NEW THINGS | SCAPEGRACE
Scapegrace: a rogue by any other name Ah, the perennial problem of starting up some courageous and visionary enterprise from the arse-end of the world (that’s us), coming up with a nifty name, turning it into a roaring success that insists on going global, only to discover that some northern hemisphere titan has taken commercial offence at your presumption over monikers, and is prepared to sue the pants off you if you don’t change your name.
Come on down, Rogue Society. You know: that handcrafted Kiwi small batch artisan gin that everybody loves. The one with the great name. Enter, stage left-field, large American brewery, Rogue Ales. The brainchild of three Nike executives, so right there is your ‘brand-as-holygrail’ fixation. Whatever. A number of people in the northern hemisphere are rumoured to be unable to distinguish between a bottle of premium New Zealand dry gin and a bottle of American beer. Oh dear. To avoid a complete global catastrophe, Rogue Society have generously changed their name to Scapegrace. Which is a more obscure, but arguably classier name for a rogue; so take that, American beer. But what should not get lost in all of this: Scapegrace? It’s the same brilliantly beautiful gin. End of story. -GG
COCKTAILS | SAZERAC
word cocktail was recorded in print as early as 1803. Still, makes for a great trivial-swill-fact. Another legend states that proprietor of the “Merchants Exchange Coffee house”, Aaron Bird, began serving the Sazerac cocktail and changed the name of his premise to The Sazerac Coffee house after the company had been importing “Sazerac-de-Forge et Fils” Cognac for several years. The mix consisted of Sazerac cognac, absinthe, bitters and sugar. These rudimentary mixes of spirits were the first cocktail, mixing Peychaud’s own bitters and thus it was known simply as the Sazerac, eventually bottled and marketed under the Sazerac Company of New Orleans. Over time According to popular myth, an 1830’s
the cognac incorporated “Herbsaint”, a French
apothecary was once owned by a man named
style pastis when absinthe was outlawed. A
Antoine Amedie Peychaud, in New Orleans.
phylloxera epidemic ravaged the French
He made his own bitters, which he used in the
vineyards, and the cognac was replaced with
toddies he famously treated his friends to.
American Rye Whiskey. Now the Sazerac is
Peychaud portioned the liquor using a double
still remembered fondly as the original cocktail
sided egg cup or “coquetier.” Does that word
to go by such a title, and is still the official
sound familiar? Sound anything like the word
cocktail of New Orleans.
“cocktail”, which nowadays is so very, very popular? It’s a nifty origin story, although the
Over time as cocktails became more fanciful, it became commonplace for those who wanted the simpler concoctions to ask for their cocktail to be made the “old fashioned” way. The Old Fashioned has become a cocktail in its own right, with a similar makeup of whiskey, sugar, bitters, and a fruit garnish. So, whether you believe we owe the Sazerac to Peychaud and his coquetier pours, or Bird and his creation of the brand, it’s a good yarn to have over a cold cocktail. - CM
EDUCATION | CUBAN RUM
Of all the rums produced in the world, few have a more mysterious and complex history than those from Cuba. One of the most famous names that comes to mind is Bacardi, yet you can’t buy it in Cuba. They are based in Bermuda, and most of their rum is produced in Puerto Rico. Confused yet?
We start this story when rum production began on the island sometime in the 17th century. With a huge demand in Europe for sugar at this time, a labour force was established to work the sugarcane plantations in the Caribbean, introduced there by Columbus in the 1400s. Cuba had the perfect terroir, a hot sticky climate and fertile soils, ideal for sugarcane and tobacco. It was also ideally placed geographically and politically, being under Spanish rule at the time and part of the major shipping routes. Plantation slaves had discovered that the by-product of the refining process, molasses, could be fermented into alcohol.
