Sharkbait’s Cocktail Of The Week: Room For Improvement

Happy Friday everyone. For this week we’re going a little old school. The Improved cocktail has been around since the 1870s when bartender Jerry Thomas created it, and then published it in his book “How To Mix Drinks: or the Bon-Vivant’s Companion”.

What makes this improved is that it builds on the traditional cocktail definition of a combination of base spirit, sugar, bitters, and water.

The version I’m using comes from the New York Cocktails book. and is as follows:

2 oz. spirit of your choice (gin, bourbon, rye or brandy)

.25 oz. simple syrup

2 dashes (equivalent to 1 barspoon) Maraschino liqueur

1 dash Absinthe

2 dashes Bitters

1 lemon peel for garnish

In a rocks glass, stir the syrup with the maraschino bitters and absinthe. Add the base sprit of your choice and stir to combine . Add ice, preferably one large cube and stir to chill. Wipe the lemon peel skin side down around the rim of the glass, express the oils into the glass and drop into the drink.

Right off the bat, there is a strong maraschino aroma on the nose almost immediately. The maraschino covers most of the lemon, but not all. The garnish and the oils on top of the drink add a citrus undertone to the heavy cherry smell on this cocktail

The flavor is an interesting melting pot of all the ingredients. You start to get a bit of the rye flavor coming in before the maraschino undercuts it. It’s more of a muted rye flavor. The hallmark spiciness and whiskey flavor is still there, but it isn’t anywhere near as strong as it normally would be given the ratio of base to additions here. I think the 1-2 punch of liqueur and simple syrup are the main culprits here.

The absinthe kind of lurks in the background. I was expecting more out of it when I first tried it, and was surprised when I didn’t pick any flavor up, since absinthe is damn near impossible to mask. Then I get to the finish. That’s when the absinthe shines. The anise base really comes through almost at the end of the sip, but it really is pronounced when you finish. It lingers on the palate for a good 20 to 30 seconds. While it isn’t as strong as other absinthe featured drinks, the extra long linger is unexpected and I’m happy that the intensity isn’t there.

This is a good cocktail. I like the versatility since you can use any kind of base spirit with the other ingredients. I chose rye this time, but I would maybe try brandy next, just to see what the differences are. The author also suggests gin, but I’m unsure how that would work, however I’m willing to give it a shot for science of course. I also recommend backing down on the maraschino and absinthe a little bit. That will hopefully cut down on the absinthe lingering on the palate at the end. I found the barspoon unit of measure a bit odd, since the liqueur and the absinthe are quite potent ingredients, and you’d think you would want a precise measurement so you can maintain the balance of the drink. When I do make this again. I’ll be experimenting with more precise ways to measure out those additions.

(Banner image found here)