Category Archives: ~ Booze news / new products ~

Absolut Elyx

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Vodka brand Absolut now has a super-premium drink in its stable, the Elyx.

Ready

Ready

It’s a new product that hasn’t been launched yet in all markets. It’s Malaysian intro went down at The View Bar in the city.

For Elyx, Absolut has moved away from it’s traditional roundies to create a squarish piece of work.

Funky

Funky

Elyx is a vodka made from hand-selected estate wheat, and blended with soft and naturally-filtered water. When taken neat, it’s soft and silk-like on the palate. Goes down easy.

It is a small-scale vodka, produced according to craft techniques in a 1929 copper still. Basically, an elegant and smooth handcrafted vodka.

The cool set-up at the bar

The set-up at the bar

The party was also the first anniversary of The View Bar, a cool rooftop bar at G Tower. View Bar is Pernod Ricard’s premier flagship outlet in Asia.

Guests were treated to several cocktails with Elyx as its base. Most were pretty good.

View's open air area is now closed unfortunately

View’s open air spot is now closed unfortunately

The suggested way to enjoy it is to drink it neat over a single ice cube.

The Elyx is brewed using wheat from Råbelöf, a neighbouring estate where every year, the master distiller walks the fields to select wheat that meet the highest of standards. Throughout the distillation process, copper plays an integral part in the making of this vodka. Its unique character is obtained from the vintage rectification still, with columns, pumps and hand-forged pipes all made from copper.

One highlight of Elyx is definitely the texture. It’s mouth-feel is delicate and pleasant.

The price has not been revealed, and is available at selected bars, including View Bar of course.

If there was ever a mega ice bucket i wanted to steal, it's this

If there was ever a mega ice bucket i wanted to steal, it’s this

 

Brain damage: 8/10

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Cartron, the tasty liqueur

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I actually love liqueurs. (These are alcohols that have fruit or some other additive in it (like nuts, herbs), as well as sugar.) I enjoy ’em over lotsa crushed rocks, but they’re commonly also used in cocktails. There’re loads of flavours out there, and the ABV is usually between 15 and 30%.

The more popular liqueur (pronounced likheur) are stuff like Baileys, Malibu and Kahlua. However, the fruit ones are really good. They make an excellent dessert. One of my fave is creme de cassis, or blackcurrant liqueur.

Joseph Cartron is a distinguished liqueur brand that’s been around since 1882, and originates in Burgundy, France, and its international director was in KL recently at a cool dinner at SevenAteNine, Ascott.

Good stuff

Cartron has built its reputation by focusing on the quality and authenticity of the fruits added in. The product is distilled according to traditions, as Cartron has remained a family biz for five generations. I sure can vouch for its quality. It claims a high fruit content compared to other brands.

The first drink that nite was a cocktail – Dark Horse.

Awesome

This has a cassis base (blackcurrant liqueur). It tastes fresh, with lime and apple. Lots of fruit flavours of blackcurrant. It’s like a refreshing alcoholic ribena from real berries.

This was followed by a grapefruit cocktail, utilizing Cartron’s grapefruit liqueur. The first nose/taste was of cologne. Haha. That’s coz the ingredients are varied.

Better than it looks

The Angostura bitters bathe your palette at the front end, with bitter lemon in the mid, and throaty bitterness from the liqueur at the finish. Lots of fresh grapefruit flavours coming thru from the liqueur. A very fragrant beverage.

Tim made us a Pina Colada, with Cartron’s coconut liqueur. Tho there was no coconut milk in d cocktail, the coconut flavours came out really well.

There are a whole range of fruit liqueurs from Cartron, so i decided to try a few on da rocks. Had the wild Blackberry.

What’s left of it…

This one’s bitter-sweet, best over crushed ice.

I couldnt resist the Cacao liqueur. (Cacao is the raw fruit from which chocolate is derived.) Straight-up with the White Cacao. It’s got a sweet, nutty nose, with tastes of almond n vanilla. Niice.

Had a shot of the dark cacao too. This gave me whiffs of kopi-o and liquorice. Tastes of caramel and coffee, a lil smoky even. Solid.

Cleanin up

Some of the goodies. The bottles are cool

Other types include apple, kiwi, banana, apricot, mint, rose, wild strawberry, coffee, raspberry, peach, cherry, bilberry,chestnut, it goes on…

Several bars in KL have them, including SevenAteNine. Cartron also has several eau-de-vie, ie colourless fruit brandy, which i couldn’t appreciate.

