?Back in the USSR!? or Sidecar for Soviet Veterans.
The theme of this MxMo is Brandy. Of course I have some bottle of brandy in my bar! But… What about I may post? About Pisco – muscat grape brandy from Chile? No… About Calvados – well aged apple brandy from France? Or about Palinka – plum brandy from Hungary? No, I think no. Actually I [...]

The theme of this MxMo is Brandy. Of course I have some bottle of brandy in my bar! But… What about I may post? About Pisco – muscat grape brandy from Chile? No… About Calvados – well aged apple brandy from France? Or about Palinka – plum brandy from Hungary? No, I think no.

Actually I was born and live some time in country which had own history of brandy. Some famous persons such Nikolaj Shustov and David Saradjishvili is well known in the world. Science based production of grape wine spirit brandy called as konijak (pronounced like cognac was started on two half of XIX century in Tbilisi, Georgia by David Saradjishvili and Yerevan, Armenia and Odessa, Ukraine by Nikolaj Shustov both. In USSR time Soviet brandy widely exported in many countries and won many international contests. One of great story about Soviet Brandy concerned with Yalta Conference 1945. During this Conference Stalin offered Georgian konijak Eniseli a tasting to the unsurpassed expert and judge of alcoholic beverages, Prime Minister of Great Britain of the time, Sir Winston Churchill, who put Georgian brandy amongst the finest he had ever tasted – even French Cognac! Some people say that it was Armenian brandy, but I think Georgian.

By taste all cognac-style brandy of ex-USSR may consider on three types:

the first group includes very aromatic, high extractive brandy with vanilla undertones, for example, Armenian brandy (Armenijak);

the second group is characterized by low extractive, fresh, light flavor and taste with floral undertones – Georgian brandy;

the third group include harmonious, not so extractive as first group brandy, but so extractive brandy, which produced in Ukraine and Moldova.

Undoubtedly, well aged and authentic Armenian, Georgian or Ukrainian brandy can put to cognac-drinker very interesting experience and, of course, a lot of pleasure.

I have some bottle of this kind of brandy in my home bar:

in photo from left to right:

ArArAt 5***** – by the Yerevan Brandy Company (Pernod Ricard Group), Armenia – great Armenian brandy with golden amber color. It has rich aroma with undertones of fruit, oak, vanilla and cinnamon. The taste of Ararat so extractive, rich with hints of caramel, plum and pear and tart finish with acidic aftertaste. As for me a great note in flavor has unique “penicillin-like” smell…

SARADJISHVILI 5 y.o. – by the Tbilisi Brandy Factory, JSC David Saradjishvili and Eniseli, Georgia – one of my favorite brandy. It has pale-straw color, sophisticated bouquet, and light, very pleasant taste with clearly expressed brandy tones. In cocktail with brandy I use it common.

VARTSIKHE 7 y.o. – by the Tbilisi Brandy Factory, JSC David Saradjishvili and Eniseli, Georgia too. It has a pale golden color, light and considerably developed bouquet with fruit tones and is fresh and harmonious on the palate. As for me the little sweet aftertaste of this brandy is more pleasant from all my brandies.

KOKTEBEL 11 y.o. – by the JSC Plant of vintage wine and brandy Koktebel, Ukraine. It has dark amber color, rich, extractive, oily taste and floral with hint of vanilla flavor.

All of this brandy has so different flavor and taste and, of course, may work different in cocktails.

I use pure classic thing – Side Car as tasting cocktail. I never made this cocktail and never taste it That why I try proportions from one of book by Salvatore Calabrese i.e. 3:2:2. I hope Salvatore not was mistaken

Sidecar

30 ml cognac-like brandy
20 ml Cointreau
20 ml fresh lemon juice
Shake. Cocktail glass with sugar rim.

Some my impression:

Common: Undoubtedly perfect cocktail. Strong, no so sweet with bright brandy taste. This thing for real man!

Sidecar with ArArAt 5* – rich taste and very bright and pleasant brandy taste

Sidecar with VARTSIKHE 7 y.o. – comparatively to ArArAt brandy taste so week and so … defective. Looks like the cointreau and lemon tastes more intensive that brandy.

Sidecar with KOKTEBEL 11 y.o. – rich taste, but little bitter for me.

Resume: High extractive brandy, like Armenian brandy, work well in my Sidecar. In next time I think wotrh to try a real cognac.

