Zorral Posted January 17 Share Posted January 17 Mexican Whiskey Is on the Rise, Powered by Ancient Corn Several distillers are using local heirloom grain and exporting to the United States, the heart of another corn-based spirit: bourbon. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/11/dining/drinks/mexican-whiskey.html Quote .... Despite their common ingredient, Gran Maizal whiskey is a world apart from traditional bourbons, let alone barley-based whiskeys like Irish and Scotch. In bourbon, the charred oak barrel in which it ages is responsible for most of the flavor; in Gran Maizal, the centerpiece is the corn. “We were doing distillation at a very small scale, a kitchen-counter scale in a lab,” said Mr. de la Pezuela, who with Mr. Ayala spent years perfecting the Gran Maizal flavor, emphasizing the corn’s rich, nutty sweetness and rejecting test batches that produced too much of the caramel and vanilla notes associated with bourbon. “And we quickly were able to say, ‘Well, you know what? This is a lot like a bourbon. This is not for us.’ ” .... .... Each Mexican whiskey distillery has its own particular approach to the craft: Sierra Norte blends its corn with a small amount of malted barley, while Maíz Nation ages its whiskey for about two and a half years in new charred oak barrels, like bourbon. But at each distillery, the corn is king. Maíz Nation, in the southern city of Oaxaca, buys its corn from a small number of local farmers who grow their crops using traditional methods. “Every family has been growing their corn for hundreds of years,” said Jonathan Barbieri, who moved to Mexico from the United States in the early 1980s and started making whiskey with his wife, Yira Vallejo, in 2014. “Corn is the intellectual property of Indigenous societies.” Oaxaca, where Sierra Norte is also based, is the heartland of Mexican corn: The distilleries are a short drive from the caves of Yagul and Mitla, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where archaeologists have found the earliest evidence of domesticated corn. .... Tears of Lys 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcbigski Posted February 8 Author Share Posted February 8 There's got to be a name for this. Had no Kahlua left but still wanted a big lebowski sort of drink. So I substituted Chambord for Kahlua. Creamy raspberry epic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tears of Lys Posted February 9 Share Posted February 9 I've been on a Pinot Grigio kick lately, but every once in a while, I top it with a little Brut sparkling wine. It seems to pair nicely. kissdbyfire and Zorral 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kissdbyfire Posted February 9 Share Posted February 9 15 hours ago, Tears of Lys said: I've been on a Pinot Grigio kick lately, but every once in a while, I top it with a little Brut sparkling wine. It seems to pair nicely. I love Pinot Grigio, and this is now at the top of my “to try” list! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ser Scot A Ellison Posted February 9 Share Posted February 9 (edited) I don’t drink particularly often. But I prefer high gravity Belgian style beers. Sunday before last I had a Belgian triple along with a self made cheese heavy charcuterie board. I got a hangover so bad I thought I was going to die… from one beer. What the hell is up with that? Edited February 9 by Ser Scot A Ellison Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maarsen Posted February 9 Share Posted February 9 1 hour ago, Ser Scot A Ellison said: I don’t drink particularly often. But I prefer high gravity Belgian style beers. Sunday before last I had a Belgian triple along with a self made cheese heavy charcuterie board. I got a hangover so bad I thought I was going to die… from one beer. What the hell is up with that? Don't blame the beer! I suspect some of the cheese may have been off. Ser Scot A Ellison 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HexMachina Posted February 10 Share Posted February 10 On 2/9/2024 at 2:38 AM, Tears of Lys said: I've been on a Pinot Grigio kick lately, but every once in a while, I top it with a little Brut sparkling wine. It seems to pair nicely. I once drank some "aged" brut (aged = I got it as a Christmas present and forgot about it for a few years) and let's just say it did not mature like fine wine, but more like whole milk Tears of Lys 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A True Kaniggit Posted February 10 Share Posted February 10 (edited) …… My Birthday approaches. And so my drink intake shall increase. Will my hostile takeover of the Drunk Thread succeed? Probably not. But I promise silly word play! Edited February 10 by A True Kaniggit mcbigski 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A True Kaniggit Posted February 10 Share Posted February 10 Bloody hell. I didn't guess the monthly work riddle correctly. It went. "What is full of holes, but can still hold water"? The correct answer was. A Sponge" I guessed. 'A good lie" I think my answer was better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tears of Lys Posted February 17 Share Posted February 17 I'm with you. Your answer IS better. A True Kaniggit 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HexMachina Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 I went heavy over the weekend (by which I mean went out Friday, woke up still drunk Saturday and didn't really sober up before I was out again). This isn't usual for me these days so spare the lectures. Anyway, the drinks were good, lots of tequila and gin. Woke up Sunday with no hangover, somehow, but now we're three days on and I feel like its caught me up because all I want to do is sleep. Regrets Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zorral Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 This time around down here in the south of Spain, it's the local vermouths that have captured my particular affection. The wines and the cervezas are at least as good as my enthusiastic memory recalled. Perhaps even better as our on-the-ground team includes two professionals who are sommeliers so their advice is invaluable. However it's evident I've never had even all-right-to-decent quality local vermouth before, so this is a new experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcbigski Posted April 3 Author Share Posted April 3 On 2/29/2024 at 8:28 AM, Zorral said: This time around down here in the south of Spain, it's the local vermouths that have captured my particular affection. The wines and the cervezas are at least as good as my enthusiastic memory recalled. Perhaps even better as our on-the-ground team includes two professionals who are sommeliers so their advice is invaluable. However it's evident I've never had even all-right-to-decent quality local vermouth before, so this is a new experience. Sounds lovely. Was the vermouth just served straight up? I think I've only had it cocktails. Saw an orange at the store yesterday with a particularly fine skin, so I'm making my house martinis tonight. Can't even taste the alcohol, though to be fair, it's mostly water, chemically speaking. They're a black out threat, to be sure, but mild to no hangover, for me at least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zorral Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 (edited) nvm Edited April 3 by Zorral Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zorral Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 (edited) 15 hours ago, mcbigski said: Was the vermouth just served straight up? Straight. So were the sherries and the brandies. However, when ordering pre-prandial in a restaurant, my choice of vermouth (as you likely know, there are bars whose specialty is vermouths, and many a taberna has its own local vermouth, in barrels, out of which the bar directly pumps the contents of one's choice), the glass generally came with ice and lovely orange slices. This was particularly delicious as it is orange harvest time around the Mediterranean. I've bee buying the recently arrived Spanish navel oranges this week, squeezing out the juice in an old school hand citrus juicer, not anything electric. Juice has been extraordinary this spring. Also there's a Spanish wines only shop within walking distance here, and they carry -- for a lot higher price -- my favorite white vermouth from Jerez. ~~~~~~~~ This week I discovered one of the best tasting beers I've ever had in the US. It's an Indian brand, named Rupee, made from basmati rice. Edited April 3 by Zorral mcbigski 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.