Saturday, May 23, 2009

cat's pajamas

1 oz Gin (North Shore Distillery #6)
1 oz Campari
1/2 oz Green Chartreuse
1/2 oz Orange Juice
1/4 oz Maple Syrup

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Flame an orange peel over the top.

Last night while making dinner, I decided to make a cocktail from the current issue of Imbibe magazine. One that stood out was the Cat's Pajamas created by George Austin Sproule who bartends at Las Vegas' Downtown Cocktail Room. Besides the intriguing combination of Campari and Chartreuse, the recipe was attractive as it provided a good excuse to try out the North Shore Distillery gin that Andrea brought back from her recent trip out to Indiana.

The drink was definitely very Campari-driven but the Chartreuse lended a lot of surrounding flavor. Moreover, the Campari and freshly squeezed orange juice complemented each other rather well. The drink had the right degree of sweetness with a hint of the maple flavor appearing in the first part of the sip. Perhaps the flavors of this cocktail were a bit too intense to fully appreciate the new gin; however, there were no other regrets in making this tasty cocktail.

1 comment:

Kitt said...

I saw this cocktail in the magazine too and tried it out, having conveniently just purchased by first bottle of Campari. My Tanqueray Ten gin was pretty much drowned out by the dynamic duo of Green Chartreuse on the front end and the powerful Campari aftertaste, but I still enjoyed it. I might try it without the OJ and syrup to see what effect they add to the mix (they probably smooth it out a good bit).