Sharkbait’s Cocktail of the Week: Substitutions

Happy Friday one and all. This week I’m keeping it simple, but also taking a bit of a risk. In honor of the trip to New York City I’m taking this weekend, I wanted to make this Manhattan variant called the Just For Mary. The risk comes from the ingredient substitution. I don’t have Cherry Heering on hand, but I do have Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur, which is another cherry flavored liqueur. Also, I try to use their maraschino cherries whenever I can, and especially in Manhattans so I’m going to give it a shot here. Let’s see how it goes:

2 oz. Rye Whiskey
.5 oz. Lillet Blanc
.5 oz. Cherry Liqueur
2 Dashes Orange Bitters

Add all ingredients to a mixing glass. Add ice and stir until chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe. 

The aroma has a sweetness to it that I wasn’t expecting. It’s a little off putting to be honest, and a little concerning. I think I may have made a mistake in the Heering for Luxardo trade…. After I go back in, I can get a little bit of the orange bitters but not much else. It’s all Luxardo all the time.

Well, I was right, I It starts out very sweet and full of Luxardo flavor, with undertones of the rye underneath that helping to keep the liqueur from totally dominating. The saccharine cherry flavor unfortunately really doesn’t subside. My palate was able to get more of the spiciness of the rye, but I suspect I was becoming “Luxardo blind” and was able to start picking out anything that was different from the dominant flavor. Almost as if my taste buds are searching for anything else other than the super sweet cherry flavor. As for the Lillet and orange bitters? Well they are essentially lost here. I was wondering how the Lillet would stand up, and the answer is: not very well at all, unfortunately. I like Lillet, and I hope that in the the proper version of this, it stands out more than it does here. Same with the orange. The flavor it brings should be a good addition, once it doesn’t have to fight through an overpowered ingredient.

In this drink’s defense, I definitely used the wrong liqueur. I thought I could swap the Heering for Luxardo, and boy was I wrong. There is definite potential for this drink, provided you use what they are calling for here. Cherry Heering will definitely be on my next liquor store shopping list for sure.