Suze and… ancho reyes?
Tasting Notes
Rory: Bright like orange juice, though it doesn’t taste like orange at all. The warmth is coming from the ancho reyes and the bourbon, I think… and the other half of the ingredients. There’s a feeling of sunburn. I don’t think I’m tasting the Suze directly, though I’m pretty sure it’s part of the effect.
I like it; I’d probably be pretty happy if I ordered it a bar. I don’t think it’s perfect but I don’t have any particular critique. It’s pretty different from what we’ve been having the last few weeks/months.
Ryan: This is pretty good. The Ancho Reyes melds surprisingly nicely with the suze–rich and warm with a pleasantly complex and bitter note at the end, without any jarring changes–a smooth blend between one and the other.
I’m not entirely sure on the sweetness. The honey syrup probably contributes to the richness, but it does probably cover up a lot of the interesting notes in both the suze and ancho reyes. Someone in the comments suggested mezcal instead of honey, which feels plausible–the ancho reyes is relatively sweet.
Overall, it’s very straightforward and a good Last Word variant. It perhaps wants to go in a different direction, but the suze+ancho reyes concept is really neat. I’m not sure what I’d do with the concept but it feels like there’s more to do there.
Recipe
- 3⁄4 oz Bulleit Bourbon
- 3⁄4 oz Suze
- 3⁄4 oz Ancho Reyes Chile Liqueur
- 3⁄4 oz Lemon Juice
- 1⁄4 oz honey syrup
Source: Kindred Cocktails