cocktail notes

what a beautiful place. on a clear day (like today) you can see san francisco laid out from tip to tail.

here are my tasting notes.

aqua perfecta pear eau de vie – intense pear aroma, some spice. pure alcohol flavor.

aqua perfecta framboise eau de vie – slightly earthy/off/vegetal/funky, but stirring, like inhaling the soul of the fruit, evocative. not tart!

(eau de vies – too expensive to be used as a base spirit, maybe good for misting?)

straight vodka – very smooth, clean, a little sweet

buddha’s hand citron vodka – 1-3 week infusion. primarily lemon aroma, sweet flavor, sippable as is. def some extra ‘exotic’ flavors in there. but…can we ever get away from the association with lemon pledge?

mandarin blossom vodka – 1-2 day infusion. very floral, maybe a baby aspirin flavor. sub for creme de violette in an aviation? tasty lingering finish.

kaffir vodka – 3-4 week infsion. i got no kaffir lime flavors at all. mostly tasted like limeade/limesicle. but fresh, not artificial.

raspberry vodka. bright, perfumy. maybe a little ‘artificial’ tasting.

single malt whiskey – tasty. some chocolate flavors in there. nutty.

qi white tea liqueur – orange, honey up front. mostly sweet. 80 proof but still very drinkable.

qi black tea liqueur – 18h lapsong souchong infusion. too smoky for sipping. there are softer flavors in there, sweetness, some spice, some fruit.

pear liqueur – not as deep as j pear liqueur, but nice, clean, crisp.

framboise liqueur – clean rasp flavor, very fresh, sweet, but not cloying.

chipotle vodka – not overpowering smoke or heat, mostly a deep pepper flavor.

absinthe – licorice, obviously, but very herbal, like a cough drop. a palette killer.