What'll it be, Alaska glacial or Rocky Mountain mineral? Because water accounts for 60 percent of vodka's constitution, its influence in shaping the spirit is significant. Thus, after sipping the world and testing the water, so to speak, Leaf Vodka's Ukraine-based research-and-development team identified two sources that yielded the distinctive characteristics and flavors they sought: a glacier-fed lake in Alaska and a mineral spring in the Rocky Mountains. At last week's Leaf Vodka launch at Trump SoHo, I sampled both varieties.
I began by tasting the spirits side by side, neat. Leaf's Alaskan glacial water vodka (green label) revealed hints of sweetness, and a very round feel on the tongue—akin to a white wine that has undergone significant malolactic fermentation. The Rocky Mountain version (blue label), on the other hand, exhibited a noticeable taste of minerals. While both vodkas were smooth, the latter did not impart the prominent roundness of the former.
Both Leafs are easy to drink, and, at their suggested retail price of $16.99 to $19.99, easy to purchase. It would seem quite reasonable to have both varieties on hand to accommodate the preferences of one's guests, as the two render distinctly different cocktails.
As an example, the sweetness of the Alaskan glacial water enhanced the sweet and tart fruit flavors of the Pink Glacier's lime, pink grapefruit, and cranberry juices.
Pink Glacier
The mineral expression in the Rocky Mountain water, on the other hand, added an earthy "bite" to the herbal notes of the Bitter Re-Leaf's basil leaves and lime.
Bitter Re-Leaf
While Leaf Vodka's USDA organic certification is noteworthy, it's not a major selling point. "We want to focus on the core essence, water, which, according to tradition, breathes life into vodka," says Julius Criscione, National Sales and Marketing Director for Megapolis USA, the American subsidiary of Global Spirits.
Below are some of the other drinks I sampled. Please click here to view a complete list of recipes.
Gold Leaf
Twisted Leaf
Leaf-n-Berry
Leaf Vodka is currently available in New Jersey and Connecticut.
Sangría is a delightful quaff for a warm, spring get-together. Served throughout Spain and Portugal, this alcoholic punch infuses bright, sunny fruit flavors into any convivial gathering. While variations seem endless, personal preferences—fruit, wine, brandy, soda, and such—prevail ultimately. Nevertheless, if you're seeking a superb springtime sangría suggestion, try the following refreshing recipe from my friend Darrin Siegfried:
2 bottles (750 ml) Bouchard Beaujolais Nouveau
4 ounces brandy, Port, or vodka, or to taste
Juice of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 orange
¼ cup superfine sugar, or more to taste (NB Don't use confectioners' sugar—it contains cornstarch that will render the drink cloudy)
16 ounces seltzer or club soda
Ice cubes
Thin slices of lemon & orange, halved, with extra for garnish
Fresh mint sprigs, for garnish
In a large pitcher, combine all of the ingredients except the garnishes; stir well. Serve in wine glasses (an attractive way to control portions!) and garnish with the fruit and mint.
Yield: Approximately 2 quarts. Calories: Approximately 210 per 8-ounce serving.
With the arrival of the summer's heat and humidity, how does a refreshing, ice-cold glass of lemonade sound? My high-octane variant of the summertime favorite combines vodka, limoncello, fresh lemon juice, and seltzer to produce a refreshing, effervescent cooler.
My spirituous selections include the citrus-flavored Absolut Citron Swedish vodka and Sogno di Sorrento™ Lemoncello made from I.G.P. Amalfi Coast lemons. While plain seltzer is fine, lemon seltzer (from Polar, if possible) is preferable. In any case, it's best to avoid club soda.
Comestiblog Lemonade (or Lemon Fizz):
1½ ounces Absolut Citron
2½ ounces Sogno di Sorrento™ Lemoncello
3 ounces lemon seltzer
Juice of 1½ lemons
Stir, add ice, and serve. Garnish with a slice of lemon. (Not to be served at a lemonade stand without proper license.)
A number of years ago, my friend Darrin Siegfried of Brooklyn's Red White & Bubbly introduced me to a delightful—albeit potent—cocktail. As he put it, "the people from Lillet came up with it to help promote their apéritif, but they gave it the improbable name of the Lillet-tini. Now, seriously: who is going to order that?" Perhaps it wasn't the best choice of names, but it remains an undeniably delicious drink. It was my late wife's favorite.
The Lillet-tini (Jennifer's drink):
1 part Lillet Blonde (also known as Lillet Blanc)
1 part Stolichnaya Ohranj
Pour over ice in a rocks glass, garnish with an orange slice.
or
Stir over ice, strain into a chilled cocktail glass, garnish with an orange slice.
One needn't wait till Cinco de Mayo to enjoy a Margarita—any warm day would be just fine. Contrary to popular belief, the Fifth of May is not Mexico's Independence Day. Rather, it is a somewhat minor, regional holiday—observed mainly in the state of Puebla—commemorating the Mexican army's improbable victory over superior French forces in the 1862 Battle of Puebla. Curiously, the holiday is celebrated chiefly north of the border. (Mexico's actual Independence Day falls on 16 September: dieciséis de septiembre).
