Alexio

 

51! 100! 43! Spike!

Because clearly I have to follow a pink-flower-tequila drink with a cream-based one.

The Brandy Alexander seems like a form ripe for variations. With the relative newness of cachaça in American markets (hurrah for its recognition as a non-rum spirit!) and the consideration by some that it's a "brandy" rather than a "rum", I figured "why not see if we can push the boundaries of what it can do?" Granted, cachaça seems to be rather particular about its dance partners - they damn well better keep up with the bold, uninhibited spirit. Citrus and big red fruit, all the way.

With that in mind, how do you bridge wild petrol-noted cachaça into demure cream, in a formula more known for its polar opposite spirit, the high refined cognac?** My answer, based entirely on the ingredients I had available at the time of origination: orange.

The results? It's Costa Rican dark chocolate and rainbow sparklers.

**[easy there, Peanut Gallery! I know the Alexander was originally gin-based! And while I'm being parenthetical, I know there are all manner of cachaça varieties, high and low - you could fill up an entire liquor store with a bottle each of every cachaça in existence and you'd still have bottles left over. Given the 3 brands you'll find in the PA state stores? I'm a sucker for the more "street" 51, I'll say that much.]

Alexio
1 1/2 oz Cachaça 51 Pirassununga
1/2 oz Grand Marnier
1/2 oz Licor 43
1 oz cream or half-and-half
allspice

Samba shake, strain, chilled glass (and if you can find a glass that mixes crazy with restrained, good on ya!). Garnish with fresh grated allspice.

Notes:

• Strong Grand Marnier catches 51's she-devil eye, holds orange hands with 43, whose vanilla note glides into cream. Instead of nutmeg accenting the creamy-dreamy Alexander, allspice honors Alexio's chthonian depths (pace Camille Paglia).
• Too sweet and fluffy for your tastes? Looking for something a tad more Cocktailian? May I recommend, by way of extras, a barspoon of Averna and/or a dash or two Aphrodite Bitters?

For the future: I really want to make a cherry version of this sometime. Will have to play around between Cherry Heering and Maraschino when I (finally) add the latter to my collection. Or another recommendation maybe?

El Clavel Rojo

Brash surf, cutting winds,

With a woman to match them.
Hard resolve in blue.

"Where is he? He's left.."
Destined to rock and surface.
To arid yellow.

Abrupt maiden blush.
"I believe this is yours, yes?"
El clavel rojo.

 

El Clavel Rojo (Red Carnation)
2 oz Tequila por mi Amante
1/2 oz Licor 43
1/4 oz seville orange juice
2 whole cloves
1/2 egg white (or about 1/2 oz)*
2-3 spritzes Dr. Adam Elmegirab's Spanish Bitters

Combine first 5 ingredients in a shaker and dry shake for 2 minutes. Add ice and shake to chill. Pour into a chilled coupe so that the ice is kept out, but let the cloves slip into the drink if possible - they'll add a nuance as the drink develops over time. Spritz foam with Spanish bitters to finish (atomizer not included with bitters. This model fits perfectly on Dr. Adam's bottles, however).

*[Edit, 05-22-2012: This was my very first successful egg white cocktail and I was pushing to get this recipe out next-day, but you really don't need a whole half ounce of egg white. A small amount (about 1 tsp) should suffice for the most important aspect: texture. And you don't need to sip through that much foam. All that's needed is a faint coating for the bitters to rest on.]


Notes:

• Tequila por mi Amante - This is Chuck Taggart's recipe (though I recommend getting to that page via Paul Clarke's Paloma variation for his immortal reaction to the drink). The recipe itself is simply: strawberries, reposado tequila to cover (I used El Jimador for some lovely lowlands earthiness); infuse for 3 weeks in the fridge, shaking lightly a couple times a day; strain with cheesecloth or coffee filters; let rest in the fridge for 3 more weeks; strain again if needed. The star of the cocktail.
• Licor 43 - the sweet accenter, with nice vanilla and herbal undernotes for layers. Also, Spain.
• Seville orange (aka sour orange, bitter orange) - kinda crucial to use this orange: a regular orange will skew too sweet, yet the orange flavor itself goes with the Licor 43 better than another citrus. Due to the high sourness of the juice, you don't need much. You could try adding a touch more than 1/4 oz if it suits your taste, but 1/2 oz is overkill and will take over the cocktail. The acidity doesn't come on strong on first sips, but towards the end of tasting I found it rather noticeable, probably enhanced due to the emerging clove oil in the drink. At 1/4 oz, it's just right to get the egg whites foaming and to counterpoint the sweet element. Also, Spain.
• Cloves - the secret weapon. It's a wonder the things you come across while Googling for name ideas: I never realized carnations had a clove scent, but retroactively it makes sense and I think the entire cocktail, thanks to the cloves, evokes its name well. At the start you get hints of the cloves dancing in the foam with the tequila's pepper, which evolves into more sultry, spicier low notes at the end.
• Egg white - you got me? The first version of this drink was an April-Spring-fresh Galliano take on a Ramos Gin Fizz and somehow once I got to the T.p.m.A. it became its own thing, the egg white becoming vestigial. But, despite really not liking eggs, I like the frothy freshness lent by the foam, all the better to present the bitters, and the added texture which pushes the drink's sensuality a little closer to the actual flower.
• Spanish Bitters - 'nuff said, really, but like it mentions on the label: there are citrus, spice, and berry notes, which compliment all the other ingredients, and chamomile and violet to suggest a floral character.

