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Help Atomic Cocktail find Old Tom Gin & Batavia Arrack |
Tiki_Cincy_Craig
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Nov 05, 2007
Posts: 14
From: Cincinnati, Ohio
|  Posted: 2007-11-05 10:30 pm Permalink
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On 2005-06-14 16:22, JaredB wrote:
Yes, bevwar and a few other places have Plymouth gin, but it's not the Navy Strength. That one is U.K. only. Let's hope that changes in the future.
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Hello, I'm Craig, and I run a large wine, beer & spirits distributor servicing Ohio & Kentucky. I used to work for the distributor of Plymouth in a previous position, and I'd like to add that (sadly) the Navy Strength is not imported to the US at this time. I wish that I had better news to report, but there are a few websites around where you can get gray-market import bottles (which I use to buy Absinthe)
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Hakalugi
Site Administrator
Joined: Aug 10, 2004
Posts: 2816
From: Redondo Beach, CA
| Posted: 2007-11-05 10:34 pm Permalink
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On 2007-11-05 22:30, Tiki_Cincy_Craig wrote:
... there are a few websites around where you can get gray-market import bottles... |
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Links please!
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Tiki_Cincy_Craig
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Nov 05, 2007
Posts: 14
From: Cincinnati, Ohio
| Posted: 2007-11-07 8:13 pm Permalink
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On 2007-11-05 22:34, Hakalugi wrote:
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On 2007-11-05 22:30, Tiki_Cincy_Craig wrote:
... there are a few websites around where you can get gray-market import bottles... |
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Links please!
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Try The Royal Mile Whiskies
http://www.royalmilewhiskies.com/product.asp?pf_id=0400000000817
They will deliver to the States, however they will give you the standard disclaimer about not being able to guarantee delivery to the USA (as will all European retailers). They sell Havana Club Rum as well!
Cult Drinks ships to the USA as well, plus they have a few unusual rums too boot.
http://www.cultdrinks.co.uk/gin_more.asp?id=411&cid=3
Incidentally, for those who might be interested in The Green Fairy, Alandia ships genuine Absinthe to the USA http://www.alandia.de
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Suffering Bastard of Stumptown
Tiki Socialite
Joined: May 09, 2005
Posts: 648
From: PDX
| Posted: 2007-11-07 8:41 pm Permalink
this is cool just for the bottle!
http://www.cultdrinks.co.uk/rum_more.asp?id=417&cid=22
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UtopianDreem
Grand Member (8 years) 
Joined: Jun 02, 2003
Posts: 292
From: LA County, CA
| Posted: 2007-11-14 12:42 pm Permalink
Picked up a bottle of Batavia Arrack at Hi-Time this weekend. Atomic Cocktail, when are you coming by to help me test it out?
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PiPhiRho
Grand Member (first year) 
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 980
From: Redondo Beach
| Posted: 2007-11-14 5:40 pm Permalink
I have bought from Royal Mile before, but only whiskey. It's not as easy as getting something from Hi Times, but it's not that bad and it is the only way to get some stuff that is generally not available in the US.
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Atomic Cocktail
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 25, 2002
Posts: 922
From: Land O' The Next Big One-L.A.
| Posted: 2007-11-15 12:00 am Permalink
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On 2007-11-14 12:42, UtopianDreem wrote:
Picked up a bottle of Batavia Arrack at Hi-Time this weekend. Atomic Cocktail, when are you coming by to help me test it out?
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Drink some UD, drink some!
I have a client who lives near Hi-times who promises to bring me a bottle next visit.
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Atomic Cocktail
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 25, 2002
Posts: 922
From: Land O' The Next Big One-L.A.
| Posted: 2007-12-30 2:48 pm Permalink
I got a bottle of Batavia Arrak as a gift and quickly made some Arrak Punch. Let me tell you, it was nothing like the bottled "arraks punsch extract" from Saturnus (which has none of the aromatic arrak taste of the genuine article). I can only compare it to the difference between Roses' grenadine and the real thing made with pomegranates.
I used the recipe from the bottle as I was in a hurry to try it out:
2 oz. Batavia-Arrack van Oosten
1/2 oz. Rum
3/4 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice
1/2 oz. Simple Syrup
3 oz. Water
A pinch of ground cardamom or nutmeg.
I have tried both spices and prefer the cardamom. This is excellent hot.
Jab, get yourself a bottle of this stuff!
AC
"Please play like nice children"
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dogbytes
Grand Member (8 years)
Joined: Mar 24, 2002
Posts: 2240
From: seattle, wa
| Posted: 2008-05-07 4:23 pm Permalink
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On 2005-07-07 23:10, UtopianDreem wrote:
Well, so far no luck on getting Batavia Arak, but got some info. Grunerwald Batavia Arak is sold in the Netherlands but the supplier, H. van Toor Jz. Distillery B.V., does not have a US distributor.
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ya'll were ahead of the curve ~ its becoming available now:
an article Out of the Blue: Batavia Arrack Comes Back
"If last Sunday’s New York Times T magazine is to be believed, Batavia arrack is one of the "New Staples"—one of the top ingredients of the season. If that’s the case, then never has one spirit gone so far so fast, from a century-plus of obscurity to must-have status in the liquor cabinet.
