More Batavia Arrack! It’s prickly again! The arrack fits with the lemon the same way it fit with the Ancho Reyes yesterday.
Tasting Notes
Rory: In high quantities/ratios (Old Rogue in Tiki—though it’s possible our version just needed more dilution), the arrack is unnerving—tastes good, smells bad (“saline”, I said then; “Sweaty”, said the cohuman). The scent isn’t really coming through for this drink, so it’s not very challenging… I think? I’ve gone through most of the drink before getting to here.
The sugar is crystalizing out of the demerara syrup, so it’s possible this one is less sweet than spec, but it doesn’t taste at all dry. I don’t really catch any of the applejack, but I think that’s more on me - I haven’t learned to even tell apart whiskey and applejack.
I think I’m lying about not picking up on the applejack; at the end of the drink, I’m reminded of warming winter spices (though no spice in particular - not cinnamon, not cloves, not nutmeg - well, a little nutmeg, but there’s some in the drink) and apple cider.
Ryan: I think I like yesterday’s Aztec Warrior a bit better. The flavors in here are pretty good but the Arrack sort of shows through at the end in a way which tstes just the faintest bit “off” to me. I think generally lime works better than lemon and apple brandy isn’t quite interesting enough to stand up to the arrack.
That said, it does work pretty well, I’m already halfway through the drink!
Recipe
- 1 oz Batavia Arrack
- 1 oz Laird’s Bonded applejack
- 1⁄4 oz St. Elizabeth’s allspice dram
- 3/4 oz lemon juice
- 1⁄2 oz grapefruit juice
- 1⁄2 oz demerara syrup
- 1 pinch nutmeg
Combine all ingredients, shake with ice and pour unstrained into a chilled glass.