SANTA FE SPIRITS APPLE BRANDY: Final Thoughts

Pinky Mixology Presents:
Applejack-Off 2014 SANTA FE SPIRITS APPLE BRANDY:
Final Thoughts

So what can we say about Santa Fe Spirits Apple Brandy that doesn't involve the word "balanced" any more since we've already humped it to death...  The thing is, that balance was unexpected.  Aged apple spirits seem to aim for a niche of preserving some specific heritage.  Targets can be close to a whiskey or so far near a clear spirit that it can be impossible to place them in the same family of "applejack."  But Santa Fe Spirits has an apple history of bring apples where apples had feared to tread.  That means they know where to get apples in a bad year, and what kind of apples they'll be using from their home turf in a good one.  So let's get looking into this:










When you want an Apple Brandy / Applejack that you can count on, to make your plans and share with friends with no surprises, Santa Fe Spirits fits the bill.  The individual notes and uniqueness are present there's no doubt, but all the while the flight-plan and destination are locked in, and you can just sit back and relax in the knowledge that everything is going to be fine.  Notes of apple skin and cinnamon, with a tiny bit of New Mexico wild-fire, make for pleasant viewing out the window, with the apple notes from air-conditioning are set to "perfect" all the while. 








Like we said in the beginning, we really didn't expect to see an aged apple spirit come out of anywhere but the North-East USA, Eastern Canada, or maybe Washington State.  California would have been stretching it, and New Mexico would probably have ended up near Alaska on our list of least likely sources for it.  Oh how wrong we were and we've never been happier to be so.  The final product from Santa Fe Spirits is unique enough from the others to give it a personality, and it's one that always has the right thing to say at the right time, without blabbering on. 

SANTA FE SPIRITS APPLE BRANDY: The Velvet Apple

Pinky Mixology Presents: 

Applejack-Off 2014 SANTA FE SPIRITS APPLE BRANDY: 

The Velvet Apple

Based on a cocktail called The Velvet Jack, The Velvet Apple uses Santa Fe Spirits Apple Brandy in place of Jack Daniel's.  Not just a cold weather spirit, apple brandy and applejack can make some great warm weather drinks as well, and if you are the type to like things on the sweet side, dessert cocktails,  or if you just enjoy raspberry,  then this one might be right for you.














This is traditionally served in an old-fashioned and on the rocks.  We didn't see the need to change that.





Chambord is ubiquitous in North America and most of Europe.  It's not hard to find but it is on the expensive side.





Our 2012 Valentine's Day Special does indeed have a fresh alternative to Chambord in it, and we do like it better.  However, not everyone is going to have the time or patience to make raspberry vodka mash every time it's time for a drink, so Chambord does serve a purpose.





Like our apple-pomegranate Grenadine, we have home-made this sour mix from scratch with cooked simple syrup and citrus juices, and like our apple-pomegranate Grenadine, we will be showing you how to make it in an upcoming episode (probably the same one). 









The larger your ice cubes, the longer it will take them to melt, and the less watered-down your drink will be while still staying cold at the same time.  Some places ever offer both stone and stainless steel pieces that can be frozen in order to keep a drink cold while not diluting it at all, but we aren't totally sold on the notion of a hunk of rock or metal rolling around in our glassware and possibly sliding square into your teeth as you finish your drink.  One of the time honored best ways to ensure you don't dilute your drink with ice is actually to make sure your glass is as cold as it can be before you use it.
 




Garnishes can include zests and even something like a mint or rosemary sprig if you feel adventurous.  We decided to garnish this with... air.

SANTA FE SPIRITS APPLE BRANDY: The Jack Rose

Pinky Mixology Presents: 

Applejack-Off 2014 SANTA FE SPIRITS APPLE BRANDY:
The Jack Rose Cocktail

The Jack Rose cocktail is one of the oldest and most traditional recipes for apple brandy or applejack.   Santa Fe Spirits Apple Brandy is so nicely balanced that we couldn't resist.   Also, we're gonna say "balanced" a fuck-ton in this episode.  The reason is, that it's the most perfect word to describe Santa Fe Spirits Apple Brandy that we can think of.   We really can't call it anything else other than perfectly balanced.













For the gazillionth time, never ever make a cocktail out of lime juice from a bottle!






We chilled the Santa Fe Spirits Apple Brandy and the glass we used plenty of time before hand.  It's so cold outside and inside that there's not gonna be any condensation to get in the way.










We did make our own Grenadine, and there are recipes out there that can show you how.  Yes that white stuff is actual Citric Acid (aka Lemon Salt) and we used one quarter of a tea spoon for a quarter cup of Grenadine.  Pinky Mixology will soon dedicate an episode on how to make it.   But in order to keep with the apple theme, we used a mix of Pomegranate and Apple Cider with a helping of sugar and a quarter teaspoon of citric acid. ...yes in the dictionary under the word redundant it says see redundant.








This was amazing.  In all honesty, we would recommend that if you have a friend who has never had Apple Brandy or Applejack before, then this is the drink to give them first.   Everything else hangs on a pre-known liking of something like ginger or vermouth or something.  This oldy but a goody is totally the one to get them hooked.  

See you soon.

SANTA FE SPIRITS APPLE BRANDY: The Stormy Orchard

Pinky Mixology Presents: Applejack-Off 2014

SANTA FE SPIRITS APPLE BRANDY:

The Stormy Orchard

The mixing of spirits and carbonated beverages is almost as old as distillation itself (think 11th Century) and this is one of many varyations on the Dark n Stormy, which has been more or less claimed by Gosling's Rum.  But the Stormy Orchard is the go-to cocktail whenever someone is over at Santa Fe Spirits, and here's how they do it.














