21st-Century Moonshine..Come Get Ya Some!

If You're Not Down With the Brown, give Some White Whiskey A Try!

1) Death's Door White Whiskey - 80% wheat, 20% barley From the heart of Packers country, this tipple is made from 80% red winter wheat(most white whiskeys are corn-based)and tastes like some sort of bastard love child of sake and tequila(that's a good thing).
2) Marko K. Spirits Doubled & Twisted Light Whiskey - 100% malted barley Made from a base of hoppy California IPAs (beer!), Doubled & Twisted is named for how the spirit coils over as it comes out of the still at 160 proof. Bottled, it's 99. Twisted indeed!
3) Glen Thunder Corn Whiskey - 90% corn, 5% rye, 5$ barley malt Given that NASCAR got its start with a bunch of speed-crazy moonshiners, it's only fitting that this sweet and smooth sauce is dedicated to the legendary Watkins Glen raceway.
4) Hudson New York Corn Whiskey - 100% corn Unaged and distilled in small batches, this Hudson Valley hooch offers a big buzz that belies its little bottle. And if you're concerned by the size, just drink two at a time.
5) Kings Country Distillery Moonshine - 80% corn, 20% barley Leave it to New York City's first licensed distillery since Prohibition to call this spirit by by it's classic white-trash handle. Break out the corncob pipes city slickers.
6) Buffalo Trace White Dog Mash #1 - Corn, rye, barley malt Even though the at Buffalo Trace have been whipping up the hard stuff since 1787, it wasn't until last year that they decided to actually bottle the 125-proof firewater they normally age until it becomes the country's best bourbon.

THE GIN CROWD: rethinking the G&T, one new and surprisingly tasty gin at a time!


Three Upstarts Worth Trying

BREUKELEN: my informal focus group was evenly divided between gin lovers and gin agnostics, and the latter uniformly flipped for this New York spirit. To be honest, I bought this gin almost as a gag -- ph, great, some Brooklyn hipsters must have gotten their mitts on a still -- but it's a powerful contender. Thin, sweet, and tasting strongly of anise, it reminded some of grappa and others of sake. It's easily the most sippable gin I've ever had.
Best In: A G&T with a strong, lemony tonic like Fever-Tree

CITADELLE RESERVE: was on the opposite end of the spectrum. Aged in oak casks, which is unusual for gin nowadays, it's instantly distinguished by a yellowish hue. Citadelle, distilled in France, is a gin fanatic's gin: it won't turn any novices. My friends found it nearly undrinkable straight -- byt tamed with a splash of Dolin's dry vermouth in a martini, it immediately behaved much better.
Best In: An old school, honest-to-goodness martini with a lemon twist (no olive for this one)

AVIATION: is a smooth, citrusy gin made in Portland, Oregon. It's unsurprisingly terrific in its namesake cocktail, but it's easy to sip as well. When I mixed it with Fever-Tree tonic water, the resulting G&T had a strong and interesting whiff of fennel. Another great gin in this family is 'Greylock', distilled in Massachusetts and boasting an added smokiness.
Best In: The Aviation cocktail, of course, served martini-style with maraschino and lemon juice.


SMILE, SMILE, SMILE - TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY :)  ENJOY YOUR WEEK & OTHERS!