Tuesday, December 6, 2011

autumn sweater

2 oz Laird's Applejack
1/4 oz Averna
1/4 Cinzano Sweet Vermouth
2 dash Bittermens Mole Bitters
1 Sugar Cube

Muddle sugar cube with bitters. Add rest of ingredients and ice, stir, and strain into a rocks glass. Garnish with an orange twist.
The other drink I had at the Independent two Sundays ago when Evan Harrison was guest bartending was the Autumn Sweater. Evan described the drink to be like an Applejack Old Fashioned, but the addition of the sweet vermouth and Averna would add some greater depth to the mix. The Autumn Sweater greeted my nose with a bright orange oil aroma with lower notes from the Averna and possibly the sweet vermouth. The sip started as an apple and rich caramel taste that gained grape flavors over time as the drink warmed up. The swallow then showcased the Averna's spice notes and the bitter's chocolate ones to round out the drink.

7 comments:

SPS said...

I wonder whether the drink's name is a reference to the Yo La Tengo track of the same name.

frederic said...

Given the other bartenders at the Independent who created and named this recipe, it is rather likely. I do know Yo La Tengo, but not this song (remedying that now via Youtube and my headphones). The reminded me of the Smoking Jacket which is another seasonal, colder weather drink.

SPS said...

It's actually one of my favorite songs in Yo La Tengo's catalog. Perfect for the dreary Northeast weather we've been having today. As would this cocktail.

bza said...

funny, there's a drink named Autumn Sweater in the new book Bitters - also with averna built over a rock with an orange twist, but featuring rye, nonino, maple syrup, and two kinds of bitters instead.

It's one of my all-time favorite songs, so there's no reason why multiple people shouldn't be inspired by it!

frederic said...

How are the recipes in the Bitters book? And how is the rest of the book in general? I read one poor review and a few good ones. I was surprised by the luke warm one since most book reviews are rather positive regardless of the book.

bza said...

The book is very basic. I expected it to be more of a history of bitters a la Wondrich, but it turned out to be more of a recipe book - all of the introduction stuff I already knew and you would certainly know too. There are a number of recipes for making bitters, then a classic section, modern drinks, and bitters in the kitchen.

The recipes are well done, but the new drinks often require making something or relatively obscure bitters that I don't really care to buy (e.g. the Autumn Sweater has Urban Moonshine Maple Bitters in it).

Overall it's a moderately enjoyable book that's well-made, but coming out so close to the PDT book - which IMO is the definitive modern cocktail book - makes it seem especially unessential.

bza said...

hey look - another Autumn Sweater!

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/12/sepias-autumn-sweater-rum-calvados-cocktail-recipe.html