Alfonso Special
The illness was gone. Lets imbibe! Alfonso Special 30 ml gin 30 ml dry vermouth 15 ml Grand Marnier 7 ml sweet vermouth 1 dash Angostura bitters Stir. Cocktail glass. Admirable!

The illness was gone. Lets imbibe!

Alfonso Special

30 ml gin
30 ml dry vermouth
15 ml Grand Marnier
7 ml sweet vermouth
1 dash Angostura bitters
Stir. Cocktail glass.

Admirable!

Alfonso Special
The illness was gone. Lets imbibe! Alfonso Special 30 ml gin 30 ml dry vermouth 15 ml Grand Marnier 7 ml sweet vermouth 1 dash Angostura bitters Stir. Cocktail glass. Admirable!

The illness was gone. Lets imbibe!

Alfonso Special

30 ml gin
30 ml dry vermouth
15 ml Grand Marnier
7 ml sweet vermouth
1 dash Angostura bitters
Stir. Cocktail glass.

Admirable!

?Back in the USSR!? or Sidecar for Soviet Veterans.
The theme of this MxMo is Brandy. Of course I have some bottle of brandy in my bar! But… What about I may post? About Pisco – muscat grape brandy from Chile? No… About Calvados – well aged apple brandy from France? Or about Palinka – plum brandy from Hungary? No, I think no. Actually I [...]

The theme of this MxMo is Brandy. Of course I have some bottle of brandy in my bar! But… What about I may post? About Pisco – muscat grape brandy from Chile? No… About Calvados – well aged apple brandy from France? Or about Palinka – plum brandy from Hungary? No, I think no.

Actually I was born and live some time in country which had own history of brandy. Some famous persons such Nikolaj Shustov and David Saradjishvili is well known in the world. Science based production of grape wine spirit brandy called as konijak (pronounced like cognac was started on two half of XIX century in Tbilisi, Georgia by David Saradjishvili and Yerevan, Armenia and Odessa, Ukraine by Nikolaj Shustov both. In USSR time Soviet brandy widely exported in many countries and won many international contests. One of great story about Soviet Brandy concerned with Yalta Conference 1945. During this Conference Stalin offered Georgian konijak Eniseli a tasting to the unsurpassed expert and judge of alcoholic beverages, Prime Minister of Great Britain of the time, Sir Winston Churchill, who put Georgian brandy amongst the finest he had ever tasted – even French Cognac! Some people say that it was Armenian brandy, but I think Georgian.

By taste all cognac-style brandy of ex-USSR may consider on three types:

the first group includes very aromatic, high extractive brandy with vanilla undertones, for example, Armenian brandy (Armenijak);

the second group is characterized by low extractive, fresh, light flavor and taste with floral undertones – Georgian brandy;

the third group include harmonious, not so extractive as first group brandy, but so extractive brandy, which produced in Ukraine and Moldova.

Undoubtedly, well aged and authentic Armenian, Georgian or Ukrainian brandy can put to cognac-drinker very interesting experience and, of course, a lot of pleasure.

I have some bottle of this kind of brandy in my home bar:

in photo from left to right:

ArArAt 5***** – by the Yerevan Brandy Company (Pernod Ricard Group), Armenia – great Armenian brandy with golden amber color. It has rich aroma with undertones of fruit, oak, vanilla and cinnamon. The taste of Ararat so extractive, rich with hints of caramel, plum and pear and tart finish with acidic aftertaste. As for me a great note in flavor has unique “penicillin-like” smell…

SARADJISHVILI 5 y.o. – by the Tbilisi Brandy Factory, JSC David Saradjishvili and Eniseli, Georgia – one of my favorite brandy. It has pale-straw color, sophisticated bouquet, and light, very pleasant taste with clearly expressed brandy tones. In cocktail with brandy I use it common.

VARTSIKHE 7 y.o. – by the Tbilisi Brandy Factory, JSC David Saradjishvili and Eniseli, Georgia too. It has a pale golden color, light and considerably developed bouquet with fruit tones and is fresh and harmonious on the palate. As for me the little sweet aftertaste of this brandy is more pleasant from all my brandies.

KOKTEBEL 11 y.o. – by the JSC Plant of vintage wine and brandy Koktebel, Ukraine. It has dark amber color, rich, extractive, oily taste and floral with hint of vanilla flavor.

All of this brandy has so different flavor and taste and, of course, may work different in cocktails.

