Restraining orders and modified Palomas and other notes

So I've been amiss in writing recently. Its more because of some weird personal things that have been going on than anything else. For the first time in my life, I appeared in court to ask a judge for a restraining order. In fact, its not even a regular restraining order but instead a Stalking Protective Order that I received against a perfect stranger. I don't want to go into much detail, this individual has already pushed himself into too much of my life as it is, but let me say that things were pretty scary for a while there. Anyway, things are finally starting to get back to normal after the last few weeks, so I'll be writing a lot more.

As for this heat, its been pretty brutal in Portland recently. I've taken to drinking a modified Paloma with Seco Herrerano instead of tequila as the base liquor. If you aren't familiar with Seco Herrerano, its the national drink of Panama, essentially a neutral cane spirit. It tastes almost exactly like vodka but with a bit of a distinctive cane sugar blast right at the end. Anyway, it works really well in a modified Paloma in this heat. Unless you live in New York or Miami, you probably won't find Seco Herrerano in your local liquor store which is really too bad. There is definitely a market for this product here in the US.

The Modified Paloma
2 oz Seco Herrerano
1 1/2 oz fresh squeezed grapefruit juice
1 1/2 oz club soda
lime wedge garnish

In a salt rimmed double rocks glass, add all ingredients. Add ice. Stir to mix, garnish with lime wedge.

I'm also thinking about gin a lot these days. I just found out yesterday that I have a recipe featured in Gary Regan's newest book, "The Bartenders Gin Compendium". I have to say, I cannot wait to get my hands on a copy.

In other gin news, my old friend Jason Neu from Milwaukee is now consulting for Great Lakes Distillery. Their Rehorst gin sounds very interesting, what with sweet basil and Wisconsin ginseng in the botanical mix. They also have some interesting brandies and even a Pumpkin bierschnapps. An absinthe is in the works too. Perhaps I'm overdue for a trip out to the Midwest for some spirits tasting.

I've also just received some Port of Barcelona gin from the same people who make Obsello absinthe. It may take me a little while to open it though, I'm waiting for this heat to break before I do too much serious tasting and evaluating.

Finally, two other cool things are going on in my life. Next month, I'm headed to Kentucky for the Kentucky Bourbon Festiva. I cannot tell you how excited I am by the opportunity to go to Kentucky and tour some of the great distilleries there. Also, while I probably shouldn't say whom I'll be working for, I think its safe to say that I'm going to be the resident whiskey writer for a pretty major website. Once that really starts to roll, I'm going to have to drop whiskey related posts off of this site and focus on everything else instead. Lastly, I also just picked up about 10 American whiskies that were released right after the repeal of Prohibition. Once I get everything set up and going on the new website, look for my upcoming reviews of these whiskies. I've got a lot of long lost brands and some American classics, including some George Dickel from 1937. It should be pretty interesting.


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