Complex or Muddled: The Hotel Haute-Savoie Cocktail

One of the things that I like about cocktails is dissecting how the different ingredients come together and interact.  To do this you have to be able to discern the various flavors.  This is not, however, always possible.  Take for instance the Long Island Iced Tea.  Though recipes differ, the Long Island usually has 8 ingredients.  I at least cannot differentiate each of the ingredients.  A couple stand out but for the most part it does not taste like eight ingredients, it taste like a Long Island Iced Tea.

This raises the question of the value a drink where the combination is so muddled to the point where some or all of the ingredients no longer stand out.  As mentioned above, I like to see their interactions.  On the other hand, if something taste good (and I'm not saying the Long Island does) its flavor should be able to stand on its own - regardless of its components.  This is the case with a drink that I recently made, the Hotel Haute-Svoie.

Ingredients
2 ounces of rhy
1 ounce of elderflower liqueur
1/2 ounce of dry vermouth
1 teaspoon of absinthe
1 dash of angostura bitters
1 dash of orange bitters

Directions
Stir ingredients and pour into a chilled cocktail glass.

Outcome
As mentioned above, the ingredients really meshed.  I could taste the rhy initially and very faintly in the swallow.  The absinthe primarily showed in the swallow and the aftertaste.  I couldn't pull out the vermouth or bitters at all.  Most surprisingly, I could hardly, if at all, taste the St. Germain.  I was worried that it would overwhelm the drink, both in flavor and sweetness, but this simply was not the case.  The drink came off pretty balanced and very fragrant with the absinthe and the elderflower giving it a very distinct nose.  The bitters, vermouth, and rhy all balanced it out.  The overall flavor is hard to describe without deconstructing, but it worked, and in the end I think that's what matters.  This is a cocktail that I'll no doubt make again.

Summer in the City: the Philly Sling Cocktail

On this hot summer evening I wanted to make something a little refreshing - and perhaps a break from the heavy cocktails that I've been making of late.  Reading through a couple of books, I came upon the Philly Sling, created by bartender Derek Brown.  It appeared to have some refreshing qualities as well as a bit of complexity.  As a bonus, I suspected my wife would like it, as it includes applejack and sloe gin.  The one hangup that I briefly considered is that it looks and tastes like a chick drink, though it has a fairly high booze quotient. At home that is no barrier, though at a bar perhaps some people would go for something manlier.

Ingredients
1.5 ounces of applejack
1 ounce of sloe gin
0.75 ounce of lemon juice
0.25 ounce of simple syrup
2 dashes of Angostura bitters

Directions
Shake ingredients with ice and pour into a chilled cocktail glass.

Taste (flavor, balance, and clarity): 7.5
This was an interesting drink.  In stark contrast to the Monkey Gland Cocktail, it did not prominently feature a single ingredient.  Rather, it produced a fairly mellow, if a bit sweet swirl of flavors.  The applejack and sloe gin - somewhat similar in my book in terms of strength of alcoholic and flavor and the degree of sweetness paired off, with the lemon and the bitters cutting the sweetness.  I'm not sure if the simple syrup was necessary for balance but perhaps it was good to dampen the drink a bit. All in all, quite pleasant and easy to consume.

Versatility (when and for whom the drink works): 8
I think that the Philly Sling works in a number of settings.  It's complex enough to sip and juicy enough to casually imbibe at a party or crowed bar (though the color indicates a chick drink).  That fact notwithstanding, I think a lot of folks would enjoy it, perhaps excepting those with very little tolerance for cocktails that are a bit on the sweeter side.

Hassle (Cost and Time):6
The Philly Sling is some work to make.  In addition to juicing a lemon, it requires simple syrup, which I had made recently.  As for cost, its moderately expensive, as real sloe gin isn't cheap.

Overall:  7.5
The Philly Sling is a quality cocktail that I will make again, especially for company when they don't want something too daunting.  It had a balanced, if slightly sweet flavor profile and was pretty refreshing.

Possible Modifications
I might omit the simple syrup next time.  I'm not sure if it really accomplished much.  I also might try using lemon bitters instead of angostura. 

The Irish Surpise: The Paddy Cocktail

I have previously discussed how produce availability can determine drinking, but so too can the booze.  Certain spirits and vermouth have a very limited shelf life once opened and this was the case with my Dollin sweet vermouth, which I wanted to get more out of before it sours.  Looking though a couple of books, I came upon a drink called the Paddy Cocktail that uses both sweet vermouth and Irish whiskey.  Though I've long had some Jamison, I've never been super keen on Irish whiskey, preferring bourbon or rhy for the most part.  Nonetheless, I gave this drink a try.

Ingredients
1 ounce of Irish whiskey
1 ounce of sweet vermouth
1 dash of Angostura bitters
Lemon twist

Directions
Shake ingredients with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.  Garnish with lemon.

Taste (flavor, balance, and clarity): 8
Though not complex, this was one of the cleanest, most coherent cocktails that I've had in a while.  The lemon and bitters bridge the vermouth and whiskey. It was far smoother than any drink I've had using Irish whiskey and really showcased the vermouth without being sweet.

Versatility (when and for whom the drink works): 7
This drink works for any number of occasions and people, with the only caveat being that it is strong.  As such, folks like my wife who prefer drinks that are cut with something other than booze might not be in love with it, though she though it was pretty good, if a bit strong for her tastes.

