Happy offseason Friday? As our resident DFS expert put it in last night’s open thread, This is the doldrums. Though after this season, my wallet will appreciate a few weeks off from the temptations of GAMBLOR, so I’m ok with a quiet-ish sports weekend. As to this week’s drink, I’ve been itching to use my supply of allspice dram, and I’ve got a promising recipe from the Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails book.

The Lion’s Tail is a promising whiskey based cocktail with a fair amount of allspice dram involved. I’ve been looking forward to trying this one for a little while. I’m curious to see what kind of direction the drink goes in. In my experience with allspice dram, you can either get warming, winter vibes, or on the other end of the spectrum, island and tropical/tiki like sentiments. Another interesting note is the name refers to “twisting the Lion’s tale” which is late 19th & early 20 century slang for antagonizing the British Empire. Let’s mix this one up! Hopefully without causing an international incident….

2 oz. Bourbon whiskey

.75 oz. Allspice Dram (or less, to taste)

.5 oz. Fresh lime juice

.25 oz. Simple Syrup

2 dashes Angostura bitters

Shake in a cocktail shaker with ice and strain into a 5 ounce cocktail glass

On the nose, I get some very mild allspice notes on the top with hints of lime. Not surprising since those are two pretty intense aromas one could have in a cocktail, and they definitely take the lead here. The combination reminds me of something tropical. Again, not a stretch of the imagination since both are featured prominently in a lot of Tiki or Caribbean drinks.

This is very nice. The sip starts off heavy on the whiskey and the lime, which is a great combination. The lime takes most of the flavor profile, with the whiskey acting as a filler and counter to the acid forward citrus flavor the lime brings. The allspice comes in shortly thereafter, adding dry, spicy clove-y flavor that still sits below the lime, but above the whiskey in the flavor hierarchy at play here. The allspice flavor rounds out the rest of the sip. The allspice does linger on the palate after the sip for a good five seconds or so before dissipating.

I ended up using half of the recommended simple syrup amount here. I personally tend to favor drinks that aren’t very sweet, and I could always add more simple syrup if needed. I think a quarter tablespoon is the perfect amount here. It keeps the strong flavors in check without being overly saccharine, or leaving a taste so sweet you feel like you need to shave your teeth after having a drink.

I thoroughly enjoyed this drink. I’m always looking for more ways to use the allspice dram, especially in the winter, and I’ve definitely found a good one to add to the cold weather cocktail menu.

(Banner image found here)