Two At The Most » Amaro

MxMo XLIII: Vermouth — The Visconti

Stevi — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 03:12:28 +0000

Fall is closing in fast, but October refuses to leave until we honor it with a Mixology Monday. Over at Cocktailians, Vidiot is hosting a most excellent theme, Vermouth. He bids us:

Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to present a delectable vermouth cocktail for us all to drool over. Sweet/Italian or dry/French vermouth are fair game of course, as are quinquina, aperitif wines like Pineau des Charentes, or for that matter any fortified, aromatized wine such as Lillet (red or white), or Dubonnet (ditto.)

Vermouth is a true workhorse of the classic cocktail world. Without it, a martini is just be cold gin. Fortified wines are among my favorite mixers, and my refrigerator is bulging with various bottles of Lillet, Punt e Mes, sweet, blanc, and dry vermouth.¹

Visconti

One of my favorite ways to change up a drink is simply to switch the vermouth used. Like a martini with dry vermouth? I bet it willl be great with Lillet blanc! Can’t decide between a martini and a martinez? Make a perfect martini with equal parts of each!

Another favorite drink of mine is the Negroni, with equal parts London dry gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth. This is a great base to experiment with, as I have show several times here at Two at the Most. One of my most successful substitutions so far was the Rumgroni, simply using rum instead of gin.

Last time I was in the mood for a Rumgroni, my eye was caught by my bottle of Amaro Ramazzotti. I’ve covered Ramazzotti several times, because it’s a fantastic amaro. I decided to give it a whirl in place of the Campari. While the initial taste was great, to my surprise going full equal parts on the Ramazzotti seemed to make it too dominant — surprising to me since I think of it as much more mild than Campari.

Visconti

1 ounce Jamaican run (Appleton V/X)
0.75 ounces Amaro Ramazzotti
1 ounce sweet vermouth

Stir over ice until well chilled and strain into rocks glass with one piece of ice. Garnish with flamed orange peel.

Dialing the Ramazzotti back to 3/4 ounce and adding a flamed orange twist garnish made for a great balance. This is another drink that will go into rotation in my home bar. Full and rich, yet easy to sip, and made all the better because of the sweet vermouth. I decided to call it the Visconti after the House of Visconti, long time rulers of the Duchy of Milan. Since it’s a take on the Negroni, named after another duke, it seemed apt.

Thanks, Vidiot, for a great topic. Be sure to check out Cocktailians for the wrap-up!

[1] Please tell me you already know to keep your open vermouth in the fridge to make it last longer!

MxMo XXXIX: Amaro — Averna

Stevi — Tue, 19 May 2009 01:59:40 +0000

Another month, another time to sort out what Roman numeral comes next. It’s Mixology Monday, and this month our fearless host is Chuck Taggart, who blogs about food and cocktails over at Looka! on the Gumbo Pages. Chuck has asked us to tackle the world of potable bitters:

You could use something gentle, like the lovely Amaro Montenegro, or something in-your-face, like the aforementioned Fernet. You could go insane, like a few intrepid Chicago bartenders have done, and actually make cocktails with Jeppson Malört, which is the most mind-bogglingly, unrelentingly bitter liqueur ever. Or you could find something relatively rare, like a pelinkovac from Serbia or Croatia. Just remember we’re talking about a bitter liqueur you drink from a glass, not an aromatic bitters you add by the dash. [...] The world of bitters is your canvas.

That I have come to like bitter liqueurs is one of the biggest surprises for me in my growth as a cocktail geek. I’ve had great success mixing with Campari and Ramazzotti, and truly love Aperol. For this MxMo, I thought I’d talk about another favorite amaro, Averna.

Santo Spirito Cocktail

Made in Sicily, Amaro Averna is named for the family that has produced it since 1868, originally for house guests. The original recipe was reportedly created by Benedictine friars who gave the recipe to Salvatore Averna in 1859 as a thank you for his role as benefactor of the convent of the Abbey of Santo Spirito in his hometown of Caltanissetta. It was Salvatore’s son, Francesco, who started taking the amaro to fairs and creating a wider audience.

