Grob Vays Hunt (Dirty White Dog, Israeli edition)

Indulging in my hobby for a span of over 8 enriching years, I find myself in a realm of contentment. Throughout this journey, I've embarked on a delightful array of experiences that once seemed beyond the realm of possibility. Venturing across borders, I've wandered through the picturesque landscapes of France, Spain, and Italy, all in the name of my passion.

My hobby has unveiled an assortment of captivating moments, including immersing myself in workshops that unravelled the art of whisky blending. A captivating memory involves being immersed in the world of wine menus, cocktail menus, and even try out restaurant menus, an honour that never ceases to amaze me. Reflecting on this journey, it's hard to pinpoint any notable sources of frustration, though a flicker of curiosity remains.

I've been granted the privilege of sampling an eclectic array of spirits from various corners of the world. Yet, often, these encounters have centred around commercial offerings or carefully curated cask samples. What truly stirs my intrigue is the unadulterated essence of these spirits – the 'new make' spirit, freshly born from the distillation process. This delicate elixir, the true soul of distillation, remains safeguarded by many distilleries, a treasure rarely shared even in the context of workshops or distillery visits.

Gone are the days of clandestine moonshine; however, a refreshing exception can be found in distilleries like Milk & Honey, nestled in the heart of Tel Aviv, Israel. Here, a spirit of innovation and openness thrives. A spark of interest from enthusiasts, and they readily bottle their New Make spirit.

In the ever-evolving landscape of media, Belgian television screens are currently graced by the presence of series spotlighting Jewish families. This trend presented an opportune moment to craft a libation that pays homage to the distinctive Israeli spirit. Enter the scene, with the "Grob Vays Hunt” (Dirty White Dog), a tantalizing concoction that offers a Moonshine-inspired twist on the classic Dirty Martini.

Grob Vays Hunt 

Ingredients

60ml M&H New Make

20ml Dry Vermouth

5ml Simple Syrup

A dash of olive brine (Feeling adventurous? Explore with different pickle brines)

Method

Combine all the ingredients in a mixing glass generously filled with ice.

Stir the mixture gracefully for 15 seconds, allowing the flavours to harmonize. Strain the elixir into a chilled Martini glass, a vessel of elegance. Garnish this masterpiece with a solitary green olive, a symbol of both tradition and innovation.

As I savour each sip of the Grob Vays Hunt, I'm reminded of the remarkable journey that has unfolded through my beloved hobby. A journey that has taken me across borders, into distilleries, and now, into the realm of mixology, where creativity intertwines with tradition. So, as I raise my glass, I celebrate not only the spirits that have quenched my thirst but the endless possibilities that lie ahead in my cherished journey. 

With this drink, I also salute my friend Glenn, who is leaving his position at Cinoco Spirits to explore new opportunities. Without the endless support of this dedicated spirits professional, my blog would not have attracted the audience it marks today. Thank you, Glenn, hope to see you again soon. 

Disclaimer: All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Consulting unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Pink Russian - Happy Tequila Day !!!

Happy #NationalTequilaDay !!! 

I have to admit that I was a bit puzzled when I received this bottle of Tequila Rose. 

Just to be clear, this is NOT a bottle of Tequila, but a creamy liqueur which might remind you of Baileys Irish Cream. But completely different. This is a very fruity mix of Tequila and strawberries. Lots of strawberries, you only get a slight hint of Tequila in the tail. Perfect for low-alcohol shots, perfect for visitors and friends who don’t like “real” cocktails. 

But of course, I intend to use it in a cocktail anyway. (Ok, we did some shots too 😉. That’s when we experienced the ‘blooper’ we’ll post in the stories on Facebook and Instagram)

On the website of Tequila Rose I discovered several recipes, but… no. I don’t intend to create a liquid dessert, I want a real cocktail. A boozy cocktail. Google told me lots of people already tried to mix this, not always successful… but in a few cases the result seemed to head in the right direction. I decided to experiment with one of those ideas, but with slightly more respect for ‘The Dude’. 

Pink Russian

Ingredients

45 ml Vodka (Any cheap bottle will be just fine, the mix of coffee and strawberry flavours will be dominant anyway)

40 ml Tequila Rose

25 ml Kahlua Coffee Liqueur

Heavy cream or whipped cream

Method

You could throw all ingredients in a shaker or blender and strain over fresh ice. The result will be a “Fristi”-style drink for adults. 

