Sunday, June 18, 2017

saratoga julep

1 oz Rye Whiskey (Old Overholt)
1 oz Cognac (Camus VS)
1 oz Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
2 dash Angostura Bitters
8 leaf Mint

Muddle mint in sweet vermouth. Add the rest of the ingredients and crushed ice, stir, top with crushed ice, garnish with mint sprigs, and add a straw.

After work on Sunday, I was inspired by the Prescription and American House Juleps to think about what other whiskey-brandy drinks might make for a good Julep. Or perhaps, I started with the angle of making a Benedictine-driven Julep given the minty note I often find in drinks containing the liqueur. Both led me to thinking about the Vieux Carré, but in the end, I settled on Jerry Thomas' Saratoga Cocktail which is like the Vieux Carré minus the Benedictine and Peychaud's Bitters. I was also curious to see if sweet vermouth would work well in a Julep similar to how Dubonnet did in the Dubonnet Mint Julep.
The Saratoga Julep proffered a mint aroma that led into a malt and grape-laden sip. Next, the rye and Cognac flavors on the swallow were spiced by mint, clove, and allspice elements. Overall, the grape added a lot to the sip, and the Angostura Bitters rather complemented the mint but not taken as far as in the Magic Julep.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

The Saratoga is one of my favorites (in part because the three-equal-parts recipe is really easy to remember). I'll have to give this variant a try!