Tag: alcohol

Best in Glass: The New Shoreham Whiskey Design

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A Collaboration with WhistlePig Yields a Unique Glass

The Ideal Shape for Sipping Whiskey

We were very optimistic about this new design when we saw the final samples of the Shoreham Whiskey Glass come out of the glassblowing studio. After many months of hard work and collaboration, this striking glass grew directly out of a passion for handcrafted quality that both Simon Pearce and WhistlePig share. These two Vermont based companies were driven to perfect the whiskey and glass combination. We found the WhistlePig American-style rye, to be a quintessential pairing with our handmade glass.

The collaboration first started with an ideal bowl shape specified for optimal whiskey tasting and we evolved it with a softly rounded base that fits nicely in the hand. Simon himself said “the lines of this glass are simply beautiful”. The glass derives it’s name from the town where WhistlePig has a 500-acre farm and distillery. From the moment our glassblowers formed the glass and many hours later when it was cool to the touch, we knew that this is one of the best glasses we’ve created to enjoy whiskey.

Try the WhistlePig Old Fashioned Recipe
Whiskey glass rendering
Whiskey glass final sample
whistle-pig rye whiskey
WhistlePig oak barrel

Beyond straight whiskey drinking, the new glass is also great for chilled cocktails. As the August summer days go by this drink recipe is something we have highlighted at our mill restaurant, and is a refreshing one to try at home.

WhistlePig Old Fashioned Recipe

WhistlePig 11 oz. Piggyback Rye

 3 oz. Orange Old Fashioned Mix

4 orange twists

Serve in the new Shoreham Whiskey Glass

Ideation sketches for the whiskey glass as we explored variations on marrying the unique bowl shape with a complimentary base. We considered dozens of iterations before settling on the final design.
Pontil and Logo Detail in the Base
Molten Glass Gather
Working the Glass
Tools of the Trade

Find this new design for the Shoreham Whiskey Glass at our stores and website.

The New Woodbury Bourbon Glass

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Take a break from the summer heat of July, with a wonderful chilled cocktail in the Woodbury Bourbon glass. We recently extended the infamous Woodbury collection with this smaller cousin of the Woodbury Double Old Fashioned. The barware design characteristics are distinctly different from most other lines with the hallmark chilled textures, round to square detail and the heavy base. This bourbon glass is the perfect size for sipping bourbon, enjoying a mixed cocktail or simply as a juice glass. It was originally drawn up while traveling in Paris where Simon and Jay Benson started brainstormed new ideas for drinking glasses.

Woodbury Bourbon Glass

The Blackberry Bourbon Sour; featured at our restaurant, and you can try it at home with this recipe:

In a cocktail shaker with ice:

1 ½ oz. Bullet Bourbon

1 oz. lemon simple

¼ oz blackberry puree 

Shake and pour into an Woodbury Bourbon glass. 

Initial Sketch
Gather of Glass
Lutetia Bar
Rendering
Final Woodbury Bourbon
Glassblowing Process

Visit the Mill

Make the Simon Pearce Mill a summer destination and see where we make many of our barware and stemware items.

The Honey Grapefruit Martini

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As summer solstice approaches we’ve made the shift to outdoor entertaining. The Honey Grapefruit Martini is a seasonal favorite at our restaurant in the Mill. This refreshing drink is ideally served in a chilled Benson Martini glass which is the perfect combination of form and function. The base of the glass fits well in the hand, while the cone shape of the bowl is the right capacity to sip this summer cocktail. As the weather warms up, and if you have the opportunity to dine at our restaurant, select this wonderful cocktail off our menu, or if you are at home try our recipe.

Honey Grapefruit Martini    

2 oz. Barr Hill Gin

1 oz. Honey+Lime+Grapefruit Mix* (see below)

Fresh Herb Sprig

Combine all ingredients in an ice filled shaker. Shake well and strain into a chilled Benson or Ascutney Martini glass. Garnish with a herb sprig such as thyme.

 *Honey Lime Grapefruit Juice Mix

1 part Hot Water

2 parts Honey

2 parts Lime Juice

5 parts Grapefruit Juice

Mix hot water and honey until honey is dissolved. Then add lime juice and grapefruit juice and mix well.

The Benson Martini Glass

Explore our drinkware assortment online, or visit our Mill in Quechee Vermont, to experience the many dimensions of Simon Pearce.

The Waterfall at the Simon Pearce Mill

Harvest Moon: a seasonal favorite

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Ascutney Double Old-Fashioned with the Harvest Moon Cocktail

Enjoy the Fall season with one of our classic cocktails that we serve at the Simon Pearce restaurant in Vermont. Heighten the experience of the Harvest Moon drink with our handcrafted Ascutney Whiskey or Double Old Fashioned glass. This is a great recipe to try at home while observing the seasonal transition, or queuing up a virtual happy hour with family or friends. For the perfect virtual gifting and entertaining solutions, you can find our range of glasses on our website.

