volstead cocktail

1/3 Rye (1 oz Sazerac 6 Year)
1/3 Swedish Punsch (1 oz Homemade Ellestad recipe)
1/6 Orange Juice (1/2 oz)
1/6 Syrup Framboise (1/2 oz Homemade mulberry syrup)
1 dash Anisette (1/2 barspoon Herbsaint)

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. I added a lemon twist.

On Friday night, I was flipping through Harry McElhone's Barflies and Cocktails and spotted the Volstead Cocktail. The entry provided the history as follows, "This cocktail was invented at Harry's New York Bar, Paris, in honor of Mr. Andrew J. Volstead, who brought out the Dry Act in U.S.A. and was the means of sending to Europe such large numbers of Americans to quench their thirst." The recipe seemed like such a curious collection of elements that I needed to give this one a whirl to understand the outcome. Instead of using our raspberry syrup, I substituted in the mulberry syrup I made from locally harvested berries.
The Volstead Cocktail was an intense red hue from the mulberry syrup and possessed an aroma of lemon oil and fruit. The sweet sip was colored with spiciness from the rye and Swedish Punsch. The orange juice, unlike lemon or lime, did not cut the sweetness of the syrup; therefore, the balance was a bit sweeter than my preferred range but overall not overly so. Lastly, the Herbsaint donated a hint of anise at the end of the swallow, and this note began to linger at a low but constant level after a few sips. Despite the hodgepodge recipe, the Volstead Cocktail turned out rather well.