dalang cooler

1 oz Batavia Arrack
1 oz Drambuie
1 oz Madeira (Blandy's 5 Year Old Verdelho)
1 oz Orange Juice

Build on ice in a highball glass, stir, and top with 1-2 oz of soda water. Garnish with an orange slice.
For Mixoloseum's Thursday Drink Night last week, the theme was "tall drinks." While looking for inspiration, my eyes kept stopping on the bottle of Drambuie which worked so well in another tall drink, the Mackinnon. To complement the Drambuie, I opted for a pair of more vintage-styled spirits with a nautical past, Batavia Arrack and Madeira. To round out the drink, I added orange juice to soften the Batavia Arrack and Madeira's sharper notes and soda water to help beat down Drambuie's sweetness. For a name, I went with the Dalang Cooler as a nod to the Indonesian origin of the Batavia Arrack; the dalang is the puppet master in Javanese shadow puppet performances. The Dalang Cooler showcased the orange and Batavia Arrack on the nose. Next, a crisp citrus sip was supplemented by grape notes from the Madeira; the sharper notes of the Madeira appeared on the swallow where it paired well with the Batavia Arrack. Overall, the Dalang Cooler was flavorful yet rather easy to drink.