Margie made pancakes this morning, with real maple syrup. All of which puts me in a frame of mind to ponder the delights of maple syrup. Oh Canada Maple Liqueur is made with maple syrup and undoubtedly tastes good (because it’s made by John Hall). But if you want to go even further, toward something made entirely or almost entirely from maple syrup, Knotted Maple may fill the bill. It is Maple Spirits with Maple Syrup, and is “distilled from Maine maple syrup.” It is produced and bottled by Tree Spirits, LLC of Oakland, Maine. For a bit more maple satisfaction, don’t forget Vermont Gold (Vodka Distilled from Maple Syrup).
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Adult Chocolate Milk
Here is Adult Chocolate Milk. It is liqueur, made by Temperance Distilling Company in Temperance, Michigan.
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Short Red Dresses
As to risqué alcohol beverage labels, there is no end in sight. On the left is Rumpmeister Liqueur, made by Colorado Pure Distilling, in Lakewood, Colorado. On the right is Snowbunny Ale, made by Hub City Brewing Company, in Stanley, Iowa. If TTB will approve a shorter dress, we’ll . . . be surprised.
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Lemongrass in Beer and Wine and Spirits
Just as the name suggests, lemongrass is a grass with a citrus flavor. It would appear to be well suited for flavoring beverages, and not just shrimp and scallops. Loft makes an organic lemongrass liqueur, in Portland, Oregon. Magic Hat makes Circus Boy beer brewed with lemongrass, in South Burlington, Vermont. SakeOne makes Moonstone Coconut-Lemongrass Saké, in Forest Grove, Oregon. FoodPair explains that:
Continue Reading Leave a Commentlemongrass is an aromatic herb used in Southeast Asian cuisines. Because of its pungent flavor, it is used in small amounts. Common uses include soups and curries. The ingredient is most often used fresh, but can also be dried and used in powder form. Another popular popular use of lemongrass is in teas.
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Artichoke Liqueur
In the last post, we covered digestivs. We listed a few famous ones, but we neglected Cynar. Cynar is a liqueur that happens to feature artichokes (Cynara scolymus), of all things. Although most people associate fruits and grains with alcohol beverage production — well before vegetables — the use of vegetables is extremely common. Potatoes and beets are widely used to make spirits. I don’t see a lot of artichoke wines, or those made from potatoes or beets, but here is at least one vegetable wine.
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Remove the Word "Digestif"
Fernet-Branca has been well known around the world as a “digestiv” since about 1845. The above poster shows Fernet-Branca described as a “digestivo.” By contrast, the US label, on the right, bears no reference to this key term. TTB does not allow any reference to digestif, digestiv or similar. Here is an example of a recent rejection, wherein TTB explains that the term is not allowed, and why. TTB regards it as a therapeutic claim. Eric Asimov explains:
Digestives were historically intended as palliatives, meant to counter all sorts of ailments and physical imbalances. They may no longer be assigned quite the same medicinal value today as they were a few hundred years ago, but count me among the many who believe they can help to settle that queasy feeling.
Fernet-Branca is one of the more famous examples of a digestif, but there are others, such as Fernet Stock, Escorial, Becherovka, Averna, bitters, amaro, etc. In general, digestifs are intended to be consumed after a meal, with dessert of coffee. By contrast, aperitifs, such as Aperol and Campari, are most often served before meals.
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