Tasting Diary:

 

Throughout the following tastings we will also have Dale DeGroff's Pimento Aromatic Bitters available to taste and purchase.

Wednesday 27th November 2013:

The Whisky Exchange - Vinopolis, London Bridge, SE1
1pm onwards - We will be tasting SW4 London Dry Gin 40% and also the Batch 47%.
We might even have some Combier Kummel with us to make some of our favourite cocktail the 'Silver Bullet'. 

Thursday 28th November 2013:

Amathus Soho - Wardour Street, Soho, W1
5pm onwards - We will be tasting both La Maison Fontaine  Absinthes and Chocolat & Jade Liqueurs Absinthes. We will be offering a special deal on La Maison Fontaine - buy any 2 x 70cl and get a La Maison Fontaine Blanche 20cl FREE of charge.

Friday 29th November 2013:

Gerry's - Old Compton Street, Soho, W1
1pm - 5.45pm - we will be tasting tasting both La Maison Fontaine Absinthes and Chocolat & Jade Liqueurs Absinthes.

Friday 29th November 2013:

City Beverage Company - Old Street, Shoreditch, EC1
 6.45pm - 8.30pm - We will be tasting Jade Liqueurs Perique Tobacco Liqueur, Combier Kummel and Combier l'Original Triple Sec.

Wednesday 4th December 2013:

The Whisky Exchange - Vinopolis, London Bridge, SE1
1pm onwards - We will be tasting Jade Liqueurs Perique Tobacco Liqueur, Combier Kummel and Combier l'Original Triple Sec, Elixir, Royal & La Maison Fontaine Chocolat.

Thursday 5th December 2013:

Gerry's - Old Compton Street, Soho, W1
1pm onwards - SW4 London Dry Gin 40% Batch 47% and Combier Kummel  to make some of our favourite cocktal the 'Silver Bullet'. We will have some other Sip Or Mix Liqueurs with us too...

Friday 6th December 2013:

The Whisky Exchange - Vinopolis, London Bridge, SE1
1pm onwards - We will be tasting tasting both La Maison Fontaine Absinthes & Jade Liqueurs Absinthes.

 

Tuesday 10th December 2013:

Hedonism Wines - Davies Street, Mayfair, W1
4pm - 8pm - We will be tasting St Nicholas Abbey Unaged,  White Rum and St Nicholas Abbey 10 Year Old Rum.

 

Tuesday 11th December 2013:

Hedonism Wines - Davies Street, Mayfair, W1
4pm - 8pm - We will be tasting both La Maison Fontaine Absinthes & Jade Liqueurs Absinthes.

Friday 13th December 2013:

City Beverage Company - Old Street, Shoreditch, EC16.45pm onwards - We will be tasting tasting both La Maison Fontaine Blanche Absinthe & Jade Liqueurs Esprit Edouard Absinthe.

Monday 16th December 2013:

The Whisky Exchange - Vinopolis, London Bridge, SE1
1pm onwards - We will be tasting St Nicholas Abbey Unaged, White Rum and St Nicholas Abbey 10 Year Old Rum. We will also have some of the extremely rare St Nicholas Abbey 15 year Old Rum to both sample and purchase.

 

Friday 20th December 2013:

Gerry's - Old Compton Street, Soho, W1
1pm onwards - We will be tasting both La Maison Fontaine Absinthes & Jade Liqueurs Absinthes.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone!

 

                        

SIP OR MIX - STAND C106

Register Here

Here is the full portfolio we'll be exhibiting: (the hyperlinks are to reviews)

SW4 London Dry Gin  & SW4 Batch 47 London Dry Gin

St Nicholas Abbey Unaged, White Rum

St Nicholas Abbey 10 Year Old Rum

Combier Kummel (1880's)

Combier l'Original Triple Sec (1834)

Royal Combier (1920s)

Combier Elixir (1852)

Jade Perique Tobacco Liquer

Jade Nouvelle Orleans Absinthe

Jade 1901 Absinthe

Jade V.S. 1898 Absinthe

Jade Edouard Absinthe

La Maison Fontaine Chocolat

La Maison Fontaine Blanche

La Maison Fontaine Verte

Dale DeGroff's Pimento Aromatic Bitters
 

We will have many of our Brand Owners on hand throughout the show and several Guest Bar Tenders.

Dale DeGroff's Pimento Aromatic Bitters.

 

We would like to think that everyone has heard of Dale DeGroff but from experience, we know this is not necessarily so.

 

Here's Dale's Craft of the Cocktail Book and here is Dale's Website.

