Burning Booze: Gimmicky or Geniousy?

Like a lot of guys, I possess an inner pyro.  At twelve, I was a terror to many a toy soldier, and grew into something of an aficionado of cheap firecrackers.  These days, the extent of my flame wielding is a gas grill and the occasional a fire in the fireplace.  I was thus intrigued when I watched a clip on the Small Screen Network of the making of the Rubicon, which is very similar to the Last Word, but with singed rosemary.  My bias is clearly towards burning stuff, but I wasn't sure whether the fire actually accomplished anything beyond burning off a bit of the alcohol.

Ingredients:

1.5 ounces of gin (Plymouth)

.5 ounces of maraschino liqueur (Luxardo)
.5 ounces of lemon juice
.5 ounces of Green Chartreuse
A couple of sprigs of rosemary

Directions:  Make a ring with a fresh rosemary sprig in the bottom of a chilled cocktail glass and pour 1/2 ounce of Green Chartreuse on it.  Swirl the Chartreuse and flip the sprig to make sure it is soaked.  Shake the other ingredients with ice in a shaker.  Light the Chartruse and rosemary on fire.  I've seen this done by using a mister with chartreuse and lighting the mist, but I just used a match.  Allow it to burn for several seconds before dousing with the contents of the shaker.  Add a large handful of crushed ice and garnish with a sprig of rosemary on top.

Outcome:  I simultaneously made one version where I lit the rosemary and chartreuse and one where I did not (the latter was largely consumed by my wife, who enjoyed it quite a bit).  I'm not going to go through my typical ranking of taste, versatility, and hassle because of the very high degree of similarity to the Last Word, which I've reviewed.  My goal was to compare the cocktail with and without fire.  The latter predictably was a hair stronger because I hadn't burnt off some of the Chartreuse.  I was pleasantly surprised that there was a discernible taste difference though.  The burnt one had a bit of a smokey taste, a slightly cloudier appearance, and a much stronger rosemary flavor.  The other tasted like the Last Word, with a hint of rosemary.

My conclusion is that for myself, I probably won't make this too often and will stick with the Last Word.  However, the Rubicon mixes things up and makes for a great drink to impress company.  I'm also not sure whether I like adding the crushed ice, which I had fun breaking with a hammer but intentionally weakens the drink.  That said, this is a sipping drink best enjoyed over an extended period, so a couple cubes might not be a bad idea.

The Last Word Cocktail

In this space, I will rate drinks by several measures with the idea being to both figure out which drinks I like the best and to compare iterations of the same drink.  This recipe is courtesy of a Jason Wilson Washington Post column.

Ingredients:

• Ice
• 3/4 ounce gin (Plymouth)
• 3/4 ounce lime juice
• 3/4 ounce green Chartreuse
• 3/4 ounce maraschino liqueur (Luxardo)

Directions:

Shake ingredients with ice and strain, preferably into a martini glass.

The Grades

Taste (flavor, balance, and clarity): 9

This delicious cocktail deftly balanced the very strong notes of maraschino and chartreuse.  Previously, I’ve found lowering maraschino content in drinks because it overpowers the aftertaste – and not in a good way.  The Last Word, one of my first forays into green Chartreuse, twists between the Chartreuse and the maraschino from fist touch on the tongue to the aftertaste, with the lime as a backdrop and the gin providing weight.  As strong as the flavors are, the drink was pretty refreshing, probably from the lime juice.  Not quite my favorite drink but pretty close, the Last Word possesses a pleasing and unique taste.

Versatility (when and for who the drinks works):  8

My wife typically doesn’t like really strong drinks but she liked it quite a bit, though she thought the aftertaste was a bit funny.  I haven’t had the chance to let any friends sample the drink, but I think my buddies will enjoy it.  The Last Word works in a number of venues and isn’t seasonal.  I think that this drink is one that you want to sip and enjoy and perhaps break out on special occasions.  If it were music, it would be something that you played to listen to and not to serve as background.

Hassle (cost and time):  6

The Last Word is pretty expensive.  In addition to the limes, the expensive Chartreuse and Luxardo maraschino liquor can’t be substituted for.  I also used pricey Plymouth gin, which save for what I think of as more delicate drinks, using Beefeater or Bombay Sapphire for certain others.  On the plus side, despite juicing limes, it didn’t take too long to make.

Final Score:    8

I don’t think that the Last Word will be on my regular rotation or I’ll be serving when hosting too many parties because it uses top shelf stuff and takes a bit of time to make.  It’s somewhat wasted as a social lubricant.  However, when I’m feeling a thoughtful and in the mood for something a bit different from the typical Manhattan or Negroni or want to introduce a new drink to someone, I’ll break this out.

Potential Improvements:

No major changes come to mind. Next time, I might slightly lower the maraschino to bring out more of the Chartreuse.  Doing so would also require slightly decreasing the lime for balance.