The IBA Project: Sazerac

The Sazerac cocktail with Cognac.

The Grandfather Story:

• Originated around the 1830s. 
• Could've been America's first known cocktail.
• Antoine Peychauds was an apothecary from New Orleans who created the now famous Peychaud's bitters, was said to have created the original Sazerac for a cure, not as a cocktail.
• The drink is named after its original base spirit, a cognac named Sazerac de Forge et Fils.
• It was originally a cognac based cocktail, but it seems like rye whisky is the popular base now. 
• The reason for the shift to rye whisky was either 1) cognac suddenly became scarce due to a bug problem or 2) American whiskey was readily available and very popular (and also very preferred by its local drinkers) so it was used in everything then.

Fun fact: In 2008, New Orleans proclaimed it to be its official cocktail.

The IBA Project: Cosmopolitan

The Cosmopolitan  here IS pink. Really. I've got bad lighting. 

The Grandfather Story:
There are too many versions of its origins - so you gotta take your pick as to which one you'd prefer to believe:

1) The Cosmopolitan Daisy, found in a bartending  book from the 1930s, could've been its ancestor. While a lot of the basic ingredients were not quite the same, the end product was characteristically what today's cosmo looked like. Jigger Gordons Gin, 2 Dashes Cointreau, Juice of one Lemon, Teaspoon Raspberry (syrup)

2) Ocean Spray printed its version of Cosmopolitan in the 1960s called the "Harpoon" to sell more of its juice: 2 oz. cranberry, 1 oz. vodka or light rum or gin, over the rocks or tall with soda, with an optional splash of lime or lemon.

3) Apparently it was created by the gay community in the 1970s, by adding cranberry juice into a kamikaze.

New: Kilchoman Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky

3 Kilchoman beauties in a row: Machir Bay, 100% Islay & Loch Gorm

The guys at Single & Available organised a couple of tastings to introduce this really new label into the Malaysian market.

First, we learned that Kilchoman is actually pronounced as Kil-HO-man. Must be a Gaelic thing?

Secondly, Peter Willis, who came all the way from Scotland to take us through the tasting, is actually the SON of one of the co-founders.

Isn't it awesome when these companies take some time off their busy worldly schedules to spare a few moments for this tiny insignificant market? This drinker appreciates it very much! :)

So Kilchoman is practically still a baby. The distillery began production in 2005 - it's just about 9 years old this year!

The IBA Project: Caipirinha

A wild Caipirinha!

The Grandfather Story:

• Caipirinha is derived from the Portuguese word - caipira (hick, hayseed, country bumpkin, rube...) and "inha" suffix (a word meaning little or small).
• Its beginnings can be traced back to around 1918.
• It is Brazil's national cocktail and it is drank anytime, anywhere.
• The ancestor of this drink was  a mix of lemon, garlic, honey - supposedly used as cure for the Spanish flu (still used for colds today). 

The IBA Project: Bacardi

The Bacardi Cocktail

The Grandfather Story:

The cocktail has been around since 1917 and made popular in the USA. The Daiquiri was actually the original Bacardi cocktail which became popular after Prohibition. But when bars ran out of Bacardi, bartenders made the cocktail with whatever rum they had in store. 

This displeases Bacardi a whole lot. So Bacardi said, enough is enough, and took matters to court. In 1936, the Bacardi cocktail was copyrighted. The ruling states that an authentic Bacardi cocktail must be made with using only Bacardi rum. Bacardi then decided to modify the original daiquiri recipe and added some Grenadine to make it THE Bacardi cocktail just to differentiate it from the daiquiri.

Fun fact: Bacardi is Cuban by birth, but it is not longer considered "Cuban" rum as it's not found in Cuba anymore as it moved its operation out in 1960 (this in itself, is a history lesson). Did you know that the Bacardi brand has been around since 1862? Well, now you do!

Launch: Affligem is Here!

Selamat datang, Affligem.

Kudos to GAB for bringing in a new beer, yeay! It's so nice to see them venture out of their Guinness and Tiger comfort zone. :p

Affligem is brought in by Heineken, which is part of GAB in Malaysia. Heineken actually has a slew of international and regional brands under its umbrella. Don't believe me? Check it out on wikipedia. Don't believe wikipedia? How about verifying it on the official Heineken international website.

Kirin Glamping Post-Event Report

(Warning, this is a picture heavy post. With loads of horribly taken pictures.)

Kirin ran a promotion through the month of September whereby with any purchase of their beer, you get a chance to participate in something called "Glamping" on 3 October.

Drink more Kirin.

If you're not too familiar with what Glamping means, it's actually a marriage of 2 words - glamorous and camping. So it's a form of camping where you spend some time away from the comforts of your own home in a sort of a retreat (mostly in the forest or nature reserve, like camping lah), but you don't forgo any luxuries like electricity, plumbing, the internet. etc (hence, glamorous).

