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Bill Buitenhuys

The Gin and Juice salami from Smoking Goose is one of our faves. Mole salami from Salumi is pretty wonderful too.

Bill Buitenhuys

Another new BYO is Mingle and Graze in downtown Chandler.
It's a cheese / charcuterie / sandwich shop that will have a liquor license but in the meantime they are BYO.

www.mingleandgraze.com

Bill Buitenhuys

Shameless plug for our own AZ Bitters Lab bitters, now featured in drinks at Amor y Amargo, Nitecap, UnderTow, Bitter&Twisted, and Curate (along with 100s of other places).

Bill Buitenhuys

AZ arrived this past week.

Bill Buitenhuys

Knob Creek 2009 Cask Str rye is pretty darned impressive.

Bill Buitenhuys

If you want an extreme in bitterness give Elixir Novasalus a try. I love all things bitter and it took me three tries before I could enjoy this one. After the initial shock, it's really quite extraordinary in depth.

A beautiful concoction is equal parts Fernet Branca, Rammazotti, and Averna.

Bill Buitenhuys

Thanks, man! That does sound reasonable. What do you think of Bigallet China China as a sub? I've not tried them side by side and it's been forever since I had Amer Picon but Bigallet works really well in a Brooklyn. Maybe it's thicker and more orangey than AP. IIRC, the bitterness is similar. It's ...

Bill Buitenhuys

First one with Gamay at the top.
Followed by Chenin blanc and Riesling.

Bill Buitenhuys

Vince T wrote: Anyone have any idea who their importer(s) are, and when they'll start shipping in volume?

Think Global Wines does the importing

Bill Buitenhuys

Great notes, Vince. You guys truly did commit toddlercide with the Lopez de Heredia Blanco .... I'm not convinced there is such thing as toddlercide with Gravonia. I've had them "young", had them old, recently had the last of my '89s and a '93 and it's usually the same type of experience, namely, v...

Bill Buitenhuys

Nadia Verrua of cascina 'tavijn makes most excellent ruche and grignolio.

Bill Buitenhuys

When were you last there? About a year or so ago we went back to Cowboy Caio specifically FOR their great list (they have always shared Kazimierz's cellar) and the manager said they got rid of their wine. Never thought to ask about Kazimierz. Maybe they delinked or something and K still has all the...

Bill Buitenhuys

Thanks for the report back, Jim. Glad it worked out mostly well. AZ Wine was the place to go when I first moved to the valley a decade ago. Long slow declines are painful to witness. Glad you enjoyed Atlas though. Your issues at Kai are more concerning. I happen to enjoy the pre-dinner discussion of...

Bill Buitenhuys

I had a good time drinking when I was at Kazimierz in Scottsdale a few years ago, not sure what others think... Kaz has the biggest and deepest wine list in town and occasionally they actually have the wine you select off the list. [snort.gif] I've had quite a few excellent bottles there but it's u...

Bill Buitenhuys

Excellent beverages at The Mill House in Waikapu, especially if Mari is behind the bar. She does tropical drinks that are splendid.

Bill Buitenhuys

Opened a '10 Isa the other night to pair with some Moroccan chicken and it was stunning.

Bill Buitenhuys

We've also been doing the occasional inverse martini (1:2) when we want a lighter beverage.

Bill Buitenhuys

For a classic martini at our house, it's usually London dry (Sipsmith, Tanq10, Beefeater) with Dolin dry 2:1, expressed lemon (toss the zest after expressing).
We also drink lots of Hendrick's with Dolin (2:1) with a caperberry garnish.

Bill Buitenhuys

My wife is a cocktail fan so I’m sure we will give that a try. I see you are in the bitters business. My wife used to work in the same building as Scrappy’s Bitters in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle. Scrappys was in the basement but she said the elevator always smelled great. Ha! Ya, we rent o...

Bill Buitenhuys

And the cocktails at Kai are pretty inventive too.

Bill Buitenhuys

Thanks for the great feedback. Have not been to Kai. Just happened to be staying at the hotel and heard it was worth a visit. Seems like the large tasting menu is a quite a ways OTT (and $245), so we will likely go with the shorter one. With 4 of us the wine pairings would cost $420, so curious if ...

