Sharkbait’s Cocktail of the Week: I’m Back, Back in the Cocktail Groove

Hello once again and happy Friday. I trust everyone still has the requisite number of digits still attached to their hands after yesterday’s festivities. I certainly do, and on top of that, in feeling much better after two week yous of antibiotics. I’m not 100% back yet, but that’s no s inurprise given how fast and intense this sinus infection came on and knocked me on my ass.

Now that I’m feeling better, I can finally get back to making tasty beverages. I wanted to use the Cherry Heering that got sent to me a few weeks ago and I had the perfect idea: a Remember the Maine. Unfortunately, going dry for 2+ weeks left me unaware of the status of the bar. I was lacking rye and pernod, two key ingredients of that drink. I had to go searching for an alternative and settled on the Singapore Sling from The Gentleman’s Companion.

Singapore Sling, per Baker:

“The original formula is 1 / 3 each of dry gin, cherry brandy and
Benedictine; shake it for a moment, or stir it in a bar glass, with 2
fairly large lumps of ice to chill. Turn into a small 10 oz highball
glass with one lump of ice left in and fill up to individual taste with
chilled club soda. Garnish with the spiral peel of 1 green lime. In other
ports in the Orient drinkers often use C & C ginger ale instead of
soda, or even stone bottle ginger beer.
Our own final improved formula calls for 2 parts dry or Tom gin,
to 1 part cherry brandy and 1 part Benedictine. This is dryer, not too
sweet. We also use a trifle more ice in the glass than the Raffles tech-
nique. One lump melts too quickly where we live among the coconut
palms!”

I decided to follow Baker’s suggestion of 2 parts dry or Tom gin,
to 1 part cherry brandy and 1 part Benedictine. I used ginger beer since my club soda goes flat faster than an avocado ripens. Plus Baker says other bars in the Orient use ginger beer so why not me?

Distinct cherry/lime aromas at work here. I get no gin at all. My first time using

Well that’s interesting. It’s heavy on the cherry flavors, but nowhere near as sweet as I anticipated it to be, which I very much approve of. I lose the dry gin almost completely. I think I can pick up some towards the finish, but it’s very minute. I think the lime garnish brings out some more citrus notes that the Benedictine brings to the table and it’s very much welcome here. That little bit of citrus bite adds a nice depth and cements this drink as a great hot weather cooldown.

I really liked the ginger beer addition too. The slight bitterness helped add more dryness to the drink which contributed to any sweet cherry flavors from completely dominating. I do think it could use a little more than the one ounce I originally gave it. I was looking for more fizz, and ended up adding most of the small bottle of Fever Tree to it. Though part of that was to finish the ginger beer without wasting it. I definitely want to try it with the club soda to see what the original flavors are without the added bitterness of the ginger beer.

Man this felt good. Finally being back on the mend after two weeks of feeling like complete ass. I’m not 100% yet, but I will be fairly soon. Now, about that June do over…