The Skurnik Spirits Portfolio Grows in Breadth and Cocktailing Possibilities!
The Skurnik Spirits portfolio has experienced unprecedented growth over the last few years. With each new producer and expression, we endeavor to explore terroir, tradition, and the ways in which these lovingly made distillates can enrich how we enjoy conviviality within our local communities while broadening our understanding of the world-at-large.
This spring feels as though it represents more than just the usual notions of rebirth and new beginnings as we shed the challenges of the recent past and optimistically re-embrace the world of Hospitality.
In that spirit, let Skurnik reintroduce you this dynamic portfolio by diving into some of its fastest growing categories and enticing you with a cocktail or two along the way…
This Whiskey Is Made for Mixin’
Over the past decade we have seen the production and distribution of whiskies from all over the world expand in quality, quantity, and provenance. From the craft producer to the contract distiller to the independent bottler, the category seems limitless with consumer demand to match. But enjoying these Skurnik spirits doesn’t have to be overwhelming with a few timeless recipes in the rolodex.
Japanese Highball
- 1.5 oz Iwai 45 Blended Japanese Whisky
- 4 oz Club Soda
Add ice and whisky to a highball.
Top with club soda and stir lightly to incorporate.
Garnish with a lemon wheel.
Boulevardier
- 1.5 oz Pinhook ‘Hard Rye Guy’
- .75 oz Volume Primo Vermouth
- .75 oz Caffo Red Bitter
In a mixing glass, combine ingredients.
Add ice and stir until cold.
Strain into a coupe and garnish with an orange twist.
The Magic of Modifiers
Sugar doesn’t have to be a dirty word in the world of cocktailing when you’re using well-made ingredients in proper proportion, and Skurnik represents a veritable rainbow of gorgeous liqueurs, aperitifs, digestifs, and fortified wines that can add intrigue to classic drinks.
Adonis Variation
- 1.5 oz Lustau Don Nuño Oloroso
- 1.5 oz Antica Torino Rosso Vermouth
- .25 oz Rapa Giovanni Cherry Liqueur
- 1 tsp Harleston Green Scotch
- 1 dash Orange Bitters
- 1 dash Celery Bitters
Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass.
Stir with ice until cold.
Strain into a Nick & Nora and garnish with an orange peel.
Spicy Gold Rush
- 2 oz Deadwood Bourbon
- .5 oz Giffard Piment d’Espelette
- .5 oz Honey Syrup
- .75 oz Lemon Juice
- 1 dash Mole Bitters
Combine ingredients in a mixing tin.
Add ice and shake until cold.
Strain into a rocks glass over ice and garnish with a lemon wheel.
Mexican Distillates- The Connectivity of Cocktails
From the valleys of Oaxaca to the Jalisco highlands, the deserts of Chihuahua to the vibrant verandas of Mexico City, the spirits of Mexico are growing more and more robust in reception, reputation, and available variety. Cocktails offer a bridge between these artisanal spirits and some of our other favorite ingredients from around the world.
Paloma
- 1.5 oz Casco Viejo Blanco Tequila
- 1 oz Giffard Pamplemousse
- .5 oz Lime Juice
- Pinch of salt
- 3 oz Fever Tree Tonic
In a highball combine first four ingredients.
Add ice and tonic and stir lightly to incorporate.
Garnish with a lime wedge.
Oaxaca Old Fashioned
- 1.5 oz Casco Viejo Reposado
- .5 oz Nuestra Soledad San Luis del Rio Mezcal
- 1 tsp J.M Sirop de Canne
- 2 dash Angostura Bitters
In a rocks glass, combine ingredients over a large ice sphere. (This drink can also be mixed in a stirring glass with regular ice.)
Garnish with an orange twist, expressing the twist over the glass and a lit match to singe the oils.
THE SPIRITS:
Whisky, ‘Iwai 45’, Mars Shinshu
- Blended Japanese Whisky produced at Mars Shinshu in Nagano
- Blend of 70% corn and 30% malted barley
- Aged between 2–5 years in ex-bourbon barrels
- A nose of chocolate-covered shortbread precedes a palate of brown sugar and ripe pear with confident structure; a whisper of red fruit appears on the finish.
- 45% ABV
- Mars Shinshu’s blue-labeled Iwai (pronounced E-Y) is kicked up to 45% ABV for further cocktailing versatility. Iwai 45 garnered the #19 spot on Whisky Advocate’s list of Top 20 Whiskies of 2020.
