Drink Matron

Should we gift for St Patrick’s Day?

Drink Matron — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 17:54:08 +0000

My answer – YES. Let’s gift to our Irish brethren lots of liquor and beer. Doesn’t matter where they live, or where they were born, if you have an Irishman or woman in your home, give them something this Saturday that will cheer the kelly green pants off of them.

I think I’m going to give Adrian some Irish whiskey. Some good stuff. He’s not religious, so I could give him any kind I want to. Bushmills? Maybe. Jameson? Yeah, no. He does not like it. hmmmm….

What I REALLY think he would like would be Connemara Cask Strength Peated Single Malt Irish Whiskey from Cooley Distillery.

Forbes (yes, I’m quoting Forbes) describes it as traditional yet smokey, with “hints at toffee and dried fruit in the nose with a full-bodied and sweetly fruity palate rife with caramel, pistachio, anise, golden raisins and peat. A long, sweet spice finish with a hot flash of pepper.”

Doesn’t that sound good? And it’s pretty reasonably priced…only around $60.

Now I just have to find it and some money, and he’ll be drinking in style.

Irish Car Bombs

Adrian Hannah — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 20:47:27 +0000

The Irish Car Bomb is a staple of the St. Patrick’s Day diet. This delightful bomb shot consists of Irish stout, Irish whiskey, and Irish cream, and is definitely a tasty addition to the line up of potent potables imbibed on this most auspicious of occasions.

The Irish Car Bomb was invented in 1979 by Charles Burke Cronin Oat at Wilson’s Saloon in Norwich, CT. Originally, Oat had crafted a shot he called “The Grandfather” which was two parts Baileys and one part Kahlua. He felt something was missing from this and eventually added a splash of Irish whiskey on top of the shot. Commenting on the bubbling explosion-like reaction the whiskey had on the shot, Oat proclaimed “the IRA just showed up!” Thus, the Grandfather became the IRA. Several years later, while Oat was drinking IRAs and Guinness, he impulsively dropped the explosive concoction into what was left of his beer and drank it. It was a success with other patrons and now we have the Irish Car Bomb.

In the time since then, Kahlua has been dropped from the recipe leaving only the Irish ingredients. However, the original Irish Car Bomb is still around. These days it’s called a Belfast Car Bomb.

Irish Car Bomb

1/2 pint Irish stout (typically Guinness)
1/2 ounce Irish cream (typically Bailey’s)
1/2 ounce Irish whiskey (typically Jameson)

Mix the Irish cream with the Irish whiskey in a shot glass. Pour the half-pint of stout into a pint glass. Drop the shot glass into the pint glass and slam.

Note: You should drink this as fast as possible because the way that the ingredients react to each other causes the Irish cream to curdle quickly. The flavor isn’t affected but drinking a half-pint of curdled anything is just plain gross.

Belfast Car Bomb

1/2 pint Irish stout (typically Guinness)
1/2 ounce Irish cream (typically Bailey’s)
1/4 ounce coffee liqueur (typically Kahlua)
1 splash Irish whiskey (typically Jameson)

Mix the Irish cream with the coffee liqueur in a shot glass. Add a splash of Irish whiskey on top of your shot. Pour a half-pint of Irish stout into a pint glass. Drop the shot glass into the pint glass and slam.

Happy National Absinthe Day!

Drink Matron — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 18:08:36 +0000

For the last five years, March 5 has been National Absinthe day, celebrating the legalization of Absinthe in the U.S.
Today, we encourage you to try the Green Fairy, whether it’s the first time ever or the first time this week.

Super Bowl Sunday

Drink Matron — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 20:38:08 +0000

Hey! It’s Super Bowl Sunday! What are you plans? What are you drinking? Where you going? Who you hoping to win?

Rose Bowl Celebrations

Drink Matron — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 23:54:37 +0000

How are you celebrating the Rose Bowl? Who are you rooting for – Wisconsin or Oregon?