We think that the first true distillation of the
By the late 1800s, there were more than 1000
molasses occurred in Barbados, with a 1651
distillers on the island. But the two leading
document stating, "The chief fuddling they
families were the Bacardi’s and the
make in the island is Rumbullion, alias Kill-
Arechabala’s. Their arch rivals produced
Devil, and this is made of sugar canes distilled,
Havana Club, an incredibly popular rum both in
a hot, hellish, and terrible liquor." The
Cuba and the U.S.A Unfortunately for them,
popularity of this distilled liquor quickly spread,
the Cuban Revolution in 1960 saw Castro
and became the favoured drink of Pirates and
‘nationalise’ all companies, sending both
the public alike. The British Royal Navy had
families into exile.
officially changed their daily ration of liquor, from French Brandy to Rum, after they
Luckily for the Bacardi family they had already
captured Jamaica in 1655.
expanded production overseas, first to Mexico, then to Puerto Rico to avoid tariffs in the United
The real advances in Cuban rum came from
States. They had also moved all of their
Facundo Bacardi Masso, who moved from
trademarks and formulas to the Bahamas due
Spain to Santiago de Cuba in 1830. Rum was
to concerns under the former leader Batista.
still very unrefined and cheaply made when he
This meant they were able to essentially
arrived. He set up the distillery in an old
continue on outside the country. Their former
building with fruit bats in the rafters, the
distillery was taken over by the Cuban
inspiration of the Bacardi logo. It came with an
government and now produces the Santiago
old copper and cast iron still, and he began
de Cuba brand. The family flourished though,
experimenting with cultivating his own yeast
and Bacardi has gone on to become the
strains. Then introducing filtering through
largest family owned spirits company in the
charcoal to remove impurities, and aging his
world.
rum in white oak barrels. All this produced a smooth, light and mellow type of rum that hadn’t been seen before. That lighter Cuban style is still famous today.
Bacardi employees in Santiago de Cuba, circa 1940s
The Arechabala’s were not so fortunate; after fleeing to Spain and the United States, they had no distillery ready to continue making rum. The regime took over Havana Club and continued to produce it under the same name, much of it being sold to the Soviets. The Arechabala family still had the rights to the US trademark, but when they let it slip in 1973, the Cuban government snatched it up (even though they are still not able to sell it there.) When the USSR collapsed, Cuba needed to find new markets for Havana Club, so it signed a 50/50 deal with French giant Pernod Ricard to help produce and distribute worldwide. Because of the unique style of Cuban rum, and them being isolated for so long, when it finally started to be available again in the 1990’s it quickly became one of the most sought after rums on the market. Havana Club is now the fifth largest rum brand in the world.
Many other Cuban rum families were also forced into exile; brands like Matusalem (now made in the Dominican Republic). Always check the country of origin to see if your Cuban branded rum is actually made there. In New Zealand it’s possible to find some of the smaller Cuban labels, like the aforementioned Santiago de Cuba which was a favourite of Castro. Hunt out Varadero for another producer that is very well priced and of great quality. - RM
Bacardi boss Pepin Bosch
WHAT I'M DRINKING | TEQUILA
For this first edition of the Spiritual Guide, I
The Tapatio Excelencia Gran Reserva is a
thought I’d introduce you to one of the world’s
revered bottle amongst connoisseurs. I was
finest and rarest tequilas. Unfortunately, it’s one
lucky enough to find this very special Extra
you won’t be able to find in New Zealand. I
Añejo in the city of Tlaquepaque, hidden away
recently spent a week in the Jalisco province of
in El Buho, possibly the world’s best tequila
Mexico, where the majority of the spirit is
shop.
produced. Jalisco is also home to the town of Tequila itself, a beautiful World Heritage Site
The Extra Añejo (Very Aged) category for
60km from the city of Guadalajara.
tequila is the highest level, and was only officially introduced in 2006. It refers to those that have been aged for a minimum of three years in oak barrels. This may not seem very old to
whisky
drinkers,
but
tequila
matures
significantly faster due to the hot and dry climate. In Scotland, where it is colder with high humidity, the average amount of whisky in barrel lost to evaporation (‘The Angels share’) is 2% per year. In Mexico they lose an average of 10% a year! The original batch of Excelencia was distilled in 1996 by legendary master distiller Carlos Camarena at the famed La Alteña distillery (Distillery number NOM1139), ten years before this category existed. Tapatio is the family’s original label, mostly sold only in Mexico, and is Tequila Tapatio Excelencia Gran Reserva
a local term for a person from Guadalajara. The
Extra Añejo - $250-$300
estate has a cult status with aficionados, who have been making the trek to La Alteña for many years.
