Casa Noble Tequila Delivers The Organic Goods in All of Its Expressions

Choose your favorite Casa Noble tequila expression: Crystal, Reposado, Añejo, Single Barrel Reposado, or Single Barrel Añejo.

July 24 marked National Tequila Day. No stranger to a celebration, Laura Baddish of the Baddish Group invited a selection of online media guests to sample the mighty fine Casa Noble Tequila in four of its expressions at the aptly named Agave in Greenwich Village. The staff delighted us with countless small bites — succulent albóndigas (meatballs); cheesy, savory quesadillas; piquant and rich guacamole. Honestly, there was too much good food being passed around the intimate back-room dining table, but who are we to turn down a fiesta, especially when accompanied by some of the smoothest and mixable tequilas on the market? Jay Silverman, Agave’s beverage director, after a few introductory words about the production of Casa Noble tequila, offered us a classic margarita made with the youngest expression, Casa Noble Crystal. The agave plants, from which tequila is distilled, are not harvested until they are at least twelve years old, so the plants have had more time to to grow and develop fuller flavors. Jay asked us to sip the Crystal by itself, so when we did, we discovered full-roasted agave flavor. It went down easy and was utterly delightful. The margarita allowed this agave flavor to shine through, and it paired perfectly with the guacamole and chips, only whetting our appetites for more cocktails. But until then, we sipped the other two standard expressions: reposado and añejo. We were shocked — in a good way — by the reposado’s natural candylike sweetness. This expression will be finding its way on our shelves so we can craft some original cocktails with it during the rest of the summer. What surprised us even more, though, were the sweet and smooth sips from the añejo tequila. This aged beauty makes for a wonderful after-dinner digestivo, and was a favorite among the reporters and writers present.

Casa Noble Organic Margarita

For those of you unfamiliar with Casa Noble, Jose “Pepe” Hermosillo Brooks, a co-owner and master distiller, had a mission. He wanted his tequila to, in Laura Baddish’s words, “speak of luxury, of refined pottery and architecture.” Many of us came to tequila downing shot glass after shot glass of the not-so-pure stuff. Casa Noble aims much higher. It is relatable to those in search of refinement, and flavor that’s not compromised by unthoughtful distillation and aging. The bottles, in their array of noble colors such as silver, purple, deep blue, black, and sky blue, glow with the promise of something very special. One limited-edition expression, an aged single-barrel extra añejo mind-blower, is sponsored by the one and only Carlos Santana, a board member who approached Casa Noble with the idea of selling this special tequila with profits going to Milagro, his charitable children’s foundation. Five hundred bottles were sold at $500 each. That’s a lot of dinero. Very special indeed.

By the way, our second cocktail proved to be a winner. Made with joven tequila (aged for six weeks in French white oak barrels), this collins-sized drink buzzed our taste buds with tangerine juice, chipotle, lime, and sage. We all wished we could have another, but by the end of the tasting, we could barely text and tweet.

Casa Noble Organic Margarita
(courtesy of Casa Noble)

Ingredients
2 ounces Casa Noble Crystal Tequila
1 ounce fresh lime juice
3/4 ounce La Sierra Agave Nectar
lime wheel, as garnish
salt rim (optional)

Method
Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice, shake, strain and serve up or on the rocks, Garnish with a lime wheel. To salt rim, moisten rim of glass with lime, gently roll in a plate of kosher salt.

Casa Noble joven tequila, with tangerine,
lime, chipotle, and sage

Casa Noble Paloma
(courtesy of Casa Noble)

Ingredients
2 ounces Casa Noble Reposado Tequila
fresh grapefruit juice
1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
splash of fizz (soda, seltzer)

Method
Pour the the Casa Noble Reposado Tequila into a glass and squeeze in the fresh lime juice. Add ice and fill with the fresh grapefruit juice and fizz. Stir and enjoy.


Casa Noble Añejo Casa Royal
(courtesy of Casa Noble)

Ingredients
2 ounces Casa Noble Añejo Tequila
1/2 ounce triple sec
2 ounces fresh lime juice
1/2 ounce champagne or prosecco

Method
Shake first three ingredients in ice and strain into a margarita or rocks glass filled with ice with an optional salt rim. Float champagne on top.

