quite literally on the rocks

Why use Whiskey Stones instead of ice? Well, because Whiskey Stones are the perfect compliment to high quality whiskey. They keep it at the perfect sipping temperature, about 50 degrees, whereas ice cubes melt and change the consistency.

A handful of regular ice will take a drink to just under 40 degrees, and to deep freeze a drink quickly, there is nothing better. However, some drinks you neither want to dilute nor deep freeze. Temperatures in the high 30s are far too cold for good whiskey. Reason being that the wood oils in the whiskey, which have leeched into the liquid from the carefully selected cask it was aged in and which carry all the flavor, tend to congeal and “close down” the flavor of the drink itself when the temperature goes below 50 degrees. Stones are designed to “take the edge off without diluting or closing down the flavor.”

Specifically, 3 stone cubes in a glass containing 2-3 oz. will take the liquid temp from mid-70s to the 50s. We tried them with other types of drinks as well and thought they did a great job of keeping the drink chilled without diluting the flavor or consistency.

Cheers!

Vodka: potato vs grain

Vodka is defined as a neutral spirit "without distinctive character, aroma, taste or color. In fact, vodka's neutral taste does account for much of its appeal: It mixes equally well with tonic water and tomato juice, and it can be as crisp as James Bond's vodka martinis or as trashy as the "swamp waters" my local bartender mixes (made of vodka and Redbull). Vodka suits any occasion, goes with any food, and "possibly" gives you less of a hangover than any other liquor. It's no wonder that in America, vodka outsells gin, rum, and tequila, as well as scotch, bourbon, and whiskey.

Vodka can be distilled in a good many ways, from a great many substances, including wheat, rye, beets, corn, potatoes, and sugar cane. In Russia, the Yukos oil conglomerate recently made headlines for marketing a vodka distilled from hemp seed. As a result, each brand has a distinct smell, flavor, aftertaste, and burn (i.e., the burning sensation vodka creates as it goes down your throat). The grain-based vodkas, which are the most popular, tend to be smooth and can even go down easy. Vegetable-based vodkas are often, and often unfairly, dismissed as being harsh.

After several tastings, we came up with this short list of tasty, smooth vodkas.

• Brilliant (Distilled from grain)

• Glacier (Distilled from potato)

• Ketel One (Distilled from wheat)

• Armadale (Distilled from wheat and barley)

• Chopin (Distilled from potatos)

All fantastic, but in the end, Chopin was by far the best of the best. So, there you have it, distillation with potato is the winner. Cheers!

Try these new infusion combos

Here are some of my favorite infusion combinations:

• Bourbon with cherry, fig, or peach
• Vodka with basil, fennel, or bell peppers
• Gin with chamomile tea, tomato, or cucumber
• Rum with banana, mango, or pineapple
• Tequila with blood orange, habanero, or strawberry

It's simple, just add the flavor of your choice, seal in a container and let stand at room tempurature for 2 days to 2 weeks depending on the strength of flavor desired.

You can turn a classic cocktail into a Lybations masterpiece by using your infusion - for example, a martini made with lavender gin or a Manhattan made with apple-vanilla bourbon.