip while visiting a friends up north.

Which I did.

Wow, I just realized that I haven’t actually reviewed a spirit in a long time!

Alright.

Let’s do this thing:

Charbay’s Doubled and Twisted White Whiskey

Taster glass: pours crystal clear; neat.

Thick, beautiful trails on the inside of the glass. The nose is unmistakeably hot, yet heavy with parsley, fresh celery and  caramelized orange (with pith).  Heat carries over to the palate where it fades away into an oily, malty sweetness leaving a hint of grapefruit rind that quickly evaporates, leaving a pleasant finish of freshly cut hay, basil and hot earth.  Lovely.

As is, this is such a young whiskey, I’d have easily classified it as an IPA Grappa.  Excellent after meals on the rocks, I’d bet…but definitely in need of a little watering down (and oh man…selling at 1 liter, that should last you a while!).  It’s a curious, beautiful lil’ bugger, and I’d be very excited to see what it will mature into after a couple of years in the barrel.  Hats of to you, Mr. (Master!) Karakasevic.

Naturally, I found myself on a quest to find a cocktail that will best accentuate it’s uncommon palate. So far, I’ve tried a Negroni, which failed miserably (maybe not miserably…but far too intense between the heat and bitterness ohmygoodness).  Next step: tone it down with a new take on a Ramos gin fizz.

Bottoms up!

D&T Whiskey.  ~$58/1.0L

Toma Tequila

GOOD NEWS!!!!

We’re all doomed.

No, actually, better news: the River Tam Cocktail has been selected as a finalist for Ortega 120’s inaugural Toma Tequila Mixology Competition! I will be preparing tasters of her alongside the 2 other finalists’ and their respective winning concoctions in order to see whose wins out, so please please please come out (all 3 of you) if you can. I’d love to see some friendlies as I muddle the hell out of some ginger.

Right. Well. I’m mildly freaking out, so I’ll let Ortega 120’s PRESS RELEASE fill you in on the deets.  Hooooooolycrap.

EXCITING!!!

i have a’seven friends!

do it for you. do it for your country. do it for the world. …but at the very least: do it for neil patrick harris. <3

quickly, now….

if you’re an american who is still undecided towards or opposed to obama….you’re definately in the minority, overall.

see?

this guy gets it…whoever he is.

alma [mutter]

i’m going to give you two different opinions from two different sources as to why john mccain decided to use my old middle school as the backdrop to his acceptance speech at the 2008 republican national convention, seen here:

reason #1:

“McCain messed up. He was talking about Walter Reed hospital, and he used our picture by mistake,”

-Joshua, 11-year-old student currently at Walter Reed Middle School

reason #2:

“[it was]…a way of illustrating the candidate’s call ‘for public education reforms that empower parents and students before bureaucrats and labor unions,’”

-GOP spokesman, Tucker Bounds (LA Times)

….

this is difficult:

on the one hand; we have the speculation of a pretty astute prepubescent kid in jr. high…

on the other hand, we have the man whose sole job it is to represent the republican campaign.

huh.

oil? slick.

nothing could have given me a cheaper thrill than seeing a gas station with unleaded at less than 4 dollars a gallon. really. it’s come to this.

not to be entirely complacent, i of course tried to rationalize how this could be: the war in iraq had not ended; our economy on a whole was not seeing a drastic revitalization; we did not discover an oil fountain hidden inOscar Wyatts’ garage…how could…oh jesus: it’s the GOP.*

of course big oil would be looking out for it’s favorite little sugar daddy (or would it be the other way around?…too early for effective metaphor) by strategically lowering gas prices during election season in order to make the fanciful yet otherwise futile suggested economic policies that McCain keeps sputtering look increasingly attractive to the gullible little herd out there, and especially to swing voters.  behold: the power of subliminal messaging. behold: the awesomeness of the word ’subliminal’. …sorry.

increasing consumption is NOT how we battle our own fuel crisis.  it’s hitting two birds with one stone as far as the highway trust fund and oil lobbyists are concerned.  business as usuall…but they can only keep it up for so long.
AAAAAAAUGH, so aggrevating to watch the oil industry push as hard as they do in lieu of depleting oil reserves.  picture a 90-year-old who’s in denial/too proud to admit not being able to drive safely anymore; you know it’s only a matter of time before they plow straight into a store window.  think about it.

*brilliant tagline

did i mention, ‘drunk’?

stress breeds brilliance. take notes.

The Mockhattan

• 3 parts bourbon whiskey

• 0.5 parts sweet vermouth

• 0.5 parts apricot brandy

• a few dashes angostura bitters

pour all ingredients into old-fashioned glass filled with ice. stir gently and garnish with a maraschino cherry and/or orange peel.

Fix-push: The evolution of the fixie

I stole this from Tom (the heterocyclic radical)’s myspace.

I don’t know what I love more: the video or the fact that I recognize all these parts of San Francisco.

I want this software

using an incomprehensible amount of UN data, Hans Rosling - a professor of international health and the karolinsk institutet in sweden - provides an amazing perspective of the changes in world health and economy between the 1960s and today (or 2003, when this was made, rather), as well as correlating these changes with the social and political history of each area.

on that note: the attention to detail is extraordinary, yet Rosling’s software (which he, himself developed along with his son and daughter) as well as his enthusiastic and engaging speaking makes the unimaginable complexity of each country’s socio-economic breakdown tangible enough for anyone to realize that world aid and development must be micro-managed…

…yeah, i’m getting ahead of myself. and using run-ons. crapnuts.

in any case, Hans is the most adorable, inspiring speaker/researcher i’ve ever seen. so i urge you to watch and enjoy.

it’s 20 minutes long so…get a juice box or something.

thanks to Yael for the link!