We are gonna mention this every time.  Use real actual fresh limes.  You will seriously mess this up with anything else.  For this drink we will be using a hand-squeezer like this one. You've seen it here before. 





Despite what some people may say, this is in fact a London Dock wine glass (sometimes doubles as a Port wine glass).  There is also a toddy cocktail that is called the London Dock as well, and oddly enough it's served in an Irish Coffee Mug (because it's a Toddy, duh), and is not one of these glasses.  These glasses were used by merchants to quickly sample wine when it was unloaded to make sure it didn't suck.  Do not let yourself be told otherwise. 


















Santa Fe Spirits recommended both Q and/or Fever Tree.  ...We've never had much love for Fever Tree either.   We're not saying it's bad, but both are weak in the ginger area as far as we are concerned.  It comes together well, but lacks the ginger-burn.  For us, that's a deal-breaker, but for many people that's exactly what they want, so this is something that they would really like.  The thing is, we are huge Gosling's fans (as you can see) and have had many a Dark n Stormy over the years, so we're set pretty deep in the way we specifically like it, which is with Caribbean style ginger beers known for having a strong burn, which Q does not.   So, we just like our ginger beer dry and on fire, but if you don't, then this is for you.

The following are brands that are all in the same family of softer tasting ginger beer / ginger ale:  Q, Fever Tree, Bundaberg, and Boylan's.  So if you know someone who runs away from hot sauce or doesn't ever put pepper on their salad, then this might be the stuff for them. 

While Q fell a little short with us, we should mention that a little dash of Angostura Bitters made this thing totally 3 dimensional and much more interesting.  Also the grapefruit soda made by Q is actually amazing just by itself.






We had tasted other Fentiman's here on Pinky Mixology, but never their Ginger Beer.  Since Canada is mostly just England with lumberjacks, we figured it would be closer to the U.K. ginger beers that are out there.   Turns out this stuff is just weird.










The herbal qualities seemed to fight both the citrus and the Apple Brandy.  Not physically, but like how girls are mean to each other in the locker room or something.  There's really no other ginger soda we can compare this to.  It's kind of interesting by itself, and might only go well with something like some kind of Amaro. 












Ginger People brand drinks are very widely distributed in the USA and rather easy to find.  This was our safety that we knew we would most likely prefer.

Brands of this more searing ginger nature include: The Ginger People, Reed's, Maine Root, and D&G Jamaican Ginger Beer (the one w/o High Fructose Corn Syrup that you can only find in like... Florida).





Here is our home-made ginger beer episode.  We only left this for a few days, so we're pretty sure it didn't ferment much, but you can jack this stuff to levels of 6% ABV or higher if you're nuts.





It was kind of over the top, and like an elephant at the opening of an Abercrombie & Fitch, our ginger beer just kicked over everyone else there and made a bit of a mess of things with impunity. 




We would recommend this as a great way to introduce people to Santa Fe Spirits Apple Brandy and most Applejack for that matter, but only if they already like a Dark n' Stormy.  If someone isn't a ginger fan, they aren't really gonna like this no matter what. 

NOTICE:  We suggest avoiding the following ginger beverages; Canada Dry, Seagram's, Schweppes, Goya, store-brands, Adirondack, Polar, and sadly Gosling's Stormy Ginger Beer.  These all contain High Fructose Corn Syrup (Gosling's even has the balls to write "all natural" on their friggin cans).  Even forgetting the health issues, HFCS straight up ruins carbonated drinks, and also it straight up ruins any cocktails it ends up in.  Don't believe us?  Here, take it from an expert (skip to 5:30):

SANTA FE SPIRITS APPLE BRANDY: Introduction

Pinky Mixology Presents: Applejack-Off 2014
SANTA FE SPIRITS APPLE BRANDY:  

A First Look

When you think of apple productions and the hooch made from them, New Mexico doesn't really spring to mind does it?  Well, Santa Fe Spirits is sitting on a bunch and they make a Calvados style Apple Brandy.  Do they call it applejack?  No.  Is it similar to applejack?  Yes, it's in the same boat.

There is a storied history of apples in New Mexico, and with perhaps a bit of shenanigans over water rights, orchards have entrenched themselves.  Of course, being out in the American Southwest, Santa Fe Spirits also produces whiskeys, as well as a vodka and a gin.  But we're here for the Apples.






Right off the bat, you can tell that this hits very close to the bull's eye in terms of what perfect balance is in an aged apple spirit.  Someone at Santa Fe Spirits really knows what they're doing.  By treating it like Calvados, they manage to retain the nose that an apple spirit should have, but there are no unpleasant surprises.  It was so good we almost just decided to have it all, just neat, and ramble on for 5 days about it.  But then for some reason we came to our senses. 








The Beverage Testing Institute, according to the Wikipedia entry,  is a marketing service company that provides reviews for spirits, wines, and beers. It uses numerical scores and publishes books of its test results.  Unless you own a liquor store or a bar, you're probably not getting their publications however.

You can find their website at www.tastings.com






We are going to save our final thoughts for the end, but for now, we are hoping that the extreme climate conditions the area has been going through don't hurt the apple crop.  And that's because we definitely want to get our hands on some more of this in the future.




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