Last year I became familiar with Tuthilltown Spirits, a craft distillery in Gardiner, New York, and producer of Hudson Baby Bourbon Whiskey.  I attended back-to-back tastings by Gable Erenzo, chief distiller.  Gable talked to us about each spirit as we sampled their New York Corn Whiskey, Husdon Baby Bourbon, Four Grain Bourbon, and Manhattan Rye. The guided whiskey tasting by Tuthilltown Spirits was a great way to taste a number of their products in progression from un-aged (white whiskey) to the spicy rye.  I enjoyed each one individually and gained a great appreciation for this small, up-state NY distiller.

Ever since launching cocktail tours in Boulder in 2011, I have an unquenchable thirst for information about spirits, distillers, and cocktails. I like details, like the following: Tuthilltown Spirits distills whiskey from 100% corn grown in New York State ~which might mean we can discuss its terrior. Hudson Baby Bourbon was the first legal pot-distilled bourbon made in NY since prohibition. It is aged in smaller barrels than many bourbons out there, which means the Baby Bourbon benefits from a greater surface area of wood to bourbon (meaning it’s smooth and flavorful…think of vanilla and caramel notes).

When I decided to give him 14 tastes of how much I care, I knew that one taste had to be bourbon. I immediately thought of the Baby Bourbon, wrote an email, and asked for a bottle.  I’m telling you this to be completely honest since I did not go and buy this bottle, yet I sit here praising it as one of my favorite bourbons ever. Am I truthful? Absolutely. And of the 14 tastes this month, I think I saved the best for last.

One thing I find particularly cool is that this afternoon we opened – year 11, batch 13, bottle 1171- and I know this because it’s hand written on the label.  He cut through the hand-dipped wax cap (which we discussed as a meaningful detail by the distiller) and sipped on this smooth, amber libation. On the second sip he emphatically said it was the best bourbon he’d ever had. That comment brought a smile to my face, as I realized he genuinely appreciated this finely crafted whiskey. I’m looking forward to sharing the bottle with him.

Ritual Chocolate is by far one of the best locally made artisan edibles in Colorado.  Owners Robbie Stout and Anna Davies fell in love with chocolate (and each other…) and started a bean to bar chocolate factory in Denver.  They are one of the very few chocolatiers in the United States that source cacao beans as the first step in the chocolate making process.  So, for my thirteenth taste of how much I care, I introduced him to one of my favorite chocolate bars.

I brought him a bar and he looked at it, thought it looked pretty cool, and tore off the top part of the wrapper within a few seconds of having it in his hands.  It would have made a great testimonial video for Ritual Chocolate because he broke off a piece (which made a snap), put it in his mouth, and immediately commented on just how fantastic that peice of chocolate was. By his second bite I was explaining how I had organized a blogger tour of the factory and know the owners, (how their story is so damn cool!), and how there’s a lot of time, effort, and dedication that goes into every single chocolate bar.

When you experience a Ritual Chocolate bar, you’ll understand how chocolate can and should actually taste.  There are a lot of chocolate bars out there, but most pale in comparison. Ritual Chocolate is available in a number of coffe shops and specialty stores in the Denver/Boulder area. Rather than spout out a list of places, I’d like to refer you to their website for info on their chocolate, their story, and where to buy a bar.

For my twelfth taste of how much I care, I decided it was time to make chicken broth so I can make my good meals even better.  It’s really easy.

Start by boiling a whole chicken in salted water until it’s cooked all the way through. Take it out of the water (keep the water… DON’T pour it down the drain) and let the bird cool to touch.  Next, remove all the skin (I definitely toss this out) and carve off the meat.  Then simmer the bones in the chicken water (add more water to fill your stock pot) with onions, carrots, celery, peppercorns, bay leaves, and sea salt for 24 hours or so.  Cool it down, skim off the fat first, strain the broth, and pour it into jars.

Notice the golden hue from the sunlight in my broth.  That’s no bouillon cube, baby.

The recipe for breading the cod is simple:  roll strips of cod in flour that’s mixed with Red Rocks Hickory Smoke Seasoning, then dip in egg, and roll in Panko that’s also mixed with the same seasoning.  Pan fry until GBD (golden brown delicious).

He wanted to make the plate for the table, so I stepped aside (after making the fish, coconut creamed spinach, and a blood orange garlic jalapeño salsa), and watched him assemble sliced bread topped with Cremont cheese, coconut creamed spinach, pan fried panko-breaded cod, blood orange salsa, a few dollops of coconut cream, and lemon.

This was a fun dinner after gorging ourselves on port wine and cheese.

There’s one thing I’ve come to believe about Cured: They know their cheese, how to pair it, and will not steer you wrong.  That’s why we also picked up some spiced nuts the sell there at Cured from the kitchen of Mateo,  which is located a few doors down.

This made a delicious pre-dinner indulgence with a thinly sliced baguette.  I also had Patti Miller’s port jelly and prosecco jelly , so we had fun “Spreading the Booze.”

So, for my 14 tastes of how much I care, tastes numbers nine and ten (Port and Cheese, respectively) were  fun, interactive taste sensations.  I do suggest you enjoy a wine and cheese pairing at home sometime soon.  It turns an average night into a festive occasion. I’m already planning my next one…