Averna is produced by soaking a secret blend of herbs, roots, and citrus rinds in a base liquor, after which a natural caramel is added for sweetness. It is bottled at 64 proof (32% ABV).

On the nose and the tongue, the caramel is definitely evident. There’s a slight citrus tang. The herbal profile is well balanced, so much so that I’m not absolutely sure what is there. I sense a hint of gentian and some cinnamon notes. It’s the sort of flavor profile that makes me want to train my palate better to pick out the specific constituents.

Over at A Dash of Bitters, Michael Dietsch demonstrates that Averna works well with Campari. This confirms my finding that sometimes the best way to mix with a flavorful spirit is to mix it with another flavorful spirit.

I wanted to have a drink that featured Averna more prominently. My favorite way to drink it is on the rocks, topped with sparkling lemonade. I also enjoy Aperol in a spritz with sparkling wine. So I decided to create a riff on the French 75, only using Averna instead of the simple syrup.

Santo Spirito

2 oz dry gin (Voyager)
1 oz Amaro Averna
0.5 oz lemon juice
sparkling wine to top

Shake first three ingredients and double strain into a champagne flute. Top with sparkling wine.

I resisted the urge to add some additional sweetener to this drink. Averna is fairly sweet for an amaro, and I think it brings enough to make this a well balanced sipper of a drink.

Thanks to Chuck for a great topic. Be sure to keep an eye out for the MxMo wrap up, which is sure to be full of other celebrations of the bitter side of liquor!

MxMo XXXVIII: Superior Twists — The Rumgroni

Stevi — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 02:29:45 +0000

This month’s Mixology Monday is being hosted by Tristan at The Wild Drink Blog. He’s put forth the following challenge:

This month’s Mixology Monday is all about twists on classic cocktails, that for one reason or another do an even better job than the drinks upon which they are based.

This could be as simple as a classic Margarita with a dash with a special touch that completes it, or maybe as complicated as a deconstructed Hemingway Daiquiri with a homemade rum foam/caviar/jus/trifle. It might be taking a classic like a Manhattan and using Tequila instead of Bourbon?

This was a difficult theme for me. Not because it is hard, but because in some ways it is too easy. Creating a new drink by subbing one ingredient for another is how I, like countless others, began my journey into inventing my own drinks.

Rumgroni

Usually I found that my greated substitutions had been discovered long before I tried them. I’ve even reversed engineered a classic or two by starting with the twist, not knowing it was a twist, and figuring out what the drink started as.

I was tempted to write up the Black River Sidecar, a drink of mine that won an early TDN. I had linked to Rick’s great writeup of the drink when he posted it (my prize for winning), but had never posted the recipe here. But I realized I’d never be able to match his funky garnish, and decided I wanted to try something new.

A drink I’m finding remarkably versatile is the Negroni. Initially it seemed to me that this combination of Campari, sweet vermouth, and gin would be hard to tinker with, working largely on its marriage of specific flavors.

Many experiments with it involve subbing another amaro, such as Aperol, for the Campari, or a different aromatized wine, such as Punt e Mes, for the sweet vermouth.

Then I discovered the Agavoni, which trades the gin for tequila, and creates an equally delicious, if very different drink.

Since I was able to participate in TDN Mount Gay XO at Vessel, I still have a fair amount of my bottle left. I realized that it, too, might have the strength to stand up to Campari and sweet vermouth. And so it did. And so I give you the Rumgroni.

Rumgroni

1 oz dark rum (Mount Gay Extra Old)
1 oz Campari
1 oz sweet vermouth

Build over ice.

The molasses and oak from the MGXO are surprisingly dominant on the nose. This is a much drier drink than either the Negroni or the Agavoni. I might be tempted to add a little honey mix next time.

What’s your favorite variation on a cocktail classic? Check out the roundup of the opinions of this months Mixology Monday partipants over at The Wild Drink Blog!

Mount Gay Extra Old Rum

Stevi — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 03:32:28 +0000

This Thursday, April 9, Thursday Drink Night will be sponsored by Mount Gay Extra Old Rum, and I received a sample bottle to prepare for the event.

