Copper Mule Cup from MoscowMuled.com

A couple of weeks ago, I got an email from the proprietor of MoscowMuled.com. They were wondering if I would like to take a look at them and maybe showcase them on the site. Now, I’ve never had the chance to make the Moscow Mule cocktail. Mostly because I do not stock vodka in my house. So I was going to pass on this opportunity.

But before I did, I wanted to do my due diligence and checked out their site. When I got there, I realized that these were beautiful mugs. I also saw that they were relatively inexpensive at less than $20 for a set of two. I sent the link over to my wife, and she responded with, “ooh! Pretty!”

Now, if you’ve met my wife, you will know that she loves glassware. We have so much that we can’t use them all. And when I suggested that maybe we sell or donate some of our extras, she responded with, “but they are our friends!” So she might have a glassware problem. That said, I suffer from at least a touch of it myself, so who am I to talk?

Once my wife was on board, I got to looking through the site a little more. One of the first things I noticed during this expanded look through the website was a link in the top navigation that says “Giving Back.” Moscow Muled, as a company, is set up as a Social Enterprise. This means that their primary goal is not just to make a profit, but also to make the world a better place. In this case, Moscow Muled gives 15% of its profits “to several non-profit organizations that work to stop impaired driving.”

I thought that was pretty cool. So I let the company know that instead of taking up their offer of a review unit, that I’d be placing an order instead. And I did. $19.50 + $5.50 shipping, and a couple of days later, I had two very pretty mugs arrive in my mailbox.

So how are they? Well, I really like them. They are really pretty (have I mentioned that yet?). An iced drink stays cold forever, even though these are not insulated mugs. At 16 fluid ounces in capacity, these hold enough for spirit, mixers, and a generous amount of ice. The company says you can use them for hot or cold drinks, but they do transfer heat or cold quite well, so I’m not sure I’d really want to use them for a hot drink. It was bad enough holding them after washing in hot water. My only nitpick is the size of the handle. I have pretty big hands and think that these would be much more comfortable to hold if the handle was a little wider as it rested on my pinky finger. Overall though, this was $25 well spent. After having used them quite a bit in the last couple of weeks on Kentucky Mules, I honestly wouldn’t have blinked if they had charged one and a half to twice that.

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My Wandering Eye: Chateau de Laubade Vintage Collection

My Wandering Eye is an ongoing seriess reacting to the rising prices in the bourbon world. We’ve reached a place where even average products have hit the range where they compete price-wise with other types of aged spirits. If I’m going be asked to drop $40 to $70 on a mid-range bourbon, I might as well see what else I can get for that money. My hope is to see if another spirits category offers something that is downright tasty in that price range. The goal isn’t to find cheap spirits, but to maximize the quality, I’m getting at a particular price point. And one thing to remember is that these reviews will all be written from the perspective of a bourbon drinker.

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A few years back I turned 40. To celebrate such a milestone, I thought that a spirit that was distilled in my year of birth would be a fun way to go. And I was right, it was delicious. I loved it. And so when I was doing a little holiday gift shopping this year, I noticed that the same brand had a “gift set” of 200 mL bottles that ranged from about 20 to about 40 years old. I was very intrigued. So much so that I took a photo, texted my wife and said “if I get enough from tips and gifts this Christmas, I’m buying this as a present to myself.” Luckily my family and clients were nice to me this year and I was able to do so.

Chateau de Laubade Vintage Collection

Purchase Info: $199.99 for five 200 mL bottles at Total Wine, Burnsville, MN

Details: Distilled in the year on the label. Bottled in June 2019. 40% ABV.

Price per Drink (50mL): $10

Bas Armagnac Laubade 2000

Nose: Oak, cinnamon, nutmeg, dried fruit

Mouth: Follows the nose with oak, nutmeg, cinnamon, and dried fruit.

Finish: Medium length and warmth. Lingering baking spice notes that fade to reveal dried fruit.

Thoughts: This is really good. If the others are as good, this is going to be a very nice Christmas present.

