By Christopher McCollum

Two evenings ago, Micah Hanks and myself were spending the evening interviewing brewers, and tasting beer. The following morning, there were 6 inches of snow on the ground. While we had seen the forecast that called for several inches of snow, we figured that, like usual with mountain weather reports, it was grossly over-exaggerated. Little did we know, we would receive what would become known within hours as the worst winter storm of the decade in this part of the country, and we would receive some 11 to 17 inches of snow in Asheville, within a 20 hour period.

As the afternoon went by at my house, one tree came crashing down in the backyard, missing the house by no more than 4 or 5 feet.

This led to a frantic next couple hours, with my roommate and I doing our best to knock snow off the lower branches of trees, trying to keep them from snapping and causing potential damage to the house. These frantic efforts relieved the stress on the trees and they rose back up to the sky, with hundreds of pounds of snow dropping to the ground, down our sleeves, and down the open collars of our coats. But fortunately, our power stayed on, even though thousands around the city were already flickering out.

We stayed inside, ate ham sandwiches and drank some beer, until 11:15pm. Right after the basketball game we were watching ended, the power finally flickered once and died, for the rest of the night. After gathering all the flashlights together, lighting some well placed candles, and watching the eerie scene out the window, of a bright snowscape that breathed beauty.

At around midnight, we finally decided that since we weren’t going to be going to sleep that early, we might as well make some cocktails. So we did it in the style of Culture of Spirits, with cutting boards, oranges, limes, lemons, tequila, bourbon, and vodka.

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By Christopher McCollum

It’s not the dreary outlook of a troubled writer, the ridiculous quote of restaurants and bars around America, or the daily routine of persons with questionable character. Beer in the breakfast hours has become a stark reality in the modern American world, and one that isn’t quite as easy to dismiss as alcoholic behavior as some of the older generation would like. In some sports circles, the Art of Tailgating has an almost religious fervor associated with it, and the proper rituals quite usually consist of grilling a variety of delicious staples, merriment, revelry, predicting how the game is going to unfold, and… beer. Lots, and lots of beer. I had always seen this on television, heard about it from associates, but never seen it first hand, until I began spending time in Clemson, South Carolina. Clemson is an agricultural university, and one of the best in the country, however most sports fans and even most Clemson students I’ve spoken with, proudly declare that Clemson is a football school first and foremost. Whether or not they were being facetious is of no concern to me, as the purpose of this writing is to demonstrate the love of beer in the morning.

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By Christopher McCollum

Halloween and the days preceding it is the busiest time of year for me, and as such, my energy was sapped to the point that I actually developed a mild cold and then a less-mild fever, in rapid succession. The weather was awful, I was outside for most of it, and eventually it wore me out so much that I felt like just crawling up in a ball under my covers on my luxuriously soft bed, and simply hiding away from the world for a couple of days. That is precisely what I did, and after getting a little bit of video game time in on my Xbox 360, I recuperated fully and I am now back to swinging for the fences, so to speak. Here’s what’s on my mind today, as I allow it to become re-immersed in the sophisticated culture that we value so highly.

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By Micah Hanks

Around this time each year, I begin to see an awful lot of Halloween-themed drinks (many of them are quite silly, and just down-right fun). Among these I always tend to see a lot of variations on the Bloody Mary, since its name alone tends to evoke a slightly creepy tinge of murder and despair, in addition to conjuring images of ghosts that appear in mirrors. However, there is one not-so-popular variation worthy of mention that, if anything, is as delicious and wholesome as a regular BM, and yet has that slightly seasick vibe you want for an ideal Halloween “shocker.”