Carlos is the grandson of Don Filipe Camarena who built the distillery in 1937 in the mountain highlands of Los Altos. The family has been producing tequila since the early 1800s but the original distillery was abandoned and destroyed during the Mexican revolution. The name Alteña literally translates as ‘lady from the highlands’. Carlos continues to use some of the most traditional methods of production in all of tequila for the brands he produces here. They only make 100% pure agave tequila using no additives.
He started with very old and ripe Blue Agave plants aged ten years, all grown organically and hand harvested by the Camarena family. The Pinas of the agave are hand cut and hand loaded into a traditional horno (stone oven) where they are slowly steam cooked and cooled over four days to extract the sugars. The cooked pinas are then carefully crushed and pressed to extract the juice. Carlos kept the fibres with the juice in small wooden fermenters, where a 75yr old yeast culture completed the fermentation. Double distillation was in small 95-340 litre copper ‘Alambique Mexicanos’ pot stills.
The spirit then was aged for four years in brand new #4 deep charred American white oak. In 1996 this was a very long time, with most aged tequilas only having 1-2 years in wood. It was then moved from barrel in 2000, to 5L glass jars for long term storage, as this tequila was never meant to be released. It was kept in these jars for over 13 years, and used occasionally by Tapatio for blending. Carlos would sometimes add a small amount into their regular Añejo to increase the oak character, depth and complexity. In theory a spirit kept in glass should not change, but Carlos said this special blend continued to integrate and mellow over the years. It was sometimes
poured by itself on special family occasions, and was tried by some customers who said it was ‘excellent’. After much persistence from some of them, he finally relented and released some under the name Excelencia. It is now regarded as one of the finest tequilas ever produced.
Tapatio Fermenters
This can best be compared in quality to the greatest aged spirits in the world, like XO Cognac or very old Scotch. The colour is deep amber and mahogany. The nose is extremely powerful, rich wood, maple, caramel and vanilla with strong cooked agave notes. Often when a tequila spends too long in wood, it can lose much of its agave character. This is incredibly smooth and rich on the palate, with everything from the nose, along with dark chocolate, brown sugar, sweet earth and spices, all held together with soft creamy oak. Unlike some aged spirits, that can get too mellow and woody, this still has plenty of fire to balance out the mature characters. The finish is extremely long and complex. Wow. Excelencia is an absolutely stunning drink for slow sipping in the late evening. If you ever get the chance to taste or buy a bottle, don’t hesitate, it’s a bargain compared to the other luxury tequilas and spirits it competes with. - RM
HOME GROWN | THOMSONS
In a market dominated by the Scots and Irish globally, it was about time for us Kiwis to dabble in the world of whisky. And why not?! We have shown that we’ve all but conquered the Wine and Beer world so let’s take a crack at Whisky and not forgetting the rest of the spirits (more to come in future editions). And who better to do it than Thomson’s Whisky. They started off small, buying barrels from the old Willowbank Distillery in Dunedin and got their name out there by word of mouth and it took off from there. Like all good things it takes time whisky especially Thomson’s were patient and persistent and it’s paid off.
From their Manuka Smoke Single Malt to the 23 year old, Thomson’s are producing award winners taking the Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirit Competition in multiple years and more recently Silver Outstanding Medal at the International Wine and Spirit Competition, let’s just say you’ve got to be quick to get your hands on these small parcels. After entering the worldwide platform of such a “tricky” market, Thomson’s have proven themselves as ones to watch. After the success of whisky production, both locally and
internationally, they have entered the Gin World with “Victor”, a heavy botanical style craft gin; with its striking label will no doubt become a Kiwi classic in no time. Check out the impressive range in store at your local Glengarry or online.
MIXES | EAST IMPERIAL
Gin & Tonic, a partnership so tight it ranks high amongst the best duos of all time, including; Bert & Ernie, Peanut Butter & Jelly and Macaroni & Cheese. Better yet, it has a rich history, dating back to 1825 when British Army Officers serving in India combined their daily Gin ration with a quinine tonic (a simple mix of quinine, sugar and lime) to stave off malaria. Fast forward 190-odd years and the two are inseparable.
