Tonight’s Mixology Monday post will be fairly brief1.
This month, Mixology Monday is brought to us by the ne’er do wells at Scofflaw’s Den who have chosen BOURBON as the required ingredient. Bourbon is a great favorite here at the North American Booze Council2, and I hope that some of our other members will testify to its strengths later this week.
We’ve been rather busy here at the Prince of Cups, and Mixology Monday crept up on us. This evening I decided to call an emergency session of the Bibation Analysis Laboratory. Unfortunately, only one of the staff of the B*A*L* was available.
I selected a set of bottles to pull down from the cabinets and set about making a drink. It took three iterations4, but I present you with the
Marc Antony
Pour over ice
◇ 1½oz bourbon,
◇ ½oz Ramazzotti amaro
◇ ½oz falernum5, and
◇ ½oz orange juice.
Shake.
Garnish with an orange twist.
The result is a cocktail of medium-brown hue, a bouquet of lime and exotics, and a fine balance of citrus, spice, and bourbon. It is slightly suggestive of a Lion’s Tail, and perhaps recalls a Bronx. But the spice load is completely different from either8.
1. However, there may be a great deal of footnotes, some of them added at a later date.
2. Myself, I have been growing my appreciation3 of North American Whiskey over that past few years. I blame the Portland weather and the strange affinity for Southern food this town has.
3. Yes, I am aware that the use of “grow” as a transitive verb is questioned, however, we are here talking about bourbon, not the prescription of grammar, disputandum non est de gustibus7.
4. Varying which amaro to use, varying the type of citrus. I consider myself slightly lucky that I hit something well-balanced so quickly.
5. I had the great pleasure of using Craig’s Falernum #4, a gift that I am cherishing more and more as I appreciate it.
6. [redacted]
7. As it turns out, the very member of the B*A*L* who was available might well have a penchant for detecting bitter citrus. Exploration of this (questionable) talent could turn into the subject of a later post, or even an attempt at scientific study of tongues that might ultimately suggest de gustibus non disputandum est.
8. I hope that this becomes an argument for the personal production of falernum. It is a beautiful syrup that we all should have greater access to.
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