The general idea here is to use green tomatoes in your Mary instead of your average tomato juice, resulting in what I would affectionately call a “Mary’s Green Goblin.” As much as I’d love to be able to claim first rights to creation of this cocktail, people have probably been doing various renditions of the Bloody Mary with pre-ripened tomatoes for as long as green tomatoes have been fried and served with relish (mmm mmm)! One particularly delicious looking recipe I’ve found at the Viceroy’s Sizzling Cameo Bar in Santa Monica calls for Absolut Vodka, Green Tomatoes (pureed), Cucumber, Tomatillos, Garlic, Cilantro, Parsley, Green Onion, Jalapenos, Salt. No doubt, this blend of ingredients would bring your drink to life with such voracity that it may very well just wink at you after the first sip!

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By Micah Hanks

Imagine if one could somehow travel back in time to the idealistic purity you’d hope to find in the Garden of Eden, capture the most luscious combination of flavors and fragrances available, and then bottle and distill them into an organic neutral spirit. Recently Culture of Spirits was treated to yet another offering in the fine (and pleasant to say, growing) world of organic and  botanical spirits, and I’m glad to tell you that, yes, you can expect “Eden in a bottle” from the wonderful spirits being created by Square One Organic Spirits.

Having sampled three varieties of the delicious spirits these folks provide, I can tell you that not only do their neutral spirits offer a unique bit of color that is often missed with more expensive (typically flavorless) vodkas, but they also manage to do so without creating syrupy, colored liquids that look more appropriate lining the shelves of a coffee shop, rather than a classy bar. Indeed, the Square One spirits are subtle in color, and even mild in taste, offering simple, flavorful beverages without completely forsaking the neutrality one would hope for from a typical vodka. As Jordan Mackay of San Francisco’s Buzzed blog says, Square One Organics are “a spirit of character and not just a flavorless, odorless additive.”

Of all the spirits Square One provided us with (which included the pleasingly simple Square One Organic Original and Square One Cucumber, I must give my very highest endorsement to the lovely Square One Botanical, a rye-distilled spirit flavored with eight different botanical fruits, spices and herbs used for added character. “I mean, what does ‘Botanical’ taste like?” founder Allison Evanow says. “It doesn’t mix like a flavored vodka, nor is it a gin or an aquavit… it’s basically a new twist on what we think will be a new wave of spirits to come.”Indeed, although considered primarily a vodka, when paired alongside rums, gins, and other neutral spirits of similar value on the market, Square One has gone above and beyond, succeeding at providing something truly unique.

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By Christopher McCollum

Two evenings ago, Culture of Spirits writer Micah Hanks and I were tromping about around the Linville Gorge area, being recorded by a rather popular broadcasting network. This may end up being talked about more in the future, but for now, let’s just say that it was pretty fun. On the way up to the Gorge, we made a stop at the local liquor store in preparation for what would surely be an enjoyable evening. First things first, we made our way to the Bourbon section and spent several minutes pondering between Woodford Reserve, Jim Beam Black, Bulleit, Knob Creek, and Maker’s Mark.

In my opinion, Woodford tastes the finest, but that comes at a much steeper cost. So as the minutes ticked by, we debated cost versus enjoyment. Considering we were going to be spending our time at a hotel and obviously away from our personal bars, we would not be able to fully enjoy the cocktail experience. We were lacking bitters, garnishes, liqueurs, and even glasses. We knew were going to have to rely upon complimentary plastic cups and hotel ice. That meant we were going to be drinking it straight, unless we were able to grab a bottle of some rough mixer out of a vending machine.

We eventually settled upon the wax sealed bottle of Maker’s, and made our way to the register. My eye was caught by a promotional display at the end of the Liqueur aisle, and I immediately halted. I called Micah over, and showed him my wondrous discovery.

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It is often espoused at this website that many of the fine alcoholic beverages available today are so great-tasting due to the quality ingredients used in their creation. Thanks to new trends that involve the use of organic ingredients, “green” processing methods and incorporation of naturally grown herbs and botanicals into many modern spirits, these fine beverages not only taste great, but also promote overall health in many ways.

Recently Jovial King, founder and formulator of the Vermont-based company Urban Moonshine, was kind of enough to send Culture of Spirits a unique sampling of several fine organic bitters his family-owned company offers. Having tasted each of the varieties he sent us, it is my pleasure to give you an idea of what to expect from these masterfully-blended specialties.