Produced since at least the early 17th-century on the island of Java, Batavia arrack is rum’s funky ancestor. Made from sugarcane and fermented red rice (one quibble with the Times story: while Sri Lankan arrack made from palm sap has a similar name, it’s a totally different creature), this smoky, aromatic spirit was a mariner’s favorite for years, and was an essential ingredient in punch until well into the 19th-century. Eventually supplanted by rum, Batavia arrack faded from the back bar and the liquor store; in recent years it was primarily found close to its Asian roots, as well as in parts of Northern Europe, where it appeared in chocolates, desserts and sweetened, flavored punches.
And so it would have remained, had not a small but thirsty market of vintage spirits geeks in the U.S. persuaded Eric Seed, a Minnesota-based importer and principal at Haus Alpenz, to start bringing this obscure ingredient into the country. Now, 11 months after the first bottles began turning up in higher-end bars and liquor stores, the paper of record has dubbed it a staple.
I don’t know if I’d go that far, but I will say that Batavia arrack is worth investigating. The flavor is a bit coarser and more rustic than many spirits out there now, but the arrack has a distinctive aroma, somewhere between Haitian rum and single-malt Scotch, that makes it an interesting ingredient to work with. Accented with spice, citrus and black tea and softened with sugar, the arrack also makes a memorable punch that tastes something like history. Batavia arrack isn’t the easiest thing to find, but if you do some searching, the result will be worthwhile"
$33 for 750 milliliters
Union Square Wines & Spirits
140 Fourth Avenue
(212) 675-8100
unionsquarewines.com.
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PiPhiRho
Grand Member (first year)
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 980
From: Redondo Beach
| Posted: 2008-12-13 5:14 pm Permalink
Just today while stocking up I found Old Tom Gin at Beverage Warehouse in Mar Vista AND Batavia Arrack at BevMo in Torrance.
Gotta go to two places to get both, but they are available.
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Xndr du Sauvage
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Jan 08, 2008
Posts: 16 | Posted: 2008-12-14 07:41 am Permalink
Speaking of Old Tom, here's Felten's column from yesterday:
Reviving the Martini's Lost Ancestor
"As recently as a year ago, David Wondrich lamented in his book "Imbibe!" that hopes for tasting a Martinez were slim: "The loss of Old Tom gin is irreparable."
But no longer. A British spirits company, Hayman Distillers, has dusted off an old family recipe for Old Tom, and the vintage gin is now being brought into the U.S. by importers Haus Alpenz. "
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Rum Balls
Grand Member (7 years) 
Joined: Oct 04, 2004
Posts: 828
From: Portland, OR
| Posted: 2008-12-15 07:41 am Permalink
For those of you in Oregon and SW Washington, a couple of updates.
First, House Spirits http://www.housespirits.com/House%20Spirits.html is coming out with an Old Tom gin in January '09. I tasted a sample at last weekend's open house, and liked it a lot.
Second, I spotted Batavia Arrack at Pearl Speciality Market & Spirits at NW 9th & Lovejoy in Portland. Didn't look at the price.
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Shaun of theTiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 25, 2008
Posts: 109 | Posted: 2009-03-25 10:59 am Permalink
I recently encountered a bottle of Batavia Arak for $30 at a Total Wine and More shop in Roseville, CA. Is it really worth that chunk of change?
[ This Message was edited by: Shaun of theTiki 2009-03-25 11:00 ]
[ This Message was edited by: Shaun of theTiki 2009-03-25 11:01 ]
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Atomic Cocktail
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 25, 2002
Posts: 922
From: Land O' The Next Big One-L.A.
| Posted: 2009-08-17 6:24 pm Permalink
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[iShaun of theTiki wrote:[/i]
I recently encountered a bottle of Batavia Arak for $30 at a Total Wine and More shop in Roseville, CA. Is it really worth that chunk of change? |
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Yes.
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Hakalugi
Site Administrator
Joined: Aug 10, 2004
Posts: 2816
From: Redondo Beach, CA
| Posted: 2012-12-04 8:46 pm Permalink
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On 2005-11-09 12:44, martiki wrote:
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BTW, I have met the promotions rep for Plymouth Gin, who is a famous local bartender. He tells me there are currently no plans to bring Navy strength to the US, but he's lobbying and hoping that will change. He's supposed to be coming over to see me at Vic's with some samples of Navy Strength as well as Plymouth's Sloe Gin and Fruit Cup. Can't wait!
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Seven years later...
Update! Plymouth Gin Navy Strength is now available in the US. I wonder for how long that's been going on? I just saw that Beverage Warehouse in Marina Del Rey carries it, 750ml bottle for $34.95. Hi Times in Costa Mesa has it as well ($31.99). Sounds like it shouldn't be too hard to find for anyone at this point.
Oh, the Plymouth Sloe Gin is available too. I picked up a bottle at Total Wine a few months ago. It was the best sloe gin Evar! Well at least as far as sloe gin's that I have tasted...
Here's a good recipe from the excellent book "Boozehound" that called for it (sloe gin that is).
Philly Sling
1 1/2 ounce applejack
1 ounce Plymouth sloe gin
3/4 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 ounce simple syrup
2 dashes Angustura bitters
Fill a mixing glass halfway with ice. Add the applejack, sloe gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, and bitters. Stir vigorously, then strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
Yeah, I know, it's not a Tiki drink but it was still good.
Now to pick up a bottle of the Plymouth Gin Navy Strength.
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