Bas Armagnac Laubade 1998

Nose: Dried fruit, brown sugar, hints of BBQ smoke

Mouth: Dried fruit, brown sugar, baking spice

Finish: Fairly gentle with lingering dried fruit and an oak "twang"

Thoughts: Proving once again that age is just a number, this is much more fruit-forward than its younger brother. As such, I like the 2000 edition better.

Bas Armagnac Laubade 1995

Nose: This is a toffee bomb. under that are dried fruit, anise and hints of mint

Mouth: Surprisingly, there is no toffee on the mouth. Instead, this is herbal and almost savory. I'm getting anise, oregano, clove, mint, and dried fruit.

Finish: Warm and herbal with lingering clove, anise and dried fruit notes.

Thoughts: This is very herbal and I really like it. This has the warmest finish of the group so far.

Bas Armagnac Laubade 1988

Nose: Pipe tobacco, brown sugar, dried cherries, leather

Mouth: Cinnamon, dark chocolate, oak, dried fruit

Finish: Gentle but the flavors linger a long time. Notes of cinnamon, cocoa powder, oak, and dried fruit.

Thoughts: This is the first in the set where the barrel really starts to take over the flavor profile. The dark chocolatey notes mix with the cinnamon and dried fruit to make this a very dessert-like drink. I really like it.

Bas Armagnac Laubade 1979

Nose: Dry oak, almond, mint, and cherry

Mouth: Cherry, oak, almond, cinnamon, and citrus

Finish: Fairly gentle with lingering notes of cinnamon and cherry.

Thoughts: This one is a bit of a let down after the last one. This one trends back toward the fruit influence in the flavor. It is still very good, but I think the 1988 is more in line with my tastes.

Rankings

My Ranking: 1988, 1979, 1995, 2000, 1998

Robin’s Ranking: 1988, 1995, 1979, 1998, 2000

Final Thoughts

I had a lot of fun with this one. Was it a good value? Well, no. Not if you just look at the price of the components. I mean this is $200 for one liter of brandy. And the oldest 200 ml in there would sell for about $200 for a 750 ml, the second oldest going for $120 and the youngest ones are all $80 or under. So no, it really isn’t a good value on the face of it.

But a fun experience is worth some money. I’ve often wished that Four Roses would offer a collection of 50mL bottles from each of their 10 recipes for sale in the gift shop. Comparing all 10 side by side is a super fun experience. I know, I did a series of posts on it back in 2014. So, if you look at how much I enjoyed the experience of tasting these brandies side by side, then this gift set certainly is a good value. I would never be able to afford a full bottle of each to do the comparison so I think I’m happy to pay the premium for the experience. Especially since I either liked or loved every one in there.

Plus, I bought it with gift money. I’m supposed to buy myself something I wouldn’t have otherwise, right?

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Did you enjoy this post? If so, maybe you’d like to buy me a cup of coffee in return. Go to ko-fi.com/bourbonguy to support. And thank you, BourbonGuy.com is solely supported via your generosity.

Of course, if you want to support BourbonGuy.com and get a little something back in return, you can always head over to BourbonGuyGifts.com and purchase some merch. I’ve made tasting journals, stickers, pins, and more.

Empress 1908 Gin and a DIY Version

Empress 1908 gin is a Canadian Gin that has been infused with Butterfly Pea Flower to give it a blue hue. The cool thing about Butterfly Pea Flower infusions is that their color is sensitive to pH. In other words, if you increase the acidity of the liquid it will turn from dark blue to a lovely purple. And if you reduce the acidity of the liquid it will turn back to blue. It makes a lovely cup of tea. And I do mean lovely, the colors are beautiful.

And so when Empress 1908 gin, a gin infused with Butterfly Pea Flower, was brought to my attention I was very interested. A few years back, I spent an entire spring playing with infusing herbs, spices, fruit, flowers, and tea in alcohol. But I never ran across Butterfly Pea Flower in my experimentation. So, of course, the first thing I did was to look at their website. And since it is gin, I looked at the cocktail section. I found the following cocktail recipe for the Bees Knees.

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Isn’t that pretty? So of course, after I did the tasting notes, I decided to make that cocktail. I’m a sucker for pretty. Probably has something to do with my artistic streak. But speaking of tasting notes.

