This is not the
easiest ingredient to come by: you’ll need a top-shelf liquor store to get you
this product. Or you’ll have to find your own way to a webshop that delves deep
in the cocktail niche.
So yes, this is an
ambitious ingredient. It’s a safe bet that anyone that stocks orange bitters is
serious about making cocktails.
So do you want to be
serious about making cocktails?
This is supposed to
be a practical approach to cocktail making, so what is such a specialized
ingredient doing in the bar?
Well, mainly because
you’re better off stocking one bottle of orange bitters than a dozen different bottles
of vague liqueurs that are hard to combine. You can play around with bitters,
they are a solid part of cocktail history, they come in beautiful, small
bottles and they don’t go bad easily - what could possibly be more practical
than putting a small bottle in your bar to be recognized as a true hobby
mixologist?
Okay, but why orange
bitters instead of Peychaud’s bitters? Well, the Sazerac is my favourite
cocktail, so that would be reason to choose for Peychaud’s. But it also
contains three other ingredients that we don’t stock in the bar at the moment.
Orange bitters open up more options right now. And there’s some real
satisfaction in being able to make a Dry Martini like it used to be made,
including being able to tell others about cocktail history.
Orange bitters went
out of vogue after Prohibition. But since the recent cocktail revival, orange
bitters have reappeared. There’s even choice now: there are several different
brands of orange bitters, all with their own peculiar taste and wildly different
in alcohol percentage.
One bottle is enough
of a leap for now, however. Just go with whatever you can find or which bottle
you think looks best.
Fancy Sour
This one can be made in the fancy way
or in the casual way (as a scaffa, but with ice). I generally go for the casual
version, if only as a break from the norm.
If you want to go the fancy way, you
should shake instead of build the drink. Use a cocktail glass instead of an Old
Fashioned glass. As a garnish, add an orange peel (if available).
A casual Fancy Sour is still a Fancy
Sour, however.
Personally, I think this recipe is a real find.
Personally, I think this recipe is a real find.
2 parts sweet vermouth
1 part maraschino
1 part lemon juice
1 dash Angostura bitters
1 dash orange bitters
glass: Old Fashioned glass
Build over ice into the glass. Give
it a quick stir.
I picked up a mould for
really large ice cubes that I’m quite happy with. That way, the drink will be
cooled with limited dilution.
No comments:
Post a Comment