Review: Triple Sec (Meaghers)

Today, I am completing my series of Orange Liqueurs which has comprised a very representative sampling of category including several of the major Triple Sec and Orange Curacao brands in the marketplace. My final review in the series is a Canadian product produced by Corby called simply Triple Sec (Meaghers).

Meaghers has been producing traditional liqueurs in Canada (in a variety of flavours) since 1873. In fact they were the first domestic distiller to produce a full line of flavoured liqueurs. In 1978, Corby purchased Meaghers Distillery Limited of Montreal absorbing the Meaghers brands into the Corby portfolio. Their Triple Sec (formerly called Grand Curacao), is a traditional orange flavoured liqueur bottled at 35 % alcohol by volume. It is widely available in Canada and has some distribution in the US.

You may click on the link to read the full review:

“… the aroma from the liqueur is quite nice. The orange notes, although readily recognizable, are tainted just a little by a light earthiness. I do not sense any clear differentiation between the sweet orange notes and the more bitter orange peel which is evident in other orange liqueurs. Instead, the sweet and the bitter orange seem to be melded together …”

Please Enjoy the review, and my nice Scotch Whisky cocktail which is included, Soft Touch!

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If you are interested, here is a listing of all the orange flavoured liqueurs and spirits I have reviewed to date:

• Bols Blue (Curacao)
• Bols Triple Sec
• Cointreau
• Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge
• Meagher’s Triple Sec
• Patrón Citrónge
• Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao
• Magic Moments Remix Orange Flavoured Vodka

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Review: Cointreau

Adolphe and Edouard-Jean Cointreau first established their distillery in 1849. Although their first success was with a wild cherry liqueur called Guignolet (still available in France); they are more famous for the production of their sweet orange liqueur, Cointreau which was first distilled by Edouard-Jean’s son Edouard. The first bottles of Cointreau were sold in 1875, and by the early 1900′s, sales had reached 800,000 bottles per year. The brand is now owned by Rémy Martin, with annual estimated sales of 13 million bottles, world-wide.

According to the Cointreau website, this orange liqueur is produced according to a secret recipe which includes sun-dried orange peels, alcohol, sugar and water. It is bottled at 40 % alcohol by volume.

You may click on the following excerpt to read my review of this iconic orange liqueur.

“… The nose is very nice with a clear orange notes radiating from the glass into the breezes. I catch wiffs of both fresh-cut Valencia oranges, and what smells to me like the peel of both Mandarin and Curacao oranges. I also note a distinct impression of lemon drop candies wandering through those clear orange notes …”

A few years ago, I designed a bar drink for Old Parr Superior Whisky, which uses Cointreau in conjunction with lime juice and  Orange and Mango Soda. The cocktail called, the Scottish Tumbler, has been included at the end of the review for your enjoyment!

Cheers Everyone, and please remember to enjoy your cocktails in a responsible manner!

Review: Bols Triple Sec

Lucas Bols advertises itself as the oldest distillation company active in the world today with origins that trace back to 1575. After 438 years, the company has grown to become one of the leading global concerns in the spirits industry. Bols has a presence in over 110 countries selling liqueurs, vodka, gin, and genever. The wide range of  liqueurs is particularly impressive. With 36 naturally flavoured liqueurs, the company can boast the widest range of liqueur flavours in the world.

Bols Triple Sec is a crystal clear liqueur flavoured with sugar, Curaçao orange peel, and hints of citrus. I have met and talked with Bols Flavour expert, Peter Van’t Zelfde, and learned that all of the Bols Liqueurs are made from naturally produced flavours. These flavours have been extracted and/or distilled from base ingredients like fresh fruits and spices. The orange liqueur is bottled at 24 % alcohol by volume.

Please click on the following Excerpt to read the full review:

“… According to the information I have been given, Bols Triple Sec is produced from a blend of citrus fruit which includes Valencia oranges, and lemons. However, the main ingredient, (and the one on full display in both the taste and the aroma) is slightly bitter but highly aromatic Curacao orange …”

My review includes a very nice tequila based cocktail, the Dreadful Lemon Sky.

Please enjoy!

Review: Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge

I have been given a few Orange liqueurs to review from a few different sources over the past few months, Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao, from Cognac Ferrand; and Citrónge, from Patron Spirits just to name two. Rather than reviewing those spirits in isolation, I have decided to grab a few of my orange flavoured spirits from my shelf, and review them as well. Hence today, I am publishing my review for Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge, a popular orange-flavored, brandy based liqueur created by Alexandre Marnier-Lapostolle in 1880.

