The Collaboration

Still a big favorite!!!


This is a drink that was created in February of this year through a serendipitous collaboration with a friend, whereby we named off ingredients like a dare, decided on the proportions together, and then we each made one in our own home bar.

The results were jaw droppingly good and the drink has been in regular rotation for both of us for several months now. Up until now I've been keeping it to myself rather greedily - a closely guarded secret, and it's only with said friend's blessings, that I am releasing the recipe now.

It is versatile in its serving requirements, working as equally well as a slow sipper in an old fashioned glass over a large ice cube, as it is served "up" in a cocktail glass as a quick "pick-me-up".

We've played with a few variations, Wild Turkey Rye works best with its big bold spicy rye flavor. The Wormwood bitters add a very nice touch and are worth seeking out, though Angostura will work in a pinch.

The Cocchi's high quinine profile works better than Lillet to provide structure against the Strega/Averna combo, and gives just the right mouth feel to the drink.

The 1/4 ounce of Strega may not seem like much...it is in fact enough to allow the robust character of this spirit to be known in the drink. Also, it somehow allows the more subtle flavors of the liqueur to emerge.

Averna is just the right choice of amari to inject herbal depth and subtle sweetness into the mix, and it balances perfectly Strega's brash character. [Mix these two together over ice on a 2:1 ratio (Averna to Strega), you have an excellent digistif with wonderful balance and depth.]

The sublime in this recipe is the transformation that takes places when all of these ingredients come together.

With this recipe the whole is most certainly greater than the sum of its parts. How we struck upon this crazily good of a drink on the first try, still makes us chuckle in disbelief. Try it for yourself, I'd love to hear what you think!

The "Collab"(oration)


1 1/2 ounces (45 ml) Wild Turkey 101 Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
3/4 ounce (22 ml) Cocchi Americano
1/2 ounce (15 ml) Averna
1/4 ounce (7 ml) Strega
1-2 good dashes of Cocktail Kingdom's Wormwood Bitters


Stir with ice and strain over a large ice cube, or serve up in a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

CapRock Organic Gin

Disclaimer: I was given a bottle of this gin recently by a rep for Peak Spirits. I had not yet tried this "farm to bottle" new world style organic gin though, and was happy to have the opportunity to give it a spin.

According to the distiller's site: CapRock™ Organic Dry Gin is a unique blend of fruits, buds, seeds, and spices infused and distilled in a base spirit made with organic Jonathon and Braeburn apples. The apples are organically grown by Gunnison River Farms, Ela Family Farms and Mountain Spirits Farm. 12 different "botanicals" (some dried some fresh) and 2 fresh juices are either macerated and/or boiled or steamed all together at final distillation to produce layers of fresh aromas and tastes. CapRock Gin is 41% alc and available in 750ML and 200ML bottles.

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Apple based organic gin from the western slope, that's different. Their tagline of "This is not your grandmother's gin" does make sense. That much is blatantly evident on the nose. 

This is more like an aromatic juniper infused eau de vie than a traditional gin. That is not necessarily a bad thing, I just wouldn't to go head first into traditional recipes with this gin considering its strong and unique botanical profile. This bottle will certainly have its uses however.

CapRock Organic Gin

"New World" American Aromatic Gin

SCORE: 89

NOSE: Lavender, roses, juniper, pepper, very soft, subtle and round. The use of fresh, organic botanicals is evident in the fidelity of the aromas. The juniper here really takes a back seat here though and I wish it was just a little more pronounced. 22/25.

PALATE: The flavors on the nose carry through well. There is a nice burst of juniper mid palate. The roses are subtle, the lavender is not - I can't help but feel a little hit over the head with it. Wet, only slightly oily in the mouth. 21/25

FINISH: The finish is fairly long and complex. The apples finally come to light, the roses fill your nose like a big bouquet, the lavender relaxes a bit and finally yields to the juniper. NOT a typical "English dry" gin finish, but that's not what the folks at Peak Spirits seem to have been going for here. Very unique. 24/25

BALANCE:  I like the overall effect of the type of product the producers are going for here and think they have done a good job achieving a quality culinary gin. The rose and lavender comes across a little strong for my taste, but their flavors aromas are authentic and intoxicating. It's complex, and certainly not one dimensional - its use in cocktails will not be universal however, and it will take some forethought and experimentation to be successful. 22/25

This really is a surprisingly nice spirit, whatever you want to call it. I think having to call it gin is a little unfortunate as it leads to certain expectations. You don't go into a genever or an old tom expecting to find Bombay Dry. Going into this expecting "gin" could lead you to a similar disappointment, and "organic gin" does not really tell you much about what is going on inside the bottle.

