What do you call getting to spend a fantastic evening with your much better half at one of NYC’s best drinking establishments; the opportunity to taste some fantastic drinks and the ability to create a post out of it all? A freaking grand slam home run is what!
It was also a curious evening/outcome given some guided drink research that had occurred earlier in that same day – as noted in a recent post I was in search of a little drink inspiration when I stumbled upon several fine recipes that were part of the Appleton Estate Bartender Challenge – USA. The Carribean Cream stood out as I needed a drink for the most recent MxMo but the drink that really caught my eye was Brian Miller’s winning recipe. theSpeakista has become a huge fan of using sherry in drinks, I am a full convert to the church of rum and amari, well let us just say these flavorful bottles of herby, floral, bitter goodness are some of my new best friends. As I had all the ingredients at the home base I made a mental note to re-create this one, and soon.
Little did I know that upon sitting down at Death & Co. for Date Night and perusing the menu was I going to come face to face with the very same drink. It must be fate? Our mixologist host for evening Jessica, was more than happy to mix me up one and so she did, setting the mood for what turned out to be a fantastic evening.
East India Trading Company
Created by Brian Miller of Death & Co. in New York city
• 2 oz Appleton Reserve rum
• 3/4 oz East India Solera Sherry
• 1/2 oz Ramazotti amaro
• 2 dash Bittermens Mole Bitters
Garnish: none
Glass: coupe
Tools: mixing glass, barspoon and a julep strainer
Assembly: Mix all of the ingredients with ice until well chilled and strain into the serving glass.
The Verdict: Simplicity has never tasted so damn great! I say simple not with the intent of disparaging the drink but rather to highlight that unlike much of modern mixology this drink doesn’t take fancy tinctures, infusions or extremely hard to come by ingredients. Rather, it takes a skilled master mixologist to understand how certain great base ingredients, mixed in proper proportions to highlight their natural goodness can make a drink that is multiples of its component parts. Upon first sipping the drink a compound wave of layered sweetness hits your tongue revealing caramel, toffee and mellow candy like flavors. This yields to a profoundly comforting blanket of herbal bitterness that is mellowed, no tempered, by a nice “dryness” from the sherry. This is an elegant and all-together decadent little drink that will transport you to a rather calming mood (just as it did for me last week and this week, after I re-made it at the home base).
theSpeakista’s Rating: 4 1/2 stars (out of 5)
