Yesterday I found myself in a conversation about Richmond area restaurants known for their 'mixologists' rather than traditional bartenders. Having young kids, I'm not exactly up to speed on all the latest restaurant openings or trends, but whenever possible I do make an effort to try something new whenever possible.
Julep's was my first experience with this trend, back in their old (and supposedly haunted) location in Shockoe Bottom. We were eating at the bar that night, and the mixologist took our order, asked us what we normally drink, then created something similar designed to complement our entrees. I'm sure he told me what I was drinking at the time, but I've long since forgotten other than it was delicious and paired perfectly with my shrimp and grits.
At Pasture downtown, I had a bourbon with a pickleback chaser that I can't wait to replicate at my next backyard cookout. I've been to a smattering of other trendy spots around town, but the RVA restaurant scene is growing at a much faster clip than my discretionary babysitter fund. This is why bars and restaurants are always full of patrons in their 20's or their 50's, and very few of those of us in between. The kind of places we frequent usually have buckets of crayons on the table and drains in the floor for hosing the place down at night.
I brought up the whole mixologist thing because of a visit to Balliceaux. I was there with a private party, so we had the whole back room to ourselves with a buffet and our own private bar. This place is known for their creative drinks, how could I not order a drink made from Belle Isle Moonshine and raw egg whites? My wife got something made with pop rocks. Ahhh... no floor drain here.
Later in the evening, a friend showed up to whom I owed a dram. A few weeks prior, I had talked him into breaking open his prized Macallan 18 so I could try it (more on that in a later post), and then promised him I'd buy him a round in gratitude. Time to make good.
The color was a bit strange, sort of a tangerine hue, although it may have just been the lighting. The nose was pleasant enough, very malty, the light smoke coming through with a slightly bitter hint of black coffee. Sweet aromas of caramel and pear were more noticeable after the original whiff.
The aromas seem to approximate the flavors well: malt, oak, honey, butterscotch, that slight smokiness. Overall quite smooth, teetering on boring until a very aniseed flavor hits the back of the tongue. The Master of Malt review mentions notes of arak (huh?), blossoms, and 'barley fudge', so forgive me if I missed any of those. Now I have to find out what arak and barley fudge are.
After that surprise licorice note, the finish was quite oily and drying. One of those finishes when you become very aware of any cuts or ulcers inside your cheeks. I ended up liking it more than my buddy did. but not by much. I probably still owe him for the Macallan 18.
At a place like Balliceaux, there's too much other good stuff to try rather than waste your time on mediocre scotch. It didn't occur to me until much later that it was probably there primarily for the mixologists to experiment with. I of course prefer my whisky neat, but a malt like Jura 10 with nice aromas and muted, tame flavors might make an ideal canvas for mixing up mad scientist cocktails.
Overall Grade: 78/100, C+
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