Men's Journal

The best new additions to your liquor cabinet.

by Wayne Curtis

Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey

A decade ago a Woody Creek, Colorado, firefighter came to the rescue of a brewer’s barn, and the two got to talking about whiskey. The upshot: Stranahan’s, distilled from barley (like scotch), then aged in new charred oak barrels (like bourbon), yielding a robust presence.

Use it to make: Whiskey Smash
Muddle four mint leaves and two lemon wedges with 2 oz whiskey
1 oz water
1/2 oz orange curaçao
1/2 oz simple syrup

Shake and strain over crushed ice

 

Bluecoat Gin

The capital of the American Revolution knows a thing or two about tradition, and the folks at Philadelphia Distilling have crafted the best traditional dry gin we’ve tasted this year. It’s both complex and floral without coming off like a tumbler of mashed-up juniper berries. Add a little fife and drum to your mainstay martini.

Use it to make: Income Tax Cocktail
2 oz gin
1/4 oz each sweet and dry vermouth
1 oz orange juice
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Shake, strain, and garnish with orange twist

Vodka 14

When we think vodka we think purity, and we’ve finally found that in Vodka 14, created by a father-and-son duo in Colorado and named after the state’s famed 14,000-foot peaks. We love its clarity and ethereal lightness — and the company’s commitment to supporting environmental and community groups.

Use it to make: Pacific Rim
2 1/2 oz vodka
1/2 oz Canton Ginger liqueur
Stir with ice
Strain
Garnish with a piece of crystallized ginger

 

Nouvelle-Orléans Absinthe

Abinsthe is back! And among the crowd of pretenders Nouvelle-Orléans rises like cream to the top. It’s the handiwork of chemist and absinthe genius Ted Breaux and lovingly made in a historic French distillery. Crisply aromatic, it makes an antique flavor taste new again.

Use it to make: Absinthe Drip
Cut the absinthe with water before drinking (Nouvelle-Orléans is 136 proof) by adding a drop at a time until the louche — the milky strata formed when water mixes with absinthe — just reaches the surface of the glass. Then sip.