Enough about history—how does one make a great Margarita? To begin, it's best to avoid mixes. While they may taste insidiously good, they contain ingredients that sound as though they'd be best avoided. For example, Jose Cuervo's Margarita Mix—admittedly one of the tastiest of the genre—contains "water, high fructose corn syrup and/or sugar, citric acid, natural flavors, sodium citrate, sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate (to preserve flavor), cellulose gum, polysorbate 60, gum Arabic, glycerol Abietate, and FD&C Yellow No. 5."
Instead of mixing with all those chemicals, why not simplify the drink to include just three components? The best Margaritas are made with tequila, triple sec, and fresh lime juice. Using premium ingredients may cost a little more, but the results are worth every penny. Begin with a superior tequila—never settle for anything made with less than 100% blue agave (Mexican law mandates at least 51% agave; no such minimum exists for domestic "tequilas"). Cointreau, a liqueur from Angers (pronounced ahn·ZHAY), France—produced from curaçao oranges—ranks as the crème de la crème of triple sec. Its orange peel flavor is an essential part of a great Margarita. Not to be overlooked is the fruit juice: fresh squeezed limes are a must. Again, a mix tastes all right; fresh lime juice, however, tastes far better.
While optional, the final ingredient is Kosher salt. Use it to salt the rim of the glass, if you so desire. Now that we have all the ingredients, is there anything else we need? Yes! Never underestimate the importance of proper glassware. Genuine Margarita glasses add that little extra appeal to the drink. Avoid water goblets or anything of that ilk.
Ready to mix? Here, then, is my recipe for the perfect Margarita:
The ideal tequila-to-Cointreau ratio is 4:π (or roughly 4:3.1416).
In terms of measure for one drink:
2 ounces 100% blue agave tequila
1½ ounces (+ a drop or 2) Cointreau
Juice of 1 to 1½ limes
Your interpretation of perfection may vary, however. It's easy to adjust the ingredients to your taste.
Shake well, serve with a slice of lime, and enjoy!
After dinner, we return to the French Quarter and make our way up Bourbon Street. When the sun sets, the area bustles with the effusive din of partyers determined to make merry. We turn right onto Saint Peter and enter the carriageway of a 1791 building that once housed the first Spanish theatre in the United States. This is Pat O'Brien's, home of the world-famous Hurricane—a fruity rum concoction that originated here in the early 1940s. Albeit there's a wait for a table on the open-air Patio, it's well worth it.
Though I'm not particularly fond of sweet cocktails, I do make an exception with Pat O's Hurricane. We delight in the aura of the Patio Bar's flaming fire fountain as we sip a New Orleans original under the night sky.
"Now I know why they call it a Hurricane: the room was spinning when I got back to my hotel!" declared Brian, a colleague of mine from Canada, who thus described his baptism of fire here. In truth, the cocktail isn't all that potent, but it is insidious—it's probably advisable to stop at three. The real derivation of its name, incidentally, comes from the shape of the glass—similar to that of a hurricane lamp—in which the drink is served. (Customers receive their logo glass as a souvenir as they leave.)
The upshot: follow the advice of Pat O'Brien's motto and Have Fun!
Pat O'Brien's
718 Saint Peter Street (between Bourbon & Royal Sts) New Orleans, LA 70116-3119 (map)
It may be 60 years old, but it's lively, effervescent, elegant, and
delicious. The Bellini is the sort of cocktail for which one longs on
a hot day. And it's so easy to make!
According to legend, Giuseppe Cipriani's fondness for Italian white
peaches inspired him to create the Bellini for his famed Harry's Bar(a haunt of Ernest Hemingway, Sinclair Lewis, and Orson Welles) in Venice, Italy.
The recipe is simple: puréed white peaches and prosecco, an Italian
sparkling wine vinified from the eponymous grape. The drink,
incidentally, derives its name from the similarity of its pinkish color
to that of a painting by another Venetian, 15th-century artist Giovanni
Bellini. A near-replica of the Venetian Harry's Bar (the namesake of Cipriani's business partner, Harry Pickering) can be found just off the lobby of the Sherry-Netherland on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue.
Enough talk, let's drink! How does one make a good Bellini? If you
haven't the inclination to purée white Italian peaches yourself, you
could try one of several peach nectars available at your grocery
store. The Perfect Purée of Napa Valley makes a superior white peach product, but is somewhat pricey and requires ordering online. Personally, I like the convenience and taste of StirringsSimple Peach
Bellini Mixer—it's widely available and, at $8.99, fairly affordable. No matter what you choose, avoid peach schnapps!
It's important to use prosecco—not Champagne—when making a Bellini. (Champagne tends to overpower the peach's delicate flavors.) My choice is Prosecco Villa Jolanda: it's young, fresh, and reasonably priced at $8.99.
Stirrings Classic Peach Bellini recipe recommends using 1 part peach mixer to 4 parts prosecco. I found the tastiest ratio, however, to include a slightly higher proportion of peach nectar.
Finally, serve your Bellini in a champagne flute. No other glass captures the essence of the drink's stylishness. Salute!
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