So, as I mentioned earlier, I have gotten far too into the whole “dicking around with spirits” thing, and part of the fun of that is coming up with goofy recipes and then getting blotto on them. I had been wanting to do an exploration of a drink mentioned above, that being the:
Bachelor’s Wife
Now, this is a drink that admittedly was made out of whatever happened to be on hand at the time, which puts in the ranks of drinks like the Orangutang, which is a pint glass half full of Tang and half full of rum, which we came up with in college after discovering the Tang at the back of a kitchen cabinet. That said, this is actually a pretty balanced drink, it’s got the tart acid of the lime juice, the bitterness of the Campari, and the sweetness of the triple sec all mingling together.
NOTE: All the triple sec in these drinks is actually Cointreau (which is a kind of triple sec) because I have two bottles of it for some reason?
Tasting Notes
light, refreshing – low alcohol %
well-balanced, bitter plus sweet plus tart
dominated by combination of Campari and lime, with triple sec more as an underpinning
doesn’t linger, bright explosion of taste and then fast fade
As pleasant as the Bachelor’s Wife may be, it feels a little…hollow. It’s there, and then it’s not. There isn’t a taste that either unifies it, holding it together, or something constantly playing in the background, that delightfully lingers as you finish it. Thinking about the flavors involved and doing a bit of searching through lists of drinks, I decided that the best approach would be to use the Italian Gentleman as a basis of a variation, which led me to the:
Bachelor’s Gay Indiscretion
2 parts Campari
2 parts bourbon
1 part lime juice
1 part triple sec
shaken with ice
The bourbon should add a lot to the drink in terms of extra warmth and sweetness, to keep that from combining with the triple sec to overwhelm things, we’ll retain the higher amount of Campari from the Gentleman.
Tasting Notes
very pleasant coloring
interesting interplay between bourbon and Campari, bourbon coming through later
much more alcohol-forward while still being very smooth, refreshing
more of a slight sting, flavor coming up into the nose
lime and triple sec acting as a foundation, keeping the stronger flavors from being overpowering
there’s a snap to the initial sip
gets more delicious as you go
Campari strong on the evolution – because of the bourbon?
Okay, well, we’ve certainly shown that we can build on that delicious base, now, with Campari featuring so heavily in the drink, I feel like we should go off into negroni-related territory, and a natural for this is the Jasmine cocktail, which uses gin, Campari, and triple sec, we can just substitute lime juice for lemon and…well, just doing such a simple swap doesn’t feel like we’re doing anything new. Instead, let’s look west, to the land of the rising sun, and meet:
Bachelor’s Anime Girlfriend
2 parts gin
1 part lime juice
1 part tripe sec
1 part Campari
shake, add to rocks glass
float Japanese whiskey
(Please note that aesthetically-pleasing float, I am proud of it.)
Tasting Notes
lighter, brighter, more aromatic version of a negroni
whiskey float gives it an initial kick that fades into a more chilled-out experience
initial notes on sip strong on herbals in gin, blends into campari/lime tartness
triple sec notable in its absence, instead acting as mitigation for other flavors
this is good
Ah, all of these so far have been delicious and refreshing. What a treat it’s been to work with these ingredients. Sometimes though, you have to…push the envelope. Really take it to the next level. And do that, you’ll need to go on a trip with me, a trip south of the border, if you know what I mean. A trip that will lead to:
Bachelor’s Burning Sensation
2 parts mezcal
1 part Campari
1 part triple sec
1 part lime juice
1 barspoon hot sauce
shake well with ice
sprinkle with salt and pepper
NOTE: This cocktail really needs to be double-strained! I did not and the hot sauce was a bit gritty, which you know, it’s fine, a little extra texture never killed anybody. I just don’t want people to think I’m completely winging it here.
Tasting Notes
hot sauce plus mezcal plus campari coming through very strong
bitter plus smoke plus burning is very good, nice blend
still very refreshing
spicy initial kick that leads into a burning tickle at the top of the throat
warmth in your chest
tingly lips!
i am definitely not afraid of the police
Well, after that one I definitely felt like I needed to slow my roll. Continuing in that direction would lead to shenanigans like lighting drinks on fire, putting in dry ice, basically turning it into some kind of circus show. Look, I might be getting lit, things don’t need to get clown sad now. I ain’t about that. Instead, let’s take one of my all-time favorites, The Last Word, a Prohibition-era cocktail that works because it’s all kinds of things, pulling in different directions in a taut balancing act. It’s also all equal proportions, which makes it easy to mix and remember. So folks, let’s get ready for:
Bachelor’s Last Stand
1 part Campari
1 part lime juice
1 part green Chartruese
1 part triple sec
Tasting Notes
whooaaaaaaa
this is weird
not bad
just weird
campari plus chartruese is !?!
they’re fighting!
herbal bitterness with a sweet tangy evolution
most similar to Bachelor’s Wife so far, just far more herbal, anise coming more forward as the drink warms up
this is real good
Anyway! That was fun, if anybody makes one or more of these, let us know. Catch you later, rummy.