My notes from two years ago said there was too much pastis. Made this again today, cutting the pastis down to 5 ml and subbing the rich simple with homemade spearmint syrup... It tastes like a subtly mintier South Side. The pastis is mellow at first, slowly blooms sip over sip... It's alright, but I think I'd prefer and absinthe rinse to the pastis. What do you think?
Like the Canarie, I tried this twice. First time using Alton Brown's spearmint syrup recipe. Second time with 10 ml rich simple to one drop of peppermint essential oil. Math wiz drinkers will notice I tested this recipe at 2/3 measure. The spearmint syrup is more earthy in its expression. The oil syrup is like toothpaste. The grenadine is a bit lost, but tingling in the background. I did like the flavor pairings in this drink, but I prefer the ratio and lemon tinge in the Canarie. Curious how you'd compare the two drinks...
I made a lemon oleo for my syrup. Tried the drink twice with Ricard Pastis. First time around I found 2-3 shots (assuming 30 ml per) the sweet spot as far as toning down the dulce while maintaining the expressive character of the ingredients. 4 shots starts to thin the flavors, but it's still tasty. Second time, I decided to add a dash of Fee Bros Lemon Bitters to enhance that flavor and maybe tame some of the sweetness. Amazing but not surprising how potent that product is... Overall, I found this to be an enjoyable drink. I do love simple recipes.
I will make this again sticking to the specs. But I used what I had and it was hopefully complimentary to the above recipe... The only tweaks I made was 12.5 ml rich syrup and 2.5 ml celery bitters, then upped the pickle brine to 10 ml. Quite delightful and speaks to my leanings.
I can see the potential, but I feel like a commercial, spicy peppery brine is better than the otherwise tasty Ba Tampte Half Sour brine I had. Dewar’s (as suggested to me here) would also be more desirable than the malty pot still Irish whiskey I used. Not much honey presence. I will come back to this though...
Made the recipe to its most recent specs here and was bored with the result. One of my regular house ryes is Dad’s Hat Pennsylvania Rye, which is sedately spicy but has depth in malty and toasty barrel notes. Made it a second time using 45-20-15 specs with 2.5 ml of rich syrup. Not yet ideal, but still orangey. Gonna get surgical with this. 3/4 oz Strega might express best, but now I'm out of that, to my temporary relief.
SoIid and begging for mint with 4:1 Appleton 12 to Rhum J.M 55%. I think a gold or hogo rum would give this more depth. Medicinal and lozenge candy like the way I went.
I don't have a honey/mint gin. Made mine with 8:1 Tanqueray to Tempus Fugit white creme de menthe and that's plenty mint flavor. Overall flavor had a fresh green herbal bent. If and when I make this again, I would make it the same way, but use Barr Hill Gin from VT, which has a heavy honey tone to it. It sounds sublime. Such a delicious, distinct gin. I feel like a fresh balsamic-laden tomato and feta salad would go splendidly with it.
I like Andre's suggestion of a teaspoon of agave. I found this tasted like a herbal lemonade and I would not dream of reducing the Strega. It could use a touch of extra sweetness and perhaps some soda or grapefruit soda topper in a Collins instead. As the recipe is, it's rather too dry for me. But its top notes are appealing.
Used Appleton 12 and amontillado. I can see its potential, but deviating from the call ingredients might be what's making it muddy. I do get subtle hints of each ingredient. I feel like reducing the lime might enhance overall expression. Seems like an additional clove and doubling the pastis wouldn't be overkill.
Used more fresh oregano than called for. Might want to infuse some mezcal with it first next time. Also used 4:1 tequila to Laphroaig 10 (poor sub for mezcal) and Strega. Turned out delightful and moreish. Subtle hint of oregano spice in the aftertaste. Damn delicious.
Seeing the name made me anticipate a cherry bomb. Delighted that it turned out to have what I feel was the ideal level of cherry. I used Wild Turkey 101, Cocchi Storico, Dad's Hat Rye, and Luxardo Sangue Morlacco. Always pleased to be able to use the pricey yet primo Bob's vanilla... first sip, I was gonna dump this, but now I'm considering another... Well done sir.
My first reaction was ‘Meh’, good but nothing really stood out. As I let it sit a bit though, it really opened up. Once the initial chill is gone, it’s much more interesting.
Agreed. I just found myself saying the same thing. I'm curious to try this again with different brands. Seems like it could lend to some interesting experiments...
Maybe not recommended, but I colored the last 45 ml of my Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao with one drop of blue food coloring. Visual result was a slightly more vivid, almost florescent blue. A little alarming... Enjoyed its expression of sweetness without additional syrup. A bit off balanced overall, but tasty enough.
Unfortunately don't have the room to keep multiple amari in hand. But, having this with Cynar, and suspecting the result beforehand, I would recommend following this recipe closely, as far as using sweeter, fruitier brands. At the very least, do not use an extra bitter, robust amaro... flipped the amaro to Strega ratio and it was too heavy in the latter direction... evened them out third try and it was more palatable, if the least dynamic... Interesting meeting of flavors...
I messed with this 5 or more ways, one try included a splash of gin... Using Punt e Mes, I found a 4:4:3 ratio, with the Fernet toned down slightly, made for the best harmonious expression of all 3 ingredients.
I love the concept, and I've riffed on a Daiquri with similar ingredients... Made this with Rhum J.M 55% and just cane syrup with an extra 5 ml hit of rose water for flavor. My rum choice was not ideal, but not off-putting... I'll mess more with this.
Little hit of hoppy ale up front (used my homebrewed bitter) followed by a vague fruit punch flavor. Second sip in and the maple (dark amber from VT) expresses itself. Overall quite fruity, with the bourbon giving a slight kiss of its character in the background. Too easy to slug back.
Out of vodka, but I would've made this with gin anyway... OK with gin at the prescribed measures. Upped the gin by 5 ml and reduced the pastis by 5 ml and then it was too much gin that made me crave instead some vodka. Interesting how dramatic it shifts. Decent drink if you prefer the more strident alcohol and fragrant nuances. Perfect for a Nick and Nora.
Funny how this does resemble a Sazerac. I thought the measure of syrup seemed a bit much, but it's arguably perfect. Used Wild Turkey 101. Very pleasing drink, and I've found few I've vibed with using pastis. Well done!
One of the better drinks I've tried with the Herbsaint I'm trying to rid of. The measures of mint leaves and lime are essential to balancing out the anise blast. The syrup measure seems a touch excessive at first, but there's little residual sweetness. Kind of a fresh cut grass flavor in the aftertaste. Anise liqueur must have a spirit companion that can be used to both compliment and cut down the intensity of the anise...
Found that I'd run out of Byrrh, so I replaced it with Punt e Mes. Appleton 12 and Bruto Americano along for the ride. Bold fruitiness without being too sweet, bit of dark sugar in the aftertaste. Nice lil sipper.
The mint is barely present in the finished product. I would double it. Cocchi Americano and Bacardi Carta Blanca was a more than serviceable flavor combo. I quite like this recipe.
Mad flavorful. Used what I had. Cocchi Americano, Rhum J.M Terroir Volcanique, Strega. Sweetness balanced enough to either take a splash of soda or sweetened carbonated mixer. Shouldn't push it too far over the edge in either direction. Surprising degree of pineapple essence, given the meager measure. Wouldn't put this on ice.