Sorel Liqueur Review... A Great Bar Addition ($39)

Jack from Brooklyn has released a new liqueur called Sorel based on a traditional non-alcoholic, traditional Jamaican concoction, sorrel, that combines hibiscus tea, ginger, allspice, cloves, and sugar. This liqueur is only 15% alcohol, but that makes it shelf-stable, at least for a good while. 

Tasted straight, the initial impression is floral, then you descend the ginger stairway to the earthy, savory allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove department.

That alcohol level also makes it more of a mixer than a sipper, but it is delicious on its own, and the quality of the ingredients really set it apart from so many other drinks. It is deeply spicy, woody, and there is some acid that will pucker you up. It is definitely leaning spicy and warm with fruity and floral notes, all in harmony. It does seem to capture all of the ingredients at almost ideal states of dehydration, freshness, all infused at the right temperature. That is no small feat. Color me impressed. 

It is not remotely like Averna,which is for me the most symphonic Italian amaro - it is a completely different thing. But I would compare it to Averna in terms of its complexity and layers. I would also compare it to an exceptionally complex vermouth, even though it isn't red wine based.

Sorel liqueur is made by Jackie Summers, a Black entrepreneur from Brooklyn with roots in Barbados and a background in food chemistry. The spirit is made from organic grain alcohol flavored with Moroccan hibiscus, Indonesian nutmeg, Nigerian ginger, cassia from Indonesia, and Brazillian cloves. 

This is definitely a very sophisticated, elevated take on traditional sorrel. I know it is supposed to be "shelf stable," but I think this kind of freshness would be hard to preserve, and this is not necessarily a cheap condiment. I would keep it in the fridge and reach for it regularly, just like I would a good vermouth.

Sorel sounds like something that you'd expect to find somewhere on the back bar of a first-class tiki establishment next to velvet falernum, but it has color, and way more personality and complexity. It may prove to be something more than a mixer.

This liqueur has a deep purple, crimson flavor a-la-hibiscus tea. It will definitely add color to a cocktail. 

Sorel makes the mouth water as the spices unwind on your plate, so enjoy it before you mix it. 1/2 ounce of this liqueur could make for a brilliant adjusted cocktail. Imagine substituting 1/2 of an ounce of Sorel for 1/2 ounce of sweet vermouth in a negroni. It is also not bad with soda and lime, or mixed with a sparkling wine as a more exotic take on a kir royale.

If you're a bartender, this is a liqueur you're going to want to play with for a long time, because it's simply brilliant and beautifully executed. It's a straight-up home run.

 (96 Points)

Review: Jameson Select Reserve Black Barrel Irish Whisky

Jameson Select Reserve Black Barrel ($40) I find this iteration of Jameson Irish Whisky pretty impressive, and considerably more complex than Jameson's standard offering. It has a bit more spice and toast on the nose and deep apricot and peach fruit in the middle as well as the glycerin-rich mouthfeel that Jameson always displays. It would make a nice gift for a Jameson drinker. I like it neat, but Jameson offers this cocktail recipe:

The Jameson Black Barrel Old Fashioned:

2 parts Jameson Black Barrel Irish Whiskey

¾ part Benedictine

2 dashes Angostura Bitters

2 dashes Orange Bitters

Combine ingredients into a mixing glass, add ice and stir until ice cold. Strain into an ice-filled rocks glass. Garnish with an orange slice.

Winter Warmer Drink Recipe Formula

Lately I've stumbled upon something of a magic formula for hot winter warmer
cocktails. Here's the rough idea:

• 1 oz. brown booze (I'm currently liking brandy, including either Cognac, Armagnac, Spanish Brandy (especially Lepanto Solera Gran Reserva, a Jerez brandy aged in Sherry barrels), or, if you want to add a bit of a cut, Irish Whiskey, Bourbon or Canadian Whisky.
• 1 oz. Bailey's Irish Cream (or similar substitute)
• 1/2 oz. Frangelico(or Grand Marnier or Amaretto) This is the great variable that turns the drink in one direction or another. Lately I've re-discovered Frangelico's amazing mix of fruit and hazelnuts, and frankly, it can't be beaten for the money.
• Hot water 
• Cinnamon (1/2 stick)
• Nutmeg (fresh grated, if possible)
  

Boil some water.

Add some combination of the delicious liquors above. (1 oz. brandy or whiskey, 1 oz. Irish cream, 1/2 oz. liqueur like Frangelico, Grand Marnier or Amaretto)

Top a 12 oz. coffee mug off with hot water from a kettle, add 1/2 or a whole cinnamon stick. If you have some, grate a bit of nutmeg or a add a pinch of pumpkin pie spice to the mug. Stir quickly and cover yourself with a blanket before you drift off to sleep.

* However tempting it might be, do not add lemon juice to this recipe or you'll likely 'break' the Irish cream liquor and wind up with what my college friends liked to call a 'cement mixer,' or the equivalent of a failed Hollandaise sauce. It's not pretty.