Empress 1908 Gin

Purchase info: $4.99 for a 50 mL bottle at the Party Source, Bellevue, KY

Price per Drink (50 mL): $4.99

Details: Botanicals on Website are: tea, juniper, rose, coriander seed, grapefruit peel, ginger root, cinnamon bark, and butterfly pea blossom. 42.5% ABV.

Nose: Juniper, ginger

Month: Delicately flavored. Think floral vodka. Not much juniper. Ginger is the dominant note.

Finish: Not much of one to speak of.

Thoughts: Kinda meh. It's a pretty mediocre gin with a great idea behind it. You don't buy this one to sip, this is purchased to make pretty drinks. So let's make that pretty drink above.

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Ummmm…I’m thinking that there might have been something going on with their website photography. the drink I made has the slightest purple tint. But it isn’t vibrant or really even purple if I’m being honest.

Ok, so the one reason you might want to buy this gin has fallen flat. I guess I won’t be spending the money on it in the future when I want to wow people with a cool science trick. But I did promise my wife pretty cocktails tonight so let's make our own, shall we?

As I mentioned above, I’ve known about Butterfly Pea Flower Tea for a while now. In fact, I’ve had some in the house for a little over a year. It’s a cool thing to bring out and wow the nieces and nephews with. And it tastes pretty good too. The one I buy is blue-tee from Wild Hibiscus. I buy it because they are individually sealed and I don’t use it very often.

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After that it is time to infuse the gin. Personally, one of my favorites is Beefeater…well, it’s my favorite that I would want to use in an experiment like this. I need about a cup and a half or so and I don’t want to use a more expensive and harder to replace craft-gin, like Castle & Key, for it. I pour the gin in a mason jar and then drop in the teabag. I’m not really worried about the flavor of the tea coming though. Gin already has a lot of botanicals and the butterfly pea flower tea is pretty delicately flavored. After about 5-10 minutes, I get the level of color I’m looking for.

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And so, for science, I went ahead and made the same cocktail as above. I think my version turned out a little better. A pretty cocktail for my pretty lady.

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Did you enjoy this post? If so, maybe you’d like to buy me a cup of coffee in return. Go to ko-fi.com/bourbonguy to support. And thank you, BourbonGuy.com is solely supported via your generosity.

Of course, if you want to support BourbonGuy.com and get a little something back in return, you can always head over to BourbonGuyGifts.com and purchase some merch. I’ve made tasting journals, stickers, pins, and more.

Underberg Natural Herb Bitters

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! If you are like most Americans, today you overate. You had turkey and stuffing and cranberries and potatoes and gravy and pie and mac and cheese and maybe a little wine. Or maybe you are like me and the only turkey you had was the WIld Turkey that you picked up at the liquor store last night that you sipped while you made a nice lasagna instead of any of the traditional fixings. In any case, there is a high probability that you had more food than was comfortable for you. And it is in the spirit of that overindulgence that I present to you a magical remedy for such a feeling.

Underberg Natural Herb Bitters.

This is a truly magical digestif that really does settle ease the stomach after a good meal. I first learned about it in the book Bitters by Brad Thomas Parsons. The book itself is fascinating and I reference it every time I make a new batch of bitters for myself. Anyway, Mr. Parsons lends an entire two page spread to the topic of Underberg. And it was with descriptions like the following, I was immediately intrigued.

The inky elixir within the distinctive straw-paper-shrouded 20-milliliter single-serving bottle isn’t meant to be sipped or added to a cocktail, but instead is designed to be tipped back in one quick shot, either straight from the bottle or poured into an ornate drinking vessel designed specifically for this purpose. (Parsons, B. T. (2011). Bitters: a spirited history of a classic cure-all, with cocktails, recipes, and formulas. Berkeley: Ten Speed Press. p 98-99.)

It wasn’t until I stopped at Binny’s Beverage Depot in Bloomington, IL on my way back from Kentucky that I finally found the stuff in the wild. One taste and I was hooked. The flavor was unlike anything I’d had before. And true to its promise, having one after a meal became my favorite way to help settle a too-full belly.

