Wine & Spirits - August 2018 - 16

Summer
Drinking
Essentials
There's no better season
than summer for light
and spritzy imbibing.
These new releases will
help you do it right.
by Rachel DelRocco

The Dark Side
of Summer

Summertime can be rough for the "stirred, not
shaken" drinker, but for those who can't resist a Manhattan, Traverse City Whiskey Company has unveiled
a line of cocktail cherries. Based in northern Michigan, the company harvests local Balatan cherries
and preserves them in syrup spiked with its Bourbon
Whiskey. The result is deep, concentrated and bittersweet, perfect for your brown-and-bitter as well as for
a Mai Tai-or on top of ice cream.
$16 at tcwhiskey.com

Refreshing Bitters

Bartenders and customers alike seem to be looking
for ways to pink up their cocktails, and using Fever
Tree's Angostura Tonic is one method we'll gladly get
behind. Not only is it a pretty pink, but the flavors
strike an addictive balance between sweet and bitter.
It's destined to be added to your best bottles of gin
and vodka. I'd even suggest drinking this on its own-
no alcohol needed. $6/four 200-ml bottles

Sip and Save
the Oceans

Some 500 million plastic straws
go into garbage bins across the
US daily. Hay! Straws is looking to
change that: Its straws, made from
hand-harvested wheat stems in tall
and cocktail sizes, are 100 percent
compostable. Airy and light in feel,
they'll upgrade your Tiki drinks.
$8/100 straws at haystraws.com

Sugarcane Sipper

Baobab Botanicals

Liven up your poolside Gin-and-Tonic game this summer with Whitley Neill's Handcrafted Dry Gin. Its
maker, Johnny Neill, comes from a long line of English
distillers but it was his South African wife who inspired
this blend. In addition to the usual juniper and coriander, he adds tangy baobab fruit and Cape gooseberry
for juicy texture and a citrus pop.
Imported by M.S. Walker, Somerville, MA; 43% abv,
$37/750ml
16

WINE & SPIRITS

AUGUST 2018

You know rhum agricole, the rum made from freshly
pressed sugarcane juice from the island of Martinique. Now get to know clairin, the Haitian version.
Pot-distilled in small batches, it's rhum agricole's
wilder cousin. Three bottlings have just arrived in the
US, under the auspices of a team effort by Italy-based
rum importer Velier and French retailer La Maison du
Whisky. Each is named for its distiller and is distinctly
different from its siblings: Casimir has sweet snappea and pineapple notes; Vaval is darker in tone, with
pomegranate and violet scents; Sajous balances its
higher alcohol with notes of key lime and orange blossom. Any would transform a Daiquiri; they also make
terrific sippers on their own.
Imported by La Maison & Velier, NY; 48 to 55% abv,
$35 to $40/750ml

For Serious Savoring

Riedel's new five-ounce O Wine Tumbler Spirits
glasses are designed for Cognac, Scotch and Tequila,
but we're open to using them for any high-quality
spirit. Durable, stemless and good-looking, they're
available as a set or individually.
Set of 3, $45 at riedel.com

http://www.tcwhiskey.com http://www.haystraws.com http://www.riedel.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - August 2018