Milanese Sailor

Mount Gay Distilleries holds the distinction of being the oldest rum in the world, with documentation of rum production at the Mount Gay estate dating to February 20, 1703.

The Extra Old is perhaps the most distinguished product of Mount Gay Rums. The rum is blended from the distillery’s aged spirits reserve, and has a maturity of 12-17 years. The rums have been aged in 200 liter charred oak barrels. By using smaller barrels, there is more surface area relative to the rum, and there is a marked oak flavor in the finished product.

On the nose, Extra Old is redolent and rich of oak and molasses, with a hint of cocoa. Straight, it is far more dry than I expected given the nose. The oakiness is there, and the chocolate, as well as some coffee notes. This rum is 86 proof (43% ABV), but the extra alcohol doesn’t provide any extra sting.

I had read that a lot of people enjoy this as a sipping rum, so I was expecting a bit more body to this. For me, while a fine, flavorful rum, this won’t edge out Ron Zacapa Centenario or Ron Zaya in my heart when it comes to sipping.

But while I am loathe to mix with either of those Guatemalan beauties, to me the Mount Gay Extra Old begs to be mixed with.

I’m certain I could happily stick with mai tais and daiquiris and never regret a single drop, but I need to get into the mood for TDN.

What first came to mind was bringing out that chocolate flavor by adding some crème de cacao. But I didn’t want to create a heavy, sweet dessert drink.

On a hunch, I picked up the Amaro Ramazzotti. Ramazzotti is one of my favorite amari. I think it blends well with the MGXO.

Given that Ramazzotti is from Milan, and Mount Gay has a long association with sailing, I dubbed the drink the Milanese Sailor.

Milanese Sailor

1.5 oz Mount Gay Extra Old
0.75 oz Amaro Ramazzotti
0.25 oz crème de cacao

Stir over ice and strain into rocks filled ice glass. Would also be great as a swizzle.

Think you can do better? Be sure to join us for TDN this week and submit your new cocktail featuring Mount Gay Extra Old.

Fernet Branca has Moxie

Stevi — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 08:00:32 +0000

I had my first taste of Fernet Branca several months ago, when I noticed a bottle at the liquor store, and the name rang a bell. Only when I got home did I discover what I was remembering was the Hanky Panky, a drink that required a mere two dashes of the stuff.

Fernet Branca

I opened the bottle, took a whiff, and nearly fell over. This was one of my first encounters with an amaro, and what a place to start. I dared a small sip, and let’s just say, I was not ready. My tongue could not even begin to parse the flavors that were running riot in this deep dark spirit.

No wonder. Fernet Branca is a secret blend of over 40 herbs and spices. A grape base is infused with ingredients that include aloe, chamomile, cardamom, myrrh, gentian root, cinchona bark, orris root, zedoary, and saffron and then fermented for a year in oak barrels.

Fernet Branca was created in 1845 as a medicine by self-taught apothecary Bernardino Branca. It’s been touted as a cure for everything from indigestion to colicky babies. His daughter-in-law, Maria Scala, hit upon the strategy of marketing it as a relief for menstrual discomforts, and for years, advertisements displayed women drinking the amaro. Today it’s a favorite digestif, and a popular hangover cure.

I have used a dash or two of the Fernet Branca in a few drinks. I’ve treated it as a non-potable bitter akin to Angostura, not a drinkable amaro. Straight, I find the mix of flavors in Fernet to be just too overwhelming and noisy. There’s also a strong medicinal aftertaste I find almost unbearably unpleasant.

But Wayne Curtis’ recent article in the Atlantic inspired Chez Two at the Most to give this bitter drink another try. Reading about the San Francisco bar tradition of chasing a shot of Fernet with ginger ale, Bryan experimented with adding ginger syrup and soda water.

Fernet and Ginger

1 oz Fernet Branca
1 oz ginger syrup
soda water

Fill rocks glass with ice, add Fernet and syrup, top with soda water.

The ginger is strong enough to stand up to the Fernet and bring the flavors into balance. It still allows the complex flavors of Fernet to shine through. Particularly interesting are some of the woodier herbs. The aftertaste is also mellowed considerably.