[Edit, 05-22-2012: Did I mention a red carnation functions as a love-token in Spain much as a rose does in other cultures? If ever there were an ideal cocktail to use Tequila por mi Amante as a base..]

Spanish Lady

[We interrupt our previous slow-as-molasses blog roll-out to bring you a modest recipe for St. Patty's Day today. We will continue our previous slow-as-molasses blog roll-out Monday, now that we've found some darn mini-roses!]

Spanish Lady

(Celtic Woman arrangement)

As I came down through Dublin City

At the hour of twelve at night

Who should I see but the Spanish lady

Washing her feet by candlelight

First she washed them, then she dried them

Over a fire of amber coal

In all my life I ne'er did see

A maid so sweet about the sole

Whack for the toora loora laddy

Whack for the toora loora lay

Whack for the toora loora laddy

Whack for the toora loora lay

As I came back through Dublin City

At the hour of half past eight

Who should I spy but the Spanish lady

Brushing her hair in the broad daylight

First she tossed it, then she brushed it

On her lap was a silver comb

In all my life I ne'er did see

A maid so fair since I did roam

Whack for the toora loora laddy

Whack for the toora loora lay

Whack for the toora loora laddy

Whack for the toora loora lay

As I went back through Dublin City

As the sun began to set

Who should I spy but the Spanish lady

Catching a moth in a golden net

When she saw me, then she fled me

Lifting her petticoat over her knee

In all my life I ne'er did see

A maid so shy as the Spanish lady

Whack for the toora loora laddy

Whack for the toora loora lay

Whack for the toora loora laddy

Whack for the toora loora lay

In Ireland, silver combs were often regarded as tokens of the Banshee. Never pick one up that you see lying in the road, because you'll be swept away, never to be seen again. In the case of the Spanish Lady, with a silver comb in her lap, surely she must be a Banshee in disguise! (don't call her Shirley - she'll scream)

Of course, there's another type of Banshee*, but I didn't realize that until recently. [The train of thought went: Irish Rose-Spanish Rose-Spanish Lady (whack for the toora loora laddy!)-hey that'd be a nice cocktail name for St. Paddy's Day-Google Spanish Lady cocktail-Google Banshee cocktail]
*popularized but not created by Nick Castrogiovanni of Nick's Big Train Bar in New Orleans

But anyway, right there the cocktail practically makes itself. A Banshee with a Spanish twist? Either sub out the cacao or the banana liqueur for Licor 43. Ok, but what's the character of the Banshee, then? Which sub is going to going to preserve its character? Without the banana, you're looking at a Brandy Alexander or Grasshopper set-up with the cream/cacao, and it's much more generic. The banana clearly has a part to play, so au revoir crème de cacao, bienvenido Licor 43.

But a moment more before the recipe. To overthink things - and just put some ideas out there - it still feels like the banana character could use some exploration. It probably is as simple as the Banana/Banshee name similarity, that's certainly common enough practice. Most of the online research I've done points to that. Wikipedia will even ask if, on searching for "Banshee cocktail", you meant "banane cocktail." My own reflection suggests there's something to the way (cold) banana flavor hits the back of the mouth and throat, emphasizing sensation there not unlike the feel of screaming like a banshee. And also, it has been noted that Irish whiskey in general has a "telltale banana character", suggested due to aging in ex-bourbon barrels [hat-tip: @intoxicologist]. How ideal.

Spanish Lady
1 part banana liqueur
1 part Licor 43
1 part cream or half-and-half



Shake ferociously on ice (a nice frothy white head will form to contrast the cream-colored drink).

Strain into frosty, misty rocks glass.

Garnish with, what else? A silver comb.



The Banshee in disguise.





Notes:

• Licor 43's citrus and vanilla dance quite naturally with banana. In testing, using Jacquin's, both liqueurs are somewhat syrupy, but neither overpowers the other and you can get distinct notes from both as they weave in and out.
• To lengthen the drink: add an extra part dairy, milk if you prefer to manage the milkfat.
• To kick up the recipe: add an extra part Irish whiskey. In testing, Tullamore Dew goes well with the banana, though I'm sure Jameson and other brands will work just as well.
• Fittingly, given this is a dessert drink, Spanish Lady is also a song typically used for encores in Celtic Woman concerts.