Port Morris Distillery: Pitorro

Port Morris Distillery:
PITORRO
So what is Pitorro.  It is a word in Spanish that is associated with a sugar cane distilled beverage particular to Puero Rico.  So, "Puerto Rican Moonshine" is more or less a good way to put it.  And where can you get the best Puerto Rican Moonshine?  In NYC of course.  More specifically at that Port Morris Distillery in The Bronx, NY, which is a short walk from the 6 train.  Yes, you tourists out there, it's safe to go to.  The gentle rocking of the Metro North and Amtrak trains that bring you back to your suburbia and your wonder bread, create a harmonic zone which is perfect for rattling the best of the flavors out of the ingredients and barrels for an amazing flavor experience.





Go here.



The Port Morris Distillery makes 3 main varieties of their Pitorro.

#1:  Shine.  A clear version which is rip roarin' ready to go almost straight out of the still.   But don't think you're going to get a paint-stripping moonshine that tastes like Cachaça, because you won't.  You will get a soft fragrant blank canvas of a liquor, all  thanks to their proprietary blend of cane, apples, and honey, along with corn in their mash. While delicious on its own, it's begging to take a few creative things into it as an infusion.  The sky is the limit when it comes to what you can add. 
#2: Anjeho.  Aged Pitorro.  They let their Shine sit in some serious oak until it picks up an oaked quality which intermingles with its unique taste.  Best had neat, but there are a few recipes it can work well in, as you shall see.

#3: Coquito.  This is the Pitorro as it is expected.  Infused with traditional spices and fruit.  It is traditional and popular around right the hell now (the x-mas holidays).  You WASP mofos will probably call it too "fruity" and dump a load of some weirdo bitters in there or try to mix it with some un-aged corn whiskey, but before you do that (and as a cracker myself I think something like that might not be so bad), just give it a real try by itself with good foods before you do that

And now, Port Morris Pitorro:














We met some of the family.  They are amazing and they really care about what their product come out tasting like.  When that's happening, you know you are in for some good stuff.





The Port Morris Pitorro Shine is one of the greatest blank canvases to work with in terms of infusion.  It was literally invented for such a purpose.  Port Morris Distillery encourages you to try your own creations with their Pitorro Shine.  Try some out, and show them off.






The Añejo is almost more of a reposado, but people always only think of Tequila when those terms are used, but they really are general words which mean "aged" and "rested" respectively.  In our opinion, this aged Pitorro is really good and can more than stand its ground against a Green Label.




Click here to learn more about Coquito.
































So, how did some non-preservative cherries last us this long?  Well, it wasn't just our fridge that did it, but rather 3 oz of Spirytus Staropolski (the 98% ABV vodka).  That kept it from going bad you better believe it.  You can also freeze them, but don't use a glass container.









So we shall see what those infusions will bring.  But, in the mean time, we will be checking out some great cocktail recipes, like the Salma Hayek.

See you tomorrow.

Tom Collins: Colin's Collins (Cherry Collins)

Santa  Fe Spirits: Wheeler's Gin Colin's Collins
(Cherry Collins)

Welcome Back as we continue our look at Wheeler’s Gin from Santa Fe Spirits.  Today we are going to make a variation of the Tom Collins called Colin’s Collins.  This was specifically given to us by Santa Fe Spirits themselves, and so we hope to do it proud.  We’re assuming that this was invented by someone named Colin, but in a world where uncertainty lurks around every corner, one can never truly know. 





Colin’s Collins ...or should it be The Colin’s Tom Collins ...or Tom Collins by Colin ...anyway, this variation relies on Gin and some other stuff.  Here’s what you’ll need:

Gin:  Such as Wheeler’s Gin from Santa Fe Spirits.
Lime:  Limes that yield a good amount of juice.
Soda Water:  It should be high carbonation and unflavored.  Unless you have a soda-gun at home, we recommend using something from a glass bottle, as it holds better carbonation.
Luxardo Cherry Syrup:  This dark and sweet syrup comes in jars of Luxardo cherries but is also sold separately by Luxardo.  This should not be confused with Luxardo’s Maraschino liqueur, which is a clear, cherry flavored liqueur.
Optional: Simple syrup (tastes may vary).










While the original recipe for a Tom Collins called for a large wine-glass full of gin (no, really it did), 3 ounces is where you'd wanna set a maximum for this one. 

As you can see, there is no ice in the glass.  One of the reasons is that your gin should already be chilled a bit, but it is also because we're going to use a thick syrup here, and ice has a tendency to harden it up and prevent proper mixing.










Made from Marasca Cherries, Maraschino should be pronounced Mara-ski-no, so keep that in mind.





While you can find Luxardo Cherries cheaper online, it should be no surprise that since we live in the most expensive city in North America, the store that sold this to us charged us $25 for it.  We know some of our fans aren't exactly at the point where they don't have to care about spending that on a whim, so let's look at alternatives...

Now the cherries you see near the ice cream toppings at the grocery store are total crap, so don't think you can just use that and get away with it.  Also, don't just put some cherries in a blender, it's probably not a good idea.    

There are many different ways to make these at home, with recipes ranging from extremely simple (cherries + Luxardo maraschino + sugar), to complex ones which add sugar, spice, and everything nice.  But yes, you still need to buy at least something from Luxardo.  There are also some videos on youtube which show the steps involved.  So when cherries go on sale, this might be something you'd want to try.

Recipe 1,  Recipe 2,  Video.  













Now, the only warning here is that the cherries are slathered in thick maraschino syrup, which will stain anything it touches.  With that in mind, you may want to hold off on them as a garnish if you want to keep that brunch-tastick outfit of your white polo shirt and khakis safe from cherry-red destruction.

Our thanks again to Santa Fe Spirits for their participation with Wheeler's Gin.  Check out our next entry where we will once again feature Wheeler's Gin in the Gin Sour.