But it wasn’t long before I thought to myself: “I know this isn’t marketed as a cocktail ingredient, but it could be used that way, right?” And so I set upon the googles to see if I could find myself a recipe that satisfied my curiosity. A site called the Humble Garnish posted the following article: Underberg – The Unusual German Bitters and 7 Cocktails to Use It In which featured the following cocktail recipe:

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As a fan of Underberg, I thought the cocktail was great. It really showcased the Underberg. IT was very bitter and had a ton of baking spices. The drink was a bit mouth-numbing. I have to say though that this is the type of drink that I would find fascinating in a craft cocktail bar, but it left a little to be desired at home. I guess it just needs a bit of ambiance.

After I tried that, I decided to just swap it for the Angustora in an old fashioned. There, it worked great. I’d recommend going a bit heavier than usual on the simple syrup and I liked bourbon more than rye. But with that in mind, I thought it was great. I really liked it.

That said, the best use is probably the original. Throw it back as a shot after a good meal and welcome the peace it brings to both the mind and the belly.

Wondering what it tastes like?

Underberg Natural Herb Bitters

Purchase Info: $5.99 for a 3-pack of 20ml bottles at Total Wine, Burnsville, MN or $24.50 for a 15-pack on Amazon.

Details: 44% ABV

Nose: Menthol, anise, clove

Mouth: Licorice, cinnamon, menthol

Finish: Cinnamon, cloves, mint, lingering warm

Thoughts. I really like this. I usually buy it as a 15-pack from Amazon. Minty and warm. Lots of spices. It works great after a big meal. And being as it is Thanksgiving, we can all probably use that.

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BourbonGuy.com accepts no advertising. It is solely supported by the sale of the hand-made products and bourbon-related craft supplies I sell at the BourbonGuy Gifts store. If you'd like to support BourbonGuy.com, visit BourbonGuyGifts.com. And hey, if you are an iOS user, look for Bourbon Guy in Apple News. Thanks!

Hickory-Smoked Bourbon Gouda from Red Apple Cheese

If you’ve been reading for any length of time, you know that I live in Minnesota. But I wasn’t always a Minnesotan. I grew up in a very small rural town in Northwestern Wisconsin. I started life in a town that was a collection of buildings along one side of US Highway 63. There was a car dealership, a cemetery, a bar, a small post office, a few houses and a creamery that was known locally only as “the cheese factory.” I lived in a mobile home court that was located behind them all.

I grew up with the smell of warm curds in the wind as I walked past the creamery on my way to a local fishing hole. When I could steal a dollar from my dad, I wandered into their retail store to buy a soda, a piece of candy or a bag of fresh cheese curds. All in all, I had no idea that I was living a cheese-lovers dream (maybe not the trailer court, but the easy access to fresh cheese). I just knew that I liked the cheese that they made.

Fast-forward to adulthood and I had the opportunity to live all over Northern Wisconsin: Menomonie, Eau Claire, the Fox Cities. Everywhere I lived, I ended up finding a local creamery/cheese shop much like the one I grew up near. And each of those shops had their specialty. The one I grew up near specialized in cheeses like Muenster and mozzarella. The last one I lived near specialized in 10- to 15-year-old cheddar. That is the sort of cheese that will bite you back.

But, sadly, all of that ended when I moved to Minnesota. Gone were the small specialty cheese shops with creameries in the back. I could only get my cheese in the grocery stores. Which is fine, but. there is something about knowing that the delicious cheese you are buying is made behind the back wall of the store you are standing in. Luckily I make frequent trips back to see family and friends.

On the last such trip, my wife stopped into the Ellsworth Creamery to get some of their famous cheese curds. While in their retail shop, she found a cheese that was “quasi-local” that she thought would be of special interest to me. It is a Hickory-Smoked Bourbon Gouda from Red Apple Cheese. This cheese is produced from cow’s milk sourced from near Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, by a company in Connecticut. And unlike many “bourbon” foods, this one lists bourbon as one of the few ingredients. Needless to say, as this combines two of my favorite things on earth, I was very excited to give it a try.

Hickory-Smoked Bourbon Gouda from Red Apple Cheese

Purchase Info: Ellsworth Creamery, Ellsworth WI. Less than $10 but I don’t have the receipt.