The IBA Project: Gin Fizz

A  happy glass of  Gin Fizz

The Grandfather Story:
One of the oldest classic drinks originating from the late 1800s. A Fizz is pretty much a cocktail (the base spirit could be a gin, whiskey, brandy or vodka) which contains carbonated water and citrus. The Gin Fizz is actually a variation of the John Collins (also an IBA cocktail) - the only difference between these two cocktails is that John Collins is served in a highball glass with ice, and the Ginz Fizz is served in a chilled tumbler ( a smaller glass than a highball), without ice.

Strength:
Not strong. Sour and carbonated, it actually tastes like lemonade ... with alcohol.

The 2014 Oktoberfest Is Upon Us!

Yums!

More Yums!

What is Oktoberfest? It's technically a 16-day festival running from end September to early October. Historically, it originated as a celebration of the wedding between King Ludwig 1 and Princess Therese of Saxony back in 1810 in Munich, Bavaria.

Fastforward to today and what does that mean to us?  We're in Malaysia and that's thousands of miles away from Germany! Well, really, it's just an awesome nearly-month-long excuse to drink and party with awesome German beer and food. :)

Shots!

Sailor Jerry's New Look.

Source: www.thedrinksreport.com

Not to worry, the Hawaiian girl's still in tact. It's so minor you won't even notice it, did you? So, instead of one single label, it's been split into 2. Just thought you should know so you don't suspect that it's fake when it's finally release in this market. Should be available from this month onwards.

Funny thing is that it's so new, that even their own website is still featuring the old label, lol.






Absolut Andy Warhol.

Source: http://www.absolut.com/us/andywarhol/

Yup. It's yet another Absolut Limited Edition Bottle. Same ol' liquid, different clothes. But you just gotta get them all, right? I'm curious how you die-hard Absolut bottle collectors manage to keep up with the designs. Please, if you are one of them, I'm dying to know how your collection looks like. Hit me up!

For more: http://www.absolut.com/us/andywarhol/

Maker's Mark Cask Strength

Source: www.drinkspirits.com 

I'm a fan of Maker's Mark. More often than not, I reach out for it whenever an recipe calls out for Bourbon. If there is only one basic bourbon you should have in your home bar, it is this. Not only does it taste yum, it is not too painful in the wallet. The cask strength is at an ABV of 56.6% and I would love to get my hands on this but unfortunately it's only released in small quantities and in the US... and apparently only in its hometown, Kentcuky. Not cool, Maker's Mark. Not cool at all. Sigh x 10000.





Killer Queen Vodka.

Source: http://www.killerqueenvodka.com/

This is basically a vodka released by Queen (the band, not the monarch) as a tribute to their late lead singer, Freddie, who really enjoyed his vodka... and to celebrate the band's hit single of the same name - Killer Queen.

The Killer Queen Vodka is produced by Stoli, so you know it won't suck. I feel like getting one. Just because it's Queen... and because I'm a little bit of a sucker for the cool packaging... and it's because it's Queen! Check it out: http://www.killerqueenvodka.com/


Glenmorangie Taghta

Image: Glenmorangie.com

This "so-called" crowd-sourcing whisky will be ONLY at selected countries... and NOT available via online purchase in Malaysia. Is that a bummer or what? If you ask me, it is a HUGE bummer. Vexed does not even describe how I feel about this. And I say "so-called" because apparently "members" of the public tested and voted for this whisky... but if you go to their website from Malaysia, there is no way you can sign up to be any part of this "club". Yes, I am being VERY upset and vindictive. And also quite high from my overly strongly made White Russian (I used 2 shots vodka, 1 shot Kahlua... I was asking for it)

Seriously, they unapologetically INFORM you that they don't have it "TO YOUR MARKET": https://glenmorangie.com/en/caskmasters

Glenmorangie, you snub Malaysia? I AM VERY ANGRY AT YOU. And if I find out that you are available for online purchase at Singapore, I would be even MORE ANGRY at you.


Jack Daniel’s Rested Tennessee Rye

Source: www.drinkspirits.com 

There is just not enough Rye whiskies in the market, IMHO. The closest one can get to Rye Whiskey in Malaysia is probably the Canadian Club (which evidently uses a whole lot of rye in their blending).

While not usually something you'd drink straight, it's the main ingredients for 3 classic cocktails - Manhattan, Sazarec, Old Fashioned (Mad Men, anyone?).

Unfortunately, we will not be to get our hands on it....because it's irritatingly only available in the US and in limited quantities. RAWR! SO ANGRY! WHY WHY WHY!

For more: http://www.jackdaniels.com/whiskey/rested-rye


And that's a wrap! Enjoy the weekend!