Request for spirit article input

Subject to Robin's approval, I'd like to invite any denizens herein to consider contributing to a series of articles I'll be posting on Examiner.com.

(And Robin, since I have sole rights to the articles, I can offer them to you if you wish to post them, or can post them as threads myself. Your call.)

I wrote a series of articles based on the "Desert Island Question": If you were stranded blah blah blah, and could take only 12 bottles of spirits (excluding vermouths and cocktail bitters), what would you select for your twelve bottle case? The series was pretty poplar and got lots of shares and comments and discussion. After several pointed comments, I decided to revive it.

Anyone who wishes to participate is welcome, although I reserve the right to select what I will write and post. If you do wish to participate, I'll need your list of spirits, annotated as to why you chose or why you'll need them on your desert island.

Beyond that, no rules. If you want specific brands, fine. If you don't want any gin or vodka, fine. Whatever your preferences are, let me know. (One person insisted on nine spirits only, with the other three slots saved for Champagne. Another listed whiskies only---but they were great whiskies. Just remember, though: the spirits you choose are the only ones you'll ever have.)

PM me with your list if you want to play.

[David M. Bueker]

Input pending.

[Robin Garr]

.... can post them as threads myself. Your call.

Fine with me for you to post them, Hoke!

[David M. Bueker]

I have to admit that once I spent some time thinking about this it was not easy to come up with 12. I just do not have the requisite breadth of experience.

I do know that I would take the following:

Eagle Rare 10 Year Old Bourbon
Whistlepig Bourbon
High West Rendezvous Rye
Sazerac Rye
Talisker Storm
Laphroaig 15 Year Old
Lagavulin 16 Year Old
Monkey 47 Gin
El Dorado 21 Year Old Rum

Leaving me room for a few more.

Good start, David.

(And I know: this is harder than it seems.)

Assuming that within the "rules" of this game, you can have whatever bottles of cocktail bitters you'll need without counting against your 12 bottle limit ("hey, they;re small bottles and don't take up too much room")...what about vermouths, amari or other aromatized wines/spirits?

Campari, Benedictine, Chartreuse, Sweet Vermouth?

Not an agave drinker?

No brandy? Cognac, Armagnac, Calvados?

Only Islands SMS? No HIghlands, no Speyside, no sherry cask? (Not a criticism, just a question. If Skye and Islay are your sweet spot, that's cool.)

[David M. Bueker]

Well then I guess I need a bottle of Campari and Dolin Sweet Vermouth. As far as bitters I will take the obvious two plus the range from Bill and Lill. Then of course a bottle of Absinthe to make my Sazeracs.

Well then I guess I need a bottle of Campari and Dolin Sweet Vermouth. As far as bitters I will take the obvious two plus the range from Bill and Lill. Then of course a bottle of Absinthe to make my Sazeracs.

Neatly done, then. Thus covering your Manhattans, Rob Roys, Boulevardiers, Negronis, Americanos and of course the Sazerac.

I'd add these:

Rittenhouse Rye. 100 proof, but smooth. I could use in place of bourbon
Brandy. I love Sidecars (w/o sugar)
Gin for Negronis. I like Few, Fords, Aviation, Tanqueray. Gordon's, too, like Hemingway.
Domoiseau Rhum for daiquiris. But Clement would be good too. Or Havana Club!
Ventura Spirits California Vodka just in case. The hint of strawberry is so secuctive.
Teeling Irish whiskey.
Jim Beam. Sorry. I still like it
Absinthe

Luxardo maraschino
Aperol and Campari
Sweet and dry vermouth
Dolin Blanc
Orgeat
Yellow Chartreuse
Peychauds, Angostura and orange bitters
Prosecco

I could probably be just fine with these, assuming limes, oranges and lemons are available. I think these would cover most of the classics I usually drink (I'm missing tequila, but Rhum drinks can get very close, especially if I add some Cointreau to my list).

[Robin Garr]

Case of Old Forester. Reliable everyday sipping, There's a reason why people here in the epicenter of bourbon look at all the new stuff, snicker at the tourists, and go back to our Old Fo (or Weller, whatever).

And some hip vermouth and bitters to make manhattans and such.

Okay, pull a few of the Old Fos and add some Talisker and a good gin. But I'm still against making it fancy. We're talking desert island here, so I'm thinking long haul.

This was such a fun exercise when I did it on the last go-round. Sticking to only 12 bottles is way harder than it seems. It's always interesting reading the thought process that people use when constructing their list too!

Tanqueray 10 gin - How else would you recommend forcing down the quinine?

Campari - My wife would kill me if I left this out. Or at least that's what I'd tell her. Secretly, without Negronis my body might survive being marooned, but my spirit would not.

Carpano Antica sweet vermouth - So versatile, I could mix or sip happily.

Dolin dry vermouth - Not for martinis, I'm not a big fan and Dolin sucks for that anyway, but rather for mixing with soda water. After shelter, the first thing I'd start working on would be a coconut-and-rope carbonator. Once that was running, then I would start looking for food.

Pernod pastis - The only spirit here that I wouldn't drink on the rocks. I don't care for the strong flavor of licorice. But I'll be damned if I'm going to be stuck on a desert island and denied my Sazeracs.

12 year Highland Scotch from D&M - I got a bottle of this, a private label from a San Francisco spirits store, and have never forgotten it. Utterly balanced, spices and smoke and malt.

Booker's bourbon - The right balance of sweet and wood, highly aromatic.

Buellit Rye - My personal favorite rye, not too austere, excellent for sipping and mixing.

Appleton Estate 12 rum (Jamaica) - You can still tell this was made from cane sugar at one point, despite all the other lovely woody qualities age has brought it. A runner up, if I was actually on a desert island, would be Wray and Nephew Overproof, because it would last longer!

JM Gold Rhum Agricole (Martinique) - You can really tell this was made from cane sugar at one point, because that's what it primarily smells of. Just a touch of age to make it a bit smoother, but this is close to the cane. You can just imagine this pouring freely at a Cropover festival.

Chinaco silver tequila - Had this at an honest-to-god Mexican restaurant, the kind that serves corn smut and not burritos. In college tequila started and ended with Cuervo Gold, but then I found Herradura Reposado, and from there discovered that what I really liked about tequila was the grassy, herbal qualities. Chinaco seems to come the closest of any I've tried to being "agave eau de vie", which is how I think of it.

Poire William (Alsace) - Speaking of eaux de vie, if I had to choose just one bottle of the twelve, this would be it. A tiny splash can last an evening if you're judicious. So much pure fruit flavor, slightly changed by distillation. This particular bottle was carried back, but honestly all the French and German specimens (Poires William?) I've tried have been good to great.

I would have included generic brandy for making Christmas cookies using my wife's family recipe. However, she'll just have to bum some rum off me. Living on a desert island does require some sacrifices.