But that’s absolutely not what I’m looking for. With slightly more respect for “the Dude” (Yes, I’m a fan!), I’m building my drink directly in a tumbler with ice. It has to look a bit messy. It needs the cream on top. And yes, this is much more difficult because whatever you do, the drink still might end up looking like the “adult Fristi”. Just have a try and follow my lead…

Add the coffee liqueur to a tumbler with lots of ice. Next, add the vodka. Top with a mixture of whipped cream and Tequila rose. Don’t stir, don’t garnish. 

For the best result, I whipped up the cream and carefully added it on top of the drink, next I gently coated the whipped cream with (ice cold!) Tequila rose. It looked good and the taste was exactly what I had in mind. The flavours will partly blend, but you will experience the different taste sensations one after the other while enjoying the drink. 

I do recommend trying the drink this way because the taste experience is completely different from the “adult-Fristi”. This is MUCH better!!!

Eat your strawberries with a glass of good quality Prosecco, but keep them away from this drink. “Yeah, well, you know, that’s just, like, my opinion, man.”

(*) Several references made to the movie ‘The Big Lebowski’, where the ‘White Russian’ drink is present throughout the entire movie. 

Disclaimer: All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

White Paddy

Still impressed by Shanky’s Whip, I couldn’t resist mixing up another variation on a great classic drink. This liqueur reminds me so much of the Mokatine sweets from my youth, I’m sure it can add the necessary coffee flavour and sweetness to drinks that really call for that. Today I’m mixing up a variation on the classic cocktail “The White Russian”, which was invented in 1949 by Belgian bartender Gustave Tops. 

The Dude would probably like this variation… but if you think otherwise, you are allowed to say “Yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man.” (*)

For my variation, I’m aiming for a bold slow-sipping drink based on Irish whiskey and liqueur.

First I tried the stirred version with heavy cream, which results in a brownish cream drink that looks very similar to Carolans or Baileys. 

I thought about it for a couple of days and I took another path, just adding all ingredients to a tumbler with ice cubes and topping it with whipped cream. Damn, this is fantastic. It breaks almost every rule in bartending. No shaking or stirring, just add everything to your glass. It’s almost like an explosion of flavours in your mouth. First the softness of the whipped cream, then you get the sweet coffee flavours and the whiskey rounds up with a nice strong finish. Try it, you’ll be surprised. And because the whipped cream contains lots of air, the drink doesn’t get messy as fast as the other variations. You'll have time to serve it to your visitor. 

My experience just couldn't be better... 'The Big Lebowski' was actually on TV the evening when I mixed this drink...

White Paddy

Ingredients
45 ml Teeling Irish whiskey (rum cask)
30 ml Shanky’s Whip Irish Whisky Liqueur
10 ml Vanilla syrup
Heavy cream or whipped cream

Method

There are several ways (and serves) for this drink: 

- If you want the serve to look like a glass of Irish Cream: 

Add whisky, syrup and liqueur to your shaker with ice. Give it a good shake. Strain into a tumbler with fresh ice. Add heavy cream. Gently stir the cream in your drink. No garnish needed. 

- If you want a bold and unblended look: 

Add the syrup and liqueur to your tumbler with ice. Next, add the whiskey. Top with whipped cream. Don’t stir, don’t garnish. The flavours will partly blend, but you will still get the different taste sensations while enjoying the drink. And yes, it will look a bit messy in the end too… just like the Dude himself. 

(*) Quote from the movie “The Big Lebowski”, a movie in which the main character 'The Dude' drinks multiple White Russians.

Disclaimer: All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Xmas Gifts Parade 2021 - Carolans Irish Cream

Of course you can also have nice cocktails after dinner. Carolans Irish Cream is a fantastic base for such drinks. It works very good with coffee and/or cocoa flavours. 

Born in Ireland’s County Tipperary in 1978, Carolans takes its name from the legendary 17th century harpist, Turlough O’Carolan. Next to the regular Irish Cream, they also have bottles with salted caramel and Cold Brew editions. "The Dude" would love this.

Celtic Russian

Ingredients

30 ml Carolans Irish Cream

45 ml Filliers Vodka

22,5 ml Crème de cacao

Method

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with lots of ice and give it a good shake. When it’s properly chilled, strain into your glass. Dust the drink with cocoa. 

Disclaimer: All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Beachcomber on the rocks : Casa Magdalena rum

It’s Friday… let’s have a tasty cocktail tonight !!! 

