A more balanced instance of tiki + byrrh?
Tasting Notes
Rory: Faintly peppery, probably the rye. I think a while ago I would’ve found it utterly lacking in sweetness, but now it feels balanced … albeit not to my tastes; I guess I do have a sweet tooth after all. Still, it’s definitely balanced; it’s not overwhelmingly bitter, though it’s bitter-focused. the first part of the flavor is nice - I think the shape starts with the byrrh? But it drops off in a direction i’m not a huge fan of. Maybe it’s the cinchona not playing nicely with the rye?
I was going to say it feels very classic, and Ryan pointed out to me that it’s based on the preakness cocktail, itself a 1936 variation on a Manhattan.
I was wondering if we could just substitute byrrh for sweet vermouth, and this does make that seem more and more likely; I guess that’s something i’ll want to compare in the future.
Ryan: This is a nice bridge between tiki and classic cocktails. It’s got some tiki notes–rum and tiki butters, but tempered way down by rye, and angostura (and a distinct lack of citrus). The byrrh kind of melds everything together pretty well too. It seems to be a riff on the Preakness Cocktail, which is rye, vermouth, benedictine, and angostura. It’s relatively …sweet, and easy to drink… for a stirred drink, too.
To be honest the benedictine kind of gets lost, there’s a lot going on. I haven’t had the cocktail this is riffing on but I suspect the benedictine stands out a bit more in that one without the tiki bitters and rum.
Recipe
- 1 ounce Flor de Cana 7 aged rum
- 1 ounce Bulleit Rye
- 3⁄4 ounce Byrrh Grand Quinquina
- 1⁄4 ounce Bénédictine
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
- for garnish, 4 drops Bittermens Elemakule Tiki Bitters
Stir over ice and strain into a rocks glass. Add 4 drops of tiki bitters. Express an orange peel and discard.
Source: Paul McGee (Lost Lake)