Bill Buitenhuys

+1 for Prezza
+1 for Modern over Mike's

Bill Buitenhuys

City Hall. Should be fun night tomorrow We ended up having scallops and pork shank (guess the chef is Hungarian) at CPH, in addition to the salad. Their food is pretty damn good. Last night had guacamole at Mission and burgers at Rehab - burgers were over cooked and a little disappointing- oh well....

Bill Buitenhuys

Thanks for the thread. I have to be in Phoenix in a few weeks. Having dinner with some friends at Kai (in my hotel) one night. 1. Atlas Bistro - AZ Wine Company. 2. Tarbells - Tarbells Wine Store The feedback above points me to Atlas/AZ Thanks! If you've not been to Kai (or if it's a return visit) ...

Bill Buitenhuys

I liked it enough to buy a 2nd bottle.

Bill Buitenhuys

This stuff is pretty splendid. Citrus, creamy, lots of rye spice, and a lovely caramel, warmed orange finish.

Bill Buitenhuys

Lots of spirits have laser codes somewhere on the bottle (usually on the side, near the bottom) that represent when they were bottled. It might be a code like LLYYDDDTT:TT. LL= lot, YY=year, DDD= day of the year, TT:TT is time. Lots of variations on how the info is presented in the code. Google "bou...

Bill Buitenhuys

I recall Randall Grahm commenting a while back that the Heitz grignolino was rumored to actually be brachetto. Bill, I'm a bit suspect of Randall's statement. All the Heitz Grignolinos and Rose I've had speak strongly of Grignolino. No resemblance to Brachetto that I can see. And the orangey/onion-...

Bill Buitenhuys

I recall Randall Grahm commenting a while back that the Heitz grignolino was rumored to actually be brachetto.

Bill Buitenhuys

They haven't done it this way in the past. Last year for VW, the emails came out and you had to rush to a centralized store immediately (and you got to select 2 from what was available...1 of the ORVW/Lot B group and 1 from PVW. For BTAC, you had to queue up at a centralized store at the butt crack ...

Bill Buitenhuys

RumFire is my latest go-to white overproof.
Lots of dunder and Jamaican funk like a slightly less intense Smith & Cross with all the proof of Wray & Nephew. For $22 a bottle, it's a steal.

Bill Buitenhuys

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but does it genuinely aid your digestion, or is that just one of those "oysters make you virile" type old fashioned ideas? The botanical components, particularly the quinine, are super helpful as a digestive aid. My favorite use is as a sweet vermouth substitute in...

Bill Buitenhuys

Golden Steer Steakhouse - $30/750ml, can't be on the list. One fee waived for each bottle ordered off the list. Very knowledgeable staff/somm, especially Carl Dillahay.

Bill Buitenhuys

Wow, amazing price. A good $10 cheaper than I've ever seen here in AZ Rich, Fry's carries it for $40 (which is high) but with their regular 30% off sale for 6 bottles (mix and match), $28 isn't bad. Bonus is that our "new Fry's" has it stored in the "cellar" area for premium wines so it pretty well...

Bill Buitenhuys

Also, I second the calls for corkage. I've done this at Golden Steer a number of times with great success. I'm a sucker for the old timey Vegas feel. We did Golden Steer (for the first time) with corkage this past weekend with great success. Love the feel of the place (we sat at the Sinatra Table),...

Bill Buitenhuys

There only two wine shops in Phoenix who I know carry their wines and both are fairly far away from me and don't carry a lot of the selection unfortunately. I wish I live in a more mature wine market! (Phx) Jeremy, ODV Wines (a new shop owned by Tracy and Chuck Dempsey) is carrying a few KLWM label...

Bill Buitenhuys

Fun Gins: Opihr - a very aromatic gin with expressive botanicals Xoriguer Mahon - a lovely spanish gin St. George's Botanivore The Botanist 22 - my dad's go to. I enjoy it, but not as much as No. 3 from Berry Bros Old Raj - like the kafir note, a good gin Barr Hill - an interesting gin from Vermont...

