Although Chicago has a fairly decent selection of liqueurs and spirits, some are just too difficult (or impossible) to find, so I went with the on-line route for a handful of things I needed (no, not want...NEED). The most relevant ones at this point in time are, of course, Dry Fly gin and Strega...tho I've got a number of other spirits from which to choose if this first attempt is a little unpalatable, or perhaps even disastrous.
So the first shot at this would be equal proportions (double strained and served up in a chilled cocktail glass, of course), tho smaller 1/2 oz volumes for each, along with a bit shorter time in the shaker to avoid over-dilution (all adaptations in red). I had a feeling this first one will be a touch on the sweet side...
Run no. 1
1/2 oz Dry Fly gin
1/2 oz Luxardo maraschino liqueur
1/2 oz Strega
Truth be told, I was stone sober and screwed up this first attempt by mindlessly using lemon juice instead of lime. But as I'd imagine that more than a handful of recipes over the last 200 plus years in the cocktail word have been predicated on mistakes or substitutions, I now consider myself a part of that history. And with that out of the way, the interpretation. This was quite a surprise to me in that it blended remarkably well. The Strega wasn't an extreme departure from Chartreuse, but noticeable enough, and it still maintained a notable herbal profile (even tho Strega is said to be composed of only 70, rather than Chartreuse's 130, unique recipe of herbs, flowers, roots, seeds, and other botanicals). As this variation wasn't too sweet for my palate, I thought perhaps a fruit liqueur or brandy might work well...enter Rothman & Winter. Rothman & Winter, in this case their Orchard Apricot, is essentially a combination of freshly harvested Austrian apricot juice and an unaged eau-de-vie, or brandy, distilled from the same seasonal fruit. While too much can absolutely be overbearing, in the right proportions, it can lend a very nice hint of rich sweetness to a cocktail. Nonetheless, I felt it probably best to cut back a touch on the maraschino given its inherent, yet less robust, sweetness. All of this led me to...
Run no. 2
1/2 oz Dry Fly gin
1/2 oz Strega
1/2 oz lemon juice
1/4 oz Luxardo maraschino liqueur
1/4 oz Rothman & Winter Orchard Apricot
Pretty...pretty...pretty good (for all the 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' enthusiasts). It had a nice subtle hint of apricot on the front end, but the acidity and slight bitterness of the lemon and maraschino, along with the Strega, were still clearly evident. If anything, the Dry Fly was a bit too far removed, clearly not what I'm looking for. Still, as the apricot wasn't overbearing, I wanted to see how much I could push it, such that I devised...
Run no. 3
1/2 oz Dry Fly gin
1/2 oz Strega
1/2 oz lemon juice
1/2 oz Rothman & Winter Orchard Apricot
Not bad, but too far from the profile I'm looking for, tho now at least I knew how much was umm...too much. The lack of maraschino was very evident, as was the heightened presence of apricot. While not an overwhelming slap of fruitiness, it was still an aggressive derivation, at least for my palate. For a last attempt on the evening, I revisited Run #2, with a slight step-up in Dry Fly and a touch of absinthe...
Run no. 4
1 oz Dry Fly gin
1/2 oz Strega
1/2 oz lemon juice
1/4 oz Luxardo maraschino liqueur
1/4 oz Rothman & Winter Orchard Apricot
Pacifique absinthe rinse
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| Run no. 4 |
One of two things was apparently going on here. Either I had too much booze in too short a time such that everything was becoming tasty...or this was really a nice concoction. Without a doubt I would have to revisit this at another time in the future, but here were my initial impressions. The gin was definitely more identifiable, yet it didn't overshadow the rest of the components as they all seemed to hold their own. And the absinthe? Just subtle enough. The aroma was clearly evident when I raised the cocktail glass to my lips, and if anything, it helped to further enhance the anise/fennel character of the Strega. While I certainly wouldn't claim this a paved road to a new classic, its probably not a bad first pass with my own tinkering of The Last Word...so let's just call it a footpath for now. With that said, I will reexamine this in the near term and, if deserved, will tag it with appropriate nomenclature (I will give this mixture a name).
