Tuesday, March 6, 2012

l'amerique

1 1/2 oz Low Gap White Whiskey
3/4 oz House Rosé Vermouth (see here)
1/2 oz Yellow Chartreuse
1/4 oz Simple Syrup

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass. Twist an orange peel over the top and discard.

Two Monday's ago after my DJing gig, we headed up to Eastern Standard to catch a late dinner. For my first drink, I asked bartender Carrie Cole for the L'Amérique that was described as " Green Point Elegance" on the menu. Instead of the Green Point's rye, they opted for an unaged 100% wheat whiskey that many reviews describe as having pleasing fruit, grain, and spice notes. Keeping the Yellow Chartreuse untouched, the original's Punt e Mes was swapped for the house strawberry-infused rosé vermouth.
The L'Amérique possessed an aroma of orange oil, whiskey, and something earthy and almost chocolate like. The sweet malty sip led into a strawberry and herbal swallow. Overall, it was a lot lighter than a Green Point for it lacked Punt e Mes' bitter and the rye's barrel aged notes. As the drink got warmer, it became much sweeter and almost dessert-like in balance; for my palate, the simple syrup could have been left out entirely.

2 comments:

Paul said...

Hi Frederic ! Do you think strawberry infused Lillet Rosé would work as well? I suppose using Punt e Mes would turn the flavor profile in a different direction, even if it would be tasty.
Paul

frederic said...

Definitely worth a shot. Also, one of the reasons that I stopped writing about drinks that have house ingredients with no commercial (or easily made) versions.