Tuesday, October 20, 2015

monument valley

3/4 oz Del Maguey Mezcal Vida
1/2 oz Chinaco Blanco Tequila
1 1/4 oz Avèze Gentian Liqueur
1/2 oz St. Germain
1/4 oz Cynar

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass.

After the Boston Bacardi Legacy event two Mondays ago, I traveled a stop up the Red Line to visit State Park. For a first drink, I asked bartender Peter Nelson Jr. for the Monument Valley; since it was his creation, he was well equipped to tell me more about the drink. He described how he named it after a state park in the Four Corners region with vast red sandstone buttes; moreover, he utilized mezcal to donate some smokiness and gentian liqueur to offer dustiness in order to capture the feel of the place. In addition, it did not hurt that the park shared a namesake with one of his favorite puzzle video games.
The Monument Valley gave forth a smoky aroma with earthy rootiness that preceded the caramel and light pear on the sip. Next, the swallow presented smoky agave and Cynar's funky herbalness tempered by the gentian, and it finished with St. Germain's floral notes. The gentian liqueur worked rather well with the mezcal as it has in the Terrible Love and other drinks.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

it did not hurt that the park shared a namesake with one of his favorite puzzle video games

I'd expect a drink called "Monument Valley" to contain some trick of perspective.

frederic said...

I'd say that a drink that was 5/13ths (premelt) gentian liqueur that didn't taste as such is a trick of perspective.

Anonymous said...

I'd say! (I misread that as 1/4 oz.) That's a very interesting recipe.