Tag Archives: Bottle of the Month

Bottle of the Month #7: Revel Stoke Roasted Pecan Whiskey

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I originally picked up this bottle for a lineup of fall cocktails I was planning, using it in a recipe I called The Harvest, also featuring cranberry juice. The product has since been renamed Shellshocked, as the company’s entire lineup has gone through a rebrand.

The liquor is made with Canadian whiskey and while I’m not a big fan of pecans, I’ll happily take them in liquid form. The bottle comes in at 35% ABV and has a sweet finish to each sip.

Some other releases from Revel Stoke that sound interesting include S’moregasm Toasted S’mores Whiskey and Buttersquatch Butterscotch Whiskey. As the distillery says, “Chaos Comes in Many Flavours.”

The company has also come up with some great recipe names for each whiskey. The cocktails are simple too, with only two to three ingredients necessary per libation.

Bottle of the Month: Mile-Pie Club

  • 1.5 oz Revelstoke Roasted Pecan Whiskey
  • Top with Cream Soda
  • Garnish with a Lime Wedge

Another recipe for the Roasted Pecan Whiskey that I’d like to try is the Nutty AF, combining the Pecan Whiskey with Peanut Butter Whiskey.

Bottle of the Month #6: Tumbleweed Raspberry Moonshine

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[The Sip Advisor has been growing his liquor collection for a decade plus. It is something I’m very proud of, my children before kids and my legacy to leave to this world. I’d like to share what I’ve curated with all you little sippers via this project.]

On a family trip to Osoyoos, BC, a couple years back, Mrs. Sip and I, along with Cousin Sip and her husband, got a brief spell of no-kid time, so we rushed out to hit a couple locations in the area adjacent to our hotel. One of those stops was Tumbleweed Spirits, where I picked up their Raspberry Moonshine.

The product is made with BC raspberries and won gold and bronze medals at the 2023 Canadian Artisan Spirit Competition in the Distilled Audience Favourites category. I’ve personally enjoyed using the libation in various cocktails and shots.

On our recent return to Osoyoos, Tumbleweed Spirits had a tent at the farmer’s market we checked out. I learned that they’ve dropped the moonshine title from their creations, going with the vodka classification, so customers better identify with the releases, as well as helping to get onto liquor store shelves.

Tumbleweed has an extensive line of products. Other releseas offered by the distillery include Haskap and Fireweed, along with a line of whiskeys. They also have a line of ready-to-drink bottles, such as Haskap Margarita, Old Fashioned and today’s feature cocktail.

Bottle of the Month: Raspberry Lemonade

  • 1.5 oz Raspberry Moonshine
  • Top with Lemonade
  • Garnish with a Lime Wheel and Maraschino Cherry

I plucked this recipe from the distillery’s website. It’s basic, but good. Probably why they serve it at their location and have also bottled it for quick service.

Bottle of the Month #5: RubyBlue Chilli Pepper Liqueur

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[The Sip Advisor has been growing his liquor collection for a decade plus. It is something I’m very proud of, my children before kids and my legacy to leave to this world. I’d like to share what I’ve curated with all you little sippers via this project.]

After sticking around a few extra days than the Sip Advisor could spare following our group trip to Ireland in fall 2016, Mrs. Sip brought home this bottle for me as a sort of consolation surprise. She may have purchased it at the airport Duty Free prior to her flight home.

The product – from Hughes Craft Distillery in Lisburn, Ireland – is comprised of an Irish grain spirit paired with whole chilli peppers. In fact, there’s a pair of the little bastards floating in the bottle. The result is a decent burn that can add an extra element to cocktails and shots.

Serving suggestions include adding the liqueur to Tomato Juice to up a Bloody Mary or simply pouring the cordial over ice. If adding it to any cocktail, the recommended measurement is 25ml or between 0.75-1oz.

Other products from RubyBlue included Blackcurrant, Cranberry and Blueberry, each using real fruit in the distilling process.