Hassle (Cost and Time): 8.5
This drink was very easy to make (the only easier drinks involve simply pouring the booze on the rocks and no straining and drinks with no garnish).  The ingredients were quite cheap as well. 

Overall:  8
This Paddy Cocktail surprised me.  As I mentioned, I'm not the biggest fan of Irish whiskey.  However, with its ease and simplicity, combined with the seamless transition from ingredient to ingredient, this cocktail proved excellent and worth having again.

Centering a Cocktail Around Maraschino: The Glass House

Conventional wisdom relegates some spirits to the back of the bus.  They might provide a nose or an aftertaste for a drink, maybe help balance other flavors, but seldom provide the dominant flavor.  Examples of such liqueurs that come to mind include creme de menthe, Gran Marnier, and elderflower liqueur.  At best they tend to share the stage.

Maraschino liqueur fits into this group.  With its very strong flavor profile, it tends to add a bit of complexity to drinks or balance other strong spirits like Green Chartreuse, which it dances with in the Last Word.  I've been wary of this spirit in the past, having been less than thrilled with the way that it seemed to knock certain cocktails out of balance.  I don't particularly care for the Martinez for this reason (and yes, I used actual Old Tom Gin).  Recently, I decided to try to build a cocktail around this maraschino and devised the Glass House.

The Glass House

Ingredients
1.25 ounces of Old Tom Gin (Ransom)
0.33 ounce of maraschino liqueur (Luxardo)
0.75 ounce of fresh red grapefruit juice
1 dash of angostura bitters

Instructions
Shake ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. 

Taste (flavor, balance, and clarity): 7

I think it worked pretty well.  The cherry flavor is still a bit bracing, not exactly sweet but very strong.  I think that the grapefruit juice succeeded in largely offsetting the sweetness of the maraschino and Old Tom Gin, which I used instead of conventional gin because of its louder herbal background.  If anything, I might in the future reduce the maraschino amount.

Versatility (when and for whom the drink works):  6
I would also put this drink firmly in the camp of cocktails to be slowly sipped with some contemplation.  While good, it is not an easy drink and not a casually refreshing one.  Sort of the equivalent of watching Mad Men or Breaking Bad (though not to say this cocktail should be as well regarded as they are - perhaps Boardwalk Empire is the better comparison.)  Further, I think a lot of people aren't real big on cherry flavor in anything other than cherries.  Such people, including my wife, might struggle to enjoy this cocktail.

Hassle (Cost and Time):  6
The drink was fairly expensive, using both Old Tom Gin and Luxardo and took a moderate amount of time to make with the juicing.

Overall:  6.5
This is an interesting drink and one that features some unusual flavors and combinations to reasonably good effect.  It is challenging and not accessible to everyone. 

Potential Modifications
I might lower the maraschino a bit.  I also think that white grapefruit juice, with a stronger and more bitter taste might better balance the cocktail.  Such balancing would essentially change its nature of the cocktail to one that balances two strong flavors instead of one that surrounds one strong one.

A Stiff Apertif: The Wild Pear

As a general matter, I don't drink a lot of aperitifs.  Maybe it's just a cultural thing where some people like Italians, who historically have consumed drinks like vermouth prior to meals, like a little warm up to meals with sweet alcohol but for the most part (the occasional port excepted) it's not my thing.  That said, I've been playing around with a couple recipes, wanting to make a proper cocktail that was refreshing and didn't seem too heavy as a pre-meal drink but with sufficient weight to stand on its own.  This led to the following drink, which is one of my favorite original cocktails.

The Wild Pear

Ingredients
1 ounce of pisco (Diablada)
0.5 ounce of pear brandy (Koening)
0.25 ounce of simple syrup
1 healthy dash of angostura bitters
a slice of pear

Directions
Stir ingredients and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.  Garnish with a slice of skinned pear (preferably ripe). 

Taste (flavor, balance, and clarity):  9
The pisco and pear brandy work really well together.  The pisco gives a rough herbal element that gives way to the pear taste during the swallow.  The simple syrup keeps the drink from being too boozy, while the bitters prevents the syrup and pear brandy from making the drink to sweat and adding a bit of depth.  I though that his was a very easy to drink, though strong cocktail.  Also, I used a very ripe pear for the garnish, which sponged up the alcohol for a nice treat at the end.

Versatility (when and for whom the drink works):  8
This drink works in most occasions.  It can be an aperitif though the cocktail also stands on its own. I will note that though she didn't dislike it, my wife found the drink a bit strong for her preference.  Thus, for those who aren't real big into strong cocktails or brandy flavor this might not be the best choice.

Hassle (Cost and Time):  6
The ingredients are not especially expensive, though I used some nice pisco.  However, it's a fair amount of trouble to make.  First, I strongly recommend using homemade simple syrup.  Additionally, you have to skin and slice a pear.

Overall:  8
I really enjoyed this drink and will break it out with company in the future.  It has a very coherent and crisp taste that transitions nicely between the different elements.  It also makes for a nice presentation with the pear.

Potential Improvements
No real improvements.  I might up the simple syrup to 0.5 ounces for those who like their drinks a little less boozy though.