Meet Troy & Sons, Three New Expressions of Moonshine and Aged American Whiskey

We welcome you to the bar.

Recently, we attended the New York launch of Troy & Sons small batch moonshine at the neo-speakeasy Flatiron Room. Laura Baddish, PR spirits queen, hosted the event in the dining aerie that overlooks the main room and bar, where patrons flock to get their boozes on amid the din of other postwork-I-need-to-de-stress martini swillers. After some yummy small bites of mini pizza and meatballs, with middle eastern flavors, and sips of Manhattans, Laura presented Troy to us. Now, that image that pops into your head when you think of “Troy” the moonshiner — just throw it out the window. This Troy was blonde, beautiful, and much much younger than that grizzled man that just disappeared from your mind.

A former Texan, Troy Ball moved with her family to Asheville, North Carolina, to distill moonshine, namely the smooth stuff that the old-timer mountain men dub the “sweet spot,” the best-tasting, smoothest part from the distillation process. She distills three expressions at her Asheville Distilling Co., and all offer unique aromas, undertones, and mixing possibilities.

Blonde, Oak Reserve, and Platinum, three expressions of American whiskey.

You can smell the hushed sweet scent of heirloom white corn in the Platinum Whiskey. This smooth white ’shine, distilled from corn rescued from the brink of extinction, makes a mean Margarita-style cocktail [see Sons-Shine Margarita recipe below]. You can also make one with Troy & Sons’ Oak Reserve Whiskey. Deep whiffs of this expression will remind you of toffee and a small taste will bring you deep into the aging barrel with flavors of oak and caramel. Her Blonde Whiskey, although slightly darker than the Oak Reserve, reveals the meaning behind its name in its gentle caramel taste and velvety mouthfeel. This blonde is a softer “kinder spirit,” made from heirloom turkey red wheat and white corn. Even its aroma demurs, whispering to your palate that any drink made with The Blonde will guarantee a smooth ride.

Troy dubs herself the "First woman to found a distillery in modern times.” The spirits’ name comes from the closeness she shares with her three sons. [Check out her story.] As they got older, Troy felt the time was right to start a new venture. Enter “keeper moonshine,” the sweet-spot distillate that the moonshiners all kept for themselves. Now, Troy knew what her calling was: sharing this ’shine with the rest of the world.

We’re excited to visit her at her distillery some day. Maybe we’ll be lucky enough to taste some batches of her 4-year and 8-year reserve whiskey. Normally, it’s aged for two years in Woodford Reserve bourbon barrels, but you never know what time will bring. If the taste of all three of Troy & Sons expressions is any indication, we’re predicting winners.

Sons-Shine Margarita

(courtesy of Troy Ball and Asheville Distilling Co.)

Ingredients
2 ounces Troy & Sons Platinum Whiskey
1 1/2 ounces fresh lime juice
1/2 ounce fresh orange juice
6 drops agave nectar or 1 ounce simple syrup
1 orange slice



photos © Steve Schul, Cocktail Buzz

Happy 2011 from Cocktail Buzz!!!!! Enjoy Our Mocktail!!!!

(Sorry, are we being too loud?)

The Cocktail Buzz Mocktail will get you through your post-Holiday insobriety.

The Season of Good Cheer has come to an end. You overdid it? Welcome to the club, Sister Maria. Perhaps you’d like to take things a bit slower as 2011 starts to come a little more sharply into focus. The hills may no longer be alive with the sound of Santajesusdreidel music, but don’t let that stop you from enjoying something tasty to imbibe.

The following recipe is for you, dear reader, if :

1. You are tired of sipping Holiday punches, throwing back Chocopeppermint shots, or toasting with Herehaveanother champagne cocktails.
2. Your New Years resolution involves the word “healthy” or a variant of the word, as in “I will try to be healthier and not eat 200 gingerbread cookies washed down with Martha Stewart’s eggnog in the span of a week.” (200 may be a personal record, but now you’re regretting it.)
3. You like fresh citrus juices and would like to clear your head for a spell.
4. You want something that’ll taste good with brunch, but won’t give you a hangover by dinnertime.