Bottle of the Month #5: Red Hot Santa

  • 1.25 oz Vanilla Vodka
  • 0.5 oz RubyBlue Chilli Pepper Liquer
  • 0.5 oz Crème de Cacao
  • Splash of Lemon Juice
  • Dash of Simple Syrup

I’m well aware we’re nowhere near the Christmas season, but this is one of the few recipes I could find directly from the distillery. As best I can tell, RubyBlue doesn’t exist anymore, so I’ll enjoy what’s left of my liqueur.

Bottle of the Month #4 – Rogue Chipotle Spirit

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[The Sip Advisor has been growing his liquor collection for a decade plus. It is something I’m very proud of, my children before kids and my legacy to leave to this world. I’d like to share what I’ve curated with all you little sippers via this project.]

When Mrs. Sip was off to Vegas for her first of many girl trips, I joined Ma and Pa Sip for a weekend getaway in Portland, Oregon. While not beer drinkers in the slightest, my folks were cool with stopping at a couple craft breweries for me. One of these locations was Rogue Brewing, which I became a fan of quickly.

Fast forward to a return visit to the City of Roses, this time with Mrs. Sip in tow, and we once again dropped into Rogue. While there, this bottle caught my eye, as I had discovered a love of smoky and spicy things, chipotle being both.

Using smoked jalapenos, grown at Rogue Farms Hopyard, the spirit is distilled from Rogue’s award-winning Chipotle Ale. The story goes that while making a batch of Chipotle Ale, brewmaster John Maier got the idea to bring some across the street to Rogue Distillery.

Sadly, this product no longer exists, although the brewery/distillery does offer a Chipotle Whiskey that piques my curiosity. I’ll just have to enjoy what’s left of my bottle for the time being.

Bottle of the Month #4: Chipotle Coyote

  • 1 oz Rogue Chipotle Spirit
  • 1 oz Tequila
  • Top with Wildberry Juice
  • Splash of Lemon Juice
  • Garnish with a Lemon Wedge

It was surprisingly hard to find a good recipe for this article, in part because the alcohol is no longer available. This beverage was good and I later found out I made a similar drink years ago, without even realizing it.

Bottle of the Month #3 – Anchorage Distillery Ghost Pepper Vodka

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[The Sip Advisor has been growing his liquor collection for a decade plus. It is something I’m very proud of, my children before kids and my legacy to leave to this world. I’d like to share what I’ve curated with all you little sippers via this project.]

When Mrs. Sip and I (along with a young Girl Sip) did an Alaskan cruise, this was one of the bottles available for purchase from the onboard Duty Free stall. Always looking to spice things up in cocktails, it wasn’t hard to convince myself to buy the bottle. The product also has a unique look to it, with a ghost pepper floating amongst the liquor.

The vodka is very unique to Alaska, using barley grown near Denali, the highest mountain peak in North America, along with glacier waters. According to the Anchorage Distillery website, some flavours that pair well with the booze are tomato, brine, basil, honey, lemon, lime, mango, and pineapple.

While the company recommends using the vodka in Bloody Mary drinks, I prefer to use the spirit in Caesars, especially when I’m in the mood for an extra bite of heat. That said, this product doesn’t burn like some of the other spicy vodkas I’ve tried over the years.

Despite ghost peppers being described as “exceptionally hot” on the Scoville scale, I’ve always enjoyed the burn that comes with them, having also enjoyed the flavour on potato chips available at Trader Joe’s locations and even when they had it as a sauce option on McDonald’s McChicken burgers. Basically, don’t fear the reaper… unless they’re Carolina Reaper peppers!

Bottle of the Month #3: Fire at the Fruit Stand

  • 1.5 oz Ghost Pepper Vodka
  • Top with Ginger Beer
  • Splash of Pineapple Juice
  • Splash of Lime Juice
  • Garnish with a Maraschino Cherry

The Anchorage Distillery website has a number of cocktail suggestions for their products. Another note on ghost peppers, aside from culinary uses, India has also used them for animal control, particularly to keep wild elephants away from civilization, as well as in non-lethal hand grenades and sprays, used to break up unruly crowds and force criminals from hiding.

