Cocktails Distilled

Out of all the spirits categories, you wouldn't think that whiskey would be one that would need to be classified as misunderstood. Yet, childhood friends, JD and Chris found that their favourite spirit was indeed much maligned by their friends who didn't find the spirit very approachable. So the pair started Misunderstood in an attempt to try and bring their friends around with the perfect blend of complexity and drinkability.Starting the brand with no more experience in the industry than what they had gained through drinking the spirit, they set themselves the ambitious task of appealing to those who experience 'whiskey-phobia'. But how do you take a spirit that is hundreds of years old and make it more approachable? We talked to Misunderstood’s co-founders J.D. Recobs and Chris Buglisi about blending infusing and of course making cocktails. For more information on Misunderstood Whiskey, go to misunderstoodwhiskey.com

When most people think of Japanese spirits, they often think of sake, but it is in fact shochu that is the national spirit of Japan. Outselling sake in Japan for the past decade, shochu is a clean, crisp white spirit that is rich in flavour that has been distilled and drunk in Japan since the 16th century. Iichiko, has been Japan’s best-selling shochu producer for the past 30 years or so, which makes sense as the word literally means “it is good”. Although shochu is unique among spirits in that it can be made from a variety of materials including rice, sweet potato or buckwheat, Iichiko made all their shochu from barley, which gives it rich malty notes. To find out more about the spirit and iichiko’s variations, we talk to Tetsuro Miyazaki, General Manager of iichiko USA about nature, taste and of course the cocktails you can make with their liquids. 

With a journey that starts in the sugar fields of Venezuela, the various expressions of Diplomatico Rum are infused with a rich heritage, so as to achieve a blend, that is a perfect balance of flavours and aromas. But the story of this rum is as much about family as it is about the liquids themselves. And it's not just about the families that produce it, but also the sense of family that is forged when the cocktails this rum can create a shared amongst your own family and friends.To find out more about the rum, but specifically, the cocktails that you can create with the brands Planas, Mantuano, and Reserva Exclusiva expressions. We talk to Pacific Brand Ambassador Sai Hamsala. 

Located in a land of turbulence, Ron Santa Teresa is Venezuela's oldest rum distillery, and actually the third oldest distillery in the world. For over 200 years, the brand has walked the delicate tight rope of political and economic upheaval, looking to their rum and their community as a way through the chaos.Santa Teresa 1796 was created in 1996 to commemorate the bicentennial anniversary of the Hacienda and has proved its ongoing popularity with rum drinkers due to both its flavour and production method. To find out more, we speak to Brand Ambassador, Alex Noriega about the brand, Solera systems and how the rum can be used.

We're used to craft distillers turning their hands to primary spirits, such as gin, whiskey tequila and even vodka, but one category that seems to have been mainly left alone is that of liqueurs. Apologue Liqueurs is not only taking a craft approach in terms of production but also trying to shake the drinks category up with the use of unusual flavours that possibly fill a gap we didn't even know was there. To find out more, we talked to Chicago bartender, Robert Haynes from Apologue about uncommon ingredients, educating consumers, and, of course, the drinks that can be made with their liquids. 

Aperitivo comes from the Latin meaning to open. Traditionally, it refers to a pre-dinner, appetite-stimulating drink, yet the word can also be applied to the opening of flavours within a drink, as well as the social moments with friends that these drinks can create. Select aperitivo has been a favourite in Venice for over a hundred years, with the bright red liqueur drunk in cafes and bars across the city and around the grand canal. To find out more, we talk to Tad Carduicci, Director Of Outreach for Gruppo Montenegro about Venetian aperitif culture, their 30 botanicals and, of course, the cocktails that you can make with it. 

There is a long history of ageing liquor at sea. Starting in the 16th century, brandy and later whiskey was often transported in barrels on ships to its final destination and the movement of the ship on the waves were believed to have accelerated and improved the spirit. But ageing whiskey on the road has been a far less common occurrence … well, until now. US whiskey brand, WhistlePig has just released their Roadstock Rye where barrels were placed on what could best be described as a rolling rickhouse and driven along Route 66 across America. To better understand the journey, we talk to blender Meghan Ireland and distiller Mitchael Mahar about taking whiskey on the road and what changes that makes to the flavour of the blend. 

Where there is a wealth of sugar cane, there is also a fair chance that you will find rum. And that is very true for Panamanian rum brand Ron Abuelo.With a name that literally means grandfather's rum in Spanish. The story of this brand is one of location, fermented molasses and family.We speak to global brand ambassador Cristóbal (Cris) Srokowski, who is in Rome, about rum expressions and of course, how best to explore the Ron Abuelo range.

Liqueurs have the ability to transform spirits into elegant cocktails. And most of what we see on the back bars have histories that go back hundreds of years.So it's not very often that we see a new liqueur come across the bar, but this year we have seen the birth of Fleur Charmante. With a name that means charming flower, the liqueur is made in a small village of Saint Sauvant in France. To understand more, we talk to Eddie Varsalona, New Product Development Manager at Blue Ridge Spirits And Wine Marketing about maceration, versatility and the cocktails you can make with this new liqueur.

Tequila has come a long way from its reputation as simply a shot based spirit into a liquid that people feel equally at home drinking in a cocktail or a sipping beverage. But tequila's popularity hasn't come without challenges, both in terms of  authenticity, environmental concerns and the blending of traditional methods with innovation. One brand that is walking the tightrope of craft tequila distilling is Tequila Tromba. We speak to co-founder James Sherry about the agave liquid, distillation, and of course, how to best use his tequila in a cocktail.