Was looking for an easy to put together cocktail and found this in Diffords Trinity Cocktail list. As others have mentioned, a very nice drink. In case any one was undecided about the optional water, for this drink I would suggest trying it with out +/- a longer shake. I added the water as my ice is "dry" but found it too dilute for my taste. Having said that, this is a definite repeat but without the extra water.
I trimmed the lemon down by 5ml (as is my habit with my potent lemons!) and this was a totally delightful beverage that managed to be adroitly balanced. Chipper and tart but not sour. The Triple Sec sweetens the mix perfectly. This is going into my regular rotation!
Supposedly, the first appearance of the Balalaika was published in the 1965 revised edition of The Savoy Cocktail Book. I haven't been able to confirm this myself, but the Japanese cocktail book 新版 バーテンダーズマニュアル credits it.
Very nice. Citrus, obviously, is the predominant flavor; however, this is not very sour. It is actually very balanced as is. Used Cointreau as my triple sec.
This is certainly citrus-y and slightly sharp, what with the equal proprtion of lemon juice. Based on an old 80s cocktail book recipe, I have also tried this with Curaçao - Giffard's is a lovely opaque orange colour, and find its more complex flavour goes very well with the vodka and lemon. To my taste, the De Kuyper Triple Sec version ideally needs a little sugar syrup.
Correction: the Giffard is an attractive transparent orange Curaçao (not opaque). Thanks for the notification - the newly rebalanced ingredients look to be a very enticing proposition!