574435 Sat Nov 22 16:19:21 -0800 2008 2 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 4194764 St. George Spirits (aka Hangar One Vodka) is open on the weekends for a $10 tasting fee, but the REAL deal is at their big, fancy-shmancy open house when EVERYTHING they make is open for tasting, PLUS they have other people there supplying all sorts of delicious foods to partake in as palate cleansers in between shots -- er, uh, sips -- of their various distillates. The best $30 I could spend! Today was the third Open House of theirs I have attended, and this was by far their best event ever! Ok, so the people servings oysters on the half shell weren't there this time . . . but yelp*™ was there!!! So, too, were Boccalone (with their salumi, truffled mortadella, cured meats, and all things pork); El Huarache Loco (with amazing chicken-mole sliders and more); La Cocina (with all sorts of tasty treats); June Taylor Jams (with their amazing assortments of jams, preserves, and syrups); Recchiuti Confections (with all sorts of chocolates and truffles); and much, much, MUCH more! What follows are MY short tasting notes/opinions of what they were offering. Hangar One Vodka: smooth, supple on the palate, no alcohol burn; very fine indeed. Hangar One "Budda's Hand" Vodka: infused with this citrus, native to South Asia, it's more complex than simply "lemon," and absolutely excellent. Hangar One "Kaffir Lime" Vodka: using both the fresh limes and the leaves (often associated with Thai cuisine), this one is -- uh -- not my favorite. A little harsh on the palate, and it reminds me of the English Leather Lime Men's Cologne I used to use in high school in the late 1960s -- cool and groovy, it ain't! That said, Lynn liked it. Hangar One "Mandarin Blossom" Vodka: Remains my favorite -- they use both ripe Mandarine tangerines and fresh blossoms to create a stunningly aromatic and flavorful vodka that is as smooth as velvet! Hangar One "Spiced Pear" Seasonal Vodka: A wonderful infusion of ripe pear and a subtle hint of cloves make this limited offering a "must buy" (and I did!). Let me say that they had the most AMAZING ice sculptures. Shaped like gigantic bottles of Hangar One, they poured the room temperature vodkas into the top of the sculpture, and you put your glass underneath the bottle to catch the now chilled spirit as it flowed out the bottom. I want one of these in my house! At this point, let me say that I did NOT try everything they were pouring. I am NOT a fan of their single malt whisky, and so I passed on that one. I also passed on the Qi tea liqueurs (no interest on my part). Continuing . . . Agua Azul 100% Blue Agave "Crystal": Very aromatic, smooth, and flavorful -- one of the best "silver" agaves I've had. Agua Azul 100% Blue Agave "Resposado": For me, this has too much smoke and far too much ashen quality on the palate to enjoy, something I also find objectionable in several (but by no means all) true Tequilas. Agua Azul 100% Blue Agave "Anejo": Aged one year in French oak, this still has too much ashen character for me to like. St. George Absinthe Verte: Brandy is first distilled with wormwood, anise and fennel, hyssop, basil, tarragon, lemon balm, meadowsweet, mint, stinging nettles, and other herbs. Then, it is infused with these herbs a second time to get fresher flavors (resulting in the green tint). Simply put, it is EXCELLENT! Then I moved onto the brandies (again, I didn't taste everything -- passed on the basil eau de vie and the grappas, for instance) . . . Aqua Perfecta Poire William (pear) eau de vie: Since Jorg Rupf first began St. George Spirits 25+ years ago, pear has been (IMHO) what he does best. This Poire can stand up as the equal of the finest eaux-de-vie offered from Alsace, Switzerland, or the Black Forest of Germany! Aqua Perfecta Kirsch (cherry) eau de vie: Never my favorite. Aqua Perfecta Framboise (raspberry) eau de vie: Aromatic and flavorful, it's certainly better than the Kirsch, but the Poire remains the star here. Aqua Perfecta Poire William (pear) liqueur: Outstanding, like biting into a fresh pear -- juicy, sweet, delicious, AND with the benefit of alcohol! Aqua Perfecta Framboise (raspberry) liqueur: Too acidity and too sweet for me to drink straight, but it's excellent over really good vanila ice cream! St. George "Heirloom" 5-Year Old Apple Brandy: OK, let me preface this by saying I absolutely LOVE Calvados, the fabled apple brandy from the Normandy region of France. This is not Calvados, but neither was I expecting it to be. The bouquet, interestingly, reminded me of pure Granny Smith apples (a variety not used in Calvados). I never asked what apples they actually use for this, and I could be totally wrong, but for me, the character of tart, green apples dominated both the nose and mouth. Good, but it won't replace my beloved Calvados. St. George "De Profundis" 20-Year Old Pear Brandy: Aged in French oak for 20 years, pure pear in the nose, like the eau de vie, but much more complex, rich and -- truly outstanding! Cheers, Jason Sat Nov 22 16:19:21 -0800 2008 28122 zin1953 1 4194800 How crowded was this? It was announced on Yelp, but the whole thing with a bus from bart just seemed like it would be a zoo. Yes, I'm sure the food was nice, but spirit-wise was there more offered than on the normal tasting? Sat Nov 22 16:42:59 -0800 2008 4194764 10264 rworange 2 4194975 1) It was NOT a zoo by any means . . . then again, we arrived about 12:30 (it started at 1:00), and we left about 3:00 . . . 2) Yes, MUCH more was open and available to try than their "regular' weekend tasting. I didn't mention the cocktails they were making, and ALL of their "Reserves" were open. Sat Nov 22 18:20:28 -0800 2008 4194800 28122 zin1953