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Nestled in a cozy corner of my liquor cabinet sits a tall bottle in an insulated black glove. Startling red letters adorn the glove, in an horror-inspired font: BLAVOD.

Black Vodka has become increasingly popular over the past couple years, and typically is only available in stores during the month of October, in order to allow people to prepare for Halloween. Many interesting looking concoctions can be created using this, such as the Halloween Screwdriver, in which you layer Black Vodka and orange juice, to give it the black and orange color scheme of Halloween.
As we all know, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of kinds of season beers, only available during certain parts of the year. Some of them are Wit Biers only available during the summer, special Pale Ales during the spring, Porters and Stouts during the winter, Pumpkin Ales, and most famous of all, Oktoberfest beers typically available during the autumn months.

However, spirits are usually year-round. Except for Black Vodka, the only mass-produced seasonal spirit that I am aware of. Granted, there’s nothing exceptionally special about it; It’s the same as regular vodka, but with black food coloring added to it. There’s a bit of a thrill though, this once a year bottled blend. For cocktail loving Halloween enthusiasts, it’s the perfect opportunity to start mixing unique looking beverages, without having to take a regular spirit and add your own food dye.

Right now, BLAVOD, the originator of  Black Vodka, has pretty much cornered the North American market. However, Absolut is trying to make a run at them, by producing their Absolut Black. However, the price difference is the breaking point for me, as they both taste pretty much the same. BLAVOD runs at about $20 for a 750ml bottle, while Absolut is a bit pricier at closer to $30. So, BLAVOD has the market cornered in my opinion, until someone else comes along and competes with them on the price. The one thing Absolut has going for them, is that they offer 100 proof Black Vodka. This could make even more interesting cocktails, such as Flaming Jack o’ Lantern-style shots.

Most of the brands claim that the color alteration doesn’t do anything to the taste, however, some experts dispute this, saying there are indeed minute changes in the otherwise flavorless spirit. There could be something to this, as BLAVOD uses an herb extract to achieve it’s color, and this herb, known as Catechu, is sometimes used in medicines.

Starting over the next several days, we at Culture of Spirits are going to be doing our best, putting hours upon hours of research into creating cocktails for the Halloween season. Stay tuned!

In MY neighborhood? It’s more likely than you think! A couple evenings ago, I was taking some folks out on a pub crawl, and we made our way into Thirsty Monk, the local Belgian craft brew bar. My customers were thrilled with the atmosphere and exotic selection, and as usual, I allowed them time to look at the menu and discuss their options before I scanned for my own choice. I gave two of them recommendations for Delirium Nocturnum and Tremens, while their friend chose a Stella. I took the menu in hand and scanned to the bottom where the rare beers were (some of them are only on draft in this particular bar for one week per year). One beer caught my eye immediately, and caused me to do a double take…

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A well stocked bar. Bourbon, Rum, Brandy, Gin, Vodka, and plenty of liqueurs.

Two nights ago, a small get together of friends and colleagues gathered at the homestead of Culture of Spirits owner Micah Hanks for a cocktail party. Upon arrival, I was, as usual, impressed with Micah’s selection of everything; There was a platter of cheeses and sausages, a couple bowls of nuts, and one of a party mix. Chocolates and fine crackers were also available, in addition to the good music that filtered through the house. The liquor and liqueur selection was impressive to say the least, and I daresay that I’ve been in many bars that are not as well rounded as Micah’s collection. After everyone had arrived and settled in, the opening barrage of beverages was ordered, and the magnificent mixer of drinks got to work. First, a round of White Russians for some of the guests, and then The McCollum Fizz for a couple of us. Micah himself settled on Jim Beam Black over ice. After this opening salvo was finished, Micah set about giving us the itinerary for the evening, which included several classic cocktails such as the Martini, Sidecar, Cuba Libre, and Jack Rose.

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