It is apparently produced from Cognac, neutral spirit, distilled essence of bitter orange, and sugar. The Cognac in particular is important as fully 51 % of the final volume of the spirit is blended Cognac. This aged spirit is blended with water and a neutral spirit which contains the distilled essence of bitter orange. The final liqueur is bottled at 40% alcohol by volume, and is meant to be served neat as an aperitif or used as an ingredient in fine cocktail recipes.

You may click on the following excerpt to read my full review:

“… The overall structure of the liqueur seems to be always at the edge. The orange is almost too bitter; the sugar is almost too sweet; and the wood spiciness is almost too biting, yet never do these flavours build to the point where the spirit becomes cloying. It is a well constructed spirit which walks a path along the precipice, but which never tumbles over …”

Please enjoy my review and the suggested recipe Maximiliano Tequila, which mixes Grand Marnier to great effect with aged tequila.

Cheers!

Review: Patrón Citrónge

Patrón Citrónge is a relatively new orange liqueur from Patron Spirits produced in Jalisco, Mexico at the same distillery which makes Patron Tequila (although in a separate building, as per CRT regulations). The orange based liqueur is produced from an agave based neutral spirit, and of course natural orange flavours. There may be other ingredients in the mix; but if there is, Patron is not telling me. The spirit is bottled at a full 40 % alcohol by volume, and I was provided with a sample bottle by Select Wines & Spirits who are the distributors of Citrónge here in Alberta.

You may click on the following excerpt to read my full review:

“… Alongside the aroma of fresh-cut navels oranges is the unmistakable aroma of herbaceous agave. It is not as firm as what one would notice when snooting a glass of blanco tequila; but it is unmistakable. Hints of white pepper, fruity aromas of garden squash and grilled pineapple are all represented in the air above the glass. The normally clear orange scents are somewhat masked by this herbaceous aroma …”

Please enjoy my review of this interesting orange Liqueur, and of course, enjoy my new cocktail recipe included in the review, April Showers.

Cheers everyone!

Review: Luksusowa Wisniowa (Cherry Vodka)

I was surprised when I received the press materials for Luksusowa Wisniowa (the cherry flavoured version). I discovered that the Vodka Liqueur which carries the Luksusowa name may not in fact use the potato based Luksusowa Vodka as its base spirit. Instead, Luksusowa Wisniowa (according to the press materials given to me anyway) is a cherry flavoured vodka made from real cherry fruit and the finest grain spirit.

Irregardless, of how the spirit was produced, the deep reddish tones of the spirit and its lovely cherry flavour make it a perfect flavoured Vodka for Valentines Day Cocktails, which is why I have chosen today to publish my review:

Your may click on the following excerpt to read the full review:

Secret Admirer

“… In the breezes above the glass I notice quite a bit of spice in the air and the scent of a lightly sweet hard cherry candy. The spice reminds me of cardamom or ginger and seems to give the aroma a light effervescence which was rather unexpected. Hints of menthol arise, and although I am not really sure, I seem to receive an impression of Ruby Port wine in those breezes …”

Of course I have a few of those Valentines cocktails as well:

Oh My Valentine!

The Secret Admirer

Review: Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao

Pierre Ferrand Dry Orange Curacao

The liqueur we know as Curacao is traditionally made with Curaçao oranges, which are (of course) found on the Caribbean Island of the same name. These oranges are actually descendants of the more familiar Valencia Orange which were brought to the island of Curacao by Spanish traders centuries ago. The Valencia orange did not do very well in the new climate as the oranges which were planted became very bitter as the years went by. In fact, the planted trees were eventually abandoned and left to grow wild. Some time later, somebody noticed that the peel of these ‘wild oranges’ contained oils which were pleasingly aromatic. The wild Valencia orange had become something new and different, and in the 1800s people began to experiment with them by distilling them with alcohol (and blending them with spices) creating the liqueur which we know today as Curacao.

Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao, is a traditional Orange Curacao which is based on an original 19th century recipe. According to Mr. Gabriel, his Dry Orange Curacao is what the liqueur was meant to be when the spirit was created. Since I am a bit of a cocktail geek myself, I thought that I would put Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao through the paces of my review methodology as well as build a few cocktails to see how this traditional Dry Orange Curacao stacks up.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“… The flavour of this Dry Orange Curacao carries so many nuances. A firm sweet orange flavour is of course predominant, but light flavours of oak and wood spice are carried forward as well. Additionally, I taste wisps of rye and wood spice, hints of ripe green grape, a light reflection of vanilla, and subtle almost intangible imprints of cardamom, ginger, cinnamon and cloves …”

You may read the full review here:

Of course I mixed a few cocktails with this unique orange liqueur and provided three recipes as part of the review!