Bill Buitenhuys

PDT makes a 50/50 OT gin to vermouth Martinez as do most bars that I go to, unless it's a variation. Those tend to be more gin heavy. From Wondrich, sweet vermouth of the time was mostly like Italian and red (and dry white vermouth French) although I haven't seen reference to a specific style. He do...

Bill Buitenhuys

Love the Martinez! It could possibly be my favorite cocktail. I tend to go with the classic recipe (2oz sweet vermouth, 1oz old tom gin, barspoon maraschino, aromatic bitters, lemon) and vary the vermouth, gin and bitters. A local bartender recently made me one with 2oz old tom, 3/4oz Montenegro, 1/...

Bill Buitenhuys

Another new BYO option in Old Town.... New Wave Market (the expansion of the oh so delicious Super Chunk, next to Cowboy Ciao) will be opening on 8 July and will be offering BYO. $8/btl for wine, free for beer. You can also purchase bottles from the Kaz bar / Ciao menu. New Wave will be sandwich foc...

Bill Buitenhuys

I also just tried the Napa distillery Gin which is very interesting. They sell it with some tonic syrup and bitters as well to make G&T's. It makes a very interesting G&T. They have a little retail shop in Oxbow Public Market. Napa Distillery's bitter tasting bar has most likely the largest selecti...

Bill Buitenhuys

Crater lake gin. Very simple juniper forward from oregon. I also just tried the Napa distillery Gin which is very interesting. They sell it with some tonic syrup and bitters as well to make G&T's. It makes a very interesting G&T. They have a little retail shop in Oxbow Public Market. Napa Distiller...

Bill Buitenhuys

Made a Negroni sno-cone this weekend with Sipsmith overproof, Martelletti Vermouth Classico, Campari, and our Orange Sunshine (orange, fennel, saffron) bitters. It was quite refreshing on a hot Phoenix afternoon. I'm not a fan of Carpano in a Negroni. For me, the vanilla completely overwhelms gin bo...

Bill Buitenhuys

I've been in PHX for about 10 yrs now. 80-90% of my wine purchases are shipped in (Crush, Chambers St, WHWC, RWC, direct from CA producers) The rest is from AZ Wine Co, a new shop in Tempe Bottle Shop 48, that stocks some D&R and an assortment of other goodies, or from AZ producers. Oh, and when Fry...

Bill Buitenhuys

Chula Seafood is now allowing BYOB (no corkage, no provided stems) Chula is a fresh seafood market with a handful of menu offerings (mostly raw dishes) like poke bowls, spicy tuna bowls, etc. and a daily special. The food is wonderful. One of the chefs (Juan Zamora) is a former chef at Atlas Bistro.

Bill Buitenhuys

Elmer T. Lee has been my favorite Bourbon for just sipping, but it has become very hard to source. Thoughts on other, similar style Bourbons that I might be able to find. I do not intent to mix drinks with it. ETL is the BT #2 "high rye" mashbill so ya, Blanton's should be similar. Also with that m...

Bill Buitenhuys

I recently found a small stash of mid '90s release scotch buried behind a bunch of bourbon that were all about midway finished. Lagavulin 16, Royal Lochnagar, Michel Couvert, Singleton, Macallan 12, a few others. Been sipping on them all since and they all stood up well.

Bill Buitenhuys

Our William G has put up a post offering to buy Pappy and I have a bottle of 2008 23 yr that I'd like to sell at some point. Does anybody have any thoughts on what a fair price might be for both parties?. Have you checked Bottle Blue Book? Looks like 2008 Pappy 23 has been going for ~$2200 on the s...

Bill Buitenhuys

Like most anything else, there is good mezcal and crap mescal. Avoid the bottles with the scorpions on it or in it. Del Maguey is probably the best known for quality across the portfolio. The blended Vida and all of their single village designates that I've had are wonderful. Montelobos, Vago, Pierd...

Bill Buitenhuys

Does anyone have any guidance on this wine list? I'm thoroughly ignorant of Arizona wines https://static1.squarespace.com/static/551ae52ae4b07eac17467926/t/58069545d2b8572148383ffe/1476826437218/AZWine-Fall2016.pdf This is the FnB list, no? If so, just talk to Pavle Milic, co-owner and resident win...

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