Sharkbait’s Cocktail of the Week: Analogue, Not Digital

Hello, and happy Friday one and all.  Good news! After much searching (OK not that much searching) I’ve finally acquired some allspice dram. Now I can finally mix up the Analogue. The drink that I’ve had on the forefront of my mind the last couple weeks. This one comes from the New York Cocktail book by Amanda Schuster. I’ve been wanting to try this one not just because I finally have all the necessary ingredients to make it, but more specifically, it comes from the book’s seasonal drinking chapter. As I’ve mentioned many, many times in this space, I like to keep my cocktails seasonally appropriate, and I’ve been looking for a new to me Fall and (possibly) Winter cocktail, and I think this one might fit the bill.  Hopefully I haven’t built this drink up too much in my head. Boy, would that suck huh?

Analogue:

1 oz. Four Roses Bourbon

1.5 oz. Dark rum

.5 oz. Velvet Falernum

.25 oz. Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur

.25 St. Elizabeth Allspice dram

3 dashes Angostura bitters

Stir all ingredients with ice. Strain into the rocks glass with a large format ice cube. Garnish with lemon twist

Aroma is fairly neutral, with the lemon garnish contributing the most poignant scent. I do get slight hints of allspice and bitters coming through the citrus though. Overall, pleasant, and warming.

The flavor is very bold and strong up front. I get a mixture of the whiskey and the rum right off the bat. Of which is a nice combination, surprisingly. I would not have thought dark rum and bourbon would play together as well as they do.

Midway through the sip is where I really get the allspice dram coming through. It adds a nice bitterness to keep the flavor palate well balanced. I’m pleased with what this ingredient brings to the table. It is a nice bitter, but a few rungs below other bitter liqueurs I’ve used in the past like Aperol, Fernet, Campari etc. I’m looking forward to experimenting with it some more.

The finish is a balanced mixture of all the flavors. A little hint of bitters from the allspice lingers on the palate for a few seconds afterwards before fading away. Unlike the Old Pal from last week, once the aftertaste fades, you could have another sip  without any adverse effect on the overall taste of the drink. Mrs. Sharkbait summed it up best: “This tastes like fall in a glass”.

So was the wait worth it? Most definitely. Thankfully, I did not overhype this drink, and there is a strong chance this becomes my go drink of the fall and winter. I plan on playing a little bit more with the allspice as well. I’ll have to report back on my experimentations, but I’m thinking this will go nicely in some warm apple cider.

Have a good weekend everyone!

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