Every
once in a while, mostly on the weekends, I like a little alcohol
in the morning to pop my eyes open and provide me with a bracing
start to the day. Sometimes, I'll leave a sip or two of cognac
from the night before out on the counter in the snifter and
savor it with my morning cup of Joe. Or maybe, I'll turn to
an Irish Coffee to defibrillate my heart or simply just add
a little something to my coffee to make it more interesting.
Well, thanks to the all the creative distillers out there
my a.m. choices are pretty far ranging and that also goes
for my boozy dessert options in the evening.
Among
those outstanding distillers are the good folks up at Bendistillery
in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon and their Crater Lake Hazelnut
Espresso. They infuse fresh brewed espresso and hazelnuts
into their Crater Lake Vodka before adding brown sugar. With
only those kinds of quality ingredients and no junk ingredients,
this should turn out to be a real sweet treat.
Crater
Lake Hazelnut Espresso vodka comes in a frosted bottle that
reveals the dark brown liquid within. The label has an old
fashioned feeling with the words "handcrafted" describing
the contents. So let's open up this puppy and see if it's
all it claims to be. The nose is chock full of sweet caramel,
coffee and hazelnuts and is rich and creamy. The palate confirms
the nose. It is definitely rich, thick and oily on the tongue
with the flavors of coffee, the hazelnut and the sweetness
of the brown sugar shining through. It is sweet but not so
sweet as to be cloying. The finish is a delightful combination
of the coffee coming through first and staying last with the
hazelnut, caramel and sugar flavors sandwiched in between.
The finish lasts a good amount of time and lets you enjoy
those flavors for quite a while.
I
have now tried this flavorful vodka straight up, on the rocks,
in coffee (YUM) and poured over vanilla ice cream (YUM YUM)
and am even thinking about using it on pancakes instead of
maple syrup. I do believe its uses are only limited by your
imagination; it's just that yummy. This vodka has definitely
found a home in my bar.
Crater
Lake Hazelnut Espresso Vodka is available for around
$25.00 per 750ML bottle and it is 50 proof or 25% ABV.
Other
Related Links:
Crater
lake Gin
Basil
Gin Greyhound
By George Brozowski
For
more Rants & Raves click
here.
http://www.craterlakespirits.com/