The Cocktail Buzz Mocktail

(created by Cocktail Buzz)

Ingredients
1 1/2 ounces cranberry juice (with no sugar added)
1/2 ounce orange juice
1/2 ounce pink grapefruit juice
1/4 ounce agave nectar
1/4 teaspoon grated ginger and its juice
1 1/2 ounces ginger ale
orange wedge, as garnish

Method
Shake first five ingredients in ice for 15 seconds. Double-strain into a rocks-filled glass. Top with ginger ale. Add garnish.

Note: If using cranberry juice with sugar added, leave out the agave.

If you are having a health-seekers party and would like to pre-batch your Mocktails, you can make a pitcher of them by simply performing a little math and adding some tap:

Ingredients
30 ounces cranberry juice (with no sugar added)
10 ounces orange juice
10 ounces pink grapefruit juice
5 ounces agave nectar
1 1/2 tablespoon grated ginger and its juice
7 1/2 ounces water

Method
 Add ingredients to an empty 64-ounce fruit juice bottle, shake, and chill until ready to serve. (If you are serving your guests, you can keep the bottle in the refrigerator. If you’d like the guests to serve themselves, and you don’t want them messing with your fridge, keep the pitcher in a bucket of ice wherever you decide to create your bar area. See “Also Note,” below.)

Then do the following per drink:

Fill a rocks glass halfway with ice. Shake the bottle containing the Mocktail vigorously for a few seconds. Strain 4 1/2 ounces into the glass. Top with 1 1/2 ounces ginger ale. Garnish with orange wedge.

Note: If using cranberry juice with sugar added, leave out the agave.

Also Note: You will be considered a perfect host if you place a measuring cup by the bottle on ice and write out on an index card the instructions for your guests. Feel free to embellish with colorful stickers or hand-drawn adornments.

For more recipes, and for cocktail-party food pairings, visit us at CocktailBuzz.com.

Photo © Steve Schul, Cocktail Buzz

A Four-Course Elegy to Gourmet Magazine

October 5, 2009, the day that Gourmet Magazine announced that it was throwing in the towel, our hearts all skipped a beat. Was it really possible, or, like Mia Farrow in Rosemary’s Baby, were we all in a feverish nightmare trying to wake up to the smells of something good coming from the kitchen? No, it wasn't a dream; it was really happening. We had just renewed our subscription (for two years . . . we loved it that much) just the day before. What would we do now?

Cousin Barbara e-mailed us the press announcement as reported by the New York Times. She suggested that we should come together to celebrate the life of this golden magazine by cooking our favorite recipes culled from shelves of dog-eared magazines, compilation books, and stained recipes printed from Epicurious. A gustatory feast? What an inspired way to eulogize the years of culinary inspiration, for not only did Gourmet provide each and every one of us with recipes to provoke, comfort, and challenge, it also gave us glimpses into the world of top-notch chefs, food writers, growers, butchers, and manufacturers. Every time we opened the mailbox and saw the latest issue awaiting us, our hearts aflutter, our eyes glued to the cover dish, we’d wonder what photo or seasonal veggie would inspire us to make our shopping list and walk to the local market in preparation for our next Gourmet meal.

Every Gourmet reader had their favorite month. Traditionalists loved November, filled with Thanksgiving side recipes and new ways to make the turkey tender and savory. For some, fall’s orchard recipes would inspire pastry chefs of all ages to break out the rolling pin and start dusting the counter with flour. For others, many would count the days before the first spring issue arrived, excited for new recipes with peas, asparagus, and artichokes, almost forgetting what these harbingers of spring tasted like after a surfeit of winter root veggies.

We decided to wait until spring to break bread. The season of renewal would inspire us, even if some of used fall recipes. Just so long as we made some of our favorites. It didn’t matter that none of us made a meat dish, or that there were two pasta dishes. This was about love and loyalty and getting together with friends to share an evening hanging out in the kitchen, and moving into the dining room when it was time. For a challenge, we’d also have to pair our dish with a beverage, either alcoholic or non-.

To read more about this adventure of 4 foodies and the amazing dishes they made, plus two delicious and refreshing drink recipes, click here.

