waterloo sunset

2 oz Tanqueray Gin
1 oz Martini & Rossi Rosé Vermouth
1 oz Pedro Ximenez Sherry
1 dash Bittermens Burlesque Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass rinsed with Lillet Blanc. Garnish with an orange twist.

Two Mondays ago, we made our way down to the South End to have drinks at Toro. For a first beverage, I asked bartender Andy McNees for the Waterloo Sunset. Andy explained that he had always wanted to name a drink after that Kinks' song. For ingredients, he described how the gin represented the English and the Lillet represented the French in the battle; as for the sherry, his answer was that Toro was a Spanish restaurant after all.
The orange twist's oils welcomed the nose and prepared the mouth for the grapefruit-citrus sip that also contained robust grape notes from the sherry. Most of the sherry flavors though were in the swallow along with the gin's juniper and the bitters' spice and light pepper heat. Stylistically, the Waterloo Sunset reminded me of the Buckminster at Highland Kitchen.

the gypsy

2 oz Plymouth Gin
3/4 oz Yellow Chartreuse
3/4 oz St. Germain
1 oz Lime Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime wedge.

On Monday last week, Andrea and I stopped in for a drink at Toro after dining at Myers & Chang. After perusing the menu, I asked bartender Andy McNees for the Gypsy as the combination of Yellow Chartreuse, St. Germain, and citrus worked rather well in the Beehive's Yellow Jacket. Andy lamented that they were out of the Death's Door Gin that they normally make the Gypsy with, and instead he substituted Plymouth.
The Gypsy's aroma was a combination of the lime juice and the Yellow Chartreuse's herbal notes. The lime juice countered the honeylike flavor from the Yellow Chartreuse on the sip, and the swallow presented the gin with St. Germain's floral and Yellow Chartreuse's savory elements. Overall, the drink was sweet but not cloyingly so, and the liqueurs helped to end the drink on a soft and pretty note.

needle in the hay

1 oz Berkshire Mountain Distillers Corn Whiskey
1 oz Cherry Heering
1 oz Martini & Rossi Rose Vermouth
1 oz Grapefruit Juice
1 dash Bittermens Burlesque Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange twist.

One of the other drinks we had at Toro was the Needle in the Hay. Bartenders Andy McNees and Ian created and named the drink, respectively, and modeled the drink after the Blood and Sand. Instead of Scotch, Andy chose a whiskey made here in Massachusetts by the Berkshire Mountain Distillers. The whiskey is made out of corn harvested within 2 miles of the distillery and is aged with oak and cherry wood. With two other swaps of rose vermouth and grapefruit juice for the traditional sweet vermouth and orange juice, the Needle in the Hay was born.
The drink started with an orange aroma from the twist. The cherry flavors played a large role where it paired with the grapefruit in the sip and the whiskey in the swallow. Moreover, I was impressed at how well the rose vermouth complemented the Cherry Heering. Over all, the Needle in the Hay was a little crisper and sharper than the original given that grapefruit juice and rose vermouth are more distinctive than orange juice and sweet vermouth in the original.

Post note: Ami Li, one of the blog readers, tweeted about how I missed the Elliot Smith song reference in the drink's name. Thanks for the factoid!

pink poodle

2 oz Beija Cachaça
1 1/2 oz Grenadine
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1 Egg White

Dry shake without ice and then shake with ice. Strain into a rocks glass partially filled with fresh ice, and add straws and a cherry.

Two Mondays ago, Andrea and I traveled down to the Southend to eat at Estragon. Since their bartender was out sick, after dinner, we wandered over to Toro for drinks and dessert. We were lucky that bartender Andy McNees was working that night for I had not sat at his bar in quite a while. Andy was a part of our early memories of Eastern Standard and our middle memories of Green Street, but any time I passed by Toro, it was either too crowded or Andy was not working that night. Alas, late Monday night was a sweet spot and soon two seats opened up at the bar.
For a drink, I picked the Pink Poodle off of the menu. The drink called out to me for it reminded me of a cachaça version of the Pink Lady. Moreover, it seemed right to have Andy serve it for he was there when I had my first Clover Club which is a similar pink egg white-laden cocktail. Here, the cachaça contributed greatly to the Pink Poodle's aroma along with a fruit notes from the grenadine and citrus. Moreover, the spirit donated a grassiness to the sweet and citrussy sip and a funkiness on the swallow. Indeed, these extra notes in the cachaça made the Pink Poodle rather interesting to drink even after the egg white smoothed out the flavors. The only change I would make would be to reduce the grenadine down to an ounce for the drink was a tad on the sweet side for me.