There is something so seasonal about sipping maple scotch on cold nights, and it always reminds me of
my dad’s bar, which is one of my favorite places to go. I plan to have some maple scotch in stock all winter. Here’s how I made it…
In a non-reactive sauce pan, bring the following to a boil:
- 1 cup pure (bottled, filtered) water
- 1/3 cup maple sugar (you can buy some at Savory Spice Shop)
- 1/4-1/3 cup evaporated cane juice (use a little less if you want it less sweet)
- 2/3 cup pure maple syrup
- 6 or 7 whole allspice berries (which you can definitely find at SSS)
- 1/4 tsp caraway seeds (you know where I got mine…)
I boiled the allspice berries and caraway seeds in a reusable herb sack to keep them all together.
Boil this mixture until the sugar dissolves. Then let it cool completely before combining a 750ml bottle of scotch with the maple mixture. I used Ballantine’s and poured it into two different Ball jars, adding 2 cinnamon sticks to the smaller jar just to experiment. In the larger jar, I kept the seed sack to allow the flavors to blend.
This will be ready to drink in a couple weeks, but the longer it sits, the better. You also might want to remove the cinnamon sticks after a couple weeks to avoid making it too cinnaminy.
Enjoy!
My
dad likes to save things, collect things, and let alcohol age. This Thanksgiving 2010 he opened a beer from 2005. But, it wasn’t just any old beer…
It was a
Unibroue Édition 2005 from Chambly, Quebec.
According to the Unibroue website, the 2005 vintage ale is 10% ABV, complex, and no longer available. Looks like we drank one of the last bottles around.
Good thing my dad has a few more of Unibroue’s Special beers from other years because I have a feeling we’ll be opening another one next Thanksgiving.
Growing up, I always found it so cool that my parents had a bar in the basement. I’m talking about a fully-stocked bar, and as I entered my teen years, I’d hang there with my friends and sneak little sips of things. It was cool. None of my friends had a bar in their basement.
I spent a lot of time behind the bar this year when I visited my parents for Thanksgiving. I brought my dad,
Jack, the perfect gift for his eclectic bar:
ROOT.
ROOT is, in my opinion, the most interesting new spirit on the market. This pre-prohibition era root-beer-tasting spirit made for some fun experimentation.
My dad introduced me to Domaine de Canton Ginger Liqueur, which is sure to please ginger-lovers out there. I mixed a little with some ROOT and some all natural ginger ale. It was good. I also mixed some with apple cider. Then I mixed ROOT with apple cider and maple scotch. There were a number of different combinations.
I’ve always admired my dad’s wine collection, and he spoils me every time I visit by opening a dusty bottle or two. This year it might have been three. It was a special visit, I suppose.
My dad likes to infuse vodka, brandy, and scotch with different things. His wild blackberry vodka was smooth and sippable. The same was true for his wild blackberry brandy. All he does is pick blackberries from his blackberry bush and soak them in alcohol. After a while you have a new flavored vodka, brandy, or scotch.
My sister, Alison, has been making Maple Scotch for years now and my dad still had some of her 2008 batch. My good childhood friend and I sipped on that one night for a while. Just like old times… We had a good laugh talking about how sipping scotch at age 30 was just like hanging out in middle school. I don’t remember drinking scotch back then. I do remember vodka and OJ, vodka and cranberry, gin and soda, rum and coke, etc.
My dad came dowstairs to the bar with us for a while and gave us a taste of 33 year-old Dewars that he had bought before my parents even owned their house. It was almost as smooth as the maple scotch. Just let it sit for 30+ years if you have the patience.
My sister also brought my dad a cool gift this year: Vermont Gold Vodka made from 100% maple sap. We didn’t open that bottle. Maybe next year…
I was honored to be invited by
Art in the Age to a Pre-Pohibition era tasting preview of
ROOT at Boulder’s Bitter Bar. I had never heard of this spirit and was quite intrigued after reading that what we know as the non-alcoholic beverage root beer actually shares historical roots with a delicious spirit that has been re-created and is now available in Colorado: ROOT.
The Bitter Bar’s illustrious mixologist
Mark Stoddard created some noteworthy cocktails featuring ROOT that I am eager to return and try over and over and over…
The evening started with a taste of ROOT on its own and my root beer-loving taste buds were pleased. I love the flavor of root beer, but, being someone who does not drink soda, never drink it. Not to sound like an alcoholic, but, I am so glad that ROOT, a fine spirit, now can fill that flavor-space in my life. (big smile here!)
After the first taste of ROOT on its own, came Stoddard’s creation of ROOT, fresh lime, mint, and ginger beer. Perfect.
Next came his ROOT, yellow chartreuse, spiced cranberry compote, and maple bitters. Perfect again.
(The Happy Noodle was serving us some ROOT-inspired delicious food with these drinks, by the way…)
Then came ROOT with rye whiskey served over and allspice dram and local apple cider ice cube. Genius. Make ice cubes with apple cider. I am going to do this really soon. Probably as soon as I buy my first bottle of ROOT, which is likely to be tonight or tomorrow at
Liquor Mart.
And the cream of the crop was probably the BEST root beer float I’ve ever had (or ROOT float?)
ROOT over Fernet Branca ice cream, topped with fresh grated nutmeg. I’d like to serve this at Thanksgiving.
Now, ROOT is a certified organic natural spirit of 80 proof. This will explain why my photos are a bit blurry. It was an eventful, fun, thirst-quenching evening.
If you’d like to try ROOT, served by a professional mixologist, head on over to
The Bitter Bar and taste some of Mark’s creations. You can also get some ideas to inspire your own creations on the ROOT website:
Art in the Age.
Enjoy responsibly, of course.
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