Sharkbait’s Cocktail of the Week: Bittersweet

Happy Friday…wait, is it Friday?

Regardless, it’s a day that ends with “Y”, so we should start drinking right? So let’s get to it. Just like last week, I’m dipping into the “bench” and instead of using the canton again, I’m instead using elder flower liqueur as a key ingredient. But the question is what to mix with it? Gin and elder flower is a great combo, but I’m feeling a bit adventurous. So I took a look at the bar and thought what about elder flower and rye? Might as well experiment. We’re not going anywhere for a while right?

Through some trial and error (which mainly consisted of a smell test to see which ingredients seemed like they would play nicely together), I decided that Fernet Branca seemed like a match, and a small taste test of all three confirmed confirmed my decision.  The one risk here is you need to be precise when measuring, as each ingredient can quickly overpower the drink: too much elder flower would make it too sweet, too much Fernet would make it too bitter. Here is what I settled on for measurements:

1.5 .oz Rye
.25 oz. Elder flower liqueur
.25 oz. Fernet Branca
2-3 Dashes orange bitters
Orange peel for garnish

Add all to a mixing glass, stir, and strain into a rocks glass, with 1 large ice cube. Express the oils from the peel into the glass, run the peel around the rim of the glass and drop in

The initial nose is orange right off the bat. The fresh peel dominates the smell, as well as the oils from the peel expressed over the top. The rye smell is nonexistent. I debated other citrus fruits mainly lemon or lime, however based on the bitters decision, the orange peel garnish was a no-brainer.

The Fernet starts the flavor off before it gives way to a 1-2 punch of rye spice with elder flower sweetness. The Fernet flavor does not go away though. It lingers just below the surface, before showing up again at the end, with a touch more amaro flavor at the end of the sip. The orange bitters add a nice depth and a bit more deep orange flavor that helps keep the sweet and bitter from fighting with each other like two parents trying to home school their kids.

This drink is very smooth overall. It is great for a cocktail hour, or possibly an after dinner drink.

If you wanted to, or if you don’t like Fernet all that much, I suppose you could reduce the amount a little bit. However, I think that if you reduce the amount added from the half ounce, you would lose the effect the amaro brings to keep the other flavors balanced. If you wanted to omit entirely, you would definitely need to replace it with something rather than just leave it out. The elder flower/rye combo would definitely be lacking something. The Fernet fills that gap nicely, even if it needs to be measured precisely.

If you have these ingredients in your bar, I highly suggest making one of these this evening. Enjoy and stay safe and healthy.

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