Review: Pyrat Rum Cask 1623

Photo courtesy and Copyright Lance Surujbally (of Liquorature)- all rights reserved!

Pyrat Rum Cask 1623 is, according to the Pyrat Website, the flagship brand for Pyrat Rum. It is constructed from aged Caribbean stocks, some of which are reported to be up to 40 years old. The brand is owned by Patrón Spirits a company created in 1989 by John Paul DeJoria, and Martin Crowley. The company does not own a distillery, rather they act as a third-party company sourcing what they believe to be the best stocks for their products and blending them according to their own formulas. There is always a bit of secrecy surrounding these private blends, but perhaps I can shed a little light on the production of Pyrat Rum.

Pyrat Rum was previously bottled by the Anguilla Rums Company. However there has been a recent change. When I was in Guyana earlier this year, I was given a tour of the Diamond Bottling Plant owned by Demerara Distillers Ltd. (DDL). During this tour, I was told that Pyrat Rum had just installed their own private bottling line within the Diamond plant. Pyrat Rum, I was told, is primarily a Demerara rum blended and bottled in Guyana. (A small portion of this blend is from rum sourced outside of Guyana). I was able to witness the Pyrat Rum bottling line in operation during my tour of the Diamond plant. I was also told that a portion of the Pyrat blend is produced on Demerara Distillers’ High Ester Still. This is a functioning John Dore Still which is capable of producing intense flavours within the distillate. If you have sampled any Pyrat Rum you have probably noticed a very different flavour profile.

I was able to acquire a 3/4 full bottle of the Pyrat Rum Cask 1623 from my good friend Lance Surujbally (of Liquorature). I put the rum though the paces of my Review Methodology and here is an excerpt from the resulting review.

“… The flavour of the rum is just as intense as the nose. It is that candied sweet aroma of orange and apricot brandy which dominates the rum. I also taste some nice vanilla accents, some spicy tobacco underneath, and just a little butterscotch. You either like this, or you do not. I have to admit that I am torn …”

You may read the full review here:

Please enjoy the review of this most unusual rum!

Cheers!

Review: Spicebox Canadian Spiced Whisky

Spicebox Whisky is based in Montreal, Quebec where they blend and bottle their Spicebox Canadian Spiced Whisky. According to their website the spiced whisky is blended from Canadian whisky stocks which are aged from 3 years to 6 years. The spices and vanilla used to flavour the blend are extracted through a process they call cold fusion. Apparently three different vanilla beans are used (from various parts of the world) as well as the blender’s “secret spices”.

The product is bottled at 70 proof or 35 % alcohol by volume and has been brought into the Alberta Marketplace by Mondia Alliance Wine and Spirits of Montreal. here is an excerpt from my review:

“… The whisky displays a nice light copper colour in the glass and a quick tilt of the glass and a slow swirl reveals a light coating of liquid on the inside of the glass which coalesces into thin legs running down into the whisky. The initial aroma is of vanilla and rye spice. I also notice some lighter notes of cinnamon and cloves with perhaps a smattering of nutmeg and citrus zest …”

You may read the full review here:

As well I have provided a nice bar drink which I call the Spiced Canadian Cooler.

Please enjoy my review and the suggested recipe.

Cheers!

Review: De la Tierre (Maple Liqueur Tequila)

De la Tierre is an interesting fusion of 100% Blue Weber Agave Reposado Tequila, Pure Amber Maple Syrup, and flavours extracted from Ceylon Cinnamon Bark. The Reposado Tequila used is distilled in a copper pot still and aged in American Whiskey barrels; the natural Maple Syrup is preservative free and contains no GMOs or artificial flavors; and the flavours extracted from the Ceylon Cinnamon Bark are extracted through a distillation process in copper stills from off-grade bark, leaves and roots.

I received a sample of the De la Tierre from Pure Global Imports, who are the local distributor for this product.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“… The maple syrup gives the spirit a heavy body, and the initial aroma rising from the glass is a nice mixture of maple syrup and agave. If the glass is allowed to sit the smell of cinnamon soon joins, and over time it begins to dominates the breezes above the glass… “

You may read my full review here:

Please enjoy this review of a very interesting Tequila Liqueur.

Cheers!