MySideOfTheBar

Made in a Cave Just before the holidays a new member of the KCTobacPack brought us a couple of offerings from the S.D. Strong Distillery . Now to be honest this is one distillery that I had not heard much about. They advertise as "made in a cave" and my the looks of the website this is true. While I plan on a future outing to this distillery, I can tell you that for the Big Boom Bourbon they advertise as such "After nearly three years in American white oak barrels, Big Boom bursts with spice, fresh oak and soft corn notes, all underscored by a rich layer of caramel" I find this to be extremely accurate and I could have written exactly as they did after tasting. I would rate this slightly better that the Restless Distillery Whiskey that I recently tried and much, much better than the Badlands Whiskey I tried earlier this year. For the Vodka you also get a light corn flavor and according to MySideOfTheBars resident Martini expert, "It makes an excel

Or as I like to call them "Bartender's Friends). With the Holiday Season once again upon us I thought you might be interested in a little item that will make you a hit at YourSideOfTheBar with you group of "Usual Suspects." These are great and very easy for making top shelf Cocktails. Each box contains 8 packets and you mix one packet with 1 1/2 oz. alcohol and 1 1/2 oz water. Shake in a Cocktail Shaker and pour into your favorite glass. Tip: I use 4 oz. of alcohol and 3 oz. water which makes about two cocktails and still very tasty. I have only tried the Whisky Sour, Lemon Drop, and Margarita as in the picture. (there is also a daiquiri mix) but have received great feedback from my "Usual Suspects." Priced at about a dollar each they are more expensive than you normal mixes, but in my opinion are worth the little extra. Check you local liquor store and they are also available online (Amazon) Cheers The Professor

I have tried about half of these and for the most part agree. If you are looking for Christmas gifts for your Cigar Smoker, start here. Cheers The Professor

I was reading (for the second time) A Classic Novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, "This Side of Paradise." The protagonist, Amory Blaine, on one of his benders went into a bar and ordered a Bronx. Of course having the inquiring mind that I do I had to find out if this was a real cocktail and if it were how to make one. I really should have not been surprised considering the time period of this novel that this cocktail contained Gin. I have to say I was really surprised how good this was and I will be making them again.  For the Gin I chose Hayman's Old Tom Gin as it is a little sweeter. The Bronx Ingredients: 1 1/2 ounces gin 1/4 ounce dry vermouth 1/4 ounce sweet vermouth 3/4 ounce orange juice Orange slice, to garnish Directions: Shake the gin, dry vermouth, sweet vermouth and orange juice in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain the contents of the shaker into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with the orange slice and serve. Cheers The Professor