In Search of Your Favourite Tipple.... Berry Brothers and Rudd

Wandering around St. James in London, you can come across some of the oldest businesses in London. Established in 1698, and still trading on the same premises, is Berry Brothers & Rudd, one of the oldest wine and spirits merchants in the UK. Most American's are probably unfamiliar with the firm, except perhaps though Cutty Sark Scotch Whisky which was created for Berry Brothers & Rudd in 1923. This brand was sold in 2010 and is no longer connected with the wine & spirit merchant. Another of their specialties, King's Ginger, is now available in the States. Created in 1903 for King Edward VII, this is an amazing ginger cordial worthy of consideration for anyone who enjoys its wonderful spice.

Inside their ancient home, are two rooms set up for wine and spirits sales, as well as a large set of ancient scales, the front room dedicated to wine and the rear room dedicated to spirits. Featuring a staff quite familiar with their offerings, any selection here is one worth trying. Knowing my personal tastes, I went to the spirits room and browsed their amazing offerings, many of which are not available in the States. While an American might find their bourbon and rye offerings a bit thin compared to home, as is to be expected, you will be captivated by the selection of rums and Scotch whiskies.

I must say given how close America is to the rum producing region, we have ignored the great variety of regional rum which Berry Brothers & Rudd has on display. Unfortunately I could not bring back every bottle in the shop I wish I could have, both for customs and weight reasons. Forced to be selective I bought one bottle of Grant's Morella Cherry Brandy  and after sampling a few of their own Scotch whiskies, I picked the 1995 Berry's Glen Elgin Cask No 3187, Single Malt Scotch Whisky. Well worth the purchase and based on recent taste testing, superior to the Glen Morangie 18 year old, which was until this time, my favourite.

So if you are looking for a special bottle to bring back from London, look no further the Berry Brothers & Rudd. For more information, visit their website at https://www.bbr.com/

Building the Bar...

It's been some time since my last post, but with the end of another year and the number of parties which occur at this time of the year, I thought it was time to look at the bar. Whether it is stuffed in a cupboard out of sight or prominently displayed in a room, the contents of a bar are far more important than how and where it is displayed, if at all.

Example of a small bar set up for a tailgate

It's very easy to get caught up in the variety of liquors available. And perhaps even easier to simply buy the most expensive bottles you can find, expecting that these choices will provide you with the best stocked bar. For me, there is a much simpler solution, find the best bottle for your money and base the bar around these choices. These work well in most straight up drinks, as well as mixed drinks without feeling like you've wasted your money hiding expensive alcohol under the taste of mixers.

Bourbon Whiskey- Either Jim Beam or Jack Daniels (yes, this correctly known as Tennessee Whiskey) are excellent choices.

Scotch Whisky - Dewar's or J&B are both excellent choices for blended Scotch.

Vodka - Smirnoff is my go to brand, but Gilby's or Gordon's will also do nicely.

Gin - Gordon's would be my first choice or Gilby's for those who are not partial to Gordon's.

Rum - Mt. Gay is the perfect choice, though if you are partial to a Dark and Stormy, then you will need Goslings Rum, or if Planter's Punch is your choice, then you will need Myers's Rum. I should add that if you like a bit of rum in your eggnog at Christmas, you should probably not use Mt. Gay as it isn't quite suited to that purpose.

Mixers - Club Soda, Ginger Ale and Tonic Water are really all you need to keep on hand. If you buy them in the one liter bottle size, you will find that they lose their fizz even if you never open the bottles. Your best bet to keep these on hand for guests is to buy them in the small glass bottles by the six pack. These work well for individual servings, with little waste and they keep their fizz unopened much longer than the plastic bottles. If you are throwing a party, get you should buy them in the one liter size.

