Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/80298
SPEED TASTING REPORT AMERICAN PERSEVERANCE Valentine Distillery GM and "Liquid Chef" Nick Brancaleone (left) with owner and distiller Rifino Valentine. Our Panel says: "A parallel universe for the Dirty Martini, where basil takes the place of the olive. The dissolving honey adds an on-going sweet note to a floral backdrop." —Tom Caestecker Jr. "A heady bouquet of flavors and a beautiful presentation; the honey- lined glass is quite decorative." —Tony Potempa THE ENGLISH PATIENCE The Brand: BEEFEATER 24 GIN The Drink: The Long Summer ◗ 2 oz. Beefeater 24 gin ◗ ¾ oz. cordial syrup made with Ruby Red Texas grapefruit ◗ ¾ oz. Lillet Rosé ◗ Grapefruit garnish and lemon zest. Chill and top with iced club soda. Rifino Valentine was a trader on Wall Street when he came to a realization about the American economy: "We are exporting too much of our intellectual property and importing too many foreign (not so) goods." Spending a lot of time in bars on a Dirty Martini kick, Valentine realized he was imbibing imported brands. He was determined to make a world-class domestic vodka. Distilled in Detroit, Valentine Vodka, made from Michigan wheat and slightly sweetened with a touch of elderflower and 100% Michigan beet sugar, soon attained its goal, receiving a Gold medal at our San Francisco World Spirits Competition and got another kick-start with a whopping 94 rating from Anthony Dias Blue. The Brand: VALENTINE VODKA The Drink: White Blossom Martini ◗ 3 oz. Valentine While Blossom Vodka ◗ ½ oz. local honey, swirled in glass ◗ 3 fresh basil leaves ◗ Squeeze of lime ◗ Muddle the basil leaves in the lime juice. Add vodka and stir. Serve up in a Martini glass laced with honey. Float a basil leaf for garnish. Making a long drink with Beefeater 24, cocktail consultant Todd Appel played with fall colors and muted summer sunset hues. The modern London dry gin is a riff off Beefeater's original recipe, adding Sencha green tea, Seville orange peel and grapefruit botanicals, with a weightier texture that at once made it a hit with the 'tending crowd. The 90-proof gin in the Arts and Crafts–style bottle is a sign of our times. Our Panel says: "The flavors continue to expand with botanicals com- ing forward and grapefruit sweetening and making tart simultaneously. Subtle perfection!" —Chris Neustadt Todd Appel is a bar and cocktail consul- tant in Chicago. "Clean and refreshing . . . picture yourself on a boat on a late summer's afternoon. Bubbles make this drink very accessible. I would deem this a gate- way craft cocktail for vodka lovers who can move into gin." —Anne Marineau 110 / the tasting panel / september 2012