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Follow up to The Spirt World
I was recently introduced to three aged rums that are well suited for sipping.
Rhum J.M. VSOP: It was kind of savory with a lot of bark tendencies.
Appleton Estate Rare Blend: A 12 year old (versus the 3 year old above) with a strong spicy fruit taste.
El Dorado 15 year old: It was like candied nuts! Absolutely delicious. (Runs about $45, more than Appleton, but less than Rhum JM)
So grab your ice ball and pour some sipping rum into a glass, you’ll be surprised. You can also ask your favorite bartended, it leads to a great conversation.
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Hotel Van Zandt and Clementine’s, Cocktail Hour
I joined two friends for cocktails on Rainey St. and we decided to pop over to the Hotel Van Zandt to see the new place and check out the bar. Both friends are in the fine dining industry and were curious to see what the Van Zandt had to offer. Of course, good help is hard to find in Austin and there was no surprise in seeing staff migrating from one entity to another. There were a number of familiar faces from The W Hotel who were now at Van Zandt. We settled into wine, some signature cocktails and a spread of charcuterie; well-balanced, great breads, and sultry cheeses. Nicely done.
The music and social programming director, Lauren Bucherie, stopped by the table and introduced herself. She filled the table in on future happenings and entertainment. I always appreciate staff taking the time to talk to a table and get to know the clientele. Kudos.
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An Old Fashioned Taste Off
I’ve started to enjoy the taste of an Old Fashioned. While never a whisky or bourbon drinker, I suddenly find myself really liking the taste of them. So I thought it would be fun to go out for a taste comparison. I grabbed a buddy and headed to two of Austin’s hot spots, LaV and Lonesome Dove. LaV won hands down on presentation and taste. The solid ice ball helped cool the cocktail, but didn’t water it down. The Lonesome Dove version was very cold, but the cubed and broken ice melted and diluted the drink too much. Both were equal on price point, just slightly shy of $13.00 each. LaV’s bartender chose his favorite Rye and the Lonesome Dove bartender took our request for Bulleit.
It was a fun way to hit a couple of local hot spots and have an interesting time doing it.
11/1 Update: Eddie V’s makes a nice Old Fashioned as well, Ask for Gary in the bar. He knows what he’s doing.
