Summer at long last has arrived. Time to shake things up a bit, add a bit of pizzazz to your arsenal of summer drinks.
For me, I am constantly looking for fine rums to mix with pulpy fruit juices such as mango or pineapple or even cola and ginger beer over a big mound of ice cubes.
I tried the new (at least to our market) Cruzan 9 Spiced Rum, a unique blend of nine all natural spices that hails from the island of St. Croix. The rum was created for the people of St. Croix by the people of St. Croix. The 9 in the name not only represents the nine spices blended into this aged rum — vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, mace, allspice, pepper and juniper berry — but also references the nine districts on the island of St. Croix.
This hand-crafted rum is made by master distiller Gary Nelthropp, who’s developed a perfect balance of spices combined with Cruzan’s aged rum. Here’s a review:
Cruzan 9 Spiced Rum ($28, LCBO) — Such a lovely sweet and spicy nose of caramel, vanilla, oak, cloves, all-spice, and dried Caribbean spices. In the mouth it’s medium bodied, fruity and shows toasted oak notes and a lavish array of spices. Best to mix this with your favourite cola over ice, or with a natural fruit juice such as mango or pineapple. Or try the recipe below:
1 oz Cruzan
4 oz orange juice
1 oz cranberry juice
Build over ice
Garnish with a lime wedge.
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Canadians just keep getting better and better at the art of distilling whisky.
This month, for the first time, Alberta Distillers is releasing the very rare Alberta Premium 30 Year Old Limited Edition Rye Whisky, a 100 per cent Canadian whisky.
This rich, full-bodied whisky is made from the finest Canadian rye grain. The home-grown rye goes through a complex process of grinding, cooking, fermentation and distilling. The whisky spirit is transferred to white oak barrels that have been charred on the inside, producing layers of natural sugars that smooth out the alcohol, injecting colours and flavours from the oak during the maturation period. The flavouring whiskies are aged in small oak casks and are used during the blending of Canadian rye whisky. It is the unique combination of real rye grains that distinguishes this whiskey.
Here’s a review:
Alberta Premium 30 Year Old Limited Edition Whisky ($50, Vintages) — An incredible nose of caramel-vanilla, dried figs, nutmeg, kettle corn and sweet spice. It’s wonderfully smooth on the palate with layers of spicy flavours and dried fruit-vanilla and oak tones. It’s like a fine single malt whiskey but more textured. This is a connoisseurs’ whisky, meant to be sipped neat and not mixed with anything.
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And some wines to enjoy:
Chateau St. Jean Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 ($35, Vintages, 88 points) — One of my favourite producers from California’s Sonoma Coast. This Cab is gorgeous and loaded with blackberry, mocha, currants, plums and a touch of mint. It’s beefy and bold on the palate with smoke, spice, leather and roasted coffee bean to go with all that fruit.
Chateau St. Jean Sonoma County Fume Blanc 2009 ($22, Vintages, 87 points) — Fume Blanc is a fancy name for Sauvignon Blanc that’s seen a bit of oak aging. The nose is quite aromatic with flowers, spice, apple, citrus and light toast and spice. It has grip on the palate with vanilla, pear and citrus notes in a round and juicy style.
Enjoy!
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