Dashed dreams of applejack

Drink Matron — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 17:55:27 +0000

For a while now, we’ve been planning on scrapping the advice I give in my “Applejack: America’s forgotten liquor” article and seeing if we can freeze distillate our very own batch of tasty applejack. We talked on end about it last winter and did nothing, and now that we’ve got a batch of hard cider yeasting away in our dining room, the cold temps of winters past seem to have forgotten us, leaving no hope for any naughty illegal spirits brewing on the back deck.

There’s always next year, I suppose. Or maybe February…

Applejack – America’s Forgotten Liquor

Drink Matron — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 16:53:03 +0000

Until the recent surge in mixing classic cocktails, Applejack had become a forgotten gem of America’s drinking culture. Surprisingly, however, this liquor plays part in some of our most traditional drinks.

Finding new cocktails to try is something that has always intrigued me. Mixing standard liquors with odd washes like guava juice was a great way for me to find what I like and don’t like and has given me the ability to offer the best advice to those who are looking for a new taste.

But I’d never heard of applejack. At least, I’d never heard of the liquor called applejack. I had, of course, heard of the combination of apple schnapps and Jack Daniels that made my friends and me pucker our lips and shake out the dry whiskey taste. But the two are far from the same.

The first time I heard of applejack was when I received a comment from a reader who was offended that I would use apple schnapps in anything, and recommended that I try the old spirit by mixing up a classic Jack Rose. After that, I kept running into the booze in my readings and conversations. So I decided it was time to learn a little bit about this old colonial favorite.

Freeze Distillation

Applejack is traditionally made from concentrating hard cider by a method of freeze distillation. Freeze distillation is a process of concentrating the alcohol in a fermented beverage by freezing it, then removing the frozen material. Because water freezes before the alcohol, the more the beverage is frozen, the more water is removed, leaving a higher concentration of alcohol when the freezing process is complete.

The drink tastes strongly of apples (due to the cider), and because jacking is a term used for freeze distillation, the liquor was named applejack. Because of the possible dangers of freeze distillation, this process has become less popular and is illegal in many countries. You must have a license to use this process, so please do not try it at home.

The Origin of Applejack

It seems that applejack was discovered by accident. In the 17th century, northern American farmers would leave their hard cider outside during the winter months to keep it cold. Any liquid that froze was removed, leaving a more potent blend behind. Once this became apparent, people began collecting apples and creating their own.

Applejack Cocktail Recipes

Jack Rose

The original applejack cocktail.

1 1/2 oz Applejack,
1/2 oz Grenadine,
The Juice of 1/2 Lime

Fill a shaker over half full of ice and pour in the ingredients. Shake vigorously and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Applecart

Don’t upset it.

1 1/2 oz Applejack
1 oz Triple Sec
1/2 oz Lemon juice

Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake well and strain into chilled cocktail glass.

Widow’s Kiss

1 1/2 oz Applejack
1/2 oz Chartreuse Green
3/4 oz Benedictine Liqueur
2 Dashes of Bitters

Stir with small amount of ice and strain into a champagne glass. Garnish with a cherry.

Happy New Year!

Drink Matron — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 16:43:25 +0000

It’s New Year’s Eve and it’s time to CELEBRATE! Tonight we’ll be drinking a variety of beers at one of our favorite local joints, and ringing in the new year in style! What are you up to? How will you celebrate the coming of the infamous 2012?!
Tell us! Email newyears@drinkmatron.com, comment here, post on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/drinkmatron or tweet us @drinkmatron. We look forward to seeing what you’re up to!
Remember that if you’re drinking tonight, be safe, know your limits and NEVER drink and drive!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Before we eat, we drink and eat…Bloodies!

Drink Matron — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 04:32:30 +0000

Yes, we do have pint glasses with our names on them, courtesy of my awesomely creative sister, Becky, and her wedding.

Good Morning and Happy Thanksgiving!

Drink Matron — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 17:15:46 +0000

Mimosas – start your turkey day out right.