Tuesday, April 2, 2019

Squid Mixes: Vermouth Cocktail

My recipe for the vermouth cocktail came from David Wondrich's Imbibe: vermouth (sweet), ice and lemon peel.  It's barely a cocktail, really, with the vermouth serving as both base liquor and sweetener.  My wife was highly skeptical but enjoyed it in the end.  I liked the cinnamony flavor of the vermouth.  Funny, I'd always assumed that flavor hint in a Manhattan came from the bitters alone but it would appear the vermouth contributes as well.

Speaking of Manhattans, my quest for good ones continues.  One matter I have resolved to my own satisfaction: rye vs. bourbon.  On New Year's Eve, my wife and I both ordered Manhattans, both with Bulleit whiskey.  Hers was rye, mine bourbon.  A comparison within the same brand seemed a reasonable test.  The rye was definitely better.  The bourbon was fine but the rye's sharpness added  character.

The cherry matters, too - at least as a key to the drink's appeal.  More recently, we went to Monarch and the Milkweed for drinks before a symphony concert.  I ordered a Manhattan, she a Sazerac.  She was quite disappointed hers didn't come with a cherry - totally tried to Bogart mine!

16 comments:

  1. We made watermelon margaritas the other night. Tasty.
    But not as good as a regular margarita, but that's probably because I'm not much for melon juice.

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    1. I'd be interested to know your recipe. In my experience, watermelon doesn't bring as much flavor as one might think. The things I would think to add to enhance it - namely lime or lemon juice - would simply overpower the melon, rendering its inclusion meaningless.

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    2. 1.5oz blanco tequila (but we just used what we had on hand (I'm not sure what that was because we used it up, and the bottle is gone now.)
      3oz watermelon juice
      .5oz lime juice
      .5oz light agave syrup

      lime and watermelon for garnish
      I can't remember if we did that or not.

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    3. 6-1 for watermelon to lime sounds good but I'm betting the lime still wins, right? The trouble with watermelon is that it truly is mostly water. When you're eating the melon, that's a wonderful thing. The juice itself, though, is quite thin.

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    4. It actually had a nice watermelon flavor. I didn't even notice the lime.

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  2. I think I wrote a song called "Vermouthy" once :P But it may have just been a poem.

    I like that you try out different cocktails this way. I don't think I've ever made myself a cocktail.

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  3. I should the combinations...look exciting.
    have a great day

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  4. Theres nothing quite like a bourbon to whet the appetite to kick start a good party. I can tell you're a connoisseur.

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    1. I wouldn't say I'm a bourbon connoisseur... though that is a hobby I would happily take up!

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