Bottle of the Month #2 – Lost Spirits 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Rum

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[The Sip Advisor has been growing his liquor collection for a decade plus. It is something I’m very proud of, my children before kids and my legacy to leave to this world. I’d like to share what I’ve curated with all you little sippers via this project.]

When Mrs. Sip was going on a girl’s trip to Las Vegas in November 2022, I suggested they visit the Lost Spirits Distillery, having heard about it online. Surprisingly, they listened to this madman and had themselves a fantastic time, attending the Day Drinking with Magicians experience. The following year, as Mrs. Sip and I celebrated my 40th birthday in Sin City, I finally got to check the place out for myself, as we enjoyed an evening of acrobats, vaudeville-esque acts and, most importantly, rum cocktails.

When the entertainment had wrapped, Mrs. Sip and I stuck around to savour a nightcap, letting the facility empty. On our own way out, Mrs. Sip said I should pick up one of the distillery’s bottles – a birthday treat to myself – and I went with the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Rum.

I’ve really enjoyed this selection, as I’ve always been a fan of booze with a smoky finish. I typically use the bottle for Rum and Cokes or Rum and Dr. Peppers, but have also dabbled with fancier cocktails, such as the Mai Tai and Dark N’ Stormy. Today, I try to recreate one of the cocktails we enjoyed while visiting the distillery.

Bottle of the Month #2: Rum Zing

  • 1.5 oz 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Rum
  • 0.5 oz Orange Liqueur
  • Top with Ginger Ale
  • Splash of Orange Juice
  • Dash of Grenadine
  • Sprinkle of Cinnamon and Nutmeg
  • Garnish with an Orange Slices

Sadly, Lost Spirits Distillery closed up shop in April 2024. Operating since 2021, the distillery was visited by more than 250,000 patrons during its existence and given such praise as “Willy Wonka of Booze” and “Disneyland for Liquor”. Aside from the circus atmosphere, part of the Lost Spirits experience was taking a tour of the distillery, where founder Bryan Davis had discovered a way to rapidly age whiskeys and rums in mere days. Chemistry at its finest!

Bottle of the Month #1 – Jameson Orange Irish Whiskey

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[The Sip Advisor has been growing his liquor collection for a decade plus. It is something I’m very proud of, my children before kids and my legacy to leave to this world. I’d like to share what I’ve curated with all you little sippers via this project.]

I’ve long been a fan of Jameson Irish Whiskey. So much so, that while Mrs. Sip and I were in Ireland in 2016, we went well out of our way – driving on the wrong side of the road on sometimes extremely narrow passages – to visit the Jameson Distillery in Cork.

Jameson Orange

As for this particular bottle, I came across it on a Las Vegas vacation in 2022 and had to bring it home, having never seen it in my neck of the woods before. The product was available locally for a time, but seems to have disappeared from the market. When the time comes, I will have to find an alternative way to replace it, as I’ve developed a fondness for this twist on the classic.

One of my favourite drinks to make with the orange variant is the beverage they made us in Cork: Jameson, Ginger Ale and Lime. I’ve also swapped the Ginger Ale for Ginger Beer, resulting in an Irish Mule spinoff. Speaking of recipes, let’s get to today’s creation, courtesy the Jameson website.

Bottle of the Month #1: Orange Burst

Orange Burst

  • 1.5 oz Jameson Orange Irish Whiskey
  • 1 oz Orange Liqueur
  • Top with Orange Juice
  • Splash of Lemon-Lime Soda
  • Garnish with an Orange Slice

How about a couple trivia tidbits to wrap this article? John Jameson, founder of Jameson Whiskey, was a lawyer before entering the distilling game. His grandson, Guglielmo Marconi, would go on to invent wireless telegraphy (sharing the 1909 Nobel Prize in Physics), which would lead to the creation of radio and later be used in the development of television and other wireless communications.