Monday, October 3, 2011

69 holland

1 oz Plymouth Gin
1 oz Bols Genever
3/4 oz Meletti Amaro
1/2 oz Amontillado Sherry
2 dash Peach Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Twist a grapefruit peel over the top and discard.

Two Sundays ago after dining at VeeVee in Jamaica Plain, Andrea and I decided to stop by Hungry Mother on our way home. For my first drink, I asked bartender Heather Mojer for the 69 Holland. I knew that the drink was a reference to the Boston Shaker store's address in Somerville, MA, and Heather described how the recipe was a collaboration with Adam Lantheaume, the store's owner. The concept of the dual gin styles in the recipe stemmed from a trip to Manhattan where Heather and others visited spirit-centric bars including Mayahuel (tequila and mezcal) and Vandaag (Genever and aquavit). The idea of using sherry in the 69 Holland also came from Mayahuel where many of the drinks use this fortified wine, and perhaps the Genever aspect was influenced by Vandaag. One of the other ingredients was Meletti Amaro which I was introduced to by Aaron Butler (ex-Drink, now Russell House Tavern) in beverages like the Death by Misadventure; Meletti has been described as containing caramel, saffron, and floral notes besides other herbal flavors.
The 69 Holland greeted me with a fresh grapefruit oil aroma. The sip presented the malt from the Genever and a light grape flavor from the sherry; moreover, there was a slight zing here from the grapefruit peel that could have been derived somewhat from the gins as well. Finally, the drink wrapped up with a nutty, caramel, and peach combination on the swallow.

2 comments:

erik.ellestad said...

Genever, Gin, Meletti, Sherry, and bitters! Now that sounds like a tasty drink! Though I do not particularly care for some of the commercial Peach Bitters. Which did they use in the drink?

frederic said...

I believe it was one that you don't care for but is the easiest to find. For a fee, I could tell you what it was, but you could probably guess which fake tasting peach bitters it was.