A Cocktail-a-Day #4: VoRumSky & UrbanAg @downtownfood

Long day today. Was up all night reading. Then found out that two VPs in my company got fired. I didn’t really like them (and was kinda glad to see them go), but it still was a shock and affected me for some reason.  And top it all off, still haven’t gotten over my existentialist crisis on what I am doing in life and following my passions.

Went to @downtownfood in @calgary for their new rooftop garden opening. In their own words:

“downtownfood, the Leaf Ninja’s and GreenGate Garden Centres have joined forces to take sustainability to a new level. Their mission is to collaborate on a fully integrated urban rooftop garden in order to showcase the versatility and benefits of urban agriculture for our health, community and planet”

Chef/Co-owner Darren talked about the importance of being connected to our food sources and understanding where it comes from through the process of urban agriculture. Darren spent the better part of last few months setting up an indoor fully integrated urban rooftop ecosystem in order to showcase the versatility and sustainability of urban agriculture. It was a pretty passionate and moving presentation, all of which made my existential crisis worse.

Sigh. Fuck cocktails. Time for some hard liquor.

VoRumSky (VOdka, RUM, whiSKY…get it?) is the brainchild of a good friend of mine that owes it’s origins to an alcohol-fuelled bachelor party. As disgusting as it may sound, I remember it tasting delicious at the time. The beauty of this drink is its sheer simplicity. Even shit-faced engineers remember it 3 years after it was first created.

Recipe:

3/4 oz. Khukri rum (Nepalese rum)

3/4 oz. Glenmorangie “Quinta Ruban”

3/4 oz. Stoli (vodka)

Cause I am a pussy, I poured this “drink” on the rocks. But not any old ice. I used my fancy SPHERICAL ice that has the distinct advantage of keeping your drink cold while not melting as quickly as ice cubes. Spheres have the smallest surface area of any geometric shape relative to its mass, so they melt slower. They also look fucking cool. Piqued your interest? Check out the following video:

 

Discussion

This “cocktail” was damn good. It wasn’t as harsh as I had thought it would be. Khukri rum is something that my good friend Richard brought back from Nepal. I know. Who thought Nepal made rum, right? Don’t you need like sugarcane and shit to make rum? Well, I was wrong. There isn’t much info on the internet about this rum, but I can tell you this: it’s damn delicious. I won’t even consider drinking rum neat, but Khukri….I won’t have this anyway but neat from now on. If you aren’t convinced, here’s an in-depth review from Scott at Scott’s Rum.

The other component was the Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban. This is a single malt Scotch Whiskey (fuck you if you spell it whisky) that is extra matured in port casks for the final two years of the ageing process. This imparts more depth, complexity, and flavour to the scotch than the regular ageing process. Simply delicious. Another one of those liquors that you gotta taste neat at least once to appreciate.

The Stoli just gets you drunk. It was “good” in that I couldn’t taste…isn’t that what every good vodka is supposed to be like?

Until next time, happy drinking!

 

 

[Beer] Review of Innis & Gunn Highland Cask Oak-Aged Beer

I love this beer. I & G releases this limited edition once a year and I try to grab a couple whenever I can. The basic concept is this: take already good beer and make it phenomenal by aging it in rare barrels that were previously used to age 18 year old Single Malt Scotch Whisky. Bam!

I & G produces other similar lines of beer such as “Rum Cask Aged” “Irish Whiskey Cask Aged.” In fact, I & G is so popular in Canada, that they specifically brew a line of beer called the Canada Day Special, which also happens to be my favourite.

Here is my breakdown of the Highland Cask:

Appearance: pours clear dark copper / amber colour with a thin, short-lived head.

Taste: delicious honey-like caramel notes at the start with a slightly bitter, hoppy after-taste. Creamy and smooth.

Palate: sweet, honey-like with fruity aromas. Builds a long-lasting malt flavour in your mouth after every sip.

The beer is stronger than most at 7.1% ABV. However, it comes nowhere close to the 10% of the Canada Day Special. A 300 ml bottle of that is enough to hit me hard, especially when I am just chillin’ with friends.

A definite must-try, just like Crabbie’s Ginger Beer. Man, everything alcoholic from Scotland is so good. And…<insert funny comment about Scottish being alcoholic>. Scene. End.

Enjoy!