So who are we? Why have we started what looks like yet
another blog talking about alcohol and fancy drinks? Well, we are two physics
graduate students who [really] enjoy a good drink. When we have spare time from
building dark matter detectors and crazy new types of computers, we
occasionally like making cocktails, be they tried and tested classics, new
cocktails we just discovered, or something we just invented. When our budgets
allow, we also venture to try new drinking establishments.
Instead
of introducing ourselves through more traditional ways (name, favorite color,
quest etc...) we are going to tell you about our cocktail preferences,
philosophy or whatever you want to call it. What better way to do that than to
share a cocktail that we have each created.
-A-
A
friend once described a cocktail as a musical chord. There a base note, i.e.
the alcohol or spirit used. There is a middle note which provides body and
substance. Then there is a high note, usually a counter point or something
different/unexpected; in the case of cocktails this is usually bitters or an
ingredient to add a contrasting flavor that still plays with the rest of the
drink. In my opinion, this drink captures that metaphor perfectly with its
spicy and bitter notes where each ingredient can be tasted on its own but
together they work together to create something sublime.
The
Perfect Fifth
1 oz
Bombay Sapphire
½ oz
Carpano Antica
½ oz
Benedictine
3
dashes Angostura Bitters
Pour
all the ingredients over ice (preferably a large ice cube) in an old fashioned
glass and give it a quick stir.
So as
you can see, I typically enjoy complex cocktails and typically prefer bitter,
spicy and smokey flavors. In fact, just keep the fruity drinks away from me.
-A-
-B-
In mixing cocktails, I take a complementary approach to that
of my friend and colleague. I prefer cocktails that combine together into a
single whole -- ideally the drinker should never be thinking about where each
component of the flavor is coming from. I strive to create a single blend of
flavors that is unique, tasty, and will keep the drinker coming back for the
next sip.
In coming up with new cocktails, I have found that my best
results come from picking a single ingredient and building up a palate of
flavors around it. The following cocktail is one of my personal favorite
examples of this. I decided that I wanted to concoct a drink based primarily
about Domaine de Canton, a cognac-based French ginger liqueur. This is what
arose.
Anamika
1 oz Domaine de Canton
1 oz
Maker’s Mark
1/2 oz Orange Juice
1/4 oz Lemon Juice
1 drop of Agave Nectar
1 dash of Angostura Bitters
Muddle the lemon juice, nectar, and bitters in the bottom of
a shaker until the nectar is fully dissolved . Add the remaining ingredients,
stir with ice until well chilled, and strain into an old fashioned glass.
Garnish with a twist of orange.
The result is a combination of ginger, citrus, and spice
that blends perfectly while still retaining the full body of a classic
bourbon-based cocktail.
-B-
This blog, then, is our attempt to share with you our
adventures, recommendations and creations. Not only will we post recipes of
cocktails we enjoy, but also reviews of bars, books, and barware (alliteration
only semi-intentional).
We hope
that you enjoy reading what we write, but more importantly drinking some of the
cocktails we post. Comments and suggestions are welcome.
Cheers!
A&B
No comments:
Post a Comment