Spirits - Grand Marnier

By popular demand, Swig Knowledge has paid homage to one of the best spirits on earth. For those of you who know me, you know that Grand Marnier is one of my favorite “drinks.” I have had it in Champagne flutes in Paris, random bars in DC, and dusted off from the shelves of bars in the South. It is the drink of Washington, DC. It is a quintessential blend of orange zest and beautiful bouqeted cognacs from France. This wonderful nectar is truly a blend from the heavens. Whether you call it GM or Grand Ma, this blog is for you! Here’s the scoop:

Grand Marnier - Cordon Rouge (GM)
Originally created by Louis-Alexandre Marnier Lapostolle in 1880, Grand Marnier is a blend of fine cognacs (from Cognac, France), distilled with tropical orange essence, and slow aged in French oak casks giving it its color (gold and amber tints). The nose is complex with orange and toffee. On the tongue, GM has bitter orange flavors are enhanced by the cognac with a hint of orange marmalade and hazelnut. The long finish pairs well with desserts such as citrus fruit crème brulee, caramel pastries and cheeses such as bleu (Roquefort).

Cuvee du Centenaire (GM 100)
Most people think this GM 100 is 100-years-old, but it was created to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the House of Grand Marnier in 1927. This rare medium amber, copper lined colored spirit is the perfect blend of essence of tropical oranges and rare French 25-year-old cognacs mainly from Petite and Grande Champagne (the two most prestigious production areas in the Cognac region). Its nose is full of candied orange scents with hints of spice and notes of dried fruit, gingerbread and nutmeg on the tongue. Macerated orange complete the long finish which pairs well with desserts such as moist chocolate cake, orange cake, or a plate of apricots and soft cheeses such as Camembert.

Cuvée du Cent Cinquantenaire (GM 150)
Again, most people think that GM 150 is 150-years-old, but it was launched by Jacques Marnier Lapostolle, the company's CEO, in 1977 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of this glorious beverage. This blend, presented in a hand painted decanter, was created for cognac enthusiasts being blended with 50-year-old Cognacs. It combines essence of orange with very old cognacs mainly from Grand Champagne, the most prestigious production area in the Cognac region. The color is reddish-gold with light amber on the rim. The nose has scents of aged cognac with background notes of cocoa, cinnamon and other spices and the flavor provides notes of coffee, honey, almonds and spices. GM 150 pairs well with hard cheeses such as aged Gouda and Parmigianino and rich desserts such as chocolate sponge cake and tiramisu.

The Flavors

When I was traveling through Europe (READ MY BOOK!), I came across several flavors of GM that were not available in the States at the time. They are very unique in style and taste.

Cordon Jaune (Cheap GM)
This bottle is very unique with its yellow ribbon. This spirit is only sold in some European countries and at some major international airports. Yellow Label Grand Marnier is generally regarded as being the lowest quality. It is made with neutral grain spirit rather than cognac. It is used for mixed drinks and cooking purposes, such as Crêpes Suzette.

Navan (Vanilla GM)
Navana, a small village on the north-eastern coast of Madagascar (one of the island's most renowned vanilla-producing regions), is the namesake for this spirit. Navan brings together natural vanilla from this region with fine French cognacs. I am not a fan, but one could try it straight up, on the rocks, or in delicious cocktails.

Cherry Marnier (Cherry GM)
Cherry Marnier, one of the first fruit liqueurs created at the family's original distillery near Versailles, is made exclusively from Morello cherries, a variety from Turkey known for its full flavor. The cherries are ground with their stones (seeds) to lend an aromatic richness and body before undergoing slow maceration and resting for one year in vats where the liqueur acquires its complexity and roundness. The color is deep red tinted with copper hues and a rich nose of cherry enhanced by notes of sweet almonds and spices. I tried this in the South of France (Monte Carlo), alongside the main marina at midnight as a night cap. It was definitely different.

When you have a chance, order a GM and think of me.

The Versus Series - Beer - Porter vs. Stout

Waking up today to a 20 degree, cold ass day in Washington, DC, spurred a new idea for Swig Knowledge. I decided to do a “Versus Edition.” With the cold weather this morning a Porter vs. Stout edition only seemed fitting....even at 10am. Some of you may remember the blog I did about Session Dark a few weeks ago. I decided to take that idea and blend in two fuller bodied beers, though different in style, similar in effect. By the way, this photo to the left is from when I was in Prague. Yes, I've been to Europe. Buy my book now!