Nose: A strong hit of whiskey on the nose with smoky notes backing it up.

Mouth: Whiskey sharpness and hickory smoke initially. After chewing, a lovely creaminess blossoms on the palate. There is a lingering smokiness.

Thoughts: There is a strong whiskey note to this cheese that might turn some people off. I like it though. This pairs really nicely with a glass of Wild Turkey 101 and works great as an evening snack with that and a few crackers.

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BourbonGuy.com accepts no advertising. It is solely supported by the sale of the hand-made products and bourbon-related craft supplies I sell at the BourbonGuy Gifts store. If you'd like to support BourbonGuy.com, visit BourbonGuyGifts.com. And hey, if you are an iOS user, look for Bourbon Guy in Apple News. Thanks!

Honey Feast Small Batch Bourbon Honey

Hey, guess what? I’m still sick. When I was a kid, my mom always gave me hot tea with a little lemon and honey in it to soothe my cough or sore throat. It seems to have stuck with me. Though these days, I skip the lemon and just want a little honey in the tea when I’m coughing (when I’m healthy I skip the honey too). So, since I am sick, I thought it might make sense to insert a little honey into tonight too.

A little over a year ago, I reviewed a bottle of Bourbon-Infused Honey from Stubees. I thought that my “honey with bourbon in it” needs were met. It tasted great, it was responsibly sourced, it worked great as a cocktail ingredient as well as on smoked meats and biscuits. I thought I was set. However, then I got an email from a reader about what he claimed was a better bourbon-infused honey that was also about half the price.

So I decided to check out Honey Feast. Right away I was impressed with their commitment to their local Florida community and to sustainable practices including having their bees gather nectar from organically grown plants so that the pesticides don’t kill the bees as well as keeping the pesticides out of the honey. I was also impressed with all the single plant varieties of honey that they offer. My favorite honey producer became my favorite for this same kind of variety.

Today, however, we are looking at their line of infused honeys. They offer Lavender, Hemp, Vanilla, Chili, Cacao, and of course, Bourbon. The company describes their Bourbon Honey as follows:

Our Small Batch Bourbon Honey is made one barrel at a time. We infuse Non GMO Kentucky bourbon into our 55 gallon barrel of Raw Wildflower Honey and let them get nice and happy together. Delicious in that morning coffee or drizzled on some biscuits. Perfect infused honey bourbon gift for the that bourbon lover.

And as for biscuits, I heartily second that notion. This is delicious on biscuits, cornbread, even a slice of toast. I’d go so far as to say that this is great as a topping where ever you really want to taste the honey and have a little bourbon come along for the ride. However, the bourbon flavor is a little more subdued than the last bourbon honey I tried and it doesn’t hold up as well in cocktails or a cup of tea. You get lots of honey flavor in each of them, but the bourbon notes are hardly noticeable. So I’d probably go with straight honey or a different brand if you are looking at this as a cocktail ingredient.

All that said, this is tasty enough that I’m certainly going to be looking at their other honeys. I’ve had Tupelo honey from another producer and love it so I’m looking at getting one to try from Honey Feast as well. And that Mangrove Honey looks very interesting…

Honey Feast Bourbon Honey is available at their website in three sizes: a 3 oz trial for $5, a 12 oz jar for $12.99 and a gallon bulk size for $90.

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BourbonGuy.com accepts no advertising. It is solely supported by the sale of the hand-made products and bourbon-related craft supplies I sell at the BourbonGuy Gifts store. If you'd like to support BourbonGuy.com, visit BourbonGuyGifts.com. And hey, if you are an iOS user, look for Bourbon Guy in Apple News. Thanks!

My Wandering Eye: A. de Fussigny Cognac Collection

My Wandering Eye is a series reacting to the crazy rising prices in the bourbon world. We’ve reached a place where even average products have hit the range where they compete price-wise with other types of aged spirits. If I’m going be asked to drop $40 to $70 on a mid-range bourbon, I might as well see what else I can get for that money. My hope is to see if another spirits category offers something that is downright tasty in that price range. The goal isn’t to find cheap spirits, but to maximize the quality, I’m getting at a particular price point. And one thing to remember is that these reviews will all be written from the perspective of a bourbon drinker.