This week I received a huge box with new spirits to test and sample in the next weeks. Almost half of the bottles are rums. And what’s even more rare, a couple of white rums. I think they might be the first white rums I ever received for testing. We have tested lots of aged and spiced rums in the last years. 

Let’s try a few classic recipes that really benefit from a high quality white rum.

The first bottle I’m using is Casa Magdalena Ron Blanco from Guatemala, made from Magdalena sugar cane, harvested by hand. You can taste earthiness and grassy aromas born from the rich ashes of the three volcanos surrounding the distillery : Agua, Fuego and Acatenango. The light golden color reminds that the rum was aged on American whisky barrels and filtered to remove the color. 

Beachcomber on the rocks

Ingredients
60 ml Casa Magdalena Ron Blanco
20 ml Triple Sec
20 ml Fresh lime juice
2 dashes Maraschino liqueur
2 drops of simple syrup

Method
Shake with lots of ice. Serve in a tumbler with fresh ice. Garnish with a flower and pineapple leaves. 

Disclaimer : All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Dirty White Dog

 

Since about two months ago, we have a small white puppy at home. Her name is Penny and she really loves to play in the garden. The result most of the times is that she’s not really white anymore and needs a bath.

When I was joking about this with my neighbour (who also has dogs) on WhatsApp, he sent me a GIF with a “Dirty White Dog” cocktail, which is a variation on the well-known classic, The Dirty Martini. I never heard of this variation before and immediately wanted to try this.

A dirty white dog is a spirit-forward cocktail with a strong base of clear unaged whisky-spirit (you can’t call it whisky until it has aged for at least 3 years). “New make” is another name for this. It’s also a nostalgic reminder of the Moonshine that was distilled illegally in the Appalachian forests at night.

In liqueur stores you should be able to find (or order) a few brands of unaged whisky-spirit. Ole Smoky is present in almost any liqueur store and some supermarkets, but also local brands like The Belgian Owl have bottles with their new make spirit.

Of course I adapted the recipe a bit to my personal taste. I have to admit this was one of the tastiest cocktails I have tried in months. Damn, this was good… why haven’t I tried this one before ?!

Dirty White Dog

Ingredients
5 cl Ole Smoky Moonshine
2 cl Forest Dry Vermouth
1 cl Olive Brine (the liquid from your jar of olives, mostly a mix of salt, vinegar and water)

Method
Add everything to your mixglass with lots of ice. Stir for 30 seconds. Strain in a chilled Martini glass. Add an olive.

Disclaimer : All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Negroniweek 2018 : White Negroni

Tijdens de Negroniweek zit mijn tijdslijn vol met foto’s van felrode drankjes, maar ook daarvan kan je wel eens afwijken. Morgen gaan we opnieuw voor rood, maar vandaag deel ik een recept voor de White Negroni.

Het verhaal van de originele Negroni is welbekend : De Italiaanse Graaf Camillo Negroni dronk steevast Americano’s, maar ergens in 1919 vroeg hij in Caffe Casoni aan zijn vaste bartender Fosco Scarselli om zijn Americano toch eens wat sterker te maken. De bartender wisselde het spuitwater voor Gin en koos een sinaasappelzeste i.p.v. citroen om duidelijk te maken dat dit een ander drankje was. De Negroni was geboren.

99 jaar later zijn er al heel wat variaties gemaakt op deze klassieker, maar eentje daarvan is zo afwijkend, maar ook zodanig lekker dat hij zelf een klassieker aan het worden is, de White Negroni op basis van Suze. Deze cocktail werd voor het eerst gemaakt door bartender Wayne Collins tijdens VinExpo 2001 in Bordeaux. Hij maakte een cocktail met even delen Plymouth Gin, Lilet Blanc en Suze. Suze vervangt in deze cocktail de Campari en is een Franse likeur op basis van gentiaan. Wij maken uiteraard weer onze eigen versie van deze lekkere bitterzoete cocktail.

White Negroni

Ingrediënten
30 ml Belroy’s Gin
30 ml Suze likeur
30 ml Forest Vermouth White

Bereiding
Voeg alle ingrediënten samen in een mengbeker met veel ijs. Roeren tot de cocktail ijskoud is. Strainen in een tumblerglas met een grote ijsbal. Versieren met een zeste van pompelmoes en/of een eetbaar bloemetje.