Interesting. Kind of. But Absolut is pretty darn neutral, so this drink winds up basically being a stretched cordial.
I'm embarrassingly ignorant on the history of vodka, but it cannot have begun as something so neutral and pure as your run-of-the-mill contemporary vodka (e.g., Absolut). Before the continuous still, vodka must have been something closer to white dog: more flavor from the grain (and no doubt, more congeners from impurities). Did vodka instantly transform into pure neutral spirits diluted with water immediately post-Coffey? Or was it a long slow decline in character? I wonder what the vodka tasted like that went into the original Russian?
What I do know is that I just executed this drink substituting a pleasant, high quality, contemporary white dog (not a commercial bottling) for the Absolut, and unsurprisingly, the drink has a lot more going for it. And, whaddayaknow, it's EVEN BETTER with a dash of Peychaud's, which not only has an affinity for Heering, but makes the drink into a true cocktail!
Well, it's not a Russian Cocktail any more, but I'm half-Russian, so I'll call it the Doudoroff Cocktail. (smirk)
Doudoroff Cocktail
1 1/2 oz white dog
3/4 oz Cherry Heering
1/4 oz Kirsch
1 dash Peychaud's bitters
Stir with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
Garnish with a Luxardo marasca cherry.
Note: a twist is not really desirable for this drink if your kirsch is any good: a fine kirsch supplies lovely aromatics.
While there is indeed a tricky toy called the "diabolo", I suspect both the name of the toy and the name of this cocktail derive from a corruption of the Italian "diavolo" (the "v" can easily be mis-heard as a "b") and/or the Spanish "diablo", both of which mean "devil". Both toy and drink might be considered "bedeviling".
Well, I certainly advocate that anyone interested in this drink at least try it out with kirsch instead of Heering (same 1/2 oz measure). The results will be drastically different. I'm not laying claim that it's "more correct" with kirsch, although the Ted Haigh article referenced above argues so and may be the most definitive statement we have so far on the topic. I do, however, feel it's worthwhile.
One word of warning: kirsch (a.k.a. Kirschwasser) is a surprisingly variable spirit. Some kirsch on the American market is overwhelmingly woody and, in my experience, that can utterly wreck the Straits Sling. The contemporary kirsch I have found to be a reliable benchmark is Trimbach, a French producer of an array of eau de vies which Diageo Wines imports (last I checked).
I'm not sure how the bitters slipped into Robert's rendition without explanation and in the face of JT's own quoted commentary. At the very least, the bitters should probably be qualified as "optional". However, considering that Harry Johnson specified garnishing the Coffee Cocktail with an olive (!), this is a minor quibble.
The guys at Painkiller (NYC) have recently published their thoughts on this drink, the version of which they serve daily is staggering in its deliciousness.
http://www.painkillernyc.com/research
Latest
Comments
More like this please.
A few words on why you think this counter-intuitive cocktail worked out would be nice.
Interesting. Kind of. But Absolut is pretty darn neutral, so this drink winds up basically being a stretched cordial. I'm embarrassingly ignorant on the history of vodka, but it cannot have begun as something so neutral and pure as your run-of-the-mill contemporary vodka (e.g., Absolut). Before the continuous still, vodka must have been something closer to white dog: more flavor from the grain (and no doubt, more congeners from impurities). Did vodka instantly transform into pure neutral spirits diluted with water immediately post-Coffey? Or was it a long slow decline in character? I wonder what the vodka tasted like that went into the original Russian? What I do know is that I just executed this drink substituting a pleasant, high quality, contemporary white dog (not a commercial bottling) for the Absolut, and unsurprisingly, the drink has a lot more going for it. And, whaddayaknow, it's EVEN BETTER with a dash of Peychaud's, which not only has an affinity for Heering, but makes the drink into a true cocktail! Well, it's not a Russian Cocktail any more, but I'm half-Russian, so I'll call it the Doudoroff Cocktail. (smirk) Doudoroff Cocktail 1 1/2 oz white dog 3/4 oz Cherry Heering 1/4 oz Kirsch 1 dash Peychaud's bitters Stir with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a Luxardo marasca cherry. Note: a twist is not really desirable for this drink if your kirsch is any good: a fine kirsch supplies lovely aromatics.
Great episode, Jamie!
What happened to the
Ok, but it seems to me a Bourbon Crusta without a sugared rim is less a Crusta than a Cocktail of the sour persuasion (but not to be confused
dee-AAH-bo-lo
While there is indeed a tricky toy called the "diabolo", I suspect both the name of the toy and the name of this cocktail derive from a corruption of the Italian "diavolo" (the "v" can easily be mis-heard as a "b") and/or the Spanish "diablo", both of which mean "devil". Both toy and drink might be considered "bedeviling".
This drink seems like a direct interpolation between the Manhattan and the Vieux Carre.
I note that you're sidestepping the idea of kirsch as the "dry cherry brandy" called for in this drink. Care to comment?
Well, I certainly advocate that anyone interested in this drink at least try it out with kirsch instead of Heering (same 1/2 oz measure). The results will be drastically different. I'm not laying claim that it's "more correct" with kirsch, although the Ted Haigh article referenced above argues so and may be the most definitive statement we have so far on the topic. I do, however, feel it's worthwhile. One word of warning: kirsch (a.k.a. Kirschwasser) is a surprisingly variable spirit. Some kirsch on the American market is overwhelmingly woody and, in my experience, that can utterly wreck the Straits Sling. The contemporary kirsch I have found to be a reliable benchmark is Trimbach, a French producer of an array of eau de vies which Diageo Wines imports (last I checked).
I'm not sure how the bitters slipped into Robert's rendition without explanation and in the face of JT's own quoted commentary. At the very least, the bitters should probably be qualified as "optional". However, considering that Harry Johnson specified garnishing the Coffee Cocktail with an olive (!), this is a minor quibble.
The guys at Painkiller (NYC) have recently published their thoughts on this drink, the version of which they serve daily is staggering in its deliciousness. http://www.painkillernyc.com/research
Irrespective of history, I can imagine no good reason to ever use a filtered (colorless) rum in a Pi