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As we are coming up on the Autumn Whiskey Release season, I think it is just about time to clear out the last of the items I bought the last time my eye wandered down the brandy aisle at Total Wine. It was a while ago as I was, once again, looking for a Christmas gift for my Korbel Brandy loving father. Often times, I will get him a cognac or an armagnac for Christmas as a treat. But of course, when I look for a gift for him, I often walk out with at least one gift for me as well.

The thing I found interesting about this gift set was that the company that produced it apparently bottled brandies from each of the regions they produce in separately. So conceivably you could taste the terroir of each region. It reminded me of a daydream I had many years ago of buying five barrels of new make whiskey from the same batch at the same distillery and aging them each in different climates to see what the differences were. Needless to say, that idea was too expensive for me. But if you want to do that feel free, just be sure to send me a sample of each when they are done.

A. de Fussigny Cognac Collection

Petite Champagne VSOP

Nose: Delicate floral notes along with light wintergreen and dried fruit.

Mouth: Cinnamon, dried fruit, white sugar.

Finish: Fairly bitter.

Thoughts: Not a fan of this one. Can't get past the bitter finish. This is a distant number 5 of 5. We are not starting out well.

Borderies VSOP

Nose: Subtle. light notes of baking spice.

Mouth: Sweet, Floral, nutty and peppery.

Finish: Black pepper and caramel sweetness.

Thoughts: Nice pepperiness to it. Took me by surprise. It’s ok, but I wouldn’t seek it out. I rank this number 4 of the 5.

Fins Bois VSOP

Nose: Carmel covered raisins.

Mouth: Sweet and spicy, dried fruit, baking spice.

Finish: Caramel and baking spice.

Thoughts: Sweet. Very bourbon-like finish. This is where we enter the ones that we actually liked. Number 3 of the 5.

Organic VSOP

Nose: Lemon lime soda, light notes of baking spice

Mouth: Citrus, baking spice, almond.

Finish: Candied Almonds.

Thoughts: Delicate but quite tasty. This is a close number 2. I really like this one.

Grande Champagne VSOP

Nose: Dried fruit with a lime-like tartness.

Mouth: Lime, clove, mint, dried fruit.

Finish: Citrus and baking spice.

Thoughts: Refreshing. I like this one quite a bit. It reminds me of my favorite summer white wines with how crisp and refreshing it is. I liked this enough to look up the price. Total Wine has it for about $70 for a 750 mL. I may have to pick a bottle up next time it is in stock. I think it’s worth it.

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BourbonGuy.com accepts no advertising. It is solely supported by the sale of the hand-made products I sell at the BourbonGuy Gifts store. If you'd like to support BourbonGuy.com, visit BourbonGuyGifts.com. And if you are an iOS user, look for Bourbon Guy in Apple News. Thanks!

A BourbonGuy Look at a Random Selection of Amaros (and Related Items)

A couple of years ago, I reviewed the book Amaro by Brad Parsons. It was eye opening to me because at the time I bought it, I knew the author but not the subject matter. I honestly had no idea what an amaro was and was shocked to find that, depending on how broad of a definition you use, I had two of them in my cocktail station.

Since the time of that review, I have literally tripled the number of “true” amaros that I keep in the house. That’s right, I’ve gone from one to three. By the expanded definition that Mr. Parsons’s book uses, I had three and now have five. But that doesn’t sound nearly as impressive.

Speaking of the definition if I am going to take a look at a random selection of amaros, I should probably spell that out for you, shouldn’t I? The definition that I use is the subtitle to the book that first defined it for me. Amaro: The Spirited World of Bittersweet, Herbal Liqueurs is the full title so I use “bittersweet, herbal liqueur” as my definition. I’m not running an encyclopedia of non-bourbon spirits here so I don’t feel too bad about being more general in my definition than a site that specializes in the category would use.

