Wednesday, January 11, 2012

the burlington

2 1/2 oz Old Overholt Rye Whiskey
3/4 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz Smoked Maple Syrup (*)

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass.
(*) 2 parts smoked salt simple syrup to 1 part maple syrup. Smoked salt simple syrup has 5 tsp of smoked salt per quart (~1 tsp per 6 oz simple syrup).

For my second drink at the Citizen Public House, I asked bartender Jess Li for the Burlington. When I inquired about the syrup, Jess flagged down bartender Chad Arnholt. Besides providing the recipe for the syrup, Chad gave a few details about the smoked sea salt he used. Chad prefers an imported sea salt that appears rather tacky and moist instead of dry crystals; in addition to the smoke notes, it also imparts flint and iodine flavors.
The Burlington provided a smoke and rye aroma that came across in a Famous Grouse Scotch-like way, and the sip was full of grape and malt notes that yielded hints of salinity at times. Next, the swallow offered maple, whiskey, Punt e Mes' bitter, and light smoke notes; moreover, the drink was neither overly maple or smoke flavored. The salt functioned quite well to combat the drink's sweetness along with the Punt e Mes' bitterness; in addition, the salt seemed to function well to cut the drink's finish.

3 comments:

Dagreb said...

Where does the name come from? As I grew up in a city called Burlington I'm extra curious.
Cheers!

frederic said...

Since the area around Burlington, VT, is known for their maple syrup production and their maple festivals, I would guess Vermont. I know that there are other Burlingtons including one right here in Massachusetts, but thematically, they do not make as much sense. Perhaps a smoky fireplace in a ski lodge concept? Which state did you grow up in?

Dagreb said...

The Vermont connection makes sense. I grew up in Burlington, Ontario. >