Sharkbaits Cocktail of the Week: Vacation!

Its Finally here! Vacation!! Well, technically tomorrow but I get to slam my laptop shut for the next 2ish weeks. I’m still technically working next week, but the word “working” is doing a lot of heavy lifting. So while I’m 90% off the clock, I can’t fully disassociate…yet. Also of note, While I’m away I’ll be taking a break from posting this column every week. Fear not! There will be substitutes to guide your weekend drinking in my place, and I’ll pick up where I left off at the end of the month, with some extra inspiration from my travels.

This week’s drink, The BQE, comes courtesy of BFC, who mentioned making it in the back room and so graciously posted the link to the recipe. He said it was delicious, and I had all the items on hand so I wanted to give it a go before I left on the adventure:

2 oz Rye Whiskey

.5 oz Sweet Vermouth

.5 oz Dry Vermouth

.25 oz Maraschino Liqueur

.25 oz Green Chartreuse

Twist of lemon*

Add all ingredients into a stirring glass. Add ice and stir until chilled and diluted. Strain into a chilled N&N. Express a lemon peel and place it on the rim of the glass.

Also, I know there is better vermouth out there, and is specifically called for in the recipe. However due to personal tastes, We always have a stash of Martini & Rossi on hand. I just finished up the Dolin supply I had so I needed to tap the emergency backup stash of vermouth.

Anyway, the Chartreuse is very prevalent in the nose. To the point that it masks most, if not all of the other players here. That being said, it isn’t very overpowering, but it’s for sure the most noticeable scent.

Now the flavor certainly is interesting. As strong as the chartreuse is on the aroma, it takes a bit of a back seat in the flavor department. I say a bit because while the rye is the most pronounced up front it’s flavor is held in check by the chartreuse.

The more I have of this, the more layers I can start to pick out. As said before, the rye takes the lead, but isn’t super spicy like a rye forward flavor would be. The chartreuse’s herbal flavors compliment the rye, but also stand up on their own. What also enhances the chartreuse? The dry vermouth of course. I can’t get a vermouth flavor per se, but the dryness comes through. The sweet vermouth does kind of get lost in the mix though. But maybe it acts as the base flavor and acts as a balancer to keep everything on an even keel

If that’s the case, it doesn’t last though. The chartreuse eventually takes over the palate and the drink finishes with a slightly sharp herbal flavor, with a lingering mouth feel that doesn’t dissipate immediately.

I think I’d make this again. I like using the chartreuse again lately and this is a great application of it. The twin vermouths and the lemon make this very similar to a medium martini, which is probably why I like it. It’s a good drink if I want to have one and I want to mix it up or (gasp) if I’m ever out of gin.

(Banner image courtesy Matthew Tetrault Photography)