The 44 Cordial – a rum-based cordial made with orange and coffee – is supposedly Madagascar’s “tropical adaptation of a homemade liqueur that’s popular in France, where it’s called Quarante-quatre and is sometimes made with cloves.” I’m quoting Saveur Magazine here, from March ’08, but I personally found it on this Something Awful forum thread […]
Category Archives: infusions
Basic infusions for the cheap and thirsty
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
If you can’t drink globally, produce locally. Thus I decided to start making my own liqueurs and/or cordials. There’s two good reasons to do this. One: you can make delicious new things that you’ve never tried before – stuff they don’t sell in stores. And two: if done right it’s dirt-ass cheap. So let’s start with some basics.
“Another mixture was toddy . . . “
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Here in Portland Oregon we have been experiencing a week of winter the likes of which I’m told have not been seen since 1969. It is not the weather that one is accustomed to, having grown-up on the West Coast. It is finally beginning to melt this afternoon. I’ve had an enjoyable time close to […]
the walnut of time
Monday, September 29, 2008
I started this blogpost way way back in August, when it seemed like Portland was in the middle of summer. It’s nice that this weekend I am finishing it, we are experiencing a sort of reminiscence of summer. It is a bright Saturday morning in August and I am standing outside a small apartment building, […]
Plum Infusion – Early Returns
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
A little less than a week ago, I set about to infusing vodka with plums, mostly because I had a bunch of plums and no real interest in eating them. Therefore I took… 750 mL of Ketel One vodka three black plums, sliced …threw them together in a jar, stuck it in the fridge, and […]
the open house at House Spirits
Saturday, December 15, 2007
House Spirits is a distillery in the inner SE industrial district of Portland that produces a vodka, a gin, and whatever else captures the fancy of the distillers. They share space and equipment with Ransom Sprits, producer of grappa and port, and Sub Rosa Spirits, producer of infused vodka. Our tasting party began with brunch, […]
Red in Tooth and Claw
Friday, November 16, 2007
I was at Lucy Brennan’s bar 820 a couple weeks ago and had her cocktail the Ruby, a drink based on beet-infused vodka. It was really good, the earthy flavor of beets is balanced by a nice citrus-sour element. The vodka derives a very interesting sweetness from the beets. And the color is wonderful. I […]
keep your 40 – I’ll have an Earl Grey tea
Friday, August 31, 2007
Although it is known that the second Earl Grey, who served as Prime Minister from 1830-1834, gave permission for the production and sale to the Twinings tea company of the blend of black teas flavored with bergemot oil that bears his title, the actual inspiration for this blend seems to be lost to history. The […]
