By
George Brozowski
Woo
Hoo I love that voodoo that you do to give me the
drinks I crave! I'll bet that there's a great deal more than
just voodoo involved in brewing and distilling alcohol. I
bet there is religion, superstition, science, art, knowledge,
subterfuge, centrifuges, physics, metaphysics and a sprinkling
of plain old dumb luck. It also seems like it's getting more
complicated all the time but the results are sure worth the
trouble.
As
I am sure you know, if it weren't for alcohol there would
be no civilization to speak of on this planet and there would
only be 1,247 people in the entire world. When man finally
emerged from the muck and mire and became aware, he realized
there were women but couldn't figure out why or what for.
He then discovered fruits and grains and that filled an empty
place in his stomach. Three days later he figured out how
to turn those fruits and grains into alcohol. The alcohol
helped him figure out what women were for and that filled
an empty place in his nether regions. Man and woman settled
together near brewers and distillers because they still hadn't
invented the wheel nor refrigeration and so towns came into
existence and civilization as we know it began all thanks
to alcohol.
In
the olden days the brews they brewed were, to put it mildly,
horrible but they got the job done. As time went on and man
discovered alchemy and science he of course applied this new
knowledge to brewing and tastes improved. There was still
a lot of metaphysical magic involved, after all, why do you
think they called it spirits? Did you know that the practice
of clinking glasses together before taking a drink was done
to create a noise in the ether to scare away evil spirits?
Well,
today a distiller of fine spirits needs to be a master chemist,
a rocket scientist an ethnobiologist and if you happen to
be a fat balding monk on top of that so much the better. Robert
Del Grande, the creator of Roxor Gin
isn't some of those things but he is a James Beard awarded
Chef who happens to hold a PhD in Biochemistry, so that's
close enough in my book.
A
Texas gin, go figure! It is the first and only gin distilled
in Texas and so far only available in Texas. It comes in a
bottle that mimics the architectural styling of a skyscraper
and is three dimensional and textured and heavy which makes
it insanely interesting. The word Roxor,
according to the urban dictionary, describes something found
to be so awesome that it should make you want to instantly
scream and make devil horns with both hands. OK, insane bottle,
insane name, this hootch is right up my alley. Now I really
want to try it.
Before
I get into that let me explain that I normally don't like
to drink alone and I certainly don't take a bottle and lock
myself in my closet and close my eyes to concentrate on the
flavors I am experiencing. I prefer to taste new products
with a friend or two to get several opinions and reactions.
When I received this full sized 750ml bottle it was less than
half full. Now, I am certainly aware of the "angel's
share" which occurs when a spirit is encased in an oak
barrel and some of the contents evaporates through the wood
over time but that usually only amounts to a very, very small
amount. If the angels got their share of this bottle then
those are some seriously drunken sots. If the angels aren't
responsible And Chef Del Grande isn't a cheapskate then the
PR guy who sent me this bottle is a raging alcoholic and Chef
Del Grande might want to send him to a few AA meetings. Since
there was so little product to try we could only taste it
straight up and with tonic water and were denied the pleasure
of attempting a martini or two or three.
Unlike
European gins that are juniper heavy and pretty much in your
face with flavors Roxor is amazingly complex
yet not heavy handed. Pretty much taking a page out of Colonel
Sander's cookbook Chef Del Grande also uses a secret recipe
of twelve herbs and spices and you can just about taste them
all. There's of course the requisite juniper but then he adds
fresh citrus peels, coriander, orris root, (what in the hell
is orris root?) Texas pecans, red grapefruit zest, limes,
hibiscus, cocoa nibs, sarsaparilla and cinnamon and God only
knows what else.
You'd
think that with all that going on things would get a bit muddled
but that is absolutely not the case. The nose is bright, crisp,
clean, clear and distinct with juniper up front followed immediately
by grapefruit and citrus. It is tart in the nose and very
welcoming yet not overpowering. Straight up, at 90 proof,
it's a bit zippy on the tongue yet very smooth going down.
It really shines on the rocks or with tonic water and unfolds
its myriad flavors like a flower blooming on a sunny summer
day. The nose opens up and it seems that every time I wafted
the glass in front of me I perceived yet another scent; juniper
then grapefruit then citrus then flowers, yum.
Roxor
mellows out on the rocks and tonic water seemed the perfect
pairing. Again the tastes were crisp and clean and the flavors
distinct and not overpowering. The ingredients were blended
perfectly and balanced very well and with every sip I could
distinctly distinguish individual ingredients primarily picking
out the juniper and grapefruit and hibiscus with a hint of
the walnut in the finish. The only bad part of this whole
experience was not having enough Roxor gin
to try in a few martinis as well!!
At
$35.00 per bottle this is definitely in the super premium
category but Roxor actually deserves to be in this category
and is worth the price. If you happen to live in Texas get
a bottle. If you don't live in Texas next time you're passing
through pull up to a local watering hole and get you some,
you won't be disappointed.
For
more Rants & Raves click
here.
www.newartisanspirits.com