It’s been a while now I wanted to brew this one. Well, this cocktail can be made with any type of liquor some honey or sugar, hot coffee or tea or hot water with a dash of lemon. However, popularly the Hot Toddy recipe consists of bourbon, honey, hot water and lemon.
It is believed to be a very old drink invented in Scotland in the 1700s. It is said the country’s staple liquor, Scotch, had a harsh smoky flavor that women were not fond of. The Hot Toddy may have been designed as a sweeter-tasting alternative for ladies.
Hot Toddy, is a popular cold-weather drink and preferably enjoyed at home in a relaxed environment.
With a little twist, here is my Hot toddy instead of the popular Bourbon, I go the traditional way by having a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky ‘Tamnavulin’ Double Cask finished in sherry butts. This whisky comes with notes of dried orange, ginger and wood spice and sure is perfect match for the mix.
Hot Toddy
Ingredients Whiskey – 50 ml @tamnavulinwhisky Orange Juice – 10 ml Lemon juice – 10 ml Cloves – 2 Star Anise petal – 2 Cinnamon stick – 1/2 an inch Sugar cubes – 2 Black Coffee – 100 ml
Preparation Method
Add to 100 ml of hot water the cloves, star anise petal, cinnamon stick and let it infuse for 10 minutes. Add a teaspoon of instant Nescafe coffee and sugar cubes & let it rest for 2 minutes. Strain the spiced infused black coffee in a mug and add to it the whisky, orange and lemon juice. Stir it gently . Enjoy this invigorating drink.
When you hear about the beautiful state of Goa situated in the West Coast, it springs to the mind the sandy beaches, the palm trees, the Portuguese architecture, the luscious food and not to forget the feni. But also on the tourist map of Goa is now the legendary Paul John distillery India’s only Visitor Centre located in the village of Cuncolim, Goa.
Paul John Single Malt -Goa
Keeping my yearning to visit this distillery one day, I ventured through the beautiful hinterlands of Goan villages to finally reach this distillery in Cuncolim. As soon as you touch this place, you face the outstanding building akin to Portuguese style architecture. Was spellbound by the yellow facade, the ethnic Goan-Portuguese touch, the startling colors, the colonial furniture’s, the wall paintings reminiscing Mario Miranda’s expressions , the décor etc.
Visitor’s Centre
Meeting the ‘Master’ Distiller Michael D’souza over some interactive chat followed by historic walkthrough by Pankaj into the world of Paul John Single Malts was a mesmerizing experience. Pankaj ensured that we get the first hand knowledge of the entire process of their single malt whisky production. Right from their use of six row barley. sourced from lands of Rajasthan. which has more protein that fastens conversion to fermentable sugars and responsible to the whisky’s intrinsic characteristics to the kilning process of drying the malted barley, milling & the preparation of the grist ratio was spot on described.
Grist Ratio
Further, the process of mashing in a mash tun to get the sweet liquid wort, the fermentation of wort into alcohol in a stainless steel vessel called the washback – all very fascinating.
Fermentation
Got a strong whiff of brew while nosing the washback and the taste of distiller’s beer – minus the hops.
Distiller’s Beer
Next, Pankaj showcased the shining copper pot stills and the distillation process.
With Pankaj with the Copper Pot Stills on the background
The whisky safe where the master distiller decides the cuts – foreshots (heads), hearts, feints (tails) which are responsible to the various compounds. Enjoyed the New Make Spirit Sip.
Whisky Safe
A magnificent painting right at the entrance of the underground cask cellar depicting angel’s share is eye catching. A good 8% goes as Angel’s share making Angel’s happy for sure.
Angel’s Share Painting
Getting whiff the of the dram from a PX cask was heavenly. The underground cask cellar is a connoisseurs’ dream. Different Bourbon, Tennessee, Sherry, Pedro Ximenez, Porto casks and many others numbering anywhere between 3500 plus strategically positioned in the cellar in the process of undergoing maturation to be unveiled someday. Getting whiff the of the dram from a PX cask was blissful.
Maturation in Oak Barrels
From bottling it was time to taste the beauties. A classic bar set up & an educational wooden setting with Glencairn sitting comfortably in the six wooden slots of Oaky Coasters.
Tasting Room
Pankaj with Single Malt expressions right in front of us posing several questions. Three expressions from select casks – Edited, Bold, Peated come with well defined Peated flavours. Other expressions include Brilliance, Nirvana & Kanya with their soft and mellow bouquets.
Pankaj the Spirit Educator
After tasting regular ones, he put forth some blind tastings. I did manage to give the best & came close to the X’mas expressions and their XO Brandy. Felt elation of joy.
Tasting Session
No wonder the wall has myriad of awards displayed. Kudos to Paul John!
A twist to the classic Whisky Sour. With the @pauljohnwhisky SM X’mas edition fresh in my cabinet & to compliment it, the Apricot Brandy with it’s rich aroma & amaretto flavour, the evening is all set for another happy hours . Ingredients
Single Malt – 45 ml @pauljohnwhisky Apricot Brandy – 20 ml @bolscocktails Fresh lime juice – 25 ml Half Egg white – 15 ml Sugar Syrup – 10 ml Bitters – A dash @angosturahouse . Preparation Method
Combine all, except bitters, in a Boston Shaker & shake it dry for half a minute. Then add few ice cubes & shake it again. Strain it in an old fashioned glass over ice cubes & splash a dash of bitters. There friends we have the Friday evening – “The Whisky Apricot Sour” – A Prelude to Christmas🥃 . Filtered vs Unfiltered Whisky: You read it right, many a times on a whisky bottle label you would find these terms. So an unfiltered whisky is also known as non-chill filtered, meaning it has not been filtered once pulled out from barrel. So it’s said that when it’s chilled or diluted to reach it’s bottling proof, unfiltered whisky will have particles & takes on a cloudy hue. Thus, before dilution these whiskeys are filtered so that the whisky on the shelf looks clear and doesn’t get cloudy on dilution🥃 . Well, on the other hand filtration gives a clear look to the whisky but also removes somes flavor. Whereas, unfiltered or non-chilled filtered whiskey are considered to be more flavourful and generally bottled at barrel strength or proof so that a small amount of chilling or infusing with a few drops of water will not make it cloudy. @pauljohnwhisky here carries a non-chilled filtered statement on the bottle label🥃 . Cheers!
Originally created by New York Bartender Sam Ross, the Penicillin Cocktail comes with a mellow flavors of honey, fresh ginger & lemon juice. The punch is added with a heavy dose of scotch whisky & the drink is topped with a thin pour of Islay malt. However, I have my twist to it. I used the George Dickel Tennessee Whisky & a part of Single Malt Scotch for the shake. For the float the Monkey Shoulder which is a blend of single malts from three famous speyside distilleries🥃🥃🥃 . Ingredients Whisky – 45 ml @georgedickel Fresh Lemon juice – 20 ml Honey Syrup – 20 ml 2 Fresh ginger pieces Single Malt Scotch – 20 ml @monkeyshoulder Bitters – a dash @angosturahouse . Preparation Method
Muddle the fresh ginger in the bottom of a cocktail shaker until it is well mashed. Add the Tennessee Whisky, 10ml of Single Malt Scotch, Lemon juice, and Honey syrup, and fill the shaker with ice. Shake until well chilled. Strain into an ice-filled rocks glass. Add a dash of bitters followed by the remaining 10 ml Single Malt Scotch over the top. Garnish with honeyed ginger or candied gooseberry . Cheers!