Fava Bean and Pecorino Bruschette, plus recipes for Oysters Rockefeller, the Tom Collins, The Mocktail, and links to recipes for the very best Macaroni and Cheese; Almond-Crusted Shrimp Cakes with Lemon Soy Mayonnaise; and Mushroom, Radicchio, and Smoked Mozzarella Lasagne. Click here.

Event: Tres Generaciones Tequila Keeps Satisfying

by Paul Zablocki

Last Wednesday I attended an informal yet fun and informative tequila tasting at The Volstead in East Midtown. There I met Jaime Salas, National Tequila Ambassador for Casa Sauza, the distillers who create Tres Generaciones tequila, and fell in love with the Añejo. Jaime was there to share some cocktail recipes and talk about this amazing 100% blue agave tequila that has been around for over 135 years. I got a chance to chat him up for a while before the brief talk began.


His breadth of tequila lore is encyclopedic and his passion for its promotion is infectious. When I asked him what his favorite Tres Generaciones expression was, he quickly answered “Añejo.” So I sidled up to the event’s makeshift bar, smiled at the barkeep, and asked her for a bit of the amber-hued spirit. The aromas emanating from that little glass were bewitching: a sweet, light caramel (Jaime detects vanilla and toffee) that reminded me of some aged ryes and bourbons (the añejo is aged for twelve months in toasted American oak barrels), but of course, after sipping it, I was struck by that one-of-a-kind agave flavor that permeated my taste buds at the finish. I also tried the plata and reposado expressions, both of them slightly sweet and laced with a white-peppery bite, the reposado being slightly smoother and less sweet. The presence of agave was unmissable. These two would make excellent cocktails, I thought, but the añejo, this expression would be perfect for sipping on a cool night after a fiesta (or, hell, after a hard day of paper-shuffling).

I easily downed the two cocktails on offer. First was the Sweet Breeze (mine had Tres Generaciones Plata), a refreshing seasonal alternative to a margarita made with muddled basil, strawberries, and ruby red grapefruit. The nosh served at the Volstead to accompany this drink kept me from becoming a lightheaded mess, and as I chomped on sliders, nachos with salsa, and cheesy hors d’oeuvres, I asked our lovely lady behind the stick to whip me up the second drink. Although not seasonally appropriate for the close humidity that is August, Jaime informed me that this drink would be perfect for the holidays. And indeed it was; the Holy Mole (an apt name) smelled like Christmas: hot chocolate and spicy cinnamon mixed with the heavenly añejo, with a generous dollop of whipped cream to paint one’s upper lip.

John Leguizamo receives the COA Award from Jaime Salas, Tres Generaciones National Tequila Ambassador. (photo: Boden PR)

Talking some more with Jaime in between sips and nibbles, I discovered his other passion: Mexican filmmaking. His work as a Tres Generaciones ambassador has given him the opportunity to present its COA Award (an award created to recognize outstanding achievements in the Latino filmmaking industry, named after the tool that workers use to harvest and dissect the agave plant in the fields) to such notables as director Natalia Almada (the documentary El General) and the insanely talented John Leguizamo (Where God left His Shoes). He loved presenting the award to Leguizamo who was genuinely interested in the work that Salas and Tres Generaciones does for Latino cinema.

If you ever get a chance to shoot the breeze with Jaime Salas, do. He is charming and affable, and you will learn a thing or two about the world’s most popular spirit. Special thanks to Mitch Delaplane of PitchPoint PR for getting everybody to the Volstead to celebrate this exciting tequila, including the likes of Francine Cohen (editor-in-chief of Food & Beverage Magazine) and consultant Jonathan M. Forester (Drinking the World). ¡Salud!

Sweet Breeze

(created by Eddie Perales, Tres Generaciones West Coast Ambassador and Mixologist)

Ingredients
1 1/2 ounces Tres Generaciones Reposado or Plata Tequila
1/2 ounce agave nectar
2 ounces fresh lemon sour (1 oz. lemon juice/1 oz. simple syrup)
juice from 1/2 lime
1 diced strawberry
1 peeled large ruby red grapefruit segment
2 large basil leaves

Method
In a mixing glass muddle the strawberry, grapefruit, and basil. Add the other ingredients and shake. Strain over ice and garnish with a skewered red ruby grapefruit wedge, wrapped with a basil leaf.

