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HERE’S TO A SPIRITED SPRING
By Carolyn Evans-Hammond, published in Outreach Connection in
Time to restock the bar. The thought occurred to me at a recent spirits tasting at the LCBO, which our friendly
Never mind. The tasting was inspiring. It reminded me just how good gin, rum, and tequila can be—vodka, less so. Unflavoured vodka is, afterall, made to be a neutral spirit. So endless variations of insipidness seems a bit redundant and irrational to me; and paying for miniscule variations on blandness —unless you’re either huge vodka martini fiend, Polish, or Russian—strikes me as brow-furrowingly cavalier with cash. Who else drinks the stuff neat?
Of the 20 or so bottles I tipped—all released earlier this week, I’m happy to rattle off my favourites.
Victoria Gin (LCBO#118737 $49.95 for 750ml)
With G&T season almost here, Victoria Gin would be a great addition to any liquor shelf alongside the tins of tonic water. Chances are, last summer’s remaining quarter bottle probably tastes rather vodka-esque these days since gin’s aromatic botanicals deteriorate with time. Victoria Gin is all come-hithery with aromas of thyme, bay leaf, and lemon, followed by flavours of dried herbs, stones, and the slightest strokes of juniper, cinnamon and bitter orange. Less juniper-forward than its competitiors and much more interesting, this Canadian product comes from a small boutique operation on
And lest you forget the charm of gin’s historical medicinal characteristics, Victoria Gin is bottled in a reproduction of a 19th century apothecary bottle. Did you know gin was invented around 1650 in the
Although you could probably pick up this bottle in Havana or Varadero for about $10 as I remember doing in the 90s, its Ontario price is a still a steal all things considered—namely the fact Cuban’s are scandalously underpaid, they probably make the world’s best rum, and this bottle is near the upper end of the outstanding Havana Club range. This barrel-aged rum starts, rather ironically, with a nose of cigars before suggesting dark brown sugar and toasted pecans. Then, on the palate, warm flavours of coffee, roasted nuts and warm wood as well as toffee, cigar box and sweet spice come to the fore. Incredible stuff for a snifter.
Olmeca Tezón Añejo Tequila (LCBO#112862 $104.95 for 750ml)
If you’re a fan of good sipping tequila, a taste of this should leave you stoked. It’s made by slow cooking blue agave plants for three months, crushing them with a press made from the indigenous volcanic rock called Tezontle, small batch distilling the fermented juice in copper pot stills, and aging the final liquor in oak barrels. The result is intense stone, smoke, and blue agave flavours. Expensive? Well, yes. Good value for tequila lovers? Absolutely. I would drink this all summer long over ice.
Roberto Cavalli Vodka (LCBO#64451 $99.95)
This vodka stood out among the eight I tasted as more interesting than the rest. Again, we are talking vodka here so subtlety reins supreme. It is a rounder version of firewater with an almost slightly sweet character reminiscent of nougat and cream. And given Roberto is the revered Italian fashion designer whose aesthetically masterful pieces clothed such goddesses as Bridget-the-bombshell-Bardot who walked barefoot on catwalks in his creations, this bottle’s design would probably add panache to your collection with its tall, lean shape with an interesting glass snake spiraling up the bottle. And in case you want to try his signature drink: the Dirty Cavalli, you can add olive juice to this vodka and garnish it with a blue-cheese stuffed olive.
Add your favourite single malt or other whisky, and your bar basics are covered.
To find an LCBO near you that stocks a particular bottle, visit http://www.vintages.com and search by the product name or number.
This column is distributed privately, appears in Outreach Connection weekly, and is posted at www.wine-tribune.com. Seasoned journalist and qualified sommelier Carolyn Evans-Hammond has written for several major publications including Decanter Magazine, The Times newspaper, and Wine & Spirit International magazine in the U.K., as well as Maclean’s magazine, Taste magazine, Tidings magazine, The Toronto Star and The Province in Canada. Her bestselling book, 1000 Best Wine Secrets, is available at most major bookstores, and signed copies are available through her website. Carolyn’s next book is due out in March 2010.