Blog — THE TIPSY MUSE

The Tipple Road of Colorado

This Spring, I had the opportunity to take a road trip to Colorado. We went from Denver, Boulder, Rocky Mountain National Park, Breckenridge, Sand Dune National Park to Colorado Springs in 10 days.

travelVivian CromwellMay 12, 2019denver, trip, colorado

Dewar’s Double Double

I recently had the opportunity to work with Dewar’s on their latest release: Double Double, and I enjoyed the experience of the three different sherry expressions, thought I should write up a summary here.

whisky, spiritsVivian CromwellMay 5, 2019dewar

Cognac Park Mizunara Oak Finish

Mizunara is a rare and expensive Japanese oak that is used to age premium Japanse spirits. It was first used right after the end of World War II, because of the lack of importing from food, medicine to American and European Oak. Japanese turned to their own Mizunara.

brandy, spiritsVivian CromwellApril 30, 2019cognac

Leopold Bros. Distillery Visit

During the family vacation this April, I had the pleasure to visit Leopold Bros Distillery in Denver. My first introduction to Leopold was through Leopold’s Summer Gin two years ago, a gin that is almost as dry as London Dry Gin but also full of citrus and freshness like Blue Coat.

distilleryVivian CromwellApril 30, 2019denver, leopold

Domenico Goes to Sardinia

Here is a recipe I designed for Disaronno to celebrate #DisaronnoDay on April 19th, and it has already gotten my friend’s approval because he asked for the recipe the next day. It is bittersweet, many layers of flavors rounded with the amaretto from Disaronno. I am pretty proud of this one, very original and I hope you give this a try!

amaro, cocktailsVivian CromwellApril 16, 2019disaronno

Bitter Sweet Symphony with Lucano

Hailing from the small town of Pisticci in Lucania, Italy, Amaro Lucano is made from a secret blend of 30-plus herbs and essential oils. Established in 1894, it remains as a family run business. It does a great job to achieve a complex taste profile and remain pretty modest in sweetness and bitterness. The most noticeable nose and the flavor is the subtle minty profile along with herbal finish such as cardamon and curry leaf.

amaro, rum, cocktailsVivian CromwellMarch 3, 2019lucano

Armagnac Lacqugy Colombard 2000

My first taste of Armagnac Lacguy was at Amanda’s house where we tried Lacquy 17 yrs old blend. It turned out to be one of the favorites that evening. Since then, I had paid a bit more attention to this house, even though we didn’t get the opportunity to visit during the press trip.

brandy, spiritsVivian CromwellFebruary 28, 2019armagnac, lacqugy

Interrobang?!

“Cynar got a vegetal earthiness hidden under its dark herbal hood. Artichokes also have the ability to temporarily suspend over our perception of sweetness, so when using Cynar in cocktails, it pays to pair it with sweeter items.

brandy, amaroVivian CromwellFebruary 28, 2019armagnac

Pellehaut 1994 Folle Blanche

Folle Blanche is a grape variety grown in Western France. It used to be the most popular grape for Armagnac and Cognac (slightly less extent). However, Folle Blanche is highly susceptible to rot and disease. The late 19th century Phylloxera epidemic wiped out most of it, since then it has been replaced by Bacco 22-A which is the only hybrid grape allowed by A.O.C.

brandy, spiritsVivian CromwellFebruary 22, 2019pellehaut, armagnac

Winter Hibiscus Margarita

Here is a Winter Hibiscus Margarita with this affordable, high-quality Reposado. The flavor of hibiscus, lemony-tart, and berry-rich goes well with this soft and fruity Reposado with a hint of woodiness.

agave, cocktailsVivian CromwellFebruary 22, 2019tequila

My Little Delord Family

Before I knew it, I am a proud owner of 5 different Armagnac Delord. I thought to share some of my learnings on Armagnac Delord and my thoughts on these five different expressions.

brandy, distilleryVivian CromwellJanuary 16, 2019armagnac, delord

Where To Drink Cocktails In Singapore

It is my fourth visit to Singapore yet the first time I got to experience what the cocktail scene is like in Singapore. With the rapid growth of cocktail popularity in Singapore over the last three years, Singapore is in the cocktail renaissance with five bars on the World’s Top 50 Bar list.

travelVivian CromwellJanuary 12, 2019singapore

Fitte et Laterrade 1979

During my week-long visit to the Armagnac region, one of the unique Armagnac houses we met is Armagnac Fitte et Laterrade. Vincent Laterrade, the owner of the house, has been a sommelier in his previous life. He patiently recorded the stocks of Armagnac from very small producers throughout 20 years – talk about the virtue of patience! Together with the Fitte family, winemaker at the Château de Herrebouc, they distill and age in the small cellar.

brandy, spiritsVivian CromwellDecember 18, 2018armagnac, Fitte et Laterrade

Croft-y Pear Julep

The traditional way to poach pears has been using mulled wine, but I decided to use Croft Reserve Tawny Port given its rich flavors. For this classic Julep, I used a split of Armagnac, pear brandy, and Croft Tawny Reserve—all grape based spirits!

fortified wine, cocktailsVivian CromwellDecember 1, 2018port, armagnac

Where to start with Armagnac

In the past year, I have been traveling through some countries where brandy has been the much kept secret such as Peru (Pisco) and Portugal (Aguardiente), I started falling in love with it. This March, I got pretty curious about Armagnac, the oldest brandy in France and also the cousin of the more well known Cognac.

brandy, spiritsVivian CromwellNovember 30, 2018armagnac

Exitus Wine in Cocktails

Recently, I had the opportunity to develop a few recipes for Exitus Wine from O’Neil Vintners & Distillers. Exitus Wine is not your typical bottle of red wine on the shelf. Fermented in American stainless steel and then aged for 3 months in Kentucky bourbon barrels, Exitus is a red wine with a bourbon soul, a bold blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel with aromas of blackberry compote, baking spices and loose-leaf tobacco. This new bourbon barrel aged wine brand tiptoes on the boundary with spirits, which makes it an interesting one to use in cocktails.

wine, brandy, whisky, cocktailsVivian CromwellNovember 27, 2018exitus

Penang Swizzle

The swizzle is a tiki style drink stirred with a swizzle stick to circulate ice and ingredients. The swizzle stick is made from the twigs of a species of trees native to the Caribbean. The drink is usually served in a tall Collins glass with crushed ice. Due to its island origin, rum is often used in the swizzled drinks.

rum, cocktailsVivian CromwellAugust 10, 2018angostura, swizzle

Smokie Sunshine

Many of us know Luxardo maraschino liqueur, but few know their new product Luxardo Bitter Bianco, which is based on a distilled infusion of bitter herbs (cardamom, rhubarb, quinine, bitter orange and a few secrets), aromatic plants and citrus fruits in water and alcohol.

agave, cocktailsVivian CromwellJuly 31, 2018mezcal, bitter