Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/776532
january/february 2017 / the tasting panel / 49 Glenn Tamura, owner of Tamura's Fine Wine & Liquors on Oahu, Hawaii, is known all over the islands as an avid consumer of Old No. 7. Tamura's stores are the largest fine wine retailers in Hawaii, and he's recently applied his hand to opening a full-service restaurant: The Edge by Tamura's. "I always want to be on the cutting edge of something," he explains. His restaurant prominently features a "Jack" cocktail, "The Itch," a potent mix of Glenn's hand- picked Jack Daniel's Single Barrel whiskey, rainwater Madeira, a touch of banana liqueur and housemade grenadine garnished with a "pineapple tiara"—guests have been known to end up wearing theirs after indulging in more than one of these robust concoctions. Just an eight minute drive from The Edge on the island of Oahu, barhoppers will find a completely different and non-tropical environment known as Pint + Jigger, owner Dave Newman's modern and mainland-inspired cocktail bar. "We want people to feel like they left Hawaii for a couple of hours," he says of Pint + Jigger's design. Boasting the island's best selection of over 140 rare and small- batch whiskies, Newman also aimed to up the ante when it comes to his atypically Hawaiian food offerings. "We have no rice, no poke. We do a Scotch egg, fish and chips, and we've become known for our burger," he says. Newman emphasizes that he wants Pint + Jigger to be an easy-going, local bar. "We're about 92 percent local," he explains. With a large food and beverage industry following, Newman created a special cocktail just for his brand and distribution reps. "It's called Crossing Enemy Lines," Newman says, and it was concocted to show just how fun the whiskey world really can be. A Manhattan- inspired cocktail that includes equal parts Jack Daniel's Old No. 8 and an unnamed competitor's whisky, Newman beams, "When they remark how good the drink is, we inevitably say, 'Must be the _____' from the other house. It always gets a good chuckle." And thanks to the name, "Crossing Enemy Lines" has caught on with Pint + Jigger's military regulars. The one thing Newman didn't want to transplant to his own concept was something the mixology bars of the mainland suffer from the most: the wait. "I hate waiting for a drink," he says. Many of Pint + Jigger's cocktails are batched and bottled to ensure a quicker time from barkeep to bar guest. Its most popular drink, the Old Fashioned, is blended "sous-vide" for two days with spent Jack Daniel's barrel chips. "Some of my favorite Jack Daniel's drinks I've come up with at the Pint," Newman says. And with over a century of whiskey distilling under its belt, Jack Daniel's shows no sign of slowing down its affinity for cocktail inspiration. One of the best parts of my gig is that I am able to travel the country and meet great people. This trip to Hawaii was no different. It was Glenn Tamura, who may like Jack Daniel's as much as Dave Newman and me. Dave reminded me of an updated version of the guys who trained me how to bartend—old-school customer service with new-school cocktails (or, actually, really old-school). The trip also refueled my passion for Jack Daniel's "umbrella" cocktails. Many great rums are aged in used Old No. 7 barrels, so they share some similar flavor profiles. Jack Daniel's in a Mai Tai? It's so crazy it just may work . . . —Eric "ET" Tecosky, Jack Daniel's Brand Ambassador and author of our annual Jack's Black Book. A Jack's Black Book Volume II Sneak Peek