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This is a new gin so it's only fitting that I provide a new recipe. I've been on a bit of a Fernet kick lately and thought the CapRock's lavendar and rose flavors would play well together with it, and they did.

Here's a lab original using CapRock gin, Peak Spirits peach eau de vie and Fernet Branca, enjoy.

Versante Occidentale (Western Slope) Cocktail

1 1/2 ounces (45 ml) CapRock "New World" Organic Gin

3/4 ounce (22 ml) Fernet Branca

1/2 ounce (15 ml) Cocchi Americano

1/4 ounce (7.5 ml) Peak Spirits Peach eau de vie brandy

1-2 dashes angostura bitters

1 dash angostura orange bitters

Mix ingredients well with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, garnish with lemon twist.

The Fernet and Cocchi provide good structure to balance and support the strong flavors of the other spirits. The flavors build to a crescendo, then end quickly with a crisp, dry finish leaving hints of roses and pine on the nose.

Culross

If we are to attribute this drink to the town in Scotland by the same name, it would be pronounced "Coo-ros".

There's not much out there with this rather strange name, so its not a bad bet that this drink was named after the town, or possibly after a patron from Culross that the Harry Craddock era Savoy Hotel Bar honored in the naming of this one.

It does not seem very Scottish in nature, but Culross is a coastal town, and the maritime influenced Scots have been known to enjoy their fair share of rum.

At any rate, this appears first in the Savoy Cocktail book in 1930 with the following instructions:

The Culross Cocktail

The Juice of 1/4 Lemon.

1/3 Kina Lillet.

1/3 Bacardi Rum.

1/3 Apricot Brandy.

Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

Adopted for modern use you have:

The Culross Cocktail

3/4 oz (22 ml) Havana Club Anejo Blanco rum

3/4 oz (22 ml) Apry

3/4 oz (22 ml) Cocchi Americano

3/4 oz (22 ml) Lemon Juice

Shake well and strain into a cocktail glass.

Since Havana Club is still made in much of the old Bacardi factory, in much the same way, and aged in the exact same spots as the old Cuban Bacardi, it is always your best bet when an old recipe calls out for Bacardi specifically.

If you are unable to use Havana Club, go for Flor de Caña Extra Dry 4 year, a rum that is much closer in character to the original Cuban Bacardi than the modern Barcardi Dry made in Puerto Rico.

The closest thing that we have on the market today to Kina Lillet, is Cocchi Americano (rather than Lillet Blanc.) It is bolder and more spice forward than Lillet Blanc. They are both traditional white aperitif wines, Lillet coming from France and the Cocchi from Italy, and their histories are intertwined.

For some recipes they can be used interchangeably. For other recipes, one works well where the other can be glaringly off. Since this one called for Kina Lillet by name, Cocchi Americano seemed the obvious choice.

This is an interesting mix, you have the Cocchi and lemon juice on side, providing dry and sour flavors. On the other side you have the light, sweet rum and the big flavored Apy.

If you have been able to secure a bottle of Marie Brizard Apry (it can be a challenge to locate) - this is a nice way to use it as it works very well here. It is just sweet enough to make up for the lack of sugar or simple syrup, and its apricot fruit flavor works great with the other flavors here making for a sweet, yet oddly dry mix.

The Tropical Cocktail

Here's one I've adopted from a rare title from 1932, The Art of Mixing, by Helene M. Griffith and James A. Wiley:

 TROPICAL COCKTAIL


1 ounce (30 ml) Mozart Dry 
1 ounce (30 ml) Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
1 ounce (30 ml) Cocchi Americano
1 dash Angostura bitters
1 dash Angostura orange bitters


Stir well with ice and strain into rocks glass over 1 large cube. Add bitters, stir and garnish with flamed orange peel.


Tropical is a good name for this recipe. I was worried about putting a whole ounce each of Maraschino and Mozart dry in a drink with only one ounce of vermouth to balance them both out. Normally 1/4 ounce of either of the first two spirits would be more than enough to overpower a drink.

This is a properly good drink though. Yes, there are strong chocolate and cherry flavors, along with good orange flavor from the flamed peel and bitters. Angostura works wonders too here, but I have to think that the Cocchi is the real star here, as it seems to tie all of these flavors together without making itself assertively known.

I will also give it credit for the drinks clean finish, as it lacks the sticky, syrupy sweet aftertaste I fully expected to encounter here. I think I shall go now, and spend some time with my keyboard on the concertina setting.

Enjoy!