I luv Cartron now. A quick glance at my room bar and i see am pretty much out of liqueurs, ‘cept for some mead.

At abt $68 a bottle of this excellent stuff, it’s reasonably-priced, so i plan to score some real soon and restock my bar. Good for chilled drinks with a chick, or for mixin it up at a house party.

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New drinks

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Four alcohol brands – Laphroaig, Balvenie, Cointreau & Brugal – released new editions last week, all in travel retail.

The new look Laphroaig GTR range comprises: QA, the new entry level brand which is priced at €55; An Cuan Mor, also newly launched and priced at €95.

The Balvenie Triple Cask range comprises a 12 YO, 16 YO and 25 YO expression, each of which have been matured in three steps using different styles of barrel.

The Balvenie – not so big here yet, but picking

First-fill bourbon are used first, refill bourbon casks are used second, followed by a final period of aging in Jerez sherry casks.

Rémy Cointreau also joins the party with its new line extension, Cointreau Noir, a 40% ABV blend of orange liqueur and Rémy Marin cognac. Sounds tasty.

You could probably mix this into Baileys

Matthew Hodges of Remy Martin says “Cointreau Noir is a sultry dark version of the orange liqueur we know and love – the blend of Cointreau and cognac seems to add depth which we believe will appeal to dark spirits connoisseurs as well as lovers of cocktails.”

Maxxium also unveiled Brugal Papa Andres, a new ultra-premium rum. Named after the company’s founder Don Andres Brugal, Brugal Papa Andres is limited to 500 bottles, exclusive to travel retail and is priced at €900/US$1,200.

Brugal. One letter away from Brutal

The number of new products out there is pretty astounding. Even Johnnie Walker just released a new expression under its Explorers Club range – three to be exact. Spice Road, Gold Route, and Royal Silk Route. Details here.

And on top of that, two months ago, John Walker & Sons released Odyssey, a triple malt.

Phew. You’d need to travel every week just to get your collection!

Some affordable, others strictly for collectors. Available in airports in US, Europe and Asia at different times.

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The Hendrick’s Gin party

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Hendrick’s is a gin. Sumtin i dont do often. So when the opportunity arose to party, 1920’s style, i wuz all over it.

It graced the premises of Estate, a cool restaurant-bar at Intermark Kuala Lumpur.

Menu was quite interesting, especially the gin-infused food!

Hendrick’s (ABV 41.4%) considers itself a premium gin, as well as a peculiar one. It’s made in small batches. At 41%, it’s light for a gin, as most hover close to 50%.

I luv d dark bottle, like sumtin straight outta Victorian-era chemist, lookin really old and all.

It’s made in a village. In Scotland. Haha

Born in 1999, it’s relatively new. It’s distributed here by Single Malt Sdn Bhd. (who also bring in Angostura rum!)

Met a dame from the 20’s

Among gin brands, Hendrick’s would be considered floral and vegetal, with infusions of rose and cucumber. (If you’ve eaten rose petals, as i have on varied occasions, they’re actually sourish.)

(Also, carpet grass is not as bitter as you think.)

It’s goes easy on the juniper, unlike classic gins like Tanqueray, which give more strong flavours. Hendrick’s is light and fresh.

Estate rocked

Erik the brand ambassador was supposedly around, tho i didnt see him.

There were three cocktails being served, as no one seemed to want it straight.The first was the usual – gin & tonic, which i dislike. The second (lemon-elderflower soda mix) and third were great, especially the tea!

Tea??

Yea, tea

Aint no ordinary crap tea. This baby is pretty loaded with Hendricks, and has a sweetish-strong mix, smelling of potpourri a lil, and tastes like… i dunno. Like a fresh spring garden.

‘Tea’ servings were small

I think we had a pot each! (Then we hit another party!)

Alcohol make you strong!

Tea!  More tea!

There was also Hendricks jelly….  Hendrick’s dip….. Hendrick’s dis n dat…. and awesome Hendrick’s strawberry sorbet shots!

Down d hatch!

It was a cool party, with good food n drinks and great service and an interesting crowd, including these two punks:

Where da Tommy gun at boys??

 

Brain damage: 8/10

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