Saturday, April 17, 2010

casablanca

2 oz Medjool Date-infused Gentleman Jack
1/2 oz S. Maria al Monte Amaro
1/2 oz Rock Candy Syrup
1 dash Ginger Bitters (Housemade)

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass.

After my DJ gig on Monday night, Andrea and I walked over to Eastern Standard to get dinner and drinks. For my first cocktail, I asked bartender Josh Taylor for the Casablanca off of the infusion section of the menu. "A thousand and one pleasures to be yours" was the subtitle underneath the drink name, and Josh more aptly described the drink as a Toronto variation. The menu listed both dates and vanilla flavors; however, the vanilla was not in the whiskey but in the housemade rock candy syrup. When I inquired about the ginger bitters, Josh replied that they were his creation and were a result of needing to use an excess of ginger purchased for an event last year.

The Casablanca started with a whiskey, ginger, and herbal nose. The dates provided a richness that mellowed the whiskey, and the drink was minty and slightly spicy on the swallow. The S. Maria al Monte proved to be more gentle in this drink than the Fernet Branca in the Toronto.

1 comment:

Joe said...

Odd - I had this drink at ES last night too! I liked it so much I wanted to make it at home, but every recipe I found for a Casablanca is some rum drink.