Sharkbait’s Cocktail of the Week: Full Monte

Happy American long weekend Friday!. Why is this a long weekend for us? Well, let’s just say it  has something to with our historically stellar interracial relations….

Anyway, there is more World Cup today, but unfortunately not until 3 when the US plays Australia, followed by Scotland vs. Morocco. For those games, I will be embedded at Scotland House in Charlestown. I keep seeing all these videos of people having fun with the Scots and I need to go be a part of that before they leave the Boston area.

On to this week’s drink. This one kind of threw me for a loop as I was set on making something completely different until I happen to scroll past this. It’s a Monte Carlo. A riff on an old fashioned. I realized I’d been leaning into the gin hard here the last few weeks and once I saw it, I wanted to break that trend and go back to a classic rye based cocktail. Having all the ingredients on hand made pivoting to this a no brainer:

Monte Carlo

2 oz. Rye whiskey

.5 oz. Benedictine liqueur (B&B in my case)

1 oz. Angostura bitters

Add the rye whiskey, Benedictine and bitters into a mixing glass with ice and stir for about 30 seconds until well-chilled. Strain into a chilled rocks glass over a large ice cube.

I mostly get the rye on the nose. I get it.  It’s a tough scent profile to beat, especially since there is a quarter of the amount of Benedictine to the rye.

What the nose lacks in Benedictine, it sure makes up for it in the flavors. That half an ounce punches far above it’s weight class in this application. It’s the first flavor I get in this very simple drink. The sweet, and spicy flavors overtake the rye immediately. The sweeter side of the equation outlasts any other spice or herbaceous notes the Benedictine adds to the whiskey, and it’s rather nice to be honest. It’s a different kind of sweet than a simple syrup would provide. The angostura bitter may help with that, since I can’t really pick it up in the overall palate.

The finish is where the rye finally starts to shine. It isn’t intense or overpowering by any means, but its signature flavor is most detectable here. That being said, the Benedictine comes back at the end in a surprise twist. It even lingers on the palate for a little while. It isnt unpleasant, but does get a bit old after the 3rd or 4th sip of the drink.

Would I make this again? Probably? But I think it would be reserved for when I really am in the mood for something different. Most likely if I’m combining whiskey and bitters, I’m making a Manhattan. But, if I’m out of vermouth, this would work in a pinch to scratch that itch. Either way, its good, and worth trying yourselves to see if you would add it into your rotation as well.

(Banner image courtesy Matthew Tetrault Photography)