Holy Mole

(created by Bobby Gleason, Master Mixologist)

Ingredients
1 1/2 ounces Tres Generaciones Añejo Tequila
1/2 ounce DeKuyper Hot Damn Cinnamon Schnapps
hot chocolate (try one made with Mexican chocolate)

Method
In a preheated coffee mug add the tequila and schnapps. Fill with hot chocolate. Top with whipped cream, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and a cherry.

The Power of Ginger: Domaine de Canton Tasting at Louis 649

If ever there was a liqueur that captured the palates of mixologists and imbibers alike, it is Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur, a bewitching mix of Vietnamese baby ginger and cognac. The other night we were faced with five cocktails celebrating the virtues of this versatile elixir. Not only that, we got to experience a bar that was new to us. Did we drink all five? Yes (but they were not full cocktails—give us some credit). Did we like them all? Yes. And we were even blessed with a bonus cocktail from one of our esteemed bartenders of the evening, our friend from the City by the Bay, Danny Ronen (pronounced Donny), who we’ve recently dubbed our “San Francisco Treat.” Why? Because he is a wit, and after a few cocktails, wit wins the day.

Danny invited us to the event, which was held at Louis 649, located just East of Tompkins Square Park in the mysterious nether regions of Alphabet City. Danny is the newly appointed West Coast Ambassador to Domaine de Canton, and he was eager for us to sip some ginger-spiced drinks, created by some crafty mixology–bartender types. Louis 649 proved to be the perfect location for such an event (they have these events on Tuesdays for you to become familiar with a certain liqueur or spirit, a varietal of wine, or craft beer). Although it’s located far far east of the subway, we hopped on the bus bound for the East River to avoid the bitter cold. As soon as we arrived, there was Danny, at the bar, waving for us to come in to warm up. He proffered his fist in Barack and Michelle fashion, and Paul announced to the bar, “Oh, we’re fisting now?!” A round of laughs, followed by a round of our first drink, the Ginger Rye Toddy, created by the young hipster Chris Raab of Le Poisson Rouge in NYC (he’s there on Mondays). Perfect to defrost our frozen fingers and get the blood flowing.



Ginger Rye Toddy
(created by Chris Raab)

1 ounce Domaine de Canton
2 ounces rye
3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
3/4 ounce agave
lemon wheel, for garnish.

Add to a heat-proof glass. Top with hot water. Garnish with a lemon wheel.

❤ ❤ ❤

Our tour guide for the evening, the delightful Gianfranco Verga, explained to us how Louis 649’s Tuesday Night Tastings Series works. (It’s well worth the $25 you need to shell out—you will be taken care of by the knowledgeable bartenders with plenty to imbibe, and Louis 649’s ambience is comfortable, well-lit, unpretentious, and chill.) Thanks to Verga and his association with its affable owner, the welcoming Zachary Sharaga, the two expanded the character of Sharaga’s bar in the past six months by crafting these tasting events, and they have drawn new people to the space to make it a destination for cocktail lovers. Louis 649 boasts both classics and contemporary drinks (a little something for everyone), and, most important, an amazing ice machine that will keep your cocktails nice-cold, but not watered down. They have a wide collection of spirits, liqueurs, and other quaffs to imbibe, many of those which grace our liquor cabinet at home. We think we’re going to like it here!



We then were tempted with the Domaine de Canton Cocktail, a drink that truly highlights the flavors of this spicy yet smooth liqueur.

Domaine de Canton Cocktail

2 1/2 ounces Domaine de Canton
1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
2 dashes Angostura bitters
splash of soda
lemon wedge, for garnish

Shake vigorously on ice. Strain onto fresh ice, splash with soda. Garnish with a lemon wedge.

❤ ❤ ❤

We then met the East Coast Rep for Domaine de Canton, Jennifer (JC) Craig, who warmed us up with fun facts and delightful tales surrounding the almost devotional ways people use the ginger liqueur. After chatting and sipping for a while, she gave us a delightful book on the history of Domaine de Canton, with oodles of cocktail and food recipes—the Spicy Hamachi Ceviche is already at the top of our list.

