Thursday, October 18, 2012

western passage

1 1/2 oz Batavia Arrack
1/2 oz Dolin Sweet Vermouth
1/2 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth
1/2 oz Green Yellow Chartreuse (*)
1 dash Aromatic Bitters
1 dash Orange Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a cherry, and twist an orange peel over the top.
(*) The drink was served with Green Chartreuse (see comments for the recipe that was printed out for me).  After the Imbibe Magazine article came out with the recipe as Yellow Chartreuse, Deep Ellum lists the drink as a Yellow Chartreuse one on the website's menu.
Two Mondays ago, we stopped by Deep Ellum for dinner. For a first drink, I asked bartender Danielle for the Western Passage. Owner Max Toste later described how he created this recipe for Imbibe Magazine and just put it on the cocktail menu in anticipation of winter. The drink began with Green Chartreuse and funky Batavia Arrack aromas. Next, the sip offered grape flavors with hints of the Green Chartreuse's herbal notes, and the swallow followed that up with a wallop of Batavia Arrack and Green Chartreuse notes. Overall, with the Green Chartreuse and Batavia Arrack notes, the Western Passage came across like an angry Bohannon.

5 comments:

Tikiwise said...

The Imbibe recipe asks for Yellow Chartreuse - so who's right? :)

frederic said...

This is the recipe printed off of Deep Ellum's system. It clearly says green and mine was made with green.

http://i49.tinypic.com/344b293.jpg

I can ask Max the back story on that, like whether it was developed with yellow and sent in to Imbibe and later switched to green for the menu, or whether it was always green and the magazine mixed it up (I have had my recipes badly altered somewhere between email to print).

frederic said...

The Deep Ellum website now lists the drink as a Yellow Chartreuse drink. Still need to ask Max what happened.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for posting this fantastic great drink, I just enjoyed it: http://swizzzlestick.com/2015/01/11/western-passage/
Is the Sweet Vermouth a white one? Then I need to try it again. :-)

frederic said...

I went by the recipe they printed out for me. I saw the coloration of your drink and agree that the two don't match up as well.