Now most of these came into my house on the wings of a cocktail recipe. You obviously need Campari for a Negroni or a Boulevardier. Fernet-Branca was something that was sent to me as a sample well before I officially accepted samples and I kept buying it because I really enjoy the Toronto cocktail. Ramazzotti I bought because I was intrigued by a recipe I found for a Black Manhattan, but not knowing anything about Amaro, I bought what I could afford. Averna I bought to make a Black Manhattan when the store I was at didn’t carry Ramazzotti. And Amaro Montenegro I bought because it was used in a drink that I really enjoyed during my last trip to Vegas.

So now that you know how I chose all of these, let’s look at each one individually. I’m going to give you a little background info drawn from Mr. Parsons’s book, as well as my nosing and tasting notes. Since the Black Manhattan was what started me dipping my toes into the world of amaro, I’ll look at whether or not it works in a bourbon version of that recipe using Heaven Hill 6 year old Bottled in Bond (now discontinued). If it doesn’t work in that, I’ll give you the recipe of a cocktail that I do like it in.

Amaro Montenegro

Background info: 23% ABV. Produced in Bologna, Italy. Known ingredients include orange peel and vanilla.

Nose: Floral, cloves, mint, ginger.

Mouth: Cola, orange, ginger, light herbal notes. Faint lingering bitterness.

Does it Black Manhattan? Yes. The resulting drink is herbal, floral and sweet. It complements the bourbon nicely.

Ramazzotti

Background info: 30% ABV. Produced in Canelli, Italy. Known ingredients include bitter orange, cardamom, clove, galangal, myrrh, star anise and sweet orange.

Nose: Black pepper, anise and citrus.

Mouth: Sweet. Follows the nose with citrus, anise and black pepper notes.

Does it Black Manhattan? Yes. The resulting drink brings out the cherry and baking spice notes of the bourbon.

Averna

Background info: 29% ABV. Produced in Caltanissetta, Italy. Known ingredients include lemon and orange essential oils and pomegranate.

Nose: Molasses, a slight smokiness, rosemary leaf.

Mouth: Caramel candy, wintergreen, root beer, and cinnamon.

Does it Black Manhattan? Yes. The resulting drink is sweet and brings out the herbal and baking spice notes of the bourbon. Tastes like you mixed the last two in some proportion

Fernet-Branca

Background info: 39% ABV. Produced in Milan, Italy. Known ingredients include aloe ferox, bitter orange, cardamom, chamomile, cinchona bark, galangal, laraha, laurel, myrrh, rhubarb root, saffron, and zedoaria.

Nose: Menthol, nutmeg, flower petals.

Mouth: Menthol, peppermint, lightly burnt sugar, an underlying bitterness, and lingering herbal notes.

Does it Black Manhattan? NO!!!. The resulting drink is just menthol and bitterness. Though I basically knew this wouldn’t work going in due to the relatively high quantity of amaro in the drink. Instead, might I recommend the Toronto?

the Toronto Cocktail

2 oz Rye 
1/4 ounce Fernet Branca
1/4 ounce Simple Syrup
2 dashes of aromatic bitters

Campari

Background info: 24% ABV. Produced in Milan, Italy. Known ingredients include water and alcohol. They won’t admit to anything else according to Mr. Parsons.

Nose: Bitter orange peel, a hint of mint.

Mouth: Very bitter. Very sweet. Lingering bitter orange peel and floral notes.

Does it Black Manhattan? Not really. The Campari overpowers the bourbon. Instead, might I recommend a Negoni, a Boulevardier, or if you are feeling up to the bitterness, a Bitter Black Manhattan?

Negroni

1 oz Gin
1 oz Sweet Vermouth
1 oz Campari

Boulevardier

2 oz Rye or Bourbon
1 oz Sweet Vermouth
1 oz Campari

Bitter Black Manhattan

2 oz Rye or Bourbon
1/2 oz Ramazzotti Amaro 
1/2 oz Campari
2 dash Orange Bitters
Orange Peel (for garnish)

I’m going to tell you right now, that I understand that this is not an exhaustive list. But these are the ones I’ve tried, liked and continued to buy. I do think I need to continue to look further afield though. After this experiment, I’m interested enough to do so. If you have any recommendations, leave them in the comments.

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