tiger blood

1 1/2 oz Campari
3/4 oz Cherry Heering
3/4 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Twist a lemon peel over the top. Variation: equal parts (1 oz) for all 3 ingredients.

Last week, Mixoloseum hosted a Thursday Drink Night toasting the poetry of Charlie Sheen. One of the descriptions for the event read, "Use the gleefully deranged rantings of Charlie Sheen to inspire your drinks this week!" Regardless on your stance of celebrity train wrecks, mental illness, and the like, Mr. Sheen's comments surely did generate a large number of potential drink names. For my first drink, I chose one of the more obvious phrases of "Tiger Blood" especially since it reminded me of Charles H. Baker Jr.'s drink Tiger Milk. When I thought of red ingredients and drinks, the Campari-laden Teresa from Gary Regan's The Joy of Mixology came to mind. Instead of Creme de Cassis, I swiched liqueurs to Cherry Heering especially since it is rather red in addition to being an ingredient in the Blood and Sand. Since lemon and Cherry Heering pair so well together such as in the High Hat, I chose it over the lime that is in the Teresa.
The Tiger Blood was definitely more red than I expected, and the nose was filled with lemon and Campari notes. On the tongue, the sip was a sour-cherry flavor that was not too tart, and the swallow was even further cherry flavor which was modified by the Campari's bitterness. The Tiger Blood was a bit more Campari-driven than the Teresa; I am not sure whether the lime or the Creme de Cassis helped to neutralize its flavor more than the lemon and Cherry Heering, respectively. While I did not have a chance to tinker with the proportions much, perhaps an equal parts (1 ounce each) recipe might bring the drink into better balance.