The Stella

A few weeks ago Momma-San and I had Ju and Stella over and after a few cocktails I decided to try and come up with something new. I looked at the samples I had and figured that present company would like something sweet. I decided to use the following ingredients: Domaine De Canton, Xanté Pear Brandy, Triple Sec, Lemonade and Grenadine. Now I figured that it would be sweet and luckily that I chose the ratio of alcohol that I did. Here is how the cocktail broke down:

The Stella
1oz Domaine de Canton
.25oz Xanté Pear Brandy
.5oz Triple Sec
1oz lemonade
.5oz Rose's lime juice
.25oz Grenadine

Mix all ingredients (except Grenadine) in an ice filled shaker. Shake vigorously and strain into chilled cocktail glass. Slowly pour the Grenadine along the inside of the glass.

I'll be honest, I wasn't totally sure how the cocktail was going to end up especially with the Grenadine. As you can see from the picture, the Grenadine being heavier than the cocktail, settled down to the bottom creating a gradient effect of yellow and red in the glass.

I'm also glad that I used such a small amount of the Xanté. Xanté is a pear infused Brandy and even with the small amount I used, it over powered the cocktail in aroma and taste. Thanks to the Grenadine the cocktail definitely got sweeter as you got further down the glass.

When I asked the ladies what I should call the cocktail, Ju suggested we name it after Stella, hence the Stella was born.

If you happen to make one, let me know what you think of it.

Until Then Happy Drinking
Sisco Vanilla

What is Xanté Spirit

I was in my local liquor store the other day picking up some Vodka for the new round of infusions that I am working on. While I was paying I noticed a small little bottle behind the bar called Xanté. I've never heard about this particular spirit and asked the cashier about it. He asked me if I wanted a taste of it. Hey, a free taste of something new can't go wrong, right? Well, yes it can but what the hey. Gotta live sometimes. Before I go into what it tasted like, allow me to introduce you to Xanté.

According to the Xanté website, Xanté is:

The premium liqueur Xanté is a perfectly balanced blend of sweet Belgium pears and cognac from specially selected French distilleries. Xanté is conceived with cognacs matured for four years in barrels made from the finest French Limousine Oak that draws out the rich amber colour and fragrant notes of spicy vanilla and pear. Xanté contains no artificial ingredients. Its maturing process results in natural sweetening and allows the sugar content to remain at 17 %.

Now that you know what it is, what did it taste like. At quick smell, the spirit does indeed give off a nice vanilla scent with some fruity undertones. It has a nice golden color and doesn't seem to be too thick. At first taste the cognac has a very pleasing pear taste to it which come across as natural. Unlike other cognacs that I tend to find quite strong to my palate, I could barely tell that this spirit was indeed a cognac. I really enjoyed the little sample that I tasted. Now that is not to say that I would feel the same after a number of cocktails and or snifters of Xanté but for the little bit I tasted it was enjoyable. Based on that I bought two small little "airplane" bottles.

I was looking at Xanté's Facebook page and found a recipe for a cocktail that I think I would enjoy. Here's the recipe they listed:

Xanté Lennart
1.5 oz of Xanté
.5 oz Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice
Sprite or 7-up

Pour Xanté and lime juice over ice in a highball glass. Top off with Sprite or 7-up, Garnish with a lime and enjoy.

For my purposes I'm using Diet 7-up rather than the regular version. After a quick stir I decided to dive in. I have to say this is an interesting cocktail. It is even with the Diet 7-up it is sweet. The cocktail also has some tart and bubbly facets. It also seems to elicit a little bit of a tingle on the back of my tongue and throat. Haven't really felt that since I first started tasting the bourbon. I'm not saying that it tastes like bourbon, just that it gives me a similar sensation. I"m not sure why. The Xanté isn't particularly spicy. The pear flavor really does tend to pop more than the lime and Diet 7-up.

I really like this cocktail but it would definitely have to be in small doses. For my tastes, the sweetness of the pear cognac might become too much after lets say three or four cocktails. For those who like a sweet cocktail, this is right up their alley.

Until Then Happy Drinking,
Sisco Vanilla

For Further Reading:
- Click Here for a more in-depth review of Xanté from the Passionate Foodie blogpage.