5 most favorite alcohols

In the last post, I listed some of our least favorite spirits new to us in 2011. Here's a list of five favorites.

1. Cardamaro - Slightly bitter, a bit unctuous, and unexpectedly vegetal - this is great to drink on a single ice cube.
2. Cochi Vermouth di Torino - Who knew the massive divide between good and bad vermouth? It shouldn't surprise though. Anyhow, this is slightly sweet and has an aroma of dried herbs. It makes a negroni great. It makes a slightly sweet martini fantastic.
3. Denizen Rum - We happened across this at a tasting while waiting two hours to eat pizza at Robertas. It's a Dutch rum made a Trinidad ingredients. Simple and delicious; this makes an amazing daiquiri.
   
4. Greenall Gin - I always disliked gin. Always until 2011. And we tried five or six gins and surprisingly liked this one the best. The distiller has made this gin for centuries, but it's not well-distributed or expensive. We found it to be a great balance between classic gin flavors.
5. Old Monk Rum - From India, this rum has this intense butterscotch flavor that makes a great dark and stormy.
   

5 Least Favorite Alcohols

In 2011, I purchased more spirits than I have in the previous 10 years combined. We made many different drinks and in that process, we came across spirits that we just did not like. So in the spirit (ha!) of sharing, here are our five least favorite spirits.

Listed below from unbearable to drinkable.

1. Nux Alpina Walnut Liqueur - This just tastes fake and slightly medicinal. It has great color so in some tiki drinks, you could lose the bad flavor and enjoy the bright red hue.
2. Goslings Rum - SoS and I have loved the dark & stormy for a long time. Now I know why high-end cocktail bars seem to use any rum besides Goslings. Sometimes the original is not worth reproducing.
3. Rothman Orchard Cherry Liqueur - Same as Nux Alpina. It tastes fake and harsh. Nothing good to be said here.
4. Smith & Cross Rum - None of the complexity or smoothness of good rums, but with a lot of heat. At least this rum is strong.
5. Averell Damson Plum Gin - Made in my home state of New York, I wanted to like this gin. I wanted to mix a "Ted Damson" and like it - but I didn't. The saving grace for this is that it's not terrible with soda.