I might be in love…

I know that is a big statement to make, but recently we had the pleasure of tasting a few selections from Greenbar Craft Distillery, located in Los Angeles, CA.  Greenbar, founded in 2004 by husband and wife team  Melkon Khosrovian and Litty Mathew, specializes in organically produced spirits and mixers.  How cool is that?  Very cool says me.  What is even better is for every cocktail you drink that contains Greenbar products, you become carbon neutral for the day.  Again, very cool says me.  I need this stuff so I can erase my footprint for the whole week every Friday night.

Greenbar

While we only had the luck to try three of the companies products, Greenbar boasts a portfolio of eighteen different libation treats.  If your tastes run from vodka to whiskey and everything in between, there is a good chance the Greenbar has what you are looking for in a cocktail.

Green Bar Collective - Ixa TequilaIXÁ ORGANIC TEQUILA: First up for us was the IXÁ ORGANIC TEQUILA produced by Greenbar.  Upon opening the bottle, I was immediately hit with the familiar smell that only tequila owns, however it was much softer and not as harsh as some other tequila out there.  The initial taste was a bright and had a nice mellow taste of agave and the finish was not harsh or jet fuel like.  While only trying a cap-full in this manner, it was probably the most rewarding cap-full of alcohol I have ever placed in my mouth, simply because it tasted that much different from some of the larger branded tequilas.

cursoerum_spiced_ThumbCRUSOE ORGANIC SPICED RUM: The next bottle we tried was the CRUSOE ORGANIC SPICED RUM.  First impression is, this is not for the faint of heart.  If you are thinking you are getting a product like Captain Morgan or Bacardi Oakheart you are sadly mistaken.  This rum is a full on assault on your taste buds because it is loaded with  whole allspice, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and vanilla, and hand zest fresh California oranges.  For the record, you can taste all of these pretty easily and makes for an interesting twist on the rum experience.  I say it isn’t for the faint of heart because the spices are there in a big way.  It isn’t about a hint of this or that.  This is a spicy rum that will open up your sinus cavity.  At least it did for me.

fruitlab_ginger_ThumbFRUITLAB ORGANIC GINGER LIQUEUR: The final bottle we tested was the FRUITLAB ORGANIC GINGER LIQUEUR. Cracking this bottle was like  peeling fresh ginger for cooking.  The low alcohol content  (20%) really allowed for a nice experience on the senses.  What really stands this out is the smell.  As we know, smell is a big part of taste.  But just being able to smell this with the lid off made me want to dig in deep. It is a little spicy as ginger can tend to be, but not as much as an assault on the senses as the rum.

While sipping cap-fulls is a nice way of getting your fee wet on these, we wanted to experience them in our favorite manner, Cocktails!  And first up was the Ginger Margarita.

Ginger Margarita
Ingredients:

1 1/4 oz IXA tequila
1/2 oz FRUITLAB ginger liqueur
1 oz fresh lemon juice
1/2 oz fresh lime juice
1 1/2 oz simple syrup

Glass Types: (Short)
Instructions:
Shake + strain into rocks glass over ice
Garnish with lime wheel (salt rim optional)
 
 
This might have been the cocktail that sealed the deal for me.  I did make one change to the recipe and used Agave syrup instead of simple syrup simply because that is what I had on hand.  Honestly, I’m not sure if it mattered much in the preparation because these ingredients  were created to be in a drink together.  I wish I could describe how light and refreshing this drink was (even on a cold day) because it contained a real brightness to it. The Ginger Liqueur really added a soft note to the tequila while not making the drink overpowering and sour.  I have a prediction that I will be drinking these on a hot summer day with some fish tacos come next year.  The only thing bad about them I can say was I only able to make two of them.
 
Next up was the rum and a twist on one of my favorite nonalcoholic drinks, The Arnold Palmer.  So we shook it up a bit and made a Rum Palmer.
 
Rum Palmer
Ingredients:

2 oz CRUSOE spiced rum
1 1/2 oz house lemonade (sweetened)
1 oz iced tea
1/4 oz simple syrup (to taste)

Glass Types: (Tall)
Instructions:
Shake and pour out into tall glass
Garnish with a lemon wedge
 
This drink was good for sure.  However, the boldness of the rum really took the drink over for me.   The second serving I reduced the rum to 1.5 ounces and it was more enjoyable.  Not to knock the spirit at all, just have to remember that it is a big and bold spirit.   One of my favorite drinks is a Captain and Ginger Ale.  I thought I would try to recreate it using the spiced rum, ginger liqueur and some Sprite.  OMG.  This drink smelled so good that it seriously made my mouth water and tasting it confirmed that this was another good combination.
 
All in all, these spirits are some of the best I have had in a long time.  The only sad part is that it currently isn’t carried at my favorite local store.  These products would make a great gift for those of you that have friends that are into the organic food movement.  It appears the company has products in stores all over the country and is in a lot of Whole Foods markets.