The Next Level of Homemade Drinks
I first noticed the Ode Aperitifs a while back thanks to their iconic design. However, it was not until the Haut Les Vins Signature Wine Show in 2026 that I tried the aperitifs. From the moment I tasted them, I knew I had to feature both in combination with different recipes.
As I mentioned in my posts in the lead-up to St. Patrick’s Day, I didn’t have a single bottle of Irish whiskey at home. To remedy this, I decided to compare ten different bottles. Fortunately, I had no trouble assembling a small tasting panel.
As we could not include this bottle of champagne in our natural wine tasting in March, I opened it as an aperitif at Easter. Suffice to say, the bottle did not disappoint.
I attended another tasting event organised by Kirsch Whisky. This time, we tasted the latest edition of the Nc’Nean Huntress. In addition, we tried five other spirits, ranging from the Nc’Nean Botanical Spirit to the Cask Strength Bottling.
I basically, kept some elements of the modern classic Norwegian Wood cocktail from Jeffrey Morgenthaler, but twisted them slightly. Obviously, the resulting drink tastes quite different from the original.
I do have a week spot for Blaufraenkisch. This Austrian red wine is deeply rooted in our family’s history. Naturally, when I get the chance to buy an aged bottle, I just cannot resist. In this case, this is a late release from Franz Weninger from the Kalkofen vineyard.
It is not so easy to find a good high-quality tequila here in Germany. Luckily, I got my hands on a bottle of Fortaleza Still Strength Tequila. This also seemed like the perfect base spirit for a White Agavoni recipe I had written down a long time ago.
Before I was preparing the article on the Linie Paloma, I was made aware that it was a long time since I last featured aquavit on the blog. To change that, I mixed up Jeffrey Morgenthaler’s Norwegian Wood.
Finally, I am continuing with my German wine region series. Today we visit Rhine Hesse and enjoy a Sylvaner from Wagner Stempel. Some say that Rhine Hesse makes the better Silvaners compared to Franconia. Well, we will see about that and I also have a cliché pairing with asparagus for you.
We stay a little while longer with the rather interesting Szechuan eau de vie from Manuel Engel. I knew instantly that I had to create a Penicillin variation using it. Then I heard the Villagers’ song ‘Fool’ with the line ‘[…] kind of anaesthetic for the journey’ and I instantly knew how to call the […]
