Black Maple Hill is a damn fine, 95-proof bourbon at a damn fine price. My friends and I call it “the one that smells like bananas,” but there’s more to it than its tropical nose.

It starts out mellow on the tongue with a bit of a sweet, fruity taste and quickly brings on a little heat to let you know that, yes, this is Kentucky bourbon you’re drinking. The result is a solid, complex bourbon that builds in flavor and intensity without overwhelming or giving too much spice.

At around $32 a bottle, it’s well-priced. Straight or in a cocktail, it delivers.

Contrary to what many blogs and online retailers say, Black Maple Hill is not distilled by Heaven Hill or Buffalo Trace. The bottle says it’s bottled by Black Maple Hill Distilling Co. (which does not appear to have a website) and distributed by CVI Brands in California (which has a bare-bones site with no further information). I’ll let the air of mystery remain … until I take a trip to Kentucky to visit distilleries, in which case this one has to be on the list.

Bourbon cocktail recipes:

Mint Julep
Regal Ransom
Orange Bourbon Press
Sidecar
Black Maple Hill @ K&L Wine Merchants
Photo credit K&L Wine Merchants
CVI Brands

The first thing that grabs your attention about Corzo tequila is the bottle — square, smooth, modern … not unlike a really nice cologne bottle.
But when you get past the attractive packaging, there’s a friendly tequila inside waiting to play.

It has a thin mouthfeel and an approachable taste. Though it is 100% agave it lacks the grassy flavor often found in such tequilas.

This is a clean-tasting tequila for sipping or mixing. I found that adding a tiny splash of Midori to a classic margarita made with Corzo brought out the saltier notes and balanced it quite nicely.

On its own, what it lacks in complexity it makes up for in smoothness.

Here’s a good cocktail to try for summer:

Collinsisimo

2 oz. tequila
1 oz. fresh lime juice
1 oz. Grand Marnier
Club soda

Pour the tequila, lime juice and Grand Marnier into a collins glass filled with ice. Top off with club soda and a lime wedge.

Corzo Tequila
Margarita recipes

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Red Stag is a black cherry bourbon by Jim Beam that just hit the market this month.

I’ll admit that I was hesitant about the idea of a flavored bourbon, as I am quite protective of the spirit and didn’t want it to get the cough-syrup treatment.

However, this bourbon was a pleasant surprise.

It smells like real cherries with a backdrop of oak. It does have a sweet flavor, but that is balanced by the whiskey kick.

This is smooth enough to drink straight and a great introduction to the spirit for those who have yet to discover the joys of bourbon.

It is quite mellow and lets the natural black cherry flavors compliment rather than overpower. Rumor has it that this was developed by the guys at the distillery for their own pleasure before it became a commercial offering. I can imagine them shooting the breeze while downing some of this on the rocks.
At under $20, it’s a fair price for a quality spirit.

A Manhattan is a great way to use this bourbon. Here’s a recipe:

Red Stag Manhattan

2 parts Red Stag
1/2 part dry vermouth
1/2 part sweet vermouth

Pour contents over ice in cocktail shaker, then shake gently. Strain into rocks or martini glass. Garnish with black cherry (naturally).

Red Stag

Sake is a light, refreshing, low-calorie drink that is good as more than just a chaser for your spicy tuna roll.

Yaegaki Nigori sake is affordable ($12 a bottle) and accessible (you don’t have to know a lot about sake to enjoy it).

It is a sweet sake, served cold. The sweet lychee fruit nose is appealing, as is the cloudy appearance and very light carbonation.

The flavor is not sticky sweet. It’s more like a mild, sweet melon — refreshing, light and with a slightly savory finish.

You can drink this on its own, with a light summer salad or as part of a cocktail.

Beefeater 24 is the London gin company’s fresh take on premium gin — and I like it.

It’s a smooth gin that is slightly sweeter and richer than its dry gin counterpart.

Beefeater 24 gets its name from the 24 hours it steeps in botanicals including Spanish grapefruit and Seville orange peel, bitter almond, orris root, green tea and Japanese Sencha tea.

The tea and citrus influence is very subtle but pleasing.

It’s not a flavored gin, but rather a nuanced take on classic gin with tea and citrus treated as part of the botanical mix.

I plan to play with it a little and see if I can come up with my own way to use this fun and fancy gin in a cocktail.

But Beefeater commissioned mixologists to come up with recipes. So in the meantime, here’s one of theirs I recommend that plays with the citrus notes.

Shifting Sands

1.5 parts Beefeater 24
1.5 parts fresh grapefruit juice
.25 part fresh lemon juice
2 bar spoons of Maraschino liqueur
club soda

Build ingredients into a high-ball filled with ice. Top with club soda and garnish with a twist.

Beefeater 24 (Limited release, so check when it is coming available in your town)

Some friends went to Puerto Rico and brought back some Ron del Barrilito rum.

I wouldn’t normally consider rum a sipping drink and instead normally use it in cocktails. However, this rum has a unique sweet flavor (from the molasses) and smooth taste that makes it a pleasure to drink on its own.

The brown sugar nose and layered taste mean that instead of a flat, sweet flavor you get a complex liquor that slowly builds in sweetness and ends with a hint of citrus.

While going to Puerto Rico to get it sounds wonderful, you can order it online.

When I first saw the Gioia Luisa Lemoncello Creme bottle, I knew that something delicious was inside. And I was right.

This liqueur is creamy and sweet with a very pleasant lemon flavor.

The milky mouthfeel lends richness without a heavy or syrupy feeling. Without being too sugary, it gives you a pleasant lemon candy flavor with some alcohol punch.

As with other limoncello, there is no tartness since only the zest of the lemon is used to produce it.
Imported from Italy, this is traditional Sorrentine limoncello with cream added. (The liqueur originated in Sorrento.)

Best served very very chilled, this makes a great after-dinner drink. It’s very refreshing, and the smooth consistency and lemon flavor would pair well with many desserts and pastries.

This would be a perfect drink for a hot day.

Gioia Luisa Lemoncello Creme