The beers I paired against each other were two locally produced delicacies in Flying Dog “Gonzo Imperial Stout” out of Fredrick, Maryland, and Dominion “Oak Barrel Stout” out of Dover, Delaware. People ask me all the time, “Cole, what's the difference between Porters and Stouts?” My answer: “Porters get me drunker cause they are higher in ABV (Alcohol by Volume).”

But seriously, Stouts and Porters are basically from the same dysfunctional family in the dark beer world. Both beers are made with water, yeast, hops and roasted malt or barley. So which came first? Well, Porters were produced as early as 1720 in England and the word Stout was used as early as the 14th century to describe “strong brews.” “Stout Porters” were created in England and Ireland in the late 1700's and the word “Porter” was dropped in the 1800's to symbolize that you had a strong beer in your bottle or keg. Basically, Porters are a specific style of beer and Stouts are strong beers. One could potentially have a stout lager or IPA. Porters have always been known as the strongest of stout beers.

Flying Dog has become very popular small craft brewing company over the years. The Gonzo Imperial Porter (9.2% ABV, around $2 in the store) was created in homage to Hunter S. Thompson (one of my favorite writers) who created the term “Gonzo Journalism” - a very complex writing style that takes you all over the place in random thought process, but eventually back to a main point. This porter is no different as it takes you through an array of smells from chocolate to bitter caramel and tastes such as coffee, cherries and bitter chocolate on the tongue. The dark, opaque color provides an amber/caramel, frothy head.

Dominion is a lesser known brewery which has been around longer then Flying Dog. The Oak Barrel Stout (5.2% ABV, around $2 in the store) provided a similar sight (dark and opaque with an amber head which dissolved quickly), but provided a different nose (full-bodied oak like you would find in wine with an oak barrel fermentation with a hint of vanilla and lavender) and taste (strong vanilla – almost like a milkshake – and lighter in complexity then the Flying Dog). This would be a good sipping beer.

In the end, I would pick the Gonzo Imperial Porter as the beer I want to hold me in its arms on a cold day (okay, that's way too much I know) because of its boldness, but I did enjoy the Oak Barrel Stout as one I would drink again. In fact, I would not characterize the Oak Barrel as a porter at all, but rather a strong (stout) beer as noted above.

Even though I have a buzz (which is always a goal), I feel that this first edition of the “Versus Series” was a bust since the two beers were so different. Ugh, now off to work.

Scotch - Hibiki

Working in the “Industry” (the restaurant biz) allows me try many different beverages. My vendors bring in many products – most of which are off the beaten path of household brand names such as Absolute, Jack or Macallan. The other afternoon, one of the reps came in for lunch and told me she had a bottle of single malt scotch from Japan called Hibiki (43% ABV, around $80). Japanese single malt? I just had to try it.

Upon first glance, its unique bottle and amber hue, outlined in gold, caught my eye. I took a sniff from the bottle and poured a taste into a rocks glass. Lifting the glass to my nose, I picked up a bouquet of plums, raspberries, pineapples, honey, and vanilla. Normally, when tasting scotch whiskey, I would cut the contents with a couple drops of water. With this one, I swigged it straight and pure.

The initial taste brought an aromatic mouthful of honey and cream with a body of smooth and soft mellow sweetness and a long, clean, sweet, and spicy finish. During the distillation process, Hibiki is stored in barrels made from Mizunara, a very rare Japanese oak which produces the “orchestra of flavors” as noted above.

Hibiki is owned under the House of Suntory (in Osaka/Kyoto, Japan, on the main island of Honshū) which began production of scotch whiskey in 1924. Whiskey production actually began in Japan in the 1870's, but it was not until Suntory blew out its products worldwide in the 1920’s that it gained its reputation as a superb whiskey style all of its own. If Suntory sounds familiar, it played a pivotal role in the movie “Lost in Translation” with Bill Murray as he filmed a commercial for the brand and used the line, “It’s Suntory time.”

Tasting this scotch took me back to my travels through Europe and the time I spent at the Scotch Malt Whiskey Society in Edinburg, Scotland. I took notes on the scotches and you can read about it in my book The Right to Release: A Trail of Empty Bottles Across Europe. At the society, I learned that though scotch is usually consumed after meals or paired with a cigar, it works very well with gamy meats (quail, venison, or duck) and with zesty poultry and pork dishes or spicy food such as Indian or Chinese cuisine. With scotch and food, the food paired has to be as bold as the scotch you are drinking.