Drank: Ginger Liqueur (New Deal Distillery)

By BEN WATERHOUSE

Great things are happening at Portland's New Deal. One of the first of the last decade's explosion of small craft distilleries, the brand was for its first six years known only for vodka. Then 2010 brought two excellent gins, followed by a series of coffee liqueurs made in collaboration with local roasters, and now this sweet, alarmingly fiery concoction. The Ginger Liqueur, which contains only sugar, ginger and unspecified "spirits," is a little too intense to drink on its own without ice. Drop a half-ounce of it and a jigger of bourbon on the rocks, though, and you've got the best whiskey ginger you're ever likely to taste. Don't like whiskey? Mix it up with vodka and lime for a Moscow Mule, or dark rum and soda for a perfect Dark and Stormy. Recommended.

WWeek 2015

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