Saturday, September 11, 2010

red ant

1 1/2 oz Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse 100)
1/2 oz Kirschwasser
1/2 oz Cherry Heering
1 barspoon Mezcal (Del Maguey Vida)
2 dash Mole Bitters (Homemade)

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a cherry or 3 (Luxardo Maraschino) speared on a cocktail pick to resemble an ant.

For a cocktail on Sunday, the Red Ant in Imbibe magazine had caught Andrea's eye, and indeed, it would make good use of our newly purchased bottle of mezcal. The Red Ant was created by Thomas Waugh when he was at the Alembic in San Francisco (he is now at Death & Co. in New York). He named the drink after the Rio Hormiga Colorada or Red Ant River in Oaxaca, Mexico, which flows through the land where mezcal is made. Waugh called for a three cherry garnish to represent the body parts of an ant, and it reminded me a bit of Camper English's Olive Centipede, albeit a less sinister one.
The Red Ant's nose was a combination of cherry, rye, and mezcal aromas. Cherry and rye flavors appeared on the sip, mezcal on the swallow, and chocolate as an aftertaste. The Cherry Heering did donate a full mouthfeel, but overall, the drink was pretty dry due to the rye and other ingredients.

2 comments:

rafe/lindsay said...

I think(?) this is the first time I've seen a post with homemade Mole bitters. I whipped up your celery bitters a few months ago and have absolutely loved them. It really really helped out the Means of Preservation cocktail you wrote about, which has subsequently become a household favorite. Any chance you can write up the recipe for your mole bitters? I'd love to give those a try.
\\rafe

frederic said...

They were bitters that I never perfected but came out ok. I made them when there was a shortage of Bittermens Bitters in town and one bartender at Drink was having a panic attack. I made him a batch but a day or so before they were done, they were able to get some more of the Bittermens.

The Celery Bitters were definitely a recipe that wasn't rushed and was one of my better recipes. Glad you made them!