Another Classic Sipper: The Rob Roy Cocktail

Of late, I've been returning to some classic cocktails and making them to their original specifications.  This sounds, and in a way is, unexciting but it serves a couple of purposes.  First, there is a reason why many classic cocktails achieved the notoriety that they did: they are good cocktails.  Second, as I make novel drinks using unconventional ingredient combinations, I think that it is helpful to maintain a grounding in the tastes and ratios of classic cocktails.  It's kind of like making sure you remember your geometry to be an architect.

I think that there are a few basic classic formulas, of which a number of spin-off cocktails, some of which themselves are classic cocktails, are based.  These include the Manhattan, the Martini, the Old-Fashioned, and the Daiquiri.  Last night I tried one that I don't think that I'd had before, the Rob Roy, which is clearly in the Manhattan family, much like the Monte Carlo and the Paddy Cocktail, which I recently described.

Ingredients
2 ounces of Scotch
1 ounce of sweet vermouth
1 dash of orage bitters

Directions
Stir ingredients with ice, strain into a chilled whiskey glass, and garnish wiht a maraschino cherry.

Taste (flavor, balance, and clarity): 7
Much more so than the Paddy Cocktail or the Monte Carlo, this cocktail is really about the base whiskey.  In fact, because I think Scotch is a more pronounced spirit than bourbon or rhy, it is more about the base spirit than a Manhattan is as well.  This drink to me presents a bit of a tension, where the flavors don't really play nice the way bourbon and vermouth do.  It has a harsh element (for extra manliness), but nonetheless is quite tastey and makes you feel like an old man in a dive bar.

Versatility:  6.5
This is a strong cocktail and one that folks who don't like straight Scotch might not be too fond of.  I don't think that this works well for most parties or the patio.  It's more of a quiet sipper while reading or chatting with a couple of friends.

Hassle (Cost and Time): 8
This Rob Roy is no trouble at all to make, with only a few ingredients and no juicing or syrups.  The costs is highly variable depending on the Scotch, but for mixing I woud use a blend, so it shouldn't be too bad.

Overall:  7
This Rob Roy is a slightly harsher Manhattan.  If you are a big Scotch fan, it might be better.  I tend to prefer bourbon.  I also tend to go with an orage peal rather than the cherry.  I'm not sure if there are any specific changes that I would make.  The ratios are right and the taste is what it intend to be if that makes sense.  You could add in any number of secondary ingredients in addition to or in place of the vermouth.  These include cynar, elderflower liqueur, or Cointreau.  Such changes would, however, fundamentally change the drink, which is all about the Scotch.

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.

The Latin Negroni: The Agavoni

One of the things that I've been seeing crop up more and more in both cocktail bars and in the cocktail nerd community is the mixing of geographically disparate spirits to make unconventional cocktails.  Although cocktails have always combined spirits from different places (think gin and vermouth or absinthe and rhy) for certain spirits, there seems to be a limited amount of geographic diversity.  I don't see too many Northern European spirits like genever gin mixed with rum for instance.  Sometimes there is a good reason for that because the flavors just don't work out but other times I think some creativity is rewarded.  That brings up a drink I made last night, the Agavoni, courtesy of Bastian Heuser editor of the German magazine, Mixology.

As the name somewhat implies, this drink combines agave, the primary ingredient of tequila, with the Negroni, an Italian cocktail that includes gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth.

The Agavoni

Ingredients
0.75 ounce of blanco tequila (Tres Generations)
0.75 ounce of Campari
0.75 ounces of sweet vermouth (Dolin)
2 dashes of orange bitters

Directions
Fill an old fashioned glass with ice cubes.  Add ingredients and stir gently.  Garnish with a grapefruit peal.

Outcome
I thought that, while sharing the Negroni's bitter interplay between the vermouth and the Campari, the Agavoni, felt a little more accessible, even with the orange bitters.  The tequila created a smooth, almost herbal background when combined with the bitters and grapefruit peal oils.  All and all, this makes a nice sister drink the Negroni.  It is not as clean as the Negroni, but the added complexity is coherent and purposeful.