Gin has recently undergone a make-over, shedding the “mother’s ruin”, “made in a bathtub” moniker as we see a resurgence of quality, small batch producers vying for space on our shelves. Like most relationships, when one half starts hitting the gym, eating better, slimming down and getting the beach bod ready for summer the other half either a) gets resentful, or b) joins the waves of change themselves. So after almost 2 centuries, can
Gin & Tonic put a sparkle back into their
If you are looking for a more contemporary
relationship?
taste, the East Imperial ‘Burma’ Tonic Water offers amongst the highest quinine levels on
Cue East Imperial, a New Zealand tonic water
the market with more sugar than the ‘Old
specialist, breathing life back into a product
World’ to ensure it is still in pristine balance.
long dominated by over-sweetened, mass
Flavours of lemongrass and lime create
produced offerings. Inspired by a family recipe
harmony in the glass when combined with a
from 1903, the founders of East Imperial
London Dry style gin.
sought to create a range of tonic waters that would complement the premium gins that were
The team at East Imperial continue to evolve
emerging, rather than saturating and
their offering with the Yuzu and Grapefruit tonic
smothering them in cloying sugar.
waters. Common to Japan and described as a hybrid between a mandarin and Meyer lemons
Their first release was the East Imperial ‘Old
the East Imperial Yuzu Tonic Water provides a
World’ Tonic Water, commonly described as
bright citrus note that pairs with your more
the champagne of tonic water with its
citrus-dominant gins. Meanwhile, the East
restrained natural citric acid and low sugar
Imperial Grapefruit Tonic Water is delicate and
making it the perfect accompaniment for your
balanced with a restrained citrus note, making
more herbaceous style gins, whilst giving us a
it the perfect suitor for the traditional London
view of tonic water as it was in the early
Dry Gin.
1900’s.
We are currently in a period of renaissance, watching two established and traditional beverages as they shake off their shackles and explore their options. But thankfully, like all great relationships their individual growth and development is building up the other and best of all, it’s for our enjoyment! -TJ
EVENTS AND TASTINGS
GIN TASTING | THORNDON There is nothing better than a refreshing gin and tonic at the end of the day. Now the only dilemma is which gin to choose, and for that matter, which tonic?? We are currently spoilt for choice on both counts and with more and more gins hitting our shelves, we thought it was time to go through and sample some of the range. We will be tasting a range of eight WHEN: Thursday 10th May
gins, some from overseas and some from New
WHERE: Glengarry Thorndon,
Zealand, as well as a range of tonics and
53 Hutt Rd, Thorndon, Wellington
garnishes.
TIME: 6:00pm
BOOK NOW ONLINE
WORLD WHISKY DAY
WHEN: Saturday 19th May WHERE: Glengarry Victoria Park,
VICTORIA PARK
118 Wellesley St West, Auckland It's World Whisky Day, what else shall we do??
TIME: 2:00pm
With so many recent new and exciting arrivals from around the world the timing just couldn’t be better! Single Malt, Bourbon, Irish, Kiwi, Japanese, Wood finishes, Old Malts and young, join us for what will be a fantastic day! Last year there were over 80 Single Malts to try, expect it to be bigger and better this time round.
BOOK NOW ONLINE
The East Imperial Gin Jubilee is Asia’s premier gin festival. This annual celebration of all things gin-related brings together some of the world’s finest gins, the region’s best bars and bartenders, and thousands of gin novices and aficionados. The culmination of the East Imperial Gin Jubilee is the crowning of one bar and bartender with the Silver Tankard for each city’s Best Gin & Tonic. This year, Glengarry have joined together with the Gin Jubilee to bring this innovation into your home, wherever you are in the country. Pop onto our website for more info and to explore the entries, or to buy the ingredients to try the entries at home.
CLICK HERE FOR LOCATIONS
glengarry.co.nz/ginjubilee
CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL SPIRIT TASTINGS
That's it for this month's Spiritual Guide. Issue Two will be coming your way next month with more guidance through the spiritual world. Cheers,
Glengarry Wines 118 Wellesley St West, Auckland Free Phone: 0800 733 505 Email: sales@glengarry.co.nz Website: www.glengarrywines.co.nz
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