I know that The Den has been a little quiet as of late. Things have been hectic for the last couple of weeks, however life seems to have slowed back to a normal pace and I’m confident you’ll be seeing much more activity from your two Scofflaw’s.
With that said, Mixology Monday is again upon us and the lovely ladies of LUPEC Boston are hosting. The chosen theme this month is “First Time.” The theme is inspired by a past experience Ms. Pink Lady had with a cocktail newbie. She states,
“What drink do you suggest for the delicate palate of the cocktail neophyte? Something boozy and balanced, sure – but one wrong suggestion could relegate the newbie to a beer-drinker’s life. To which go-to cocktails do you turn to when faced with the challenge?”
It is a very interesting conundrum. I have a few friends who definitely fall into the “cocktail neophyte” category. Either they “don’t like gin” or are strictly beer or wine drinkers, and one, amazingly, “can’t drink brown spirits.” To be honest, it is very difficult to make drinks for these folks. It seems they have preconcieved biases towards certain spirits that is seemingly all mental. The trick for me is making cocktails that are flavorful, complex, balanced and uses the ingredient they supposedly don’t like. I’m completely up front with what I’m serving them, and in most instances they have enjoyed the drinks.
One of my favorite cocktails, which is also one I like to give people new to gin or new to cocktails is the Shanghai Gin.
Shanghai Gin
Gin
Yellow Chartreuse
Benedictine
Lemon Juice
Shake equal measures of the four ingredients until ice cold. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a lemon twist. For a small extra kick, flame the peel.
The Shanghai Gin combines a sweet, savory, tart profile all in one little gin cocktail. Everyone I’ve made the cocktail for has enjoyed it.
On the other hand, in order to introduce a neophyte to the wonderful world of cocktails, I think a well made highball can be just what the scofflaw ordered. A gin and tonic, rum and coke, ginger beer and anything, all are good examples as long they are well made and balanced. In each highball you can vary the type of spirit (london dry v. old tom; silver rum v. gold v. demerarra v. crap-there-are-a-lot-of-rum-types; etc.) or add modifiers such as a splash of lime, a flavored syrup or a muddle of herbs. Many different variations can teach the new imbiber the importance of balance, creativity and variety. Just the tools someone needs when walking down the path of potent potables.
Thanks again to Pink Lady and the women of LUPEC – Boston for hosting this installment of MxMo.
Cheers!
Hey– I resemble that brown spirits comment! If it is me I must state the following in my defense (and if it isn’t, please introduce me to the other person so we can start a club):
-I always qualify the statement with the fact that I know it is a character flaw.
-I have tried, even with professional assistance, to overcome this but I can’t help that Bourbon, Scotch, etc. kill off everything they touch, especially my taste buds.
-I told Justin the same thing one night at Hummingbird and he made me a Blood and Sand anyway (I did not watch him make my drink). He expressed his surprise that I tasted the scotch through it all. (My response to the drink was something along the lines of “i taste a hint of orange overwhelmed by some kind of scotch or whiskey.”)
-I still try everything anyone with me is drinking when it has one of these ingredients just to see if I will find the right combo.
-I more than make up for it with my gin consumption
Nope, not you Nicole. A co-worker of mine . . .
You should try the Citadelle Reserve gin. It is an aged gin, it has some of the oakiness of bourbon/whiskey but is, well, gin. It has limited availability, so if you find it, grab a bottle.
Cheers!
Ooohh… non-brown spirit drinkers club time!!
And yes, have seen reviews of the Citadelle. Vince and I took a trip to see Joe the other week (Vince’s first! He got the Marteau on Joe’s recommendation and is very happy
and were talking about it… he is hoping to get it there at some point. I also bought the Crema de Mezcal on that trip and have been on a Margarita kick ever since. I need to remember what I had at Hummingbird that had Mezcal in it and branch out a bit.
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