Alchemy Distillery Boldt Genever Style Gin with Cocktails

Alchemy Distillery released their first products (all unaged) in March of this year.  So far they have been distilling a 100 percent mash bill of either wheat or rye.  Their first two products were a clear Soft White Wheat whiskey and a clear Hard Red Wheat whiskey sourced from Hindley Ranch in Humboldt County.

When they exhausted the local farmers' grain supplies (the grains are also used locally by bakers such as Beck's Bakery in Arcata) they sourced Organic Rye and other grains from just over the border in Oregon.  Humboldt County is a lot closer to Oregon than it is to Napa/Sonoma, San Francisco or even the Interstate 5 corridor.  Alchemy's fourth batch was an organic clear rye whiskey  that is currently available.  Prior to distilling that, they had crafted a gin using Buck Pronto Wheat from Oregon and put it away in a new charred oak barrel to make their Genever Style Gin.

Fifty days later and the gin was ready to be pulled from barrel, cut to proof and bottled.  They so far have bottled all their spirits at 90 proof.  I really enjoyed the full proof gin and thought it had a real warm character, piles of cinnamon, star anise, clove, curry, pepper, smoke and baking spice.  Cutting it down to 90 proof dampened the warmer spices and cinnamon, but brought out more of the gin-like juniper and added more citrus notes.

The nose if full of floral, citrus and warm spices.

It tastes of baking and pepper spice, green notes (juniper and redwood), and more citrus (primarily lemon, but also some orange and grapefruit).

The finish is fairly long, with black pepper and lemon citrus notes.

I made a couple of cocktails to try and bring out some of the unique flavors and meld the other ingredients to this warmer style of gin.  The gin isn't as bright and astringent as a London Dry Gin so for a Gin and Tonic I used lemon instead of lime and put a dash of Woodford Reserve barrel aged bitters in.  The spice and structure in the bitters complimented the cocktail well and brought the whole thing together.

The next cocktail (and one of my favorites in a long time) is a modified and less sweet version of a classic gin based cocktail. 

Blushing Blonde Satan's Whiskers

3oz Boldt Genever Style Gin
1 1/2oz Dry Vermouth
1/2oz Agave Syrup
1/2oz Fresh Lemon Juice
2-3 Dashes Creole Bitters (You can substitute Peychaud's if Creole is not available)

Place all ingredients in a shaker with ice.

Shake, strain and pour into a coupe or cocktail glass. 

Garnish with a long lemon twist.  Make sure your lemon twist whisker curls nicely out of the glass.


The warm, spicy qualities of the gin mix well with the aromatic complexity of the vermouth and bitters, and are buoyed by the brightness of the lemon juice and rounded character of the agave syrup.

Be careful when enjoying this one.  It is deceptively easy to drink and contains about as much alcohol as your average manhattan.

If you are nearby and can try this gin, I highly recommend it.  If you can't make it to the land of the redwoods, then grab a Genever Gin near you and try it out in some warmer, spicier cocktails.

Celebrating the Fourth of July with a Sazerac Cocktail with Twisted Manzanita Rye Whiskey

The Sazerac Cocktail has its roots all the way back in 1850 and may even be the root of the English word cocktail (the measuring cup that Antoine Peychaud used in New Orleans was called a coquetier).  The original Sazerac was made with Cognac (Sazerac de Forge et Fils brand), but the phylloxera epidemic in the 1870's in France made Cognac less available and in 1873, the Sazerac cocktail was altered to include the use of American Rye Whiskey.


You are going to need a few ingredients for a good Sazerac cocktail.

3 oz Rye Whiskey (I used Twisted Manzanita Rebellious Rye from Santee CA)
1/2 t (a rinse) of Absinthe (I used Wild Card Absinthe from Bend OR)
2-3 dashes Peychaud's Bitters
1/2 oz Simple Syrup (traditionally a sugar cube is used and doused with the bitters)
2-3 Luxardo Cherries (not traditional, but they are great cherries)
Meyer Lemon Rind for garnish

-Take a chilled coup or rocks glass and rinse with the absinthe.  Just run it around the inside of the glass and either leave the excess in, or shake it gently off.   My first Sazerac had too much black licorice or fennel character because of how much absinthe I used, so experiment.

-In a shaker with ice, combine the rye whiskey, Peychaud's bitters, simple syrup and shake until chilled.

-Strain into the chilled glass, add a few cherries (if you feel like it) and twist your lemon rind over the cocktail to release the essential oils and create a brighter, more fresh tasting cocktail.


This cocktail is generally more dry than a manhattan, but has a more herbal edge than and old fashioned.  You will find many recipes for the Sazerac Cocktail in books and online.  There will be some subtle, and not so subtle variations.  Give it a try your way and just enjoy a refreshing cocktail with a hint of history.

Scuppernong (or Lewis and Co Orange Blossom Tea Jelly) Sour

I recently read the book Bitters by Brad Thomas Parsons and, on his incredibly enthusiastic recommendation, bought a bottle of Fee Brothers Whiskey Barrel Aged Bitters. They age their bitters in barrel "until maturity is achieved."  I found a bottle of the 2014 "vintage" on a local store's shelf.  I was looking for something to use these incredibly deep and complex flavorful bitters in when I came across his recipe for a Scuppernong Sour.

This was my first cocktail using raw egg whites.  I don't know why I hadn't tried it before.  There's just an ingrown aversion to using raw or under cooked poultry products that is really drummed into you in America.

Boy am I sad I waited! This drink had such a beautiful, rich mouth feel and a brightness from the citrus and jelly. It's the kind of cocktail that is tough to sip because you just want to down the entire icy cold, smooth and citrusy thing in one drink.

Scuppernong is a variety of Muscadine grape native to the south eastern United States.  I found a suitable substitute in my pantry.


2 T Lewis and Co Orange Blossom Tea Jelly
2 oz Old Forester 100 Proof Bourbon
2 Dashes Fee Brothers Whiskey Barrel Aged Bitters
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
1 Egg White

Shake the cocktail dry (without ice) to incorporate everything and then add ice and shake until chilled. Double strain through a fine mesh into a coup glass and enjoy.


This was an incredible, eye-opening cocktail that was my introduction to egg white including mixed drinks. Find an appropriate jelly and give it a try yourself.

Grind Espresso Shot, Hangar 1 Vodka, Whites Russians and the Big Lebowski

I like coffee.  In fact, I can't get enough of it in the morning, at mid-day or even in the evening.  Some nights it just seems ideal to grab your favorite Rum and Coffee liqueur, vodka, half and half, a copy of The Big Lebowski and just stay in.

I've always used Kahlua in my White Russians so when I saw the new Grind Espresso Shot on the shelf I had to give it a try.  Kahlua comes in at 40 proof (with a newer 70 proof just released) and Grind is 60 proof.

Grind is Caribbean Rum mixed with Arabica coffee extract and espresso.  I couldn't be happier with how fresh and aromatic this product is.


It smells of fresh ground coffee, vanilla and caramel.

The palate is rich, but not too sweet with notes of fresh ground/brewed coffee, vanilla, chocolate and sugar syrup.

The finish is fairly long with hints of coffee bitterness, mocha and light vanilla.


This really worked well with the high quality Hangar 1 vodka.  Hangar 1 is an interesting vodka because it is crafted using Viognier grapes as well as midwestern wheat.  There are many flavored varieties, which really stand out as compared with more artificially flavored vodka.  Hangar 1 sources fruit in season for their limited edition flavored vodka and infuses it with the vodka base before distilling it.

This is a cocktail that really ties the room together.