Shine On - The Original Moonshine

Throw your pre-conceived notions out the door. The Prohibition era may exist on PBS specials and HBO but gone are the days of bathtub gin and low quality D.i.Y. moonshine. I recently sat down with Chuck Miller, master distiller of The Original Moonshine and Shem Blum, Brand Ambassador (and mixologist at the Boom Boom Room at the Standard) for a tasting at Macelleria - a steakhouse in the meatpacking district in Manhattan.

Meat and Moonshine?

You bet.

In fact, during happy hour Macelleria has a promo where they offer up a side of Smithfield Virginia Ham as a small bite to accompany a Moonshine cocktail - a fitting combination given both brands’ commitment to local food and ingredients.

Miller, who donned plaid and a cowboy hat (love), spoke to his family’s long standing tradition of distilling this storied American spirit.

But what is Moonshine?

The Original Moonshine is clear corn whiskey, hand-crafted from 100% estate-grown corn and distilled four times in a Prohibition-era copper pot still. At 80 proof, the Virginia distillery prides itself on sticking to an all-natural, gluten-free, proprietary recipe. The whiskey is charcoal-filtered which produces a pure and smooth flavor.

Moonshine is a gateway spirit. It has more flavor than vodka, it’s not as polarizing as gin and is not as aggressive as a brown spirit such as bourbon or scotch. For newbies, first try it neat, at room temp. Then add a couple of ice cubes to open it up. And finally, segue into a cocktail with Shine as the base spirit.

It’s versatile, approachable liquor that will undoubtedly be incorporated in my next Bloody Mary or mixed with apple cider.

Table Kits at the Underground

Bottle service is SO last year. Why don’t you forget it and opt for a table kit instead? What’s a table kit, you ask? Well, I headed to the Underground to find out what Benjamin Newby, GM and cocktail creator, had concocted.

The latest offering is a cocktail experience, where well-trained servers in Cold War Era booty shorts take an artisan approach to pouring a drink.

Seeing that I had just come from Rockit (where I had my first Kobe beef with brie burger, followed by a couple of vodka martinis with three bleu cheese olives - more on that obsession later), I could really only handle two of the kits. I was already familiar with Cosmos and Mojitos, so I settled on the Absinthe and the St. Germain table kits.

And out they came.

The Absinthe Table Kit was served on a silver platter with glasses reminiscent of Waterford crystal. It was as if we were about to enjoy tea at the Dorchester, except Absinthe had taken the place of Earl Gray (okay, okay, it was dark and I may or may not have had a couple of martinis, but hey, they looked beautiful). As I took my quick drink of Absinthe (you drink it as you would a shot, but with more revere - you’re drinking Pernod Absinthe, the oldest Absinthe brand in the world - show some respect, people!). I couldn’t help but feel as if I were entering a forbidden world. A round of Absinthe drinks are made in the traditional way with sugar and fire and served per person ($15 each). Each table is limited to one round and this particular kit is only available until midnight.

Next was the St. Germain Table Kit. For those yet to experience the lovely nuances of the French elderflower liqueur, I encourage you to try it as a secondary flavor with your next cocktail (Champagne, sparkling water, St. G). It offers a fantastic flavor - one of my favorites. St. Germain naturally enhances the flavors of Champagne (or sparkling wine) and brings out notes that you may not normally pick up. Add a dash of St. Germain to your Champagne flute and suddenly peach, pear and citrus flavors can be detected. At UG, the St. Germain cocktails are served on the rocks with a silver straw spoon. A carafe serves about six for $75 and you have the option of adding on a bottle of Champagne for $50.

I didn’t have a chance to try the Cosmo Kit or the Mojito Kit, but you can imagine that high attention to detail is provided to ensure the ultimate cocktail experience.

And for those who like to detox to retox, Sunday brunch at Rockit can either be the perfect hangover cure or just another excuse to keep the party going. Rockit has one of the best gourmet Bloody Mary bars in the city and they’re channeling UG with their Mimosa Kits. The Sunday Funday Kits feature an assortment of fresh fruits and seasonal juices, including orange, pineapple, mango and pomegranate, served in carafes and accompanied by a bottle of Champagne: $50 for Veuve Cliquot, $30 for Domaine Chandon or $5 per glass.

Debut in Cheeky Chicago

As most of you already know, last week I made my debut in Cheeky Chicago. For those of you not familar, check it out: www.CheekyChicago.com It's a pretty fun site geared towards smart, saavy, cosmopolitain, tres chic Chicago women. I'll be writing and editing weekly columns for the SCENE section, so sign up for our weekly newsletters for the latest and greatest in Chicago. I'll still be penning monthly Drink Reports for Chicago Scene, but think of this as your quick go-to guide when you can't find anything to do. Our SCENE section is new every Friday, so see you soon...

The Cheeky Girls on ABC 7's 190 North

Janet Davies chats with Jessica and Erica on a Novemeber episoide of ABC 7's 190 North.

http://www.190north.com/shows/110908_cyber.htm

Cocktail Party at the W Hotel

Thank you to everyone who came to the cocktail party that I hosted this past Saturday with VeeV at Whiskey Blue at the W City Center. What a great turn out (um, nearly 200 people!). Hope you enjoyed the fabulous VeeV cocktails.

I look forward to hosting more soirees and serving as a catalyst for you to try new brands.

Below are some photos that were taken. Just a few of my favorite things...

You know you love me.

XoXo

Moet & Chandon White Star...Chicago Scene Style

Received two bottles of Moet & Chandon White Star embossed with customized crystals. My girl Kimberly Burt sent them to be photographed by the Chi Scene creative team. Keep a look out for these in the Dec. Drink Report. Customized bottles like this are available exclusively at Martini Park.