Spicy Hamachi Ceviche
(created by Eric Ripert of Le Bernardin)

1/4 cup Domaie de Canton
12 ounces oh hamachi fillet, skinned
1/4 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
1/2 cup lime juice
1 teaspoon Thai chili paste
1/4 cup loosely packed basil leaves, julienned
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes, toasted
fine sea salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste

Slice the hamachi as thinly as possible and reserve slices in refrigerator. In a mixing bowl, stir together the Domaine de Canton, coconut milk, lime juice, ginger and chili paste. Season the sliced hamachi with salt and pepper and add to the mixing bowl. Gently toss to coat evenly. To serve, divide the ceviche evenly between six small bowls, garnish with basil and toasted coconut flakes.

Serves 6.

❤ ❤ ❤

John Cooper, the developer of Domaine de Canton, arrived and JC introduced him to a crowd that already had three drinks down the hatch. (Chris Raab made us his Canton Kiss [see recipe at end of post], and yes, the cocktail is accompanied by a real kiss, but you have to ask.) John self-effacingly stated, “I can’t mix a cocktail to save my life,” but he clearly knows what he likes. When creating the ginger liqueur, he strove for “something that spoke ginger, but with a neutral pallet.” He “wanted to provide bartenders and mixologists with the right product” that would be easy to mix and draw out the flavors of a cocktail’s components, but allow the Domaine de Canton to shine. And if you’ve experimented with the liqueur, you’ll know how easy it is to work with. Its inherent spiciness is easily tamed by fresh juices, and, of course, ice. Domaine de Canton was used in our “Create Your Signature Cocktail” class, mixed with bourbon and orange bitters, by a couple who had visited India and wanted to create a drink that would remind them if its flavors. We’ve used it ourselves in a riff on the classic, and sadly neglected, Stinger:



Rum Ginger Stinger
(created by Paul Zablocki, Cocktail Buzz)

2 ounces aged rum (try Flor de Caña 18-year)
1/2 ounce Domaine de Canton
1/4 ounce white crème de menthe
1 teaspoon simple syrup
small mint leaf, as garnish

Stir all but garnish in a mixing glass filled halfway with ice for 30 seconds. Strain into ice-filled rocks glass. Add garnish.

The Rum Ginger Stinger starts out with a strong twang of menthol–mint, but as the drink progresses, and the ice slowly dissolves, the ginger quietly takes control, and the finish is a feast for the taste buds.

❤ ❤ ❤

After the speech, we spoke with John Cooper, and while we were making small cocktail talk, Danny slipped us another drink using Domaine de Canton that wasn’t on the bar list. It was developed by his friend and fellow San Franciscan, Jackie Patterson:

Fleur du Monde
(created by Jackie Patterson)

1 1/2 ounces Don Julio silver tequila
3/4 ounce Domaine de Canton
1/2 oz. Riesling

Stir for 30 seconds in an ice-filled mixing glass. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

❤ ❤ ❤

Tequila and ginger make for a dynamic duo [see also Canton Kiss recipe below], spiky upon first sip, smooth in the finish as the flavors meld and mellow. But we had to pace ourselves in this Dionysian orgy, for we had two cocktails to go, and we were already feeling the effects of long work days and little food. At the end of our evening, we were offered another drink by the reps from Domaine de Canton, but, unfortunately, had to refuse. It was almost 10 o’clock, and dinner was awaiting us at home in the form of reheated Chicken Parmesan. We waved good-bye, hopped in a cab, and blathered endlessly about what a good time we had. We’re looking forward to another Tuesday Night Tastings at Louis 649, and a stab at our new Domaine de Canton recipes. Try them and let us know what you think.

Canton Kiss
(created by Chris Raab)

1 ounce Domaine de Canton
1 ounce Partida Blanco Tequila
3/4 ounce fresh lime juice
3/4 ounce honey syrup (3 parts honey to 1 part water, heated, then allowed to cool)
soda

Shake first three ingredients in an ice-filled shaker. Strain into an ice-filled rocks glass. Add a splash of soda, and top with syrup.



photo © Steve Schul, Cocktail Buzz