Fernet and Moxie

The Wayne Curtis article also mentioned the popularity of Fernet Branca and Coca-Cola (Fernet con Cola) in Argentina. I gave this combination a try, but it was surprisingly unpleasant. The Coke and the Fernet just clashed, creating an unpleasant, artificially metallic flavor. Adding more Coke did little to make it better. I wondered if it wasn’t a case where the use of high fructose corn syrup in US Coke meant it didn’t work as well as Coke made with cane sugar, as it would be in Argentina.

On my next visit to the store, I looked for some cane sugar cola, which was surprisingly difficult. There were at least ten different speciality root beers, but I only found one cane sugar cola drink. This was Moxie Original Elixir.

This particular soda seemed a great choice to try with the Fernet, as it also has gentian root. And I was not disappointed. This really is a fantastic mixer with the Fernet. I found the resulting drink to be honestly refreshing. The flavors mixed well, in a very complimentary manner. I was astonished that just two ounces of Moxie made a full ounce of Fernet quite drinkable for me.

Fernet Branca and Moxie Original Elixir

1 oz Fernet Branca
2-4 oz Moxie Original Elixir

Fill rocks glass with ice. Pour in Fernet Branca. Top with Moxie Original Elixir. Give a quick stir. Garnish with orange slice.

My conclusion is that when using Fernet as a key ingredient in a cocktail, it’s important to find something that can both stand up to and blend with the Fernet. It may seem counter-intuitive at first, that the way to address too much flavor is to add more flavor. But finding complimentary flavors turns an assault on the palate into a more subtle dance.

Cross-posted on the Mixoloseum

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Aperol

Stevi — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 03:39:00 +0000

I picked up a bottle of Aperol at Washington State Store #101, which for those in the know is the store to know about, since it’s the most likely to have interesting items on the shelf.

Tonight I opened the bottle of Aperol, and on first taste new I was going to like this “little sister” of Campari.

I knew I’d seen something about it one one of the many cocktail blogs i read, but when I went to find a recipe, I found it wasn’t even listed as an ingredient in the CocktailDB. A quick search, however, revealed the suggestion that Aperol could be used anywhere Campari was called for.

Now, to be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever actually had Campari, so all the following is going merely on how I like the cocktails themselves.

My first experiment was to use Aperol in a Negroni:

Aperol Negroni
1 oz Aperol
1 oz sweet vermouth (Vya)
1 oz gin (Van Gogh)

stir all ingredients with ice, strain into cocktail glass, enjoy!

I really enjoyed this drink. The Van Gogh gin and Vya sweet vermouth have come out as a very complimentary pair in several recipes I’ve tried, and the Aperol added a really nice sweetness. The overall cocktail was really smooth and enjoyable.

I tried a second time with Aviation gin. I found this version to be a tad too sweet and nowhere near as silky smooth as with the Van Gogh. I wasn’t surprised the Aviation was sweeter, but was really surprised the Van Gogh version just felt smoother on the mouth.

As an additional variation, I tried spritzing the “Negroni”.

Aperol Negroni Spritz
1 oz Aperol
1 oz sweet vermouth (Vya)
1 oz gin (Van Gogh)
1 oz club soda

pour all but soda into rocks glass, add rocks, add soda, stir.

This added a nice refreshing quality to the drink, but was maybe too drinkable — seemed to disappear rather quickly, which means I wasn’t really enjoying it as much per sip as without the soda.

While figuring out what to make tonight, I caught the new Campari post at Oh Gosh!, so naturally decided to try the Boulevardier.

Aperol Boulevardier
1 1/2 oz bourbon (Ezra Brooks)
3/4 oz Aperol
3/4 oz sweet vermouth (Vya)

stir all ingredients with ice, strain into cocktail glass, garnish with lemon twist

This is also a very enjoyable drink. I bet it would be even better with Woodford Reserve.

Now, I’ve been looking around, and am not seeing that anyone has named these Aperol variations, so I’m tempted to, but not having much inspiration as of yet. Guess I’ll go build another Boulevardier and think about it.