Pool Shark

Not a land shark, though that would be a logical brand extension, but Pool Shark a gin cocktail from Portuguese Bend Distilling in Long Beach.

They offer PBD rum, vodka and gin cocktails. Each can is two cocktails so when you get quoted thirty bucks for two cans, remember to divide by four and not two. I am a gin fan so I went for the spicy and fruity Pool Shark.

The jalapeno spice is there but the mango cuts it down to size as does the gin and lemon. It is a bit muddy orange in complexion but hazy IPA drinkers have seen worse. This is quite tasty and it does make me want to try the Rum Punch and Suga Suga cans as well.

5K

As a born and raised Portlander and a Gin fan, this new milestone release from Ecliptic Brewing is doubly up my alley.

This is Batch 5000 and it will be a golden BarleyWine ale aged in Old Tom Gin barrels and will reach 13% ABV. Maybe we will see this in L.A.

Beer Into Spirit

Thumbing through a copy of Whiskey Advocate, I came across the above article about beers being made into whiskey including notable breweries with a distillery like Rogue but also the Craft Brewers Whiskey Project. Which has and will be partnering with different breweries to create unique whiskies. Captain Lawrence, Jack’s Abbey and Spencer Trappist are on the list. Add to your ISO list.

Death & Co. – Canned

Death & Co. the popular bi-coastal cocktail spot is in the canned cocktail game and I tried a couple of them recently.

I was kind of suspicious since both that I grabbed have quite a few ingredients listed but the D&C name drew me past that. And I was glad that I did. Both were really good. They are possibly over sweet to some but I liked the big taste of passion fruit in the Moonsail Fizz and the mint / brandy combo in the Aurora Highball. Because of the combo in the latter, I rank it a bit higher. I did see a third cocktail, that I will have to re-find.

Bittered Sling

Each alcoholic beverage has its own rabbit holes that you can plunge into. What if you combined two of them together?

The world of cocktail bitters and the aromas of hops maybe…

That is what the Canadian company the Bittered Sling has done with one of their aromatic bitters…

Hounded for Gin

I received a lovely little classic gin sample from Spirit Hound Distillers in Lyon, Colorado.

Here is my review….

Straight up, this is very bright and clean. I get a touch of spice and later citrus but this is almost smooth, no burn at all and easy to drink without a cocktail. Proper British is the best description.

In G&T form, it doesn’t try to steal the show. Maybe it should just a touch more as the balance is a little tilted towards the quinine. But it does really bring a big orange citrus note forward which I quite enjoy.

The “Hounds” also produce a straight malt whisky, a cask strength malt whisky, a Colorado honey whisky, a rum and two other types of gin.