Accessories - There are a number of tools you should keep handy near the bar. These will make serving drinks much simpler and prevent your needing to run about trying to find the things you need to make a drink. These include a bottle opener, a cork screw (the simple "waiter style" really do work best), a cocktail shaker, a cutting board for limes and lemons,  an ice bucket, ice tongs, a jigger (the best sort are "double ended" with a one ounce measure on one end and a one and a half ounce measure on the other end, and a strainer (useful for keeping ice out of your martini).

While this list may seem rather basic, that is its intent. Even for those who don't drink much, if at all, this would cover most guests needs, should you wish to serve alcohol. For those who do drink, this list will help to cover the drink requests beyond your usual tipple.

Now, if you have a personal favorite for yourself or a family member, then these are easily added to the list. These is still room for your favorite single malt scotch, a bottle of irish whisky, or a bottle of small batch bourbon.

A few very English additions can be made to the bar for those whose tastes lean in that direction. These are as follows:

Cherry Brandy - Drink this either straight or mixed with scotch to create a beverage called Chisky. Yes, I know that sounds like an odd combination, but try it some time and you will be pleasantly surprised. Perhaps the best available is Grant's Cherry Morella Brandy. It was mentioned in the Pickwick Papers and was a favorite of Queen Victoria. In simple terms the best. But damned difficult to find this side of the Atlantic, so stock up when you can if you fancy this spirit.

Sloe Gin - The only choice here is Plymouth Sloe Gin from England. A wonderful winter and early Spring drink with beautiful dark fruit flavors atop the gin base. Avoid the American imposters as they have none of the traditional ingredients.

Pimm's - It is hard to imagine summer without this classic British beverage. American's tend to mix it with ginger ale, creating something known as Pimm's Ginger. If you can find real English Lemonade, you will be able to make a proper Pimm's Cup. Those poncy French lemonades you sometimes find at the grocers will do in a pinch of you can't find British lemonade.

King's Ginger - Only recently available in America, if you enjoy the taste of ginger, this is a must!

By keeping your basic bar "basic" you have room to personalize your bar to your own tastes, while at the same time providing a variety of choices for your guests.

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Chasing the cold away...

Those who know me, know that I am a creature of habit. I find something I like and then stick to it religiously.

That also includes beverages. But last year I decided to be a bit experimental. And in the process, I found two beverages with which I have fallen in love.

The first is sloe gin. Now this is NOT that sickeningly sweet stuff with which most Americans are familiar. I am talking about real English sloe gin. The real stuff is gin, into which sloes, also known as blackthorn berries, have been infused, with the addition of some sugar to assist in that process. American sloe gin is made from grain neutral spirits, corn syrup, and artificial flavoring and coloring. If you didn't notice, American sloe gin lacks every single ingredient of real sloe gin. Perhaps now the reason for the difference is apparent.

Luckily for me, Plymouth, the gin maker, has been importing their sloe gin, made with sloes from Dartmoor, into America, using an 1883 recipe from their archives. According to master distiller Sean Harrison, "It’s a winter warmer, the type of thing you tuck in your pocket flask when you go shooting on the Glorious Twelfth,” as the opening day of hunting season is known in England.

Plymouth sloe gin is a ruby red liquor with the tart snap of sour cherries and a sly finish of bitter almond from the leaching of the sloe pits. It has a great jamminess, it smells like sloes and tastes like sloes. It really is a entirely different creation than an Alabama Slammer.

My other new find was Grant's Morella Cherry Brandy, which dates from 1774 when it was first produced in Kent. It is mentioned in the Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens and was a favorite with Queen Victoria.

It is light on the tongue, almost silky, with cherries in great evidence before the more maraschino notes emerge. It has a very ripe and authentic fruit character with the sweetness an afterthought.

And I know it might sound horrifying to some, but you can mix it 50/50 with scotch to create Chisky. Other than straight, this would be my only choice for mixing. But, unfortunately, Grant's is not imported into America.

And now with winter weather approaching, I know exactly how I'll be staying warm from now through the point-to-points.

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