 

As Ian Cameron (Class Magazine 13/09/12) points out:

 

"Hey, he practically invented the bar."

 

and

"He's arguably the most famous living bartender in the world....."

 

It was some time back when Dale got frustrated that he could not find that 'particular' Pimento flavour that he was after for his drinks. Fortunately for us, Dale is friends with Ted Breaux Master Distiller Extraordinaire of  Jade Liqueurs and Absinthe fame. So they decided to team up. Dale sought  a very specific Pimento flavour profile while Ted has a geek's attention to detail, making  only authenticly hand crafted, small batch products. A perfect fit! As Francine Cohen quite correctly points out in Review: Inside F. & B. we now get to talk about Dale and Ted's Excellent Adventure!

 

After much research and sample batches going back and forth between Dale and Ted - Dale DeGroff's Pimento Aromatic Bitters were born. We've since been lucky enough to try the Bitters in many drinks and think they are an essential ingredient to any bartenders armoury. Dale recommends using his Bitters in these cocktails.

 

Here are just a few of the press reviews Dale DeGroff's Pimento Aromatic Bitters have received:

Review: Simon Difford

 

Review: The Examiner

 

Review: Drink Spirits

 

Review: NY Times

 

Review: The Imbiber

 

Review: Food and Wine

A couple of new cocktails using La Maison Fontaine® Chocolat and La Maison Fontaine® Verte.

Miam Flip

Miam is French slang for 'yum', a fitting reference to the reaction of the consumer after their first taste.

Ingredients:

35ml La Maison Fontaine® Chocolat
15ml dark over-proof rum
10ml Combier l'Original Triple Sec
1 dash orange bitters
1 medium egg or 15ml double cream
Pinch of salt

Method: Shake all ingredients & strain into stemmed glass without ice.

Garnish: Grated nutmeg

 

La Maison Fontaine® Verte – Cobbler Verte

A cobbler was originally a wine glass full of fruit, which evolved into the muddling of the fruit into the drink. This cobbler combines pepper notes with old friends strawberry & orange.

Ingredients:

30ml La Maison Fontaine® Verte
10ml SW4 London Dry Gin
25ml strawberry purée
15ml fresh lemon juice
15ml fresh orange juice
10ml sugar syrup (to taste)
5 basil leaves

Method: Add first 6 ingredients into glass & press basil leaves to bruise skin. Squeeze & drop into glass 1 lemon wedge & one orange wedge. Press the wedges with a muddler to release oils. Top with crushed ice & churn. Crown with crushed ice and fruit section.

Garnish: Basil, strawberry & a slice of lemon & orange.

 

 

 

 

 

 

La Maison Fontaine and Sip Or Mix are very pleased to announce the introduction of two new Finest French Absinthe products.

Following the success of the unique multiple award-winning Fontaine Blanche Absinthe, La Maison Fontaine is continuing to forge a path into the realms of originality with the introduction of the unique:

La Maison Fontaine Chocolat (25% ABV, 70cl) – a chocolate absinthe liqueur. Inspired by a handwritten 1920'sCrème de Cacao recipe found in the recipe books of La Maison Fontaine's Pontarlier distillery, the Fontaine Chocolat has a sweet richness combined with apparent notes of absinthe and chocolate, which creates a unique soft liqueur.

The range is completed with the addition of a more traditionally recognisable green absinthe:

La Maison Fontaine Verte (55% ABV, 70cl) - that provides a classic complex floral Verte with rich herbal and peppery notes. A close relative to the World's most awarded blanche absinthe – Fontaine Blanche – characterised by the world famous Pontarlier–grown Grande Absinthe and the natural herbal coloration.

Mark Stringer a Founding Partner commented:

 

“Our aim has always been to drive a greater understanding of this exceptionally exciting, alluring yet often misunderstood category, but also to create products that offered a volume opportunity for the industry. La Maison Fontaine has established itself a class leader and launching a verte felt like a natural extension but we wanted to go further than that, and push the boundaries with a totally unique offering and opportunity for the industry".

Allan Gage, La Maison Fontaine's tastemaker and owner of Sweet & Chilli bar and Cocktail Consultancy said:

 

“outside of gin, absinthe is probably the most exciting category in the industry, and after playing around with these products it's unbelievable the versatility that both the Chocolat and Verte offer.

Tom Sodden and I have created signature cocktails and pours we expect to see adopted across the world, but Chocolat in particular has enabled us to develop drinks which are some of the most exciting drinks we have created in the last 5 years”.