Rye Whiskey, ‘Hard Rye Guy’, Pinhook
- Pinhook’s 2021 flagship rye
- Distilled at Castle & Key Distillery in Frankfort, KY; blended by Pinhook Co-Founder and Master Blender, Sean Josephs
- Mash bill of 60% rye, 20% malted barley, and 20% corn
- Aged a minimum of 2 years
- All non-GMO and locally sourced grains; proofed with ground-fed, limestone-filtered spring water
- A nose brimming with apricot, cinnamon, and eucalyptus with a rich palate of candied licorice, caramel, and orange peel
- Non-chill filtered; 49% ABV
- Won Gold at the 2021 San Francisco Spirits Competition
Vermouth Volume Primo, Archivio
- Mediterranean-style vermouth developed at celebrated Verona cocktail den, Archivio, for use in house cocktails
- Produced at the historic Antica Distilleria Quaglia in Castenuovo Don Bosco, Piedmonte, by the modern vermouth master, Federico Ricatto
- Blend of 95% Moscato d’Asti and 5% Grillo Siciliano
- In addition to the classic bittering elements of wormwood & gentian, made with a list of botanicals including fresh thyme, sage, knapwood, chamomile, & licorice root
- Extremely versatile in cocktails
- 18% ABV
Vermouth di Torino Rosso, Antica Torino
- Sweet Vermouth inspired by the traditional recipes and ingredients of the Piedmont region
- Primary botanicals include wormwood, rhubarb, gentian, vanilla bean, rosemary, thyme, oregano, laurel leaves, & ginger
- Base wine is composed of Piedmontese white wines including Bombino, Trebbiano, Freisa, and a small percentage of Moscato, fortified with neutral wheat spirit
- Botanicals are steeped individually in the neutral grain spirit for 30–45 days, blended with wine and beet sugar, and rested in stainless steel tanks for 45–60 days before filtering and bottling
- Orange sherbet, fresh rosemary, and cola on the nose; juicy palate of orange & lime zest, vanilla, rhubarb root, and thyme with a lightly smoky, bitter finish
- 18% ABV
- This rosso vermouth is robust enough for classic cocktails such as Negronis and Manhattans but avoids a cloying finish, instead lending jeweled fruit tones balanced by stemmy herbs and bright bitterness
Liquore di Ciliegie, Cherry, Rapa Giovanni
- Black Cherry Liqueur representing one of the oldest liqueur styles of the Piedmont region
- Base spirit distilled from molasses
- Juice from select black cherries, sugar, and a small amount of dry red wine are added to the base spirit
- This mixture rests for 48 hours before filtering and bottling
- A dark and luscious cherry liqueur full of cooked Bing cherry and baking spice, reminiscent of cherry soda with a level of acidity perfect for versatile mixing.
- 30% ABV
Straight Bourbon Whiskey, ‘Deadwood’, Proof and Wood
- American straight bourbon whiskey distilled in Indiana (MGP) and blended and bottled in Bardstown, KY, by Proof and Wood
- Mash bill of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% barley
- Aged a minimum 2 years in 53-gallon barrels
- Blended in small batches of approximately 20 barrels
- Date and nutmeg on the nose with a palate of bosc pear, light vanilla and lingering caramel
- 40.5% ABV
- Described by Proof and Wood as an “American Table Whiskey” this is an affordable, workhorse bourbon that doesn’t compromise on flavor
Piment d’Espelette (Chili Pepper), Giffard
- Produced in Angers, France, by Giffard, established in 1885 and currently run by the fifth generation of the Giffard family
- Piment d’Espelette is a red chile pepper grown only in the Basque region of France; it is the only French spice with APO/DPO recognition, limited to ten villages in the southeast of France
- Whole, fresh Espelette peppers are macerated for four weeks in distillate made from sugar beets combined with a hint of aged rhum agricole from Martinique
- An herbaceous nose kicks into assertive chili spice on a warming mid-palate complemented by hints of vanilla, cinnamon, and anise; a lingering intensity slowly tapers to subtle notes of hot cocoa punctuated with sharp grassiness
- At 40% ABV, this versatile mixing liqueur can be used incrementally to introduce varying levels of spice and complexity to variety of cocktails and is an intuitive replacement for triple sec or curaçao in spicy variations on Margaritas and other sours
Crème de Pamplemousse Rose (Pink Grapefruit), Giffard
Truly a bartender’s dream, Giffard’s Crème de Pamplemousse Rose is the perfect liqueur to bolster fresh grapefruit juice–or to replace it all together!
- Maestra Tequilera Elena Camarena
- Produced in Arandas, Jalisco
- Single estate-grown at over 7,000 ft elevation
- 100% Blue Weber (Agave tequilana)
- Practicing sustainable agriculture & water renewal
- First net zero carbon impact distillery in Mexico
- Cooked in brick ovens, crushed with roller mill, fermented in open air wooden tanks
- Distilled twice using traditional copper pot stills
- Pink peppercorn, grapefruit, white flowers, pepper, tropical fruit
- 40% ABV
‘San Luis’, Mezcal, Nuestra Soledad