Here is the recipe

Harvest Moon

2 oz. Sauza Conmemorativo

3/4 oz. Lime Juice

1/2 oz Spiced Syrup Mix*

Few Dashes of Angostura Bitters

Add all ingredients to an ice filled shaker and shake well. Pour into an Ascutney DOF or Whiskey glass.

Lime wedge garnish.

*Spiced Simple Syrup:

1 Cups Water

1 Cups Sugar

3 Whole Allspice Berries

3 Whole Cloves

1 large cinnamon stick

1 1-inch Pieces of Ginger, peeled and chopped

Make simple syrup and add all spices. Let steep for one hour and then strain out all the spices to your preference.

Taste that Stands the Test of Time

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We take crafting glasses seriously at Simon Pearce; and our focus is matched with all the great crafted breweries in the state of Vermont.

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Each year we design new concepts that we add to our line of barware, to keep up with the evolution of beer making and tasting. Our silhouettes are carefully formed with the finesse of our glassblowers.

In addition to many iconic beer glasses, some of our stemmed lines that are geared towards wine actually make great beer glasses.

Mick Maguire, our head of technology at Simon Pearce has lent his expertise in brews and tested many of our glasses to find some perfect pairings. He has experimented with prototypes of our new Vintner pulled-stem line, and discovered that they lend themselves perfectly to particular types of beer.

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“The form of any vessel effects the drinking experience, not just in a tactile manner. An angular body where the base is wider than the neck will have the effect of concentrating the aroma of the beer helping your nose appreciate the full spectrum of the flavor and will also help preserve the head. This is particularly pronounced with ‘bigger’ beers like bourbon barrel aged stouts and double IPA where it will really bring out the white oak of one and citrus of the other. This means that our Vintner line has ideal candidates for truly appreciating the flavor and nuance of complex craft brews. The Snifter will easily hold a full pour and sits very pleasingly in the hand.”

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“For a lighter beer such as a Kolsh or Pilsner, the flute shape of the Ascutney Pint, or the Norwich tall beaker, lend a traditional German feel which brings out the brightness of these nicely.”

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“But my go to everyday summer beer glass is the Woodstock Balloon, perfect for sitting round a campfire, it’s robust design makes it very durable and pleasantly weighty,  while at the same time it’s oversized bowl allows the nose to enter the glass as you drink, giving a truly full sensory experience.”

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“The bottom line is any beverage that has care put into its creation, will taste better in one of our handcrafted glasses, I’d encourage everybody to experiment to see the differences brought about by form, regardless of how a glass is labelled.” -M. Maguire

You can try our glasses out with great beer served at our bar in the Mill.  Visit us and experience the difference handcrafted glass makes.

 

In Good Company

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Twin Farms/Opus One Collaboration

Gathering around the Table

We recently had the pleasure of joining forces with Opus One Winery and Twins Farms, to provide a beautiful Vermont based dining event for guests at the Twin Farms.  The aim of our efforts, was to bring people together for an elevated experience around the dining table, with the combination of great food, amazing wine, and handcrafted excellence in glass.

This dinner event, at Twin Farms, featured seven courses, by guest Chef Sarah Steffan, of Blackberry Farm, and Nathan Rich, of Twin Farms. France Posener, who is from Opus One, told amazing vineyard tales of the company history, it’s evolution, and gave an in depth background on the wines being tasted. To compliment the theme of the evening, each couple attending the event received a Bristol Wine Decanter from Simon Pearce.

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The decanter, is a special glass vessel for us, which started out much like the Bristol Tumbler adhering to proportions from the golden section ratios found in nature.  Simon brings a keen eye to proportioning, and attention to detail that is a hallmark of our design philosophy. We carry these values through every new design, and it is innate to this modern decanter.

We blend distinctive form with function. The character of the design first started with renderings on paper while considering the right capacity for a bottle of wine, and creating the proper amount of interior surface area for the wine to decant. Through the sampling process, we tested them and made  revisions, before the process of manufacturing began, right here at our workshops, in Vermont.

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With our trip to Napa last spring, we set out to form relationships with companies like Opus One, and cultivating a deeper connection with handcrafted American wine.

Our first collaborative dining and wine tasting experience around the table was at Ocean House, an amazing destination in Rhode Island.  The culinary expertise for the food was a combination of Twin Farms with Ocean House, and France Posener eloquently spoke about the Opus One wine being served, and I gave the guests insights about the design and making of our Barre Pitcher which we featured that evening.

 

The Barre Pitcher is a contemporary fluid form that  is a joy to use, and is reminiscent of the silhouette of an Egret.

From Milan to the Mill

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The Spritz Phenomenon

Every spring, Milan becomes the destination for designers from all over the world who descend upon the the city for the Salone del Mobile, to experience what is the latest and greatest in the design industry.

