Happy Friday before a long weekend (for me at least).Monday is Patriots day up here in Massachusetts, and I took it off since Mrs. Sharkbait already had it off. Patriots Day is also Marathon Monday, and we are going to meet some friends that came up from New York to go daydrink and watch the runners.

So what is Patriots Day and why is it a regional holiday? Patriots Day commemorates the battles of Lexington, Concord and Menotomy. The latter, being the first time in the hours old war that the British soldiers surrendered to a revolutionary regiment. However that is not the best story to come out of that day. That honor (in my opinion) goes to Samuel Whittemore, badass and official state hero of Massachusetts. I’ll leave it to The Dollop to go into more detail into Mr. Whittemore and his actions that day, as I cannot do it justice.

Anyway, what better way to honor the Americans that kicked off the revolution than with a cocktail called “Light Infantry” This Manhattan spin off sounded interesting with the addition of Lillet and reliance on orange in both the bitters and the garnish. Let’s see how it is:

2 oz. rye whiskey
1 oz. Lillet
.5 oz. Cocchi Vermouth de Torino
4 dashes orange bitters
1 large, thick orange peel, for garnish
1 maraschino cherry, for garnish (optional)

Place rye, Lillet, vermouth and bitters in a shaker with ice and stir. Rub orange peel around rim of a chilled martini glass; strain drink into glass. Twist orange peel over drink to release its oils and add to glass. Garnish with a cherry, if you like.

The nose of this one is light and citrus-y. The orange is in there, but not overwhelming. I can get a hint of the Lillet in there as well. Nothing else really stands out aroma wise.

The sip starts out like a normal Manhattan would with the whiskey notes up front. However, this one ends up hitting much different. As mentioned before, the rye is noticeable up front, but it’s mostly the flavor that really stands out. The Lillet does a fantastic job of really letting the pure rye flavor shine through in this application more than it would in a regular Manhattan. Any kind of whiskey “burn” is delayed for a few seconds, so you get this different flavor than you normally would expect for a close cousin to a Manhattan.

When the flavor turns back to “normal” this is still a very well balanced delicious drink. On top of being a rye enhancer, the Lillet is a great addition since it allows you to back down on the vermouth, making this an overall lighter drink than a normal Manhattan is. The finish is more traditional, with a mix of sweet vermouth and rye lingering on the palate. But not for very long. It dissipates fairly quickly, allowing for back to back sips if one so chooses to imbibe that way.

I like the subtle flavors going on here. I can see this being a really good summer mid day cocktail. When a regular Manhattan might be a little too heavy for the moment. I’ll be banking this one and will definitely make it this summer at a beach house or two.

(Banner image found here)