2019Q1SpiritedVA - 20

03

March
MARCH 2

Tequila

The national liquor of Mexico is
distilled from the juice of the blue
agave plant, produced in Jalisco or
other designated areas in Mexico.
Tequila aficionados may prefer
their spirits unaged (i.e., silver,
blanco, white) to let the agave taste
shine. Other classifications include
Reposado (lightly aged), Añejo
(aged more) and Extra Añejo (aged
even more). Like rum, tequilas
complement fruit juices, especially
citrus.
For a taste of the blue agave,
try Roca Patrón Silver. It's good
enough to sip straight, or you can
shake up a Hunky Dory: blend 1
ounce Roca Patrón Silver, 1 ounce
sweet vermouth and ½ ounce Patron
XO Café in a mixing glass with ice,
then strain into an ice-filled glass.

MARCH 16

Irish Whiskey
No better spirit for St. Patrick's
Day than a whiskey made in
Ireland. But what does that mean
for your tastebuds? Well, it must
legally have an aroma and a flavor
true to its grain mash and be aged
for at least three years in wooden
casks. Otherwise, Irish rules
are pretty lenient, so sample a
diversity to discover your favorite.
Top-selling Jameson Whiskey
provides a logical starting point,
triple distilled and aged in oak
casks for a minimum of four years.
Good enough to enjoy neat, or
whip up an Irish Coffee for the
occasion. Sláinte!

and antimicrobial properties, and
antioxidant benefits.
Try Bols Genever, based on the
original 1820 recipe, with a malty
and full-bodied taste.

MARCH 30

Herbal liqueurs
Herbal liqueurs masterfully
blend herbs, spices, roots and other
glorious botanical ingredients in a
lightly sweet liqueur base.
Try yellow or green
Chartreuse, monastic elixirs
from the French Alps with more
than 130 different types of
mountain flowers, herbs, roots
and other botanicals. Enjoy on the
rocks, over desserts or in a Harvey
Wallbanger: ½ ounce Galliano, 1¾
ounce vodka and 4 ounces orange
juice, mixed in an ice-filled glass.

MARCH 9

04

The more inebriated cousin of wine,
brandy begins with the fermented
juice or wine of any fruit: grapes,
apples, cherries, plums, dried fruits
or others. Related products include
Pisco (Peruvian grape brandy),
Kirschwasser (from cherries)
and Calvados (apple brandy from
Calvados, France), plus Cognac and
Armagnac, but more on those later.
Try Catoctin Creek 1757
Virginia Brandy, Virginia's first
commercial grape brandy, made
from Virginia wine grapes and
aged in French Bordeaux oak
barrels. Brandy is best just sipped,
to soothe the soul.

Oh, Scotch! Technically, it's just
another whiskey-or, as the
Scottish spell it, "whisky." But
to many, it's the whisky. In 2017,
Scotch saw a record-breaking
year. The country exported the
equivalent of 1.23 billion bottles.
To claim the Scotch label, the
island's distilleries must produce
the whisky entirely in Scotland
and meet other high standards,
but the diversity is still amazing:
core characteristics of sherry, oak,
malt or peat; distinctive regions,
from smoky Islay and the islands
to Speyside and the Highlands; and
aged from 3 to 25 years.

April
APRIL 6

Brandy

20 VIRGINIA ABC | ABC.VIRGINIA.GOV

Scotch

MARCH 23

Genever

This traditional Belgian grainbased gin is the granddaddy of
all gin. Genever (rhymes with
"Jennifer" if you're from the
continent, "believer" if American)
was used for medicinal purposes
for improved digestion, diuretic
http://ABC.VIRGINIA.GOV
2019Q1SpiritedVA

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