Squid Mixes: The Right Balance and a Good Rye

via Dad's Hat

Thanksgiving is, of course, a grand harvest feast.  Alcoholic beverages are by no means necessary accompaniment but they're certainly enjoyable.  We went to visit English Prof for the holiday and, as luck would have it, she loves a good Manhattan almost as much as I do.  She also had a fine whiskey to try...

Dad's Hat hails from Bristol in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.  Their rye is their flagship product and a fine, flavorful liquor it is, too - great in a cocktail.  Alas, it is not available for sale back here in Vermont!  Vermont, you see, is a control state which in our case means the state has a wholesale monopoly over liquor.  If the state stores don't sell it, there are no other options.  It may be just as well.  Looking online, it would appear Dad's Hat is significantly more expensive than Old Overholt, our standby.  I suppose it is good to know that the difference in price could be worth it.

I feel I have settled on a good proportion for my Manhattans: 3:1 rye to vermouth.  That's the same as in The New York Bartender's Guide but I've upped the bitters to 3 dashes rather than 1.  Against the Dad's Hat, I could probably have gotten away with more but then I think one risks making it syrupy as it is in many restaurants.  I might have to go down to 2 with the Old Overholt.

It's definitely time to start experimenting with different whiskeys, though better to focus on ones easily acquired, I think.  I have my eye on George Dickel, which costs a bit more than Old Overholt, and Ezra Brooks, a new product to Vermont stores, which costs a bit less.  Stay tuned.


Squid on the Vine

Château Combel la Serre, Le Pur Friut du Causse Chors Malbec 2017
My Rating: 8.1
Starts sweet, then a little sour.

Free Run Cellars, Dry Gewürtztraminer 2017
My Rating: 8.5
Grape juicy
Starts bitter, finishes sweet.
We visited the winery in Michigan last summer.  That's right, Michigan.