- Fighting Cock Bourbon meets Changyu Vermouth in this Manhattan.
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So I spotted this liter bottle of Changyu Vermouth in a supermarket last week and hemmed and hawed for about three seconds before buying it. I figured at worst it would be interesting to taste and had an intriguing label. And at best I might like it. I ended up cracking the bottle open that night with Iain Xiao, who used it for a martini, and then took it to Flamme as bartender Paul Mathew expressed some interest and I figured he would be able to work his usual magic. Sure enough, he made two cocktails, including a tasty Fighting Cock Bourbon Manhattan…
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- Pappy van Winkle through the ages…
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My motherboard burned out last Friday, I got a replacement on Sunday near Chaoyang Park (hat tip to Mr Miyagi for the help), and I found myself walking by Chef Too. As with spots like Vineyard Cafe, Metro and Saveurs de Coree, this is a place I really should visit more often. I downed an espresso and chatted with owner William Bolton a.k.a. Chef Billy, who asked me if I had ever tried Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon. Hmm, I have a hazy memory of doing so at Ichikura years ago. Anyway, he gave me a splash of three PVWs for an enlightening impromptu tasting. Even better, he has about two dozen more Bourbons on hand…
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Finally, I spotted this Schrorsch lager at BHG a few days ago: it is billed as the “World’s Strongest Lager“. Maybe we need a strong beer showdown with BrewDog, which is due in our city any time now. More on this soon…
Pappy Van has been my favorite bourbon since I was 22, but I have never seen it at Beijing. I did inquire about it at Ichikura a few years back, but I don’t think it ever made it to the shelf. There may be a Van Winkle (though not a Pappy) that I presented to Wilfred at Glen a couple years back. Would love to see it in Beijing, but they sell so quickly stateside, I doubt there’s much of a chance.
Hi Jim,
Quality vermouth seems to be a hard product to get in Beijing as an end-point consumer. Do you have any tips as to where one might be able to purhcase decent vermouth here?