My mother is a big fan of ginger. She eats candied ginger as a snack, loves spicy ginger ales (one of her favorites is spicy enough that it is marketed more as a mixer than as a drink in it’s own right), and back when she was young she was known for her love of ginger brandy liqueur. These days, ginger brandy has apparently grown hard to find in the area I grew up in. As such, she makes a point of trying to find a bottle when she comes to visit.
Well, last weekend was one of those visits. We were at Total Wine when she stopped to see what they had. They had exactly one, and the guy that was working stopped her from putting it in the cart with the unsolicited advice, “I can’t let you buy that. It tastes like hand sanitizer.” So he took the time to listen to what she was looking for and pointed her to Stone’s Original Ginger Wine.
Now I also like ginger, not quite to the same extent as my mother, but it is high on the list of flavors that I enjoy. So as we were in the ginger section of Total Wine’s liqueur section, I took the opportunity to grab a bottle of Domain de Canton Ginger Liqueur. I’d noticed it way back when I started writing about spirits and then pretty much forgot about it for a decade or more. But “when in Rome,” as they say.
So hang on, folks. We are stepping out of our normal comfort zone tonight. Let’s look at a couple of alcoholic ginger drinks.
Stone’s Original Ginger
We might as well try the one that was recommended first. From what I can tell online, Stone’s Original Ginger is a fortified wine made of grape wine, neutral spirits, and ginger. It claims to be a Product of England, but the company’s website is Australian. Not sure what is going on there, but I’m not thinking too hard about it. There are drinks to be consumed.
Purchase Info: $12.49 for a 750 mL bottle at Total Wine, Burnsville, MN
Price per Drink (50 ml): $0.83
Details: 13.5% ABV
Nose: Canned peaches, ginger, and a touch of citrus.
Mouth: Candied raisin, lemon, and after a moment in the mouth, you start to get a bit of heat and ginger flavor.
Finish: Gentle with notes of raisin and ginger. Not much heat.
Thoughts: Honestly, I thought that there would be more "punch" to this based on the ginger name. It's pleasant enough neat, but nothing to write home about. However, it really shines as a cocktail ingredient. I tried three from their website, and I’m a big fan of all three.
Southern Star
2 oz Bourbon
1 oz Stone’s Original Ginger
0.5 oz Sweet Vermouth
Stir ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Strain into a glass with fresh ice.
Stone and Gavel
3 oz Stone’s Original Ginger
1 oz Funky white rum
Pour over crushed ice, stir, and serve.
The Dragon Slayer
1 oz Stone’s Original Ginger
1 oz Gin
0.5 oz honey syrup
2 oz hard cider
These are all delicious. The Southern Star is a lot like a Manhattan, but there are more layers of flavor. The Stone and Gavel is what I’m drinking right now. It is my favorite of the three and reminds me of a Dark and Stormy with less ginger “punch” but more nuanced flavors. The Dragon Slayer was interesting. I used a local dry hard cider, and it really brought the apple notes to the forefront.
Domaine de Canton
Now onto one that landed in my cart from pure curiosity. Domaine de Canton is a ginger liqueur imported from France by Heaven Hill in Bardstown, KY. Here is what they have to say about it:
Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur was inspired by the French tradition in which sweet and fresh elixirs were fortified by fine eaux de vie and cognac. Spicy and aromatic elixirs became popular with the French during the time of colonial Indochine. Domaine de Canton is inspired by the subtle spiciness of the baby ginger grown locally in modern day Indochine. The result is a recipe which evokes an era of tropical romance and continental sophistication that is both elegant and timeless.
Purchase Info: $21.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Total Wine, Burnsville, MN
Price per Drink (50 mL): $1.47
Details: 28% ABV
Nose: Ginger and lemon
Mouth: Thick and syrupy with honey, lemon, and ginger.
Finish: Spicy ginger for a long time.
Thoughts: This tastes exactly like I would have guessed a ginger liqueur would taste. It is very sweet and has powerful ginger notes that are nicely supported by a lemon note. I like it, and I’ll be keeping this on hand. It works very nicely in cocktails, especially ones where you pair it with citrus. I particularly liked the Gold Rush and the Ginger Collins from the product's neck tag. See below:
The Gold Rush
1.5 oz bourbon
1 oz Domaine de Canton
0.5 oz lemon juice
Shake with ice and strain into a glass. Garnish with a cherry.
Ginger Collins
1.5 oz London Dry Gin
0.75 oz Domaine de Canton
0.5 oz lemon juice
3 oz Sparkling Water
Shake all but soda and strain into a glass over ice. Top with sparkling water. Garnish with a lemon wedge.
Both of these are great as described above, but on The Gold Rush, I’d personally use a higher percentage of the Domaine de Canton to get even more ginger flavor. The Ginger Collins is a spicier and sweeter version of my favorite deck drink, the Gin Rickey. It makes a nice change of pace if I have a hankering for switching things up but still want a floral and refreshing long drink.
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