I use pure classic thing – Side Car as tasting cocktail. I never made this cocktail and never taste it That why I try proportions from one of book by Salvatore Calabrese i.e. 3:2:2. I hope Salvatore not was mistaken

Sidecar

30 ml cognac-like brandy
20 ml Cointreau
20 ml fresh lemon juice
Shake. Cocktail glass with sugar rim.

Some my impression:

Common: Undoubtedly perfect cocktail. Strong, no so sweet with bright brandy taste. This thing for real man!

Sidecar with ArArAt 5* – rich taste and very bright and pleasant brandy taste

Sidecar with VARTSIKHE 7 y.o. – comparatively to ArArAt brandy taste so week and so … defective. Looks like the cointreau and lemon tastes more intensive that brandy.

Sidecar with KOKTEBEL 11 y.o. – rich taste, but little bitter for me.

Resume: High extractive brandy, like Armenian brandy, work well in my Sidecar. In next time I think wotrh to try a real cognac.

Between the Sheets
Another classical coctail, which have some ambiguous name and bright taste. Between the Sheets 20 ml light rum 20 ml brandy 20 ml Cointreau 20 ml fresh lime juice Shake with craced ice, cocktail glass, garnish with lemon twist. Admirable!

Another classical coctail, which have some ambiguous name and bright taste.

Between the Sheets

20 ml light rum
20 ml brandy
20 ml Cointreau
20 ml fresh lime juice
Shake with craced ice, cocktail glass, garnish with lemon twist.

Admirable!

Alfonso Special
The illness was gone. Lets imbibe! Alfonso Special 30 ml gin 30 ml dry vermouth 15 ml Grand Marnier 7 ml sweet vermouth 1 dash Angostura bitters Stir. Cocktail glass. Admirable!

The illness was gone. Lets imbibe!

Alfonso Special

30 ml gin
30 ml dry vermouth
15 ml Grand Marnier
7 ml sweet vermouth
1 dash Angostura bitters
Stir. Cocktail glass.

Admirable!

Bourbonella
It is Friday night… This cocktail is for Friday night. Bourbonella 45 ml bourbon whisky 20 ml dry vermouth 20 ml orange curacao 1 small dash of grenadine Stir. Cocktail glass. Not so bad, guys! Let`s imbibe!!!

It is Friday night… This cocktail is for Friday night.

Bourbonella

45 ml bourbon whisky
20 ml dry vermouth
20 ml orange curacao
1 small dash of grenadine
Stir. Cocktail glass.

Not so bad, guys! Let`s imbibe!!!

Bourbonella
It is Friday night… This cocktail is for Friday night. Bourbonella 45 ml bourbon whisky 20 ml dry vermouth 20 ml orange curacao 1 small dash of grenadine Stir. Cocktail glass. Not so bad, guys! Let`s imbibe!!!

It is Friday night… This cocktail is for Friday night.

Bourbonella

45 ml bourbon whisky
20 ml dry vermouth
20 ml orange curacao
1 small dash of grenadine
Stir. Cocktail glass.

Not so bad, guys! Let`s imbibe!!!

Maiden`s Prayer
Maiden`s Prayer is one of classical cocktail. It has fresh taste and it dispel melancholy very good Maiden`s Prayer 30 ml gin 30 ml Cointreau 15 ml fresh orange juice 15 ml fresh lemon juice Shake. Cocktail glass. Garnish with a orange piece. Very good!

Maiden`s Prayer is one of classical cocktail. It has fresh taste and it dispel melancholy very good

Maiden`s Prayer

30 ml gin
30 ml Cointreau
15 ml fresh orange juice
15 ml fresh lemon juice
Shake. Cocktail glass. Garnish with a orange piece.

Very good!

Sambuca Coffee Frappe
Sambuca is sweet and strong anise and elderberry-based liqueur from Italy. It is one of my favorite liqueur for drink straight, but cocktails with sambuca is so rare. This simple coctails is very delicious and refreshing afterdinner drink. Sambuca Coffee Frappe 40 ml sambuca 20 ml coffee liqueur (Kahlua) Stir both ingredient with ice. Build in cocktail glass with crushed [...]

Sambuca is sweet and strong anise and elderberry-based liqueur from Italy. It is one of my favorite liqueur for drink straight, but cocktails with sambuca is so rare. This simple coctails is very delicious and refreshing afterdinner drink.

Sambuca Coffee Frappe

40 ml sambuca
20 ml coffee liqueur (Kahlua)
Stir both ingredient with ice. Build in cocktail glass with crushed ice. Garnish with a three roasted coffee beans.

Excellently!!!