If you’ve been keeping track, we’ve now touched on each of the individual base spirits: brandy, gin, rum, tequila, vodka, and whiskey (bourbon or rye). We’ve also touched on a small collection of additional ingredients, notably: orange curaçao, Cointreau, cassis, Angostura bitters, and orange bitters. I won’t count the Champagne, since it doesn�t last long, and you have most likely finished that all in your celebrations last Valentines day.
By reviewing our past recipes, you’ll see that there has actually been (for the most part) an interesting theme in all of this. The Sidecar, Daiquiri, Margarita, and even the Pegu have each been a slight variation of a theme. Spirit, sweet ingredient, sour ingredient, and from that relatively simple formula we’ve produced several independent cocktails. We didn’t use this formula with either the vodka or the whiskey, but if we had, we would have ended up with a Whiskey Sour (essentially a whiskey daiquiri using lemon juice), or a Lemon Drop (a vodka daiquiri using lemon juice), or perhaps a Kamikaze (a vodka margarita).
For this week, I’m going to introduce a new product, and not just a new cocktail, but a cocktail of my own creation. Creating new cocktails can be a lot of fun, but I like taking the same approach to this as is used by true chefs. Before anybody really thinks they have what it takes to create a new cocktail recipe, they first have to have a strong foundation in, and understanding of, the classics. It doesn’t mean you can’t accidentally come up with a great cocktail before then, just that it will be an accident if you do.
This week, I’m going to introduce you to dry vermouth. It’s a common staple behind most bars, with perhaps its best known use as being its supposed use in a Martini. Many people use so little vermouth in their Martinis however, that it will often take a long time to go through even a small bottle. Most bartenders are actually afraid of vermouth, and when I suggest any recipe that uses more then the barest amount, they often look at me like I must be off my rocker. So just to dispel that myth as quick as possible, we are going to look at a recipe that turns that notion on its ear.
Black Feather
- 2 ounces brandy
- 1 ounce dry vermouth
- 1/2 ounce Cointreau
- 1 dash of Angostura bitters
Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
Garnish with a lemon twist.
Yes, that’s one full ounce of dry vermouth and not a typo. Dry vermouth is really an interesting ingredient. In this particular cocktail I am using it as a subtle balancer. In our previous sour cocktails, we were balancing the sweetness of the Cointreau with the tartness of the lemon juice. In the Black Feather, I am using dry vermouth as the balancer, but instead of attempting to counteract the sweetness, I am simply surrounding it with the dry vermouth to tone it down far enough that the bite of the brandy and the spice of the bitters can come into play.
This is definitely a fairly different style of cocktail, but it almost always gets rave reviews. Give it a try and let me know what you think.
