cherry samba

1 1/2 oz Cachaça (Cuca Fresca Gold)
1/2 oz Cherry Liqueur (Cherry Heering)
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/4 oz Islay Scotch (Caol Ila 12 Year)
1/4 oz Rich Simple Syrup (2:1)
1 Large Egg

Shake once without ice and once with. Strain into a flute (coupe glass).

On Saturday, the Liquor Fairy brought a package of cachaças from Cuca Fresca; contained within were samples of their unaged silver and their aged gold spirits. Tasting them straight, the distillers did a good job as both contained the right level of grassy and funky notes without any off or harsh flavors. The gold version had aromas of tropical fruits like banana and coconut from the barrel aging process. For a cocktail, I remember spotting a curious one by Neyah White in the 2009 edition of Food & Wine: Cocktails called the Cherry Samba. What drew me to it was the pairing of cachaça and Scotch which worked so well in the Esmerelda as it brought out some rather interesting earthy notes to that drink.

The nose of the Cherry Samba was a combination of the smoky Scotch and the funky, grassy notes of the cachaça. The sip was smooth from the egg white and had a pleasant sweet cherry-flavored sour aspect to it. The cachaça appeared on the swallow which rather dried out drink, and the Scotch notes showed as well and lingered on for a bit. After a few sips in, the Scotch notes were not as noticeable either through flavor acclimation or the egg's coating of the mouth. Moreover, the drink became a bit more tart after the initial sensation of sweet subsided part way in.