Monday, September 19, 2011

good things come

1 3/4 oz Redbreast Irish Whiskey (Knappogue)
1/2 oz Pedro Ximénez Sherry (Lustau)
1/2 oz Fernet Branca
1/4 oz Yellow Chartreuse
1 dash Scrappy's Lavender Bitters (homemade floral bitters)

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
Two Fridays ago, I opened up Beta Cocktails looking for a nightcap. When I read off Jeff Grdinich's Good Things Come, Andrea gave it the thumbs up. While we lacked two of the ingredients, namely Redbreast and Lavender Bitters, we figured that subbing in another Irish whiskey and homemade Bumblebee Bitters would work rather well. On the nose, the drink presented to me a malt and mint aroma, while Andrea detected a minty vermouth-like one. We did agree that the sip was malty and grape from the whiskey and sherry, respectively; moreover, the swallow contained the Fernet Branca along with raisiny notes from the Pedro Ximénez. The Fernet was surprisingly tamed here, but it was hard to miss especially as a light but lingering menthol note at the end. The sherry gave the Irish whiskey some body, and we surmised that it was what mellowed the Fernet Branca so well.

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