Charleston Mixology Tour
The Charleston Culinary Tours has started a wonderful Mixology Tour right here downtown. The Cocktail Bandits were able to experience 3 craft cocktail bars in the Market area. There, we were able to talk with the mixologists and taste one of their fine creations.
REDy to Wear Party
The pre-party for the October 24th Red Party was quite the fête! The French Renaissance theme event included a silent auction of custom hand painted party masks and hand crafted fans. A South African safari and personal wine tasting for 20 were also among the silent auction items. (more…)
Navip Slivovitz
It’s 8 year Serbian Plum Brandy called Navip Slivovitz. The guy who convinced me to take this shot said that when a Serbian male is born a bottle of this is buried until he gets married. How cool is that?! I love booze with a story!
The Charleston Brews Cruise
Hot Shots
Tequila and peppered lime shots! The pepper really neutralizes the tequila. Try it instead of salt. Let us know how you like it!
Slow Sips Fundraiser
The Charleston chapter of Slow Food USA, a non-profit organization focused on an idea, way of living, and way of eating. This global grassroots movement promotes good, clean and fair food. The Thursday evening fundraiser which showcased five different tasting stations representing some local and regional liquor distilleries speaks to those values. Striped Pig Distillery, High Wire Distillery, Charleston Distilling Co., Virgil Kaine and Cathead Vodka all embody the Slow Sips credo. They all offer quality product, using locally grown and harvested ingredients at fair prices.
It was a real treat to taste new product from some of our favorite local liquor producers. Virgil Kaine introduced a new ginger infused bourbon while Cathead Vodka proudly offered the latest addition to their product line, Hoodoo, a chicory flavored liqueur. Striped Pig Distillery finally revealed their lip smacking Bourbon after hinting about a new product on social media. We also had the opportunity to taste product from the new opened Charleston Distilling Co. It was worth the wait. Jasper’s Gin is delicious without the overwhelming juniper flavor. The Cocktail Club offered custom cocktails from each of the featured distilleries giving $1 to Slow Food Charleston. For more information on Slow Food Charleston, visit www.slowfoodcharleston.org
Striped Pig Distillery – www.stripedpigdistillery.com
High Wire Distillery – www.highwiredistilling.squarespace.com
Virgil Kane – www.virgilkaine.com
Cathead Vodka – www.catheadvodka.com
Charleston Distilling Co. – www.charlestondistilling.com
Signature Cocktail Contest 1.6
A restaurant that is most widely known for its fine cuts of beef; Stars’ Rooftop bartenders sure know how to make a cocktail. Mixologist Rochelle Jones created an inspired cocktail she lovingly named, Dame en Rouge. Rochelle used Lunazul Tequila Blanco, PAMA Liqueur, Southern Twist Bison Grass mixer, peppers and lemon juice. The “Lady in Red” was garnish with red pepper slices. This drink just made the competition that more challenging. We couldn’t resist indulging in some hors d’oeuvres. We share a small plate of sautéed duck and veggies on a hot, sweet roll. The duck buns were savory and light which paired nicely with our slightly spicy cocktail.
Ms. Jones has taken her taken her love for Mixology to the next level. She created Southern Twist mixer right here in Charleston. The product line uses local ingredients to create cocktail mixers for craft cocktails. Southern Twist is now available for purchase at Total Wine and on her website www.southerntwistcocktails.com
To cast your vote and get a full listing of the events to come, visit www.redpartycharleston.com
Whiskey Legend
Meet & Greet with Master Distiller Eddie Russell
The burgeoning whiskey lover in me was supremely pleased to meet a legend in the Spirit’s world. Eddie Russell’s family distillery in Kentucky has been making Wild Turkey for generations. We had the honor of tasting their entire spirits line including their signature Wild Turkey 101 and a special 16 year old whiskey respectfully dubbed “Rare Breed”. Eddie Russell charmed us with stories of training with other whiskey giants like Jim Beam and Makers Mark. Mr. Russell also educated us on the unique Wild Turkey distillation process. They only use gmo free grain and their own propriety yeast when preparing their prized spirit.
Mr. Russell thanked the mixology community for their continued interest in the industry. He admits that we are the drivers of the spirits industry introducing new generations to the wonders of Scotch whisky. We thanked him with a big fat kiss! For more information about Wild Turkey Bourbon, visit www.wildturkeybourbon.com
Bandit Behavior
After hours…
Jonathan Calo treated us to a little custom tasting session after his cocktail tasting social. We sampled a delicious rare rums and mezcal. We started with Vida Mezcal. Mezcal is a spirit made from the agave plant just like tequila. The difference between mezcal and tequila comes down to location. In order to be called tequila the agave plant must be grown and harvested in one of 5 regions of Mexico: Jalisco, Michoacan, Guanajuato, Nayarit and Tamaulipas. This difference gives the two spirits uniquely distinct flavors. Vida Mezcal was spicy, earthy and robust without a bitter aftertaste. Much better than the other mescals we have tried.
To our delight, Jonathan offered us some rum straight from the Canary Island. Artemi and Doramas honey rums are surprisingly sweet and round with a beautifully light aftertaste. I just realized that we don’t drink enough rum. I also realized that we need to visit the Canary Islands, ASAP.