In addition to the show, the whole city celebrates creativity during Design Week, with home furnishing and interior design companies  hosting unique events at their locations.  Pop up installations are everywhere by brands of any industry, with new concepts for Living, and all doors are open with crowds and lines forming. On the surface, Milan can appear somewhat stoic, but below the surface there is a dynamic vibrancy due to the strong blend of culture and commerce. On alternating years, the design show has a focus on lighting, which is inspiring to see with the nearly limitless variations in construction and materials. The use of glass is so pervasive from pendants to chandeliers and lamps. Milan is both an inspiration and affirmation of how important creativity is to business.

After an entire day at the trade show or events around the city, the golden hour sets in when everyone goes out for the Aperitivi, a ritual that starts around 6pm. The classic bitter liqueurs and aromatized wines are served before dinner, and many of the unique combinations of drinks evolved through the midcentury era in Italy. The modern Aperitivi with a spritz of either Procesco or soda water, are more than just drinks, they are meant to inspire, reflect and get the conversations going.

The famed Bar Basso, known for the Negroni Sbagliato, appears to be a traditional establishment  but has a cosmopolitan clientele and this particular campari drink is typically served in a giant hand blown goblet with a large block of ice. From the street you know you are approaching Bar Basso because crowds gather around it.

A previous recipe for a Negroni on this blog can be found here.

During the golden hour, throughout Milan you see many people drinking an orange toned Aperitivi, known as Aperol spritz, which has gained in popularity and finds it’s way here to Vermont and is served at our Mill.

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Jerod our Restaurant and Bar Director says “We are loving the sharp elements that amaro’s are bringing to the table right now. Our guests are looking for lighter cocktails that they can enjoy before their dinners and Aperol brings a refreshing element to these. Paired with Barr Hill Gin, Orange, and a splash of soda is a lovely way to enjoy this ever popular aperitif!”. 

Here is our recipe for “The Bubbly Bee”:

1-1/2 oz Barr Hill Gin

1/8 oz Aperol

1/8 oz St. Elder

1-1/2 oz Prosecco

Small orange slice or twist to garnish

Build in 1/2 ice filled glass, add a splash of soda and garnish.

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I also made up my own Americano, while in the Dolomites:

1-1/2 ounces of Campari

1-1/2 ounces of vermouth

Soda water

Served in our own Apprentice glass.

Shaping the Wine Tasting Experience

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Introducing the Vintner Collection

 

“We set out to build a glass line with characteristics that are designed for the serious wine taster.” -JM

Last May, Jay Benson, Dana Sabatino, and James Murray ventured on a trip to the California wine country to visit tasting rooms and meet with wine producers we are considering for partnerships. Being inspired, we came back to Vermont and created new stemware to appeal to people serious about wine tasting, and lovers of thin, hand-blown glass that enhances the tasting experience, without having a glass that overtakes the wine, in weight and physicality.

 

The pulled-stem technique that we use, results in a thinner, more lightweight stem and bowl typical of a classic Sommelier’s glass.  The thin stem and base offer functionality and grace.

 

The line was designed with modern proportions, taking cues from our Bristol red wine glass in form.  The glasses are generously scaled to show off the wines within.

There are many options of wine tasting glasses by European makers that are machine made, and have a seam on the stem.  The Vintner Collection from Simon Pearce does not have seams because we hand-craft each glass.

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The thin bowl of the glass is designed to have a lot of volume, and room for air to circulate with the wine, and yet not be heavy. Ripple lines of our handcrafted process still appear in the bowl of our glass, different from machine made glass by other wine tasting glass companies in the industry. Our bowl shapes are ideal, and relate to how quickly  we want the wine to pass into the taster’s mouth, which effects the experience and flavor.

 

An additional benefit of the thin base, is that it is easy to swirl the wine while holding the foot, during a wine tasting.

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The Vintner Collection is sure to please anyone looking for the “whole wine tasting experience”, with the refined balance of the preferred wine in a high quality hand-crafted glass.

Cucumber Margarita

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In a shaker filled with ice:
2 ½ oz Cucumber infused Tequila and 2 oz lime simple syrup
Pour into a lightly salted rimmed Bristol Goblet
Garnish with Cucumber slice (cut on sharp diagonal) down side of glass and lime wedge

Cucumber Infused Tequila:
1 ½ English cucumber, 1 bottle of El Charro Silver Tequila
In a Cambro combine thinly sliced cucumber and tequila
Cover, label with date and time.
Leave to infuse at room temperature for 24 hours. (If in a Liquor room, allow 36 hours.)
Keep refrigerated (will last 3 months if kept cold) and discard cucumbers.

Lime Simple Syrup mix:
3 parts Jansal lime juice and 2 parts simple syrup.
Label and date.

Lemon Basil Simple Syrup:
4 cups water, 4 cups sugar
Boil and remove from heat when sugar is dissolved. Add 20 basil leaves.
Let sit 5 – 10 minutes then remove basil.
Cool, cover and refrigerate.
Fill a squeeze bottle half syrup/half lemon juice.